The Adventure of English (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a concise yet thorough presentation of the beginning and changes to the English language. It is concise because no word spoken on the DVD set's 405 minutes is wasted. Every statement is packed with valuable and interesting information regarding changes, alterations, mutations, and eliminations to English vocabulary and phrases. It is thorough because it begins with language prior to English, searches data from all over the world, and ends back in England with the knowledge that spoken & written English will likely be around for a long time, but ever changing.
This is an educational product, but the presentation is filled with on-location footage from around the world, making it a richly beautiful, historical, and travelogue-like documentary experience. It is captivating as it continues, minute by minute, presenting common and seldom-used vocabulary, their meanings, and origins. Many surprises, more than countable, will enlighten any viewer.
Who'd-a-thought that "bulldozer" originally referred to the full-measure of a whipping which a bull could take, but was administered to American slaves, often causing death? A far cry from a piece of heavy equipment. "Dr. Johnson" at one point was a name given to a body part only identifiable as male. And, "nip" is a word yet to be included into a dictionary, or completely defined the way youth in the UK are using it.
2000 of today's common words were first used by Shakespeare and the Oxford Dictionary now holds approximately 3/4 of a million words. Shakespeare's longest word was "honorificabilitudinitatibus" meaning with honor. William Tyndale's 1526 Bible translation from the original Hebrew and Greek provided readership for English reading common worshipers. The American Revolution and aftermath included America taking charge of preserving English perfection and then elaborating and "vocabularizing" it into the vernacular.
Other countries added their own local colour of pronunciation and spelling to their English. Wars added more changes. Industry and trade influence yet additional. Even art and culture plays a part in the continuing change to the growing world use of the English language.
This DVD set's 8 fifty-minute episodes provide a delightful romp through peoples, places, history, time, books, rulers, and every and all aspect that can make an alteration to a word or phrase. What a FUN learning experience. Quite usable in classrooms, on research shelves of libraries, or home for the pleasure of expanding one's own mind.
My wife and I both rate this DVD set 5-stars. So that equals a Perfect-10. After viewing "The Adventure of English", boldness allows me to coin a pair of new descriptive words: tenstremendous bo-derek-ous. Many people around the world, common and genius, have initiated new English words since this language's beginning.
One phrase pulled from among hundreds, thanks to the provided closed captioning, was: "vicious abundance of phrase and volubility of tongue" which summarizes this 8-part production.
Entertaining beyond expectation.
Educational beyond comparison.
"So our English, I think you will agree,
Is the trickiest language you ever did see." Anon

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ADVENTURE OF ENGLISH - DVD Movie

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Charlie and Lola, Vol. 1 (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)My daughter LOVES Charlie and Lola. She was 2 (now 3) when we first started to see them on the Disney Channel and was instantly drawn to them. My husband also loves them. I am American and my husband is British so it was great to have a show where they talked like Daddy. Lola is so funny and my daughter mimics her and has actually picked up the accent a bit (which my husband loves) She loves to say "never ever eat a tomato" which is funny b/c tomatos are one of her favorite foods. It is nice to see a bit of her father's culture introduced here. She eats a lot of the food that they talk about on the show (like sausage rolls and marmite sandwiches) and has even started calling the dog Sizzles. My 17 month old son is even starting to get into it. We have taped all of the episodes off of the tv but have been hoping for a DVD so we can play it in the van. We have bought the books and even got some sticker books from the UK when my mother in law went back this past spring.
As far as the show itself, it is a creative animation which conformed from books to tv rather well. It touches on many subjects from not getting the staring role in the school play to waiting for the first snow. Keeping with the Snoopy tratition, you never seem to see grown ups. It is all from the prespective of the 4 & 7 year old. It is captivating entertainment for your pre-schooler. I give it 5 stars.

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Charlie has this little sister Lola. She is small and very funny. Lola will NEVER eat a tomato! She is also not sleepy and will not go to bed. And how will she cope when she is not well and may never smile again? It falls to Charlie to win her around, and he uses every trick in the book ? logic, humor, but mostly, the power of his imagination. Using 2D cel animation, paper cutout, fabric design, photomontage and archive footage, all the distinctive style and exuberance of Lauren Childs award-winning picture books come to life. Glorious music and sound effects help to conjure up fantastical worlds that only a child could invent, while realistic dialogue, voiced by children, ensures these magical adventures really resonate with kids.

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Arab Labor: The Complete First Season (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)I happened to glance at Link TV one day, and this series happened to be on at the time.
Since Hebrew is my mother tongue, I had to watch.
The plot is about the trials and tribulations of Amjad, a journalist of Arab Israeli descent. The show's language is mainly Hebrew with Arabic and English interspersed throughout. In Israel the title Arab Labor, is akin to shoddy labor. It was/is used as a denigrating phrase for Arab capability.
The show is funny and full of heart. Amjad is torn between the respect he owes to his scheming father, and his modern secular upbringing, which bring him closer in spirit to the modern secular Israelis.However since he is an Arab, he does encounter bias in every turn. How his problems are handled, is the main crux of the plot, and they are handled with love and a great sense of humor.
I highly recommend this DVD to one and all.

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ARAB LABOR is a raucous and irreverent critically acclaimed comedy series from Israel about Amjad, a Palestinian journalist and Israeli citizen in search of his identity. His personal quest for status and success as a journalist at a Jerusalem newspaper is foiled by the humiliating searches he endures everyday when he leaves his Palestinian neighborhood to commute to his job. In the midst of a walloping identity crisis, Amjad jockeys between two cultures as he tries to polish his image for his Jewish friends and colleagues while enjoying his own down-to-earth family life.

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Charlie and Lola, Vol. 2 (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)"Charlie and Lola" is a delightful series based on books by Lauren Child. It is seen on Playhouse Disney in the United States and on CBeebies in Great Britain.
In this series, Charlie has a little sister named Lola who is small and very funny. Charlie often helps Lola with her problems and though they have some sibling rivalry at times, they are usually pretty nice with each other. Lola often has an unusual way of seeing things, or can be a bit stubborn, but Charlie helps her to look at things in a new way or to try new things.
This DVD features six stories from the first season of the show. That's on less than Vol. 1, but it's still a great release. The stories are "I Am Not Sleepy and Will Not Go to Bed" (based on a book), "But That is My Book" (also based on a book), "Boo! Made You Jump!," "I Want to Play Music Too," "The Most Wonderfullest Picnic in the Whole Wide World" and "You Won't Like This Present as Much as I Do!"
The animation is unique and fun to look at. The main theme and background music are all very catchy. The British-accented dialogue and phrases also add a lot to the series."Charlie and Lola" airs full-screen on Playhouse Disney, but it is presented in widescreen on the DVD. Close-captioning is not offered --- there are subtitles instead. The DVD also includes a few bonuses / surprises --- watch for them to pop up while both on the main and episode-selection menus.

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Charlie has this little sister Lola. She is small and very funny. Lola will NEVER eat a tomato! She is also not sleepy and will not go to bed. And how will she cope when she is not well and may never smile again? It falls to Charlie to win her around, and he uses every trick in the book - logic, humor, but mostly, the power of his imagination. Using 2D cel animation, paper cutout, fabric design, photomontage and archive footage, all the distinctive style and exuberance of Lauren Child's award-winning picture books come to life. Glorious music and sound effects help to conjure up fantastical worlds that only a child could invent, while realistic dialogue, voiced by children, ensures these magical adventures really resonate with kids.

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