not the Dutch ones though ....


This is a place to post on anything not GT related, to chat, vent or whatever it crosses your mind and that you would like to share with friends....


Have you seen the movie 'Das Leben der Anderen' ? A German movie, really good.
It has won an Oscar to the best foreing film.


Feel free to highjack (sp?) the topic.....

Too bad. I hear those Dutch brownies are very interesting! :p

I haven't seen the movie. What's it about?

Yeah, especially the 'space cookies' ! or the magic mushrooms...

I have never tried them though, nor do I have any intention.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lives_of_Others

I think we needed the translation. Thanks, Isa. Great movie!

And what do you think of the Clint Eastwood movies, specially the japanese part?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letters_from_Iwo_Jima

As an actor I do not think he is great but as a director I love him.

Oh, The lives of Others is an excellent movie.
It is about Stasi in East Germany during the Cold War.

I liked the "japanese part' better.

I am a movie addict. Some of the good ones I saw recently:
In the Valley of Eliah (sp)
Eastern Promises
Into Great Silence
Katyn

When I was a young girl growing up in Europe, I used to love
the animated series Il etait une fois L'homme, on TV
Recently, I was able to enjoy it with my kids - and again fell in love with it.

Here is something I found on the internet about it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Once_Upon_a_Time..._Man

I do not know if it is possible to purchase it in the states, my copies came from Europe, where you can purchase a lot of old (and not only old) good movies as a promo with your daily paper or weekly magazine. I think Isa will know what I am talking about :-)
If you can get your hands on this one, I highly reccomend it. My set consists of about 30 CD's each with a story about 40 min long.

Ania,

I would love to get a hold of that one and pretty much the rest of the Once Upon a Time series. We have Once Upon a Time ... Life and my kids love it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Once_Upon_a_Time..._Life

If anyone figures how to get hold of any for the series in US, let me know. I tried searching for it but came empty handed. I may try in Europe this summer.

We also have ...Life, have not seen it yet though. ...Man was the only one I remember watching as a child.

Yeah, this is fun! I'm a big foreign film lover since a took a class in college. I was in love with Gerard DePardieu about 20 years ago, not so much now!

A funny: In my 20's a friend and I were at the movie rental store (back in the stone ages when you had to go to those places). She asked me what kind of movie and I said Foreign and walked off the find that section. She thought I said "porn" and stood stunned in that very spot until I returned about 5 minutes later with a Gerard flick. She took one look and then busted out laughing and told me what she thought I said!

Alas, I haven't had much time for foreign films or anything else fun like that lately!!!!

Neato

Are you all familiar with Babette's Feast? Movie, althought the short story is great too (by the same woman that wrote Out of Africa I believe)

Not so long ago I used to love movies with Juliette Binoche...

Oh yesssss, I do know what you are talking about. I am actually surprised that you do not get cheap DVDs with the newspapers in the US !

And about the series, I loved it! I think I should try to get the one about the human body for DD. Thanks for reminding me

I saw it a loooooong time ago and I liked very much.

Have you seen Chocolate?
With Juliette Binoche and Johny Deep, mmmmm....

Saw both of those movies, but it seems like a very long time ago.

What about All the Mornings of the World?

And this isn't a foreign film, but I loved that movie about the DuPre sisters growing up. I can't remember the name, but it was a beautiful and sad movie.

All the Mornings of the World - is it about taxi rides?
I have to google it.

^^nope, that is not the one I thought .
Actually, I don't think I ever saw this one. There it goes on my list.

How about Red Violin?
And what was the title of that french movie about food and Versaille? A funny title - I think it was a name?

^^ got it, it was Vadel !

ehem.... this is a French movie 'Tous les matins du monde' http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103110/

I have not watched but I have the music and I love it. Interpreted by Jordi Savall http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0767426/

Could be "Night on earth" ?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102536/

I love movies, too, but I'm terribly "behind" (in terms of not having seen the new releases, academy award winners, etc.) We watched American Gangster last night, and I thought it was excellent.

Same here, I almost have forgoten what a theater looks like

Yes Isa, it is Night on Earth.
I loved that movie.

American Gangster was great, much more worthy of an Oscar than No Country for Old Man.
If you liked it, try Eastern Promises.

My family is going camping tonight, so maybe I will rent All the Mornings...

We occasionally go to the theater, mostly to watch live shows however. Recently it was Doubt - excellent. There is a movie coming out with M. Streep.

I hope you aren't dissapointed with All the mornings...

I was in my 20's when I watched it, and was entranced!

Hope it's still good at this late stage!

Neato

^^what late stage, I am young !!!! :-)
Blockbuster did not have it, so I setteld on Vitus.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478829/

SO, the house is quiet, only the dog wants out. I m going to open some good wine and let you know tomorrow how I enjoyed the movie...

On the second thought, I will probably let you know Monday, since tomorrow I am having some Spaniards for dinner, so I will be busy cooking and cleaning :-)

Very good movie.
I am surprised nobody has mentioned/recommended it before on this site.
I am going to have both of my kids watch it, and listen carefuly for comments :-)
In the main character I could easily recognized some of my own boy.

Can I go off on a tangent? My son got in troube at school the other day for "inappropriate language during instruction". The word? "Hell". He was trying to explain to two other kids (who had apparently used the word but didn't get in trouble) that it really isn't a bad word because you talk about it when you talk about religion and it was "kind of like heaven but different, when you die".

I agree that he shouldn't have been talking while the teacher was talking. I am annoyed that he got written up for it because, well, because, I'm not sure. Teaching her moral values? The other kids didn't get in trouble? I don't like the teacher anyway? Not that I'm going to do anything about it but I'm just curious what you guys think?

When he showed me the report I simply told him that he shouldn't have been talking when the teacher was. Later, he brought up "hell" and we had a discussion about what it is and that took us into different religions and off we went!

Have you notice the huge amount of threats that get highjacked (spelling?) in these forums?

Obviously, this one does not count - it was meant to be highjacked from the beginning. I refer to the others, like from experiences in kindergarden to college in just a few lines LOL !!!

I take it as evidence of fertile minds at work.

or divergent thinking.... ?

I think it might have to do with mismatch between conversation style and the medium we're using. (NOT intended as criticism of moderator or boards!) Often it really seems like one extended coffee table conversation, with separate little swirls that ebb and flow. If Cathy A is around - do you know if anyone has modeled conversational flow? (My thought process here is a little opaque, even to me , but is along the lines of thinking there may be a way of representing conversation which would fall into Cathy's area of expertise.) Anyway, I enjoy the conversation, even when I am not actively taking part!

And maybe it's because people like me are here participating in my first bulletin board without knowing the rules of etiquette.

Seems to me that you follow any local etiquette just fine, questions. One thing about this particular board structure is that the cost to starting a new thread seems high, I think mostly because the default view gives only 10 threads/page and the forum list only shows the last topic. As a result, things fall off the radar quickly. The possibility of losing conversation partners increases if you move a conversation to another forum too, unless everyone uses the Active Topics view. Again, this isn't intended as criticism of the board. I just think that the observed effect is partly due to some aspects of the structure. I've haven't seen any board or discussion group format that I thought was perfect.

I changed my default number of topics/page to 30 in my Preferences, to see if that changes my behavior at all...

I think you raise a good point, Questions. Some boards are a lot more picky about staying on topic than others. I never thought of this board as being all that particular about it, provided the original question gets addressed. I know that if a thread goes astray without addressing the original question, most of here try to steer it back to the point. People here are extremely considerate, in my experience.

As a thread winds down to its natural conclusion, I think it often happens that things go a bit more off-topic. Hot threads that are active at a time when lots of people happen to be online also tend to go off-topic faster.

Those digressions can be interesting and fun, though! As long as the original poster gets a well-considered answer from the group, I personally enjoy our digressions.

It does mean that we probably need a chat-space, but I suspect that even if we get one, some things will pop in people's heads in response to a topic. I have gotten a lot out of those ostensibly off-topic but interesting and thoughtful comments, so I hope those don't stop! The side conversation about college in the skipping K thread was a really interesting discussion, I thought. I would never want to lose that sort of serendipity!

Digressions are interesting and I get a lot out of them and the conversations that progress.

Now, ahem, to address my question: what do you think about the "hell" incident?

After that, digress away!

Wow - I just don't have a problem with the word "hell".

Interesting topic - I once had to explain to someone that I don't have a problem with the word "d&mn" either.

Just shows how different we are in upbringing - Jews don't believe in hell so I had never given either word the slightest bit of thought until I was in a chat room and people treated the "d" word like a swear word.

Now I wonder if I have offended someone by just commenting .....

The teacher writing up my child for that would bug me, but I'd probably choose not to go very far over it. I might encourage my child to write a note to the teacher explaining the incident. OTOH, I don't have a lot of experience dealing with a teacher who would have a problem with that particular word. I guess it would depend on how much the incident bothered my child, kwim?

Hmmmm... the H-E-double hockey sticks incident... Was he written up and the others were not because the teacher corrected them verbally and then your son contradicted her? I can see this happening with my son

Re modeling conversation flow--cool idea! Maybe that's some kind of artificial intelligence topic. Maybe we could write a "free-association program" where you input a topic and then there's some probability that it will jump to a related topic...

Perhaps the issue is that H*** is a word that can be used aggressively as in, "Why don't you just got to ______?!" This seems like a legit thing to write someone up for. The challenge for the teacher, who may have only heard one part of the sentence, is to decide whether the word is being used technically as part of a theologic or philosophical debate or if it is being used aggressively as a threat. So, perhaps, it is just a good idea to avoid it, not because it is "bad" but because it's imprudent.

I've been trying to teach my kids that it's all about time and place. Using the "H" word in front of Grandma--even if you're not using it as a swear word--is not going to go over well. But saying "golly gee" while hanging out with sailors/truckers/soldiers/<your favorite stereotype of people who swear here> probably isn't going to fly either.

It's about knowing your audience. School is a good time to practice avoiding the appearance of impropriety.

And I'm sorry we didn't respond to your post, squirt. I read it, but I guess I thought you were just venting, not really looking for opinions.

So much for our being considerate!!!

Your son said hell in school, oh how terrible (sarcasm).. I think as a punishment he ( I'm lost, he is he not she right?) should prepare a report on the dangers of censorship and present it to the class.

Neato

Not a bad idea, Neato, and he is a he. And, Kriston, no worries - it was more vent-like than question-like. I'm not going to make any deal over it even though I think she was very wrong. I just wondered if any of you thought she was off base or if I just over-reacted because she's been such a pain in the neck all year.

He was only bothered by it for a short while because it meant he didn't get his reward for that week (her reward, not mine) so I left it alone.

And, now, let the digressions, resume!

I think she was off-base, but I also think I'd appear to back the teacher with my silence on this one.

There are certainly times when I'm willing to side with my child over the teacher (though not to the child, of course), but I don't think that would be one. I might have lobbied the teacher for a lesser punishment, if being "written up" is a big deal. But if it's not that big a deal, I think I'd let it slide and keep my eyes peeled for other problems. One of those is an isolated incident; two is a pattern.

Yes, Kriston, I agree. This is a somewhat of a slippery slope. I have a bias in that I have a very liberal and playful view on the culture of words/language.
Obviously, this is the tone I set in my home as DD5 called grandpa an idiot this weekend!
Very funny, as we used to refer to him as the colonel when we were young.
She got a time out, but I was very much laughing on the inside!
(Better than crying on the inside, right Kriston!?!?!?!)

Neato

Indeed! Or you can do what I do and mutitask by doing both at the same time.

Where's that bottle of vodka? Is it down there on the bottom of the dark closet? <feeling around for it>

LOL, in fact LMAO

So, since this thread is open for hijacking...

What's up that's bringing you down, 'Neato? Is it the school stuff with your DDs, or is it something more? You know how I feel about RE, but please emote away if it will help!

Thanks for asking friend.
It's, you know, the usual. I know the school is doing their best, at least the principal, to accomodate the girls. It seems that as soon as one is doing well, the other one has issues.
I spoke with the principal on Friday. They are going to have a teacher come to work with DD5 and do a special project using the Kingore research as a model. I know this is great and there is some hope that it if goes well, it will be incorporated into the general pull-out program. I was hoping she would also have this opportunity next year but was told there is no guarantee of that. Which helps us for a month, but doesn't solve my issue for first grade.
I was told: We have seen how she does in the classroom and in enrichment, so we are going to have a third person work with her with Kingore's observation index for another perspective.
Not exact words but close enough. Maybe I'm reading this the wrong way, but it sounds a bit ominous and I'm not sure I like it.

Neato

Oh, no disrespect to DD8's teacher. She is also going way above and beyond to make sure DD's needs are met at school.
I'm just frustrated.

Sure. Understandable.

What's Kingore? I feel clueless for asking, but I'm too lazy to google it...It's cleaning day at our house, so I have to save my energy for other things today!

I guess I was thinking that, with social networking being kind of an in thing, someone might have done some research on how different variables affect on-line conversation. I'd guess - number of active participants, speed of response, number of posts are all relevant, and then - presence of words/topics that are also being used a lot elsewhere (on-line)?

Eh, whatever! Maybe I'll check around at information aesthetics later. I feel like I've seen something related over there.

OK, I'm changing topics completely again.

DS is 12 and getting close to 13. He now has a girlfriend that he met in his GT English class. They see each other at school and talk on the phone. They seem to get along very well and there is virtually no "drama;" just a lot of pleasant conversation and giggling. Since they are young, we have not really thought of them getting together outside of school. But with summer approaching, I am assuming that they will want to see each other while they are on vacation. Any suggestions on appropriate ways to handle this type of "play date" in pre-teen/early teen couples?

Ahh, that's so sweet. When you figure it out let me know!!!

"Doing stuff" dates are best I think: bike rides, chess games, kicking a soccer ball around, making brownies together, even playing video games together.

That's the sort of stuff we did at that age when on a "date," such as they are.

Changing the topic again (although - the last one was delightful, so maybe I shouldn't) just to be all RE and and boo-hoo. Just came back from doing a requested stint as lunch/recess help at DD11's school. Her grade & the next one up were fine, but I can't imagine how DS5 is going to do. Really awful, dismaying, ugh. Bad combination of not enough for kids to do, not enough guidance, not enough listening (kids or aides). Makes me want to cry.

I'm in the schools a lot and I just quit being a GS leader, so I've pretty much seen it all.
I've come to the conclusion that if you send your kid to public school and they still end up being kind, polite, non-violent, non-swearing and non-pregnant by 13, then you are a damn good parent!!!!!!!!!
Obviously you are one of the good ones Kcab, try not to worry too too much.

So if they swear...?

Well, it depends on what you consider swearing

what an indictment...unfortunately seems like it fits this school too well.

My kids will probably swear....maybe I can avoid the rest of it (whoops on the non-violent too ... not sure DS can hack that.)

I do worry though. It was awful, even though I know it's better than it was last year, even though they're still trying different things to improve that specific time of day. Maybe I'll ask DH to go volunteer some lunch time - maybe he will have a different viewpoint.

Swearing? In a public school? Surely you jest! Surely, surely, that's not tolerated??? Says the mom of the kid who explained "hell"!