"Originality is nothing by judicious plagiarism" ~Voltaire

I will make no excuses for ignoring my blog for the last two weeks.  Yes, I admit it, but I’m back and ready to blog.

So, I've just been longing to write a story.  Some sort of story that begins with "Once upon a time..."  But I just don't seem to have anything after that... so I won't even try.  I will, however present to you Wikipedia's list of traditional story beginnings and endings from around the world:

Equivalent phrases are also used in many other languages to begin a fable or tale:

• Albanian: Na ishte një herë.. 'Once there was...'.
• Afrikaans: Eendag, lank gelede... 'One day, a long time ago...'
• Algerian Arabic: Hajitek ma jitek (حجيتك ما جيتك) 'I've told you what's coming'
• Classical Arabic: kân yâ mâ kân fî qadîmi zzamân wsalifî al`aSri wal'awân...(كان يا ما كان،في قديم الزمان، وسالف العصر والأوان) 'There was, oh what there was (or there wasn't) in the oldest of days and ages and times...'
• Assamese: Bahut dinor agot... 'Long time ago...'
• Armenian: Կար-չկար... 'There was, there was not...'
• Bulgarian: Имало едно време... 'There was, once upon a time...'
• Catalan: Hi havia/això era una vegada 'There was a time...'Temps era temps... 'Time was time...'
• Chinese: T: "很久很久以前" ("lit. A very very long time ago...")
• Croatian: Jednom davno... 'Once, a long time ago...' 
• Czech: Bylo nebylo,... 'There was, there was not...'
• Ekoti (Mozambique, Bantu): Rakú z'éepo waarí-vó oswááipu nwúlw'eéne saána 'Once upon the time, there was a truly great friendship...'.
• Danish: Der var engang... or Engang for længe siden... 'There was, once...' or 'Once a long time ago...', respectively. Common endings: Og de levede lykkeligt til deres dages ende. 'And they lived happily until the end of their days.' and Og hvis de ikke er døde, lever de endnu. 'And if they're not dead, they still live.'
• French: Il était une fois 'There was a time... ' Common ending ... ils vécurent heureux et eurent beaucoup d'enfants '... they lived happily and had many children'.
• German: Es war einmal... 'Once there was...' ...und sie lebten glücklich und zufrieden bis ans Ende ihrer Tage. '...and they lived happily and contentedly until the end of their days.', alternatively ...und wenn sie nicht gestorben sind, dann leben sie noch heute. '...and if they haven't died yet, they are still living today.'
• Georgian: "Iko da ara iko ra, iko..." 'There was, and there was not, there was...'
• Goemai (Nigeria, West Chadic): Tamtis noe lat/ dok ba muaan yi wa 'My tale has finished, (it) has returned to go (and) come home.'
• Greek: Μια φορά κι έναν καιρό... 'Once, in another time...'
• Gujarati: ઘણાં વર્ષો પહેલાંની વાત છે.('This is an old story.') or એક જમાનામાં..('In one era, ..') or વર્ષો પહેલાં ('A long back')
• Hebrew: Hayo hayah pa'am... (הָיֹה הָיָה פעם) 'There once was...'
• Hindi किसी ज़माने में ('In one era, ...') or बहुत पुरानी बात है ('It's an old story, ...')
• Hungarian: Egyszer volt, hol nem volt, volt egyszer egy... 'Once there was, where there wasn't, there was a...'
• Icelandic: Einu sinni var… 'Once there was…'
• Indonesian: Dahulu kala... 'Long time ago...'
• Iraqw (Tanzania, Kenya, Cushitic) tokaro-yâ 'once upon a time'.
  • In oral literature, phrases like "I remember something that our father told me and that is this:" are common (Iraqw: Kar aníng te-'ée' to-ká a inhláw ar aakó doo-rén ni alki'-a i tí).
• Irish: Fadó, fadó, fadó a bhí ann (agus bhí rí i nGaillimh) 'A long, long, long time ago it was (and there was a king in Galway.)
• Italian: C'era una volta... 'Once there was...'. Common ending: ...e vissero per sempre felici e contenti. '...and they lived forever happy and glad.'
• Japanese: Mukashi mukashi (昔昔, 昔々, むかしむかし). 'A long time ago...'
• Korean: Yet-nal Yet-jeok-e... (옛날 옛적에...). 'A long, long time ago...'; Yet-nal Yet-jeok-e, Ho-rang-i Dambae pidun shi-jul-e ... (옛날 옛적에, 호랑이 담배피던 시절에...). 'A long, long time ago, in the days when tigers smoked...'
• Kannada: Ondanondu kaaladalli.... 'Once, in a long past age,...'
• Kyrgyz: илгери-илгери... 'ilgeri-ilgeri... 'A long, long time ago...'
• Latin: Olim... 'At that time'
• Latvian: Reiz sen senos laikos... 'Once long ago in times long gone'
• Lithuanian: Vieną kartą... 'Once upon the time'
• Luxembourgish: Et wor emol... 'It was once'
• Macedonia: Си беше еднаш... 'Once upon the time there was...'
• Malayalam: Pandu Oridathu... 'Long ago...'
• Malay language ( Malaysia )Pada suatu masa dahulu...' Once Upon a Time'
• Maragoli Kenyan language related to other Luhya languages. Mmadikhu ga khaare (in olden days).
• Maltese Mela darba... (Once...).
• Mongolia: Эртээ урьдын цагт 'Once Upon a Time'
• Moroccan Arabic: Hajitek ma jitek (حجيتك ما جيتك) 'I've told you what's coming'
• Norwegian: Det var en gang... 'There was, once...'
• Persian: "روزی روزگاری" (Rouzii, Rouzegaarii). 'One day, One time'; or: "یکی بود، یکی نبود، غیر از خدا هیچ کس نبود" (yekii boud, yekii naboud, gheyr az Khoda hich kas naboud). 'There was one, there wasn't one, there was no one beside the Lord'
• Polish: Dawno, dawno temu... 'Long, long time ago...'
• Portuguese: Era uma vez... 'There was, once...' Common ending: "... e viveram felizes para sempre" (... and they lived happily forever)
• Romanian: A fost odata, ca niciodata... 'There once was (as never before)...'
• Russian: Varies by the gender and number of the character(s) introduced at the beginning: Жил-был (zhil byl) (one male), жила-была (zhila byla) (one female), жило-было (zhilo bylo) (one neuter), жили-были (zhili byli) (plural): Correctly "had lived" (a stray survival of the disused Russian pluperfect), but nowadays liable to be understood as "lived, was". Жили-были is often preceded by «Давным-давно, в тридевятом царстве, в тридесятом государстве» (“A long long time ago, in the twenty-seventh kingdom, in the thirtieth state”, here an old numerical system is used, literally “in the kingdom three-times-ninth, in the state three-times-tenth”.)
• Sanskrit: Pūrākāle (पुराकाले) 'In the ancient time...', Kadājit (कदाचित्) 'Once upon the time'/'At any time'
• Scots: "In the days of auld lang syne"
• Serbian: Common beginning: Једном давно.../Некада давно... 'Once, a long time ago...', Била једном једна...(feminine)/Био једном један...(masculine)/Било једном једно...(neuter) 'There once was one...', Common ending: ...и живеше сретно/срећно до краја живота. '...and they lived happily for the rest of their lives.', ...и живеше дуго и сретно/срећно. '...and they lived long and happily.'
• Shona:"Paivapo"....(a long time ago,there existed)
• Sinhala:"එකමත් එක රටක"....(In a one country...)
• Slovak: Kde bolo - tam bolo... 'Where it was - there it was...'
• Slovene: Pred davnimi časi ... 'A long time ago...' or Nekoč ... 'Once...' 
• Spanish: Érase/Había una vez... 'There was, once...' Common ending: ... y vivieron felices para siempre/y comieron perdices. '...and they lived happy forever/and ate partridges.'
• Swahili (east African): "Hapo zamani za kale..." (a long time ago).
• Swedish: Det var en gång... or En gång för länge sedan... 'There was, once...', or 'Once, long ago...' respectively.
• Tagalog: Noong unang panahon... 'At the first time (a long time ago)...'
• Tamil language: முன்னொரு காலத்திலே...
• Telugu language: అనగనగా ఒక రోజు...
• Thai: กาลครั้งหนึ่งนานมาแล้ว 'Once upon the time (long ago)...'
• Turkish: Bir varmış, bir yokmuş. Evvel zaman içinde, kalbur saman içinde... 'Once there was, once there wasn't. In the old times, the sieve in a stack of hay...' *[1]
• Urdu: ایک دفعہ کا ذکر ہے۔۔۔ ('Ek dafa ka zikar hai...') 'Once upon a time...'
• Vietnamese: Ngày xửa ngày xưa... 'A long, long time ago...'
• Welsh: Amser maith yn ôl... 'A long time ago...'

My, how I wish I could read and pronounce all of these beautiful and funny phrases!  It sure is amazing how universal this language of story telling is.  In fact, I am thoroughly enjoying my English class, where we are learning about the hero's journey.  Perhaps you have noticed how all of your favorite fairy tale, Disney, and historical heroes have similarities.  Well, according to my English teacher and our hero-analyzing muse Joseph Campbell, author of "The Hero With A Thousand Faces," all of these heroes go through a similar path of self-discovery and triumph.  We have looked into Knights of the Round Table, the Buddha, and even Rocky to find these common motifs.  So far we have learned that all heroes must pass a threshold to begin their journey to heroism (Ashe from Pokemon becomes old enough to be a trainer), but only after recognizing a need in their lives or communities (Belle from Beauty and the Beast must save her father and fulfill her need for adventure).  All of these heroes have helpers and/or some muse-figure (Hercules has Phil to train him and Meg to distract him) and must ultimately face their greatest fears and weaknesses (Ron from Harry Potter hates spiders but is ironically dragged into the Forbidden Forest to speak with a pack of giant arachnids) and ultimately they reach an abyss (Dorothy almost gives up all hope of getting back to Kansas).  Upon returning to their communities they may be welcomed back as the heroes they are or perhaps shunned for their strange new ideas (Contrast the welcome of Prince Charming --pick one-- with the estrangement of "The Dark Knight").  You'll never be able to read a hero story or watch a Disney movie the same way again!

Sources:
image:  http://www.swoyersart.com/james_christensen/onceuponatime.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Once_upon_a_time

Our Ellie

Eleanor Roosevelt: An Incredible "Woman of Vision"

She is a role model to me and a heroine to American women.

During her husband's presidency, Eleanor worked hard to connect with the women of America.
"At the time of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s presidency, the same time that Eleanor served as First Lady, most women found themselves within the walls of their homes. Only 25% of women worked outside the home. The vast majority of women, that being 75%, were unpaid homemakers. Mrs. Roosevelt used her weight in the media as a way to connect with women who found themselves in domestic isolation. With this in mind, Eleanor used three mediums to keep in touch with her female followers. She used the press conference, a daily newspaper column, and magazine articles. These three means opened up the communication into a two-way channel.... Eleanor Roosevelt recognized a need for American women to take part in media communications. As a public figure she harnessed the power of the media and used it to interact with the women of America. By use of this medium, Roosevelt attempted to break the barriers of the domestic household and broaden the spectrum of women. She also set a precedent for following first ladies to remain in touch with the nation by means of the media."
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_Roosevelt).

Oh, how I would love to do the things she did! I admire the way she used her wealth and education to help the poor and underrepresented people of America. She was able to travel the world, meet incredible people and do good things while she was at it. I know that being an active member of the New York Junior League, the president's wife, and a UN delegate took a lot of hard work, but with passion like her's anything is possible! I hope to develop the qualities she had: willingness to work with others, courage in the face of hopelessness, vision of justice, and a strong, confident voice for herself and others.

Please enjoy these quotes from The Quotations Page. They are the wonderful wisdom and articulate truths from Eleanor Roosevelt, one of the USA's finest first ladies. A finely educated woman, Eleanor used her knowledge and determination for good in many incredible ways.

A woman is like a tea bag- you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water.

Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.

Do what you feel in your heart to be right - for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't.

Friendship with oneself is all-important, because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world.

Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people.

I could not at any age be content to take my place in a corner by the fireside and simply look on.

I think that somehow, we learn who we really are and then live with that decision.

If someone betrays you once, it’s their fault; if they betray you twice, it’s your fault.

It is not fair to ask of others what you are unwilling to do yourself.

Justice cannot be for one side alone, but must be for both.

Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.

Life was meant to be lived, and curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life.

One thing life has taught me: if you are interested, you never have to look for new interests. They come to you. When you are genuinely interested in one thing, it will always lead to something else.

The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.

You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do.

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built.

http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Eleanor_Roosevelt

I always knew I liked this guy

Ask me who my favorite actor is and I will say Jimmy Stewart, hands down. A little bit of Googling led me to the conclusion that I picked a pretty good guy to call my favorite. This handsome fellow was not only an incredible actor, but he was an incredible person too. I appreciate his dedication to making good, clean movies with valuable plots and characters. There's even more...

He was very intelligent, a lovable guy, could play the accordion, wrote poetry, was humble and friendly, believed in the USA, fell in love with a former model, supported Scouting, served as a Major General in the Air Force, almost became an architect, hosted philanthropic events, was a roommate with Henry Fonda, found pleasure in gardening and even performed on Broadway. What an admirable combination of attributes and accomplishments!

Here's his poem:

"Beau"

by Jimmy Stewart

He never came to me when I would call
Unless I had a tennis ball,
Or he felt like it,
But mostly he didn't come at all.

When he was young
He never learned to heel
Or sit or stay,
He did things his way.

Discipline was not his bag
But when you were with him things sure didn't drag.
He'd dig up a rosebush just to spite me,
And when I'd grab him, he'd turn and bite me.

He bit lots of folks from day to day,
The delivery boy was his favorite prey.
The gas man wouldn't read our meter,
He said we owned a real man-eater.

He set the house on fire
But the story's long to tell.
Suffice it to say that he survived
And the house survived as well.

On the evening walks, and Gloria took him,
He was always first out the door.
The Old One and I brought up the rear
Because our bones were sore.

He would charge up the street with Mom hanging on,
What a beautiful pair they were!
And if it was still light and the tourists were out,
They created a bit of a stir.

But every once in a while, he would stop in his tracks
And with a frown on his face look around.
It was just to make sure that the Old One was there
And would follow him where he was bound.

We are early-to-bedders at our house--
I guess I'm the first to retire.
And as I'd leave the room he'd look at me
And get up from his place by the fire.

He knew where the tennis balls were upstairs,
And I'd give him one for a while.
He would push it under the bed with his nose
And I'd fish it out with a smile.

And before very long
He'd tire of the ball
And be asleep in his corner
In no time at all.

And there were nights when I'd feel him
Climb upon our bed
And lie between us,
And I'd pat his head.

And there were nights when I'd feel this stare
And I'd wake up and he'd be sitting there
And I reach out my hand and stroke his hair.
And sometimes I'd feel him sigh
and I think I know the reason why.

He would wake up at night
And he would have this fear
Of the dark, of life, of lots of things,
And he'd be glad to have me near.

And now he's dead.
And there are nights when I think I feel him
Climb upon our bed and lie between us,
And I pat his head.

And there are nights when I think
I feel that stare
And I reach out my hand to stroke his hair,
But he's not there.

Oh, how I wish that wasn't so,
I'll always love a dog named Beau.

I like this quote from Wikipedia:

"From the beginning of James Stewart's career in 1935 through his final theatrical project in 1991, he appeared in 92 films, television programs and shorts. Through the course of this illustrious career, he appeared in many landmark and critically acclaimed films, including such classics as Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Rear Window, The Spirit of St. Louis and Vertigo. His roles in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Philadelphia Story, It's a Wonderful Life, Harvey, and Anatomy of a Murder earned him Academy Award nominations (he won for Philadelphia Story). Stewart's career defied the boundaries of genre and trend, and he made his mark in screwball comedies, suspense thrillers, westerns, biographies and family films."

Basically, if you haven't seen the movies highlighted in orange, get on it now.


Jimmy Quotes:

"I have my own rules and adhere to them. The rule is simple but inflexible. A James Stewart picture must have two vital ingredients: it will be clean and it will involve the triumph of the underdog over the bully."

"I don`t act. I react."

"Asked how he wanted to be remembered: As someone who believed in hard work and love of country, love of family and love of community."

**swoon**

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Stewart
http://www.meredy.com/jimmystewart/beau.htm
http://www.quotelucy.com/quotations/7357/182357-jimmy-stewart-quote.html