Monday, November 19, 2007

New DVDs are Here.

Logue Library’s DVD collection has expanded greatly over the past year.

Notably there are a significant number of titles directed by Ken Burns, including The War that aired on PBS recently. A search of the library catalog using Burns’ name as a search term will reveal Jazz, The Civil War, The West, and a number of biographical films like Lewis and Clark, Thomas Jefferson, and Frank Lloyd Wright to name a few. These DVD’s and many others are available to borrow.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Winning Puns


There may not be a real "International Pun Contest," but these are real puns! And it is true that the ability to create and understand puns indicates a high level of language development. Reading and ESL/EFL teachers, and teachers-to-be, take note!

  • A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says, "I'm sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger."

  • Two fish swim into a concrete wall. The one turns to the other and says "Dam!".

  • Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.

  • Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says "I've lost my electron," The other says, "Are you sure?" The first replies "Yes, I'm positive."

  • Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root canal? His goal: transcend dental medication.

  • A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse. "But why?" they asked, as they moved off. "Because", he said, "I can't stand chess-nuts boasting in an open foyer."

  • A woman has twins and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to a family in Egypt and is named "Ahmal." The other goes to a family in Spain; they name him "Juan." Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal. Her husband responds, "They're twins! If you've seen Juan, you've seen Ahmal."

  • These friars were behind on their belfry payments, so they opened up a small florist shop to raise funds. Since everyone liked to buy flowers from the men of God, a rival florist across town thought the competition was unfair. He asked the good fathers to close down, but they would not. He went back and begged the friars to close. They ignored him. So, the rival florist hired Hugh MacTaggart, the roughest and most vicious thug in town to "persuade" them to close. Hugh beat up the friars and trashed their store, saying he'd be back if they didn't close up shop. Terrified, they did so, thereby proving that only Hugh can prevent florist friars.

  • Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him (Oh, man, this is so bad, it's good)..... A super calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

  • There was the person who sent ten different puns to his friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.

  • Two cannibals are eating a clown. One says to the other: "Does this taste funny to you?"

See more puns.

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Researching Hip-Hop


Our newest resource for journal articles is called Project Muse, and includes the complete text of articles published in journals covering the full spectrum of the Arts & Humanities.

One such journal is CALLALOO, “the premier African Diaspora literary journal.” Volume 29 Issue 3 is devoted to Hip-Hop Music and Culture. If you are researching this topic, check it out!

“The current discussion engages hip-hop at the line of transition, in a moment of crisis in public culture and cultural studies. The turn of the millennium witnesses hip-hop being mediated by big industry …It is impossible to have a comprehensive discussion about race or Americanness, about class or gender or sexuality, without incorporating a principled discussion of the state and ramifications of hip-hop culture today” Heath, R. Scott.. "Hip-Hop Now: An Introduction." Callaloo 29.3 (2006):715

Journal front cover illustration: Transatlantic Turntable-ism. by Krista Franklin. Mixed material collage, 11 x 14 in.

[Note: You will need your Chestnut Hill College email username and password or a valid (14 digit) library barcode number to access this information from off campus.]