A Modest Proposal

In our world of satire, sarcasm, and mockery; we are constantly bombarded by people publishing funny items on the internet and through music, news, and writing. Try to find a clean example of satire and post it here. You can add a link to something as long as you are confident that it can be accessed and is clean.

Here's to the crazy ones

Here's to the crazy ones.

The misfits.

The rebels.

The troublemakers.

The round pegs in the square holes.

The ones who see things differently.

They're not fond of rules.

And they have no respect for the status quo.

You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them,

disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them.

About the only thing you can't do is ignore them.

Because they change things.

They invent. They imagine. They heal.

They explore. They create. They inspire.

They push the human race forward.

Maybe they have to be crazy.

How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art?
Or sit in silence and hear a song that's never been written?
Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?

We make tools for these kinds of people.

While some see them as the crazy ones,
we see genius.

Because the people who are crazy enough to think
they can change the world, are the ones who do.

From Apple Computer

Steve Jobs had just returned to the struggling company, Apple. Jobs
and Lee Clow had collaborated back in 1984 to launch the MacIntosh.
Now was the time to recover the sene of Apple's place in the world of
creative users. The TBWA Chiat/Day team said that Apple should be
aligned with the creativity of personalities and people making an
impact on the twentieth century. The "Think Different" phrase provided
an opportunity to celebrate both the creativity of these people but
also the distinctiveness of Apple in the computing world, responding
to IBM's historic campaign motto, "Think". The campaign was swiftly
approved by Apple, then begun with the television commercial, which
first ran on Sept. 28 1997, followed by the print ads, billboards and
posters.
According to
http://tvadverts.blogspot.com/2005/10/apple-think-different.html

Sources... real or fake?

How do you really determine if a source is credible, valid, or scholarly?

First, you should always look at the URL. The address will have a tell-tale ending. Here is an excerpt from a great site (http://www.lesley.edu/library/guides/research/evaluating_web.html) that explains it best:

What does the URL (Web address) say about the producer of the web site, and its purpose? Look at the final syllable in the domain name. The first three sites below are all "White House" sites. Which is the official White House site? How can you tell? Note that all three sites are easily accessible in a web search for 'White House'.

1. .gov
   Government agency: www.whitehouse.gov
2. .net
   Internet Service Provider: www.whitehouse.net
3. .com
   Commercial site
   
4. .edu
   Higher education - www.lesley.edu. Other educational sites may appear with different domain names: www.whitehouse.gov/kids
5. .mil
   Military site- www.navy.mil/
6. ~
   ("tilde") Personal site - http://www.members.tripod.com/~DAdams/qkbrdinf.html
7. .org
   Organization; may be charitable, religious, or a lobbying group - http://www.rtda.org.

Second, you need to read the site and see if it targets the correct audience, is published by a credible organization, is objective, and is current. All of these rules are described in the links below.

Some links about website evaluation:

http://www.quick.org.uk/menu.htm

http://www.ithaca.edu/library/training/think.html

Remember this is a research paper. It requires the "so what?" factor. You have to prove and analyze a point within your paper.

The question is, have you ever seen sites that claim validity only to find out that they were a hoax, satirical, or trying to get you to signup/ buy something?

Check out this site.... valid or not?

http://147.129.226.1/library/research/AIDSFACTS.htm

Technology overload...

Someone made a comment today that made me think. She said, loosely paraphrased, "Why do we have to use all of this technology?" My defense was that I wanted to introduce you guys to technology that I thought you would eventually use in college or in the workplace.

So, what do you think? Is it overload? Of the tools we have used- blog, wiki, discussion board (moodle), turnitin.com, video editing, online quizzes, online storage, electronic peer editing, pocket pc, laptops,.... whew it is a lot- what do you honestly believe will be helpful in the future? What do you think is a waste? Don't just try to be funny- be honest so I can assess what we might pursue next year.

Help! How do I cite this stuff????

Punctuation for integrating quotations in writing: http://www.headroyce.org/research/writing/techniques/quoteint_lit.html

Specifics for citing verse from Shakespeare:
http://www.d.umn.edu/~kmaurer/3223/Assignments/citingshax.htm

Best online MLA style guide with detailed guidelines of citing dialogue in plays:
http://www.uwindsor.ca/units/leddy/2002.nsf/HelpCitationsMLA!OpenForm

Full Speed Ahead

Remember when I told you that this year would have hills and valleys? Well, we have been in the valley with scene practice and research time. You have not had many deadlines or due dates. That is quickly changing. Tomorrow you will receive a calendar of your life until graduation. Be mindful of the deadlines and point values. We have one more major hill to climb, and I promise that our last two projects will be more pleasure than pain. Hang in there Seniors '06!!

Wiki, wiki, wiki...

No, I am not imitating a bad Run DMC song, I am referring to our "wiki" space. Visit the wikispace. If you have not been invited, send me your email to join. Special thanks to Max G for his amazing formatting that made the term paper resources page look awesome! Also, props to Ashton for uploading a .doc to his groups pocket pc page. Very inventive! You guys are teaching me about these tools. Since all of you have been feverishly searching for good criticism on Shakespeare, be sure to visit and contribute to this site. Pocket PC people- collaborate here.

Upcoming deadlines:

• Rough Draft (three body paragraphs complete with citations- should be minimum of 4 pages) due Thursday!
• Peer Review- you will review someone's paper and have yours reviewed- due Friday!
• Costume and Prop plan due Mon., Feb. 27

Love topic, a few days late

Well, since I did not post anything regarding Valentine's Day, here is your "love" post.

Do you know any poetry about love? Have you ever written or received a love poem? Can you share a poem you like or have written about love?

Write the poem here and credit the author.

Everyone's a critic

So we have talked so much about critical articles and essays regarding your research paper topics. If you were inclined to write about a topic in which you could be considered an expert or a critic, on what topic would you write? What I am asking is- where does your expertise lie? What would you write... title of "your critical essay" on ______?

Off topic, but on life

Well, I apologize that I am so slow in getting a new post up here. This was birthday weekend for my son. Big stuff and no time to update.

Normally I try to find class related topics, but since all of you are seniors, this is life-related instead.

I noticed that Beth Holloway Twitty is starting a national campaign regarding safe travel called Save Yourself (http://www.saveyourself.org/). This campaign kicks off at MBHS on February 28 at 7 PM. I encourage all of you to attend.

On that note, since many of you are traveling during Spring Break and Summer, do you have any tips to keep students safe while traveling?

Research papers... hot or not!

Ok, I know it is a lame title, but how is the process going?

• What has been your biggest obstacle so far?
• What are you having trouble finding?
• Post your problems here OR post your solutions to other's comments.

Characters in Shakespeare

So each of you is playing some character in your group's Shakespeare scene. Name your character and indicate his or her theme song and your reasoning.

Ex. Ophelia from Hamlet
"Wade in the Water" by Eva Cassidy

Unfortunately, she found a watery grave because she was so wrought with sadness over the death of her father at the hands of her lover.

Off the subject...

I am sitting here in the early morning hours thinking about how monotonous our days could get these next few weeks...
Shakespeare
Research Paper
Shakespeare
Research Paper

Argh! For a change of pace, use this space to tell me one of your favorite books (yes, you have to have read it to count it) and why it is so great.

Mine- Suzanne's Diary for Nicolas by James Patterson
It was an easy beach read and had romance as well as tears. I loved the format too.

Smart bloggers want to know...

Post your ideas here:

Give me a movie quote that best relates to a character in a Shakespeare play.

Example: A typical conversation for Macbeth and Lady Macbeth-

Veronica Corningstone: This is pathetic.
Ron Burgundy: You're pathetic.

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

Homework alert!

Just a reminder... I will be checking your 15 research questions (rewritten questions and answers) and your thesis tomorrow. As I meet with you one-on-one, the rest of the class will be working in scene groups. Bring your script. Finally, I want to remind you to email me regarding the wikispace if you want to contribute.

Comment here about your favorite snack for studying. Prebraces I would have to say mine was popcorn. Now I just go for something chocolate.

Worst thesis ever...

I would like you to submit the worst possible thesis for your paper topic. What makes a terrible thesis? How do you know the difference in a workable focus/thesis for your paper and a statement? Impress me with your skills of pointless thesis writing.