THE KITE RUNNER

THE KITE RUNNER

When you read the first pages of this book you realize it is set in Afghanistan so, you can think it is another war story full of violence and meaningless cruelty;but it has nothing to do with that, even though violence is somehow present in the story.
The book,which is full of contradictory feelings, tells us how the lives of Amir and Hassan are strongly joined in ways they could not even imagine and, at the same time, they are separated by outside forces, as well as the feelings of guilt and the remorse that follow one of them through the years wherever he might be.
To sum up, I could say this is a mesmerizing book, which shows us a culture that is difficult for us (Westerners) to understand. You might even feel revolted by some chapters that are really hard to read and make you feel bad about the situation of Afghans and extremely happy about being Spanish. (V.E)

Celine Dion: Happy Xmas, the war is over

Merry Xmas!!!

Alicia Keys

Do you like Alicia Keys? I think she's great and her lyrics are easy to understand when she sings! If you want to listen to her latest song, "Love is Blind", click here.

Well people don't see what I see
Even when them right there
Standing next to me
And all of my friends think I'm crazy for loving you
But they don't know
There's nothing else I can do

And it's too bad 'cause love is blind
(It's too bad It's too bad)
oh oh oh
It's too bad 'cause love is blind
(It's too bad So Bad)
oh oh oh oh oh
It's too bad 'cause love is blind
(It's too bad it don't matter Baby)
eh eh eh
It's too bad 'cause love is blind
(It's too bad So Sad)
oh oh oh oh oh -

See people don't know what I know
They say I'm losing my mind
I know I'm losing control
Eh eh eh ehhh
All of my friends think I'm crazy but I don't care
I'm over the edge, no turning back
Belong to you I swear
Ay!

It's too bad 'cause love is blind
(It's too bad It's too bad)
oh oh oh
It's too bad 'cause love is blind
(It's too bad So Bad)
oh oh oh oh oh
It's too bad 'cause love is blind
(It's too bad it don't matter Baby)
eh eh eh
It's too bad 'cause love is blind
(It's too bad So Sad)
oh oh oh oh oh -

And it's too bad 'cause love is blind
(It's too bad It's too bad)
oh oh oh
It's too bad 'cause love is blind
(It's too bad So Bad)
oh oh oh oh oh
It's too bad 'cause love is blind
(It's too bad it don't matter Baby)
eh eh eh
It's too bad 'cause love is blind
(It's too bad So Sad)
oh oh oh oh oh -

NAURU

10 January 2001 Naruru's natural phosphate reserves once made millionaires of the entire population. Now they're among the world's poor, as sick and destitute as the refugees they're taking in. Click here to watch and listen.

Climate Change

Watch some short docummentaries by BBC about this topic. Click here

Marta Sainz-2av-8.30-THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST

 

I enjoyed the book very much. The style is formal but it is easy to read although the language is not the colloquial English of nowadays. The author is very ironic about the Victorian society in which he lives and very often creates funny scenes with double sense language. The notes in each page make the book easier to follow and the jokes more clear. I heard the story on the CD too, it takes around 50 min and it is very useful for pronunciation.

I recommend the book, especially if you like theatre.(M.S)

Nobel peace prize

Watch Barak Obama accepting his Nobel peace prize. What's your opinion about the whole thing? Do you really think he deserves it? Click here

the amazing Presto and his hat.

Do you like animated movies? This is a lovely Pixar's animated short movie. Something to watch just for fun!

Xmas recipe

How to make mince pies:

A mince pie is a festive sweet pastry traditionally
consumed during the Christmas and New Year
period. In Great Britain, and other countries, such
as Ireland, mince pies are seen as a favourite
food of Father Christmas. Children leave one
or two mince pies on a plate at the foot of the
chimney (along with a small glass of brandy,
sherry or milk, and a carrot for the reindeer)
as a thank you for filling their stockings with
presents.
Mince pies are filled with mincemeat - a preserve
typically containing apple, dried fruits such as
sultanas, spices, and suet (beef or mutton fat),
hence the name mincemeat.
To make mince pies you need a ‘patty tin’ which
is a baking tray divided into small round shallow
compartments.
DIC 09
Basic recipe
1 Preheat oven to 200C. Roll out the prepared pastry on a lightly floured surface to
about 3mm. Cut out 18 round shapes with a cutter and roll out again if necessary to
cut out 18 lids (smaller round shapes). Line the patty tins with the larger rounds.
2 Fill the pastry to about half their depth with mincemeat taking care not to overfill.
Dampen the edges with a little water and cover with the pastry lids. Seal the
edges well.
3 Brush the tops with water and roll in sugar. Make two small cuts in the top of each pie.
Bake for 15-minutes or until golden brown.
4 Remove the tins and leave to cool and then sprinkle with a little more sugar.

How to make the pastry
Ingredients
4oz plain flour
pinch of salt
2oz butter, in cubes
2-3 large spoons cold water
Method
1 Put the flour and salt in a large bowl and add the cubes of butter.
2 Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until you have a mixture that
resembles breadcrumbs with no large lumps of butter remaining. Try to work quickly
so that they don’t stick together.
3 Using a knife, stir in just enough of the cold water to bind the dough together.
4 Wrap the dough in clingfilm and put in the fridge for 10-15 minutes before using.
How to make the mincemeat
Ingredients
450g apples - peeled, cored and grated
450g seedless raisins / 350g sultanas
110g chopped dried prunes
50g chopped almonds
350g soft brown sugar
225g shredded suet
grated rind and juice of 2 oranges and 2 lemons
15g mixed spice
5g freshly grated nutmeg
150ml brandy (optional – not for children)

Method
1 Mix all the ingredients together, except half the brandy in a large ovenproof bowl and
cover and leave to stand overnight.
2 The next day, preheat the oven to 110C/225F/Gas, cover the bowl with foil and place
in the oven for about 3 hours.
3 Allow to cool, then mix in the rest of the brandy and put into sterilised jars.
Note: If possible, this mincemeat needs to mature for at least two weeks before using.
Once sealed, it can keep for at least a year.

QUESTIONS
1. Say if these sentences are True or False. Underline the part of the text
which gives you the answer.
1 A mince pie is savoury, made from meat.
2 Mince pies are mainly eaten in English speaking countries.
3 Father Christmas traditionally gives mince pies to his reindeer.
4 Traditional mince pies are suitable for vegetarians, as they have no meat.
5 Water is used to stick the lids to the pies.
6 You need to use quite a lot of salt to make the pastry.
7 The pastry need to be cooled before it is used.
8 The main ingredient of mincemeat is fruit.
9 It takes several hours to make the mincemeat.
10 It’s best to make the mincemeat a few weeks before using it.

2. Vocabulary
Categories. Fill the table with the special words in the recipe.
Foods (e.g. pie)

Verbs for cooking: (e.g. preheat)

Kitchen items (e.g. plate)

Answer KEY
1.
1 False: typically containing apple, dried fruits such as sultanas, spices, and suet.
2 True: during the Christmas and New Year period.
3 False: a carrot for the reindeer.
4 False: and suet (beef or mutton fat) [Beef and mutton are not suitable for
vegetarians].
5 True: Dampen the edges with a little water and cover with the pastry lids.
6 False: pinch of salt.
7 True: put in the fridge for 10-15 minutes before using.
8 True: [see ingredient list].
9 True: leave to stand overnight.
10 True: mincemeat needs to mature for at least two weeks.

FOODS: pastry
preserve
brandy
sherry
milk
carrot
apple (s)
dried fruits
sultanas
spices
suet
sugar
flour
salt
water
breadcrumbs
dough
raisins
prunes
almonds
sugar
oranges
lemons
spice
nutmeg
brandy

verbs for cooking:
roll
cut
line
fill
dampen
seal
brush
make…cuts
bake
leave to
cool
sprinkle
peel
core
grate
add
rub
stick
stir in
bind
wrap
mix
cover
leave to
stand
cover

Kitchen items:

glass
patty tin
baking tray
oven
cutter
spoon (s)
bowl
knife
clingfilm
fridge
foil
jar (s)

XMAS

Some interesting Xmas links sent by Oxford:
Xmas jokes

Xmas toungue twisters

Xmas Carols

Xmas quiz

xmas quotes

Xmas stories

weather forecast

If you want to check the weather before travelling or just out of curiosity, click here, but don't forget to change the language to English!!!

CONSUMERISM

Watch this very interesting video, which fits in wonderfully with the topics we are discussing in class related to rubbish and consumerism. Click here

How to make pumpkin pie

Happy Thanksgiving Day!!!

Very important safety tips & rules for women in an unsafe world!

Crucial

Because of recent abductions

In daylight hours, refresh yourself

of these things to do

in an emergency situation...

This is for you,

and for you to share

with your wife,

your children,

everyone you know.

After reading these 9 crucial tips,

forward them to someone you care about.

It never hurts to be careful

in this crazy world we live in..

1.

Tip from Tae Kwon Do :

The elbow is the strongest point

on your body.

If you are close enough to use it, do!

2..

Learned this from a tourist guide.

If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse,

DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM.

Toss it away from you....

Chances are that he is more interested

in your wallet and/or purse than you,

and he will go for the wallet/purse.

RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

 

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car,

kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole

and start waving like crazy..

The driver won't see you, but everybody else will.

This has saved lives.

4.

Women have a tendency to get into their cars

after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit

(doing their chequebook, or making a list, etc.

DON'T DO THIS!)

The predator will be watching you, and this

is the perfect opportunity for him to get in

on the passenger side, put a gun to your head,

and tell you where to go.

AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR ,

LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE..



If someone

is in the car

with a gun

to your head

DO NOT DRIVE OFF,

Repeat:

DO NOT DRIVE OFF!

Instead gun the engine

and speed into anything, wrecking the car.

Your Air Bag will save you.

If the person is in the back seat

they will get the worst of it .

As soon as the car crashes

bail out and run.

It is better than having them find your body

in a remote location.

 

5. A few notes about getting

into your car in a parking lot,

or parking garage:

A.) Be aware:

look around you,

look into your car,

at the passenger side floor ,

and in the back seat

B.) If you are parked next to a big van,

enter your car from the passenger door.

Most serial killers attack their victims

by pulling them into their vans while the women

are attempting to get into their cars.

C.) Look at the car

parked on the driver's side of your vehicle,

and the passenger side... If a male is sitting alone

in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back

into the mall, or work, and get a

guard/policeman to walk you back out.

IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator

instead of the stairs.

Stairwells are horrible places to be alone

and the perfect crime spot.

This is especially true at NIGHT!)

 

7. If the predator has a gun

and you are not under his control,

ALWAYS RUN!

The predator will only hit you (a running target)

4 in 100 times; and even then,

it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ.

RUN, Preferably in a zig -zag pattern!

 

8. As women, we are always trying

to be sympathetic:

STOP

It may get you raped, or killed.

Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking,

well educated man, who ALWAYS played

on the sympathies of unsuspecting women.

He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often

asked 'for help' into his vehicle or with his vehicle,

which is when he abducted

his next victim.

9. Another Safety Point:

Someone just told me that her friend heard

a crying baby on her porch the night before last,

and she called the police because it was late

and she thought it was weird.. The police told her

'Whatever you do, DO NOT

open the door..'

The lady then said that it sounded like the baby

had crawled near a window, and she was worried

that it would crawl to the street and get run over.

The policeman said, 'We already have a unit on the way,

whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.'

He told her that they think a serial killer

has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax

women out of their homes thinking that someone

dropped off a baby.. He said they have not verified it,

but have had several calls by women saying that

they hear baby's cries outside their doors

when they're home alone at night. 

 

10. Water scam!

If you wake up in the middle

of the night to hear all your taps outside running or what you think is a

burst pipe, DO NOT GO OUT TO INVESTIGATE! These people turn on all your

outside taps full ball so that you will go out to investigate and

then attack.



Stay alert, keep safe, and look out for your neighbours!

Please pass this on

This e-mail should probably be taken seriously because

the Crying Baby Theory was mentioned on

America 's Most Wanted when they profiled

the serial killer in Louisiana



I'd like you to forward this to all the women you know.

It may save a life. A candle is not dimmed by lighting another candle..

I was going to send this to the ladies only,

but guys, if you love your mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, etc.,

you may want to pass it onto them, as well.



Send this to any woman you know who may need

to be reminded that the world we live in has a lot of crazies in it

and it's better to be safe than sorry...(& we all need reminding from time to time!) 

Everyone should take 5 minutes to read this. It may save your life or loved one's life!

one word riddle

Flight of the Concords

The mighty folk comedy duo New Zealand's Flight Of The Conchords proform their song "Humans Are Dead" Enjoy!

Sent by Carmen Aller

ENGLISH IS A CRAZY LANGUAGE

ONLY THE ENGLISH COULD HAVE INVENTED THIS LANGUAGE

We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes,
But the plural of ox becomes oxen, not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice,
Yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.

If the plural of man is always called men,
Then shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?
If I speak of my foot and show you my feet,
And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?

Then one may be that, and three would be those,
Yet hat in the plural would never be hose,
And the plural of cat is cats, not cose.
We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
But though we say mother, we never say methren.
Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
But imagine the feminine: she, shis and shim!

Let's face it - English is a crazy language.
There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger;
neither apple nor pine in pineapple.
English muffins weren't invented in England ..
We take English for granted, but if we explore its paradoxes,
we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square,
and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing,
grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?
Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend.
If you have a bunch of odds and ends
and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught?
If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
Sometimes I think all the folks who grew up speaking English
should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane.

In what other language do people recite at a play and play at a recital?
We ship by truck but send cargo by ship.
We have noses that run and feet that smell.
We park in a driveway and drive in a parkway.
And how can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same,
while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language
in which your house can burn up as it burns
down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out,
and in which an alarm goes off by going on.

And, in closing, if Father is Pop, how come Mother's not Mop?

I WOULD LIKE TO ADD THAT IF PEOPLE FROM POLAND ARE CALLED POLES THEN

PEOPLE FROM HOLLAND SHOULD BE HOLES AND THE GERMANS, GERMS.

PRESENT CONTINUOUS

I really liked this entry to the MacMillan Dictionary blog. It's got a video with a song by Justin Timberlake. Click here to read the article and watch the video.

confessions of a shopaholic

watch the trailer for the movie with that title.

swine flu ad

Watch this ad, simple but clear about how easily swine flu can be spread. click here and learn the expression to go down and its double meaning here. Got it

More on food labels

Posted by Cristina. click here

English pronunciation poem

Something to brush up your pronunciation. Click here.

Chocolate brownies

Well, if you have a sweet tooth, you might like to try this other recipe. Enjoy!!

Thanksgiving Day

Well, if you like cooking or just like to know about this celebration in the USA and the food related to it, watch this video,or just watch it for the sake of your English. click here.


How To Make A Crispy, Golden Roast Turkey

How To Make A Crispy, Golden Roast Turkey : Crispy, Golden Roast Turkey Recipe. This fool-proof method for roasting a turkey is guaranteed to result in a holiday bird that is moist, flavourful, and covered in a gorgeous brown skin. If you have guests that don't like turkey, this will change their minds. Sample our Crispy, Golden Roast Turkey recipe.Crispy, Golden Roast Turkey Recipe. This fool-proof method for roasting a turkey is guaranteed to result in a holiday bird that is moist, flavourful, and covered in a gorgeous brown skin. If you have guests that don't like turkey, this will change their minds. Sample our Crispy, Golden Roast Turkey recipe.
Step 1: You will need
Units:

* 1 fresh turkey, 5.5 kilos, washed and dried
* 1 ½ onions, chopped into quarters
* 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
* 2 garlic bulbs, cut in halves
* 1 lemon, cut into quarters
* A few celery tops
* some rosemary
* some thyme
* 40 ml olive oil
* 2 tbsp rock salt
* salt and pepper
* 1 baking tray with rack
* some kitchen twine
* 1 cutting board
* 1 knife
* 1 thermometer
* 1 bowl



* Serves:
* 12
* Preparation Time:
* 30 minutes
* Cooking Time:
* 3 hours
* Oven Temperature:
* 200° c - 390° f


Step 2: Preheat the oven

Set the temperature of the oven to 200°C (400ºF/ gas mark 6).

Step 3: Prepare the vegetables

Add to a bowl the onions, garlic, carrots, lemon, rosemary, rock salt, thyme, celery tops, and a little olive oil. Mix them all together by hand and set aside.

VIDEOJUG TIP

Handle raw turkey with the same care that you would raw chicken. Wash the inside and out with water and lemon juice and dry with paper towels. Use a separate cutting board and utensils.

Step 4: Trim the turkey

Place the knife deep inside the neck cavity and cut off the neck, trying to reserve as much of the skin as possible. Next, find the elbow joint of one of the wings, insert the knife, cut and remove. Repeat with the other wing.

Step 5: Fill the bird

Place the vegetables into the main cavity of the turkey, stuffing it as much as possible.


If there is enough skin remaining around the neck cavity to close it, stuff that area as well.

Step 6: Tie the bird

Start with a 1 metre piece of string.
Place it around the turkey's neck and wings. Cross the legs together .Wrap one side of the string around the legs and then wrap the other side. Pull them together and tie a knot.

Step 7: Prepare for oven

Place the bird on the rack. Pour some olive oil over its skin and rub it in well, covering the entire surface. Season well with salt and pepper. Turn the bird onto its side and season again. Repeat until the whole bird is coated and leave it on the rack, breast-side down.

Step 8: Roast

Allow for 10-15 minutes for each 450g of weight. After 30 minutes, lower the temperature to 180°C and cook for about 1.5 to 2 hours more.

Step 9: Check the turkey

At this time, test your turkey with a meat thermometer. Place it into the thigh first and then into the breast. The temperature should exceed 85°C for the thigh and at least 76°C in the breast. Once these temperatures are reached, remove the turkey and turn it breast-side up so it will brown. Increase the oven to 220°C and let it cook for 10 minutes more. At this time, remove the turkey from the oven, cut the string, and let it rest for 20-30 minutes.


Don't forget to save the drippings for the gravy from the oven tray!

Step 10: Serve

Time to carve and serve. Why not watch our other videos accompanying this one to complete your meal? How to Carve a Turkey and Perfect Turkey Gravy are just a couple of examples. Enjoy!


Thanks for watching our video How To Make A Crispy, Golden Roast Turkey For more how to videos, expert advice, instructional tips, tricks, guides and tutorials on this subject, visit the topic Roast Dinners.

Cristina sent this link in her comment to supersize me

Check it out, it might be worth the trouble. Click here.

BEING A FIREFIGHTER IS A VERY HARD JOB!!

Supersize me

If you want to watch the whole documentary, just click here. It's really interesting and educational. would you do something like that to prove your point?

THINGS TO DO BEFORE I GROW TOO OLD

1. I'd love to visit all the main cities in the States and to top it off fly in a helicopter over the Grand Canyon. (Elena)
2. I´d like to have dinner with Harrisson Ford and besides, to make a very long journey around the world with my husband.(Mª Angeles)
3. I'd like to scubadive in the Caribian Sea (December is a good moment) with my family.(Pilar)
4. I´d like to find the best way to make the people who I love deeply inside a bit happier.(María José)
5. I’d like to ride a motorbike in a circuit track.(Álvaro)
6. I'd love to scubadive in some of the most beautiful oceans and besides to bungee jump.(Cristina)
7. Spend a couple of years working abroad. (Begoña)
8. I wish I could travel to The United States of America in order to spend Indenpendence Day in New York. ( Elvira)
9. I'd like to read a newspaper from cover to cover! (Sara)
10. I'd like to take part in a historical movie wearing a vintage dress (Marta)

11. I´d like to travel to de moon (the other Marta)
12. Before growing too old I would like to:

* Have a tiger as a pet.
* Drive a Formula 1.
* Spend a day with my favourite singer. (Ricardo Montaner)(Katiuska)

13. I want to drive a caravan from the Rockies to the Andes (Laura)
14. Quit working and enjoy my earnings travelling around the world, although with my earnings..perhaps just travelling around Spain. Doesn´t sound so bad anyway (Patricia)
15. I'd like to surf properly (Javi)
16. I´d like to sail around the world, for at least a whole year, spending enough time in each port so that I could get in touch with the country (José Manuel)
17. I'd like to take part in a Polar expedition (Mariette)
18. I'd like to tame a lion or a tiger (Noelia)

GROWING UP

# Growing up is to have more independence, maturity and responsabilities in order to achieve new challenges"(Carlos)
# When you learn how to grow up, your life is finishing so always be a child" (Marta)
# I don't think that making a mistake and taking note of it helps you grow up. IT JUST WARNS YOU NOT TO MAKE IT AGAIN. (Elvira)
# When someone grows up they might forget that once they were a child, but, even though they forget , that child will always be inside of them. (Noemí)
# Unfortunately, the most painful events in our life are the ones which make us grow up quicklier. (Mª Angeles)
# Every age has advantages and disadvantages and it's important to be happy with changes. But undoubtedly, after you deal with problems it is when your mind and spirit grow. (Pilar)
# Sometimes adults should be more like children. (Katy)
# To accept basic rights and duties in order to be happy without doing harm to others. (Carmen)
# You grow up when you become aware of the infinite wisdom of your heart.(María José)
# A good way to grow up and improve yourself is to make a mistake and overcome it.(Álvaro)
# You stop being a child suddenly, the next day you are an adolescent, and the following day you are an adult. (Noelia)
# Don't murder the child inside of you! (Mariette)
# "Growing up is never reaching the end. (Katiuska)
# Growing up is to be ready to face reality, even at its worst .(Jose Manuel)
# Growing up is to lose paradise, the paradise of imagination without any limit in childhood, the paradise of physical and mind power in youth, and we only can take a peep at it through our children´s look.(Jose Manuel)
# Growing up is not to be able to reach all those feelings that we used to have during our chilhood and youth, however pleasant or unpleasant, but always lively and bright. Now we know that perhaps only real earhquakes would cause them ...and we are afraid of that.(Jose Manuel)
# Growing up means losing our innocence,our freshness but also learning how to behave in a society and to become less selfish (unfortunatelly only some people).(Patricia)
# Grownups sometimes do not remember what it is like to be a child. It is very important to forgive and understand children. In this way growups become wise. (Almudena)

Global Language

Watch this video where David Crystal talks about English as a global language. Click here.

Guy Fawkes' night and meanings of words

Guy Fawkes’ night: time to celebrate villains, slang, and three types of banger

by Jeremy Bale on November 5, 2009

English loves short, direct, expressive, onomatopoeic words, of Germanic origin, with multiple meanings – like bang, crash, smash and whoosh. They are a fertile source of slang, and a popular word can – confusingly – acquire different meanings. A topical example is banger and three of its meanings are given below:

Banger 1
Bonfire Night has come round again. On the fifth of November 1605 Guy Fawkes was caught trying to blow up Parliament. Ever since then, his effigy has burned on bonfires across the land, as fireworks explode and rockets shoot skywards, commemorating the event.

Remember, Remember the Fifth of November, Gunpowder, Treason, and Plot …

Here in my village, after dark, as the celebration approaches, intermittent bangs and random whooshes can be heard nightly as the local children practice, like an orchestra tuning up. This brings on nostalgia for my boyhood days, when a penny banger was well worth the pocket money, and a threepenny cannon with the power of a hand grenade was on sale to small children at the sweet shop. I can still smell the bonfire smoke, the reek of cordite, and the succulent waft of sausage and mash.

Banger 2
And so, a sausage is the second type of banger, presumably because it sizzles and, if left unattended, explodes with a bang.

Banger 3
But wasn’t there a newspaper headline last month about Bangers for cash? When the Government extended its scrappage scheme? No, HM Government has not yet been reduced to flogging fireworks or sausages, but is offering a £2,000 sweetener if you trade in your old car – the third type of banger. I’m a bit miffed to think of mine as a banger because the exhaust pipe is fine, rarely pops, and certainly never goes bang.

Guy Fawkes' night

Here you are a quiz from the BBC.

some more information about this festivity with an audio. Click here

Memory Man

A couple of videos with Dominic O'Brien. click here and here.

UP

watch the trailer of the movie. Good listening comprehension exercise. click here.

FEELING down or just tied down? Then the only way is Up.

The latest offering from animation goldmine Pixar is not only the best kids movie of the year but one of best movies of 2009.

I've just seen Up in 3D - it beats the 2D version hands down - and it is a wonderful piece of escapism that might finally convince the Academy to see past their prejudice against "cartoons" and give Pixar their first Best Picture Oscar nomination.

Up tells the story of Carl Fredricksen (Ed Asner), a man who dreamed of going on an adventure to Paradise Falls in South America with his beloved wife Ellie.


But every time the couple get close to filling a money jar to save for the trip, they have to smash it to pay for some kind of repair.

It's a sequence that adults will understand only too well.

Then, sadly, it is too late because Ellie passes away.


That certainly brought a tear to The Sneak's eye. It might sound a touch serious, yet it is necessary to bring the tone down so that you can feel the full force of an emotional uplift.

And that is what happens next in one of the most moving scenes committed to celluloid, when Carl's house floats into the sky with the aid of hundreds of balloons.

That, though, is just the beginning. A young explorer called Russell is on Carl's porch when the house rises and joins the incredible journey, which is packed with cliffhanging scenes, colourful creatures, tender moments and big laughs.

So your critic is going to say what he says about every Pixar movie - there is something for everybody.

And if you think the hype about Up, which has taken £180million at the US box office, is a load of hot air then you are going to miss out on something very special.

Best Line: The last message from Carl's wife Ellie is "Thanks for the adventure. Now go have one of your own."

Best character: Carl is grumpier than Victor Meldrew.

Family rating: Fun from five to 105.

Bum numbness: You just won't want to get up.

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/film/2674631/The-Sneak-gives-hisverdict-on-latest-Pixar-film-Up.

TED

This is just an example that can fit very nicely in our lesson about memory and the brain. Watch and listen. Food for thought!

TED Conferences

I've added a new website which seems to be quite interesting. If you haven’t come across TED before, their motto is “Ideas worth spreading”, and they feature talks and presentations from some of the world’s most fascinating thinkers – a visit to their website www.ted.com is highly recommended.

Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world.

Halloween 2009

This is the Jack-o'-lantern my 9-year-old son made.

Britain has talent.

Michael Jackson imitator. The Indian version.
It's worth watching!

HALLOWEEN

How to carve a jack-o-lantern.

MEN AND WOMEN

Watch this video, it's really good!!! Ooops! It really comes in handy after talking about memory and that kind of stuff in class! Sorry guys, boys, I mean... but it's really funny and food for thought anyway!

Whodunnit

A very interesting and entertaining ad that Sandra C. sent me, hope you enjoy it. Click here.

Nelly Furtado-from Judith

Why is Nelly Furtado singing in Spanish lately?

FROM JUDITH about Blackeyed Peas

Don't miss this video PLEAAAASE, it's simply AWESOME !!! on the Oprah Show or a special program or sth. haha, and look at Oprah recording with her mobile ;-)

click here

MORE ON VAGUE LANGUAGE

Vague language

Vague language is not totally accurate or clear. Although some people think this is "bad" English, all native English speakers use vague language when they are unable or unwilling to give accurate information, or they think it is either unnecessary or socially inappropriate to do so. A good example of vague language is rounding up numbers when telling the time. Twenty-six minutes past two becomes:

It's about half past two.
It's almost half past two.
It's half two-ish.
It's nearly half past two.

Often, speakers use vague language not because they do not have accurate information, but because they feel it is more polite to make a less definite statement. That is wrong becomes:

"I'm not sure that's completely correct."

As short definite statements sometimes sound too assertive to native English speakers, they often add extra vague language to a sentence. This extra language has no extra meaning, it is just a social softener.

The use of vague language differs from language to language and is an important cultural consideration when doing business in a foreign language. Native English speakers, for example, can find Germans direct because German uses little vague language. On the other hand, for Germans, native English speakers can sound indecisive, inaccurate and lacking authority. In both cases they are reacting to characteristics of the language, not their business partner. Here are some more examples of vague language commonly used by native speakers of English.
List completers

Sometimes a speaker might start a list of some kind and then cannot remember the rest of the list or does not think the other items are important enough to mention. In these cases, list completers are ideal:

"I typed some letters, reports and other things like that."
"You have to ask a doctor or a lawyer or someone like that."

List completers are very common and use words such as things and stuff. Here are some more list completers:

and stuff like that
and things / stuff

or something like that
or stuff like that
or what / where / whoever
Placeholders

Placeholders are for when a speaker does not know or cannot remember the name of something or someone.

"I need a thingummy for the slide projector."
"I gave it to whatsisname in the accounts department."

Grammatically these simply replace the name of the person or object that the speaker cannot remember and never change their form. Other place holders include:

whatsername (for a woman)
whatsit
thingy
thingummyjig
Quantities

Vague language is very common with numbers when expressing quantity, frequency or the time. Low numbers are often substituted by phrases such as a couple of / a few, whereas larger numbers are rounded up with about / around or replaced with lots of / loads of.

"Should we say around three or four o'clock?
"It cost around 20 pounds or so."
"It's about a million."
"The computer caused loads / lots of problems."

With vague language, a couple does not necessarily mean two, it could mean up to three or even four. When people do not want to give accurate numbers they can use the following:

"There were about 30 odd / or so people at the meeting."
"He's not that old. I'd say he's about 30-ish."
"There were a lot of / lots of / loads of problems."
"I've been to Prague a couple of / a few times."
"I think we need about / around 30 (or so)."





BBC LEARNING ENGLISH.
This quiz might help you to understand the meaning and use of vague language a bit more, as well as see some more examples.

quiz

Blackeyed peas-I got a feeling

Watch the video and listen to the song. This song always makes me feel good!! Click here.

Whatever works

Watch this trailer. It looks like a good movie worth watching.

Sent by Judith

If Disney drew Family Guy

This is really hilarious!

From Lara Álvarez

flashforward

Are you following this new series? In fact you can watch the 3 first episodes online and undubbed!! Good stuff! This is just the trailer.

I don't like you Mommy

Just cute!

Obama wins Nobel Prize

Watch and listen. What do you think about this new success for Obama?

Muse

Interesting video, with a nice interview for listening comprehension. Sent by my former student Ana García Lerma.
Thanks for your contribution, as usual. Hope everybody enjoys it or at least finds it useful.

click here

Milow-Ayo Technology

click here

She work it girl, she work the pole
She break it down, she take it low
She fine as hell, she about the dough
She doing her thing out on the floor
Her money money, she makin' makin'
Got the way she shakin'
Make you want to touch it, make you want to taste it
Have you lustin' for her,
go crazy face it

She's so much more than you're used to
She know's just how to move to seduce you
She gone do the right thing and touch the right spot
Dance in you're lap till you're ready to pop

She always ready, when you want it she want it
Like a nympho, the info
I show you where to meet her
On the late night, till daylight the club jumpin'
If you want a good time, she gone give you what you want

Baby It's a new age,
You like my new craze
Let's get together
Maybe we can start a new phase
The smokes got the club all hazy,
Spotlights don't do you justice baby
Why don't you come over here,
you got me saying

Aayooh
I'm tired of using technology,
Why don't you sit down on top of me
Aayooh
I'm tired of using technology
I need you right in front-- of me

In her fantasy, there's plain to see
Just how it be, on me, backstrokin',
Sweat soaking
All into my set sheets
When she ready to ride, I'm ready to roll
I'll be in this bitch till the club close
What should I do, on all fours
Now that that shit should be against the law
Different style, different move,
Damn I like the way you move
Girl you got me thinking about,
All the things I'd do to you
Let's get it poppin' shorty
We can switch positions
From the couch to the counters in my kitchen

Baby It's a new age,
You like my new craze
Let's get together
Maybe we can start a new phase
The smokes got the club all hazy,
Spotlights don't do you justice baby
Why don't you come over here, you got me saying

Aayooh
I'm tired of using technology,
Why don't you sit down on top of me
Aayooh
I'm tired of using technology
I need you right in front of me
Ooh she wants it, Ooh she wants it
Hmm she wants it, I got to give it to her
She wants it, Hmm she wants it
Hmm she wants it, I got to give it to her
I got to give it to her

Baby It's a new age,
You like my new craze
Let's get together
Maybe we can start a new phase
The smokes got the club all hazy,
Spotlights don't do you justice baby
Why don't you come over here, you got me saying

Aayooh
I'm tired of using technology
Why don't you sit down on top of me
Aayooh
I'm tired of using technology
I need you right in front of me

FROM JUDITH

Listen to this song by Ayo, "Life is real"

This is love

Have fun watching it!!!

Daniel Merriweather: "change"

Love this song!!

Na na-na-na na na na-na-na
Na na-na-na na na na-na-na

I saw a dried up withered old rich man
turning on a garden hose,
I see a young man picking up a gun
I guess that’s where the money goes yeah
am I just as good as a bad man sleeping
when the rest are dying
Or am I just as bad as a good man saying
there’s no use of tryin'

Ooh, tell me do you still believe
Ooh, everything that you read
Will we learn to get together
and see who we really are

Ain’t nothing gonna change
Ain’t nothing gonna change
if nobody’s gonna wake up
and start acting whose incharge
Ain’t nothing gonna change
Ain’t nothing gonna change
Ain’t nothing gonna change

na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na

Ain’t shit changing but life is all babies
get higher in the background singing singing
Na na-na-na na na na-na-na
singing
ok singing
Daniel Merriweather Lyrics on http://www.lyrics-celebrities.anekatips.com/

Some people do it all for money
and some do it all for their love
Some do it all for the glory
Coz nothing else their thinking of
I saw a man in a four door truck
complaining that the price was high
like a well faired man with a smoothie in his hand
saying who ate all the apple pie yeah

Ooh, tell me do you still believe
Ooh, everything that you read
Will we learn to get together
and see who we really are

Ain’t nothing gonna change
Ain’t nothing gonna change
if nobody’s gonna wake up
and start acting whose incharge
Ain’t nothin gonna change
Ain’t nothin gonna change
Ain’t nothin gonna change

na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na

Fine your ready to listen
I'm never gonna listen
Most follow intuition while they wishing it would work
and my vision isn’t perfect so I will never learn for it
don’t wish for some change like a church worker
hallelujah preacher I am not influenced
if I don’t go into your movement am i not improving
and while a poor for a poor for a peace of American society
if I get high the munchies I got
so down with this I got the girl looking at you
cuz i’m worth kissing (muach)
and I ain’t ready to wait when theirs dollars on the rain
what do you expect change

Will we learn to get together and see who we really are

Ain’t nothing gonna change
Ain’t nothing gonna change
if nobody’s gonna wake up
and start acting whose incharge
Ain’t nothin gonna change
Ain’t nothin gonna change
Ain’t nothin gonna change no no

Ain’t sh-t changing but life is all babies
get higher in the background singing singing
Na na-na-na na na na-na-na
singing

JULIA ROBERTS

Are you a Julia Roberts's fan? Well, even if you are not this might be interesting to watch and listen to just for the sake of your English. Click here

BEING ON A DIET

Why aren't you losing any weight? 5 possible answers Click here.

MADRID

From an American point of view. Might be interesting to listen to. click here

BRAD PITT

If you want to know a bit more about this celebrity, click here.

TORONTO

VIEW HERE

Living with Michael Jackson

I found a series of documentaries on You tube about Michael Jackson that show his naive childish personality. Really interesting to know a bit more about him and to listen to English. This is just the first one, but if you like it you can go on watching the rest. He's very easy to understand. Click here.

The Boss

Well, did anybody have the chance to see Bruce Springsteen live in Valladolid last 1st August, I just missed the concert by a few hours as I was flying back from England that evening! I heard it was fantastic. Very expensive, though, but worth it, three hours of good music and great atmosphere. Any opinions on the subject?
Here you are a short documentary on him.


click here

Mom song

Well, I'm afraid I'm a mum, and sometimes we can be a real pain in the neck!! Listen and read the subtitles, as she sings really really fast! There's lots of truth hidden here, I think. What do you make of it? Click here to watch and listen.

text messaging

If you want to know a bit more about texting and abbreviations used in English, this might come in handy. Check it out.

click here

Jacko

Jacko fans 'devastated' at death

By Jonathan Blake
Newsbeat US reporter in New York

Michael Jackson has died after collapsing at his home in Beverly Hills, California. It's thought the 50-year-old had a heart attack. He was taken to hospital but was pronounced dead soon afterwards. Newsbeat went out onto the streets in New York to get fans' reactions.

Michael Jackson

The lights were just as bright, the car horns were just as loud but something in Times Square was different.

Michael Jackson fans had come to the place they call the "crossroads of the world" when they heard the news that he'd died.

The big screens showed the latest details, car stereos played out Jacko's hits and one man held a sign that read "R.I.P. Michael".

"I was devastated, hearing that he's dead brought tears to my eyes" said Angelica Santoz from Massachusetts.

"I have his music in my iPod, I'm always going to listen to his music. He's an idol."

There was nobody who had not heard the news, but hardly anyone seemed to be able to take it in.
Angelica Santoz from Massachusetts
Fans gathered on Thursday night in New York's Times Square

Anthony from Wisconsin was one of many who said they had grown up listening to Michael Jackson's music.

"I loved Michael Jackson, it was terrible man. I didn't believe it at first," he said.

"Since I was four or five I've been listening to him - Black or White, Beat It, Billie Jean."

Some people were clearly upset, but others took it as a chance to celebrate Michael Jackson's life and music.

When a bus drove by playing Billie Jean, people started dancing in the street.

One man shouted, "We love you Michael" as people around him smiled and cheered.

The fans, tourists and people just passing through will remember where they were when they heard the news.

Stephen Brady, who was visiting from Dublin with friends, said the star should be remembered for his music.

"The last five years have been tough for him. I suppose his music will live on. He's a legend," he said.

A group of teenagers who'd been out partying at a high school prom summed up the feeling.

"We're all going to listen to his music as soon as we get home."


Michael Jackson was on the brink of a massive live comeback due to start in London in July.

But after 10 years of seeing him in the courtroom or in the papers rather than on stage, you would have to be at least 18 years old to remember a time when Michael Jackson was first and foremost a pop star.

However if you strip away all of the gossip, rumours and allegations and look simply at his music, the phrase King of Pop does Jackson justice.

Which other musician had a career which spans four decades, reinventing himself every time? No, Cliff Richard doesn't count.

If you ask your parents, they'll tell you stories of a cherub faced boy who fronted the Jackson 5.

Signed to Motown records, he was just 11 years old when he was singing with his family on tracks like I Want You Back, which was a hit way back in 1969.

Growing up in the public eye from such an early age, the Jackson 5 had hit after hit - ABC, I'll Be There and Rockin' Robin to name just three.

'Different sound'

Even then it was clear that Michael would be the one to break from the group for solo success. In 1979 he cracked it with a completely different sound.

Off The Wall, a disco album, sounds as fresh today as it did 30 years ago and is a contender for his greatest record.

You might know the slushy ballads Girlfriend and She's Out Of My Life, but when Jackson lets loose is when the album really shines.

Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough, Rock With You and Working Day and Night can still set the dance floor on fire and are an influence on the likes of Usher and Justin Timberlake.

Memorable Michael Jackson moments

By the 1980s Michael Jackson was the biggest star on the planet and Thriller is the biggest selling album of all time.

Almost every track a hit, Jackson took the disco sound of Off The Wall and, on tracks like Billie Jean and Beat It made it sound huge.

But what really tipped him over the edge into a universe of his own was a pioneering use of music video.

Thriller, less a promo and more a mini movie, was on almost constant rotation on MTV at the time. The sight of Jackson in red jacket, performing a perfect dance routine surrounded by zombies, is one of his most iconic.

With his success came the tabloid headlines. Claims of plastic surgery, skin bleaching, oxygen tents, monkey friends and a Peter Pan lifestyle were regular fixtures in the press across the world.

'Number one singles in America'

But none of this could stop his phenomenal rise. While the papers were saying Jackson was acting like an alien from another planet, if you were growing up in the late 80s he was one of the most exciting pop stars imaginable.

Bad, released in 1987 isn't really as good as Off The Wall or Thriller, but that didn't stop it selling over 30 million copies across the world with five number one singles in America.

One more studio album followed in the 1990s, Dangerous, but there's little of merit on it.

The hit Black or White is cheesy, and the rest of the album retreads old ground without any of the character of his best songs.

From then on, even Jackson's biggest fans admit that he was in creative decline.

Caught up in the child abuse claims and the court case that followed, most of the 90s were spent promoting greatest hits compilations with new tracks tacked on the end.

But that shouldn't take away from the fact that his albums in the late 70s and early 80s stand up as some of the best music ever made.

If you love Justin Timberlake, check out Off The Wall, if pop is your thing try Thriller, and if you prefer a few more guitars Bad is for you.

You simply cannot overestimate the influence these records had on stars including R Kelly, Britney Spears, P Diddy, Madonna, Fall Out Boy and Black Eyed Peas.

And we haven't even started to talk about the way he danced…

Jacko is dead!

How do you feel about Michael Jackson's death? I'm in shock. I couldn't believe what I heard early this morning when I got up. I couldn't finish my breakfast. Honestly, I know he was in a way killing himself with all that weird behaviour and he had turned into much of a freak, but still, I feel it's a huge loss for pop music and a very sad case.
If you want to read more about him, go to the following link.

BBC News

FATHER'S DAY

Third Sunday in June: father's day.

Charles Prince of Wales and the rain forest.

Interesting! And full of celebrities. Just click here.

Jason Mraz- I'm yours (Well, just because I like it!!!)

JASON MRAZ - I'M YOURS (MR. A-Z)

Well, you done done me and you bet I felt it
I tried to be chill but your so hot that i melted
I fell right through the cracks, and i'm tryin to get back
before the cool done run out i'll be givin it my best test
and nothin's gonna stop me but divine intervention
I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some

I won't hesitate no more,
no more, it cannot wait i'm yours

Well open up your mind and see like me
open up your plans and damn you're free
look into your heart and you'll find love love love
listen to the music at the moment maybe sing with me
Ah, la peaceful melody
It's your god forsaken right to be loved loved loved loved Loved

So, i won't hesitate no more,
no more, it cannot wait i'm sure
there's no need to complicate our time is short
this is our fate, i'm yours

*scat*

I've been spendin' way too long checkin' my tongue in the mirror
and bendin' over backwards just to try to see it clearer
my breath fogged up the glass
and so I drew a new face and laughed
I guess what I'm a sayin'is there ain't no better reason
to rid yourself of vanity and just go with the seasons
it's what we aim to do
our name is our virtue

I won't hesitate no more, no more
it cannot wait, i'm sure
(there's no need to complicate
our time is short
it cannot wait, i'm yours 2x

no please don't complicate, our time is short
this is our fate, im yours.
no please don't hesitate no more, no more
it cannot wait, the sky is yours!)

well open up your mind and see like me
open up your plans and damn you're free
look into your heart and you'll find love love love love
listen to the music of the moment come and dance with me
ah, la one big family
it's your god forsaken right to be loved, loved, loved, loved
open up your mind and see like me
open up your plans and damn you're free
look into your heart and you'll find love love love love
listen to the music of the moment come and dance with me
ah, la happy family
it's our god forsaken right to be loved loved loved loved
listen to the music of the moment come and dance with me
ah, la peaceful melodies
it's you god forsaken right to be loved loved loved loved...



click here

This summer-from Lara Álvarez

I hope all these things happen to you this summer!
(Also with lyrics, to relax before the exam)
I kissed you good bye at the airport.
I held you so close to me.
I said 'So here we are now and I can't stop from crying Lilly'.
And you said 'Hey hey hoo, you know this is the way to go
You will forget about me when I'm on that plane.
Forget about me when I'm on that plane.'

Tonight tonight tonight tonight
I wanna be with you Tonight tonight tonight tonight
I wanna be with you tonight

The plane took off and my love went with it.
The chilly wind whipped my both cheeks hard.
And the man next to me said 'Everything is gonna be alright'.
I said 'Nothing is gonna be alright, but thank you anyway'.
And then I saw your face in the airplane window.
I waved my hands and I shouted to you:

Tonight tonight tonight tonight
I wanna be with you Tonight tonight tonight tonight
I wanna be with you tonight

I wore a T-shirt and my worn out hat.
Abandoned as a summer cat.
And as I stood there as a broken hearted I realized you got the car keys still.
So I broke into my own old car.
I fell asleep on the passenger seat.
I dreamed of summer sex with you and you whispered in my ear:

Tonight tonight tonight tonight
I wanna be with you Tonight tonight tonight tonight
I wanna be with you tonight
Why can't you leave me tomorrow instead?
Why can't you leave me tomorrow instead?

And above the clouds she said to her self 'I can't believe how naive a man can be.
That's why I love you so and that's why I can't be with you…'

Tonight tonight tonight tonight
I wanna be with you Tonight tonight tonight tonight
I wanna be with you tonight

click here

LIVE EARTH

This is sweet and educational. Children can teach us so much! Click here to watch.

Why are smoking laws in Spain so lenient compared to other European countires? (Essay)

First of all, we should have an idea about the general background of smoking laws. A recent scientific research demonstrates that tobacco causes a large number of some current diseases. Consequently, Governments all over Europe have decided to bring it under control. However, the laws are not the same in all the different countries of Europe.
Although I am not exactly an specialist in the topic, I will try to explain something about some of the measures taken by Governments. One would probably wonder why smoking laws in Spain are so lenient compared to other countries. I reckon that at the very beginning, the idea was almost the same as it was in other European countries.
But no sooner did the Government announce it will ban smoking in certain public places, the entrepreneurs started to find different ways to avoid obeying the law. Instead of looking for a deterrent to enforce the law, smoking laws in Spain were softened. Furthermore, some restaurants are allowed to build a partition between a non-smoking area and a smoking one. Most of the times the difference between being in
one zone or the other is just a few steps space. Unfortunately, this is just a petty example in a million.
On the other hand, if you know anyone from other European countries, for instance from Italy, you could probably have heard that they do not have problems of smell on their clothing or hair anymore. Nevertheless, smoking causes more important problems than smell such as lung cancer and other respiratory diseases. Not only does it affect the smokers' health but also the second-hand smokers's too. In my opinion, the Spanish Government should reconsider their measures and start to take the smoking laws more seriously. Quite a few changes have to be made in our society to make us appreciate the danger of all the problems caused due to legal drugs such as tobacco, as well as all those which have become an important part of our society.
by Judith (2av)

Ana García- essay-

    In the last few years, the cases of abortion have been going up dramatically in Spain. The most worrying trend is the increase of pregnacy in teenagers. To stop it, the Spanish Goverment wants to liberalise abortion laws and introduce new measures to prevent unwanted pregnacies, such as the morning-after pills. These measures have sparked violent controversy about abortion.
There can be no doubt that teenagers start their sexual life sooner and sooner, and maybe because of it, laws should be rewritten to adapt to the current situation. In this sense, some people think that the morning-after pill could be an inmediate solution to this problem. Not only is this pill cheaper and more accesible than an abortion surgery, but it is also safer for the teenagers, always style as long as they use it as a solution to a specific situation.
But not everybody agrees with this measures. There are those who argue that most women that use it do not know the effects of this pill. In fact, research has shown that massive ingestion of this medicine could cause thyrod disease or even fertility problems in women. No one would dispute the fact that the composition of this medicament is mainly a huge amount of hormones, which would not be very healthy for a young woman's body.
From my own point of view, the main problem is the ignorance teenagers show about conception, sex and sexually transmitted diseases. Consequently, the solution comes from the information they recieve from the family, the school and the goverment. Maybe is not the easy way, but I think that at least it is the safer and more effective for our teenagers.

Julie Andrews turns 69

Julie Andrews Turns 69, this is hysterical

To commemorate her birthday , actress/vocalist, Julie Andrews made a special appearance at
Manhattan 's Radio City Music Hall for the benefit of the AARP.
One of the musical numbers she performed was 'My Favorite Things' from the legendary
movie 'Sound Of Music'. Here are the lyrics she used:
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >> > > > > > > > >
(Sing It!) - If you sing it, its especially hysterical!!!

Botox and nose drops and needles for knitting,
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines tied up in string,
These are a few of my favorite things.

Cadillacs and cataracts, hearing aids and glasses,
Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
These are a few of my favorite things.

When the pipes leak, When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.

Hot tea and crumpets and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions,
Bathrobes and heating pads and hot meals they bring,
These are a few of my favorite things.

Back pain, confused brains and no need for sinnin',
Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin',
And we won't mention our short shrunken frames,
When we remember our favorite things.

When the joints ache, When the hips break,
When the eyes grow dim,
Then I remember the great life I've had,
And then I don't feel so bad.

The origin of the Palestine-Israel Conflict

click here to learn about the origin of the conflict

Israel-Gaza conflict

Wikipedia

Obama's address in Cairo

Happiness Defined

With all that we have to worry about these days, sometimes it’s hard to be "happy." Perhaps it’s fitting that positive psychology is gaining ground. Positive psychology explores how people can use their strengths to lead a more fulfilling life. Three keys to fulfillment may lie in work, relationships with others, and the understanding of oneself. (If you want to read the rest of the article, click here).

(This is a contribution from Cristina, a former student of mine and enthusiastic reader of our blog. We are starting to have followers!!!)

ESSAY-Silvia Sedano

Over the last decade the need for a renewal in the obsolete abortion laws has been widely claimed because no changes have been made since 1985. Now, the debate is on everybody´s lips. On the one hand, there are those who argue that any woman should decide about her own life. On the contrary, there are people who believe that the current law should be kept as it is today without alteration since it is liberal enough and abortion is already too accesible. Therefore, the question is whether our government must make changes in the law or not.

I personally think that the law in force since 1985 should be changed in the short-term but not without a long process of reflection and, of course, not without the agreement of most political parties. On that point, the new law should assure the possibility of women to decide, because, underneath it, it is their future that they are deciding about the moment they think about an abortion. However, women must be informed about the pros and cons of the process by a panel of doctors. In fact, in many cases in which the woman is determined to have an abortion there is still a lot of misinformation or a complete lack of it, which can be the cause of a lot of problems. With regard to the proper age to have an abortion, I do think that it depends on every single case. Nevertheless, I also believe that women under eighteen should decide about their own life but always with the parents’ knowledge, since they could give them some pieces of advice speaking in hindsight.

Of course, there are those who claim that abortion is a crime against humanity, specially groups linked to the Catholic Church. I personally respect this point of view but no one would dispute the fact that abortion is a right, not an obligation, therefore, you can choose whatever you want taking into account all your moral and ethical beliefs.

To sum up, the abortion law should be updated since it has been there for more than two decades without any changes. If our day to day life is progressing, why are our laws not progressing at the same time. But this progress should not be based on overnight changes, otherwise we could regret having done things that do not work out at all.

DARE TO DREAM

Just thought it was very beautiful and relaxing and wrapped up Ryan's lesson a bit, together with some quotes I found.

"Dream as if you'll live forever,
live as if you'll die tomorrow."

Without dreams, there is no reality!"

The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. But above all, the world needs dreamers who do. ~Sarah Ban Breathnach, Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy, 1996

Dreams are free, so free your dreams. ~Astrid Alauda

In response to those who say to stop dreaming and face reality, I say keep dreaming and make reality. ~Kristian Kan, Rich By 25

Life Quotations

I felt in a bit of a philosophical mood and found some quotations about life I liked and would like to share with you. Which one would you pick as best for you?

You're alive. Do something. The directive in life, the moral imperative was so uncomplicated. It could be expressed in single words, not complete sentences. It sounded like this: Look. Listen. Choose. Act.

Barbara Hall, A Summons to New Orleans, 2000The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want.

Ben SteinNot a shred of evidence exists in favor of the idea that life is serious.

Brendan GillLife is a foreign language; all men mispronounce it.

Christopher Morley (1890 - 1957)The purpose of life is to fight maturity.

Dick WerthimerOh, life is a glorious cycle of song,
A medley of extemporanea;
And love is a thing that can never go wrong;
And I am Marie of Romania.

Dorothy Parker (1893 - 1967), Not So Deep as a Well (1937), "Comment"It's not true that life is one damn thing after another; it is one damn thing over and over.

Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892 - 1950)Life is just one damned thing after another.

Elbert Hubbard (1856 - 1915)Life is something that happens when you can't get to sleep.

Fran Lebowitz (1950 - )Life is something that everyone should try at least once.

Henry J. TillmanLife is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome.

Isaac Asimov (1920 - 1992)Life is a long lesson in humility.

James M. Barrie (1860 - 1937)Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.

John Lennon (1940 - 1980), "Beautiful Boy"The secret of a good life is to have the right loyalties and hold them in the right scale of values.

Norman Thomas (1884 - 1968)Life is a fatal complaint, and an eminently contagious one.

Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809 - 1894), "The Poet at the Breakfast-Table", 1872Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about.

Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900), Lady Windermere's Fan, 1892, Act ILife is a zoo in a jungle.

Peter De VriesLife is a sexually transmitted disease.

R. D. LaingThe supreme irony of life is that hardly anyone gets out of it alive.

Robert Heinlein (1907 - 1988), "Job", 1984Life is just a bowl of pits.

Rodney Dangerfield (1921 - 2004)Life is like playing a violin in public and learning the instrument as one goes on.

Samuel Butler (1835 - 1902)We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.

Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)The unexamined life is not worth living.

Socrates (469 BC - 399 BC), in Plato, Dialogues, ApologyLife is an unbroken succession of false situations.

Thornton Wilder (1897 - 1975)Life is a moderately good play with a badly written third act.

Truman Capote (1924 - 1984)Life is just a mirror, and what you see out there, you must first see inside of you.

Wally 'Famous' Amos (1936 - )Life isn't fair. It's just fairer than death, that's all.

William Goldman, "The Princess Bride

If you want to go to the webpage I visited, click here.

class of 99-sun screen lotion

I know Kay loves this song and I do too. Click here.

letter of complaint by Ana García Lema

Plaza del Viejo Coso, nº7

47003 Valladolid (Spain)



May 14, 2009



Mr Smith

Plaza Mayor, 12

47003 Valladolid (Spain)





Dear Mr Smith,



I am writing to you concerning the flat in Viejo Coso square that I am renting from you. When I moved to this flat, 1st September, one of the verbal agreements we made was to instal heating in all the aparment. Moreover, you told me the heating would be ready no later than 1 st November. It is January and the heating is not working yet. Now it is winter time and I see myself forced to survive this cold weather with just two fan heaters, wich is extremely annoying as it is not enough to heat all the flat. As a result, I have to sleep with three wollen blankets to warm up myself.

I am also concerned about the lack of profesional commitment that the person in charge of the heating installation has shown so far. First of all, he works really slowly. Not only does he waste time, but he also comes into the flat without a previous warning. Although I have told him that he should let me know before coming, he keeps doing it. I know this man is your friend and I would therefore be grateful if you contacted him and would be so kind as to inform him how annoying it is for me the way he comes unannounced into my place.

As you will appreciate, these problems are causing me a great deal of inconvenience. Moreover, the electricity bill is really high this month because of the fan heater. I would like you to refund half of the bill.

However, in spite of everything, I really feel comfortable in this flat. It is really quiet and one of the prettiest places in Valladolid.


I look forward to hearing from you.


Yours sincerely


Ana García Lema (Miss)

The Wrong Guy

In our classbook, unit 10C, we're going to learn about somebody called Guy Goma. This is the information I've found about him.

Guy Goma (born c. 1969) is a business studies graduate from Congo-Brazzaville who gained international fame when he was accidentally interviewed live on BBC News 24, a UK television news station, on May 8, 2006. There has been talk of a movie regarding his story.

Goma was waiting in the main reception area of the BBC Television Centre in West London to be interviewed for a position as a "Data Support Cleanser" in the Corporation's IT department. At the same time, Guy Kewney, a British technology expert, was in another reception area, known as Stage Door, preparing for a live television interview on the subject of Apple Computer's court case with The Beatles' record label, Apple Corps. The producer who was sent to fetch Kewney, however, was told that Kewney was in the main reception area. When he got there and asked the receptionist in person where Guy Kewney was, she pointed to Goma, even after being asked if she was sure that this was the right person.

The producer had seen a photo of Kewney, but only had five minutes before the live interview was due to take place. So he approached Goma and asked him if he was Guy Kewney. Hearing his first name but perhaps believing "Kewney" to be a mispronunciation of his last name, Goma answered in the affirmative. Goma was led to the News 24 studio. BBC staffers put on makeup, and he was ushered to the television studio, where he was seated in front of the cameras and wired up with a microphone. Although believing the situation to be highly unusual, he prepared to do his best for what he believed would be his job interview.

When introduced by interviewer Karen Bowerman as Internet expert Guy Kewney, Goma became visibly shocked as he finally realised the serious misunderstanding that had taken place. Now aware of the fact that he was on live television and not wishing to make a scene now that the interview had already begun, he simply played along, doing his best (in heavily French-accented English) to answer the interviewer's questions about the Apple Corps v. Apple Computer case and its ramifications for the music industry. Apart from the facial expression at the start, the interview seemed fairly believable to many viewers, particularly those unfamiliar with Kewney. In the meantime, Kewney, still in the waiting area, was himself shocked when he saw Goma interviewed in his place (though he was not able to hear the audio).

Twenty minutes after the interview, Goma was given his job interview, which lasted ten minutes.

As soon as the mistake was detected the BBC recorded an interview with Kewney for later broadcast, which was never shown. The BBC instead brought in an alternative pundit, Rupert Goodwins, for the next live slot on the topic.

After Goma's interview was broadcast, it was mistakenly reported (even by the BBC itself, on Radio 4's Broadcasting House) that Goma, who moved to England from Congo in 2002, was a taxi driver. In fact, he does not drive a car.

Soon after his appearance, there was some speculation that Goma was in Britain illegally, having overstayed a tourist visa, and that he might be deported from the country. On 25 May 2006, it was announced that celebrity publicist Kizzi Nkwocha had begun representing Goma and that Goma's apparent visa problems had already been resolved three years earlier, allowing him to live and work in the UK indefinitely.

Goma was not hired for the IT job.

This is the interview on BBC:

Karen Bowerman: Well, Guy Kewney is editor of the technology website Newswireless.Goma: (Goma's face goes through four distinct expressions in under five seconds[citation needed]: shocked realization; blind terror; philosophical resolve and finally determination to do his best.)KB: Hello, good morning to you.Goma: Good morning.KB: Were you surprised by this verdict today?Goma: I am very surprised to see...this verdict to come on me, because I was not expecting that. When I came, they told me something else and I am coming. "You got an interview," that's all. So a big surprise anyway.KB: A big surprise, yeah, yes.Goma: Exactly.KB: With regards to the costs involved, do you think now more people will be downloading online?Goma: Actually, if you can go everywhere you're gonna see a lot of people downloading to the Internet and the website, and everything they want. But I think it is much better for the development and...eh...to inform people what they want and to get the easy way and so faster if they are looking for.KB: It does really seem to be the way the music industry's progressing now, that people want to go onto the website and download music.Goma: Exactly. You can go everywhere on the cyber cafe, and you can take...you can go easy. It is going to be an easy way for everyone to get something to the Internet.KB: Guy Kewney, thanks very much indeed.


If you want to watch and listen to the interview click here

Unlucky!!

This is the FUNNIEST thing I have seen in a very very long time.

Right now at University we are in exam period, and so everybody is very stressed. However, I saw this and realised that things could in fact be a lot worse, and that I should be grateful I am not this poor boy!!

I imagine being a teenage boy is very difficult anyway, but this must make it ten times worse...?!

http://arbroath.blogspot.com/2009/03/teenagers-acne-spells-out-arse.html

Boys, let me know your opinion on this. And girls... do we feel sorry for him or not??

I do feel sorry for him. He will be traumatised for ever!! Still, I can't help but laugh...

INFATUATION-MAROON5-SENT BY LARA

Baby, I don’t want to spend my life on trial
For something that I did not do
And maybe if you stopped and looked around some time
I wouldn’t pass right by you

Maybe it’s because you are so insecure
Maybe your pain don’t care
Maybe it’s the chase that really gets me off
I fall so when it’s just not there

Burn another bridge, break another heart
Try again, it will only fall apart

Infatuation
Not seeing the rest of you is getting the best of me
It’s such a shame that you shot me down
It would have been nice to be around
I’m touching your skin
If it’s only a fantasy, then why is it killing me?
I guess this must be infatuation (I want it…)

Try to put my finger on what burns me up
It always seems to escape me
And when you have decided that you’ve had enough
Just tell me where I need to be

Now I'm facing something that I've never had
To ever deal with before
She left me with the feeling that she’d had enough
And I’m the one wanting more

Burn another bridge, break another heart
Try again, it will only fall apart

Infatuation
Not seeing the rest of you is getting the best of me
It’s such a shame that you shot me down
It would have been nice to be around
I’m touching your skin
If it’s only a fantasy, then why is it killing me?
And I guess this must be infatuation (I want it…)

I’m so attracted to you
The feeling’s mutual too
And I get scared the moment you leave
Get so hot I forget to breathe, yeh

Infatuation
Not seeing the rest of you is getting the best of me
It’s such a shame that you shot me down
It would have been nice to be around
I’m touching your skin
If it’s only a fantasy, then why is it killing me?
I guess this must be infatuation (I want it…)
Ooh (I want it…)
Ooh (I want it…)
Yeh… (I want it…)

Watch the video.

LETTER OF COMPLAINT

C/ Los Sauces, 37
23456 Madrid(Spain)

May 03, 2009

IBIS English HOTELS
17, Trafalgar Square
London, 2234
England

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing with reference to our brief stay in your hotel Ibis Big Ben in London on Saturday 19th July (Reservation number 222).

Firstly, no sooner did we arrive in your hotel facilities than we unfortunaltely learnt that the reservation that we had made through your website two months before our arrival had dissapeared and nobody seemed to know how that was possible. Finally, they solved the problem giving uswhat was supposed to be, far and away, the biggest and most co mfortable room in the hotel. However when we went into room number 100, we discovered, to our surprise, that it was barely big for one person alone. To this point, a further problem was that at the end of our stay we were overcharged when we paid the cost of our twin room by credit card.

On the other hand, the facilities, whose pictures cover the pages of your leaflets, must have dissapeared the moment we arrived since only occasionally did the lift work and neither the gym was open nor the swimming pool had been cleaned for years. (Please, find attached some pictures that prove those problems).

In addition, in your advertisements you always claim that the food in your hotels is tasty, traditional and well-cooked. By the way, raw vegetables, meat as hard as a rock and cold bittersweet soup is not what people assume to be good food. Moreover, it must be said that the staff at the restaurant were untrained and unsuitable for this job since they were hopeless working as waiters.

Finally, taking all the aforementioned in mind, we would be grateful if your company refund the entire cost of the stay in your hotel in London. Nevertheless, if we do not receive a proper reply in due time we will take legal advice in the Consumer Association and, if it were necessary, we might take further legal action.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours fauthfully,

Silvia Sedano