Waffle and Writings!

By Norwood - About Me - E-mail this page - Add to My Favorites - Add to Blog List - See other blogs in Journal

Saturday, April 12, 2008

A RACE LOST!

A Race Lost She was barefoot. Her work overalls and ragged shirt stood out in the family spectators at the Athletics Carnival on the last day of term. A cutting April wind from the south east chilled the sunshine. Her face peered sharply through hair hanging in lank strands to her hunched up shoulders. Her eyes were electric – a summer sky burning. Dee saw me looking at her. She sniffed her comment. ‘That’s the O’Grady mob’s mother. Pitiful, isn’t she?’ Dee teaches maths and LOTE. She likes to... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

It's been a CRAZEE DAY!

I taught for a friend of mine today at a coaching college. On the way there my car started to smoke. Not cigarettes either. It was smoke coming from out under the bonnet. I get to the college and race up stairs to take my classes. At 8pm I come down and I look at the ground underneath the car......it is slick with oil. Yicks methinks do not drive the automobile but get a taxi to the service station and come back with oil. I did and put 5 litres in my little 4WD. I started back home and it made... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Two Movies that are great - Romulus, My Father & September

I have recently watched these two movies and they are excellent examples of the way the Australian film industry has started to come of age. Romulus, My father is by far the better of the two for its more sophisticated cinematic approach. It is the story of a boy whose father is his main carer. His mother is a promiscuous and licentious woman who is a direct contrast to the moral stance of the father. In fact his mother has a baby daughter to the father’s best friend and his friend in turn is... Sign in to see full entry.

Every Neshama

Every Neshama A white bearded man, a holy sage His neshama, a holy fire shining In the night of golass. He prays ardently for a new age To begin, his flame touches and lights up Every neshama that is close Is strengthened in his light, Is given hope! Every neshama that is lost Is searched for and found To be returned to Torah ways! Every Neshama that wanders Sad and despairing Is a great cost to Am Israel! Every Neshama that returns Joyous to be filled With the light of Torah Is as valuable as... Sign in to see full entry.

A poem - it is coming around to Shoah Memorial Time

Holocaust Day - Ha Shoah 5766 Sixty one years later, Some say we should forget, The day when Six million Jewish souls, Forced to exit By violence By fire By gas By gun By starvation By cold By neglect, Are remembered. One by one, Faceless statistics, Numbers on a page, Shaved heads, Rough hued blue tattoos Marked forearms. The shivering naked had Personal histories obliterated By a Nazi war machine For a while By an Aryan master race For a while That replaced familiar faces With masks and... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, April 7, 2008

Education - Disengaged teachers and Bored teachers if such an animal exists

Why do some teachers disengage from Education? After reading the article “Shake Up Targets Bored Teachers” by Farrah Tomazin in Sunday’s Age, it amazes me that ‘bored teachers’ are found in the Education systems in any states. In 17 years of teaching both in Australia and Israel, I have come across bored students, but never bored teachers! I have come across tired and overworked teachers, stressed teachers, cranky fed up teachers, but never ‘bored’ teachers. I have never in my teacher training... Sign in to see full entry.

Brick Lane - Monica Ali - A REVIEW

Brick Lane - Monica Ali Well I finished Brick Lane last night and while I am impressed with her lucid style and her ability to use and control language devices, I am unimpressed with the content and subject matter of the text. She is no female version of Rushdie, that's for sure. I found that the character of Nazeen needed development. I have a problem with texts that I consider morally corrupt and this is such a text. I like the way she portrays the conflict of their original Bengali culture... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Two Roads She knew, as soon as he entered, something was amiss. His nose and lips crinkled his aversion. Putting his cloth shoulder bag and camera carefully down on the table besides the flat entrance, he absentmindedly patted the big light brown dog leaping enthusiastically around his legs. He greeted her briefly - a short, barely civil grunt, which caused the smile to flee her lips. A glistening brightness momentarily visited her eyes, and then left them misted. Darkness passed through her,... Sign in to see full entry.

Two Roads

Two Roads She knew, as soon as he entered, something was amiss. His nose and lips crinkled his aversion. Putting his cloth shoulder bag and camera carefully down on the table besides the flat entrance, he absentmindedly patted the big light brown dog leaping enthusiastically around his legs. He greeted her briefly - a short, barely civil grunt, which caused the smile to flee her lips. A glistening brightness momentarily visited her eyes, and then left them misted. Darkness passed through her,... Sign in to see full entry.

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