Christmas movie: "It's a Wonderful Life"

Here's a colourized version of the movie, plus English subtitles. Don't let yourself be confused by the first couple of seconds, where the title and actors' names are mirror-inverted - in fact, the whole movie is.


If you'd care for a look at the script, here it is: It's a Wonderful Life - SCRIPT

However:
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. All the best.

NPR's Exit Interview with President Barack Obama

At this website, you'll find the complete transcript of the interview: NPR's Exit Interview with President Obama

"Post-truth" named 'word of the year' by Oxford Dictionaries

The central passage of the text, where the meaning of "post-truth" is defined, is this:

In the era of Donald Trump and Brexit, Oxford Dictionaries has declared “post-truth” to be its international word of the year.

Defined by the dictionary as an adjective “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief”, editors said that use of the term “post-truth” had increased by around 2,000% in 2016 compared to last year. The spike in usage, it said, is “in the context of the EU referendum in the United Kingdom and the presidential election in the United States”.

But the whole article is worth reading, as is the list of words that were also considered for this choice of 'word of the year':

'Post-truth' named word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries

Good follow-up reading for this: An article in The New York Times, where Zeynep Tufekci writes about the role of Facebook in the spreading of non-truths (better known as: "lies").

Mark Zuckerberg is in denial

And this is what Barack Obama thinks about this topic:

Barack Obama on fake news: 'We have problems' if we can't tell the difference https://t.co/ixd1v2mbph

— Guardian news (@guardiannews) November 18, 2016

The Economist: US election briefs 2016

Very informative comparison of the two main candidates' views:

US election briefs 2016 (PDF)

Michelle Obama in Phoenix, Arizona: "Who We Are"

On 20 Oct., 2016, Michelle Obama made a speech at a "Hillary for America" (HFA) meeting. You can follow the whole script at this address at whitehouse.gov, which is the official website of the US presidency: Remarks by the First Lady at HFA rally in Phoenix, AZ.

Please print out this five-page worksheet and fill it in. It'll take 30 to 35 minutes to do.

Worksheet on Michelle Obama's Phoenix address

Wikipedia is the best part of the Internet

Robert Gebelhoff states the secret of Wikipedia's success:

Wikipedia specifically declares in its “Five Pillars” that the website is not meant to be an “experiment in democracy.” Still, the essential democratic characteristic of the site — giving the masses equal voice, even at the risk of silly and ugly arguments — is what makes it successful.

The Washington Post, "Science shows: Wikipedia is the best part of the Internet" (19 Oct. 2016)

US Election 2016: 3rd TV debate

Two unusual details:

- Trump won't commit to accepting outcome of election (BBC)

- Trump: We need to get out the "Bad Hombres" (CNN)

Trump saving us from #badhombres #debates pic.twitter.com/HtYDcVeoHY

— LeahLaO (@LeahLochoa) October 20, 2016

Michelle Obama: "Going to Get a Little Serious..."

Michelle Obama's speech in New Hampshire, where she spoke about the behaviour of presidential candidate Donald Trump - without actually addressing him -, has become one of the most famous speeches of the whole election campaign. One of the reasons is that she has given the many women a voice who feel threatened by the kind of behaviour and talk that Trump has shown over the past decades. In very moving and understandable words she expresses her feelings about this case.
You can watch her speech and read along in the script below.

Michelle Obama: "Setting an example for our kids, and for our entire world"

If you admire the present First Lady's words, actions and style, you may want to have a look at this collection of four tributes to Michelle Obama in the New York Times:

To the First Lady, With Love: Four thank-you notes to Michelle Obama, who has spent the past eight years quietly and confidently changing the course of American history

Nobel Prize for Literature 2016: Bob Dylan

As you have certainly heard and read over the past few days, the Nobel Prize for Literature was awarded to Bob Dylan this year. The Guardian writes about the committee's reasons and provides some information on the artist's vita.

Bob Dylan wins Nobel prize in literature

One of his most famous songs is "The Times They Are A Changin'" - you can listen to it here:

And here are the lyrics:

Bob Dylan, "The Times They Are A-Changing"

More articles on Dylan and his prize:

• The New Yorker: "Our Favorite Dylan Lyrics"

• CBCnews: "A look at Bob Dylan's most iconic lyrics"

• The Guardian: "Are these the lyrics that won Bob Dylan a Nobel prize?"

• The Independent: "Bob Dylan: The most powerful and poignant lyrics from the Nobel Prize for Literature winner"


Task: Write a text of ca. 200 words about your impression of Bob Dylan's work. Include whether you had been familiar with his name or (one or two of) his songs before the prize.

2016 presidential elections: 2nd TV debate Clinton/Trump

If you have time, watch the second TV debate between Clinton and Trump - the link leads you to the beginning of the debate. If you have even more time, you can also watch the initial analysis of the situation by some journalists, and the analysis following immediately after the 90 minutes between Clinton and Trump.

The Second Presidential Debate: Hillary Clinton And Donald Trump (Full Debate) | NBC News


Interesting article in The Atlantic:

Donald Trump's Promise to Jail Clinton Threatens Democracy


And here is an analysis of the TV debate by British newspaper The Telegraph:

Who won (and lost) the second presidential TV debate, Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton?

Language:

With this particular debate, you may want to know what "locker room talk" is. Well, it is what people (or at least, Donald Trump) think men talk about in a locker room.

"locker room" in Oxford Learner's Dictionaries

However, quite a few athletes (who ought to know locker rooms pretty well) strongly dislike Trump's statement, as reported on CNN:

Not 'locker room' talk: Athletes push back against Trump's remark

... and as expressed on Twitter:

As an athlete, I've been in locker rooms my entire adult life and uh, that's not locker room talk.

— Sean Doolittle (@whatwouldDOOdo) October 10, 2016

Finally, here's a cartoon on Trump's attitude to women:

David Fitzsimmons, "Trump on Women"

Mindfulness - what is it, and why does it matter?

Please watch this video of a TED talk (just under 15 minutes). It's worth it (of course). Don't worry, there are subtitles.
After watching it, write about what you found fascinating about it. Or why you didn't like it. Write about 200 words.

Modern drama - but which one?

Here are movie trailers of three dramas that we might read in class soon (well, one of them).

Poll: Instead of putting a link here, I've sent all course participants an e-mail containing the link for the prefr poll. Please check your mail if you haven't seen it yet. Thank you.

• Arthur Miller: Death of a Salesman 
  (unfortunately the trailer for this movie is only available in German, but it'll give you an idea)
  
  
• Oscar Wilde: The Importance of Being Earnest
  
  
• Tennessee Williams: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
  
  

Hillary Clinton vs. Donald Trump: The first debate (26th Sep. 2016)

Here is a link list of various articles analyzing the first TV debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in the presidential campaign of 2016.

But first of all, the debate in full:

• The New York Times: Our Fact Checks

• The Guardian: Hillary Clinton Clear Winner Among Undecided Voters

• Boston Globe: Donald Trump Claims Debate Microphone Was 'Defective'

• The Atlantic: Clinton Keeps Her Cool

Please read at least one of those articles and make your personal list of twelve words you had to look up and that you find useful.

The Washington Post provides a full transcript of the debate, even with annotations:

The first Trump-Clinton presidential debate transcript, annotated

I used that text to make a wordcloud of the debate, showing you what words were used most frequently. The website that offers the free tool for making such clouds is Tagxedo.com.

Emma Watson on Gender Equality

Maybe you've heard of Emma Watson because she was this very smart witch in the Harry Potter movies, maybe you've seen her in one of her more recent movies - and perhaps you know that she was appointed UN Women Goodwill Ambassador in July 2014. -

The 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development

Emma Watson is also a strong supporter for reaching the 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development, especially Goal #5: Gender Equality.


Have a look at this video and then follow this link to go to the Gender Equality website, have a look at all the material there and write a short text about your impression. Joining the good cause is optional, but recommended.

#FromWhereIStand - Take Part In a Project For Gender Equality - https://worldslargestlesson.globalgoals.org/FromWhereIStand/ from World's Largest Lesson on Vimeo.

Wie werde ich Präsident der USA? (NDR)

You certainly need some clear information on how a US president is elected. Here's a pretty accurate description - and it's in German, too!
(The link takes you to the public Facebook page of "Norddeutscher Rundfunk".)

"Wie werde ich Präsident der USA?" (NDR)

Stephen Fry welcomes you to Heathrow

In case you've been wondering what to do and how to behave when visiting Britain - here British comedian, author and actor Stephen Fry gives you an introduction (valid also if you don't land at Heathrow Airport, or even come by car, train or coach).