Mr.Weese's Blog

Mary Christmas!

2011-12-24T05:07:00.000+01:00

YES, I meant to spell it that way. See for yourself:

Have a wonderful holiday ;)

A History of English (in 10 minutes)

2011-11-23T23:54:00.001+01:00

Al's Alphabet Rap

2011-10-24T17:33:00.002+02:00

Not the video I was looking for (audio only), but at least you'll be able to practice the chorus at home now:

Captain's Log, Stardate... whatever

2011-09-14T08:26:00.003+02:00

Just a quick welcome to all new readers coming to this blog from the "Adam-Kraft-Gymnasium" where I will be teaching for a while. Live long & prosper ;)

Felix Austria

2011-07-13T21:36:00.003+02:00

I know it's Latin. But ever since Harry Potter Vol.6 introduced "felix felicis", I'm assuming that people will understand what that headline means ;) Anyway, here's a great story I came across today: The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster has now been officially approved by the Austrian authorities issuing driver's licences: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14135523

Geronimo!

2011-05-04T15:16:00.004+02:00

Auntie Beeb saves me the trouble of writing up on the US of A's battle cry of choice which you might have heard was used to relay the coded message of Mr. Bin Laden's demise. O Geronimo, no minor ego!

Homophone Humour

2011-04-07T20:11:00.002+02:00

Bread Pitt
Carrion Items
Good gnus, bad gnus
"If that's an a(u)nt, then that's for me!"

FYI: OED SEZ LOLZ OK... OMG!

2011-03-30T17:10:00.003+02:00

TMI?

Das Kapital

2011-03-24T21:54:00.002+01:00

Sorry, I don't seem to be able to resist playing with words. Anyway, here's the link I promised to my "W(ee)Seminar" about capitalization in titles/headlines:
Well, Lookee What We Have Here! Thanks, Tina. Best one I've seen so far.

Beware Double Meanings

2011-03-06T09:47:00.004+01:00

My favorite example from France: At least they did try to clarify by adding "films or photos", but it still sounds hilarious ;) (Hint: Here again, punctuation can make all the difference - putting "films or photos" in parentheses instead of making the whole thing an enumeration of three forbidden things would have helped a great deal.)

P.S. I'm not even starting on "the enclosure of the castle" and the proper context & meaning of the word "comprehension". I am, after all, not a native speaker myself and don't really have the right to criticize my fellow non-natives :)

The Montgomery Story

2011-02-16T16:59:00.001+01:00

Everything you need to know about Dr Martin Luther King and Ms Rosa Parks (and a bit of Ghandi as well) in the form of a vintage (!) comic book. Give it a read.

It's Groundhog Day. Again.

2011-02-02T09:36:00.003+01:00

...and once again, the world (the Americanized part of it, anyway - and maybe those who've seen the movie) is looking at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania (those are real names, I'm not making those up!), to find out if groundhog Phil will see his shadow. Six more weeks of winter?
UPDATE: Doesn't look like it. Now, does that only mean the US eastern seaboard or what?

Remembering Christa McAuliffe

2011-01-27T19:45:00.000+01:00

"First teacher in space" - it wasn't meant to be. But everywhere in the world, teachers looking up to the stars will think of you tonight. I, for one, certainly will. You're really up there.

Funny. I didn't know the 25th anniversary was coming up when I talked about Mrs McAuliffe in class two days ago.

An English lesson with Mr Schmid

2011-01-14T15:20:00.009+01:00

Life is beautiful.

Every single day...

2011-01-11T14:03:00.004+01:00

Somebody reminded me that it's still Christmas on my blog and if I shouldn't change that. I had to agree - but as usual, what I SHOULD have replied only came to me later: It's Christmas EVERY DAY in HEAVEN ;)

Monty Python - Christmas in Heaven

Oh my God - it's full of... palindromes?

2010-11-20T09:29:00.004+01:00

If you're not afraid of palindromes (an illness commonly referred to as "aibohphobia"), check out one of my favorite Weird Al songs: BOB!

Link:

Eat your heart out, Annasusanna!

A blog is when Mr.Weese writes something on the Internet...

2010-11-14T16:54:00.003+01:00

Students who know my little vocabulary tests will remember that I keep telling them to avoid the construction "...is when..." at all costs when explaining a piece of vocabulary in English. As some will just as repeatedly point out, it is, of course, theoretically possible to use said construction in a sentence WITHOUT making a serious stylistic blunder. So, for all you advanced English students out there, here's how to do it RIGHT...
Consider the following example:
"Halloween is when many people put hand-carved Jack-o-Lanterns in their front yards." (perfectly correct)
as opposed to
"A cat is when it makes 'meow'". (abysmal)
See the difference? The first sentence actually refers to a time ("Halloween"), as does the relating conjunction "when". "A cat", on the other hand, is not a way of telling the time at all (imagine someone answering the question of "When shall we meet again?" by saying "cat"...)! In short:

Only use "is when" if you want to talk about time!
(In fact, it's still the safest bet NOT to use it at all, I should say.)

Paul IS dead

2010-10-26T16:55:00.001+02:00

Paaaaulisdead...daaaaedsssssiluapppp...ppppaulllisdeaaddd...dddaaeeeeeddddddaeeedsiluap...

- Link 1 (the facts, in German)
- Link 2 (a clue)

Paul is dead, man. Miss him. Miss him.

(Do people still own record players?)

Hlǣfdige & Hlaf-weard

2010-10-06T20:02:00.002+02:00

Good morning, dear makers and custodians of bread...
...for that is what the words "lady" and "lord" boil down to, etymologically. You can find a more exhaustive explanation here (CLICK!), and in future, you need not be alarmed when Mr. Weese addresses you thus ;)

The Musical Unicorn

2010-09-28T14:34:00.007+02:00

You read it here first: "The Last Unicorn" is going musical! As Connor Cochran has let me know, German composer/producer Christian Gundlach is working on a new version of my favorite purveyor's of fantastic literature true to its name, Peter S. Beagle's classic novel to hit German stages next year. There are going to be approximately 70 performances on the "Theater für Niedersachsen" stages in Hildesheim and Hanover, as well as guest performances on stages throughout Lower Saxony, including Langenhagen and Clausthal-Zellerfeld. Spread the word. Schmendrick is with you!

Test practice?

2010-09-22T13:53:00.000+02:00

This way: http://www.isb.bayern.de/isb/index.aspx?MNav=6&QNav=11&TNav=0&INav=0&VTyp=1&Fach=22

Yummy!

2010-07-17T16:02:00.004+02:00

In case you're wondering, these are the recipes (partly in German) I used for today's schoolfest (slightly altered due to materials being unavailable):
http://lazysmurf.wordpress.com/2009/05/14/beets-greens/ (using red cabbage instead of beets)
http://schlemmerkino.de/Star_Trek__Raumschiff_Voyager,rezept,-,443 (the salad sauce this asked for was substituted by some Thai salad dressing)
http://linguistlist.org/cookbook/recipe-display.cfm?ID=294 (not as thick as it could have been, but edible. And that's saying something.)
http://imakeprojects.com/Projects/fleshworms/ ("Kaesekrainer" inside)
http://www.tor.com/blogs/2009/05/science-fiction-cuisine-eat-up-meatbags (Instead of pineapple soda I used extra sweet pineapple juice and carbonated water - and I skipped on the Popplers. Maybe next time. But what's the point if they taste like chicken anyway?)

Double Standards Vol.2

2010-06-21T21:47:00.003+02:00

"5UCK.MY D1.CK"
What would you have done?
I told the student that in the U.S. they'd most likely have sent him home, probably even expelled him from school. In Germany, on the other hand, people probably just don't get it.
I wonder what would happen today (this photo was taken a few years ago), what with all the abuse stories that have been making the press lately...

Double Standards

2010-05-19T08:29:00.003+02:00

Here's something I don't get: A German radio station was just playing "Teenage Dirtbag" by Wheatus. There's a line in it saying "her boyfriend's a dick / he brings a gun to school"... Now guess what they censored? -- Yes, indeed. They left the "dick" in there and garbled the "gun". Now what's up with that? If you've read my short story partly based on my experiences in working for an American college radio station (no English version available yet, sorry), I can tell you that whilst I made up most of the science-fictionish elements of the story, the FCC (federal Communications Commission) forms people had to fill out when "offensive content" had been aired are absolutely real. You probably know it is common practice in English-speaking countries to "BEEP" out any offensive language like the f-word (or aforementioned d-word), which usually does not happen in Germany because of the simple fact that most of these words do not sound even half as offensive to German ears (including those of the "moral authorities") when uttered in a foreign language. And although I can understand that bringing guns to school has become a sensitive topic here in Germany as well, I fail to see how the WORD itself in that CONTEXT seems more offensive than calling the person an expletive.

(Re-)Defining Vocabulary

2010-04-19T21:33:00.003+02:00

Food for thought: What do you call a cuddly animal kept in a vehicle? (mark/highlight the line below the three dots using your mouse pointer and left button)

a carpet

...just random ideas going through my mind while putting together test questions...

Erm... Happy Easter?

2010-04-02T11:38:00.002+02:00

Did I mention I'm not too fond of Easter Bunnies?

They're still looking - this is your chance!

2010-02-10T16:10:00.003+01:00

To whom it may concern: Please do return Störtebeker's head - we needed it for a short report in 8b and people keep asking...

Well, I'm making that part up, but when I read the news around the date of Katharina's & Linda's short report, I really wondered "what if...?" - imagine the opening lines: "Today, we would like to tell you something about Germany's most famous pirate, Klaus Störtebeker. This (rummaging in backpack, eventually producing an actual skull) is his head!"

That should have gotten their attention.

Just my weird imagination running wild.

The Force Is Strong With This One

2010-01-11T16:57:00.004+01:00

If you know my predilection for playing with words, you can imagine there are times that I wish I had come up with one of these - here is your clue: What could the newspaper headline read if people were to cross the Han river in Seoul, South Korea, by walking a tightrope, one by one?

(mark the following text with your mouse to read it and/or click on the invisible text below to read the full article)

Skywalkers in Korea Cross Han Solo

(via)

Anglicism Spotting

2009-12-10T21:00:00.004+01:00

Here's a little something that turned up in a vocabulary test last year. I didn't get it then, and for the life of me, I still can't figure it out. What was that student thinking? Anyway, dear 9th graders: If this ever turns up again, you'll know what to write - or will you?

"Ugly bags of mostly water"

2009-12-05T17:05:00.003+01:00

Here's one for 9d: The example I used to illustrate the adjective "ugly" in the vocabulary part of our test really wasn't mine - you can read all about the "Star Trek - The Next Generation" episode this statement comes from right her e.
Only recently has it come to my attention that there is, in fact, a documentary about the Klingon Language Institute (in Klingon and starring Michael "Worf" Dorn! 8) ) that is also called "Earthlings - Ugly Bags of Mostly Water", although technically it wasn't the Klingons but the Microbrains who first came up with that description. Qapla', nevertheless.

"Aliens should stand at attention"

2009-10-27T22:58:00.002+01:00

An interesting bit of the U.S. flag code (§9: Conduct during hoisting, lowering or passing of flag). Still wondering how and if they're going to enforce that. Any ideas, Lieutenant Ripley?

Mr.Weese Goes WEG

2009-08-05T08:22:00.002+02:00

There are times when German and English don't mix so well (cf. my most favorite example of "Happy Shopping in der City"), but I just couldn't resist that headline. As some of you may know, I'll be leaving Coburg to move in with my wife-to-be and have therefore been transferred to the town of Schwabach's Wolfram-von-Eschenbach-Gymnasium, commonly abbreviated as "WEG". I'll keep on blogging here, and I will try to find more time for these sadly neglected blogs of mine. Enjoy your vacations, everyone!

Ask Mr.Weese

2009-06-19T08:14:00.005+02:00

Vesteblick.de, one of Coburg's "city blogs", have asked me to provide them with my expertise on "Denglisch" / "Germ(l)ish" and function as a "Briefboxuncle" (agony columnist) for them. So if you've got any questions concerning English usage in Germany, especially when it comes to PR specialists and the likes messing up the language: fire away (in both languages and on both blogs)!

This just in...

2009-02-23T15:07:00.002+01:00

Obama's Elf

2009-02-18T22:48:00.005+01:00

Getting song lyrics totally wrong (sometimes even on purpose, for comical effect) is not exactly a new idea/problem - in fact, there are even books about the problem here in Germany, and many a radio show has picked up on this. But this version of "All By Myself" really made me ROTFL (if you catch my drift) after a wave of mediocrity:

A little P.S. here: In case you're interested in finding more, this phenomenon is called a "mondegreen" - here's why.
(via Abspannsitzenbleiber)

Badly Translated Menus

2009-02-09T21:12:00.003+01:00

Talking 'bout snacks: Er, yes, I'll have "Theburns the big dragon benefit fish of the cowboy bone" with maybe some "Gather the colourful delicacy small fry the king" on the side...
Want more? Check this out:
Flickr: Bad Menus
(via)

Circuitry Snacks

2009-02-07T10:13:00.004+01:00

Here's one for all the future quantum physicists and rocket scientists (some of my students will, hopefully, remember the phrase "you don't have to be a rocket scientist to..." that we talked about the other day) - and I guess my colleagues Mr. Feuerpfeil & Mr. Matthes would enjoy these a lot. The best thing is, many of the candy involved is actually available in Germany, too. Maybe an idea to keep in mind for this summer's School Fest?
http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/circuitsnacks

Common mistakes - a lot of them...

2009-02-04T20:45:00.006+01:00

Now, I'm not quite sure if it mightn't be a tad counterproductive to post a list like that here - after all, you might never have heard of the existence of any of those "mistakes commonly made be German learners of English" (currently 263 - phew!) and, therefore, never even have thought of making them at all. On the other hand, if you were to remember even a small percentage of that list... Well, you get the point. Here it is, and may you prosper from it:

Click here to download the list (PDF format) by Mike Seymour

Thanks again to Dr.Krieger for pointing me to it ;)

Powerpoint Karaoke: Australia

2009-01-29T11:56:00.003+01:00

Looking for PPT files on Australia? Try this link:
http://australia.pppst.com

Here are two I have sucessfully used before:
- Three Levels of Government
- Top 10 Wildlife Experiences

And here's a direct link to "Dreamtime"-related information:
http://australia.pppst.com/dreamtime-stories.html

US Eastern Seaboard to join European Union?

2008-12-29T18:13:00.008+01:00

A Russian professor seems to think so. According to him, there is a 45-55% chance the US will have split up by the year 2010 due to econonic and social tensions culminating in some kind of civil war, making the map of the then-Divided States of America look thus (click to enlarge):
Creepy. But who am I to argue with an expert? ;)
(via)

Badger Badger Badger...

2008-12-17T16:29:00.005+01:00

Finding it hard to believe that "my" 9th graders don't know this hilarious piece of pop culture, I can't resist putting up a link here:
http://www.weebls-stuff.com/toons/badgers/
You should also check out the "Harry Potter" version, which replaces "Badger Badger Badger... Mushroom, Mushroom! - A snake, a snake... iiit's a snake!" by "Potter", "Weasley" and "Snape" respectively:
http://thefifthdistrict.com/potter/

Nothing for ungood!

2008-11-25T14:20:00.003+01:00

Yes, I know it isn't proper English. Still, this is what John from Muenster calls his Weblog about "German quirks from an American perspective". I highly recommend you give it a read.

Ye Officiale Python Tube

2008-11-19T09:41:00.003+01:00

The Monty Pythons now have their own YouTube channel, where high quality videos of their sketches are freely available to the general public. Aren't they extraordinarily nice chaps?

"For 3 years (...) YouTubers have been ripping us off (...) It's time for us to take matters into our own hands. (...) No more of those crap quality videos you've been posting. We're giving you the real thing - HQ videos delivered straight from our vault.(...) But we want something in return. None of your driveling, mindless comments. Instead, we want you to click on the links, buy our movies & TV shows and soften our pain and disgust at being ripped off all these years."

http://uk.youtube.com/user/MontyPython

Next Year's Newspaper

2008-11-16T20:00:00.006+01:00

The Guantanamo Bay detention camp shut down permanently, all US soldiers home from Iraq, George "Dubya" Bush indicted for high treason? "The Yes Men"'s ficticious July 4th, 2009 issue of the New York Times is back from the future, describing (some of) the hopes people set on the Obama administration (or for a better world in general, although they do go over the top a little bit on that one). Read an online version of said newspaper by clicking here.
A version of this blog posting is also available in German at http://blog.hillvalley.de/2008/11/16/die-zeitung-von-naechstem-jahr/.

Good luck also to Ms McKinney, Mr Baldwin, Mr Barr, Mr Nader and their vice presidential candidates

2008-11-04T19:27:00.008+01:00

Never heard of them? Figures. Well, people, it is/was not JUST Obama vs. McCain today, though it may seem so. Try these links for more information:
http://www.baldwin08.com/
http://www.bobbarr2008.com/
http://mckinney2008.com/PRESIDENT/
http://www.votenader.org/

P.S. Mr Weese congratulates Barack Obama upon his victory. (Here's a transcript of his acceptance speech.)

If you dig straight down...

2008-10-01T13:21:00.002+02:00

...where will you end up? Here's a way to check where "Down Under" really is:
http://www.ubasics.com/dighole/
Have fun swimming! ;)

Georgia On My Mind 2008

2008-09-25T21:36:00.006+02:00

Some exclusive audio/video content coming up: Here's yours truly's humble performance of one of THE classic American "anthems" at the Alex' Summer Concert of 2008. Thanks to Johannes G. for the recording, and of course to all the members of the "combo" for having me ;)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2496069225567034672

O-aria rai-o - Obama, Obama, Obama...

2008-07-25T15:10:00.004+02:00

Please tell me I'm not the only one who thought that could be a great rallying song for Senator Obama. Besides, "Mas Que Nada" means "more/better than nothing", so I guess it fits yet again: Anything is better than George "Dubya" Bush (but that's as far as I will go taking sides in the upcoming American election - let Americans decide on whom they want as their next president, it's not up to us here really).

P.S.: My Back to the Future themed blog has a few funny BTTF/Obama-related links (the article is in German, but the linked pages aren't).

You could be a winner

2008-07-14T12:03:00.007+02:00

Since there aren't too many contestants yet, I'll take the liberty of putting in a "commercial break" for myself here: You can win a Back to the Future "Save the Clock Tower" T-Shirt in my BTTF-themed "Hill Valley Blog" (it's in German, so here are the instructions in English: Just put your eMail in a comment or mail me at webmaster{at}hillvalley{dot}de and you're in!)
http://blog.hillvalley.de/2008/08/10/verlosung-rettet-die-rathausuhr/

R.I.P. George Carlin May 12, 1937- June 22, 2008

2008-06-23T22:40:00.011+02:00

"Let Evel Knievel get ON the plane - I'm getting IN the plane!"

May you spend some quality time with the invisible man in the sky, or whoever it is you are discussing your post-death situation with right now. I shall even shed a few tears for you every once in a while, when nobody's looking. And here, just for y'all 's education, is G.C.'s list of "filthy" words you can't say in the public media, at least in the U.S. of A.:
"Sh*t, P*ss, F*ck, C*nt, C*cksucker, Motherf*cker, T*ts."
Thank you.

P.S.: Slightly modified to protect the innocent.
P.P.S.: While I usually do not encourage usage of said words in public, I keep pointing out to my classes that QUOTING somebody else is perfectly alright and an expression of your right to free speech, as long as you mark it as a quote. Which I've done. So, sue me ;)
P.P.P.S: Here's what director Kevin Smith has to say about the "god who cussed", once again reminding us that 'there are no such things as bad words'

Animals on the Tube

2008-06-03T21:02:00.003+02:00

No, I'm not talking about Mr.Bean bringing his Teddy on the Underground. It's rather a phenomenon similar to the one that lets our brain see faces on Mars - if you highlight certain lines of London's Tube map, you get stylized pictures of animals such as an elephant or even a wallaby (some sort of kangaroo, I'm told). Check them out here!

A Classroom I'd Like To Teach In

2008-04-06T16:02:00.005+02:00

One of the rare occasions that my two blogging worlds actually touch: Photographer-designer David Occhino has created a "Back to the Future" themed elementary school classroom. Neat. (But it'd probably hard for me to concentrate on my job, what with all the stuff around me just waiting to be stared at in admiration...)

http://davidocchino.com/portfolio/interiordesign/Universal_Studios_classroom.jpg

English for GERRmans

2008-02-28T21:22:00.003+01:00

Seems like I just can't resist playing around with those acronyms ;)
Today's link takes you to an online test by the University of Düsseldorf which is designed to evaluate your English proficiency based on the official European frame of reference, in German "gemeinsamer Europäischer ReferenzRahmen", aka GERR. "My" 9th-graders might remember that this turned up in the fictitious CV in our textbook...
OK now, here goes:

http://www.psycho.uni-duesseldorf.de/abteilungen/ddp/Englischtest

Thanks again to Dr. Jörn Krieger for pointing me in the right direction ;)

OWAD's this?

2008-02-26T12:38:00.002+01:00

"One Word A Day" - I don't know if it'll keep the doctor away (depends on the word, I guess), but it seems like a fun way to expand one's vocabulary to me: Basically, what you do is subscribe to a mailing list which gives you exactly one English word to learn every day (hence the name). Paul E. Smith tries to choose words a little out-of-the-ordinary (for example, "flawless" as a much more colorful adjective than just "perfect"), serving more than just to impress your teacher ;)

The (German) press release can be accessed here.

Thanks to Jörn Krieger of "Der Medienbote" for the press release & link!

Simpsonize Yourself

2008-01-10T08:40:00.001+01:00

Here's how to make your own Bart Simpson Chalkboard:
http://www.addletters.com/bart-simpson-generator.htm

To create your own Simpson, go here:
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/flash/play/3677/
or here:
http://www.simpsonizeme.com/

Have fun!!

Merry Christmas from Chiron Beta Prime

2007-12-20T08:47:00.000+01:00

...where we're working in a mine
for our robot overlords
-- did I say 'overlords'?
I meant, 'protectors'!

Jonathan Coulton and Tom Ellsworth present a hilarious piece of science-fictionish Christmas cheer with a twist, and the potential to become a cult classic (if it isn't already). Watch & enjoy... and a Merry Christmas to y'all, too!

P.S.: Soylent Green is p...[message redacted]!

Nixer!

2007-10-28T10:42:00.000+01:00

to nix = to cancel, to refuse - another of those great Germanisms, just like the ever-popular "blitzkrieg", "weltschmerz", "angst" and such (look 'em up in your ALD, I'm not kidding!)
This piece of vocabulary is often used in business relations - hence, obviously, this license plate on a Mercedes I encountered a while back in London - Highgate.

An E-Mail from Al Gore

2007-10-25T21:21:00.001+02:00

What I took for SPAM at first turned out to be for real. If only I knew how he got his hands on my "official" (school) e-mail address and even knows my first name. Kinda creepy.
Still, this sounds interesting:

Current, the media company I co-founded six years ago with my partner Joel Hyatt, just last week launched a new web site that integrates television and the Web in an unprecedented way. It provides, as never before, a platform for citizens to make the media their own.

One of the features I'm most excited about on Current.com is called Viewpoints. Viewpoints is a virtual town hall where you can share your opinions, in video, about the issues that matter in the 2008 election: from global warming to government eavesdropping, and many more.

This digital town hall is already bustling, and you can find viewpoints from me and from a lot of people, including the candidates running for President. Come and listen to their positions and, more importantly, tell them and the rest of the world what you think!

Since Viewpoints is the only place on the Web where you can easily share your view in video, my hope is that you'll take this opportunity to go toe-to-toe with the pundits on TV and help contribute to a new platform for public discourse. All it takes is a webcam and 60 seconds.

And, since we'll be taking the most popular and most compelling viewpoints and airing them on Current TV -- now available in 52 million homes around the world -- you may very well get your voice heard on our global TV network.

I look forward to seeing and hearing you on Current.com, as we deepen the discussion on these important topics:

http://current.com/viewpoints

Thank you,

Al Gore

This is not a vacuum cleaner

2007-10-10T14:49:00.001+02:00

Can't you see it says Radio Shack, not Hoover?

I wanted to spare you the "...but it still sucks" punchline, but I really can't resist the temptation, because of the double meaning working in two languages, albeit in a different way. Non-German speakers: "saugen", the literal translation of "to suck", can be used as a slang word for downloading data ("leeching"), which is, of course, what this precursor of the modem ("acoustic coupler") could be used for. Darn slow though it was...

What Not To Do

2007-09-24T20:37:00.000+02:00

A little reminder:
Never, never ever, use "...is when..." in vocabulary definitions.
Seriously.
I mean it.

Happy Holidays

2007-07-27T12:32:00.000+02:00

No need to say more, I suppose. Most of you've earned them, so I hope you enjoy them ;) CU next term.

This one's for you!

2007-07-12T07:29:00.000+02:00

For all E.T.s who couldn't be there themselves yesterday: (click to enlarge)

All I've left to say (again) is thank you, thank you, thank you.

EDIT: Click on this sentence to read another press article ("Coburger Tageblatt") - once again, they didn't get all the facts right, but still they only had good things to say about us ;)

E.T.in the news again

2007-07-05T21:41:00.000+02:00

Am I annoying you? I sure hope not ;) This is what Coburg's Neue Presse has to say about the upcoming "Schultheatertage":

http://www.alexandrinum-coburg.de/uploads/pics/NP_2007-07-04.jpg

(Sorry, German again. I definitely should pay more attention to this blog really being an English-language one.)

No Millions For Pants

2007-06-26T16:56:00.000+02:00

The good judge has had his case dismissed, it seems: http://www.wusa9.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=60101
(if you prefer, a few notes from a lawyer's blog, in German: http://www.lawblog.de/index.php/archives/2007/06/25/doch-keine-millionen-fur-eine-hose/)

More E.T. (again) ;)

2007-06-23T22:44:00.000+02:00

As some of you might know, I've started an English students' drama group at "my" school (Gymnasium Alexandrinum, Coburg). We call ourselves "E.T." (for "English Theater") & will be performing our student-written play entitled "Hard To Be" one more time on July 10th @ the Reithalle location of the Landestheater Coburg as a part of this year's "Schultheatertage". We'll be very glad to welcome you there as well if you happen to be around!
Although they got a few facts wrong (one of which being that my "z.A." status has been a thing of the past since March 1st - wink wink, nudge, nudge), try the Landestheater's web page for a bit more info:
http://www.landestheater-coburg.de/?_tid=1567&id=335
...or have a look at http://www.alexandrinum-coburg.de/index.php?id=77 where you'll find a few articles on the group in German (inter alia).
Thanks to Franziska ("Lynnie, dead and looking it"), E.T. also have a website of their own now. You can find it at http://www.repage1.de/member/e_t/index.html

All work & no play

2007-06-16T12:02:00.000+02:00

...make Jack a dull boy.
As some of you know, I have a little collection of 80s videogames at home and while I don't advocate the more extreme forms of electronic gaming, I don't condemn the thing as such. What I really don't like is the amount of money that you still have to spend on a decent machine. Well, if you - like me - happen to have a little piece of webspace of your own, you might try this little competition another blogger has started:

A Gutschein Blog competition, sponsored by PISCATUS fishing shop

(Even if your name isn't Jack.)

Gorilla Banana

2007-06-13T18:35:00.000+02:00

Those were the days... Believe it or not (and some of my students probably didn't when I told them recently), there actually was a dot matrix computer printer called the Gorilla Banana back in the 80s. I never owned one myself but found it in a list of available printer drivers in a Commodore 64 program. Back then I thought it was a joke, but now I've found out it wasn't. Have a look yourselves (Click to enlarge).

OK, gimme...

2007-05-07T13:01:00.000+02:00

Inspired by Coburg's very own Vesteblick blog:

My blog is worth $1,693.62.
How much is your blog worth?

P.S.: I'm not selling. :)

Digistraction

2007-04-21T10:01:00.000+02:00

Picking up a baton from JochenEnglish: As you know, not only can words and whole languages become obsolete, but new words ("neologisms") keep popping up, sometimes thanks to the creativity of a single person ;) "Digistraction" is one I think has a great future ahead of it, because the very fact of me sitting here typing this might be counted as such already: The distraction potential of the new media and the web in particular, making people "wilf" - itself a neologism, or rather acrostichon, made up of the first letters of the term "(what) was I looking for" and designating aimless surfing of the web, following one link after another and, eventually, not knowing what time it is and how the heck you ever got to the website you're reading at 2:30 am.

Professor Stephen Hawking

2007-03-21T23:43:00.000+01:00

As promised, here are two links to some videos and speech samples. I'm told that professor Hawking has switched to a new software called NeoSpeech, so you might want to check out their website as well.
BTW: Yes, he really was on Star Trek.

Idiomatics

2007-02-28T20:07:00.000+01:00

No, I'm not talking about a newcomer to a Gaulish village we all know (I'd have to spell it with an "x", anyway) ;) If you really want to get into idiomatic expressions, here is a page that lists a humble 1,977 of them:

http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/

To round it off, an exhaustive (or should that read "exhausting"?) dictionary of phrasal verbs:

http://www.englishpage.com/prepositions/phrasaldictionary.html

If, after careful, long and arduous studies, you feel you're ready to be tested on them, try this page:

http://a4esl.org/q/h/idioms.html

Mind you: I don't expect y'all to know all of these by the end of the term. 50% will do. (Just kidding.)

Life's A Show

2007-02-26T21:03:00.000+01:00

Well, I'm not sure I should be saying that ;) Anyway, if you watched last year's E.T. play ("Hard To Be" by Nicole Jauernig), you should be familiar with this song on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni9TBUNZn9Q

I still like Nicole's and my rendition better, naturally :)

Speech Accent Archive

2007-02-12T20:48:00.000+01:00

English is spoken all over the world - not necessarily all natives, but nevertheless...
You might already have noticed, for example, how strange a Welsh accent sounds (7c: remember that listening comprehension exercise?) to somebody who isn't used to it. This website will give you access to a great number of different speech samples, with speakers from literally all walks of life (and, more importantly, places) reading the very same text in their very own accent. Enjoy! ;)

Special Thanks To...

2007-02-06T15:42:00.000+01:00

You might just think that this "E.T." group has a special place in my heart because I keep mentioning it here. Well, of course it does! Anyway, I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to y'all who went on without me (being sick) last weekend & gave a terrific performance (so I've heard) in front of the few viewers who had found their way to the Alex' postponed "Bazaar". You really are the greatest :)

Go hang a salami...

2006-11-19T20:56:00.000+01:00

...I'm a lasagna hog! That's not the only sentence in Weird Al Yankovic's song "Bob" (a tribute to Bob Dylan, I'm told) that can be read backwards - in other words, a palindrome. Some of them even make a little more sense ;) A preview for regular blog readers - we're going to listen to the song as well very soon, time permitting - can be found on this lyrics site. A streaming video is available at YouTube.

The latest on E.T.

2006-11-12T09:35:00.000+01:00

Another press release by Katharina Krappmann: Click here to read it (and to see some new photos as well)! Once again, I apologize for this being in German, but try getting an English article into a local German newspaper...
By the way, if you're reading this: Kudos to the people of "Hard to be" - you did a terrific job! I'm so proud of you!

...and the press said...

2006-10-20T09:49:00.000+02:00

The press release about E.T.'s latest play is now available online. It's in German, I hope you don't mind :) Coburg's "Neue Presse", which featured the article in their Oct.19 edition, made me a female teacher, but otherwise they were kind enough to even include a photograph made during rehearsals.

Peace Through Superior Firepower

2006-10-10T10:59:00.000+02:00

When the North Korean government announced that their recent A-bomb test was a measure to ensure "peace and stability" in the region, this popular slogan was what first crossed my mind. Incredibly many people seem to think like this, even this Nobel Prize laureate from Israel. There goes the planet? I hope not.

Hinterland

2006-10-08T20:52:00.000+02:00

Remember the Australian hinterland aka outback? Remember how they had a blitz in Oliver's room? A few "English" words are far easier to learn than others for us Germans. You'll find some lists (far from complete) here, here and here (more if you follow the links there). And did you know that the name of the school Viktor Krum (from the "Harry Potter" novels) goes to, "Durmstrang", is actually derived from the literary period Sturm und Drang?

Don't Download This Song

2006-10-04T00:23:00.000+02:00

"Once in a while maybe you will feel the urge to break international copyright law..." - if you know me, you will also know that I simply LOVE Weird Al Yankovic ("Amish Paradise" ring a bell?). This time he's created the anthem for Generation Download - and the title of this song is not exactly meant seriously, as you might expect from Al. In fact, on this humble website, you won't only be able to watch the wonderful video that goes with that song but also - yes, you guessed right - DOWNLOAD the thing in MP3 format. Enjoy! But stay alert - as everybody knows (at least, if you listen to the complaints of the music industry) - illegal downloads are just the start of a criminal career that will culminate in you "robbing liquor stores and selling Crack and running over school kids with your car"...

English Conversation Class

2006-10-02T12:08:00.000+02:00

While I thought there would be some kind of official government list (well, there always is in other cases - I do work for the State of Bavaria, after all) it now seems every student has to decide for him-/herself if they want to be in my newly established "English Conversation" class for the gifted (grades 7/8 and up). So if YOU think you would enjoy talking in English with like-minded people, about topics that interest and/or concern you, on a regular basis, drop me a line or just drop by every Tuesday at 1:15 p.m., room E16 @ the Alexandrinum, Coburg ;)

EDIT: Re-scheduled to Tuesday in order to give more people a chance to come...

Do you speak English?

2006-09-24T22:17:00.000+02:00

Pretty darn funny, that:

Since I don't seem to be able to use inline videos on blogger.com, just use this link...

(Watch out for their attempt at speaking German - not too shabby, I should think!)

Radio Gaga

2006-09-18T22:29:00.000+02:00

If you're interested in the college radio station I used to DJ for, try this link. You can even listen to WUSC FM Columbia (one of the stations that launched REM's and Hootie & the Blowfish's careers, as they like to point out ;) ) live - it's transmitted via webstream right here (fast connection recommended). Let me know how you liked it!

E.T. - English Theater at the Alex

2006-09-15T08:16:00.000+02:00

While I won't be getting around to providing my E.T. (English Theater) students with a rehearsal schedule before Monday (sorry, folks), I'd like to use every chance for promoting the group ;) So, if you're interested in acting AND the English language at the same time, do stop by our first organizational meeting on Monday, 9:30, room E15 - we'd be glad to have YOU as a valuable addition to our group!

Man At Work

2006-09-13T18:22:00.000+02:00

So that was the first day of school after the Pope Holiday. I'm still fiddling with the Blog while there's still so many organizational matters to be discussed and regular classes haven't really begun. But it's probably time I actually TOLD somebody about the existence of this blog for starters ;)

Hello World

2006-09-12T10:30:00.000+02:00

Yup, it's the standard phrase for testing a blog, I know. A very warm welcome to everybody who has stumbled across this page by mistake (?). This blog is mainly intended to provide my English classes with additional material and such. Any feedback, comments etc. are always welcome, of course...