Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel’s Coat - by Roald Dahl

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you think Mr. Bixby knows about his wife’s relationship with the Colonel?
2. Mrs. Bixby’s plan for keeping the mink coat does not work. What would you have done in her position?
3. What do you think Mrs. Bixby will do, now that she knows her husband is unfaithful to her? What would you do?
4. Compare what we know of the two men in Mrs. Bixby’s life.
5. What do you think are the Colonel’s “personal reasons” for not seeing Mrs. Bixby any more?
6. Do you feel sympathy for Mrs. Bixby or do you feel she deserves what happens to her in the end?
7. Did you like the story? Why / why not?

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty - by James Thurber

Discussion Questions:

1. What is Walter Mitty’s internal conflict? How does he escape from it?
2. Describe Walter Mitty’s personality and the changes produced in him. Consider his real life and his daydreams.
3. What kind of relationship do Walter and his wife have?
4. In his fantasies Walter Mitty turns out to be triumphant, a hero. What different roles does he play? Mention instances from the text which show that he is a successful man.
5. How does the story end? What does it show?

...and do not forget to record your opinion in voxopop

The Way Up to Heaven - by Liliana

Violence and silence

“Violence and abuse affect all kinds of people every day. It doesn't matter what race or culture you come from, how much money you have, how old you are, or if you have a disability. Violence does not discriminate.
Abuse can be physical, mental, and emotional. Violence against women in any form is a crime, whether the abuser is a family member; someone you date; a current or past spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend; an acquaintance; or a stranger. You are not at fault. You did not cause the abuse to occur. If you or someone you know has been sexually, physically, or emotionally abused, seek help.”



After reading “The Way up to Heaven” by Dahal, I could link the theme of this story to a problem that occured in the past , occurs now and I hope it wont occur in the future, violence. The previous text that I have included explains in a few words what violence means and it also explains that violence doesnt discriminate .
The woman in Dahl’s story, Mrs Foster is a victim of his husband but there are also husbands victims of their wives , kids victims of their parents or other members of their families, old parents victims of their sons etc.
Mrs Foster conspiratorial silence helps her husband to go on with mental and emotional abuse. An economical dependant woman that lives according to her middle class life , who perhaps has accepted his cruelty for years in the relationship. A woman who is understimated by her husband, and that one day when he has an accident in the elevador she finds the opportunity to be free. An accident that with her silence turns out to be a crime cause he has been closed in the elevator more than a month alone without any help. She cant find a way to leave him , to be free with any damage and violence occurs again.

Readings

Hi!.
If you don't have enough with the material of our summer e-book clubbing, or you're just more a 'hearing' person, check the Readings section of the BBC Radio's website, where you can find stories read by famous actors or writers. Another interesting section is Books and Authors, a podcast that features conversations with leading authors about their work. Hope you enjoy it.

See you!.

Sol.

Zach Wahls Speaks about Family

The Way Up to Heaven -by Roald Dahl

Discussion Questions:

o Mrs. Foster has a habit which is a problem and causes unhappiness. Have you ever felt / had anything like that?
o How sympathetic is Mr. Foster to his wife?
o Does Mr Foster feel unhappy about having to stay at the club while his wife is away?
o How do Mrs. Foster’s feelings about her husband develop?
o Is the letter she wrote from Paris ironic?
o What happened to Mr. Foster by the end of the story?

Which of the following statements do you agree with? Discuss:

- Mrs. Foster’s decision at the front door is one you can understand and sympathize with.
- Mr. Foster deserves what he got.
- Mrs. Foster should have separated from her husband long ago.
- She just murdered him.
- She deservers to live happily in France with her daughter and grandchildren
- It was just an unfortunate accident and Mrs Foster knew how to take advantage of it.

THANKS!

I just want to thank everybody for collaborating with juicy opinions
(written / recorded / telepathic) I'm sure you are all reading and enjoying!
I'm still on holidays and my internet connections are far from good so I haven't been able to record my voice again. I'll get in touch soon through voxopop once at home.
Love,
Nat

The Cask of Amontillado II - by Liliana

The Cask of Amontillado (Last comments)

Yesterday I read this story again trying to find something else in it. I discovered that in these two men Montresor and Fortunato we could find dark parts of human beings. Montresor represents an oscure part of our alms, the revenge and Fortunato who enjoyes drinking wine represents an addict who can do anything to obtain what he wants.
The dark place where Fortunato died, Montresor dark clothes all are associated with that dark part that it is in all of us slept, under control or in activity.

The Cask of Amontillado I - by Liliana

Nemo me impune lacessit

As my spirit of investigation is still alive I have been working as a detective again!!!!!
What’s the meaning of “ Nemo me impune lacessit”? ("No one insults me with impunity”).

*During the reign of Charles II, the motto was added to the Royal coat of arms of Scotland and, since 1707, has appeared in the Scottish version of the arms of British Monarchs, including the present Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom used in Scotland.


*According to legend, the "guardian thistle" has played its part in the defence of the ancient realm of Scotland against a night attack by Norwegian vikings, one of whom let out a yell of pain when he stepped on a prickly thistle, thus alerting the Scottish defenders. In the motto "No-one attacks me with impunity" (Latin: "Nemo me impune lacessit"),"me" was therefore originally the thistle itself, but by extension now refers to the Scottish regiments which have adopted *(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemo_me_impune_lacessit ).
In “The Cask of Amontillado” we can read about a personal revenge, one with an uncertain origin. Montresor carefully planned Fortunato’s (ironically named) death in an unknown city in Carnival . A revenge that’s shows Montresor‘s soul as dark as the catacombs of his family. What’s a revenge? According to Cambridge dictionary it’s harm done to someone as a punishment for harm that they have done to someone (ttp://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/revenge).Only a person with mental problems could have planned such a cruel crime, a revenge that after fifty years had impunity

THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO by E.A. Poe

Where do you think the story takes place? When?
Who are the characters?
What do we know about them and their relationship?
Themes dealt with?
Can you mention death references?

Analyse the following quotations:

1. “I must not only punish but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong” (p. 3)
2. “Here I knocked off the neck of a bottle which I drew from a long row of its fellows that lay upon the mould” (p. 5)
3. “Nemo me impune lacessit” (p. 6)
4. “ (…) in the fashion of the great catacombs of Paris” (p. 7)
5. “He was too much astounded to resist” (p.7)
6. “(…) the intoxication of Fortunato had in a great measure worn off” (p. 8)
7. “For the love of God!” (p. 9)
8. “There came forth in reply only a jingling of the bells” (p. 9)
9. “For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them. In pace requiescat!” (p. 9)

Can you summarize the plot in no more than three lines?

The Mark on The Wall by Luciana

Hello Nat! Could you post this on the blog? Thank you!!! Happy holidays! Lu

Hello guys! I' m sorry to inform you that, somehow, I can't record any message on the discussion. Not here in SIGEN nor in my personal computer. So, unfortunately I’m going to post my opinion here this time. I hope to find a solution for this situation for the next short story!

Regarding “The Mark on the Wall”, my first impression when I read the story was that it was purely about the narrator’s stream of thoughts. As we know, the story begins when the narrator sees a mark on the wall. By trying to imagine what could have made it, she embarks herself on an almost non stopping babbling. Maybe, with the proper analysis, I could find other meanings to every thought she expressed. But for now, even thought this “stream of thoughts” is merely a literary resource used by the author, all I can say is that it is the closest she can be to the human mind. How many times we have seen or listened to something and start relating it with past experiences or with anything at all?

As far as the themes of the story, I think that the inaccuracy of thought, the notion of flimsiness and self-preservation and, also, how readily our thoughts swarm upon new objects and then leaves them there are the basic ideas the author wants to communicate. After all, without all the random thinking the story would have been rather pointless.

In my opinion, the mark on the wall it’s just the kick off for the story to develop. The narrator consciousness shows all different kinds of ideas but to me it shows particularly a conflict of closure. It seems as if she can’t finish an idea or stop her babbling. She admits this in the 6th paragraph by saying “I want to think quietly, calmly spaciously, never to be interrupted, never to have to rise from my chair, to slip easily from one thing to another (…)”. She also mentions “I wish I could hit upon a pleasant track of thought, a track indirectly reflecting credit upon myself, for those are the pleasantest thoughts”.

It is also important to point out that the “Whiteker’s Almanac” and “the Table of Precedency” are mentioned to trace a parallel with the place one has in life. Such as the order of precedence establishes who follows who in importance, the narrators says one must know how to behave and act according to the place you have in life, to know who follows who. And, in this case, she must follow Nature.

Last but not least, throughout the story the focus comes and goes from the mark on the wall, as if reminding why she was talking in the first place. It comes to my mind that the mark on the wall doesn’t really matter. The end of the story makes that quite clear. When the narrator finishes her thoughts she says “Ah! The mark on the wall! It was a snail”, she is clearly mocking us. She says “That? No big deal

RECORD YOUR OPINION!

Click HERE to start recording your opinion.

Looking forward to listening to you all in summer!

Nat

THE MARK ON THE WALL by Virginia Woolf

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

What are the themes you can find in the short story?

What do you understand by “Whiteker’s Almanack” and the “Table of Precedence”
For info check: http://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/order_precedence.htm
and http://www.antiqbook.co.uk/boox/colle/103444.shtml

What does the mark in the wall represent?

What do you think the image of the snail may convey?


Read the following excerpts extracted from the short story, choose one and reflect upon it. Leave your comments! Mention others of your preference.

(1) Rather to my relief the sight of the mark interrupted the fancy, for it is an old fancy, an automatic fancy, made as a child perhaps (…)

(2) A fraud of course, for the people who had this house before us would have chosen pictures in that way—an old picture for an old room. That is the sort of people they were—very interesting people (…)

(3) because once a thing’s done, no one ever knows how it happened. Oh! dear me, the mystery of life; The inaccuracy of thought! The ignorance of humanity! To show how very little control of our possessions we have—what an accidental affair this living is after all our civilization (…)

(4) I want to think quietly, calmly, spaciously, never to be interrupted, never to have to rise from my chair, to slip easily from one thing to another, without any sense of hostility, or obstacle. I want to sink deeper and deeper, away from the surface, with its hard separate facts. To steady myself, let me catch hold of the first idea that passes (…)

(5) But how dull this is, this historical fiction! It doesn’t interest me at all. I wish I could hit upon a pleasant track of thought, a track indirectly reflecting credit upon myself (…)

(6) Men perhaps, should you be a woman; the masculine point of view which governs our lives, which sets the standard, which establishes Whitaker’s Table of Precedency (…)

(7) No, no, nothing is proved, nothing is known. And if I were to get up at this very moment and ascertain that the mark on the wall is really—what shall we say? (…)

(8) Here is nature once more at her old game of self-preservation. This train of thought, she perceives, is threatening mere waste of energy, even some collision with reality (…)

(9) I understand Nature’s game—her prompting to take action as a way of ending any thought that threatens to excite or to pain. Hence, I suppose, comes our slight contempt for men of action—men, we assume, who don’t think. Still, there’s no harm in putting a full stop to one’s disagreeable thoughts by looking at a mark on the wall (…)

(10) Where was I? What has it all been about? A tree? A river? The Downs? Whitaker’s Almanack? The fields of asphodel? I can’t remember a thing. Everything’s moving, falling, slipping, vanishing (…)

Jingle Bells!

I am sending a link where we can see Christmas traditions songs and recipes from all over the world

Liliana

1,2,3,2,3,1,3,2,1

1,2,3,2,3,1,3,2,1

by Liliana Terradas

You can find love triangles in a lot of novels, in different languages and in all the centuries but surely the way Julian Barnes writes is unusual. Having characters alternately speaking about their lives to the reader make this novel fascinating. Stuart, Oliver and Gillian, the main figures are shown in different situations accompanied by other small characters as Gillian’s mother. Stuart and Oliver, Gillian and Stuart, Stuart, Oliver and Gillian, Stuart and Gillian again, Oliver and finally Oliver and Gillian and Stuart alone, two, three, two, one. In numerology number one is the most individualist of all the numbers. It points to independence, adventure, and new beginnings. Number two is kindness, balance, tact, equalization, and duality. Two has many properties in mathematics: two is the smallest and the first prime number, etc. God ordered Noah to put two of every animal in his ark. Number three is a really interesting number. It symbolizes completeness or the entirety of something. Another example is our divisions of time as past, present and future. A triangle is one of the basic shapes of geometry: a polygon with three corners and three sides or edges which are line segments. This specific triangle, this lovely novel shows how the angles can vary, how relative lengths of their sides can make the relation among them different, for example Stuart and Oliver had been close friends since childhood, as close as the angles in an isosceles triangle. Later the relation of friendship included Gillian, Stuart’s girlfriend, the three sides of the triangle had the same length, and therefore such triangle was equilateral, good friendship among the three.

Stuart and Oliver became rivals when Oliver fell in love with Stuart` s wife, Gillian. Two different personalities who fell in love with the same woman. Two different ways of living the life, Stuart and Oliver. You love Stuart when he speaks but then you also like Oliver and his extravagant way of narrating things too . When Gillian left Stuart to marry Oliver and then Stuart decided to leave,the triangle turned out to be scalene , all sides were unequal. Stuart returned for a week and he adopted some of his old friend adictions and attitutes as smoking, alcohol and spying the new couple.The lines of the triangle try to move again . Stuart returned to America. In France a house was abandoned, a car left .Did the lines remain in the triangle or try to escape from it? As a chinese proverb says”Good things come in pairs “.Love come in pairs and triangles in this novel didnt bring happiness.

TALKING IT OVER

The complete review's Review:

SOURCE: http://www.complete-review.com/reviews/barnesj/tio.htm

Talking it Over is the story of a love triangle. Stuart and Oliver are best friends. Stuart marries Gillian. Oliver falls in love with Gillian. And then, of course, things get quite complicated. The most obvious twist Barnes adds to the story is in how he chooses to tell it: he has the characters address the reader (or at least some "you") directly. Stuart, Oliver, and Gillian each tell their own story (with a few other voices also making themselves heard), each offering a different point of view, a different spin, and, occasionally, an entirely different account of what happened. It is an interesting literary device, and Barnes -- a very fine stylist -- manages a great deal with the voices he employs. Stuart is a young banker, careful, a bit unsure of himself, without a university education. Oliver is a pedantic, unfulfilled soul, a wilder, artsy type who travelled, studied, and finally wound up as teaching at the tacky Shakespeare School of English (and eventually actually even manages to get himself sacked from this institution). Gillian trained in social work for while, but then became an art restorer. "I met Stuart", Gillian states. "I fell in love. I married. What's the story ?" There is, of course, more to it than that -- including how Gillian and Stuart met ("Gill and I agreed we wouldn't tell anyone how we met", Stuart says, though he does reveal it to the reader.) And though Barnes fills in backgrounds the meat of the tale begins with Stuart and Gillian's marriage. Barnes tells the story of the three interrelated relationships -- the unlikely but lasting (at least through the beginning of the book) friendship between Stuart and Oliver, and the changing relationships between Gillian and the two men. Much of the fun is in the details: the different ways of seeing events, the different justifications or explanations for what the characters do (or don't do), though clever Oliver is perhaps too dominant (and Gillian, for much of the novel, not strong enough). It is a neatly constructed novel -- and also an obviously constructed one, which is both a strength and weakness. Barnes writes very well, and there are many fine moments, thoughts, and asides. This is not too deep a meditation on friendship, and relationships, but it does chart an interesting threesome, a shifting (and ultimately very misshapen) triangle. An odd, and not entirely satisfying novel, but an interesting one.

MORE PARTICIPATION!

Hi Nat,

I am sending you to put on the blog the Nobel Lecture by Bertrand Russell,"What Desires Are Politically Important?".It was written in 1950.In this page we could find excellent lectures.

Thanks !!!!!!!! Liliana

STUDENTS' COLLABORATION!

Hi Nat!, I’m sending you 2 links, the first one it’s an article from the wall street journal about how capitalism rescue the Chilean miners, we have been talking about newspapers in class so I found it interesting. And the second one it’s a document about “stars” produced by the media, this one doesn’t speak about the particular case but shows how capitalism keeps helping them even after the rescue.

Thanks!!

Sol

.........................................................................................................................................................

Nat, I am sending you an interview to Julian Barnes . I would like , if its possible, to put this page on the blog so all can read it.

Thanks

Liliana

FINAL OOA

What is a Listening Log?

It is like a journal in which you write information and your thoughts about something you listened to on TV, from the internet, or the radio (Note: what you listen to shouldn't be longer than 30-60 minutes) You will put your notes into your log and then write a short summary of what you saw and heard. After that, you will write your reaction to the program in a short paragraph and a question that will trigger debate in class.

So, what should go into my log?

 The name of the program
 The date of broadcast
 Your notes, in list form (taken alive!)
 A short summary in your own words- no more than one paragraph. Just main idea and a few details
 Your personal opinion of the program in a separate paragraph
 A question that’ll trigger debate in class



Log Sample
Source: Adapted from Tapestry 4


General Information:
NPR (National Public Radio)
April 27, 1993, 5:30-6:00 p.m.
Denmark’s child-care system

Notes / Expressions (words / phrases)
Careers and Motherhood:
Denmark’s second largest city
Nursery –elementary school
Rich- pay one-third of operating cost
Poor –pay nothing

Summary:
Denmark’s second largest city has a wonderful child care system. Mothers who juggle careers and motherhood really love this system. The program is subsidized by the ministry policies. These child-care centers are no different from regular kindergartens. They take care of children from the age of three months, and will even care for elementary schoolers after school. The only difference is that better-off families pay one third of operating cost and less well-off families pay nothing.

Personal Reaction:
Many women have to struggle to keep their jobs while raising children at the same time. The government or individual communities in the U.S. should develop a program like the one in Denmark. This would help reduce the hardship of balancing working with parenting

Question: Do you think we have a good child-care system in Argentina?

VOX POPS!

ABOUT BEAUTY, SELF-ESTEEM AND ADVERTISING

Marina, a fellow teacher of mine, has shared her students' work and we decided to do something together. We watched some videos recommended by Cecilia, one of Marina's students, and they're really interesting and food for thought.

We'll be dicussing with Marina's students, who are in level 10.

Please, follow these steps:

1. Before watching, it would be nice to read about your opinions.

Read the questions, and then write your answers in the comments section:

• How much influenced by commercials/advertisements do you feel at the moment of buying things?
  
• Is there a commercial/an ad that has made you change your mind when having to choose among a line of products?
  
• Do you think commercials/ads have the same kind of influence on all target ages? Who do you think are the most vulnerable?
  
• What do you think commercials/ads must have in order to be good?
  
• Do you think government organizations should be tougher when regulating advertizing?

2. You can now watch the videos:

3. It's now time to TALK!

We'd like you to give us your opinion in the following site:

www.voxopop.com

HOW?!

Here you'll be able to listen to the thread.

You will find paticipants from another course and people from other countries might participate, too.

You will need a microphone to record your voices. Once you've listened to everyone, you'll record your own message.

We are all eager to listen to you!

ACCENTS

A bit creepy but interesting...

R.I.P.

A bit of black humour...

LISTENING!

I've found a website where you can listen to varied POSDCASTS so as to practise your listening skills as well as your reading and writing ones.

Hope you like it!

GRAMMAR, GRAMMAR, GRAMMAR

Remember you may browse our book's website from time to time to have access to some quick practice on topics seen in class.

Dish of the day: modifying and intensifying adverbs

Name of Spring Flowers

Here you can find the names of spring flowers and some interesting info about them.

Thanks Liliana!

Biography

Read about Julian Barnes before reading "Talking it Over"

Legalization of Same-sex Marriage

Want to know more about it? Click here

Dream Place to Live...

According to Liliana
STRATFORD-UPON-AVON is THE place!

Biographies

Evelyn Arthur St. John Waugh (October 28, 1903 - April 10, 1966) was an English comic, satirical and tragic novelist. Born in London, he left Oxford University (Hertford College) in 1924 with a third-class degree. He taught at a private school in Wales and in 1925 attempted suicide by swimming out to sea, but was unsuccessful, turning back after being stung by a jellyfish (this is narrated by himself in his autobiographical work A little learning).His subsequent career as a journalist was truncated as a direct result of his literary success with his first novel, Decline and Fall. Although his racy novels of the "bright young things" in 1920s England made his reputation, he was a profoundly conservative writer who also had great success with more sombre works like Brideshead Revisited.In his pre-World War II novels he makes a strong criticism of his contemporary English society, especially aristocracy and higher middle classes, using acerbic humour and presenting weird (but usually real) situations as quite common.In 1930 he converted to Roman Catholicism. His religious ideas are manifest (although not usually explicitly) in most of his novels, the clearest example being Brideshead Revisited which, as he himself stated, is the account of the intervention of God's Grace in a family.With the advent of World War II, Waugh entreated 'friends in high places', such as Randolph Churchill - son of Winston - to find him a service commission. Though in his late thirties and of poor eyesight, he was commissioned into the Royal Marines and found more suited for intelligence duties than that of a line officer. He was promoted to Captain but found life in the Marines dull. Following a joint exercise with No.8 Commando (Army), he applied to join them and was accepted, earning credit during the evacuation of Crete. Later, he was placed on extended leave for three years and reassigned to the Royal Horse Guards. During this period he wrote 'Brideshead Revisited'. He was recalled for a military/diplomatic mission to Yugoslavia at the request of his old friend Randolph Churchill. An outcome was a formidable report detailing Tito's persecution of the clergy which was 'buried' by Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden (who also attempted to discredit Waugh) to save diplomatic embarrassment as Tito was then a required ally of Britain and official 'friend'.In 2001, three of his books were named as part of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century by the editorial board of the American Modern Library.NovelsDecline and Fall (1928) Vile Bodies (1930) Black Mischief (1932) A Handful of Dust (1934) Scoop - the rush of war reporters to a thinly disguised Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) (1938) Put Out More Flags (1942) The Loved One (subtitled An Anglo-American Tragedy)- about the excesses of a Californian funeral business Brideshead Revisited (subtitled The Sacred and Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder) - details the decline of the British upper class (1945) The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold (1957) Sword of Honour TrilogyMen at Arms (1952) Officers and Gentlemen (1955) Unconditional Surrender (1961)

Source: www.biographybase.com

Roald Dahl
He described his life in two books, "Boy" and "Going Solo". The first volume deals with his childhood, the second one with his life after school.
His parents were from Norway, but he was born in Wales, 1916. The family used to spend the summer holidays on a little Norwegian island, swimming, fishing and going by boat. When Roald was four years old, his father died, so his mother had to organise the trip alone for herself and her six children.
At school, he was always homesick. At St. Peter's Prep School, all the letters home were controlled by the headmaster, and afterwards at Repton Public School, he had to wear a horrible school uniform [with braces, waist coat, hat and lots of buttons, all black]. The younger boys were often punished by the headmaster and the older boys called prefects. Roald lays much emphasis on describing the school-beatups in his book. You could get beaten for small mistakes like leaving a football sock on the floor, for burning the prefect's toast at teatime or for forgetting to change into house-shoes at six o'clock. The most terrible beatings, however, were given by the headmaster himself, who was also a clergyman. He was so cruel, that he made a pause after each beat to smoke his pipe and talk about sins and wrongdoing, while the boy had to remain kneeling. After ten beats, the victim was told to wash away the blood first, before putting on the trousers. By the way, this headmaster became later the Archbishop of Canterbury. Roald Dahl kept telling himself, that if this was one of God's chosen men, there was something going very wrong about the whole business.
After school, Roald Dahl didn't go to university, but applied for a job at the Shell company, because he was sure they would send him abroad. He was sent to East Africa, where he got the adventure he wanted: great heat, crocodiles, snakes and safaries. He lived in the jungle, learned to speak Swahili and suffered from malaria. When the second World War broke out, he went to Nairobi to join the Royal Air Force. He was a fighter pilot and shot down German planes and got shot down himself. After 6 months in hospital he flew again.
In 1942, he went to Washington as Assistant Air Attaché. There, he started writing short stories. In 1943, he published his first children's book "The Gremlins" with Walt Disney and in 1945 his first book of short stories appeared in the US. His marriage with the actress Patricia Neal was unhappy. None of their kids survived, his wife suffered a stroke. When she regained consciousness, she could hardly read, count and talk. But Roald managed to nurse her back to health, so that she could act again. Nevertheless, he got divorced in 1983 and married Felicity Crosland. He recieved several awards, such as the Edgar Allan Poe Award.
His collections of short stories have been translated into many languages and have been best-sellers all over the world. Among them are "Someone Like You", "Sweet Mystery Of Life", "Kiss Kiss" and "Roald Dahl's Book of Ghost Stories". He wrote TV series like "Tales of the Unexpected" and the novel "My Uncle Oswald".
His books are mostly fantasy, and full of imagination. They are always a little cruel, but never without humour - a thrilling mixture of the grotesque and comic. A frequent motif is, that people are not, what they appear to be. Mary Maloney in "Lamb to the Slaughter", for example, is not a friendly widow, but a clever murderess. In his stories, the background is perfectly worked out: details are very close to reality.
Roald Dahl didn't only write books for grown-ups, but also for children, such as "James and the Giant Peach", "Fantastic Mr. Fox" and "The Gremlins". About his children's stories he said once: "I make my points by exaggerating wildly. That's the only way to get through to children." Roald Dahl is perhaps the most popular and best-selling children's book author. However, these stories are so sarcastic and humorous, that also adults appreciate reading them.
Roald Dahl died in November 1990. The Times called him "one of the most widely read and influential writers of our generation"

Source: http://home.rotfl.org/me/r_dahl/r_dahl.html

THANKS LILIANA!!!

WEBSITES!

I think you'll love these websites...

Advanced English Lessons

English Listening Lesson Library OnLine

How To Prepare Proper English Tea

As it's a very cold day Iam sending you some tips to prepare a good English tea. If you like them put them in the blog.

Thanks, Liliana

http://www.chelmsfordtea.com/howto-prepare-tea.htm


· Boil the water when making black tea. If making a green, oolong or white tea, do not boil the water; the leaves should be infused around 185 degrees F. or they will extract bitterness.
· Preheat your teapot with warm water to maintain optimum brewing temperature.
· Measure the tea. Too much or too little can ruin all efforts to make a good tasting tea.
· Place the tea into the mesh infuser of your teapot or a mesh tea ball. If using a tea ball, do not fill it more than half full because the tea leaves will double in size when infused.
· Just as the water reaches the boiling point, turn off the flame. Do not overboil the water or it loses oxygen, and tastes flat. Pour out the warm water in the pot. Insert the mesh infuser and pour the water onto the leaves. When the loose tea and boiling water meet, the leaves unfurl and unveil their flavorful infusion. This is called "the Agony of the Leaves."
· Time the infusion. You only want to extract flavor, not the bitter tannins. Depending upon the tea variety and your particular taste, infusions take 3 to 5 minutes.
· Remove the mesh infuser. Cover your pot with a cozy to keep the tea warm and enjoy a cup.

Private Affairs

Dear George,
I am writing to invite you to visit me in Argentina for 4 weeks in order to attend my English graduation ceremony and also to stay afterwards for a holiday. The date of my graduation is 17th December 2010 . After graduation, I would like you to stay for a brief 3-week holiday in Argentina
Why Buenos Aires? Well, you were born in Lexington, Kentucky. You have been nominated for Emmies in 1995 and 1996, and won lots of prizes. You have had many high-profile relationships. You are a film star, a producer, a writer and an active charity fundraiser but you havent danced tango or eaten our delicious beef or sailed in our lakes. Have you ever walked over the biggest glacier on the world? Have you ever been splashed in the face by the water of a 230 ft. high fall? Have you been in front of a "franca" whale and watched it sinking in and emerging out of the ocean?
This is just a brief view of what you will find in Argentina. You should visit it. We should meet again and Argentina is the place.


Your friend,
Liliana

P.S Ah! The last question .Have you ever met a woman like me?
How's is Nina Clooney ,your mother?

Texts and Tweets: myths and realities

I've received a video about David Crystal' s opinion on text messaging.

David is a an Irish writer, editor, lecturer, and broadcaster

It is very interesting! Check it out!

http://vodpod.com/watch/3937737-david-crystal-texts-and-tweets-myths-and-realities

VOCABULARY

Manga (para subir al avión)

Jetway (coll.)
Passenger Boarding Bridge (Tech.)

Source: http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=615997

Men's Brain v Women's Brain

Watch and listen to the following video, enjoy it and answer the questions below:




- According to Mark, what's the main difference between men's brain and women's brain?

- What's "men's special box"?

- What do women expect from men when they are worried or angry about something?

- Did you enjoy Mark's humour? Why/ why not?

Link

Liliana has sent me an interesting link

Satellite SACD-Aquarius

The satellite will be launched on 1 april 2011

Here the news
http://elnoticialista.blogspot.com/2010/06/satelite-argentino-sac-d-aquarius-sera.html

Application Letter for a Scholarship

I'm posting some comments and samples to analyse in class:

When you are applying for a university scholarship, it is essential to introduce yourself.
You will see that each university has its own requirements and even a website form which you must fill in and a formal letter to comply with.

Read the following samples and list the items that must / should be included.

Sample 1
(source: http://www.englishforums.com/English/ApplicationLetterUniversity-Scholarship/bnknx/post.htm)

As I already had the "*** experience" during my study abroad from May to August 2005, I would like to do my Master of Business at your university. I enjoyed the community of *** as well as the quality of the courses and lectures. Therefore, I would like to apply for the *** scholarship.
I am currently studying Industrial Management in Global Markets at the ***. My major is Human Resource Management. I will graduate with my "Diplom" degree in March 2006. To deepen my knowledge and to specialise in the field of International Business, I intend to do my Master of Business. During my German studies I already gained some theoretical background about international relations, for example in the course "Training in Personal Competence" or "Industrial Management in Global Markets".
I finished my intermediate examination ("Vordiplom") with the grade "excellent" (90 points) in the German university system. Moreover, I completed an apprenticeship as an industrial clerk at *** during my German studies. For my study abroad semester at your university I took the subjects ***. I finished my semester with a cumulative percentage average of 80.
My career goal is to work in an international company where this Master degree would be helpful. I am interested in travelling and getting to know different cultures and people from various countries around the world.
I worked in the public relations team at my German university until April 2005 where I took over the task of writing articles for students and lecturers. During my study abroad semester I held the position as a study abroad liasion. I really liked to be part of the *** life.
I am an opne-minded and friendly person who is interested in international aspects and intercultural relations. Therefore, I would enjoy studying at your university which has a high proportion of international students. It is possible to get to know people from more than one country. Normally, this would require a world tour. Furthermore, I am keen on looking beyond my own nose to learn from other nationalities and cultures. Only personal experience can give you a real view of other cultures and behaviours.
Moreover, people, especially other students, describe me as a team player who cares about her group members. I am ambitious and like to handle challenging tasks and to take the responsibility for it. Therefore, I was the "CEO" for the group project in the subject ***. To be responsible for the success of a team and to develop a "real team" was a great experience, which was an immense contribution to my further personal and academic development.
I am looking forward to receiving the opportunity to study at your university and to make a great contribution to the *** community.
Yours Sincerely,

Sample 2:

(source: http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/personal_statement.shtml)

As a child I often accompanied my father to his small coin shop and spent hours watching him work. When I was older, I sometimes set up displays, waited on customers, and even balanced the books. This experience instilled in me the desire to own and manage my own business someday, yet I understand that the business world today is more complex. This complexity requires more education, and with that in mind, I am applying to the Master’s of Business Administration program at Indiana University Bloomington (IUB).
In addition to my helping out in my father’s business, I have had numerous other work experiences that further enhance my qualifications for this program. My resume enumerates the various positions I have held at Kerasotes Theaters, Chili’s restaurants, and Indiana University’s new Student Recreational Sports Center (SRSC), and what all of these positions have in common is an emphasis on serving the public effectively. Further, as an assistant manager at the Showplace 11 and a staff coordinator at the SRSC, I have gained valuable expertise in managing employees and creating work schedules. Both of these positions have allowed me to develop my sales and people skills, which are extremely important in an increasingly service-driven marketplace.
Not all of my work experience has been as a paid employee. Part of my volunteering experience at Middleway House, the local battered women’s shelter, involved extensive work on computers, including word processing, organizing databases and creating spreadsheets. Also, I recently participated in an internship program for academic credit with the Eli Lilly corporation in the personnel division. As a management intern, I was able to watch the workings of a major corporation up close and would like the opportunity to combine my experiences with the theoretical background available in the MBA program at IUB, with its emphasis on computers, marketing and human resources.
My successful internship is one element of my overall academic success as an undergraduate here at IUB, yet I have also made time for a variety of extracurricular activities, including working for my sorority and competing in intramural basketball. My positive experiences here have resulted in my desire to stay in Bloomington to continue my academic endeavors; furthermore, continuing my education here would allow me to make important business contacts, with the career goal of opening my own computer consulting firm in the Midwest.
Produced by Writing Tutorial Services, Indiana University, Bloomington

PP!

Hi everybody!, here's the latin definition of "pp":

Per Procurationem (used on letters signed on another person's behalf).

I found it in www.acronymfinder.com (great tool!)

Have a nice weekend!!

The Value of Education

Liliana would like to share the following scenes from two famous movies. Thanks Liliana!


The Mirrow Has Two Faces



Dead Poets Society

Augmented Reality

Luciana would like to share this video about the topic of her presentation.

Thanks, Luciana!

String Instruments Presentation

Here we are, Sol and I playing the last music example. We enjoyed a lot making this presentation, and we hope it were the same for all of you.

MUSIC AT SIGEN

Jose Luis and guest musician, Martin, at their peak!

Check In Joke

In relation with the topics that we were dealing with at last Friday's class, I thought that this joke could be funny.

WAVING FLAG

When I get older, I will be stronger

They’ll call me freedom, just like a Waving Flag

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Waving Flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back

Born to a throne, stronger than Rome
But Violent prone, poor people zone
But it’s my home, all I have known
Where I got grown, streets we would roam
But out of the darkness, I came the farthest
Among the hardest survival
Learn from these streets, it can be bleak
Except no defeat, surrender retreat

So we struggling, fighting to eat and
We wondering when we’ll be free
So we patiently wait, for that fateful day
It’s not far away, so for now we say

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Waving Flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back

So many wars, settling scores
Bringing us promises, leaving us poor
I heard them say, love is the way
Love is the answer, that’s what they say,
But look how they treat us, make us believers
We fight their battles, then they deceive us
Try to control us, they couldn’t hold us
Cause we just move forward like Buffalo Soldiers

But we struggling, fighting to eat
And we wondering, when we’ll be free
So we patiently wait, for that faithful day
It’s not far away, but for now we say

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Waving Flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Waving Flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back

(Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhhh Ohhhh)
And everybody will be singing it
(Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhhh Ohhhh)
And you and I will be singing it
(Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhhh Ohhhh)
And we all will be singing it
(Ohhh Ohh Ohh Ohh)

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Waving Flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Waving Flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back

When I get older, when I get older
I will be stronger, just like a Waving Flag
Just like a Waving Flag, just like a Waving flag
Flag, flag, Just like a Waving Flag.

Fuente: musica.com
Letra añadida por L!nK!n

STEVE JOBS' COMMENCEMENT SPEECH

YOU CAN ALSO CLICK HERE AND READ IT SIMULTANEOUSLY

MERE COINCIDENCE?

...or something deeper?

Source: http://www.naute.com/stories/lincoln.phtml

Consider this:

Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846. John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.
Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860. John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.
The names Lincoln and Kennedy each contain seven letters. Both were particularly concerned with civil rights. Both wives lost a son while living in the White House.
Both Presidents were shot on a Friday. Both were shot behind the head.
Here is an interesting one... Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy. Kennedy's secretary was named Lincoln.
Both were assassinated by Southerners. Both were succeeded by Southerners.
Both successors were named Johnson. Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808. Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.
John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln was born in 1839. Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy was born in 1939.
Both assassins were known by their three names. Both names are made of fifteen letters.
Mr. Booth shot Lincoln in a Theatre called "Ford". Lee Harvey Oswald, shot Kennedy in a car called "Ford" Lincoln.
Booth ran from a theater and was caught in a warehouse.
Oswald ran from a warehouse and was caught in a theater.
Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.
And last but not least, A month before Lincoln was shot he was in Monroe,
Maryland. A month before Kennedy was shot he was with Marilyn Monroe.

ARGENTINA'S BICENTENNIAL

Have you seen THE BIG PICTURE?

What do you think about it?

Lindy Hop - "that's not dancing, it's acrobatics!"

i was curious about the style of dancing named in page 14. it seems easy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTg5V2oA_hY

MORE ABOUT PRESENTATIONS

Are you getting ready? Have you made up your mind about the topic and organization of your presentation?

This expert gives us some tips:

HISTORY OF ARGENTINA...

Hi everybody,

Carolina would like to share this video with you all:

CLASS VOCABULARY

Cargoso/a:

This guy is a nuisance/ is annoying / is irritating

This woman is a pain in the neck

GIVING PRESENTATIONS!

Don't you think there are similarities between "giving a presentation" and sitting for an "oral exam"?

Let's watch the following video and tell me if you agree with the 1st. tip the speaker gives us...

Equal Pay for Women? Not Till 2050

Hi :

I want to share this article with you.


Liliana



Equal Pay for Women? Not Till 2050

By Kate Lorenz, CareerBuilder.com Editor

.



Did you know that, according to the AFL-CIO, the average 25-year-old woman who works full-time, year-round until she retires at age 65 (if that's when she's able to retire) will earn $523,000 less than the average working man?



At the current rate of change, working women will not achieve equal pay until after the year 2050. That's almost 100 years after President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law, prohibiting discrimination based on sex resulting in unequal pay for equal work.



On average, women make 78 percent of men's wages, according to a 2003 study by the U.S. Department of Labor. This is, however, a marked improvement over 25 years ago -- in 1979, women made 62 percent of what men earned.



It Varies By Race

The pay gap differs by race, with the earnings of white women being just 78 percent of those of white men; black women making 91 percent as much as their male counterparts; and Hispanic women earning 88 percent of what Hispanic men earn. The Rutgers School of Management Relations says this is primarily because white men still earn the most among all groups of workers.



It's Wider Among Professionals

Even though women earn less than do men at all education levels, women are gaining ground. Earnings for women with a college degree have risen by one-third since 1979, versus only 19 percent for men.



Interestingly, the wage gap is largest among the most highly educated groups.A researcher exploring the pay and promotion gap among statisticians attributed this to women not wanting to put themselves forward as candidates for competition. She found that while most women did not apply for higher jobs because they believed they needed more time and preparation, ironically, those who did apply actually had more success than their male counterparts.



While causes of the gender pay gap are complex and include work/family choices, data on women's dramatically lower recognition in domains where their talents and achievements are equal to men's imply there is a tendency to undervalue a woman's work and contributions.



Occupation Matters

The pay gap appears in all occupations, including those with severe shortages where salaries should be the most competitive to attract top candidates. Consider physicians, with numbers declining due to high insurance costs and the number of years in training. Females doctors only earn 58 percent of their male counterparts' salaries. Even in predominantly female fields like nursing and teaching, women still earn less than men: female nurses earn 91 percent and female teachers earn 87 percent of what their male counterparts do.



Jobs with the smallest gender pay gaps include legal assistants, where women earn 90 percent of what men do, as well as male-dominated occupations like engineering, where women earn 92 percent as much as men, and police and detective work, where women earn almost 80 percent as much as men do.



According to Labor Department figures, women who choose nontraditional careers such as dentists (just 20 percent are women) or airline pilots or navigators (less than 4 percent are female), can expect to have lifetime earnings that are 150 percent higher than those of women who choose traditional careers.



Pay Vs. Satisfaction

Despite the pay gap, according to several studies, women are actually more satisfied at work!



CareerBuilder.com's recent "Pulse of the Worker" survey found that despite receiving lower raises, fewer bonuses and having lower expectations for being promoted, women were more likely than men to report that, overall, they are happy with their jobs.



Who said a woman is never satisfied?

(videos) Saludos y Disculpas

Well, as I mentioned on class, here we have some funny videos that exagerate many Japanese traditions, like, in first and second case, the Apologizing methods.



Have in mind the "non common" Japanese sense of humor. I like all the videos from this series.







..and more from the series HERE...


The video about the chopsticks (palitos) and the one about sushi are great.

About the "degree of respect" to the chatting person -- Chan, Kun, San ...like Reposo San ;) --:

Click HERE

See ya.

WRITING REPORTS

AS REGARDS WRITING...

Let's start by reading about different types of texts.

Today:

TYPICAL EXPOSITORY TEXT STRUCTURES

THE EXPOSITORY TEXT

MAKE and DO (Collocations)

I would like to share with you my own personal list.
Remember to post a message if you find more collocations. Thanks!

MAKE

A plan
A mistake
A choice
An offer
A noise
Some arrangements
A phone call
A suggestion
Love
A decision
Money
An attempt to do something
A profit in business
A loss in business
An effort
War
Peace
An effort
Sure
An excuse
Progress
An exception
The bed
A list

DO

The washing
Business
The ironing
Your best Better
The shopping
Me a favour
The housework
The homework
Some work
The laundry
Some research
A sport (e.g. yoga)
The boring job
Good
Right
Wrong
Harm
Damage

WELCOME!