An Introduction to Tintin and the Broken Ear
The Adventures of Tintin are classics in the world of comics. Tintin is a young reporter who solves mysteries with his faithful side kick the dog Snowy. The character was created by Herge who both wrote and illustrated the albums.
Tintin and the Broken Ear is a classic from the adventure series and is believed to include a political subtext like many of Herge works. The middle part of the adventure is set in a fictitious South American dictatorship of San Theodoros in which the native generals are in a battle for power. The conflict between San Theodoros and Neuvo-Rico in the book is called the “Gran Chapo War” which mirrors the Gran Chaco War of 1932 to 1935 fought between Bolivia and Paraguay for control of the Gran Chaco region falsely believed to be rich in oil.
The story begins when a fetish (an object believed to have supernatural powers) that originally belongs to a tribe of South American Indians is stolen from a museum in the town where Tintin lives. The next day the statue is returned with a note saying it had been a bet. Tintin though ever the hero realises it is a fake because the replacement is complete when the original was missing an ear.
Tintin now obviously want to get to the bottom of the mystery so begins the journey to solve the crime. He finds that a wood carver has recently been killed and deduces that this man Balthazar probably carved the fake so goes in search of the mans parrot in a hope to getting a clue to the killer.
The lead sends him to South America along with two other men who also are following the trail Alfonso Perez and Ramon Bada. They are all trying to outdo each other. Ramon and Alfonso on the journey over by boat kill Roger Tortilla (not very imaginative) who was the man that originally stole the fetish. Tintin who had been in disguise arrest the men on docking in San Theodoros. In a twist the Colonel who greets them lets the men go and it is Tintin who is later arrested and is framed for terrorism and sentenced to death.
As Tintin is about to be killed by the firing squad he is saved by a rebel leader General Alcazar. Tintin who unusually has been drinking heavily swears his allegiance to Alcazar who is now in command of the country and makes Tintin a Colonel.
Tintin new position proves a help and a hindrance as Perez, Ramon and the disgraced General Tortilla try to kill him. It is at this point we are introduced to the “Gran Chapo War”. This war is pushed by two competing oil companies that both want the oil believed to be beneath the earth in the Gran Chapo region.
Tintin escapes another attempt on his life by General Trickler of Great American Oil (one of the competing companies). Tintin eventually finds himself among the people of Arumbaya. He tries to find out why so many people are after the fetish that in monetary value is worthless. Tintin gains information that leads him to believe that there is a valuable diamond belonging to the Arumbaya tribe hidden in the fetish.
Tinin leaves the tribe and comes across Perez and Ramon who have deserted the San Theodoros army. Tintin manage to capture them and learn from a note in Perez’s wallet that Tortilla had in fact placed the diamond in the fetish. How Tortilla is connected to Lopez is not revealed Perez and Ramon later escape from Tintin.
Tintin is at a loss and has no leads returns home only to find many replicas of the statues are for sale.
He learns that the factory producing them is owned by Balthazar’s brother who found the fetish among his brother’s effects. Balthazar’s brother has sold the fetish to an rich American Samuel Goldbarr, who has left for America. Tintin flies out on a plane to the ship only to discover that Ramon and Perez are already in possession of the fetish and therefore the diamond. There is a confrontation and the fetish breaks revealing the diamond. All three men try to save it but it falls into the ocean and is lost. Tintin is saved by the crew of the ship however Alonso Perez and Ramon Bada are lost at sea.
It is typical of a Tintin mystery as they are all easy to follow which was the intention of Herge when creating his masterpieces. There are 23 albums in all and there have been over 200 million books and albums sold worldwide. There is to be a Tintin movie released in 2009 which will bring these books back to the mainstream where they belong.
Holly Franklin has been a fan of Tintin since she was a kid and she contributes to a website dedicated to bringing you the latest news of the upcoming Tintin movie at:-
http://www.letintinmovie.com
Reading Dr. Seuss Books Makes Better Speakers
After years of reading books and of also reading stories to children, I’ve found that books by the late American author Dr. Seuss, also known as Theodor “Ted” Seuss Geisel (1904-1991), are by far the most energizing and useful publications where exercising your vocal and acting techniques are concerned.
The works of Dr. Seuss present us with a wealth of tongue twisting, intellectually stimulating and highly unique pieces of copy to practice not only voice acting skills but preparation for any form of communications including public speaking, podcasting, storytelling and overcoming vocal difficulties such as stuttering and dyslexia.
Reading Dr. Seuss books aloud is encouraged and also an easily accessible resource with copies stocked in every library and bookstore in the world. You may already have a few of Dr. Seuss’ 42 world-famous children’s titles lining your bookshelf at home in a private collection.
All of Dr. Seuss’ books embody challenging vocal tasks that take preparation, skill and stamina. As with many things in life, these publications may look cute, but trust me, these children’s books pack a powerful punch!
Dr. Seuss was a smart guy who liked creating endearing characters, new words, rhyming passages and instilled didactic, cautionary techniques in his storytelling. It is these attributes and qualities of his books that have kept them on shelves and in print decades after their first go round at Random House in New York.
I mentioned that this fellow was a smart cookie, but just how smart? Although he wasn’t a real doctor, there’s no questioning his genius!
Dr. Seuss planned each page carefully as a vocal exercise that involves every inch of your mental power, acting ability, and vocal prowess.
Here are some of the benefits of a Dr. Seuss Workout:
- Better articulation
- Breath Control
- Phrasing and Timing
- Characterization
- Develops Sight Reading / Cold Reading Skills
- Interpretation
Another benefit I didn’t mention is that if you are reading these to your kids or children in your care, they will enjoy your storytelling and you will also enjoy the pleasure of having an appreciative audience to test your voice acting techniques out on.
If you’re looking for some Dr. Seuss books to help you develop particular skills mentioned above, I recommend the following:
Rhyming, Phrasing, Voice Acting: Hop On Pop, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
Phrasing, Breath Control, Articulation: Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat In The Hat (50th Anniversary 2007)
Characterization, Stamina, Emotional Variance: The Lorax, How The Grinch Stole Christmas
A Dr. Seuss book that comes highly recommended by prominent Los Angeles based voice over coach Nancy Wolfson for reading advertising copy effectively is “One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish”.
According to Nancy, the Doctor Seuss book “One Fish Two Red Fish Blue Fish” contains hidden gems to help people perform commercial scripts with confidence, placing emphasis on the proper words in a line of ad copy so that they do not sound “announcery”.
Nancy Wolfson, who has been incorporating this resource into her curriculum for years, hints that there is one key trick buried in “One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish” that is 100% analogous to the necessary rhythms of ad copy, especially ad copy meant for television broadcast.
Just think the books that you read or have read to your kids could be making you money in the field of public speaking, podcasting or voice over acting.
The books mentioned above are just a sampling of the 42 books that Dr. Seuss had written and illustrated over the years.
Other Dr. Seuss books that you may be interested in discovering for practicing and developing your vocal technique include:
- And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street
- The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins
- The King’s Stilts
- Horton Hatches the Egg
- McElligot’s Pool
- Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose
- Bartholomew and the Oobleck
- If I Ran the Zoo
- Scrambled Eggs Super!
- Horton Hears a Who!
- On Beyond Zebra!
- If I Ran the Circus
- How The Grinch Stole Christmas
- Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories
- Happy Birthday to You!
- The Sneetches and the Other Stories
- Dr. Seuss’s Sleep Book
- I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew
- The Cat in the Hat Songbook
- I Can Lick 30 Tigers Today! And Other Stories
- I Can Draw It Myself
- The Lorax
- Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?
- Hunches in Bunches
- The Butter Battle Book
- Oh, The Places You’ll Go
Beginner Books
- The Cat in the Hat
- The Cat in the Hat Comes Back
- One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
- Green Eggs and Ham
- Hop on Pop
- Dr. Seuss’s ABC
- Fox in Socks
- The Foot Book
- Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?
- Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now?
- The Shape of Me and Other Stuff
- There’s a Wocket in My Pocket
- Oh, The Thinks You Can Think!
- The Cat’s Quizzer
- I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!
- Oh Say Can You Say?
Stephanie Ciccarelli is the Vice President of Marketing with http://www.Voices.com, an online marketplace hosting more than 10,000 professional voice talents from around the world. Stephanie is the author of The Definitive Guide To Voice-Over Success, and The Voice-Over Script Collection.
Miffy The Bunny
When Dick Bruna came up with the idea of Miffy in 1955, he never would have guessed that over 50 years on she was going to be a super cool bunny and a worldwide phenomenon. In fact, when the character was first created she didn’t even have a specific gender. It wasn’t until Bruna actually started writing his first book that he decided that Miffy would look nice in a dress and so she became a little girl.
The popular bunny was created during a rainy seaside holiday in Holland when Bruna was watching his son play with a toy rabbit which reminded him of memories he had of pet rabbits when he was young himself. This inspired him to draw a picture of a rabbit and make up stories about it in order to entertain his young son. Decades later this simple idea has shifted more than 85 million books off the shelves and seen no fewer than 28 books being published in more than 40 different languages.
The Miffy books are typically aimed at children aged between two to six who love the exact pattern that each book follows. There are 12 illustrations on the right hand page and four – line poems on the left making it easy for children to comprehend. The colours also seldom vary from the usual red, blue, yellow, white and green that youngsters instantly recognise on Miffy.
Children and adults alike are also intrigued by the character of Miffy who is a simple and innocent eternal child who stays positive no matter what the situation is.
Dick Bruna has become famous all over the world thanks to his creation but is the most well – known in Japan. Around the world Miffy has had a spin – off television series, a musical and merchandise including bags, clothes, baby toys and mobiles. You can find such a range of things to buy from posters, stationery,figurines, games, clothes, towels, cuddly toys and much, much more. These products aren’t just popular with young children, teenagers are a big fan of the range as well which has contributed to a global brand worth an estimated 150 million pounds.
What makes the character even more endearing is the fact that Bruna never publishes anything without his wife’s approval. No doubt this is just one of the many factors contributing to the great success of Miffy all around the world.
Miffy shop is an online collection of miffy memorabilia.
http://www.miffyshop.co.uk has all the information you need to help you find all things miffy.
How Audio Books Can Help Engage Children In Their Learning
There’s no denying the fact that most people hated reading as kids. Only a few kids enjoy reading, especially if there is an alternative.
Ironically, kids enjoy story telling and could remember stories if they heard it from someone.
Audio books have now made it possible for children to get better access to materials that they don’t like reading.
Of course they must still read, but reading any material and still hearing it makes the reading much more interesting.
Many schools have now taken audio books not just to the homes of their students but also in the classrooms.
Experts in the educational sector have agreed that audio books in the classrooms go a long way to help students more than normal books, especially those students who are just beginning to read or those who have difficulty in reading.
Here is how audio books can help engage children in their learning
1. Using audio books to teach children in school gives them “variety”. Instead of just listening to their teacher, they benefit from the change that comes with “another” teacher.
2. There are specific audio books prepared with children in mind that are not only educative but very entertaining. These types of audio books make learning much more fun than normal teaching.
3. Using audio books to teach kids in school will give the teachers more time to prepare for the next lesson. The teachers can play the audio book for the children while doing something else.
4. For children with reading difficulties, they can slowly follow the readings from audio books until it feels comfortable to read.
Simply following an audio book to read along while looking at the printed material in front of them can increase their learning skills by a very high percentage.
5. Audio books save money. Instead of buying dozens of books for a classroom, just one audio book can be played for all the students in the classroom.
There are certain audio book rental services on the Internet, such as Jiggerbug.com that allows teachers to rent as many audio books as possible at very low cost. This is much more cost effective than having to buy even a single audio book.
6. Audio books that tell interesting stories are very helpful in times when the children have become too tired to read and study.
Most importantly, popular stories that children love, will be very interesting for them to listen to.
7. Children don’t particularly like printed books as much as they do audio books. It feels much more comfortable for them to “listen” to an audio book than “read” a book.
8. Audio books also have children deal with the pronunciation of certain words that they would have difficulty with when merely reading them. By hearing the pronunciation and seeing it printed, they would better grasp it.
All in all, most children find it a great deal of fun listening to a lesson on audio, rather than having to read it. That is why children spend a lot of time watching movies, rather than reading.
No wonder more schools are embracing the technology of audio books for teaching their children. And with services available freely on the Internet now, it is now more cost effective than ever.
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