Pull out the prepositions and conjunction and party until the verbs come home.

Please share this grammar checklist from Grammar Girl.

8-9:30am at the CTL!

The Purdue OWL has kindly made a grid chart comparing APA, MLA, and Chicago.  I’ve put copies in the cubbies as well: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/20110928111055_949.pdf

Did you know we have a playwright in our midst?  Marymount Actors Guild will be performing the premiere of Eric’s play, Another Disney Massacre.

When: November 21 and November 22, 8pm
Where: Reinsch Library […]

Drop by the CTL for a scrumptious breakfast on December 5, 8-9:30pm.  We have little giftees for you and lots and lots of appreciation.

You never know unless you try.  Although big schools may rack up scores of winners over the years, the foundations sponsoring these prestigious awards love to find underappreciated talent at smaller universities […]

This just came up in a conversation with faculty.

Recycling papers from previous courses is an ethically murky area.  If you’re aware that students are doing this, please remind them that while some profs think […]

Sophomores and juniors considering research careers after MU should ask me about the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship.  The application will help you clarify your goals and develop materials you can cannibalize […]

Want to improve your public speaking for class, jobs, interviews, and conference presentations?  Marymount is considering forming a chapter of Toastmasters International.  Come to a demo on 10/29 from 11:30-12:30 […]

Statistical information about the Middle East and North Africa varies, but here are some useful and usually reliable sources:

CIA World Factbook

Library of Congress country profiles

U.S. Department of […]

When one thinks of the Middle Eastern culture, fun doesn’t always come into play. My guiding question for the Lebanese Taverna was the structure and culture of a Lebanese dinner. I expected that it would be stiff but what I discovered was something completely different. The Lebanese seem to host a very active meal in a mesa style, meaning many small plates. They sit at a large table surrounded by plenty of dishes. Lebanese families are very large, lively and loud. This being said the dinner itself is not very formal as  it is just a time for family. The meal starts out with the cold dishes such as stuffed grape leaves and hummus. Then the hot appetizer dishes come out including cheese pies. Finally, the main dish appears consisting of a variety of meats such as kabobs with lamb and chicken. All of this food takes a long time to consume so the family could sit there for hours eating, drinking and having a good time. In Lebanon, people do drink alcohol unlike in many other Middle Eastern countries. The most common drink is arrack, which is a type of liquor. Many Lebanese say that the alcoholic beverage kills any type of bacteria that may have been in the food consumed. I personally did not realize how fun the Lebanese people were.
Lebanon is very different from other Middle Eastern countries because they are on a coast. This means that they are a seafaring people which is one of the reasons why there are more Lebanese in other countries then there are in Lebanon itself. When the Ottoman Empire invaded Lebanon people just got into their boats and left. Lebanon has many different religions from Christians, muslins and Jews. This makes them very diverse in regards to the Middle East. Lebanon is apparently referred to as the resort of the Middle East because of the mountains and the coasts. They have a very vibrant nightlife around many of the young people. Lebanon was one of the first countries to produce wine and Hookah is also a very big part of their culture. All of this information I took in made me realize how liberal Lebanon was compared to the rest of the Middle East. My views on Lebanon changed due to my trip to the Lebanese Taverna. I found the Lebanese culture very intriguing and unique.
The outside of the Lebanes Taverna we visited in Arlington on 9/9/2014. (image taken by Kadie Aaron)
Stuffed Grape leaves with a rice mixture on the inside surrounded by a grapeleaf on the outside. This is very similar to the Greek version called domathas. (image taken by Kadie Aaron)
Blog post by Kadie Aaron

The Club Fair was a lot of fun as there were many booths to visit. I signed up for the Student Nurses Association because I am a nursing major. I am excited to meet other nursing majors. I also signed up to be on the email list for service opportunities as I enjoy community service. In total the club fair was a lot of fun and there was even pizza!

Harlan Cohen was a speaker who came to Marymount. He had written a book called “The Naked Roommate” and he is very much of a comedian. He presented valid ideas about adjusting to college, roommates and even relationships in a very comedic manner. I also though it was interesting that he talked a lot about his own life in college during the event. He involved the audience as well when he used his phone to receive text questions. All in all the event was a lot of fun!

I went to the Club Fair on Thurday, September 11, 2014. I was surprised with all the different clubs that MU offered. I was especially surprised when I found out that there was a Full Spectrum club. There was a similar club offered at my high school, but that club ended, and i never knew why. I thought this experience was fun because I talked to new people. I signed up for five clubs, and two clubs were related to MENA.

On Tuesday, September 9, 2014, our Discover class went to visit the Lebanese Taverna Market in  Old Dominion Drive, Arlington, VA. This year, this market is celebrating their 35th anniversary. There are many  Lebanese Taverna shops opened in the Arlington area; and there are about two  Lebanese Taverna opened in England, but they are not own by the same company. Many  Lebanese Taverna has a cafe theme and other are just market-like.
Lebanese Rotisserie Chicken (Photo by: Nancy C. Pham)
In the market there was a lot of wine and beer, pita bread, and grains and rice. There were food that fit for everyone; for example a vegetarian, gluten free, etc. At this market, they also cater. There two rotisserie chicken stand; it was chicken stacked on top of more chicken. Everyone who tried the hummus said that it was the better than those that were store bought. (We also tried two other dishes: one was a pastry filled with cheese and the was vegetable wrapped in a leafy green leaf.)
Sample Plate (Photo by: Nancy C. Pham)
Our guide was Grace, who was the owner of the  Lebanese Taverna Market. My favorite quote that she said was, “It’s amazing how we keep our culture identity through food.” Grace also said, ” The Lebanese Taverna Market represents the  Lebanese food and culture.”
Kevin (from DSC 101-K) (Photo by: Nancy C. Pham)

Mind Map By Nancy Pham
My name is Nancy Pham and above is my mind map. I used red as my main color because it’s my favorite color. Below I have explanations of each picture.
Family:
– Grandma- I have lived with my grandma since I was one month old.
– Pet- I have included a drawing of a dog. It’s uppose to represnet my shih tzu, Orlando. I named him that because i got him from Orlando, Florida.
– Dad: I’ve only seen my dad a couple times before he passed away when I was 13. He was an AWESOME person!
– (Mom: The last time I remember seeing my mother was in fifth grade.)
– (Brother: I have a year older brother named Andy. I do not know much about him.)
Travel:
– Mom: I’ve included my mom in Travel because when she was eight pregnant, she a boarded an airplane of the Continental Airlines. She was flying from Michigan to Virginia for my older cousin one month birthday. About a hour into flying, my mom gave birth to me. I was (air) born on May 19, 1996.
– World: I have a world because my goal is to travel the everywhere around the world.
Tradition:
– I am Vietnamese.
– I eat rice every night.
– I’m Buddhist. (And, yes I did misspell ‘Buddhist’ in my map.)
Hobbies:
– I love petting and playing animals.
– I like to recycle.
– I like to do arts and crafts. Sometimes I recycle art (scraps) materials to make another masterpiece.
A basket made from leftover yarn. (Photo by: Nancy C. Pham)