COLDPLAY: Interview with Chris Martin

Sorry, can't help it. It's just this weakness of mine!

From Judith

Tree Hugger by Antsy Pants and Kimya Dawson

The flower said "I wish I was a tree"
The tree said "I wish I could be
A different kind of tree"
The cat wished that it was a bee
The turtle wished that it could fly
Really high into the sky
Over rooftops and then dive
Deep into the sea

(pre chorus:)
And in the sea there is a fish
A fish that has a secret wish
A wish to be a big cactus with
A pink flower on it
And in the sea there is a fish
A fish that has a secret wish
A wish to be a big cactus with
A pink flower on it

(chorus:)
And the flower
Would be its offering
Of love to the desert
And the desert's
So dry and lonely
That the creatures all appreciate the effort

Et le cachalot a dit
Je voudrais être un yeti
Pour voler dans la nuit
Et m'en aller loin d'ici
Mais le yeti a dit
Je voudrais être un monstre marin
Pour pouvoir rentrer dans la mer
De tous les requins.

Translation (not sung):
(And the sperm whale said
I wish I was a yeti
So I could steal into the night
And get away from here
But the yeti said
I wish I was a sea monster
So I could go into the sea
With all the sharks.)

And the rattlesnake said
"I wish I had hands
So I could hug you like a man"
And then the cactus said
"But don't you understand?
My skin is covered with sharp spikes
That'll stab you like a thousand knives
A hug would be nice
But hug my flower with your eyes"

The flower said "I wish I was a tree"
The tree said "I wish I could be
A different kind of tree"
The cat wished that it was a bee
The turtle wished that it could fly
Really high into the sky
Over rooftops and then dive
Deep into the sea

(pre chorus)

(chorus)

(pre chorus)

(chorus)

The Third Wave was an experimental de...

The Third Wave was an experimental demonstration of nazism movement^[1][2] undertaken by history teacher Ron Jones with sophomore high school students attending his Contemporary History class^[1] as part of a study of Nazi Germany.^[3] The experiment took place at Cubberley High School in Palo Alto, California, during first week of April 1967.^[1] Jones, unable to explain to his students how the German populace could claim ignorance of the extermination of the Jewish people, decided to show them instead.^[3] Jones started a movement called "The Third Wave" and convinced his students that the movement is to eliminate democracy.^[1]
The fact that democracy emphasizes individuality was considered as a
drawback of democracy, and Jones emphasized this main point of the
movement in its motto: "Strength through discipline, strength through
community, strength through action, strength through pride".^[1]

The experiment was not well documented. Of contemporary sources, the
experiment is only mentioned in Cubberley High School student newspaper
The Cubberley Catamount. It is only briefly mentioned in two issues^[4][5], and one more issue of the paper has articles about this experiment, but without much detail.^[1] The most detailed account of the experiment is an essay written by Jones himself some six years afterwards.^[3] Several other articles about the experiment exist, but all of them were written after a considerable amount of time had passed.^[2]

The 1981 TV special The Wave, the 1988 book The Wave and the 2008 German film Die Welle were based on the experiment.

Chronology

Jones writes that he started the first day of the experiment (Monday, April 3 1967^[2])
with simple things like proper seating, drilling the students until
they were able to move from outside the classroom to their seats and
take the proper seating position in less than 30 seconds without making
a sound.^[3]
He then proceeded to strict classroom discipline emerging as an
authoritative figure and improving efficiency of the class dramatically.

Jones closed the first day's session with a few rules. Students had
to be sitting at attention before the second bell, had to stand up to
ask or answer questions and had to do it in three words or less, and
were required to preface each remark with "Mr. Jones."^[3]

On the second day he managed to meld his history class into a group with a supreme sense of discipline and community.^[3] Jones named the movement "The Third Wave", after the common belief that the third in a series of ocean waves is last and largest.^[3] Jones made up a salute similar to the one of Nazi regime^[1] and ordered class members to salute each other even outside the class. They all complied with this command.^[3]

The experiment took on a life of its own, with students from all
over the school joining in: on the third day the class expanded from
initial 30 students to 43 attendees. All of the students showed drastic
improvement in their academic skills and tremendous motivation. All of
the students were issued a member card and each of them received a
special assignment (like designing a Third Wave Banner, stopping
non-members from entering the class, etc). Jones instructed the
students on how to initiate new members, and by the end of the day the
movement had over 200 participants.^[3]
Jones was surprised that some of the students started reporting to him
when other members of the movement failed to abide by the rules.^[3]

On Thursday, the fourth day of the experiment, Jones decided to
terminate the movement because it was slipping out of his control. The
students became increasingly involved in the project and their
discipline and loyalty to the project was astounding. He announced to
the participants that this movement is only a part of a nationwide
movement and that on the next day a presidential candidate of the
movement would publicly announce existence of the movement. Jones
ordered students to attend a noon rally on Friday to witness the
announcement.^[3]

Instead of a televised address of their leader, the students were presented with an empty channel. After few minutes of waiting, Jones announced that they have been a part of an experiment in fascism
and that they all willingly created a sense of superiority that German
citizens had in the period of Nazi Germany. He then played them a film
about Nazi regime. That was the end of the experiment.^[3]

[edit] Reaction

Despite the clear implications of this study on the malleability of young minds, which is of particular interest to psychologists seeking to understand and prevent abuse of it, little has surfaced on the subject; Todd Strasser, under the pen name Morton Rhue, wrote a young-adult novel on the subject entitled The Wave,
after it had been made into a TV movie (1981); later, Jones himself
came forward with his own material. Researchers of the experiment have
had some trouble in eliciting reports from any of the students
involved. Hence, nearly all detailed information about The Third Wave
comes from Ron Jones himself. Another film based on the subject was
later released theatrically (2008). In this version, the experiment was transferred to modern-day Germany.

• In 2006, a middle school history class in Florida attempted to recreate the experiment with even younger children.^[6]

From Lara: The Wave

Watch the trailer with English subtitles. Good stuff!. click here

and click here too.

Trailer for film The Wave by Dennis Gansel. THE WAVE is based on a real event from a Californian high school in 1967 and transposed to Germany today. A cautionary tale about the roots of fascism. The film opens in a rush of energy with charismatic teacher Rainer Wegner beginning a week long class on autocracy. To indifferent students, its a hard sell, but Wegner gets an idea for an experiment: as their leader he asks the students to call him Mr Wegner, chooses the motto strength through discipline, creates a logo, decides that everyone wears a white shirt, and names the group, The Wave adding a secret sign reminiscent of a Nazi salute. Much to their surprise the students find that they like the power of unity and soon this new found discipline spills over to other school activities and newcomers join the group. The Wave gives the kids something to believe in for a change, until they go too far and The Wave spins out of control.

From Judith

Song from "Dangerous minds". Click here.

Lyrics. Click here.

Ahead of the Class -Julie Walters

Ahead of the Class (2005) Based on the true story of how Marie Stubbs (Julie Walters) saved the notorious St. George's School in West London from closure, following the murder of headmaster Philip Lawrence at its gates five years earlier.

Quite interesting to watch after reading the text we read in our lesson. It's really based on a true story as you learned today in class.


click here

Dangerous minds (1995)

Watch the trailer. Tough situations for a tough teacher.
Click here.

Alesha Dixon The Boy Does Nothing (Music Video)

Talking about sexes and housework. Well, just watch the video and enjoy. Listen to the lyrics, it's all about housework.

The Boy Does Nothing is the lead single from Alesha second studio album titled “The Alesha Show”. The lyrics talks about a boy who can’t dance and does not wash up. The song was released this Monday and its video was directed by Michael Gracey, the art director from the film Moulin Rouge. The CD contains different remixes (Bimbo, Fred Falke, Crazy Cousinz and Original Video). This single has reached the peak position #4 on UK Airplay Chart and #29 on Irish Singles Chart. The whole album will be on stores starting from 24th November, 2008. Other genres included into this material are the R&B and Funk. Some of the song into the track listing are: Play Me, Welcome to The Alesha Show, Chasing Ghotsts, Do You Know the Way It Feels, Italians Do It Better and I’m Thru.

I got a man with two left feet
And when he dances down to the beat
I really think that he should know
That his rhythms go, go, go

I got a man with two left feet
And when he dances down to the beat
I really think that he should know
That his rhythms go, go, go

Does he wash up? Never wash up
Does he clean up? No, he never cleans up
Does he brush up? Never brushed up
He does nothing the boy does nothing

Does he wash up? Never wash up
Does he clean up? No, he never cleans up
Does he brush up? Never brushed up
He does nothing the boy does nothing

Hey boy how you been?
I got a thousand lines
Where do I begin?
And I, I been here, been there
Traveling
I saw you at the corner
My vibe kicked in

And
Two fields
I clock you
Wearing tight jeans
A real nice suit
He was smiling like you
Was just seventeen
I asked him for a dance
He said “yes please”

Take a sip of dancing juice
Everybody’s onto you
Through the left and to the right
Everybody hit the rhythm
It’s on tonight
I’m gonna feel the heat within my soul
I need a man to take control
Let the melody blow you all away

Does he wash up? Never wash up
Does he clean up? No, he never cleans up
Does he brush up? Never brushed up
He does nothing the boy does nothing

Does he wash up? Never wash up
Does he clean up? No, he never cleans up
Does he brush up? Never brushed up
He does nothing the boy does nothing

Work it out now
Work it, Work it out now

Do the mambo
Shake it all around now

Everybody on the floor
Let me see you clap your hands

I wanna see you work
I wanna see you move your body in turn
I wanna see you shake your hips and learn

I wanna see you work it, work it, work it out now

I wanna see you work
I wanna see you move your body in turn
I wanna see you shake your hips and learn

I wanna see you work it, work it, work it out now

Does he wash up? Never wash up
Does he clean up? No, he never cleans up
Does he brush up? Never brushed up
He does nothing the boy does nothing

Does he wash up? Never wash up
Does he clean up? No, he never cleans up
Does he brush up? Never brushed up
He does nothing the boy does nothing

And if the man can’t dance, he gets no second chance

IF ONLY

Click here to listen to Rod Stewart's song and practise the third conditional. I'll post the lyrics in a few days' time for you to check. Try to fill the gaps in the worksheet I handed out in class and enjoy the music. Think about the things he says in the song and how to apply them to your own life. Do you have any similar regrets?

Idiomatic expressions with the colour RED

Well, click on the idioms and learn about their meaning and how to use them through a video in a fun and entertaining way. Courtesy of bbc learning English.

1. Paint the town red
2. Catch someone red-handed
3. Like a red rag to a bull

Barbie's 50th anniversary

Hey, girls, did you have a Barbie doll when you were little kids? She's getting old, though. If you want to listen to learn some more facts and figures about this doll, just click here to go to BBC learning English radio programme. Well, please, boys, don't feel excluded and go ahead, it's also good for your English, even if you're not interesested in dolls, well maybe another kind of doll, but I won't elaborate on that!!! (tongue-in-cheek, you know me)

How to ruin your first date

What to never do on a first date according to video jug.

how to be happy

Just a few tips to be happy following our "good old friend Ana's" and the humorous view from Videojug.

How to stop running late

Do you have problems with punctuality? Watching this video might help you to stop being late or just have a laugh for tha sake of it.

WHAT RIGHTS DOES A LOW COST AIRLINE CUSTOMER HAVE? (by Judith de la Fuente)

Nowadays travelling has become one of the most popular leisure activities. In part due to the increasing power in the market of several Low Cost Airlines. But today I'm going to focus on Ryanair which has been the one I've had problems with.


Some weeks ago I was going to spend a weekend in Brussels visiting some friends of mine. The flight should have taken off around two in the afternoon, however, we didn't leave until 7pm. More than 5 hours late! It's true that Airlines are allowed to have delays in some justified cases. But the problem was the way they treated us as customers. The more information we asked for, the less answers we got. Even now, we don't know the actual reason of the delay we suffered. I'll give you an example to make it easier for you to understand the frustration we felt. When I arrived at the airport more than an hour before departure, I'd been told by a friend of my parents', who works at the airport, that the plane was still in Brussels. I went to the window to get more information. All we got for an answer was that they would let us know about any changes over the loudspeakers. I inquired if the plane had left Brussels yet and they admitted that the plane was still waiting to take off and that they didn't know when the plane was going to leave. That meant at least 2 hours' delay, which they hadn't announced over the loudspeakers yet. There were about ten of us who started to write a complaint. What annoyed me the most was the lack of information and the way the staff of Ryanair dealt with us. We'd been waiting for hours, and not only had we gone through the security control two hours earlier than usual, but we couldn't even had a coffee or eat anything because the airport of Valladolid has only a couple of vending machines once you have gone through the security control.

Therefore I wonder what rights I have as a customer of a low cost company: Neither information nor compensation. And who knows if less safety too... From now on I'll think twice before deciding who I fly with, wouldn't you?

HOW CAN YOU BE A DAD AT 13?

Oh, dear, oh dear, 13 and 15 and they've had a baby. Teenage sex can be really dangerous and have unwanted consequences.

Scenes from House and a good song.

Tell me why I don't like Mondays.

Tongue twisters

Oh, yeah, talk about toungue twisters. See if you can try these ones!!!

KNOW THE SIGNS

5 signs to know you've drunk too much

ARTICLE: WORKAHOLICS BY Sergio Sánchez Sánchez

Are you a workaholic?

There are some questions to talk about, such as: is there no separation for you between work and home ? Even when at home, is your work the top priority? Is your happiness found in your work? Do you have no social life other than work-related events? Is work on your mind 24 hours a day?.

If your answer is yes to any of the above questions, then the chances are that you are a workaholic. You can be helped or also help once you understand the term. A workaholic is someone who has a compulsive desire to work. A workaholic can never have enough work to do; they always want more to do. Workaholics can view their compulsive behaviour to work as a pleasure, or in certain situations as a burden. The "work" in question is usually associated with a paying job, but it may also refer to independent pursuits such as sports, music and art. In some cases it can transform ( or can end up ) as an obsession, unusual habit or even something like a drug. The title/ nick for this problem could be something like that : “don´t stop”.

Workaholics can be helped, but it will take some time and effort for the workaholic and the person trying to help them. How can you help someone avoid becoming a workaholic or realize that you are “one of them”? The first thing you must do is to recognize some of the warning signs: Have a hard time relaxing., take work home and even to bed,try to do work on vacations and weekends, love to work a lot of hours. One solution is to try to keep a perspective. There is time for everything! also,set limits on the hours and attention to devote to your job, and try to comunicate with the rest of the world.

THE EDGE OF REASON

The Edge of Reason continues the fortunes and misfortunes of Bridget that started on Bridget Jones's Diary. As you might know, Bridget who is the main character of the book, describes herself as a Singleton*. That will be clearly reflected in the book. The whole story revolves around the subjects of looking for, keeping and satisfying the perfect man, or getting social acceptance.

Not only does Helen Fielding tell a story, but I reckon that she is also trying to make us feel related to one or more of the characters. The way she has managed to reach her goal is by exagerating some common bad habits men and women have in relationships.

I earnestly recommend you this book due to two main aspects:
- First of all that you will find at least 5 words we have learnt along the last weeks (Just in one page! ) , and you will get used to them easily. Verbs like "to moan", "to whine", "to roar", which are really useful for reported speech.
- And last but not least loads of colloquial words. The only problem is to identify which ones "Bridget" has invented and which ones are real.


(Judith de la Fuente)