HOTHE COURT

30 Cheers to Mother Sarah!!!

2009-08-10T11:42:00.004+01:00

Congratulations on reaching the 3-Decade milestone and a very warm welcome to the 30s club !!

Happy Birthday!!

To: The President & First Lady

2009-06-23T20:27:00.002+01:00

Congratulations, we can't wait to see the first child of Hothe Court.

A Successor Is On The Way...

2009-06-23T16:26:00.004+01:00

ONE!

2009-04-13T04:31:00.006+01:00

Kate had her one year check up with her doc. She is in the 50th percentile for both weight and height: 21 lbs., 30 inches! A 14lb, 4 oz weight and 10 1/2 inch gain since birth!
http://katecherry.blogspot.com/

A Hothe Court Inhabitant in the Yale Daily News

2009-02-20T19:09:00.003Z

Study of the Superhero

Dunkeys

2009-02-13T20:50:00.004Z

Sergio, I hope you had a great time in Connecticut. I see from the pics that you indulged in the most important tradition in New England: Dunkin Donuts (local-speak: Dunkeys). We live next door to one. I am living the dream.

And, oh yeah, Bostonians' opinion of Yale? Haahvad's Bettah (but most of those people couldn't get into either!).

Pictures from Yale

2009-02-13T01:13:00.007Z

Inspired, Baby

2009-01-21T04:03:00.000Z

Obama's Inaugural Speech

2009-01-20T18:40:00.008Z

My fellow citizens:

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw

America

as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people: "Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet (it)."

America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Yale, Here I Come

2009-01-20T11:03:00.005Z

I'm presenting a paper, “Super-Style: Heroes and Television Aesthetics”, at a conference at Yale University called The Politics of Super-Heroes: Renegotiating the Super-Hero in Post-9/11 Cinema (30-31 Jan.).

Unfortunately, I don't have time to travel from New Haven to Boston or Sacramento. But once Filipa and I have returned to our beautiful country (!), we'll visit you together. It's a promise.

2009-01-15T07:11:00.002Z

Borsh Tardshe (I'm not even trying to spell that correctly)!!!! Congratulations you love birds. Thank you for posting your pics. You guys look great. Just so you know, everything changes when you are married. Sergio, no more late night partying with the boys. Filipa, no more flirting with that handsome check-out boy at Tesco. I hope it's not too much of a change.... :D Speaking of Change, did you guys hear we are getting a new President on Tuesday? I'm sure that sort of stuff doesn't even make the news over there. Take care and we miss you both!!

Low key Portuguese wedding over Christmas

2009-01-13T13:50:00.005Z

A small celebration at a friends house, two days after the (boring...) official wedding, where we missed you all very much. Thanks everyone for the lovely cards!
Don't you love the bride and groom statue!

2008-11-10T19:47:00.001Z

Our new sofa-bed awaiting visitors!
We accept couples (married or single), children, cats or dogs.

A picture is worth a thousand words.....

2008-11-06T16:27:00.004Z

This year was a lot different than '04 in Myers' room!!!! We don't have to move to Canada! Yea!

2008-10-08T09:28:00.003+01:00

TIGER AND BUFFY
Invite you all to come to Filipa and Sergio's wedding
on the 28th of December 2008
in Carcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
(beer and chocolate cake offered!)

2008-10-05T18:31:00.002+01:00

How is everyone? Enjoying fall I hope. Exciting news - Ross and I are godparents! Our goddaughter was born last week - little Lucy. We will get to meet her in December.

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying October.

-amber

Moving In

2008-06-28T14:54:00.004+01:00

You're welcome to stay over when you return to the UK!

So many pictures....

2008-06-26T22:18:00.003+01:00

http://katecherry.blogspot.com/

Lil' Miss Kate

2008-05-29T02:00:00.002+01:00

Hothe Court Lives!

2008-05-20T05:57:00.007+01:00

Hi Everybody,

After an amazing trip to the UK, Germany, and Austria this Spring, Amber and I have returned and are happy to report that Hothe Court, yes, the focus of this blog itself, still stands and appears to be in fine condition. We weren't daring enough to knock on the door and meet this year's vintage of Hothers, but there did appear to be life on the inside.

Mother Sarah and Little Angel Kate

2008-05-08T19:05:00.003+01:00

Welcome to the One Big Happy Family of Hothe Court,Kate and especially to Flat 1. Your Mum and Dad will tell you how great it is to belong to this wonderful family and hopefully you'll enjoy being a part of us.

You are most likely to enjoy the company of your great uncle, Mr Rosario, the Speaker of the House. Maybe in a few years time, we'll have more family members of your generation.

Good to see Mother Sarah's face emerge from hiding after nine months!!

Chris, have you had a few dreams lately?

Hope everyone is having a great time.

Introducing Kate

2008-05-05T23:48:00.002+01:00

Let's put the champagne on ice

2008-03-02T13:00:00.002Z

Hi all,
Hope everyone is having a great time wherever you all are. However,we still miss the ramblings of the Speaker of the house.

For now though, let's put the champagne on ice in eager anticipation of the newest member to join the One Big Happy Hothe Court Family (or the first housemate of the next generation of Hothe, whatever your take on that maybe) on the 4th of next month.

The chilled champagne will taste better on that day.

Over to you, Mother Sarah and Lord Cherington!!

Nice Day!!

POP

2008-01-20T19:24:00.000Z

10 weeks to go!

Control

2007-12-04T21:48:00.000Z

The Virtuoso, 22 November-15 December, Casa do Artista, Lisboa

2007-12-03T17:26:00.001Z

New Address

2007-12-03T17:13:00.000Z

Sarah and Steve Cherington
2456 Massachusetts Ave, No. 403
Cambridge, MA
02140

The Good Ole U S of A

Now accepting visitors....

The Return

2007-11-23T22:47:00.000Z

Dear inhabitants, I've been away on serious and mostly pleasant business — which is always great. But during this time I kept reading your posts:

- Sarah, "Kate" sounds good, keep posting her pics;
- Uday, I'm sure your visit to Boston was awesome;
- Steve, congrats for the Red Sox's victory;
- Jim, my late but heartfelt happy birthday.

Interesting news about the university. The British PM, Gordon Brown, is coming to Kent in December. Hopefully, to tell us how good we are.

Mother Sarah

2007-11-22T18:58:00.000Z

I haven't been on the blog for a while but I guess I couldn't have had a better birthday wish from the other side of the pond.

But regardless of the name Mother Sarah chooses, I'm sure Mary will continue to go from generation to generation.

Hope you are all having a good time.

It's a Girl!

2007-11-09T23:04:00.000Z

The newest US pics

Still working on names... but might be Katherine (Kate) Mary Cherington

Happy Birthday Jim!

2007-11-09T22:52:00.000Z

Wishing you a Happy Birthday from this side of the pond. Wish we could all celebrate together!

Partying in Boston

2007-11-02T13:18:00.000Z

The Parade 'Rolling Rally'

Papelbon dances in his kilt with his broom (because the series was a 'sweep')

Baby Red Sox!

2007-10-31T18:59:00.000Z

Loved the red sox's costume! And of course Woody's pics... Nice glasses!

www.malvadesign.com

2007-10-31T18:56:00.000Z

Finally, my site is ready. More or less anyway, at least it's working. Minor details to solve. Any comments will be welcome.

Victory!

2007-10-29T15:13:00.000Z

and... it's a girl!

Back to the World Series!!!

2007-10-22T16:39:00.000+01:00

The Sox came back from being down 3 games to 1 in the American League Pennant race to capture it last night at Fenway in game 7!

The 7 game World Series starts Wednesday night at Fenway against the Colorado Rockies.

Go Sox! Woody, I am assuming you will be coming back here to see it....

Soxtober!!!

Woody in America

2007-10-22T02:27:00.000+01:00

Woody Arrives....

Manny wins it all

The pictures behind the inspirational visit of Uday Kiran Ivan Rosario.

Oh, How S/He's Grown...

2007-09-25T17:10:00.001+01:00

Looks like s/he has daddy's long legs! Ultrasound from 12 weeks. Due: April 4th

While some of you were making a baby...

2007-09-16T13:51:00.000+01:00

Huge kiss from aunt Filipa!

Two Words: Uncle Woody!

2007-09-13T12:50:00.000+01:00

The National

2007-08-15T15:22:00.000+01:00

Steve, I'm sure you're listening to this:

"Mistaken for Strangers" (from Boxer)

Jana Gana Mana

2007-08-14T21:30:00.001+01:00

A beautiful version of the Indian national anthem, featuring some of our best classical musicians jamming together. Its pretty good stuff, even if you can't understand the language.

Independence Day

2007-08-14T21:23:00.000+01:00

It's always a wonderful feeling to celebrate your nation’s birthday. Its not that I'm a nationalist, I tend to be anything but. However, what warms me to my country's freedom is only the fact that peace and non-violence triumphed over aggression.
Gandhi, who formed the Indian consciousness, built his message on the edifice of "non-violence" and "non-violent resistance", which at times brought the mighty British Empire to its knees. As I have been researching for my organisations' website, I have going through tons of video footage showing peaceful civic disobedience. It's hard to hurt someone when he is armed with nothing but his body and mind. This victory is helpful to idealists like me; it's nice to know that fairytales come alive...sometimes.
It's funny how history picks the most bizarre personalities to alter its courses. For Christianity, it was the odd carpenter and his band of twelve fishermen who protested religious fanaticism. For Islam, it was the uneducated and illiterate Mohammed, who altered the thinking of an otherwise brutal society. More recently, in Bosnia it was a musician (Vedran Smailovic) who bore sniper attacks to play his cello in the streets of Sarajevo. And in India's case, it was a frail old man who "could have been physically crushed by anyone" - said his friend and fellow freedom fighter, Ms. Sarojini Naidu.
For those of us who look around us with the intention of bringing about social change, it's important to remember that the true change comes from the heart and the pen, and not from the barrel of a gun. In peace,

Parkwood 2008!!!

2007-08-08T10:27:00.000+01:00

Here here, Boss-man. Smashing idea. Ahhhhh !!! (In my British aristocratic accent)
Absolutely agree with you. Good on Serg, for keeping this blog alive inspite of everything.
Yeah, lets work on something for Parkwood 2008. Is anyone in touch with Myers and Hyewon? I need to speak to Jackie and Ryan and Budd. No news from Lanre. We could have a darts competition and a cook-off. My contribution as always will be "Brown stuff in a brown sauce" :-) A barbeque. Crash into some undergrad party, drink their booze and play some frisbee. Just like old times :-)
Just a quick update. I have accepted a position as "Service Learning Coordinator" with Georgetown's School of Foreign Service in Qatar. It's really is exciting and it keeps me connected with international development work, which is all I'm concerned about. And I can continue with some of my research and my NGO in India. So I'm thrilled about the whole deal. This would mean that I would travel to the US sometime soon, so will have a chance to catch up with my free and brave friends.
In the meantime, I am working on my NGO in India. Setting up a website and re-building the team. I leave to Kerala (southern-most state) today for the Nehru Cup. Chcck out this site for a better idea http://www.nehrutrophy.nic.in/home.htm Although I will be posting more once I get back on Monday, with some pictures as well.
Anyway champs, have to run now. You all be well. Cheers !!!

My Response

2007-08-07T13:34:00.000+01:00

...This is my response to Ross and Amber's idea.
In fact I'm so excited with the prospects of a reunion that I'm already here, waiting for you.
Filipa will arrive in January. How about you?

Hothe Court Reunion?

2007-08-06T20:22:00.000+01:00

Hey Gang,
I hope everyone is fairing well these days, despite being strewn about the globe (which is pretty cool if you think about it). I know it can be hard to take time and look back on our Hothe Court days. Sergio has done a great job keeping the flame alive and carrying the torch. This blog is a really great idea and I, like most of us, am guilty of not participating in the conversation. This is bizarre considering all the evenings spent in heated discussion of world affairs with all of you (I'm looking at you Steve and Uday).
Nevertheless, here is topic that we MUST all consider and comment on: What does everyone think about a Hothe Court Reunion for Summer 2008. I know Sarah has mentioned the idea a couple times, but it would be nice to see a show of hands. Just think, we could stay in Park Wood, BBQ, play some Footie, drink the obligatory beer/ale/stout/bitter/pilsner (or whatever your preference) and catch up on old times... Any thoughts??

Some Family History...

2007-08-05T16:10:00.000+01:00

Here's some family history: my great grandfather giving a speach and then standing outside Lisbon's city council, in 1910, after his group just had our last king killed and started the first Portuguese Republic. He's the tall crazy hair guy, second from the right in both pics. See any resemblances anyone?

My Blog

2007-08-05T12:13:00.000+01:00

Visit my blog. It'll always have lots of images. I promise.

Englishes

2007-08-05T11:21:00.000+01:00

David Lavery, an important American scholar in Television Studies, editor of volumes on The X Files, Seinfeld, Twin Peaks, Deadwood, The Sopranos, and others, father of Buffy Studies, is now Chair of Film and Television at Brunel University, London. He's been commenting on the differences between American English and British English on his blog. Two examples:
(1) I just finished serving as the external examiner on a PhD thesis at Brunel University, and reading through the candidate's three hundred+ pages on Doctor Who fandom, I was struck by the author's frequent (and not uncommon) use of the word "whilst." The forty undergraduate essays I just slogged through also showed the word in common usage.
In the room in which I teach, a message on the remote control keypad tells me to wait "whilst the projector warms up."
Not surprisingly, the American Heritage Dictionary notes that this archaic word is "mostly British" in usage. Use of "whilst" in the US would produce, I think, snickering if not outright laughter.
It is impossible to conceive of an American using this in conversation or in print. If he did, he would have no friends. To my ear it sounds pretentious--sounds like something a Pythonesque contestant in an "Upper Class Twit of the Year" contest might utter.
It is snowing today in London. As soon as the sun comes up I intend to go out amongst my fellow Londoners.
(2) On British television a week ago an advert for the Korean car manufacturer caught my attention because the very British announcer pronounced the name "High-an-die." It made me wonder if I had been pronouncing the name wrong all these years.
But watching Fox News (trying to keep up-to-speed on what the enemy thinks) on my newly installed SKY satellite television I heard an American Hyundai commercial. "Hun-die" the voice-over intoned, the pronunciation with which I was familiar.
"Two countries separated by a common language" (George Bernard Shaw)--a paradox I thought I understood. But "two countries separated by different pronunciations of a third language"--that will need further explanation.
The relation between British and American English is similar to the one between Portuguese Portuguese (?) and Brazilian Portuguese. The firsts have archaic traces and the seconds are simpler and more creative. But it's somehow misleading to talk of British English and Portuguese Portuguese forgetting regional differences. There are regions in Portugal where the spoken Portuguese is difficult to understand even for native speakers — the Azores and Madeira archipelagos, for instance.
Sometimes it doesn't come naturally for me to speak with a british accent — even though I pronounce "duty" as "dyuty" instead of "doody", "militry" instead "military" is a bit of a stretch. I've basically learned English by reading and listening American English. But I'm becoming accustomed to use certain words. Not "whilst" instead of "while" — I've noticed that too! —, but, for example, in the recent paper that presented at the conference on Battlestar Galactica, I automatically wrote "lounger" instead of "chaise longue" and "trousers" instead of "pants".

A Home

2007-06-11T14:26:00.000+01:00

The new album by the British group The Cinematic Orchestra Ma Fleur is a rarity: a beautiful and delicate set of musical compositions built from silence — e.g. in the closing track appropriately called "Time and Space". Silence remains present as a musical element — as a revelatory background, one might write — so that we can really listen and appreciate this music in its subtle inflections and details. Here's the first song: "To Build a Home" with Patrick Watson's voice.

Trust

2007-06-10T21:08:00.000+01:00

SHARON: How do you know? I mean, how do you really know you can trust me?
ADAMA: I don't. That's what trust is.
"Precipice" (3.02)

Bye, Professor Henry Jones

2007-06-10T13:37:00.000+01:00

"I thought long and hard about it, and if anything could have pulled me out of retirement it would have been an Indiana Jones film. I love working with Steven and George, and it goes without saying that it is an honor to have Harrison as my son. But in the end, retirement is just too damned much fun. This is a remarkable cast, and I can only say, 'Break a leg, everyone.' I'll see you at the theatre." (Sean Connery)

Oh No, Where Did the Groove Go?

2007-06-07T11:16:00.000+01:00

Sparks "The Rhythm Thief" (from Lil' Beethoven)

Chávez's TV

2007-06-06T10:43:00.000+01:00

The far left is in love with Hugo Chávez. Here's a man who stands up to American plans and even quotes Noam Chomsky at UN meetings in the process.
But worrying signs come from Venezuela...
The Venezuelan government decided not to renew Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV)'s broadcasting license which was up for renewal in May 2007. The private network had been highly critical of Chávez's leadership. It's no surprise then that the government declared that RCTV had broadcast "subversive propaganda" — for example, in the coverage of the failed 2002 coup d'état.
That's not all. In May, Chávez created a new public television channel called TVes — short for Televisora Venezolana Social — that took over RCTV's frequency and seized its privately-owned transmitting equipment.
A free press is one of the cornerstones of democracy. These practices are proper of a totalitarian regime, not a democratic one — the first part recalls when Portugal was under dictatorship, the second when the communists were in power right after the 1974's Carnation Revolution.
Yes, Hugo Chávez was democratically elected. Now he just has to act as if he understands what that means.

An Anti-Globalisation Demonstration?

2007-06-05T17:14:00.000+01:00

No comments — or arguments, for that matter. (Rostock, Germany: June 2, 2007)

Shakespeare's Globe in Schools

2007-06-04T22:10:00.000+01:00

A project for my new theatre company Avalon: taking Shakespeare's plays and for this year Romeo and Juliet, to schools all over Portugal, as interactive theatre.

Another Play Opening: Spanish Drama with Plenty of Salero!

2007-06-04T21:56:00.001+01:00

A poster made out of my new hobby ORIGAMI, for one of my most recent theatre designs. Free tickets (!) if you find yourself in Lisbon on July 9th...

Dua

2007-05-30T15:38:00.000+01:00

Who cries for Dua Khalil Aswad?
She was a 17 year old Iraqi Yazidi girl (pre-Islamic) who was stoned to death in an honour killing. In love with a Sunni boy (Islamic) she sought refuge from her family who saw this love story as an abomination. Her family finally persuaded her that she had been forgiven and could return home, only to let a mob ambush and kill her with repeated kicks and crushing stones on April 7.
How do we know all this? A video of her murder was recorded by the cellphones of some of the men and partially shown on CNN.
Joss Whedon cried and wrote a desperate post about the prevalence of misogyny, today, everywhere.
I have never had any faith in humanity. But I will give us props on this: if we can evolve, invent and theorize our way into the technologically magical, culturally diverse and artistically magnificent race we are and still get people to buy the idiotic idea that half of us are inferior, we’re pretty amazing. Let our next sleight of hand be to make that myth disappear.
Diana Mukkaled also cried. Here are the last paragraphs of her article:
Dua is among the dozens of women killed in Iraqi Kurdistan in the name of "honor" using the most horrifying methods including being burned alive.
This is an act of mass-murder that has become a frequent occurrence against many females, which is well documented.
Some regard the practice of honor killings as a ritual that paves way to manhood by reaffirming the tribe's masculine identity at the expense of a life, in this case Dua's.
Nobody tried to help Dua or alleviate her pain, but as she was being stoned and kicked, a man came and threw a jacket over the lower half of her body to cover her legs. For them, it is not shameful to cruelly kill a young girl, but it is shameful if her legs are revealed while she suffers unbearable agony.
This has to stop! Events like these show how nonsensical moral relativism is — according to it moral propositions do not reflect universal truths, instead making claims relative to social, cultural, historical or personal circumstances. In contrast, moral pluralism accepts moral differences, but draws limits to these differences so that we don't have to tolerate the intolerable. This is happening here, in the UK, where some groups assert the "right" to have their own laws outside of British Law.
I refrained from including a link to the complete video, but you can always google it. I couldn't bare watching it until the end. I couldn't stand watching these fucking weak and cowardly men do that to Dua.
We all should cry for her.

Inland Empire

2007-05-29T14:15:00.001+01:00

NIKKI (Laura Dern): Wake up and find out what the hell yesterday was about. I'm not too keen on tomorrow, and today's slipping by.
From Inland Empire (2006), dir. David Lynch.

Presidential Candidates on...

2007-05-20T16:41:00.000+01:00

The presidential candidates on... abortion and Iraq (from The New York Times).

Go Obama!

2007-05-20T16:31:00.001+01:00

Another remarkable speech from Obama:
There is a verse from the Bible that is sometimes read or recited during rites of passage like this. Corinthians 13:11: “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child. Now that I have become a man, I have put away childish things.”
I bring this up because there’s often an assumption on days like today that growing up is purely a function of age; that becoming an adult is an inevitable progression that can be measured by a series of milestones – college graduation or your first job or the first time you throw a party that actually has food too.
And yet, maturity does not come from any one occasion – it emerges as a quality of character. Because the fact is, I know a whole lot of thirty and forty and fifty year olds who have not yet put away childish things – who continually struggle to rise above the selfish or the petty or the small.
We see this reflected in our country today.
We see it in a politics that’s become more concerned about who’s up and who’s down than who’s working to solve the real challenges facing our generation; a politics where debates over war and peace are reduced to 60-second soundbites and 30-second attack ads.
We see it in a media culture that sensationalizes the trivial and trivializes the profound – in a 24-hour news network bonanza that never fails to keep us posted on how many days Paris Hilton will spend in jail but often fails to update us on the continuing genocide in Darfur or the recovery effort in New Orleans or the poverty that plagues too many American streets.
And as we’re fed this steady diet of cynicism, it’s easy to start buying into it and put off hard decisions. We become tempted to turn inward, suspicious that change is really possible, doubtful that one person really can make a difference.
That’s where the true test of growing up occurs. That’s where you come in...
No matter where you go from here – whether it’s into public service or the business world; whether it’s law school or medical school; whether you become scientists or artists or entertainers – you will face a choice. Do you want to be passive observers of the way world is or active citizens in shaping the way the world ought to be? In both your own life and the life of your country, will you strive to put away childish things?
It is a constant struggle, this quest for maturity, and as my wife will certainly tell you, I haven’t always been on the winning side in my own life. But through my own tests and failings, I have learned a few lessons here and there about growing up, and there’s three I’d like to leave you with today.
The first lesson came during my first year in college.
Back then I had a tendency, in my mother’s words, to act a bit casual about my future. I rebelled, angry in the way that many young men in general, and young black men in particular, are angry, thinking that responsibility and hard work were old-fashioned conventions that didn’t apply to me. I partied a little too much and studied just enough to get by.
And once, after a particularly long night of partying, we had spilled a little too much beer, broke a few too many bottles, and trashed a little too much of the dorm. And the next day, the mess was so bad that when one of the cleaning ladies saw it, she began to tear up.
And when a girlfriend of mine heard about this, she said to me, “That woman could’ve been my grandmother, Barack. She spent her days cleaning up after somebody else’s mess.”
Which drove home for me the first lesson of growing up:
The world doesn’t just revolve around you.
There’s a lot of talk in this country about the federal deficit. But I think we should talk more about our empathy deficit – the ability to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes; to see the world through those who are different from us – the child who’s hungry, the laid-off steelworker, the immigrant woman cleaning your dorm room.
As you go on in life, cultivating this quality of empathy will become harder, not easier. There’s no community service requirement in the real world; no one forcing you to care. You’ll be free to live in neighborhoods with people who are exactly like yourself, and send your kids to the same schools, and narrow your concerns to what’s going in your own little circle.
Not only that – we live in a culture that discourages empathy. A culture that too often tells us our principle goal in life is to be rich, thin, young, famous, safe, and entertained. A culture where those in power too often encourage these selfish impulses.
They will tell you that the Americans who sleep in the streets and beg for food got there because they’re all lazy or weak of spirit. That the inner-city children who are trapped in dilapidated schools can’t learn and won’t learn and so we should just give up on them entirely. That the innocent people being slaughtered and expelled from their homes half a world away are somebody else’s problem to take care of.
I hope you don’t listen to this. I hope you choose to broaden, and not contract, your ambit of concern. Not because you have an obligation to those who are less fortunate, although you do have that obligation. Not because you have a debt to all of those who helped you get to where you are, although you do have that debt.
It’s because you have an obligation to yourself. Because our individual salvation depends on collective salvation. And because it’s only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you will realize your true potential – and become full-grown.
The second lesson I learned after college, when I had this crazy idea that I wanted to be a community organizer and work in low-income neighborhoods.
My mother and grandparents thought I should go to law school. My friends had applied for jobs on Wall Street. But I went ahead and wrote letters to every organization in the country that I could think of. And finally, this small group of churches on the south side of Chicago wrote back and gave me a job organizing neighborhoods devastated by steel-plant closings in the early 80s.
The churches didn’t have much money – so they offered me a grand sum of $12,000 a year plus $1,000 to buy a car. And I got ready to move to Chicago – a place I had never been and where I didn’t know a living soul.
Even people who didn’t know me were skeptical of my decision. I remember having a conversation with an older man I had met before I arrived in Chicago. I told him about my plans, and he looked at me and said, “Let me tell something. You look like a nice clean-cut young man, and you’ve got a nice voice. So let me give you a piece of advice – forget this community organizing business. You can’t change the world, and people won’t appreciate you trying. What you should do is go into television broadcasting. I’m telling you, you’ve got a future.”
I could’ve taken my mother’s advice and I could’ve taken my grandparents advice. I could’ve taken the path my friends traveled. And objectively speaking, that older man had a point about the TV thing.
But I knew there was something in me that wanted to try for something bigger.
So the second lesson is this: Challenge yourself. Take some risks in your life.
This isn’t easy. In a few minutes, you can take your diploma, walk off this stage, and go chasing after the big house and the large salary and the nice suits and all the other things that our money culture says you should buy.
But I hope you don’t. Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. And it will leave you unfulfilled.
So don’t let people talk you into doing what’s easy or comfortable. Listen to what’s inside of you and decide what it is that you care about so much that you’re willing to risk it all.
The third lesson is one that I learned once I got to Chicago.
I had spent weeks organizing our very first community meeting around the issue of gang violence. We invited the police; we made phone calls, went to churches, and passed out flyers.
I had been warned of the turf battles and bad politics between certain community leaders, but I ignored them, confident that I knew what I was doing.
The night of the meeting we arranged rows and rows of chairs in anticipation of the crowd. And we waited. And we waited. And finally, a group of older people walk in to the hall. And they sit down. And this little old lady raises her hand and asks, “Is this where the bingo game is?”
Thirteen people showed up that night. The police never came. And the meeting was a complete disaster.
Later, the volunteers I worked with told me they were quitting – that they had been doing this for two years and had nothing to show for it.
I was tired too. But at that point, I looked outside and saw some young boys playing in a vacant lot across the street, tossing stones at boarded-up apartment building. And I turned to the volunteers, and I asked them, “Before you quit, I want you to answer one question. What’s gonna happen to those boys? Who will fight for them if not us? Who will give them a fair shot if we leave?”
And at that moment, we were all reminded of a third lesson in growing up:
Persevere.
Making your mark on the world is hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it. But it’s not. It takes patience, it takes commitment, and it comes with plenty of failure along the way. The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won’t. It’s whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere.
After my little speech that day, one by one, the volunteers decided not to quit. We went back to those neighborhoods, and we kept at it, sustaining ourselves with the small victories. Eventually, over time, a community changed. And so had we.
Cultivating empathy, challenging yourself, persevering in the face of adversity – these are qualities that dare us to put away childish things. They are qualities that help us grow.
They are qualities that one graduate today knows especially well.
Richard Komi was born thousands of miles from here in Southern Nigeria. He’d probably still be there today, if he hadn’t been forced to flee when his tribe came under attack. Eventually, he made it to the United States, worked his way through factories and retail jobs, and came here to SNHU, to complete the education he began in Africa. And now, with a wife and kids and lots of responsibility, he’s even taking the time to give back to his new country by volunteering on this campaign.
Richard Komi may be graduating today, but it’s clear that he grew up a long time ago. We celebrate with him because his journey is a testament to the powerful idea that in the face of impossible odds, ordinary people can do extraordinary things.
At a time when America finds itself at a crossroads, facing challenges we haven’t seen in decades, we need to hold on to this idea more than ever.
A lot is riding on the decisions that are made and the leadership that is provided by this generation. We are counting on you to help fix a health care system that’s leaving too many Americans sick or bankrupt or both. We are counting on you to bring this planet back from the brink by solving this crisis of global climate change. We are counting on you to help stop a genocide in Darfur that’s taking the lives of innocents as we speak here today. And we’re counting on you to restore the image of America around the world that has led so many like Richard Komi to find liberty, and opportunity, and hope on our doorstep.
There are some who are betting against you – who say that you don’t pay attention, that you don’t show up to vote, that you’re too concerned with your own lives and your own problems.
Well that’s not what I believe and it’s not what I’ve seen. Instead I’ve seen rallies filled with crowds that stretch far into the horizon; thousands upon thousands signing up to organize online; scores who are coming to the very first political event of their lifetime. And just a few hours before this commencement, I got the opportunity to send off hundreds of people who have chosen to take time out of their busy lives and spend an entire Saturday knocking on doors here in New Hampshire. Because they’re not content to sit back and watch anymore. Because they believe they can help this country grow.
And whenever the doubt creeps in and I find myself wondering if change is really possible, I end up thinking about the young Americans – teenagers and college kids not much older than you – who watched the Civil Rights Movement unfold before them on television sets all across the country.
I imagine that they would’ve seen the marchers and heard the speeches, but they also probably saw the dogs and the fire hoses, or the footage of innocent people being beaten within an inch of their lives; or heard the news the day those four little girls died when someone threw a bomb into their church.
Instinctively, they knew that it was safer and smarter to stay at home; to watch the movement from afar. But they also understood that these people in Georgia and Alabama and Mississippi were their brothers and sisters; that what was happening was wrong; and that they had an obligation to make it right. When the buses pulled up for a Freedom Ride down South, they got on. They took a risk. And they changed the world.
Now it’s your turn. You will be tested by the challenges of this new century, and at times you will fail. But know that you have it within your power to try. That generations who have come before you faced these same fears and uncertainties in their own time. And that if we’re willing to shoulder each other’s burdens, to take great risks, and to persevere through trial, America will continue its journey towards that distant horizon, and a better day.

Rowan Atkinson Live

2007-05-15T00:51:00.000+01:00

"Amazing Jesus"

"Welcome to Hell"

LOL

2007-04-27T03:53:00.000+01:00

Drunken man parks horse in bank foyer.

Remembering "The Muppet Show"

2007-04-18T00:42:00.000+01:00

Do you?

Cheap Laugh

2007-04-17T20:36:00.000+01:00

Hello All!
Happy 50th Ghana! I thought of you on the 6th, Jim.
Love the drawings, Filipa.
Yeah- where is everybody?
You need to see this- had us in stitches.
Steve was at the game but did not have any pizza....

XOXO
Sarah

Images Come and Go...

2007-04-17T00:32:00.000+01:00

Here aresome more pics of some of my later work. Enjoy: Memoirs of a Geisha and Marie Antoinette.
Jim, my sincere congrats on the 50 years of Ghana! And my best wishes for the next 50 years. Have fun!
Everyone else: where are you guys? Miss you!

Ghana Is 50 Years

2007-04-13T19:38:00.000+01:00

I sent this message on 6th March, but it didn't register on the blog.
"The Independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked up to the total liberation of Africa" - Dr. Kwame Nkrumah (6th March,1957)
On March 6, 1957, Ghana became the first country in Africa south of the Sahara to gain independence from colonial rule. 2007, marks 50 years of independence.
The theme for the anniversary is: Championing African Excellence. Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, envisioned this country as the guiding light of African independence and solidarity -- the BLACK STAR, the lodestar of Africa. Ghana’s attainment of independence and the subsequent ideological support it extended to other colonized countries on the continent, culminated in the emancipation of many of these countries from colonial rule.
There are three main objectives for the jubilee celebrations. They are:To celebrate and commemorate Ghana’s landmark achievement as the first country in Black Africa to attain independence from colonial rule;To reflect on the evolution, development, achievements and drawbacks of our country over the past fifty (50) years; and to look forward to the future, to our vision of excellence in all fields of endeavour in the next fifty (50) years toward our centenary birthday as a nation.
Year-long activities marking the Golden Jubilee have been scheduled, beginning in January 2007 and ending in December 2007. The monthly themes are:
January :
Reflections
February :
Towards Emancipation
March :
Freedom March
April:
Our Nation, Our People
May :
Our Wealth and Our Prosperity
June :
Heroes of Ghana Month
July :
African Unity Month
August :
Diaspora Month
September :
Service to the Nation
October :
Knowledge and Ghana’s Development
November :
A Healthy People, A Healthy Nation
December :
Final Curtain
The Meaning of the Flag. I decided on the three colors of red, gold & green because of the geography of Ghana. Ghana lies in the tropics and blessed with rich vegetation. The color Gold was influenced by the mineral rich nature of our lands and Red commemorates those who died or worked for the country's independence. Then the five pointed lone star which is the symbol of African emancipation and unity in the struggle agianst colonialism. --- Designer: Mrs. Theodosia Salome Okoh

Joss Whedon: "Equality Now"

2007-04-03T03:37:00.000+01:00

To Filipa ... and Amber and Sarah

Dead Parrot

2007-04-02T11:43:00.000+01:00

A classic and hilarious sketch from Monty Python's Flying Circus (crs G. Chapman, J. Cleese, T. Gilliam, E. Idle, T. Jones, and M. Palin 1969-74).

The End

2007-03-31T19:28:00.000+01:00

The Sopranos (cr. D. Chase 1999-2007)

New Logo, New Web Design

2007-03-21T13:09:00.000Z

Dear all, here's the new University of Kent logo. And don't forget to take a look at the web site with the new design.

World Cinema, UKC (11)

2007-03-21T13:01:00.000Z

Être et avoir (To Be and to Have: dir. N. Philibert 2002)
"Film Style (3): On To Be and to Have"

Intro to TV Studies, UKC (10)

2007-03-21T12:51:00.000Z

· Sound in Lost (cr. J.J. Abrams, J. Leiber, and D. Lindelof 2002-: ABC)
· Lost and Aesthetics
· Controversy and Channel 4
Group Presentations (1)

· Buffy the Vampire Slayer (cr. Whedon 1997-2003: The WB and UPN) and Narrative
· Dr. Who‘s Versions and Audiences
· US and UK hospital dramas: ER (cr. M. Crichton 1994-: NBC) and Casualty (cr. J. Brock and P. Unwin 1986-: BBC1)
Group Presentations (2)

Being Her/She in "Who Are You?"

2007-03-09T17:19:00.000Z

I'll present the paper "Being Her/She in 'Who Are You?'" at the University of North Carolina – Greensboro (It’s the End of the World… Again!: Why Buffy Still Matters) on Friday, March 16. The conference is sponsored by the Department of English, the University Libraries, and the Women’s & Gender Studies Program. Wish me luck!

World Cinema, UKC (10)

2007-03-09T16:08:00.000Z

Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (Spirited Away: dir. H. Miyazaki 2001)
"Film Style (2): On Spirited Away"

Intro to TV Studies, UKC (9)

2007-03-09T15:40:00.001Z

The X Files (cr. C. Carter 1993-2002: FOX)
"Television and Fandom: From ‘Geeks’ and ‘Freaks’ to the ‘Active’ Viewer"

World Cinema, UKC (9)

2007-03-02T19:21:00.000Z

Rang-e khoda (The Colour of Paradise: dir. M. Majidi 1999)
"Film Style (1): On The Colour of Paradise"

Intro to TV Studies, UKC (8)

2007-03-02T19:19:00.000Z

Holiday Showdown (cr. G. Mansfield, N. Shearman, and D. Berbridge 2003-: ITV1)
Crimewatch (1984-: BBC1)
"Who’s Watching?: Studying the TV Audience"

Brit Soul

2007-02-23T15:10:00.000Z

"Rehab"

"You Know I'm No Good"

from the album Back to Black (Island, 2006) by Amy Winehouse

World Cinema, UKC (8)

2007-02-23T11:08:00.000Z

La historia oficial (The Official Story: dir. L. Puenzo 1985)
"‘Structures of Sympathy’ (2): On The Official Story"

Intro to TV Studies, UKC (7)

2007-02-16T13:07:00.000Z

The Kumars at no. 42 (cr. A. Gupta 2001-6: BBC2)
The Royle Family (cr. C. Aherne and C. Cash 1998-2000 and 2006: BBC1)
"Television and Genre: Uses, Approaches, and… Problems"

World Cinema, UKC (7)

2007-02-16T12:59:00.000Z

La Battaglia di Algeri (The Battle of Algiers: dir. G. Pontecorvo 1966)
"‘Structures of Sympathy’ (1): On The Battle of Algiers"

Wagner's "Das Reinhgold", São Carlos, Lisbon

2007-02-12T01:12:00.000Z

For those who hadn't seen any images from last year's work at the Portuguese National Opera House.

"The Human Voice" by Jean Cocteau, Lisbon Players

2007-02-12T01:10:00.000Z

Not too bad for a three day job, right?
Miss you all terribly...

Intro to TV Studies, UKC (6)

2007-02-10T00:53:00.000Z

Cold Feet (cr. M. Bullen 1997-2003: ITV)
"‘Coming Up Next Week…’: Telling Tales on Television"

World Cinema, UKC (6)

2007-02-10T00:50:00.000Z

O Dreamland (dir. L. Anderson 1953)
Nice Time (dirs C. Goretta and A. Tanner 1957)
Refuge England (dir. R. Vas 1959)
We Are the Lambeth Boys (dir. K. Reisz 1958)
"Documentary Style: On Free Cinema"

A Message from Flat 3

2007-02-05T15:33:00.000Z

It appears I've missed out on the Hothe Court "team-bonding" exercise since October when this blog was set up. But for Sarah I wouldn't have known of the existence of this blog. For once, I will blame Sergio because he sent the invitation to my Kent email although I have been absent from Canterbury since September 2006; but I am also grateful for the Christmas message from him which I received through my yahoo account. So how are you finding your return to Canterbury, this time in your capacity as a lecturer? I've read a few of your postings and I guess you're enjoying the ride. Mother Sarah also finds herself in a similar situation and I bet she is enjoying the ride as well. Great pal Steve, what's going on in Boston at the moment? Still walking through the snow to work, I bet, and enjoying it. To the Speaker of the House, Mr Rosario you've gone AWOL since I last saw you in July. Where have you been hiding? One post from the speaker is not enough, lets have more. And to President Ross, although I heard from you in April last year, it was nothing like the State of the Union Address which the Hothers haven't had since August 2005. Do something about it, Mr President or are you still angry? We want to hear the popular phrase, "Mr.Speaker, the President of Hothe Court !" as soon as possible. Let's keep the "team-bonding" exercise going!!

C for Cookie

2007-02-03T15:35:00.000Z

A spoof of V for Vendetta. What happens in a futuristic world where the consumption of cookies is controlled by the government?

Intro to TV Studies, UKC (5)

2007-02-02T12:55:00.000Z

Richard & Judy (dir. D. Charalambous 2001-: C4)
Face to Face (dir. H. Burnett 1960: BBC)
"Framing Television: Image, Sound and Address"

World Cinema, UKC (5)

2007-02-02T12:51:00.000Z

Roma, città aperta (Rome Open City: dir. R. Rossellini 1945)
"‘Realism’: On Rome Open City"

The First US President

2007-01-28T16:44:00.000Z

I take for granted (although not too much: remember last time!) that with the enduring contestation over the money and lives thrown away in Iraq’s occupation, the Democrat Presidential candidate has a real chance of being elected. (Unless the Republican contender criticises Bush’s Presidency.) Clinton or Obama? Whoever the party chooses, history will probably be written. We’ll either witness the appointment of the first woman President or the first black President.
[Thanks for your words (and fabulous picture), Sarah. I was feeling quite lonely. After all, this is not my blog: it’s our blog. I’m teaching undergrads and experiencing the same weirdness that you describe. Perhaps even more intensely, since I do it in the same rooms where I had classes as an MA student.]

Hammer-time

2007-01-28T02:27:00.000Z

Hello All,
Hope everyone is well in the New Year! Thanks for all of the posts, Serg, apologize for being an absentee house mate :-) Do you have a course website? Are you teaching undergrads or grads?
Filipa, your work is gorgeous! You are so talented. Is the latest post a painting?
Here is a pic of Steve at his sister’s 30th birthday party. Still up to his old tricks.
Not too much here to report; Steve and I are still married, employed, and housed. I just started a new part time job teaching Intro to psych and a SPSS data analysis lab at Lasell College. I just finished my first week of classes. Weird being up in front of all of those youngsters! Here are the links to my websites; not so interesting if you’re not interested in SPSS or basic psych...
http://my.lasell.edu/coursewebpages/2007SP%20Courses/PSYC101.A/
http://my.lasell.edu/coursewebpages/2007SP%20Courses/ITEC200X.A,SOC200X.A/
It has been dreadfully cold in Boston; 3 Fahrenheit (-16 Celsius) yesterday! Makes me yearn for the damp days of British ‘winter’…. We are planning a trip to San Diego, CA in June to make us feel better (we are going to catch some Red Sox games out there). Steve promises our next trip will be to Ole Blighty.
Steve notes that the first Spring Training games start in less than a month.
We watched the FA cup match this morning on Fox Soccer; it has become a bit of a tradition for us- Saturday morning eggs and footy in our PJ’s. We will be watching Chelsea tomorrow at 9AM (still love my Portuguese Special One). Steve says the FA cup is the best and he’d watch it any day over the Premier League. For the record.
Still not the same without Woody and Lanre laid out on our floor screaming bloody murder. BTW, glad Man U lost week (well, I am, Steve’s not and he points out they won today in the FA cup...)
We watched the State of the Union last week. I ranted and raved until I became too tired and almost fell asleep. Heard about State of the Union parties today on NPR- apparently you can play some cool drinking games involving the no. of times Pelosi blinks, Cheney smirks and Teddy and Hillary glare…maybe next year.
Obama in 08! (Although Steve wants Hillary; there may be some marital tension). How do you feel, my fellow Americans or interested foreign parties?
Steve has been on a kick getting all of his stereo equipment fixed; today he brought in a stereo amp from the late 60’s that was given to him by a janitor he worked with when he worked in a kitchen in college. He was supposed to give the janitor baseball cards in trade, but unfortunately never did and still feels bad about it. That was the most succinct rendition.
Steve is listening to a lot records and tapes now that he has gotten his equipment fixed. He is currently listening to a record from 'Haircut 100' that he bought for 99 cents (their 1982 debut album). They are from Kent! Beckenham to be excact. Peter Frampton is also from there we found out. wow.
Steve reports they have reunited.
I have been smoke-free for 4 months! Feeling good but I gained a few pounds...oh well. I recently bought a pair of trousers for my new figure, but realized (too late, obviously) that they resembled something close to what MC Hammer might have worn at the height of his influence. Well, Steve actually noticed it and has began to affectionately refer to me as Hammer. Hence, Hammer-time. I don't have a pic.
I miss ya all terribly; please remember we have a pull-out couch in Cambridge with your name on it. Hell, we'll even give you our bed if you come.
I promise I will post some pics from grad soon like I previously promised...
We need a reunion!!
Best, Sarah

Where Are You?

2007-01-26T15:40:00.000Z

I'm starting to feel like a sad cat. Where's everybody?

Intro to TV Studies, UKC (4)

2007-01-26T11:19:00.000Z

ER (cr. M. Crichton 1994-: NBC)
Storm Over Four (1998: C4)
"The Channel Four...? Debating the Channel with a 'Difference'"

World Cinema, UKC (4)

2007-01-26T11:06:00.000Z

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (The Brave-hearted Will Take the Bride: dir. A. Chopra 1995)
"On The Brave-hearted Will Take the Bride and Utopian Sensibility"

Intro to TV Studies, UKC (3)

2007-01-19T13:51:00.000Z

Panorama (1953-: BBC): "What's the Point of the BBC?" (2004)
The Jeremy Kyle Show (2005-: ITV1)
Trisha Goddard (2004-: Five)
"Public Service Broadcasting in the Multi-channel Age: Debates, Approaches and Futures"

World Cinema, UKC (3)

2007-01-19T13:41:00.000Z

Les quatre cent coups (The 400 Blows: dir. F. Truffaut 1959)
"On Personal Expression in The 400 Blows"

Teaching at UKC

2007-01-12T19:32:00.000Z

I've posted the works and titles for the first two weeks of the modules that I'm teaching. More will follow.
Best wishes and a happy new year to everyone.

Intro to TV Studies, UKC (2)

2007-01-12T19:19:00.000Z

The Grove Family (cr. J. Warrington 1954-7: BBC): "Prevention and Cure" (1956)
"'Serving the Nation?': The Development of Public Service Broadcasting in Britain"

A Small Part of My Current Show!

2007-01-10T22:09:00.000Z