Tabriz University English Students' Weblog

Life In A Love

2009-12-11T21:27:00.000-08:00

Escape me?
Never---
Beloved!
While I am I, and you are you,
So long as the world contains us both,
Me the loving and you the loth
While the one eludes, must the other pursue.
My life is a fault at last, I fear:
It seems too much like a fate, indeed!
Though I do my best I shall scarce succeed.
But what if I fail of my purpose here?
It is but to keep the nerves at strain,
To dry one's eyes and laugh at a fall,
And, baffled, get up and begin again,---
So the chace takes up one's life ' that's all.
While, look but once from your farthest bound
At me so deep in the dust and dark,
No sooner the old hope goes to ground
Than a new one, straight to the self-same mark,
I shape me---
Ever
Removed!

Robert Browning

Quotations

2009-05-22T23:23:00.000-07:00

That terrible mood of depression of whether it's any good or not is what is known as The Artist's Reward.

Ernest Hemingway

Friendship

2009-05-22T23:21:00.000-07:00

What's friendship? The hangover's faction,
The gratis talk of outrage,
Exchange by vanity, inaction,
Or bitter shame of patronage.

Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin

This Week's Birthdays

2009-04-20T02:23:00.000-07:00

Charlotte Bronte -- April 21, 1816
English writer and one of the Bronte sisters, best known for her novel Jane Eyre.
In Bronte's words, "Let your performance do the thinking."

Henry Fielding -- April 22, 1707
British playwright and writer, famous for his novel Tom Jones.
In Fielding's words, "I describe not men, but manners; not an individual, but a species."

Vladimir Nabokov -- April 23, 1899
Russian-born critic and novelist, best known for the controversial Lolita.
In Nabokov's words, "A writer should have the precision of a poet and the imagination of a scientist."

Love, What Is Love

2009-04-16T01:10:00.000-07:00

LOVE - what is love?
A great and aching heart;
Wrung hands;
and silence;
and a long despair.
Life - what is life?
Upon a moorland bare
To see love coming and see love depart.

Robert Louis Stevenson

Quotations: Ernest Hemingway

2009-04-07T23:19:00.000-07:00

Writing, at its best, is a lonely life. Organizations for writers palliate the writer's loneliness, but I doubt if they improve his writing. He grows in public stature as he sheds his loneliness and often his work deteriorates. For he does his work alone and if he is a good enough writer he must face eternity, or the lack of it, each day.

Books: Sherlock Holmes

2009-02-08T02:24:00.000-08:00

I had text version of this book. It was so messy! So I changed it into a neat e-book (PDF format) after lots of efforts! Enjoy!
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

This Week's Birthdays

2009-02-08T02:22:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth Bishop -- February 8, 1911
American poet and winner of the Pulitzer, National Book Award, and many others.
In Bishop's words, "The art of losing isn't hard to master; so many things seem filled with the intent to be lost that their loss is no disaster."

Bertolt Brecht -- February 10, 1898
German poet, playwright, and theatrical innovator of the 20th century.
In Brecht's words, "From the cradle to the coffin, underwear comes first."

Charles Darwin -- February 12, 1809
British naturalist and author of the famous work "On the Origin of the Species."
In Darwin's words, "A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life."

Mattins

2009-02-08T02:21:00.000-08:00

I cannot ope mine eyes,
But thou art ready there to catch
My morning-soul and sacrifice:
Then we must needs for that day make a match.

My God, what is a heart?
Silver, or gold, or precious stone,
Or star, or rainbow, or a part
Of all these things or all of them in one?

My God, what is a heart?
That thou should'st it so eye, and woo,
Pouring upon it all thy art,
As if that thou hadst nothing else to do?

Indeed man's whole estate
Amounts (and richly) to serve thee:
He did not heav'n and earth create,
Yet studies them, not him by whom they be.

Teach me thy love to know;
That this new light, which now I see,
May both the work and workman show:
Then by a sun-beam I will climb to thee.

George Herbert

Magazines: Reader's Digest - February 2009

2009-02-01T00:23:00.000-08:00

Reader's Digest - February 2009

Magazines: Time, 31/1/2009

2009-02-01T00:16:00.000-08:00

Time Magazine 31/1/2009

This Week's Birthdays

2009-01-15T08:21:00.000-08:00

Horatio Alger -- January 13, 1832
Minister and poet, the majority of whose work was autobiographical.
In Alger's words, "No period of my life has been one of such unmixed happiness as the four years which have been spent within college walls. "

Moliere -- January 15, 1622
Actor and playwright of farces in the Commedia dell'Arte.
In Moliere's words, "A learned fool is more a fool than an ignorant fool."

Pierre-Joseph Proudhon -- January 15, 1809
Early anarchist infamous for his radical views on art.
In Proudhon's words, "When deeds speak, words are nothing. "

Jokes: Nice Doggie

2009-01-10T22:33:00.000-08:00

Teacher: "Sam, what is the outside of a tree called?"
Sam: "I don’t know."
Teacher: "Bark, Sam, bark."
Sam: "Bow, wow, wow!"

Words: electic

2009-01-10T22:25:00.000-08:00

eclectic \i-KLEK-tik\, adjective:

1. selecting and using what seems best from various sources or systems; made up of selections from various sources
2. broad in acceptance of ideas or approval from other sources

But, populated by an eclectic collection of Taino Indians, Spanish colonialists, black Africans and -- later on -- vacationing Americans, the city's disparate ethnic roots were to provide ideal ingredients for an impending cooking revolution.
-- Brendan Sainsbury, Miami Herald, 2008-12-14

Offering comedians, cooking classes, rock concerts, authors and a sex therapist, along with an eclectic collection of worship services, Sixth and I Historic Synagogue in downtown Washington doesn't fit the mold of a standard house of worship.
-- Jacqueline L. Salmon, The Washington Post, 2008-09-29

origin: by 1683, from French eclectique, from Greek eklektikos "selective," literally "picking out," from eklektos "selected," from eklegein "pick out, select," from ek "out" + legein "gather, choose." Originally a group of ancient philosophers who selected doctrines from every system; broader sense is first recorded 1814.

This Week's Birthdays

2009-01-05T00:33:00.000-08:00

Umberto Eco -- January 5, 1932
Italian novelist and critic who gained fame for his novel The Name of the Rose.
In Eco's words, "The good of a book lies in its being read. A book is made up of signs that speak of other signs, which in their turn speak of things. Without an eye to read them, a book contains signs that produce no concepts; therefore it is dumb."

Carl Sandburg -- January 6, 1878
American folklorist and poet, known to many as the "singing bard."
In Sandburg's words, "A book is never a masterpiece: it becomes one. Genius is the talent of a dead man."

Wilkie Collins -- January 8, 1824
English novelist often credited with inventing the English detective novel.
In Collins's words, "I have always maintained that the one important phenomenon presented by modern society is - the enormous prosperity of Fools."

Words: oblique

2009-01-05T00:12:00.000-08:00

oblique \oh-BLEEK\, adjective, noun:

1. something oblique, such as a line or figure
2. in military use, by turning 45 degrees
3. not straight up and down or across; slanting
4. a muscle attached at an oblique angle to the structure that it controls
5. having unequal sides; situated obliquely instead of transverse or longitudinal
6. not straightforward; indirect

Both novels were direct and oblique, not mentioning 9/11 but addressing the question of how you retain your humanity after the unthinkable has entered your life.
-- Charles Taylor, New York Times, 11/21/2008

Theodor Geisel's response to Hitler was more oblique than Stauffenberg's, but as effective. Yertle, king of the pond, commands all the turtles to stack themselves up so he can be top of the heap. Someone's riding for a fall.
-- Telegraph.co.uk, 1/19/2008

origin: by 1425, from Middle French oblique, from Latin obliquus "slanting, sidelong, indirect," from ob "against" + root of licinus "bent upward," from Proto Indo-European base *lei- "to bend, be movable."

Remorse

2009-01-05T00:06:00.000-08:00

Remorse is memory awake,
Her companies astir, --
A presence of departed acts
At window and at door.

It's past set down before the soul,
And lighted with a match,
Perusal to facilitate
Of its condensed despatch.

Remorse is cureless, -- the disease
Not even God can heal;
For 't is his institution, --
The complement of hell.

Emily Dickinson

Words: vindicate

2009-01-02T22:54:00.000-08:00

vindicate \vin-di-keyt\, verb:

1. to clear, as from an accusation, imputation, suspicion, or the like
2. to afford justification for; justify
3. to uphold or justify by argument or evidence
4. to assert, maintain, or defend (a right, cause, etc.) against opposition
5. to claim for oneself or another
6. Roman and Civil Law. to regain possession, under claim of title of property through legal procedure, or to assert one's right to possession
7. to get revenge for; avenge
8. Obsolete. to deliver from; liberate
9. Obsolete. to punish

It is scarcely the province of an author to refute the arguments of his censors and vindicate his own productions; but I may be allowed to make here a few observations with which I would have prefaced the first edition, had I foreseen the necessity of such precautions against the misapprehensions of those who would read it with a prejudiced mind or be content to judge it by a hasty glance.
-- The Tenant Of Wildfell Hall, Anne Brontë

origin: 1525–35; <>vindicātus (ptp. of vindicāre to lay legal claim to (property), to free (someone) from servitude (by claiming him as free), to protect, avenge, punish), equiv. to (s. of vindic-vindex claimant, protector, avenger) + -ātus

Magazines: The Economist - The World In 2009

2008-12-30T23:47:00.000-08:00

The Economist - The World in 2009 (3.8 MB)

Words: superannuated

2008-12-30T03:20:00.000-08:00

superannuated \soo-pur-AN-yoo-ay-tid\, adjective:

1. discharged or disqualified on account of old age; retired from service, especially with a pension.

2. old; no longer in use; no longer valid; outmoded.

"The worthy man was hale and hearty, not exceeding three score and seven, and had never dreamt of being superannuated."

-- John Galt, 'The Provost'

origin: superannuated derives from Medieval Latin superannuatus, "too old," from Latin super, "above, over" + annus, "year."

Exams Full Schedule, Fall 1387

2008-12-30T02:44:00.001-08:00

(Click to enlarge)

Commentary Of Holy Quran Exam Date

2008-12-30T02:28:00.000-08:00

Here is the exam date for Commentary Of Holy Quran.

Students with Mr. Valizadeh on Saturday, 21st of Dey, 1387 in Architecture Faculty at 2 P.M.

Students with the other teacher (I don't remember her name!) on the same day in our faculty at 10 A.M.

Harps We Love

2008-12-28T23:26:00.000-08:00

The harp we love hath a royal burst!
Its strings are mighty forest trees;
And branches, swaying to and fro,
Are fingers sounding symphonies.

The harp we love hath a solemn sound!
And rocks amongst the shallow seas
Are strings from which the rolling waves
Draw forth their stirring harmonies.

The harp we love hath a low sweet voice!
Its strings are in the bosom deep,
And Love will press those hidden chords
When all the baser passions sleep

Henry Kendall

Words: fabricate

2008-12-28T22:01:00.000-08:00

fabricate \FAB-ri-keyt\, verb:

1. to make, build, or construct
2. to make up, invent
3. to fake or forge a document or signature

"I've had more people tell me that throughout my career: 'Man, we love to watch you play. Your enthusiasm and stuff like that.' I mean, it's not fabricated. I love to play the game …"
-- Dennis Waszak Jr., The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 11/19/2008

At the same time, Mr. Heinonen acknowledged that the agency "did not have sufficient information at this stage to conclude whether the allegations are groundless or the data fabricated."
-- Elaine Sciolino, New York Times, 10/9/2008

The complex-shaped crystals of calcite were fabricated using a technique that involves depositing the mineral in a way that creates intricate microscopic patterns.
-- Sandeep Junnarkar, CNET News, 2/21/2003

origin: by 1598, from Latin fabricare, from fabrica "fabric"

Persian Exam Date

2008-12-28T21:54:00.000-08:00

Good day!
Today I went to university and saw the persian exam date.
Students with Dr. Abedi on Sunday, 22nd of Dey, 1387 in Agriculture Faculty at 8 A.M. And so the other students at the same day.
Good luck!

Magazines: Reader's Digest, September 2008

2008-12-28T21:30:00.000-08:00

Enough said!

Reader's Digest (nearly 24.7 MB)

Jokes: Deathbed Confession

2008-12-23T22:47:00.000-08:00

A women on her deathbed called her husband and instructed him to look under their bed and open the wooden box he found. He was puzzled by the 3 eggs and $7,000 in cash he found in the box, so he asked his wife what the eggs were for.
"Oh those", she replied, "every time we had unsatisfactory marital relations, I put an egg in the box".
Not bad, the husband thought to himself, after 35 years of marriage, then he asked, "But what about the $7,000?"
"Oh that", she replied, "every time I got a dozen I sold them!!!"

Second Post is French!

2008-12-22T22:26:00.000-08:00

Oh HI, how are things?!
This is the second post in our blog, can you believe it?! I hope that this blog will be helpful for all my friends.
By the way, we've started learning French, but have you felt left out of French speaking or even reading? A couple of months ago, when surfing the net, I found two French books.
They look marvelous! One is English, and the other is Persian. Check them out!

English
Persian

Winter

2008-12-22T22:09:00.000-08:00

When icicles hang by the wall
And Dick the shepherd blows his nail
And Tom bears logs into the hall,
And milk comes frozen home in pail,
When Blood is nipped and ways be foul,
Then nightly sings the staring owl,
Tu-who;
Tu-whit, tu-who: a merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.

When all aloud the wind doth blow,
And coughing drowns the parson's saw,
And birds sit brooding in the snow,
And Marian's nose looks red and raw
When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl,
Then nightly sings the staring owl,
Tu-who;
Tu-whit, tu-who: a merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.

William Shakespeare