The Dartmouth Debate Workshop lectures, which are available on our website free of charge - http://ddw.wikispaces.com - are also now available as a podcast. More lectures will be added in the coming weeks. You can either go to this url
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=284449482 or search within the itunes store "Dartmouth Debate Workshop."
Please feel free to leave feedback on itunes!
Stay tuned for the various Dartmouth Debate Institute lectures which will be available on our website - http://ddi.wikispaces.com - and which will also be available as podcasts.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
Arrested Development - Episode 2, Top Banana
A delicious whodunit, after this
George: I haven't taken a vacation in years. I'm exercising, eating well.
Tobias: we are just about ass to ankles here maebe, you wanna hop on your cousin's lap?
Lindsay: I have a job Michael. It's called supporting my husband
Lindsay's accomplishments in high school had always overshadowed Michaels (Lindsay: best hair. Michael: most likely to succeed)
Michael to George Michael: You're staying on top of her, buddy. Do not be afraid to ride her . . . hard
Roger: Remember how crazy our hair was in high school?
George: There's always money in the Banana stand
GOB had not mailed the letter but in an act of defiance, dramatically through it into the sea. This proved a more difficult challenge than he expected.
Mom Bluth: Don't take that tone. He's my son and I want you to make him stop calling me
Lindsay: I was going to say you may want to lean away fromt he fire because you are soaked in alcohol.
GOB: I should be in charge. I'm the older brother.
Michael: do you want to be in charge?
GOB: No, but I'd still like to be asked.
Michael to GOB: You mailed that insurance check, right GOB?
George: There was 250,00 lining the walls of the banana stand!
George: I haven't taken a vacation in years. I'm exercising, eating well.
Tobias: we are just about ass to ankles here maebe, you wanna hop on your cousin's lap?
Lindsay: I have a job Michael. It's called supporting my husband
Lindsay's accomplishments in high school had always overshadowed Michaels (Lindsay: best hair. Michael: most likely to succeed)
Michael to George Michael: You're staying on top of her, buddy. Do not be afraid to ride her . . . hard
Roger: Remember how crazy our hair was in high school?
George: There's always money in the Banana stand
GOB had not mailed the letter but in an act of defiance, dramatically through it into the sea. This proved a more difficult challenge than he expected.
Mom Bluth: Don't take that tone. He's my son and I want you to make him stop calling me
Lindsay: I was going to say you may want to lean away fromt he fire because you are soaked in alcohol.
GOB: I should be in charge. I'm the older brother.
Michael: do you want to be in charge?
GOB: No, but I'd still like to be asked.
Michael to GOB: You mailed that insurance check, right GOB?
George: There was 250,00 lining the walls of the banana stand!
Arrested Development Episode 1
I know I'm late on this trend, and in my defense, I have seen some episodes at random. So instead of having non-earth shattering opinions about how funny this show is, I'm just going to type my favorite quotes.
GOB: illusion, Michael. Tricks are what whores do for money . . . . . or candy
narrator: Yes, this is his family. So why is Michael so happy? Because he's decided to never speak to these people again
Michael: I wonder how I can talk you out of ever making that face again
George: Sorry, it's not the right time.
George Michael: I knew it was against the law
Michael: Buster? the guy who thought that the blue ont he map was land?
Michael: I'd love to call it an imposition
George Michael: I'm tempted to kiss againt o teach them a lesson
George Michael: I quit
George: Well, that's probably a smart career move
George: They can not arrest a husband and wife for the same crime
George Michael: You love it here?
George: ah, I'm having the time of my life!
GOB: illusion, Michael. Tricks are what whores do for money . . . . . or candy
narrator: Yes, this is his family. So why is Michael so happy? Because he's decided to never speak to these people again
Michael: I wonder how I can talk you out of ever making that face again
George: Sorry, it's not the right time.
George Michael: I knew it was against the law
Michael: Buster? the guy who thought that the blue ont he map was land?
Michael: I'd love to call it an imposition
George Michael: I'm tempted to kiss againt o teach them a lesson
George Michael: I quit
George: Well, that's probably a smart career move
George: They can not arrest a husband and wife for the same crime
George Michael: You love it here?
George: ah, I'm having the time of my life!
Awesomeness
If you are looking for a website with easy debate lesson plans, lecture videos, citations for arguments like RPS, Climate Change, Business Confidence, and many Kritiks, check out ddw.wikispaces.com The Dartmouth Debate workshop has uploaded videos of virtually all of its lectures and talks in order to allow year-long learning.
Plus, for my three loyal readers, I set up the wiki so you should support the best debate camp wiki around.
Also check out ddi.wikispaces.com - the ORIGINAL debate camp wiki, which will also be handling videos once the Dartmouth Debate Institute starts.
Plus, for my three loyal readers, I set up the wiki so you should support the best debate camp wiki around.
Also check out ddi.wikispaces.com - the ORIGINAL debate camp wiki, which will also be handling videos once the Dartmouth Debate Institute starts.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
I'm Not There
I saw this Bob Dylan movie on Saturday night and can't stop thinking about it. I basically agreed to see it because of Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, but ended up loving every minute.
Bob Dylan is portrayed by six different characters each that, in theory, are based off of different characteristics/time periods of Dylan's life. In the array of Bob Dylan's that we see, we have an ADORABLE little boy (played by Marcus Carl Franklin), a variety of hot middle age Bob Dylans (played by aforementioned actors), an older Billy the Kid character (played by Richard Gere), and the somewhat older Bob Dylan played by Cate Blanchett.
Two things I want to discuss. First, Cate was incredible. At first, it was a little tough for me to get over that it was here playing Bob Dylan. To some degree I think this is the issue I have with any big name actor in a movie - I'm always going to think of them as the tabloid personality before the character. When I saw Jennifer Aniston in "The Break Up", I looked for the Jennifer Aniston i read about in US Weekly as well as Rachel from friends. When I saw Vince Vaughn in "Fred Claus", I delighted to see the Vince Vaughn from "Old School" and "Wedding Crashers." But once I was willing to suspend disbelief, I saw that she was simply incredible at this part. The hard sell wasn't that it was a woman playing a man, just Cate Blanchett; Her incredible acting made it easier to believe. The wardrobe choices, loose yet tailored suits, helped to create the silhouette of a man. Her mannerisms, although somewhat effeminate, seemed totally appropriate.
Second, multiple characters playing one person. Although many people will likely discuss this in their much more well thought out and written reviews, I think this movie makes an interesting discussion point for philosophical studies of the complexity of identity. I understand that Todd Haynes justifies this by saying that Dylan was a complex person who constantly reinvented himself. Am I the only one was under the belief that we are all complex people? We all reinvent ourselves with new time periods, significant events, insignificant meetings, etc. I don't meant to belittle the effect this had on his depiction of Dylan. Instead, I mean this to say, why don't we use this more often? This should become the new film thing just like film montages and the real time format (a la "24").
Bob Dylan is portrayed by six different characters each that, in theory, are based off of different characteristics/time periods of Dylan's life. In the array of Bob Dylan's that we see, we have an ADORABLE little boy (played by Marcus Carl Franklin), a variety of hot middle age Bob Dylans (played by aforementioned actors), an older Billy the Kid character (played by Richard Gere), and the somewhat older Bob Dylan played by Cate Blanchett.
Two things I want to discuss. First, Cate was incredible. At first, it was a little tough for me to get over that it was here playing Bob Dylan. To some degree I think this is the issue I have with any big name actor in a movie - I'm always going to think of them as the tabloid personality before the character. When I saw Jennifer Aniston in "The Break Up", I looked for the Jennifer Aniston i read about in US Weekly as well as Rachel from friends. When I saw Vince Vaughn in "Fred Claus", I delighted to see the Vince Vaughn from "Old School" and "Wedding Crashers." But once I was willing to suspend disbelief, I saw that she was simply incredible at this part. The hard sell wasn't that it was a woman playing a man, just Cate Blanchett; Her incredible acting made it easier to believe. The wardrobe choices, loose yet tailored suits, helped to create the silhouette of a man. Her mannerisms, although somewhat effeminate, seemed totally appropriate.
Second, multiple characters playing one person. Although many people will likely discuss this in their much more well thought out and written reviews, I think this movie makes an interesting discussion point for philosophical studies of the complexity of identity. I understand that Todd Haynes justifies this by saying that Dylan was a complex person who constantly reinvented himself. Am I the only one was under the belief that we are all complex people? We all reinvent ourselves with new time periods, significant events, insignificant meetings, etc. I don't meant to belittle the effect this had on his depiction of Dylan. Instead, I mean this to say, why don't we use this more often? This should become the new film thing just like film montages and the real time format (a la "24").
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Sorry, sorry, sorry
It's been so long, ugh! Well, more random musings.
First, Top Chef. Its been months since it ended, but thank goodness Hung won! I know people say Tre broke the streak, but loyal readers, I think people are creating causal relationships without knowing all the facts. The prevailing theory was whoever won the first elimination challenge won Top Chef. That's only because all of those theorizing didn't realize the REAL causality; whoever I get a crush on during the first episode wins Top Chef! It was just correlation, and not causation, that Harold and Ilan won the first elimination challenge. Although, for the record, I still can't believe Tre was knocked out so early. Totally ridiculous.
Don't believe me? I've got more proof of my gut reaction on these chef elimination shows. "The Next Iron Chef" had a variety of very talented contestants with Peshe popularly called the front-runner. My favorite was Michael Symon; Michael Symon won! And he won his first challenge, too!
For now, loyal readers, what shows should I add to my DVR? I'm especially looking for recommendations from the non-prime time networks so I feel like I'm getting my money's worth from my outrageous cable bill.
First, Top Chef. Its been months since it ended, but thank goodness Hung won! I know people say Tre broke the streak, but loyal readers, I think people are creating causal relationships without knowing all the facts. The prevailing theory was whoever won the first elimination challenge won Top Chef. That's only because all of those theorizing didn't realize the REAL causality; whoever I get a crush on during the first episode wins Top Chef! It was just correlation, and not causation, that Harold and Ilan won the first elimination challenge. Although, for the record, I still can't believe Tre was knocked out so early. Totally ridiculous.
Don't believe me? I've got more proof of my gut reaction on these chef elimination shows. "The Next Iron Chef" had a variety of very talented contestants with Peshe popularly called the front-runner. My favorite was Michael Symon; Michael Symon won! And he won his first challenge, too!
For now, loyal readers, what shows should I add to my DVR? I'm especially looking for recommendations from the non-prime time networks so I feel like I'm getting my money's worth from my outrageous cable bill.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Top Chef - Season 3
As always, I'm blogging as I go. Spoilers everywhere, so beware!
Quickfire -
Hung should have picked up the shellfish from the floor, but is that really that bad? And seriously, since when did Top Chef turn into Fear Factor? Getting their own shellfish? Having to open them? It's like all this super gross stuff that in theory
Shellfish and white wine can be done by a monkey, according to Hung. If that's true, can I get a pet monkey who will cook that for me? If you read my previous post about animals in Evan Almighty, you'll remember my adoration for personified animals. So, Hung, if you read this, I'll pay you real big bucks for the cooking monkey, especially if that monkey is snuggle and can talk.
The guest judge, , seemed very positive. "its an acquired taste" - is that a euphemism for "how are you still on this show?"
Healthy elimination challenge -
This is quite an homage to the previous seasons challenge to do a low calorie meal for the kids camp. I really really like these challenges because it kind of refocuses them away from just cooking with favorite ingredients and heavy sauces and butter. Plus, I would love to go to restaurants and order healthy food that isn't just green salad. However, are there no guidelines for "low cholesterol?"
Did NONE of these contestants watch previous seasons to study up? Instant mashed potatoes? Hello, remember in season 1 during the Wedding challenge when the cooks got flack for using cake mix? And that was the cake when none were pastry chefs, etc. AND Dale is going to use precooked chicken? Wow, wow, wow.
Too bad Lia failed to execute, I liked the general idea of her way to update frank and beans.
I love the facial expressions of the judges. Its so obvious they hate a bunch of these dishes. Howie's dish looked the most delicious - made my stomach growl for sure.
Top two AGAIN? This shouldn't really bug me, but it really bugs the beegebus out of me. And Howie clearly is the better chef of him and Dale since Dale USED A MIX! So glad that Howie won and he finally got a real prize - a trip to work with a chef, etc, as oppose to just a big pile of autographed books.
Bottom five? I know they were unhappy, but c'mon. I think it was kind of obnoxious to bring in Brian just to lecture him about using lobsters. I don't think Tom was rude or mean, but still. Lia apparently didn't do much, Sara's food was apparently awful, CJ's meal was apparently a little blah, and Micah's food was bad - plus she was so haughty and "above" meatloaf. Clearly CJ and Lia aren't going home - they're food wasn't bad. I'm glad Micah went home since her food was the least favorite of the people - and she was totally obnoxious.
Okay so Hung and Marcel are friends. Hung and Marcel are given a hard time by the other cooks, unfairly so. I kind of wonder if at least part of it is the editing. Do we have to have a villain every time? Stephen, Marcel, Hung - all talented, arrogant, young cooks who make enemies quickly. All three have a huge explosion early on with someone who seems to be a strong personality. Stephen, however, apologized and redeemed himself at the reunion. Since there was no reunion for season 2, I guess those folks never had a chance. I guess my point here is - are all overly confident but yet talented cooks total jerks? Or does Bravo just find the real gems? And are they really as bad as they are edited to look like? Not exactly ground breaking questions, but seems like the pressing question for loyal TC fans.
Quickfire -
Hung should have picked up the shellfish from the floor, but is that really that bad? And seriously, since when did Top Chef turn into Fear Factor? Getting their own shellfish? Having to open them? It's like all this super gross stuff that in theory
Shellfish and white wine can be done by a monkey, according to Hung. If that's true, can I get a pet monkey who will cook that for me? If you read my previous post about animals in Evan Almighty, you'll remember my adoration for personified animals. So, Hung, if you read this, I'll pay you real big bucks for the cooking monkey, especially if that monkey is snuggle and can talk.
The guest judge, , seemed very positive. "its an acquired taste" - is that a euphemism for "how are you still on this show?"
Healthy elimination challenge -
This is quite an homage to the previous seasons challenge to do a low calorie meal for the kids camp. I really really like these challenges because it kind of refocuses them away from just cooking with favorite ingredients and heavy sauces and butter. Plus, I would love to go to restaurants and order healthy food that isn't just green salad. However, are there no guidelines for "low cholesterol?"
Did NONE of these contestants watch previous seasons to study up? Instant mashed potatoes? Hello, remember in season 1 during the Wedding challenge when the cooks got flack for using cake mix? And that was the cake when none were pastry chefs, etc. AND Dale is going to use precooked chicken? Wow, wow, wow.
Too bad Lia failed to execute, I liked the general idea of her way to update frank and beans.
I love the facial expressions of the judges. Its so obvious they hate a bunch of these dishes. Howie's dish looked the most delicious - made my stomach growl for sure.
Top two AGAIN? This shouldn't really bug me, but it really bugs the beegebus out of me. And Howie clearly is the better chef of him and Dale since Dale USED A MIX! So glad that Howie won and he finally got a real prize - a trip to work with a chef, etc, as oppose to just a big pile of autographed books.
Bottom five? I know they were unhappy, but c'mon. I think it was kind of obnoxious to bring in Brian just to lecture him about using lobsters. I don't think Tom was rude or mean, but still. Lia apparently didn't do much, Sara's food was apparently awful, CJ's meal was apparently a little blah, and Micah's food was bad - plus she was so haughty and "above" meatloaf. Clearly CJ and Lia aren't going home - they're food wasn't bad. I'm glad Micah went home since her food was the least favorite of the people - and she was totally obnoxious.
Okay so Hung and Marcel are friends. Hung and Marcel are given a hard time by the other cooks, unfairly so. I kind of wonder if at least part of it is the editing. Do we have to have a villain every time? Stephen, Marcel, Hung - all talented, arrogant, young cooks who make enemies quickly. All three have a huge explosion early on with someone who seems to be a strong personality. Stephen, however, apologized and redeemed himself at the reunion. Since there was no reunion for season 2, I guess those folks never had a chance. I guess my point here is - are all overly confident but yet talented cooks total jerks? Or does Bravo just find the real gems? And are they really as bad as they are edited to look like? Not exactly ground breaking questions, but seems like the pressing question for loyal TC fans.
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