Dec
7
Higher Learning
December 7, 2009 | Leave a Comment
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IMDB rating: 6.20 Plot: This drama examines the personal, political, and racial dilemmas facing a group of college freshmen as they begin their first semester at Columbus University. Malik (Omar Epps) is an African-American student attending on a track scholarship; academics are not his strong suit, and he goes in thinking that his athletic abilities will earn him a free ride through college. Fudge (Ice Cube), a “professional student” who has been at Columbus for six years so far, becomes friendly with Malik and challenges his views about race and politics in America, while Professor Phipps (Laurence Fishburne), a black man who teaches political science, firmly tells Malik that he will not be graded on a different standard either because of his race or his ability to run quickly. With Deja (Tyra Banks), Malik finds a girlfriend, a tutor, and a training partner all rolled into one. Meanwhile, Kristen (Kristy Swanson), a somewhat naive young woman from California, meets a boy named Billy (Jay R. Ferguson) after both have had too much to drink at a beer blast; Kristen soon becomes a victim of date rape and becomes involved with a campus feminist group to deal with the painful experience. While working with the women’s group, Kristen gets to know Taryn (Jennifer Connelly), a strong but understanding woman who is also a lesbian, and she finds herself becoming attracted to her. And Remy (Michael Rapaport) is a confused young man from the Midwest who feels lost in the multi-cultural atmosphere of Columbus. He is approached by Scott (Cole Hauser), a member of a group of racist skinheads, who believe that Remy is a perfect candidate to help carry out his group’s violent goals. Keep an eye peeled for Gwyneth Paltrow, who has a bit part as a student; rap stars Busta Rhymes, D-Knowledge and Mista Grimm also appear in supporting roles, as well as a cameo by the rock band Eve’s Plum. Emphinix |
Actors: Epps Omar,Rapaport Michael,Cube Ice,Wiles Jason,Hauser Cole,Fishburne Laurence,English Bradford,Rhymes Busta,Ferguson Jay R.,Bryniarski Andrew,St. John Trevor,Drama,Romance,Sport,
What can someone with ADHD do to cope with foreign language study abroad?
I’m studying in Japan right now, learning (no prizes for guessing) Japanese. I actually love foreign language, and when I’m working on the areas I’m good with (mostly reading and writing), I come out somewhere from average to above average for my level. However, on speaking and listening, I have a lot of trouble. Listening especially. With speaking, my main problem is starting to say something, only to realize halfway through that I don’t know how to say what I want to say (That and a bit of a stutter and tendency to repeat myself. That appears in my English too a lot). Luckily, I’m at a high enough level now that I can usually at those times use simpler words to explain and compensate. However, with listening, I’m running into a big problem. I can know all of the individual words that someone is saying, but I usually need them to repeat everything two or three times (if not more). It’s impossible during a lecture and embarrassing during one-on-one conversation. If I miss even one word most of the time, I can’t put the sentence together. Even in English, I need to ask people to repeat things a lot (It makes me feel self-conscious, but at least I know what they’re saying), but it’s definitely not to the degree I need to in Japanese. At the same time, it’s difficult having ADHD in Japan because there’s limited sensitivity to it (Although I was pleasantly surprised that most of my professors understood what it was, I was very taken aback when one asked me to try to explain about my ADHD to the entire class!). I was wondering if anyone knew some good tips for coping on these fronts.