Mini mini saga competition

These are the two winning mini sagas in my Advanced 1 group from 12 to 13:30:

UNTITLED MINI SAGA (by Noelia)

Mommy was angry. My teacher had told her that I was lazy. Mommy punished me. I had to study the multiplication tables.

I have finished! - I lied.

OK, what is 4x4? 

It's a car.

And, what is 2x1?

It's an offer

Mommy shouted at me. I did not understand why!

NEUTRAL JUDGE (by Jaouad)

Two birds found bread. They didn't trust each other, so they asked a monkey to split it in two parts and put them on the scales. As the parts were unequal, he ate from the bigger, but never reached the exact amount, so he continued trying until nothing was left.

Amish faceless dolls

The Amish are known for their strong religious beliefs that are reflected in their simplelife style. They do not use many of our modern day conveniences. They live much like people did in the early 1900's. Their strong beliefs influence every part of their lives, their dress is plain and simple, and so are the dolls they make for their children.

In the Bible, in Exodus and Deuteronomy, it says you are not supposed to make any thing (to worship) that is in the image or likeness of male or female. That is why Amish do not put faces on their dolls. It is also not uncommon for both the girls and the boys to have dolls.

Word of the week 27 April - 3 May 2009 KIWIANA

Certain items and icons from New Zealand's cultural heritage are often called Kiwiana. Items of kiwiana are generally those which are either unique to or particularly common to New Zealand, particularly from the early and mid twentieth century. Although the term is sometimes used to describe any and all New Zealand icons, it is more commonly used to describe pop culture items such as toys or branded foods. Kiwiana is generally seen as a form of kitsch. Click on the images below to enlarge them and find out more.

Photos of NZ icons or 'kiwiana' set to the music of Dave Dobbyn and Th' Dudes.

Pictures are of: Th' Dudes, All Blacks, Anzac Day, Anzac Cove, Gallipoli, Fred Dagg, Milford Sound, Goodbye Pork Pie, Jandals, Sheep, Garage Sale Sign, Footrot Flats, Mount Taranaki, Cows, Goodnight Kiwi, Split Enz, Greenpeace, Rainbow Warrior, Rainbow Warrior after the Bombing, Nuclear Free Badges, Smash Palace, Sir Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay, Mount Everest, 4Square Icon, Horse Racing, L&P, Once Were Warrior, no. 8 Fencing Wire, State Housing, Rachel Hunter/Tip Top, NZ Music Month Icon, Sweetwaters Music Festival, Paua shell, Paua House, Bluff, Kaimanawa Horses, Americas Cup Racing, Moeraki boulders, Bungee Jumping off the Kawerau Bridge, Cardrona Hotel (from the Speights ads), 1981 Springbok tour, The Protests, Pohutakawa Tree, Beach Bach, Wizard of Christchurch, Raglan, Dame Whina Cooper and child.

Body language

From the BBC documentary The Human Animal by Desmond Morris:


An interesting article to read (click on the headline below):
The top 10 hand gestures you'd better get right

Just for fun:

Note: Bears refers to an American football team, the Chicago Bears.

Happy St Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick's Day old cards

Click HERE to see a beautiful animated e-card.

The legend of St Patrick

The Legend of St Patrick

Publish at Scribd or explore others: eBooks st patricks day tera st paddys day

Jennifer Aniston in a Barclaycard campaign

This ad is explained in detail here.


More ads from this campaign:




Thanks, Nuria.

Elia Zedeño, a survivor from the World Trade Center

Elia Zedeño was born in Cuba and entered the United States in 1971. She was in the North Tower on September 11, having just completed 21 years working there as a Financial Analyst for the Port Authority of NY and NJ. Having also survived the 1993 WTC bombing, Elia has learned that survival goes beyond the act of merely escaping disaster. For her, the aftermath of survival becomes the greatest challenge. Through her work with the Steering Committee she tries to demonstrate by her example that the process in healing really does exist. Elia also volunteers her time to lead tours for the WTC Tribute Center. She likes to say that through the tours she tries to "remind people of the great damage and pain our actions can bring about when we close our eyes to the infinite number of choices." Elia currently serves as the Corporate Secretary of the WTC Survivors' Network, and has been a member of its Steering Committee since 2003.

Click here in order to read about Elia's story of survival in the first chapter of Amanda Ripley's book The Unthinkable: Who survives when disaster strikes - and why.

And here's a video of Elia in Profiles of Intolerance, a documentary featuring extraordinary individuals who survived unimaginable conditions of intolerance.

Escape from the Amazon

Three friends go to the Amazon for a trip but things get nasty when their guide leads them to jeopardy. As the four (three friends and guide) split into two groups, one pair faces disaster at every turn, while the other two are never heard from again.

Click here if you want to watch a fragment of this episode of the Discovery Channel series I shouldn't be alive .

Read an interview with Yossi Ghinsberg, one of the survivors.

TALK BY JOHN BARLOW AT THE E.O.I.

EVERYTHING BUT THE SQUEAL: HOW TO WRITE A TRAVEL BOOK ABOUT GALICIA

TODO AGAS O GRUÑIDO: COMO ESCRIBIR UN LIBRO DE VIAXES SOBRE GALICIA

Wednesday 18 February at 10.00

If you want to read the first chapter of John Barlow's book, click here.

Useful vocabulary and cooking tips:

Word of the week 16 - 22 February 2009 YOB

What are you really saying when you mispronounce the word "job" and say "yob" instead?

A yob (or yobbo) is an aggressive, impolite young man (or teenager) who engages in antisocial behaviour and/or drunkenness.

The word is believed to have derived from spelling "boy" backwards (maybe because a yob is the antithesis of a good boy).

It is usually used as an insult, so calling someone a yob or a yobbo can be dangerous.

Examples:

Be careful if you go to a pub on Friday or Saturday night. The yobs will be out and lots of them will be looking for a fight.
Lots of yobbos travel to places like Spain or Greece and get drunk, behave badly, and damage the image of Britain and the British.

You can read and find out more about yob culture here in the first part of a BBC series of features focusing on different aspects of crime.

Just for fun:

Winners of the mini saga competition: UPDATED WITH A NEW WINNER!!!

Since 1988 the Telegraph newspaper has organized a ‘mini saga’ competition. A mini saga is a very short story and it was invented by the well known science-fiction writer Brain Aldiss. He was working on a very long novel at the time (three volumes) and he suddenly had the idea that it might be fun, as a complete contrast, to try to tell a whole story in just 50 words.

The name is really a joke. Originally, sagas were long stories of dramatic events over many generations told by Norse and Icelandic peoples. They were probably started to provide entertainment around the fire during the long winter nights in those countries. Today we gather round the television and watch soap operas that tell long stories of dramatic events over many generations.

The rules of the competition are simple. The text must be 50 words exactly and it must tell a story. The title is very important too so the rule is that any title can be up to fifteen words long. The limitation of fifty words means that the mini saga writer needs to think very imaginatively about just which words are really necessary to tell the story.

And here are the winners of the first mini saga competition at the EOI Coruña. Congratulations to the winners and thanks to all the students who participated.

TEACHER CONCHI - AVANZADO 1 - 18:00 - 20:00 P.M.

WINNER: THE LIE - By Raquel Graña Liste

Five years behaving impeccably and never got what he wanted. Time to be bad instead. He ran into the room where the Three Wise Men always left his presents, checked the glasses prepared for them were empty and grinned. Mum and dad looked pale and sick. He suddenly understood everything.

TEACHER IRMA - AVANZADO 1 - 18:00 - 20:00 P.M.

WINNER: UNTITLED - By Diego Álvarez Estévez

Walking through the desert a man found a lamp. A genius appeared: “For me, nothing is too big: a second for me is an eternity for you; a cent for me is a fortune for you”. “I’m not ambitious, give me only one cent”. “Wait a second” –said the genius.

2^nd BEST: THE LAST PAIN - By David Martínez Rego

A doctor enters a room and tells his patient: “Today I’m going to discharge you. During the next months, you can’t smoke or drink at all, have love affairs with beautiful ladies or go on holiday”. “Until I get totally recovered?” “No sir, until you pay all you owe us.”

3^rd BEST: THE MAGIC SOUP! - By PILCAS

- I hate soup! he told his mother.

- But Matthew, if you don’t eat soup, you’ll never become a big boy! his mother replied.

One day, they were both waiting for the bus when Matthew saw a little dwarf.

- Mum, that man didn’t eat soup!, he said gladly.

TEACHER MARITA - AVANZADO 1 - 09:00 - 11:00 A.M.

WINNER: UNTITLED - By Anxela Pérez Illobre

Last year we visited the Botany Garden. When we arrived at the greenhouse it was incredibly dark outside. Suddenly we heard some strange noise in the darkness and we started to shout when an old man came to me and said: "Hey, guys, don't you know we close at five??"

2^nd BEST: REVENGE IS SWEET - By Diana Murciano

Yesterday afternoon, when I brought home a sweet kitty that I found on the street, my little dog got extremely furious, so I had to punish him. But now the cat is sleeping quietly and there's a suspicious red spot on the floor... and I can't find my little dog.

TEACHER MARITA - AVANZADO 1 - 16:00 - 18:00 P.M.

WINNER: A HOLIDAY ROMANCE - By Alba Cabarcos

Someone's knocking at the door.

- That's my boyfriend! Susan, can you open? I'm getting changed!'

- 'Ok, mum, but... I didn't know you had a boyfriend!'

- 'I met him in the chat you recommended. He's tall with brown hair and green eyes'

- 'Like my ex!'

Susan opened the door.

- 'Bob???'

- 'Susan???'

2^nd BEST (ex aequo): REVENGE IS SWEET By David Calvo

Two years looking for the most delicious recipe. Five months waiting for the finest cocoa to arrive from Brazil. Three weeks designing the most spectacular shape. Four days inventing excuses to make him come home. But, after the first bite, just seconds to the poisoned chocolate death... revenge... sweet revenge...

2^nd BEST (ex aequo): PARIS THE CITY OF LOVE - By Irene Rodríguez Barbeito

He looked right into her eyes and said: “Hi, it must be true that Paris is the city of love”. She could answer it was love at first sight, everything she'd always dreamt about. But suddenly, a girl called him. It was his wife. Unfortunately, they were on their honeymoon.

TEACHER NURIA - AVANZADO 1 - 10:00 - 12:00 A.M.

WINNER: WHAT A PITY - By Eve

Our first meeting was a long time ago. Since then, we have been together in the best moments, trying to share the best of ourselves with our friends , selecting the most appropriate in every event. But now, unfortunately, because of my health, I must leave you. " Bye bye Red Wine ".

2^nd BEST: THE IGNORANT - By Drake

Unfortunately, the person with whom it's more difficult to argue is the ignorant, because instead of reasoning he turns around a fixed idea in his mind from which it's impossible to take him. I say: You're such a donkey you don't walk on four legs because you don't know how.

TEACHER NURIA - AVANZADO 1 - 12:00 - 14:00 P.M.

WINNER: NEVER AGAIN - Paula Auster

Odd was old and about to die. ‘People have been teasing me my whole life because of my funny name. I don’t want them doing it after my death so I don’t want my name printed on my tombstone’. Odd died, people saw his blank tombstone and said: ‘That’s odd!’

^2nd BEST: A LIE - By Willy Wonka

Please read this! This is absolutely true! My best friend told me that if you cook 24 cookies and give them to Pablo, you will win a secret prize. Otherwise you won’t have sex in 7 years and your email account will be cancelled. I will do it right away!

Creative justice

• Woman Ordered To Spend Night In Woods ARTICLE AND VIDEO

http://www.newsnet5.com/news/5346814/detail.html

• Judge Cicconetti talks about why he sentenced a woman to stay in the woods VIDEO

http://www.newsnet5.com/video/5391350/index.html

• Man Sentenced To Spend Christmas With Vets ARTICLE AND VIDEO

http://www.newsnet5.com/news/5590332/detail.html

• Woman Apologizes With Pennies At Church ARTICLE AND PHOTOS

http://www.newsnet5.com/news/17414132/detail.html

• Man Sentenced To Stand On Corner With Pig ARTICLE

http://www.newsnet5.com/sh/news/stories/archive/nat-news-archive-151790420020618-110620.html

Ralph McTell - Streets of London

Ralph McTell singing The Streets of London in the 70s

Ralph McTell in a recent interview about this song:

Ralph McTell's Streets Of London has topped a Time Out poll of the capital's 50 all-time favourite tracks, with The Kinks' Waterloo Sunset a close second.

But few know that McTell's poignant story of post-war poverty, drugs and love was first called The Streets Of Paris.

He explained: "When I was a busker in Paris in 1965 there were a lot of impoverished people sat over the hot-air gratings in the Metro and I formed this idea of writing a song about those people.

But then I thought, 'Wait a minute, these images are everywhere', so I wrote it as Streets Of London to a tune that I'd already composed."

You can read more here:

http://www.timeout.com/london/music/features/2026.html

BBC Radio 4's Crossing continents: Spain

The BBC's Madrid correspondent, Steve Kingstone, examines the growing antagonism between Spain's Socialist government and the Roman Catholic Church.

You can hear Steve Kingstone's report about Spain on BBC iplayer:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00fq3qz


You can also read his article Moral battle over Spanish schools on the BBC website:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/programmes/crossing_continents/7762702.stm




Thanks for the link, Almudena.

Air Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones & Anonymous

This book, Air Babylon, claims to give the inside story about what really happens at airports and on flights. Here you have some interesting questions answered:

A review of a book: Everything But The Squeal By John Barlow

The joy of pork
The whole hog

Oct 30th 2008
From The Economist

JOHN BARLOW, a British expatriate in Galicia, the rain-swept region of the Spanish north-west that gave birth to Franco, has an odd ambition: to eat every bit of a pig, from its tail to its snout. The ambition persists despite marriage to the long-suffering Susana, perhaps the only Galician vegetarian, despite the menace of cholesterol from all those fat-laden pork sausages and despite the threat (kindly pointed out by Susana) that eating pig brain will lead to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

What follows is a quixotic quest for the recipes that give good countryfolk—and doubtless Mr Barlow—ample waistlines and cheerful characters. The cocido (pork stew) from the politically conservative town of Lalín is nothing short of heroic in its mix of ingredients; there are kind words for Doña Aurora’s trotter stew; and an enthusiasm for blood sausages whatever the gruesome process of making them.

All this may be great fun for foodies, but the attraction of Mr Barlow’s book is that he goes well beyond the business of eating. He gives us a fascinating journal of his Galician wanderings, from village carnivals in the pouring rain to a hippy commune in the back of beyond via the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. What comes through is a deep affection not just for Galicia’s pigs—Mr Barlow singles out the long-backed Galician Celtic, hips swaying like Jayne Mansfield’s, for special mention—but also for Galicia’s people and culture.

No answer is ever a straightforward yes or no. No bureaucratic process is ever simple. No bit of history is without its compelling trivia (how many others would know, for example, that in Santiago de Compostela’s 12th-century church of Santa María Salomé there is a statue of an angel wearing glasses?). Mr Barlow pokes his nose in everywhere, and almost without exception people are kind and hospitable.

He meets all sorts, from Fidel Castro’s favourite cousin to Mañuel Fraga, minister under Franco, co-author of Spain’s democratic constitution and still Galicia’s political godfather. The charm is that Mr Barlow is so self-deprecating: his interview with Don Mañuel is a classic encounter between clueless journalist and superior, but patient, politician; his account of teaching phonetics at La Coruña’s university will make many a teacher blush with self-recognition; his Yorkshireman’s contempt for the posh British expatriate with barely a word of Spanish will amuse anyone with a knowledge of Britain’s class system.

None of this yet puts Mr Barlow in the Eric Newby category of travel writer, but he comes close enough in this, his third book. As for Susana and baby Nico, they are sometimes there, and sometimes not. But Susana, it seems, never complains, even though Mr Barlow’s ambition is clearly to indoctrinate Nico into the pleasures of pork.


If you want to know more about this book:
http://www.johnbarlow.net/jb_books.asp?bid=26&p=notes#
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22612314@N07/