Yes: Turn of the Century, and other matters…

Turn of the Century (1977)

Today we watched a concert video of Yes performing Turn of the Century. There was a video playing at the back of the stage telling the story. Turn of the Century is one of Yes's most beautiful songs, I think, and the lyrics are some of the most understandable. It features a lot of acoustic guitar and piano. It starts and ends very quiet but there is a much louder interval in the middle. The song is about 8 minutes long. We also saw some pictures of Roger Dean's album covers and some buildings that he designed.

Did you hear that England won the World Cup? It was the Under-17s. They beat Spain 5–2 in the final. Although the England senior team has not done well for many years, people are very happy about the younger teams and they hope that they will continue to improve and transform the fortunes of the senior team in a few years. (157 words)

Roundabout, Blade Runner 2049, and other matters…

Yes
Roundabout (1971)

Today we listened to Roundabout by Yes. It was their performance at the Rock & Roll hall of fame ceremony earlier this year. Chris Squire, the bassist, died the year before last, so he was replaced on stage by Geddy Lee, the bassist and lead singer of Rush. Jon Anderson, the vocalist, is now 72 years old, but he looked and sounded good. He has been touring this year with Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman.

In the Premier League, Manchester United, Manchester City, and Liverpool all won their matches. Crystal Palace earned a draw, and Leicester City, who were in the relegation zone a couple of weeks ago, won. In Spain, Real Madrid lost.

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Elton John, and other matters…

Elton John (England)
Candle in the Wind
Bennie and the Jets

Today we watched three music videos. They were all by Elton John. One of them was Candle in the Wind, a studio version with lyrics, and the other two were Bennie and the Jets, one a studio version with lyrics and the other a live version from 2003.

In the Premier League, both Merseyside clubs are having problems. Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool are having problems defending, while Everton are now down in the relegation zone. Manchester City and Manchester United are leading, but Manchester United are having a bad period now, with a draw in their match against Liverpool, an unconvincing victory against Benfica and then on Saturday a loss against Huddersfield. Last week, Craig Shakespeare, the manager of Leicester City, was sacked. Who will be next?

[125 words]

Elton John, and other matters…

Candle in the Wind
Bennie and the Jets
Elton John (England)

Today, we watched music videos again, this time by Elton John. We saw a video with lyrics of Candle in the Wind, the song about Marilyn Monroe. (A later version is about Diana, Princess of Wales.) Then we saw a video with lyrics of a livelier song, Bennie and the Jets, followed by a live performance of the same song. I always find it interesting to watch rock music performed by a band where the singer is neither a guitarist nor a straight vocalist. Elton John has to perform like a "frontman" while playing the piano. Another interesting example is The Eagles, where the drummer is the lead singer. (Genesis after the departure of Peter Gabriel is a little bit similar, but they brought in a backup drummer, with Phil Collins playing drums only in some songs.)

In the Premier League, there were some heavy defeats for traditionally top sides. Everton lost 2–5 to Arsenal, and Liverpool lost 1–4 to Tottenham. The biggest shock of the weekend was Manchester United's 1–2 defeat at the hands of Huddersfield. The manager Jose Mourinho was very angry afterwards.

[184 words]

Neil Young

Do you know Neil Young? He's a Canadian singer and musician. (He's not young any more, though.) Heart of Gold is one of his most famous songs:
https://youtu.be/Eh44QPT1mPE?t=1m44s

Daffodil Lament, and other matters…

Today we watched videos of The Cranberries again. This time the song was Daffodil Lament. We first saw the lyrics and then we saw a live performance. I like the first part of the song best, because the vocal is very powerful.

Have you been following any of the football news? Last week some international matches took place, and England and Ireland had good results. This week the Premier League started again. Manchester City had a great result, and Chelsea had a bad result, losing to Crystal Palace. Arsenal also lost. Manchester United and Liverpool played to a 0–0 draw. Now Manchester City at the top, followed by Manchester United, Spurs, and Watford.

At the bottom of the table, Crystal Palace now have some points! The bottom features one team, Everton, who are usually in the top 6, as well as Leicester, the champions two years ago.

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I Still Do, Ridiculous Thoughts, and other matters…

Today we saw some more Cranberries videos. First we listened to I Still Do. That was the first song on The Cranberries' first album. Actually, it's still my favorite one. I really like the mystical, ethereal sound. Unfortunately, there don't seem to be any good live recordings of that song. After that, we watched a video with lyrics of Ridiculous Thoughts, followed by a live performance of the same song. The live performance was in Germany, and the audience wasn't as lively as in some other countries.

The Cranberries have only four major albums, Everybody Else Is Doing It So Why Don't We?, No Need to Argue, To the Faithful Departed, and Bury the Hatchet, plus a few others with a mixture of original songs and new versions of old songs.
(130 words)

Zombies, and other matters…

The Cranberries (Ireland) 1990s

Today we watched a video showing Zombie, one of the most famous songs by the Cranberries, a famous Irish group from the 1990s. Actually, we watched two videos. The first was the promotional video, with lyrics (in English and Spanish); the second was a live performance in Paris. I've heard the song so many times now that it doesn't have such an effect on me, but I remember when I first heard it. I had missed most of the 1990s music from the UK, but in about 2010 I heard some nice music playing in Tsutaya in Kengun. I asked the staff what it was, and they showed me the CD. After that I checked out all their CDs. I like their first two albums best, but many of the songs look good in old gigs.

In football, the World Cup qualifying campaigns are coming to an end. England has qualified, and so has Northern Ireland. Scotland has failed. Ireland and Wales will play soon to decide who qualifies from their group. England didn't lose any games in their group, but everyone found their games quite boring and of low quality. (190 words)

Zombie, and other matters…

Today we watched a video of a live performance of Zombie by the Cranberries. The Cranberries are a group from Ireland who were very popular in the 1990s. Their most famous songs are Dreams and Zombie. Dreams was used in the movie You Got Mail and various other movies and TV shows. Zombie is not widely used elsewhere, but it's probably their most popular song when performed live.

Hidden Figures is playing in Hikari no Mori now, but I don't know if I'll have time to go and see it. In the states, Blade Runner 2049 has opened. According to the critics, it's an excellent movie. I wonder when it will come to Japan.

Annihilation, and other matters…

Alex Garland: Ex Machina, Sunshine, 28 Days Later
Natalie Portman

Today we watched the trailer for Annihilation. It's a science fiction/suspense move that will be released next February in the US. I'm not sure when it will come to Japan. It stars Natalie Portman, of Leon and Black Swan fame, and Oscar Isaac, who also appeared in Alex Garland's previous film, Ex Machina.

61 words

BR 2-03

Hundreds of years pass. The people of Edin become rich and free, but the people in New Edin stay poor. They are not happy.
The people there start to call their land "Vinia" again. They want to be rich and free, like the Edinese.
Soon, there are angry Vinians in the streets.

Immortal Empire, by Marcos Benevides

This was my third time to read Immortal Empire, a book written by Marcos Benevides, who is also the editor of the Atama-ii Books series. I read only one or two paths each time, so every time I get some surprises. I think this is the best of all the Atama-ii books; in the other books, usually my choices decide whether I survive or die, get lucky or unlucky, and so on. In Immortal Empire, I am a god, so what I do decides the fate of an empire and even the world.
The book makes us reflect on the nature of freedom, and on war and peace. If I make my people peaceful, they may be killed by rival warlike empires. If I make them warlike, they may become cruel and make other people miserable. If I make them free and interested in learning, they may stop believing in me. Each choice has long-term consequences with ethical implications.

VOCABULARY

destroy: 破壊する
immortal: 不死の

Benevides, M. (2015). Immortal empire. Tokyo, Japan: Atama-ii Books.

Annihilation, and other matters…

Today we watched the trailer for Annihilation, a movie starring Natalie Portman and directed by Alex Garland, who also directed Ex Machina. It appears to be set on Earth at the time of some kind of alien visitation or invasion. Natalie Portman plays a military officer who makes contact with the aliens. She has some kind of communication with them. The atmosphere is very tense and scary. Maybe it's a bit like Arrival, but with a hint of Aliens.

I just took a look through the list of upcoming movies, and War for the Planet of the Apes and Atomic Blonde are coming this month. Check 'em out!

[107 words]

BR 2-02: Backstage Pass

You know you shouldn't touch Stevie Helix's guitar, but you can't stop yourself. You look around again, then you grab it. The guitar feels so good in your hands—like it was made for you! Maybe you can play just one song…You look at the costume cart. It has costumes for the backup musicians. I'll put on a costume, you think. Then people will think I'm a backup guitarist, and they will leave me alone.

In this book, I go to a Martians gig with my friend, Julie. She arranges a diversion so that I can go backstage. And when I do go, I borrow Stevie Helix's guitar without permission! What will happen if a security guard sees me?

Backstage Pass, by Lesley Ito (Atama-ii Books)

I hear that one of the backup guitarists is ill. Maybe I will get my chance?
As with the other Atama-ii books, there are several points in the story where you have to make important choices. If you make the wrong choices, you could end up in prison, or even dead. Other times, nothing bad happens, but things don't go so well, or there is a boring ending.

Vocabulary

riff: 反復楽句, a short, repeated instrumental piece of a longer song
jam: to play music together casually

Ito, L. (2014). Backstage pass. Florida: Atama-ii Books.

Backstage Pass (アタマイイシリーズ Book 4) (English Edition) 著者 : Lesley Ito Atama-ii Books 発売日 : 2015-09-21 ブクログでレビューを見る»

Movies in summer and autumn

Every year seems to have movie cycles. In the US, movies that are aiming for Academy Awards tend to be released in the autumn. Other movies that aim to get very large audiences are often released in the summer vacation or just before the winter vacation.
The difference between US and Japan release dates makes things a bit complicated. Some of the very biggest movies are released at the same time in both countries. But smaller movies tend to be released several months later in Japan. In the first half of the year, movies showing in Japan are often movies that won Academy Awards for the previous year.
Anyway, there are usually some big movies showing in both the winter and summer vacation, both Hollywood movies and local productions. Sometimes, the same movies show for a very long time on a large number of screens, meaning that there is a lack of variety.
This past summer, Wonder Woman was one of the biggest movies. I enjoyed it, though I do have a bit of superhero movie fatigue now. I think Fanny's Journey was actually more enjoyable. This autumn, It and Wind River are two of the Hollywood hits. I'm not sure when they are coming to Japan, though.
[205 words]

BR 2-01: Brainstorm

For this operation, you will use your new nanobots, the Mark 5 series. The Mark 5's are the newest and most powerful nanobots in the world.
The Mark 5's can find and fix sick cells by themselves. They can even make more nanobots if some are damaged.
The operation room is locked.…Nanobots are too small to see, so you must be careful. If they got out into the world, it could be a problem.

I am a famous scientist, and I have invented nanobots used in surgery to cure patients. But something strange happens when I perform an operation: the nanobots start multiplying rapidly. I need to decide whether to terminate the operation or try to get control over the multiplying nanobots. Then I find different kinds of nanobots. Where are they from? If the creators find out that I know, will I be safe? As with the other stories in this series, there are many difficult choices to make. Your fate is in your own hands!
(173 words)

Vocabulary

nanobot: a very small robot (nano = 十億分の1)
self-destruct: to destroy oneself

Boon, A. (2015). Brainstorm (Atama-ii Books). Tokyo, Japan: Atama-ii Books.

My summer vacation

In the summer vacation, I didn't really have much holiday. I had some intensive courses to teach, so I spent much of my time preparing for them and teaching them. One of the courses was a two-week intensive English course at PUK and in Aso. The course was fun, but it was rather tiring.

I didn't go anywhere for a trip, but I did have a conference in Matsue in Shimane. It was a very pleasant town, and I found time to take a boat trip.

I also found time to see a couple of movies: Wonder Woman, Fanny's Journey, and Dunkirk. You have probably heard of Wonder Woman, another superhero movie but this time with a female star. It was very good, but I'm a little tired of superhero movies.Fanny's Journey is a French movie set near the end of the Second World War. It's about some children who run away from the German invaders to get to Switzerland, which is a neutral country and safe for them. Dunkirk is another Second World War movie, about British and French soldiers trying to get away from the German army on the French coast to England. [193 words]

NOTES

If you forget your student card, please get a paper from the kyoumuka and bring it to me on the day in question or in the following week's class. I will adjust the attendance records I get from the kyoumuka accordingly.

Note that posts after August 8th can be counted in Aug/Sept/Oct.

Types of posts

Book reviews

As a general guideline, you should read a book and write a review every week for homework. (Sometimes, we may write an extra one in class.) The total required is about 15. Since you have had lots of practice writing book reviews, you are expected to write better reviews. Include a properly formatted quotation, a picture of the cover, and a properly formatted reference (Who. When. What. Where.). (Note that there is a period after each of the 4 elements as well as one space between elements.)
If you forget to do book reviews in September/October/November, you can catch up in December or January, but you will need to write much more, because of the month multiplier:
September/October book reviews will be counted as 1.5 each;
November book reviews as 1;
December book reviews as 0.75;
and January book reviews as 0.5.

If you are worried about your grade, write more and better book reviews:

1. Write a longer quotation, being careful to copy accurately;
2. Write more about your opinion regarding the book, being careful to use your own words and avoiding “hidden quotations”.
3. Include a vocabulary list. 

Diary (not “Dairy”!) posts

As a general guideline, you should write something about your daily lives once a week.

Juppun ha Juubun

We will continue to do this at the beginning of the class. Please continue to track the number of words you have been writing.

Writing exercises

We will sometimes do writing exercises in class. Even when the exercises are on paper, you can write some of them in your blog.

Dictogloss/Relay dictation

We will do these in class sometimes. The purpose of these exercises is to give you models to use in your own writing. Please make the effort to remember some of the phrases.

Typing homework

If you didn’t finish the typing homework during the summer vacation, try to do it as soon as possible. This will reduce the amount of work you need to do in the middle and at the end of the semester. More importantly, it will speed up your typing, making other assignments easier to do.

Essays

There will be some essay assignments during the semester. You will write each essay in stages. These stages may include writing lists or short paragraphs and responding to comments. These stages are very important for enabling you to write a competent essay.

CAUTIONS

In the spring semester (Writing III), several students failed or came close to failing. (This year was the first time that has happened.) Here are some minimum requirements to avoid the same result this semester:

1. Write at least 3 posts a week;
2. Make sure that you have more than 10 posts each month (August/September/October is considered one month;
3. Write at least 8,000 words in total this semester;
4. Make sure you don’t fail during and after the 託麻祭 period. In past years, students who have failed have stopped blogging or stopped attending class during that time.

Note that these are minimum requirements. For example, 10 posts a month is not satisfactory performance. But fewer than 10 posts in any month is likely to cause you to fail.

121 words

2nd semester schedule

1: September 25th

2: October 2nd

3: October 9th

4: October 16th

5: October 23rd

6: October 30th

7: November 13th

8: November 20th

9: November 27th

10: December 4th

11: December 11th

12: December 18th

13: December 25th

14th: January 15th

15th: January 22nd