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Thu 22 Jan 2009
Foreign Language Requirement
Posted by David Dudley Field '25 under Requirements at 6:58 am
Thanks to "a parent" for pointing out a draft report on international education initiatives. The Report has much to recommend to it. Read the whole thing. But at least one idea is very bad.
The College should work towards instituting a language requirement by 2020.
The COFHE survey from 2006 showed that 51% of Williams students surveyed did not think studying a foreign language was a worthwhile goal during their college career. We recommend every effort to change that perception, not least because more international job opportunities are open to those who can demonstrate proficiency.
1) Although this is just a draft, it is absurd to suggest a new requirement while providing zero discussion of the details. Just what sort of requirement are we talking about? Would one year of Japanese 101-102 be enough? Or do you need two years? Three? Without at least an overview of the issues involved (and how those issues are handled at other schools), there is no reason to take the authors seriously. They should either do some real work or drop this section.
2) A foreign language requirement was almost implemented at the start of Morty's term. Morty is glad that it failed because of the opportunity costs involved. We all agree that it would be wonderful if student X learned Japanese. But, assuming student X does not want to, which 4 courses do you think he should drop in order to fit in JAPN 101-102 and 201-202 into his schedule? Morty's point, obviously, is that Williams students only get to take 32 courses and the vast majority of them are wonderful. We should think long and hard about forcing them to sacrifice the courses they want to take for the courses that we want them to take.
3) Morty also mentioned that the language faculty were against the requirement because they knew that there are few things worse than having students in your class who do not want to be there. Have the authors surveyed the Williams language faculty about this proposal?
4) I believe (contrary information welcome) that at every elite school with a language requirement, you are allowed to pass out, either by scoring at a certain level on the AP or the Achievement Test for the language or by passing an exam given by the school. Williams would, almost certainly, offer the same option. And virtually every rich student at Williams would be able to take advantage! Almost every prep school and high quality public high school offers four years of foreign language instruction while guiding/insisting that students bound for elite colleges/universities take advantage of the opportunity. Almost all such Ephs would be able to pass out easily. So, this is not a requirement that binds Williams students equally. It only binds those who did not go to Milton or Newton North. Not that there is anything wrong with screwing over the poor kids!
5) But even those Williams students who did not go to fancy high schools will often have studied several years of foreign language. Many of them would be able to pass out of the requirement as well. How many students would that leave? 200? 50? I really don't know, but it is a much smaller number than 500.
6) Call it 100 students who could not pass out of the requirement. But some number (25?) of them would take a foreign language anyway. After all, many Williams students want to learn a new language. And bully for them. So, now we are down to 75 students who did not have the opportunity to take a foreign language in high school (or turned down that opportunity) and who don't want to take a foreign language at Williams. And all of these students will have a very good reason for the decisions they make. Maybe they are very poor at languages. Maybe they are indifferent to learning a language but there are just too many other wonderful Williams courses that they want to take. Do you really think you are doing these (mostly low-income) students a favor by forcing them to take a foreign language? Write a paragraph to them explaining why.
7) The 51% of Williams students who "did not think studying a foreign language was a worthwhile goal during their college career" are almost certainly correct for them. These students do not argue that other students should be prevented from learning Japanese. They just don;t want to learn Japanese themselves. Can you blame them? Learning Japanese is hard! Especially if you have trouble with languages in general, especially if you are taking other serious courses. (I speak from experience.) Do you really think that you know better than them?
8) This sort of sloppy thinking does not belong in a Williams report:
We recommend every effort to change that perception, not least because more international job opportunities are open to those who can demonstrate proficiency.
Of course, if two otherwise equal candidates are applying for a job at the IMF or McKinsey and one of them speaks English and Japanese fluently while the other is English-only then, obviously the former has an advantage in getting the job. But that is not the question relevant to whether or not Williams should have a language requirement. In this case, do any of the 75 students who can not pass out of the requirement and would not otherwise study a language improve their chances of getting a job? Almost certainly not!
First, the vast majority of Williams student never compete for jobs in which speaking another language is a meaningful advantage. Second, even for those jobs where it is, the key distinction is between fluency and non-fluency. McKinsey won't care if you took a year or two of Chinese at Williams. If you can't talk to the client fairly fluently in language X then, for most practical purposes, your knowledge of language X is irrelevant to the job. If you just take two years of X at Williams (and then stop), your knowledge of X will be mostly useless as far as the IMF is concerned. And the IMF knows this. Third, the sort of student (recall the characteristics of the 75 students actually effected by the requirement) who did not study a foreign language in high school and does not want to study it at Williams is highly unlikely to want to study the language for more than the absolute minimum he is required to at Williams. Moreover, this sort of student, untalented and resentful, is unlikely to try very hard in the class or do very well. And won't he be fun to teach!
Summary: A foreign language requirement at Williams would only impinge on mostly poor student from below average high schools with no talent or interest in languages. Forcing them to study a foreign language will not materially improve their job prospects or life outcomes. The Ad Hoc Committee on International Educational Initiatives should either tackle these issues in their report or remove the recommendation entirely.Print • Email
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42 Responses to "Foreign Language Requirement"
Ben Fleming says:
Agreed all around. I see where the authors are coming from; my brother basically skipped out of college between his freshman and sophomore years and went to China, where he lived in an obscure little city (read: 8 million people) and learned Mandarin. Lived with a family for 6 months, then moved into his own apartment. (Landlords are the same everywhere …) After 11 months, he was close to fluent, and he more or less is now. Going back in May for an official study-abroad year, too.
He's the type of person who will be able to leverage language skills into a job he wouldn't be able to get otherwise, because of his skill and because of the relatively high demand for Mandarin. An Eph who shows "proficiency" in any random language is much, much less likely to be in a position to take advantage of similar opportunities.
jeffz says:
Terrible idea for many reasons. I (and I am not alone) might not have applied ED to Williams had they had such a requirement at the time. Now, losing ME I am sure is of no concern, but there are plenty of more compelling applicants who would take a pass on Williams. Already, we have more requirements than our nearest rival (Amherst) which basically has none.
This is also problematic pedagogically. Why foreign language and not, say, art history, or math, or econ, or religion, or anything else? I'd say foreign language is actually the LEAST appropriate from a liberal arts perspective — it is far more akin to something like finance or engineering, a very specific skill set outside of the liberal arts model. Learning a foreign language certainly involves a lot more memorization than any other class at Williams. And it's not like learning any ONE foreign language is likely to be all that useful in any event: no language comes close to rivaling English in terms of universal applicability. Put it this way, whose short and long term job prospects are likely to be better — someone who, grudgingly, spent two years gaining some moderate proficiency in French, or someone who spent that time improving their analytical, writing, and critical reading capacities via additional classes in philosophy, high level math, and english. Heck, if you want people to be ready for a globalized world, forget foreign language, institute a technology fluency requirement.
hwc says:
Thanks for the link to the draft report.
Most of the report reads as if the committee believes that money trees grow in Hopkins Forest. If fully implemented, the recommendations in this report would end unemployment in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. However, it does have some interesting sections.
The discussion of study abroad at Williams is reasonably informative, especially the extreme gender disparity (2 to 1) and the chart showing destinations by region (looks like approximately 60% Europe).
The Appendix also has considerable survey data from the most recent 2006 COFHE Senior Survey.
I would recommend that David snag a copy of this report. It's the kind of thing that often disappears from public access.
JeffZ says:
The one idea in this report I wholeheartedly endorse is to try to foster more interaction between undergrads and the CDE. This is an amazing, amazing resource and few undergrads every set foot in that building or meet one of the fellows, which is a real shame.
Of course, the best way to expose more Williams students to an international perspective is to admit more international students. The college has started to do this via a slow rise in percentage of internationals on campus. If that percentage grows into the 10-15 percent range (and that is certainly doable as there is no shortage of international applicants and the pool is exploding), it will assure that there is at least one, probably multiple, international students in each frosh entry — hard to imagine a better way to expose Williams undergrads to a global perspective.
hwc says:
If that percentage grows into the 10-15 percent range (and that is certainly doable as there is no shortage of international applicants and the pool is exploding)
Only if somebody discovers a new miracle fertilizer for the money trees growing in Hopkins Forest. International enrollment is strictly limited by the size of the financial aid budget for international students.
Also, let's not forget that there are only 100 percent in 100%. So when you suggest increasing the international enrollment from 7% to 15%, you must then specify which gender/racial cohort will be reduced by 8% and the potential impact that could on winning the Director's Cup.
Ben Fleming says:
And to hwc's point, encouraging more interaction between the CDE and undergrads is "free" whereas admitting more international students is not.
Joint barbecues? Cluster exchanges? Learn-to-play-cricket events? I would have appreciated one of those …
David says:
Williams has been trying to generate more interaction between CDE students and undergrads for (at least) 25 years. You really think that there is anything they haven't tried?
1) CDE students are only here for one year. There is no continuity. By the time you arrive, you are worried about your classes and meeting the two dozen (!) other members of your CDE class. By the time the end of the semester comes around, you are already thinking about the spring and about your all-too-soon return to your country.
2) CDE members, given the above, have no particular interest in meeting undergrads. Many are older and have families. Not every 30 year old thinks that American teenagers are very interesting to talk to! (Sad, but true.) Moreover, at any given event, a CDE student is highly unlikely to see an undergrad that he has met before.
3) Williams students are, unsurprisingly, not that interested in meeting CDE students. (The CDE hosts a variety of events. How many Williams students attend?) Any CDE student who they might meet, say, next month, will be gone by June. Some CDE students are not fluent in English (and nor should we expect them to be).
There is nothing that Williams could reasonably do which would significantly increase the amount of interaction between the Williams students and CDE students on a meaningful scale.
Could individual faculty members (read: Economics) do more? Perhaps. But you are unlikely to have an idea that they haven't tried before.
Given how the existence of the CDE has almost no impact on the quality of an undergraduate education at Williams, I would close it. I wonder how much it costs? Another important piece of data (along with the total cost of the Masters in Art History program) that the College refuses to share with us.
Ronit says:
Given how the existence of the CDE has almost no impact on the quality of an undergraduate education at Williams, I would close it. I wonder how much it costs?
Oh, goddamnit. You're doing it again.
hwc says:
Just to bring the discussion of language requirements to something more concrete, here is the wording of Swarthmore's language requirement:
C. The Foreign Language Requirement
To fulfill the foreign language requirement, a student must either:
1) successfully studied 3 years or the "block" equivalent of a single foreign language during grades 9 through 12 (work done before grade 9 cannot be counted, regardless of the course level);
2) achieved a score of 600 or better on a standard achievement test of a foreign language;
3) passed either the final term of a college-level, yearlong, introductory foreign language course or a semester-long intermediate foreign language course; or
4) learned English as a foreign language while remaining demonstrably proficient in another.
Almost nobody at Swarthmore has to take a language at the College. In the new accreditation study, there's a summary of faculty discussion on either stiffening the policy or revoking it. The faculty doesn't want to stiffen he requiremen. The language faculty doesn't want to get rid of it because it signals high schools to keep teaching languages. So, for lack of any particular impetus for change, the requirement continues as is.
As a practical matter, a language requirement is a non-issue whether you have one or not.
Swarthmore did actively consider a requirement for a course emphasizing international cultures. As part of the study, they determined that it was already all but impossible to graduate from Swarthmore without repeated exposure to such courses in almost all departments and, therefore, the requirement would serve no purpose.
David says:
Ronit: In the comment you link to, you talk about costs and benefits. I am ready to believe that the costs of CDE are quite small since outsiders pick up (all?) the tuition for students. Indeed, perhaps CDE is a money-maker. As always, transparency would help.
In terms of benefits, I am happy to be educated. I bet that fewer than 5% (probably fewer than 1%) of current Williams students can even name a single CDE student. If you don't know someone's name and/or never exchange a word with him, I don't see how he can effect the quality of your education.
What would happen to the typical undergraduate if the CDE went away tomorrow? Nothing. If anything, there would be a couple more upper level ECON courses offered that would reduce over-crowding there.
If the CDE has a direct and meaningful impact on the quality of the undergraduate at Williams, please explain how that works.
JeffZ says:
David, I don't recall any opportunities to meet anyone in the CDC during my four years at Williams (and I was an econ major). Maybe hindsight is clouding my memory or self perception, but had the econ department say, arranged for a few dinners between majors and CDC members over the course of a year, I would have jumped at the chance.
I am not going to take the bait and respond to the end of your comment, which I guess I should have anticipated. Sigh.
kthomas says:
Ah. We're having a little vote here in Nashville today; I've spared Jim Hester my commentary on his email which said "we all have to know English."
We're not thinking well here.
I would have failed Edson Chick's German 101-102. I have no doubt about it. The two Art History grad students in his section which I audited quickly transferred to Helga Druxes' section– not to say anything negative about Helga– whose section I was also auditing– and despite this, I still would have failed. Period.
Nashville is voting today– I'm not quite sure what the issue is, but it is something very similar to what we're discussing here, a sort of question of who we will be, in the future.
Nashville is a American city where, fifteen years ago, hearing a foreign language on the street was close to unheard of. It's hard not to remind myself, today, that I only have to go to the gas station down the street to attempt Hindi, or the to restaurant around the corner to try and pick up Kurdish Arabic. Hebrew from Tel Aviv is a bit harder to find– I have to drive a half-mile over to Hillsboro village on the other side of Vandy, and search around– though the Israelis I find tend to remind me that Nashville is not a New York or Tel Aviv.
Can it be? Will it be?
It's easy– it's so easy in the end– to learn other languages. Learning how is the hard part– perhaps the hardest thing for America.
But I cannot imagine living in our world, in our times, with listening to all its voices, without struggling to hear and to understand. I cannot imagine an education that denies this possibility, that continues to fail to address the challenge– nor an America in the 21st Century, which continues to bear the brunt of a joke about being "monolingual" and fails to make the effort to understand.
Back to my simpler point– there is simply no way that more than 20 or 30% of Williams students would learn a foreign language by traditional classroom methods– much less achieve basic "fluency," the ability to read and understand what is published on the front page of newspapers in a language besides English — which would be a good measure.
It's time to think differently about this problem, and find other approaches.
Let's turn the question around, then: let's throw "reports" aside and imagine a goal, a vision– half of the students at Williams, having basic fluency in two languages, by junior year, — with the goal of preparing for further, lifetime learning.
By 2020?
Work backwards from there: what has to be done, to get there? What's the path– what methods, technologies, infrastructure, risk-taking, has to come in place? What will it cost?
Are the costs worth it?
What are the other options?
Ronit says:
I had quite a few opportunities to meet with CDE people (partly because I TA'd for a CDE course and shared meals with them). The Econ department invited select senior and junior Econ majors to hobnob with CDE fellows on quite a few occasions, most memorably when Nobel laureate Amartya Sen dropped by the CDE for a Q&A session before his public talk at Chapin Hall. There was probably something similar when Bill Easterly came to campus, and for all I know the department still extends this opportunity regularly to undergraduates when any distinguished economist comes to town.
No matter what David says, watching a Nobel Laureate discuss development issues with the CDE fellows, many of whom are career economists working for their respective Central Banks and Finance ministries, and being able to take part in the conversation with my own questions, was a tremendously interesting and positive experience for me. It is one of the highlights of my time at Williams.
But, hey, let's close the CDE because David Kane doesn't have the data to justify its existence, eh?
David says:
The Economics Department certainly did the same as Ronit described back in the 80's. They wanted more interaction between undergrads and CDE but were almost totally unsuccessful in achieving it. I don't want to contradict Jeff, but I suspect that this desire continued through the 90's and into the 00's, as Ronit describes.
Ronit: The issue is not: Should Williams invite famous economists to town and have undergrads interact with them. It should! Was Sen invited as part of the 1960's scholars program in economics? That's how I got to have dinner with Bob Solow back in the day. We all want such programs at Williams. But you don't need the CDE to do that.
You artfully dodge around my claim. You knew some CDE members by name. Good. How many members of your class also knew CDE members by name? If it is 50, then you are right! The CDE has a meaningful impact on undergraduate education. But if the answer is 10 or 5 (and those 5 know them because they are grading their work as TAs!) then there isn't much interaction.
This is not a case where I don't "have the data." I know the data. You just choose not to acknowledge it.
To be clear, I do not think that the CDE is a big money drain (if at all) and it is not even in my top 20 of things I want to change at Williams. But any program with no meaningful connection to 99% of the undergraduates deserves close scrutiny.
'10 says:
Dave: Why should improving the quality of undergrad education be the benchmark we judge programs by? Why are undergrads so special? Isn't graduate education just as worthwhile a pursuit?
The foreign language requirement is a stupid idea. If it's not implemented so loosely as to be meaningless (as it seems is the case at Swarthmore), it would chew up huge amounts of college resources and still be a waste of time. Learning a foreign language can be really valuable, but it's best done in an immersion environment where you have the opportunity to really become fluent. No matter how good your teacher is, learning a language in a college classroom is never going to be as good as going out into the real world, staying with a family, and speaking the language every day over the course of months or years. Attempting to replicate that experience in a classroom is very, very hard, and as people have mentioned, there's an opportunity cost in terms of missing out on other worthwhile classes. A Williams classroom is a great place to learn math or poly. sci. but a terrible place (relatively speaking) to learn French – why would we ever want to require latter at the expense of the former?
Ronit says:
But any program with no meaningful connection to 99% of the undergraduates deserves close scrutiny.
Hey, I know – let's ban faculty from doing research or submitting papers for publication! They could be spending the time teaching and grading instead!
Ronit says:
By the way, David, there were definitely more than 20 undergrads who attended the Q&As and social events with the CDE. There are a lot of Econ majors, and even choosing a select bunch would involve at least 30 students. Ergo, it passes your "meaningful connection to 99% of the undergraduates" test.
Parent '12 says:
The draft of the report on international ed. initiatives also addressed the issue of financial aid.
In the context of learning a foreign language, Williams doesn't have a wide selection of in-house languages. Those on financial aid are hard-pressed to learn a language not offered because fin aid has a cap on study abroad & I assume for language study at a domestic institution over the summer.
I believe other colleges with fin aid polices as generous as Williams don't have a cap. Does anyone know?
Epher '02 says:
A language requirement of 1-2 courses will do little to nothing in terms of reaching the goal of fluency in another language.
Williams, like most LACs, is limited in what it can offer in terms of depth of language teaching. I attended the Middlebury Intensive Summer Language School twice to study Russian. I plan to attend this summer for Arabic. I don't know how familiar EphBlog readers are with Middlebury's intensive (insane) Language Schools, but I/we covered a full academic year in 9 weeks of Russian. I placed into advanced (3rd level) when I went back to Williams, and then took another summer at Middlebury before going to St Petersburg to work, near fluent and ready for my job.
Other Ephs have studied at Middlebury (especially in Arabic and Chinese–two of the strongest Schools), so why can't financial aid be made available to Williams undergrads for those programs? If one can cover a year of college language in a summer, one can get pretty far doing summer study (with financial aid), especially if one combines a summer or two with a semester or year abroad.
Seems all small colleges needn't waste resources trying to teach the same things (foreign languages) and not all that well; but colleges like Williams should utilize excellent programs out there to fill holes in their own offerings. Why isn't there more collaboration with such programs, including allowing the export of fin aid to them?
And by the way, Middlebury launched a new program (called MMLA) last summer, based on its successful summer language programs for 7th to 12th graders in Chinese, Arabic, French, and Spanish. It runs 4 weeks, is billed as a mix of language study and summer camp, and is intended to allow pre-College kids to learn foreign languages through immersion at an age that is more conducive to learning foreign languages. That program, in the future, might allow incoming Williams students to attain higher levels of language skills before college than they could get now at Williams.
The foreign language gap in the US will not be solved by a 1-2 course requirement in college. Too late.
kthomas says:
It's certainly possible to replicate some of the facets of "immersion" while staying on campus.
Many students would benefit more from grabbing the Rosetta Stone and other computer programs, the Pimsleur and Department of State audio programs, and such, than they do from the classroom.
Put the audio onto an iPod; listen to it whenever you can; find every opportunity to engage other speakers.
What the College could, and should do, is begin to put the infrastructure in place to make this much easier– have a "language center," or such, on campus that make such materials generally available, and which focuses on the project of fostering language learning. Establish alliances with other LACs and Universities to create a larger resource base– and project– to guide the way and provide us with better teaching materials and methods. Build a campus where languages are actively practiced and learned, where it's easy, convenient, simple– where the opportunities and the path are clear and in front of everyone.
As for technology– it's part of the key– and we (the Humanities) have a Luddite tendency to reject it rather than embrace it. It's sort of a fear of change (see Mr. Fish), — but I like to remind that writing itself was once a new technology that scholars rejected. What we have to gain– is that language instructors, those who love to teach languages– could be freed from rote and repetitive and largely ineffective tasks– and the burden of supporting those not ready to learn– to focus on the tasks that they do best, to guide the process, to match new methods and technologies and possibilities to a new generation of learners.
On the point of funding above– there are language institutes in the world where you can stay and learn German or Arabic or Hindi or Czech, for less than you can live in the US; there are agencies that book discounted flights– and then there are the Goethe Instituts and the Sorbonnes, which could be negotiated with over price at a certain volume.
The whole thing can be made cheaper– but it's a lot of work, for individual students to research and negotiate. Why not make it easier– do some of the work for them– give them places to do the work together, teach each other languages and teach each other how to learn languages?
I am confident that it can be done, and I am confident that it can be done at less cost that a formal, expanded language requirement.
Why not start today?
Ronit says:
have a "language center," or such, on campus that make such materials generally available, and which focuses on the project of fostering language learning.
We've got one, in one of the row houses (Weston?)
kthomas says:
@Ronit: been there; Edson and Helga taught in the large classroom in the back, and I can remember having the 1990 version of this conversation there, with Bruce Kieffer– another sort of language exercise. "Language Center" is therefore a deceptive and poor choice of wording– the Language Center in Weston, like the one in the basement of Dwinelle at Berkeley, doesn't do what I envision. But I don't have a better phrase– yet.
@Epher '02:
Thank you for adding your comment and your perspective; it is appreciated. The email you entered, however, does not seem to exist. Would you be so kind as to update it in a subsequent post?
Parent '12 says:
"Seems all small colleges needn't waste resources trying to teach the same things (foreign languages) and not all that well; but colleges like Williams should utilize excellent programs out there to fill holes in their own offerings. Why isn't there more collaboration with such programs, including allowing the export of fin aid to them?"
'02 @19- I totally agree with you. And, thanks for confirming what I've heard about Middlebury's summer program. Good luck with Arabic!
I wonder if Williams & Middlebury could have an exchange program. There must be some program or department at Williams that is would benefit Middlebury. Plus, the campuses are not that distant.
kthomas says:
Parent '12: Thank you for your comment as well.
From my experience in Mark Taylor's telecourse between Williams and the University of Finland– back in 1993– I don't see why Williams and other institutions couldn't design a language 'program' where students on each campus were connected to an instructor, and students, at a "hosting" institution such as Middlebury.
It would take more than what is obvious– some kind of high-quality video connection to a "class" that brought everyone together for some hours per week– but attention to establishing, and "getting right," all the details of a 'virtual classroom' and 'campus'– constant technical means to keep the students involved connected to each other– via computer desktops and laptops, phones, handheld devices, kiosks– and substantive supervision and intervention by professors and assistants —
Parent '12 says:
KT @24- That's a fantastic idea.
At this point, given the Tech Resources at Williams (see CGCL), I would imagine it would be difficult to even take a step in that direction.
Do you know of any university that's attempted anything like this for any discipline? And, I'm thinking of something besides video broadcasting.
kthomas says:
Parent '12 @ 25:
"MicroSoft" comes to mind– "Sun" after it– but you reveal my ignorance in a field I should be more familiar with.
The university distance learning examples I do know have not been successes– often because they were limited by a corporate product such as Blackboard, often because they're closer to video broadcasting that an evolving, highly interactive series of technologies used by "a community of expert learners."
A few million from Bill and Melinda Gates, a few million from MicroSoft, a few million from Sun, a few million from the member of the '38 who inquired what we were going to do about teaching languages– and we'd be on our way.
Who wants to help? Did anyone get that alum's name– I didn't (should have; should have pitched him then and there). I do have Bill Joy's number somewhere…
On a simpler note: I'd think that it would be reasonable for the College to allow– pay for– a controlled number of individuals to participate in Middlebury's language program, while taking 3 courses the semester before or after (as well as semi-independent language preparation or other research that lowers "instructional load").
sophmom says:
Wow, so many great ideas here. Makes me want to do college over again. Well, kind of.
Much as I believe in the value of acquiring fluency in, at the very least, a second language, I don't think making it a requirement at Williams is a good idea.
Language learning, like many proclivities, can come very easily for some, and less so for others. It can be a bit of an acquired taste as well. Forcing it, under less than the right circumstances, can really sour a student.
And given the range of language skills of students arriving at Williams, designing a program that has all the right aspects, would be next to impossible. Middlebury is known for it's language programs, and thus attracts students who are more apt to be prepared for, and to relish, what they're getting into.
Also, I agree that it takes immersion, time abroad, to really get a language under one's skin. Accents, intonations, mannerisms, even something as basic and physical as how the breath plays into it, is all part of real fluency.
If things were different, if language learning were a more dependable focus across the boards early on, in public, and in private schools, if there was more emphasis on instilling a love for it, much in the way we are beginning to approach the arts, then we'd be talking a whole different ballgame.
Which begs the importance of as Ken suggests, "counting backwards" to fully understand what needs to change before we can accomplish the lofty goals of a majority of bilingual, or multilingual college grads. If they can do it in Europe, we can do it here.
kthomas says:
Thank you for joining us with your thoughts and contribution.
English only has just been defeated in Nashville by a margin of nearly twelve percent. Early day voters were 2-1.
Some quick comments in response:
What I am proposing is more of an ecosystem model of learning: begin by planting a few trees and shrubs, which take root and begin to change the soil and the nutrients, until another generation of new plants take root, and support the next generation of the transformation.
Where the traditional model of instruction– (surely of language instruction)– is more one of 'delivery'– ahem, Mr. Fish–
I want the opportunities to learn a language, from the informal (conversation groups) to the formal (automated instruction) to permeate the campus. I don't want the "language center" and its resources to sit in a building– I want them, the nutrients necessary to grow the system, available everywhere. I want the microcosm of Williams, the "Bubble," to reflect the organic processes of the great cities of the world– Brussels, Paris, Shenzhen, Prague– my cities– and cities I barely know.
Nashville? The question tonight– in the end, was whether Nashville and America can change– can become part of the new regime– can shape it– or whether we sink into irrelevance. (I just send Jim Hester my congratulations).
And I want a Williams education to prepare people to participate in that world– that coming world– to understand it and take meaningful action.
So much for my, um, "rhetoric."
What you say about the value of immersion– being there– gestures, body language, breath– strikes me. The complexity of what is going on– the various factors and interactions, the symbols and messages being exchanged, and their infinite variety and depth– is so beyond us, beyond the tools rational thought (Though: Nietzsche remarked: to see the detail of things is a curse).
"Being there?" (Cf. Malinowski to Geertz in Anthropology; and the movie; {iterate} — I'm going to use the example which just came to mind, the smell of a young woman's burning hair, mixed with burning fuel and accelerant and oil, on a platform in the St. Michel station — or, elsewhere, the dialectical pronunciation of a Putzfrau in the bathroom in Tegel, in the early morning of a day in 1997– the incomparible specificity of each of these moments, of what is transmitted, of what they "teach–"
I'm going to shift– as I need to move on– I'm in a restaurant in Nashville, with five or six Iraqi Kurds shifting from their native language to English and back– I don't catch very much of the form of Arabic. Sure, it would be different to "be there"– to be immersed in a Kurdish village, in northern Iraq, today (imagine the lessons, how the language would fit into the daily life, the history, the unfolding geopolitics)–
But: it's no longer there– it's here. I can immerse myself in the Kurdish communities and language here, if I choose– I could, if I choose (as I often do in Europe), simple refuse to speak English.
And we can do something similar on the Williams campus, create something similar, if we choose.
(Oh– and– confer– Stephenson, The Diamond Age or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer— let's build that Primer)
(Update 01:48: one of my Kurdish friends is now talking about his dad dying during a bombing raid ordered by Saddam; his dream, days later, that his dad rose from the coffin, and told him and his siblings, "you buried me, but I was not dead…")
PTC says:
This fits into the idea of a more diverse and complete education package. If it is funded and managed properly, the requirement is clearly defined, and it creates more opportunity to study and work abroad… it is a good idea for some of the standard liberal arts majors.
Two semesters of Spanish followed by a Summer in El Salvador working as an aid to the Embassy, or something like that… would be a great educational experience. If they approach it from a standard cookie cutter academic perspective… and do not think outside of the box, then I think it will be a painful event rather than a true learning experience for a lot of students.
Middlebury has one of the best language programs in the nation. They shared a building in Madrid with us and several other schools for part of their Spanish program when I did a semester in the 80's. Epher 02's suggestion to attach to them with financial aid is a good one, but I doubt they could handle the capacity that a new requirement might bring. Williams decided a long time ago not to make language a priority… with all the new focus on other disciplines, having language as a requirement for everyone beyond a two semester exposure level does not make a lot of sense.
I have to wonder how much sports get in the way of students learning a language at Williams? I did not wrestle my senior year in College because I went to Spain… It turned out to be the best move I ever made. I'd recommend a language for anyone. There was pressure for me when I made this move, because of sports. With all the jocks, summer programs would be the way to go at Williams.
PTC says:
… Williams could do a language program that attaches athletes to foreign teams in the summer.. my roomate in college wrestled on the french national team for a summer… that is another possibility.
sophmom says:
But: it's no longer there– it's here.
Yes, it is here. But recognizing that and embracing it is a big step for some. You forget how much you know, Ken, how much your experience has tuned you and shaped your reception to language. And I think everything changes once you have one second language under your belt. Especially from one romance language to the next, the leap is not so great.
But, I agree, that steps could/should be taken…other than making it a traditional required course. Even learning language abroad goes much quicker if there are some basics acquired before going, some familiarity with how that language looks and sounds. I just think it's optimum to get those beginnings early on.
PTC: That's a good question; I wonder how many athletes are discouraged from study abroad? I like the idea of athletic exchange.
Speaking of which, foreign exchange at the high school level, can have a real, long term effect on all the students. We have had a succession of foreign students in our small public high school. One of them became a very good friend of my son's. Since graduation, my son, and several other local kids made a lengthy summer visit to this young man's country, stayed with his family, and came back much more proficient in the language. Being there, having to use it, and associating the use of it with adventure and an exciting experience, brings about a richer assimilation, IMO.
Diana says:
A lot of CDE students come to the signups for Free University classes during Winter Study. I specifically remember that there was press about Williams having a student from Afghanistan, and I saw her at the signup night. I had never really seen the CDE students, but it seemed like most of them were there, signing up to learn things for free.
When I taught HTML, I had at least 10 CDE students show up for the first class. (For the second and third classes, a CDE required event conflicted with it, and none of them told me about it in advance.) One of them kept in touch with me and made a web site of himself doing various types of sports. (Unfortunately, it evaporated when WSO was hacked, or I would link to it.) I wouldn't say that interacting with him improved my Williams experience a great deal, but I do know his name, and I learned some things about Russian rowing.
kthomas says:
Quick reply: Yes, but– it's sort of like the link on lectures at MIT. I took my first physics course with 12 people, 2 professors, and an experienced electronics assistant who could show me how to build things I thought up.
Of course I understand things a little better than someone who got lectures on the same material, but it's not about me, it's about the lessons.
Or: perhaps there is a tendency to say that people who go through exceptional experiences, like that physics class, like Mark Taylor's telecourse, like taking enormous efforts to learn a language– were exceptional individuals before the experience, so there's nothing to learn.
That's backwards, and it is not an argument for "the lecture" and the status quo. Where Williams needs to go is to follow MIT– to think about "how we learn" effectively.
And that "first language bump?"
sophmom says:
What I'm getting at is…think back to before you were exposed to a second language. Remember how foreign it all sounded?
Now, move up… to the point where you were beginning to speak a little, to recognize the sound of it, to pick that language out of a crowd. Then little by little, you start to make the connections to other languages, recognize the similarities, eventually easily knowing one language from the other by the sound of it.
Of course, you are right, that this is all changing so fast. Many, many arriving Williams students are already way past this point, some even having grown up in bilingual households.
And it does seem like there could be a more creative approach to initial language learning than currently exists. For instance, I had no idea about CDE, and also, 'aparent' posted this link to the International Education Initiatives on "Speak Up", (thanks aparent!). Surely better advantage could be taken of all these resources. Something fun, and different, that ends up unifying and serving all parties involved.
PTC says:
I think learning a language is one of the more important things to learn in life…
I am not so sure that a lot of young adults come to Williams speaking two or more languages well… what %? Maybe 10%? 15%? Maybe?
Anon says:
David —
If you want to save money by closing the CDE, then I expect it would require reducing the number of econ faculty (since the cost of faculty is one of the costs of the program). If so, the econ department would shrink by at least two faculty members (assuming 8 CDE courses per year). Thus, while eliminating the CDE might increase the number of econ electives in a transition year or two, it is unlikely to increase the number of econ electives once the faculty size has adjusted. In fact, since a few undergraduates do enroll in CDE classes, the choices for upper level econ electives might actually fall. Of course, it is possible to eliminate the CDE and not reduce the size of the econ faculty — but it is also possible to keep the CDE and increase the size of the econ faculty.
You might well be correct that the CDE has a modest effect on overall undergraduate education. The CDE students are probably pretty focused on their main purpose — their coursework, etc. A few undergrads each year probably have meaningful interactions with the CDE (e.g., students with a strong interest in international development). Surely, however, one can imagine considering things other than undergraduate education in evaluating the value of the CDE (e.g., the education received by the CDE students comes to mind).
PTC says:
Anon- Do you have any information on who some of the grads have been, and how they have used their education… after returning to their countries?
I think the CDE is pro American… I am all for it.
PTC says:
Anon- As you suggest the CDE may shape Williams in terms of Econ concentration in more ways that Dave realizes. Do you have any idea how much the creation and continuation of the CDE has influenced the shift in concentration from liberal arts to economics at Williams? I would think it is pretty huge… having a single graduate program that follows a particular discipline.
Dave has a rather odd position.
The college could force more interaction. Personally, I am not shocked that more Williams students do not take advantage of the program… but what a damn waste!
As an alumni prof who taught at Williams and several other colleges once told me… (I a paraphrasing) "Williams students are very bright, but there is a rigidity in their way of thinking, they are not diverse, and they are often scared to explore boundaries outside of the normal realm. Frankly, they are not that interesting to teach."
You put the CDE at a place like Middlebury, and I bet it would it be mobbed with undergrads taking advantage of the ability to explore economics while conversing in a foreign language… and learning a lot about the framework of another nation. Not to mention the possiblities of establishing.. god forbid, a relationship with such people!
Williams is attempting to break the restrictive mold, one can almost feel it. Let's hope they succeed. Increased involvement by undergrads at CDE serves as an indicator that the students are no longer restricted by the strict socially repressive pressures of the school.
By the way, the drinking culture and strange sexual discomfort of the place are both leading indicators of a larger problem. It seems to be changing to me… thank god.
Epher '02 says:
Per #22 (kthomas) — my address is now correct.
Would be interesting to see how many current economics concetrators combine with advanced foreign language study today. Anyone have those data? They may appear in the IR factbook on the College website. There might already be more of this than PTC implies, but maybe not. I know this is the case at some LACs now — large number of "double majors/concentrators" that combine art history and language, econ, pol sci, and other disciplines with a language.
PTC mentions Middlebury, which may be somewhat of a difficult analog. With resources established over a long period —– its Language Schools are old and established, its Schools Abroad (the already mentioned Madrid site is one of 30 or so sites they have around the world) try to mesh with undergraduate language and non-language curricula so the jr year abroad experience builds toward the students' majors, and now the graduate program of international studies at Monterey, California provides linkages to Middlebury's liberal arts programs, Middlebury is the exception and I imagine it would be too expensive to replicate….
Which is why it is time to encouarge greater collaboration among like-minded or at least similarly-minded institutions. Out with the competitive banter and excessive pride ("we can never rely on others for what we could do"); in with using excellent educational resources more effectively (dare I say "efficiently" to academic types?) in a range of fields. Am I dreaming?
Anon says:
I don't know the specifics of what happens to the CDE students when they go home. I would expect that a year in the US and exposure to economics training is likely to be "pro-American" (whatever that means and is worth).
I don't think the CDE pushes Williams away from the liberal arts and being more like a research university. Graduate students at research universities often teach (or, at least, serve as teaching assistants for) courses; the opposite is true for the CDE: undergraduate students serve as TAs for the CDE courses (see Ronit's comment above). At research universities, undergraduate education sometimes suffers as faculty get wrapped up in research with and training Ph.D. students; I doubt that this happens with the CDE.
I'm not sure what you meant by a "shift in concentration from liberal arts to economics" at Williams. The existence of the CDE has potentially meant that Williams has an economics department that is more interested in development economics than would be the case without the CDE; however, one could argue that this interest helps broaden the interests of the department rather than narrow its interests. As I stated before, this interest in development economics comes by having a larger faculty rather than substituting faculty with one interest for another. The CDE is a small program (as is the art history program). The CDE is not equivalent to adding a large professional school (e.g., Dartmouth having a business school). I really can't see why this program has a huge impact on the general LAC education at Williams. The faculty is slightly large (2 or 3 extra economists); whether this is bad or good probably depends on how you feel about economists — but it doesn't seem huge to me. (Maybe DK's argument is that if it doesn't have an impact on undergrad education, then it should be cut; but that really comes down to an argument about one's objective.)
I could easily imagine a number of changes that have no graduate degree component that would have a much larger effect on the educational experience at Williams. One area would concern what majors to offer and how to organize activities into majors / programs /etc. E.g., adding more performing arts departments; Oberlin has a Conservatory of Music (though it does grant graduate degrees); Swarthmore has a department of Film and Media Studies; colleges face choices about whether to have "programs" (like environmental studies at Williams) or handle such issues as freestanding departments. Computer Science? Not a major at every LAC. Another area would be the design of requirements (e.g., a foreign language requirement?) These curricular decisions are much more likely to affect the composition of the student body and what students study while on campus than the presence of a couple of modest sized masters' degree programs. I expect changes in the athletics program would rank much more important on changing academics at Williams than the existence of the CDE (not that I'm suggesting any such changes).
While the econ department draws lots of majors, I don't think the CDE is a reason. Many of Williams' peer institutions also have lots of econ majors. Thus, I doubt that the CDE causes a shift towards economics from other majors (I also consider that economics can be construed with the mainstream of a liberal arts curriculum).
I expect the CDE has nothing to do with the mentality that you describe based on your discussion from an alumni prof. In fact, probably the opposite: it is difficult to imagine talking with people with the life experiences of that the CDE students and not coming away with a broader perspective on the world. (See Ronit's comment above.) I'm not denying that the quote might be accurate — I'm only saying that the CDE probably has nothing to do with its validity. The comment is a somewhat negative generalization about Williams (as opposed to happier statements like Williams students are well-rounded, etc.) One can make lots of generalizations about different schools (which I worry tends to deal with and promote stereotyping): LAC X is "nerdy", LAC Y is a bunch of politically-active tree-huggers, LAC Z has the heaviest party scene, LAC T has a sports mentality, etc.
Epher: I seriously doubt that econ majors at Williams are any more or less likely to study foreign languages than econ majors at other places (especially once one factors in the general prevalence to study foreign languages of the other schools; i.e., it is important to know whether a school has a language requirements). I can't imagine that the CDE is a strong enough concept on campus to affect student decisions about majors, etc. for very many students; the presence of the CDE might influence the number of students who take a course in development economics. Maybe your question is the more general question of whether students at Williams (regardless of major) are more or less likely to study foreign languages?
PTC says:
We agree. The CDE is an entity that is, can and should be used to provide a more diverse experience for the general student body.
My point about the limited and generally closed nature of the Williams student body was a critique of what David had mentioned… that regular Williams students have never and will never be interested in learning through interaction with CDE students. That was a narrow statement and I think it has more to do with Williams's culture (which appears to be changing) than it does with the generalization that David used. I believe the CDE offers an outstanding opportunity for undergrads, and that if it is true that Williams's undergrads have no desire for interactions with the CDE that speaks more towards a negative aspect of Williams's than it does the CDE. That is why I used Middlebury as an example to counter David's point. If anything, the college should push more interaction with the CDE, and the broader world in general, in my opinion.
As far as the stereotype of the "typical Williams student" goes, it is something that I would definitely take seriously if I were an academic. A College that has an atmosphere that is closed and limited to the confines of "internal diversity" does not serve the full purpose of a liberal arts education, in my opinion. That is partially why I poke some fun at Williams for the "purple bubble" in the CGCL. Generalizations may be limited, but they often exist for a reason. If it is true, why deny it?
Williams appears to be using a lot of resources and trying new programs in order to change the limited culture. That suggests that the general impression that Williams students have a closed way of thinking within the confines of their "lanes" is accepted by the administration and that it is something that the school is trying to fight.
kthomas says:
Cross-post reference from Ethan Zuckerman's blog: …Translation: Why it is so Difficult to Enter the Anglo-American…
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text:
Label This Love; From Indian Lakes
_ _
"You belong in your own skin."
. ….
Nothing to say this week, only to show…
/ / /
Label This Love; From Indian Lakes
_ _
. ….
Nothing to say this week, only to show…
/ / /
Music/title: Salt; Bad Suns
_ _
. . . .. . . … . .
I shouldn't have cried.
I shouldn't have given you hope.
I should've spoken every bitter word I swallowed.
But I listened.
Because that's what you do, right?
That's what's polite?
[ I was merely being polite. ]
It didn't affect me.
[ I didn't wish to believe. ]
___ ___
What do you do when the darkest parts of you are shaken?
…You hope to hell that you're right.
Music/title: You + I (Snocker Cot Remix); Sheare
_ _
. . … ..
Something about this is just so alluring. The distant buildings immersed in fog.. Just lovely.
This one has actually been edited for a while now.
I think you'd all be astonished to learn how many photos *don't* get posted. hah!
The last year I did my full 52 week project was the year I did best with editing and posting everything.
I'd like to do that again.
/ / /
Credit to takeSomeCrime for this awesome song.
The man has amazing taste in music, as well as some amazing dance moves.
Check him out. ;]
Music/title: Say My Name (Emancipator Remix); ODESZA
_ _
. . .. .
Just tell him already.
…You know you want it.
Music/title: Wasted On You (feat. ROZES); Louis Futon
_ _
. . … .. …..
Liberating doesn't begin to cover it.
A twinge of denial, maybe.
I still can't believe it all. Everything seems so surreal in our lives.
Did you plan this from the start?
A part of me believes I had nothing to do with it. That it was all thanks to others. The bad parts of my mind attempt to latch on- hopes of some form of sabotage..
..the other side.
The part that has drug me through all the blood and tears… That part is proud.
Look at how far you've come. ..Look at what you've done for yourself..
Aren't you so happy now?
If I ever believed in a God,
now would be the time to thank him.
/ / /
Music/title: Moonlight; Grace Vanderwaal
_ _
. . …
Four days and counting.
If you could see me now..
My life- In boxes again.
But this time I am making a home for myself.
I am creating everything that you took from me.
I am in control.
And you won't ever take it from me again.
Music/title: Drowning World feat. Bjurman; Andrew Applepie
_ _
. … ..
Covering it up breaks my heart.
Preemptively, even more so.
But it it must be done.
Twenty-eight years, and I'm ready for change. I've grown too comfortable in this world, in this skin. I need new.
I need out of routine.
"So, so, so- "
It must be done.
/ / /
I highly recommend this song.
A big thank you to Casey Neistat for introducing me to the love that is Andrew Applepie. <3
Music/title: Entertainment; Rise Against
_ _
/ / /
Playing with afternoon light, pt. 1.
Music/title: I Slept With Someone In Fall Out Boy; Fall Out Boy
_ _
. …. ..
Is it normal to feel this much disappointment?
I mean, I know it's fairly common, but this is borderline suffocating….
I keep thinking I can hold out. I can make it work!
..Only to be let down once again.
I hate them. ALL of them.
I hope the fucking cunts burn in their sleep.
Maybe I'm just jealous.
Jealous that I am not them.
Jealous that I didn't stay where I belonged….
…Can I stop being an adult now?
/ / /
art. popular since 10,000 BC
blurred views through the frame of a red door
The Best Is Yet To Be Written
Simple truths and stories by an uncommon man.
Thirty-nine percent better

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Club Championship Semi Finals down for decision
Castleisland Mart Club Championships
The Castleisland Mart Club Championships swing back into action this coming weekend with action in the Intermediate, Junior Premier, Junior and Novice Championships.
Intermediate Club Championship
The first of the two Castleisland Mart Intermediate Club Championship semi finals is down for decision this weekend when St Marys play An Ghaeltacht in Killorglin on Sunday at 2:30. These sides clashed as late as last Sunday in the senior football league, a game that finished in a victory for A Ghaeltacht but the stakes on Sunday are a lot higher as All Ireland Intermediate champions from 2016 St Marys, who have defeated Currow and Desmond to get this far, only know too well. An Ghaeltacht, with a young team, have been making steady progress under Marc Ó Sé and defeated Gneeveguilla and Ardfert, both in Gallarus, on the way to Sunday's semi final.
The second semi final between Templenoe and Laune Rangers will be played on Saturday 23rd September at 5pm in Fitzgerald Stadium. The Kerry champions are away to the Tipperary representatives on the weekend of October 30th.
Junior Premier Club Championship
There is a big local derby in Cahersiveen on Saturday when South Kerry rivals, Dromid Pearses and Skellig Rangers meet in the Castleisland Mart Junior Premier Club Championship semi final (5pm). The stakes are always high when local sides clash in championship action and the fact that a final place is at stake makes this an eagerly anticipated fixture. Both sides have been successful at Junior level in recent times and have had good League seasons in their respective divisions. Dromid have accounted for Renard and Fossa on their way to the semi final while Skellig Rangers defeated St Pats and then took a major scalp when defeating Listowel Emmets in the Quarter finals.
The second semi final between Firies and Na Gaeil will be played on September 30th and the Kerry representatives will be in Munster action on November 6th with a home tie against Waterford opposition.
Junior Championship
The first semi final of the Castleisland Mart Junior Championship is down for decision on this Saturday at 5pm when two sides from opposite ends of the county, Tuosist and Castlegregory, meet in Derreen. The West Kerry side, who finished just behind the leaders in Division 3, defeated Scartaglen and Duagh on their way to the semi final while Tuosist, languishing in the bottom half of Division 5, have defeated Valentia and Ballyduff.
In the other semi final Listry now take on Lispole in Strand Road on Saturday 16th which is a week later than originally fixed.
Novice Championship
There are still two games to be played in Round 1 of the Novice Championship. On Sunday next, Beale have home venue against fellow North Kerry side, Moyvane (2:30pm) with the winners there due to play Sneem-Derrynane in the semi final on September 16th. Meanwhile the Kilgarvan Vs Cromane first Round tie will not be played until September 24th and the winners there will play Scartaglen in the semi final.


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About Us
Dr. Christine Davis is a dedicated and compassionate naturopathic doctor currently practicing at the Magna Health Centre in Aurora. She believes in preventative medicine and encourages her patients to adopt healthy lifestyle practices. As a naturopathic doctor she believes in treating the body as a whole and trying to address the root cause of disease. She spends time with each patient getting to know them individually and understanding their health concerns. As a naturopathic doctor she uses diet and lifestyle interventions along with acupuncture, homeopathy and botanical medicine. Her practice has a special focus in weight loss, stress management, heart disease, diabetes and gastrointestinal difficulties.
Dr. Stephanie Milley graduated with Honours from the University of Western Ontario in the field of Kinesiology. Her love for fitness and the health sciences lead her to work as a Certified Kinesiologist in a Markham based multidisciplinary clinic. It was there that she realized that her calling was in the field of patient care. Dr. Milley went on to graduate from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in Toronto as both a Dean's list graduate and with the distinction of Clinic Honours. During her time at CMCC Dr. Milley came to focus on her specific style of evidence-based, active oriented and patient centered care. She combines chiropractic, soft tissue techniques, laser therapy and specific rehabilitation exercises to both treat and prevent musculoskeletal conditions. Dr. Milley also does wellness appraisals focusing on nutrition, weight management and other lifestyle factors which help people live optimally. She enjoys working with a range of patients including children, pregnant women, elite athletes and weekend warriors. Dr. Milley is Graston Certified and is a keen academic, always continuing to enhance her clinical skills and abilities. She is a former competitive soccer player and an avid fitness enthusiast participating in local community based intramurals.
Barb #
Do you have studies that would help me understand how cosmetic acupuncture would work for the skin conditions mentioned on your blog? Also, who does the procedure, over what period of time, what ages, and how much would it cost? Does any insurance plan cover it?
ThanksJanuary 24, 2013
Barb #
So, give me a ballpark figure, please.
Why did it take so long to answer?August 7, 2013


text:
It's been awhile since our last transportation strike. I'm spoiled! So just when I think things are going well, ACTV throws another whammy. 24 hour vaporetto, autobus and tram strike, starting at - I think- midnight on Oct 2. I saw the general announcement, and did, as it instructed, go read the long version of information posted at all the vaporetto stops. I could not for the life of me figure out exactly what is running when. I know there is some sort of "essential" boat transportation schedule between some hours in the morning and late afternoon so people can get get to/from work. Bus seems to be running in those peak times also. Aside from that, good luck. If you are a tourist in Venice today, consider it a great day to be out walking. If you need to get to the train station from the other side of town, it's a good day to splurge on a water taxi.
We've been making daily trips using the #6 vaporetto line to Sant'Elena to clean and paint. We will not be getting there today. Today will be a packing day. Thank you, ACTV.


text:
Web 2 Purposes: You will learn new advanced ways of coding...on a server from now on and you will help aide the Web 1 students. You teaching what you have learned is a huge part of the learning process for you. It will help you to pick out your own coding errors faster, because your mind will start to connect with the fact that there are only so many possibilities as to why your code isn't working correctly. When hands are raised, go help.
// Course Description - can be taken any period other than B1 or B4
This is a full year course that combines a knowledge of HTML5 and CSS3 with dynamic languages such as PHP and Javascript. Students will continue to plan, design, develop and start to publish live websites, while adding dynamic objects and enhancing overall design aspects. This class opens up to more freedom and exploration in web development on a student to student basis, as more individual responsibility is expected.


text:
38 First Avenue, Rodd Point
Sold - Thu, 24th Jan 2019
Live by the Bay
Be the first to inspect, this family home which showcases modern finishings throughout to allow a comfortable lifestyle for the entire family.
Set over two expansive levels with multiple living areas, which provides ample room for the family to live, grow and entertain with supreme privacy. The lower level boasts two large bedrooms, new bathroom, spacious open plan living areas & separate dining room with a contemporary kitchen.
As you make your way to the upper level you will find a brand new bathroom & four large bedrooms that can be easily used as further living space if required.
Set on 366.7 sqm (approx.) block with a Northerly rear aspect that offers your own sun-drenched private oasis. Another great feature of this excellent home is the wide driveway with access to a large lock up garage and multiple space for off-street parking.
Located only a stone throw away from the water's edge, the famous Bay Run and an array of public transport facilities, this home is a must to inspect!
- Spacious 5 bedroom family home, ready to move in
- Two new bathrooms, modern contemporary kitchen
- LUG with wide driveway, block is 366.7 sqm (approx.)
- Large open plan living areas, Northerly rear aspect
- Close to Bay Run, transport, parks and water's edge
Director LREA
Director LREA


text:
Ban proposed on lorries overtaking on the A12
Have you ever been stuck behind two lorries on a dual carriageway as one slowly overtakes the other? It can be pretty frustrating. The idea of banning HGVs from overtaking has already been tried on the A14 and the M11.
Now Essex County Council wants a ban introduced on the A12. But lorry drivers say the idea will be dangerous and could prove expensive. Here's Tom Barton.


text:
Al Jefferson
Sponsored By
Nets Stung With Big Loss At Hands Of HornetsAl Jefferson and Gerald Henderson each scored 19 points, Marvin Williams had 18 and the Charlotte Hornets routed the Brooklyn Nets 115-91.
Schmeelk: Knicks' Options In 2015 Could Make Or Break Melo EraAnthony doesn't have many years left in his prime. It's the summer of 2015 or bust. Unfortunately for the Knicks, their options next offseason are somewhat limited.
Lichtenstein: Road Trip Yields No Change To Nets' Enigmatic SeasonThe Nets have little shot of moving up the Eastern Conference ladder.
Jazz Roll Over Nets 107-94, Spoil Williams' ReturnIt was a losing return to Utah for Deron Williams as he and the Nets were defeated by the Jazz ,107-94 on Saturday night.


text:
Shamanism Tour in Nepal
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Shamanism tour in Nepal explores the Shamanism practice. In ancient time, there was no availability of allopathic medicine and modern health services to cure different types of diseases. People believed in supernatural forces, leading to cause different types of sickness. The trees, rocks, rivers, mountains, hills, moon, sun, stars, passes, deurali (sources of water) were also believed to have been carrying spiritual power that could hamper people or could make them sick. The Shamanism practice was established due to the lack of medicine and health services.
Shamanism is a kind of healing. During the healing, the Shaman carries himself the sprite of causing sickness and explains the reasons behind the sickness. Shamanism is somehow associated with the witchcraft practice that still exists in Nepali society. The Shaman while healing finds out the demands of the God or witchcraft for what the sickness was caused. The family of sick people offer things to the God or witchcraft as asked by the Shaman. Normally, chicken, goat, sheep and some amount of money and alcohol are offered. In many cases, sick people are found to have been feeling better after the Shaman finishes healing.
The Shaman wears a special uniform decorated with different types of colorful long feather of birds and plays a special leather drum and other musical instruments and sings a religious melody. For foreigners, the conduct of Shamanism is really interesting and amazing.
In July 18 and 19 of 2018 there is big festival of shamans in Rukum district of Nepal.If any tourists are interested to explore shamanism you can join for this program.For the detail package and cost you can write us mail.
- Outline Itinerary
- Detail Itinerary
- Trip Facts & Map
- Trip Cost Details
- Useful Information
Shamanism Tour in Nepal Itinerary
01 Day: Picked up at the airpport in Kathmandu and drop off to hotel
02 Day: Introduction to Shamanism master and concept of Shamanism
03 Day: Practice or study Shamanism
04 Day: Practice or study Shamanism
05 Day: Practice or study Shamanism
06 Day: Practice or study Shamanism
07 Day: Drive to international airport and fly back to selected destination or start tour/trekking in Nepal
Note: We make a seperate itinerary for tourists that are interested in participating in Shamanism ceremonies often taking place in the countryside. Shamanism tour pakages can be shortened and extended based on the objective of the guests.
Detail Itinerary
Day 01: Arrival
Trip cost:
Cost includes:
- Pick up and drop off transport as mentioned in the itinerary
- Accommodation and three meals per day during the tour
- Tour guide
- Shamanism fees
- Domestic air ticket and airport tax as mentioned in the itinerary
- Sightseeing as mentioned in the itinerary
Cost excludes:
- International air ticket, airport tax and Nepal visa fees
- All kinds of drink during tour with us
- Travel insurance and the cost of medical services of tourists
- All kinds of cloth and personal belonging
- Other personal expenses and tips
- Charted helicopter, plane and other transports in case of emergency
Important Information Before Your Trip to Nepal
Payment: Down payment: 15% of total payment is required to confirm the reservation.
Payment of the Balance: Rest amount can be paid in our office after your arrival.
Arrival Point: You will be met at the Kathmandu international airport. Our office representative will be waiting for you holding play card of the Nepal Mountain Lovers Treks and Expedition. In case of your change plan, please let us inform.
Booking Air Ticket: If you don't have regular travel agent, please visit makemytrip.com, www.kayak.com, www.vayama.com. They offer you very good price.
Room System: Normally we have two people in a room. Twin bed or single bed depends on the choice of guests and budget. If tourists want single room, s/he should pay single supplementary.
Tour Leading Person: Our tour guide will lead the whole trip with his/her helpers and porters.
Currencies: USD, AUD, EURO are major acceptable currencies in Nepal and visa and credit cards also accepted. There is ATM facility in city area.
Altitude Sickness: Altitude sickness will start from 3000 meter height. Tourists should immediately inform tour guide if faced any problems.
Drinking Water: We can get mineral water and boiled water in city area and in some touristy places. We use water purification tablet or liquid in some remote touristy sites.
Laundry Facility: Laundry facility are available in city area.
Visa: You can get arrival visa at Kathmandu airport that cost 25 USD for 15 days and 40 USD for 30 days. Please bring 2 passport size photos. You can get your visa from the closest Nepali embassy.
Orientation Program: Before starting trip, tourists are provided with an orientation by our office representative or tour guide about the necessary tour information.
Group Size: There will be maximum 12 persons in one group.
Accommodation: You will stay in a 5***** to nice tourist standard hotel/resort in city areas. Normal hotels also are available during the tour upon your desire.
Foods: We provide breakfast, lunch, dinner. Tourists can get continental food both in city and touristy areas.
View of Mount Everest: For tourists visiting other regions where they cannot view Mount Everest, there are daily mountain flights which approach close to Mount Everest.
Travel Insurance: It is compulsory to have travel insurance.
Personal Expenses: It depends on your spending interest and shopping. There are some expensive handmade carpets, Thanka paintings, jewelries and handicrafts to purchase in Nepal.
Luggage: Your excess baggage will be stored in a hotel.
Tips: Tips are highly accepted and appreciated.
Rules and Regulation
Nepal Mountain Lovers Treks and Expedition accepts your reservation under the following rules and regulations.
1. If the balance payment is not paid before your departure for trip, the booking will be cancelled without any refund.
2. If there is war or the situation of the country is out of control and the country faces emergency situation before your arrival to Nepal, we inform you not to come Nepal and refund your payment. But in case of any emergency situation or war after your arrival or during the tour, we will not refund your money. But we will try our best to make your trip successful and pleasant. In such situation, we may need to change the trip plan and itinerary.
3. In case of increase in government royalty and other costs such as the national park fee, you have to pay extra money.
4. If you commit any illegal act or disturbance for the safety and welfare of the group, our leader or guide can ask to leave the group without any right to refund.
5. If you have any complain with regards to trip, please inform our tour leader or company. All kinds of valid complain are welcomed and processed with necessary actions.
6.You are responsible to ensure that all travel documents are with you during the entire trip.


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Recipe to make beef caldo (caldo de res), adapted from an existing caldo de res recipe.
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 onion
- 3 lbs. beef shanks center cut bone-in
- I never find it in Kroger, always found it at HEB
- Alternative: Short Loin with bone
- 1 lb. butter gold potatoes (or is it honey gold?)
- I normally use 3 lb. bag because it is a better deal buying the bag
- I cook them as indicated in the procedure, but when done, I separate them in a different container to avoid having a plate that has too many potatoes in it
- 1 lb. carrots
- If you're rich or want to save time, buy the baby-size carrots
- 3 corn in the cob
- cilantro (normally I use 1/3 of the cilantro, or about 20 stems)
- 5 squash (a.k.a., calabacitas)
- Clean all vegies
- Use a pressure pot to cook the beef, together with lots of water, the onion, one clove of garlic, and 1 tbsp salt.
- When boiling, change the flame accordingly so that the pressure pot does not explode and cook for 30 minutes


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Classic provides Brassington a shot
Australian pitcher reinvented himself as a knuckleballer
By Robert Falkoff / MLB.com
He can close his eyes at night and let his mind ponder what it would be like to stare down Alex Rodriguez from 60 feet, six inches in a packed stadium. Brassington can see his knuckleball dancing past the bats of the best hitters in the world. He can reflect on the struggles, the roads not taken, the doors that closed when a talented right arm finally gave out on him because of numerous injuries. And now, to think he has the chance to reinvent himself as a baseball player on a world stage at age 36 ... it's a prospect that boggles the imagination of this affable Australian.
"A few months ago, I never could have imagined something like this could be an option," said Brassington, a former Kansas City Royals farmhand who is expected to be a starting pitcher for the Australians in the upcoming Classic. "The opportunity to compete against the best in the world and see what you've got is a great privilege, especially considering how I've gotten here."
Brassington was biding his time as a real estate salesman, amateur drummer and summer-league pitcher with a local club in Australia when the World Baseball Classic sent his life spinning in a new direction.
Throughout his injury-ravaged career, Brassington had always tinkered with the knuckleball. Word got around that he was throwing it pretty well in the just-for-fun summer leagues. Jon Deeble, the manager of the Australian team, got in touch with some diamond-in-the-rough questions.
"Can you throw?" Deeble asked.
"Well, I've been throwing a little, but not a whole lot," Brassington replied.
The pitcher and the manager decided to explore the matter further between the white lines.
"We sort of worked on a few things and, all of a sudden, here I am in this competition," Brassington said.
Brassington's trial sessions leading up to Australia's early-March flight to Florida for training camp and an exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox were encouraging. He started twice against Chinese Taipei, allowing one hit and no runs over five innings and three hits and one run over four innings.
Brassington came back against Bobby Valentine's Chiba Lotte Japanese team and surrendered just two hits and a run through four innings.
"I taught myself the knuckleball," Brassington said. "I had been messing with it since I was 16 or 17. I've always had it there sort of as a fun thing and I was allowed to throw it when I was with Kansas City in my sequence of pitches. I've really just developed it through trial and error. If I was going to stay in the game at my age, that had to be the key."
After riding the baseball roller coaster for more than a decade, Brassington is watching that roller coaster take an improbable ascension. In 1993, as a fifth-round draft pick of the Royals, he was a fastball/slider pitcher who seemed headed for a Major League career.
The talent was there, but the luck wasn't.
Brassington's pro career, which started after a year of college baseball at Lamar (Tx.) University, began on an ominous note when he experienced elbow soreness while pitching in Eugene, Ore. He wound up missing two seasons with a surgery spliced in. In 1997, he reported to Spring Training feeling good and thinking the arm ailments were a thing of the past. But then Brassington hurt his shoulder and was eventually released by the Royals.
"I came back to Australia sort of disillusioned by it all," Brassington said. "But I started playing here in a national league and my arm consistently got stronger."
By 1999, Brassington was back pitching for Albany in the independent Northern League. He was having his best year in 2001 when he blew out his rotator cuff halfway through the season.
"The doctors said it was pretty bad," Brassington said. "Basically, I tore my labrum in half. The doctors said they could put it back together, but there was a good chance I'd never pitch again. At 30-plus years, I kind of accepted that was it for me."
Well, not quite. After a couple of years off, Brassington got back on the mound with a trick pitch that could make him one of the more poignant stories of the World Baseball Classic.
"There was a time when I had some ability as a fastball/slider kind of guy," Brassington said. "But with injuries, I never had the chance to settle in and find out if I could thrive against the best hitters. I'm doing it a different way now, but the opportunity to compete against the elite is there and that means a lot to me."
Australia will compete out of Pool D and Brassington acknowledges that his team will be in an underdog role. But that only sets up the possibility of Australia sending some shock waves through the 16-team tournament field.
"We have a young and relatively inexperienced team," Brassington said. "But it's a great bunch of guys and a team with a lot of heart, which the Australians have been known for through international competitions of the past. We're just going to battle as hard as we can and see where that leaves us."
If the World Baseball Classic turns out to be Brassington's one shining moment on the big stage, so be it. But if he dazzles the competition, this comeback story may have more chapters.
There's a definite market for guys with a devastating knuckler.
"If you can get through a couple of these lineups and do really well, somebody will be watching," Brassington said. "That's in the back of my mind, for sure. It's an idea that keeps floating around in my head."
Robert Falkoff is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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On August 1st Google announced a new component of their Adwords – Remarketing.
Google says:
Remarketing lets you show ads to users who've previously visited your website as they browse the Web.
Google has many affilate networks (ads on blogs, youtube ads, mobile ads, etc) which viewers will see after initially searching for something.
Google says that using remarketing will increase your ROI and will help deliver conversions:
Remarketing is a powerful way to stay engaged with your target audience. Presenting them with highly relevant ads and offers across the Web — and making sure your brand is top of mind when they're ready to buy –- can radically improve ROI


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A driver of a BMW collided with a light-rail train in San Jose Saturday morning, but no one was injured, officials said.
The crash, which involved a Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority train, occurred just before 11:20 a.m. near North First and Taylor Streets, according to officials.
Crews were forced to put the train out of service and tow it back to a holding yard, officials said.
The San Jose Police Department is investigating the collision.


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Poet and Contemplative
"From the abundance of his spirit [the poet] pours out secrets and mysteries rather than rational explanation" (Prologue, The Spiritual Canticle).
"In contemplation God teaches the soul very quietly and secretly, without its knowing how, without the sound of words" (Chapter 39, The Spiritual Canticle).
In the spirit of St. John of the Cross, this blog reflects on the contemplative experience and the poetic experience, sometimes separately and distinctly, sometimes in common, as mutually enlightening.
I will also post to this blog, from time to time, my own poetry, with a short interpretive note attached.
~ Fr. Bonaventure Sauer, OCD
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"In contemplation God teaches the soul very quietly and secretly, without its knowing how, without the sound of words" (Chapter 39, The Spiritual Canticle).
In the spirit of St. John of the Cross, this blog reflects on the contemplative experience and the poetic experience, sometimes separately and distinctly, sometimes in common, as mutually enlightening.
I will also post to this blog, from time to time, my own poetry, with a short interpretive note attached.
~ Fr. Bonaventure Sauer, OCD
Seven Conversation Poems – Part 7 of 7
Fri, Feb 7 2020 | Permalink
VII. To Think that This is It, the Very Thing A long, long time in the making, and I the recipientOf all this careful planning, even of the mishapsAnd unexpected twists of fate that gave the thing in the endA certain air of improvisation—it is the world remade By this love You have inspired in me, if only forThe briefest of moments, which yet
God's Desire
Sat, Jul 13 2019 | Permalink
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Prayer in poetry
Wed, Mar 6 2019 | Permalink
The Our Father Thrice Told 1.Father of all, who watch over all,Though Your name catches in our throatsWhenever we call to You,Yet You are near to us, we know,And gladness fills our days.May sunlight fall gently upon the earth;May thick grass obediently spring up.You have given us the need of bread—Give us fields to till, harvests to reap.We sin, as do our comrades,Yet we seek
The Hours ~ 7 Poems – Part 5 of 7
Tue, Oct 30 2018 | Permalink
Initially, I wrote 4 poems for the collection called The Hours. Since the publication of those four poems, I have written three more– The Hours has now been expanded to comprise 7 poems in all.– Fr. Bonaventure Sauer, OCDV.Late at Night: Matins (1)~God Sends DreamsWhen I lie down, my mind is filled by Youand through the night watch, I meditate on You. (Ps 63:7)In a first dream,
The Hours ~ 4 Poems – Part 3
Tue, Oct 2 2018 | Permalink
III.Sunset: Vespers~For St. John of the Cross Soaring on the wings of the dawnto find shelter in the setting sun,it would be Your hand that would carry me,Your right hand holding me safe, (Ps 139:9-10) 1.He didn't have to wait here long. SunsetSoon came, sliding down the
Conjuring Up the Eternal – Part 1 of 7
Wed, Jul 5 2017 | Permalink
As those of you who read this blog may have noticed, I've discontinued the practice of attaching interpretive comments to my poems. I felt too uncomfortable doing it, wanting the poem to speak for itself.But it has been suggested to me that, following each poem, I conclude with a simple question, something to prime the pump (to coin a phrase) of reflection for the reader. It seemed like
Three Poems for the Coming of Spring – Part 3
Fri, Apr 28 2017 | Permalink
III.A Boy's Song of SpringI want to laugh and sing, to tell riddles or share with youThe dream that woke me this morning, feeding sunlight to my eyes.I want to mix my words with the clatter of a bluejay's boxcar as it passes,Throwing long, like a train whistle, the football of my thoughts.I want to ride Spring's purity of power, its unbridled freedom. In a nutshell,To take up the joy of a lifetime
Five Poems for Lent and Easter – Part 3
Thu, Apr 13 2017 | Permalink
III.Our Lady of SorrowsI inch forward from the crowd, urged on by the gathering darkness;A few follow, pressing close behind as if tethered to me by a rope.A single, short cry floods the hills; soon it fades away, echoing onIn my mind's numbness, in the speechlessness of my heart.I am determined to show them, show all of them, these soldiers,That his head has slumped forward, his body hangs lifeless,His
Five Poems for Lent and Easter – Part 2
Thu, Apr 13 2017 | Permalink
II.A Contemplative in LentHow many times did I promise you everything,The wind shaking loose the sweet fruitOf sunrise or sunset, of snowfall in winterOr rain in spring? How many times, andYou said nothing? How often did I whisper,"It's me," waiting to receive an answer,And received none? Yet I will try again this year.Yes, I will promise again to mold my soulInto a clod of soft black
THE CITY AND BEYOND ~ Four Poems – Part 1
Fri, Feb 10 2017 | Permalink
I.Nightfall~DallasSomehow, once I'd climbed out of the wellOf late afternoon,I found it there, set out on a plate,Still fresh after waiting all this timeFor me to arrive. Yes, evening was offering itselfTo me like a blueberry muffin, with itsPurplish inner auraThat leaves a stain on the tongue.Never would I have asked anything more of youTo prove that you still, that you have always cared,O my
Five Advent Poems – Part 4
Wed, Dec 21 2016 | Permalink
IV.At the Deathbed of St. John of the CrossAnd when you died, we felt your hands trembling in ours; or was it our handsTrembling in yours? The night had won through to us and stoopedAt the door like some beast come home to its cave; we heard itPurring contentedly--the fireplace ablaze, logs aflame.Maybe it was just your last, strangely tender breathing we heardSpread through the room like sleeping
Listening Deeply
Tue, Feb 23 2016 | Permalink
First, I will quote a couple of lines from a poem by Jessica Powers (who in Carmel was known as Sr. Miriam of the Holy Spirit, OCD): Music by right is for the solitaries whom a long silence trains to the profound. The lines are
Prayer and Sabbath Rest - Part 1
Tue, Jan 26 2016 | Permalink
You might think I've been on sabbatical these past few months, and you'd have good reason, given my absence from this blog. But I haven't. Nonetheless, I have been learning something in my absence, something valuable. And here's what I've learned. It's difficult to keep a blog going when you're on the road for long stretches of time.
What is Contemplation? -- Contemplation as Experience and as Prayer
Fri, Oct 30 2015 | Permalink
One can have contemplative experiences in ways not explicitly religious, although most of us would still consider such experiences spiritual, using that word to describe them, and making a distinction between the spiritual and the religious. (As an aside, I would draw the line of this distinction somewhat in this way, namely, that the spiritual is a dimension of
Setting the Table—Part One
Sat, Feb 21 2015 | Permalink
How a poem gets written varies from poet to poet, even from poem to poem. Yet across the board there must be something mysterious about the process. Why does the poet decide on just this particular word rather than another, although both appear, at least at first, to work equally well? Why does the poet choose this image or metaphor or particular
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