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!