Videoblog Available

Hello my dear!!!

Well, it's better late than never but as I promised you already have the videoblog with the pictures I took during the course...

I hope you like it!!

Although I won't be your teacher anymore, you know you have this blog for whatever you want, ok??

April 23rd - World Book and Copyright Day

23 April, a symbolic date for world literature because on this date and in the same year 1616, Cervantes and Shakespeare died. It is also the date of birth or death of other prominent authors such as Maurice Druon, K.Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla and Manuel Mejía Vallejo. It was a natural choice for UNESCO's General Conference to pay a world-wide tribute to books and authors on this date, encouraging everyone, and in particular young people, to discover the pleasure of reading and gain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of those who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity.
The idea for this celebration originated in Catalonia where on 23 April, Saint George's Day, a rose is traditionally given as a gift for each book sold. In the UK and Ireland this celebration takes place on Thursday 6th March.
The success of the World Book and Copyright Day will depend primarily on the support received from all parties concerned (authors, publishers, teachers, librarians, public and private institutions, humanitarian NGOs and the mass media), who have been mobilized in each country by UNESCO National Commissions, UNESCO Clubs, Centres and Associations, Associated Schools and Libraries, and by all those who feel motivated to work together in this world celebration of books and authors.
Source: United Nations, Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Now have a look at William Shakespeare's sonnet XVIII and then listen to it carefully:


Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.

This link will lead you to a Modern English version of the poem.
Here you will also find a film I've made taking into account the poem. You can also make one with Windows Movie Maker!

A Ghost Story: Smee, by A.M. Burrage

Alfred McLelland Burrage was born in 1889 and died in 1956. His father and uncle were both successful authors, and he also proved to be adept at writing, publishing his first story at the age of 15.

For most of his life he lived in London and was a prolific author of short fiction for magazines, mainly superlative ghost stories along with more predictable romances. In early 1917 he joined the Artists Rifles (28th Battalion, London Regiment) and served until he was evacuated due to trench foot in April 1918.

He was one of the few (perhaps the only?) professional writers to have served, survived, and published his experiences as a private soldier. In 1930, War Is War (E. P. Dutton & Co. Inc., New York, 288p.) appeared under the pseudonym "Ex-Private X", the Foreword saying that "were it otherwise I could not tell the truth about myself and others".

Now listen to one of his ghost stories, Smee.

Sing Along

April Fool's Day

You know that in Spain and in Latin American countries the Feast of the Holy Innocents (Día de los Santos Inocentes) is celebrated on 28th December. However, in many other countries these hoaxes and pranks are usual activities on 1st April, a date called April Fool's Day.


If you want to know more about this day, its history and read some famous hoaxes, go to the following links:

Wikipedia entry
The Origin of April's Fool Day

If you want, you can see a video where some people are pranked. But first, try to look up these words: (it will be useful to understand the video!)
funnel
prank
pants (US)
pour
pretend
coin
forehead
drop (verb) (it in)
sting (verb) ("It stings!")
smell (verb)



Here you are, another exercise to learn more about this day. Don't panic! It's quite easy!
Zona Clic: April Fool's Day

Easter

The History of Easter

Saint Patrick's Day: 17th March

What do you know about Ireland, St Patrick and St Patrick's Day?

1. Watch the Slide and learn about Ireland.
   
2. Read the text about Ireland and answer the questions provided.
3. Then, have a look at the History of St Patrick's Day and watch the video. Now you are ready to answer these quizzes:
1. Irish Quiz.
2. History of St. Patrick's Day and History of Ireland Quiz.
4. As you have seen, this day is not only celebrated in Ireland but in the USA as well. Do you know why?
5. As you will guess, there is an official web site which gives you details of the festival's events and the Parade arranged for that day. It is St Patrick's Festival.

GAMES

• A Hangman

Eurovision 2008

Well, Spain has already got a candidate for next Eurovision Song Contest in Belgrade, Serbia. He's Rodolfo Chikilicuatre and he got most of the points in the show presented by Rafaella Carrà in TVE last Saturday 8th March.
But if you thought that Rodolfo Chikilicuatre was a freak, what would you think once you see Ireland's candidate? He (or It) is Dustin the Turkey and his (or its) song is "Ireland douze pointe". Watch the video of this puppet, read the lyrics and then write what you think about this question: Are Ireland and Spain contributing to make a mockery of the Eurovision Contest?



Oh I come, from a nation
What knows how to write a song…
Oh Europe, where or where did it all go wrong….?

COME ON!!!!!!

Irelande douze points

Drag acts and bad acts and Terry Wogan’s wig
Mad acts and sad acts, it was Johnny Logan’s gig

Shake your feathers and pop your beak
Shake em to the west and to the east
Wave euro hands and euro feet
Wiggle to the edge of the turkey beat

Irelande douze points
Irelande douze points
Irelande douze points
Do the funky beat

D O E double B L E Yeah

Hello Abba, hello Bono, hello Helsinki
Ola Prague, hello sailor, se la vie
Alvida sein Mama Mia, and god save the Queen
Bon joir Serbia, good day Austria
You know what I mean?

Shake your feathers and pop your beak
Shake em to the west and to the east
Wave euro hands and euro feet
Wiggle to the edge of the turkey beat

Shake your feathers and pop your beak
Shake em to the west and to the east
Wave euro hands and euro feet
Wiggle to the edge of the turkey beat

Irelande douze points
Irelande douze points
Irelande douze points
(and fart!)
Irelande douze points
Irelande douze points
Irelande douze points
Do the funky beat
COME ON!!

Give us another chance, we’re sorry for riverdance
Sure Flately he’s a yank
And the Danube flows through France
Block voting, shock voting
Give your 12 today
You’re all invited to Dublin Ireland
And we’ll party the Shamrock way

Irelande douze points
Irelande douze points
Irelande douze points
Irelande douze points
Irelande douze points
Do the funky beat
COME ON!!

Irelande douze points
Irelande douze points

Eastern Europe we love you
Do you like Irish stew?
Or goulash as it is to you?

Shake your feathers

Listen Bulgaria we love you
Belarus, Georgia, Montenegro,
Moldavia, Albania, Croatia,
Poland, Russia, Ukraine,
Macedonia, Love you Turkey
Hungary, Estonia, Slovakia,
Armenia, Bosnia Herzegovina
And don’t forget the Swiss!

Politics: Spain's General Election Campaign

Spain's choice

Published: March 3 2008 02:00 | Last updated: March 3 2008 02:00

Spain's general election campaign, now reaching its climax, has been a dispiriting spectacle. Against the background of an economy weakened by the end of cheap credit and a sharp property market correction, the contenders seem to be trying to bribe or frighten Spanish voters.

That is odd. Spain in the past three decades has become a confident and prosperous democracy. For the first time, wealth has spread throughout what for centuries had been an unevenly developed country, where it had developed at all. If all you did was listen to Spanish politicians, you probably would not guess that.

Spain's public life has become very polarised. The rightwing opposition Partido Popular, in power for eight years after a 14-year Socialist reign, remains unreconciled to losing the past election, in the wake of the March 2004 Madrid train bombings by north African jihadis.

Instead of acting as a parliamentary opposition, the PP has tried to impugn constitutionally major initiatives of the Socialists, in an effort to paralyse government. Mariano Rajoy, its lacklustre leader, has failed to emerge from the shadow of José María Aznar, the former prime minister, and has colluded in a hysterical campaign by the Catholic hierarchy that calls into question the legitimacy of the government.

José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, the prime minister, has been uninspiring. His social policy has aimed at creating a tolerant and decent society. He managed the macroeconomy competently but did little to address structural weaknesses such as low productivity growth, a weak technology base and a huge current account deficit. He has been self-congratulatory on economic prospects, just as he was overconfident about reaching a peace settlement with the Basque separatists of Eta.

The PP has used these negotiations as a stick to beat the government, part of an attempt to conjure up a caricature of a Spain disintegrating as Basques and Catalans demand ever more devolved power.

Mr Aznar also negotiated with Eta, and allied with regional forces, just like the Socialists - as whoever wins next Sunday may well have to do. The PP's problem is that its current leaders have not completed their journey from Francoist roots to a modern centre-right.

Revealingly, the PP is placing its hopes of victory on Socialist voters staying home; Mr Aznar's attempt to paint the 2004 Madrid bombings as the work of Eta, despite evidence it was carried out by jihadis, was worth 3m extra votes to Mr Zapatero. It is equally revealing that the Socialists do not appear confident they still have them.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008


Zapatero victor in TV debate, say polls

Spain
04/03 13:33 CET

Spain's prime minister emerged the winner from a second pre-election television debate with the opposition leader, according to opinion polls. The socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and the conservative Mariano Rajoy clashed on terrorism, immigration and the economy.

Zapatero said: "I am committed to peace, with Spain at the heart of Europe, by defending international legality. I am committed to a unified and tolerant Spain, which respects plurality, not division, because there will be a better future if we have confidence, not pessimism. And for all that, I ask for your vote and support for the four years to come."

Rajoy picked on the government's record on the economy, and ridiculed its attempts to resolve the problem of the Basque separatists ETA.

"I will offer the leader of the opposition a pact," Rajoy said, "a pact against ETA, to defeat ETA, not to negotiate with ETA. I will also offer him a deal on foreign policy, and also on what I think is a key issue; a deal to consolidate and modernise our social security system, principally on pensions and health. And furthermore, I want to say I won't be the leader of the Popular Party, but first and foremost the leader of every Spaniard, because our aim is to govern without stirring up tension and confrontation."

Two opinion polls on the outcome of the debate, which was the last one before Sunday's vote, put the Prime Minister ahead, winning the match by around 20 per centage points.

FROM EURONEWS

Can Zapatero Cling on? France24

Magazines

What are your interests? Friends, movies, games, music, puberty, health, sex, fashion... I bet that the British and American youth cultures are quite similar to the Spanish one!

Have a look at this online magazine, Slink, and find it out. You can also have a look at Teen, Teen People, and Time for Kids.