MOTHER'S DAY COMING UP
CULTURE
SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING SOME DAY
Can you imagine seeing this? Or even living in it?
BRITISH ICONS
What is an icon?
An icon is a pictorial representation, an image, a sign whose form suggests its meaning.
Examples of well-known icons:
and so on...
http://www.icons.org.uk/theicons
Click on the above link to explore British icons and find out more about them.
TAKE A VIRTUAL TOUR
http://www.london.gov.uk/london-life/sport-and-leisure/zoom/index.jsp
If you have a few minutes to spare, enjoy yourself with a virtual tour of famous London landmarks. Click on the link above, select from the list, and GO!
SCHOOL CARTOONS
WHO WAS ST PATRICK?
St. Patrick: From Slave to Saint
by Grainne Rowland
"Watch out! Hide! Here come the raiders!" My family's servants were screaming and running for cover. I watched in horror as my father's land and house were overrun. The raiders came with the Irish king, Niall of the Nine Hostages.
Suddenly, I was grabbed from behind, tied up, and roughly pushed towards a waiting ship. I, Succat, was being taken as a slave!
I struggled to get free. I thought of how angry my father would be when he learned that his son had been kidnapped. My father was the most powerful man in that part of Britain. Surely he would rescue me!
I was thrown on board the ship with the other captives. The ship quickly sailed away. The raiders began to celebrate their successful attack. I knew then there would be no rescue. I was only sixteen years old.
In Ireland, I was sold to Miliucc, a chieftain in County Antrim. I was forced to herd pigs in cold and rainy weather. I was hungry, wet, and shivery with cold. Always, I was lonely.
I was a slave for six long years. I learned the Irish language and the customs of the Irish people. I also learned to pray.
One night in a dream, I heard a voice say, "Behold, your ship is ready." I woke up and knew my chance to escape had arrived! I began my long walk to freedom.
After many days, I reached Wexford, 200 miles away. I found a ship nearly ready to sail. But the captain was searching for someone to care for a pack of Irish wolfhounds on the journey. I was just the person! I was on my way home!
The ship landed in northern Gaul, where there was only desert. For many days, we wandered in that desert. We found no food. The sailors made fun of my God. They asked why He didn't send us food. So I prayed. To the sailors' surprise, a large herd of pigs came into sight, squealing and grunting. It was enough meat for not only the men, but all the wolfhounds as well!
On the day I walked into my home again, my mother and father ran to hug me. They both talked at once and asked question after question, never giving me time to answer. That night, I was the guest at a huge party. I was given many gifts.
During the next few years, I studied in several places. I finally became a priest. It was then that I was given the name Patrick.
One night, I had another dream. I saw the people of Ireland. They pleaded with me, saying, "We beg you, holy youth, to come and walk among us once more." I knew I must return to Ireland.
When I arrived back in Ireland, I first went to Tara, the home of Irish kings. I asked King Leary's permission to preach in the country. He agreed and I began to travel throughout Ireland. I brought many people to the Christian faith.
In about the year 441, I spent 40 days alone on a rocky, windy mountain praying for the Irish people. The mountain is now known as Croagh Patrick, or the Mountain of Patrick.
One day, I was telling the people about God. They did not understand. So I picked a shamrock and showed them that there are three leaves but only one plant. Then the people could better understand that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit make only one God. That is why, when you see a picture of me, I am usually holding a shamrock.
I trained new Irish priests, and they learned many things. They knew how to copy and beautifully decorate the Bible and other books. They copied everything by hand and made paint from plants and minerals. In later years, the people of Europe forgot about learning. The Irish monks and scholars kept copying books and kept important knowledge alive.
Not long before I died, I built a large stone cathedral in the town of Armagh. I also had a school built there. It later became a famous university.
I died on March 17, 493, in the town of Saul, in Co. Down. This was the same place I had built my first church.
Many towns wanted the honor of giving me a burial place. So my body was put on a wagon drawn by two oxen. The oxen pulled the cart to the town of Downpatrick. There I was buried.
My body lies in a cemetery next to the Downpatrick Cathedral. The grave is marked by a large granite stone and the name Patrick.
And so, on March 17th, St Patrick is celebrated by the Irish, wherever they are in the world. Thy do it with parades, festivals, parties, beer drinking and wear green clothes or accessories.
REAL, FUNNY ADVERTISEMENTS
The World's Funniest Real Ads
Believe it or not, these ads actually found their way into newspapers all over the world:
Braille dictionary for sale. Must see to appreciate.
FOR SALE BY OWNER: Complete set of Encyclopedia Britannica. 45 volumes. Excellent condition. $1,000.00 or best offer. No longer needed. Got married last weekend. Wife knows everything.
Help wanted, singer for rock band. Must be female or male.
For sale, Hope Chest, brand new, half off, long story.
Lost: small brown poodle. Reward. Neutered. Like one of the family.
Four-posted bed, 101 years old. Perfect for antique lover.
Wanted: Part-time married girls for soda fountain in sandwich shop.
Man wanted to work in dynamite factory. Must be willing to travel.
Christmas sale. Handmade gifts for the hard-to- find person.
Wanted, man to take care of cows that does not smoke or drink.
Three-year old teacher needed for pre-school. Experience preferred.
Wanted. Widower with school-age children requires person to assume general housekeeping duties. Must be capable of contributing to growth of family.
Tired of working for only $9.75 per hour? We offer profit sharing and flexible hours. Starting pay: $7 -- $9 per hour.
Our sofa seats the whole mob and it's made of 100% Italian leather.
Open house body shapers toning salon free coffee and donuts
Found: dirty white dog. Looks like a rat... been out while. Better be reward.
ALZHEIMER'S CENTER PREPARES FOR AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER.
Free Yorkshire Terrier: 8 years old. Hateful little dog.
Free puppies: ½ cocker spaniel, ½ sneaky neighbor's dog.
Free puppies: part German Shepherd, part stupid dog.
German Shepherd, 85 lbs. Neutered. Speaks German. Free.
Snow Blower for sale...only used on snowy days.
Bill's Septic Cleaning: "We Haul American-Made Products."
Cows, calves never bred...also 1 gay bull for sale.
Nice Parachute - Never opened. Used once.
Hummels - Largest selection ever. "If it's in stock, then we have it!"
Shakespeare's Pizza. Free chopsticks.
Something to give you happy laughs before coming back! Remember, all us teachers love you!
Welcome back everyone! I'm looking forward to seeing you all again. Make the most of these last few days and enjoy your end-of-holidays.
THE WORLD OF MR MEN
Remember Mr Men? And Little Miss?
Here is a place to renew your memories of them and fun things to do!
http://www.mrmen.net/games.php
VALENTINE'S DAY
Chocolate! A treat for the senses!
SNOOPY IS THE BEST
I hope you enjoyed it
ENGLISH SKILLS ARE IMPORTANT JOB-GETTERS
The ability to speak English well is one of the most important things that newcomers need to obtain employment. Those with strong English skills will become employable much faster than those who have only basic English skills. There are some jobs where English skills are not as important, but they tend to be jobs that will not pay a very high salary. Written English skills are also extremely important to many employers.
Improving your English skills can take as long as two or more years. You want to get started as quickly as possible and take every opportunity you can to speak English to others.
Some ways to improve your English
- Take an English as a Second Language (ESL) course.
- Go to places where you can speak English. Join a club, a place of worship, a social organization or a conversation circle. Try to spend as much time as possible speaking English.
- Watch television, listen to the radio and read the newspaper in English. The news is an especially good choice because you will also learn about your new community and your new country.
- Ask your teacher, friends and family members to help you if you use an improper word or phrase. Ask them to correct your pronunciation and grammar.
Why Speaking Proper English is Important for your Career
A number of studies have consistently demonstrated that those who have an advanced knowledge of the English language are much more likely to advance their careers. In addition to this, these studies have also demonstrated that a strong command of the English language will lead to higher paying jobs, more social mobility, and a great deal of social success.
No matter what career you choose, whether it is Engineering or History, having a powerful command of the English language will greatly increase your chances of success. Generally speaking, your vocabulary will need to be equal to those who are in the same career field.
However, if you want to surpass your colleagues, and make yourself more marketable, you will need to increase your English skills, and make them superior to the other people who work in your field. While you may not realize it, people will judge you by the way you speak.
Barriers that you will need to Overcome
Most of us are familiar with how people feel about appearances, but the manner in which you speak is also important. Even if you are dressed nicely, using poor grammar will show that you are wolf in sheep’s clothing. You might look nice on the outside, but you’re not so nice on the inside. To succeed, you must focus on your appearance as well as your manner of speaking.
Most people underestimate the importance of mastering English. This is especially true for people who live in English speaking countries such as the United States or Great Britain. Because they are raised speaking the language, they don’t feel that it is all that important. They think they can get by on the basic language classes they took in school while they were children.
However, only having a basic knowledge of English will not open career doors. If you speak only an average level of English, people will think you’re average. If you speak in a manner that is eloquent, this will create a powerful impression.
The first barrier you will need to overcome is the belief that Basic English is enough. When I say Basic English, I’m referring to the English that most Americans speak on a daily basis. While the English language is made up of about 700,000 words, the typical American only uses 50,000 in their day-to-day conversations. Most educated people who have earned a degree in college, or who read lots of books, will have a vocabulary that is closer to 100,000, twice the amount of the average American. These people are much more likely to land high-paying jobs. To be successful, it must be your goal to learn 100,000 words or more.
Many people have a poor command of the English language because they don’t read. I always laugh when I hear people say that they hate to read. These people don’t realize that they are destroying their chances of being economically successful. Not only does reading allow you to build up your vocabulary, but it also allows you to become more informed, learning things about the world around you.
Reading can increase your IQ. Watching television cannot do this, and some would even argue that it does the opposite. The first step in speaking English property is to learn more vocabulary.
Increasing Your Vocabulary Can be Accomplished at any Age
No matter how old you are, it is very unlikely that you’ve mastered every word in your language. What this means is that increasing your vocabulary should be a life long journey, and it shouldn’t be something that you stop just because you graduate from high school or even college. Many people make the mistake of only wanting to improve their vocabulary when they have to take a test.
When you do this, it will not help you improve your vocabulary over the long term. While you may do well on the test temporarily, the information that you learned will be forgotten, because you didn’t take the time to store it in your brain for the long term.
One of the best ways to improve your vocabulary is to read a lot of books. While you will naturally want to read something that interests you, it should also be something that is challenging. If you don’t challenge yourself, you will never be able to increase your vocabulary. You must learn a new word on a consistent basis, and you must learn to use that word.
How Reading Improves Your Vocabulary Level
It has been shown that reading will improve your vocabulary dramatically. When your read, your brain is forced to analyze the words that are on the page. You must scan the pages with your eyes, and your brain must interpret their meaning. As you can imagine, this is a very complex process. While you can increase your vocabulary by reading books within your favorite genre, it has been shown that you will increase your vocabulary even more by reading books that are not in your genre. If you place an emphasis on reading non-fiction books, not only can you increase your vocabulary, but you will also increase your general knowledge as well.
When you read a variety of books, you will naturally come across words that you don’t know. Instead of just skipping these words, make a note of them. You should take the time to research them, so that you can find out what they mean. The very act of taking note of a word before looking it up has been shown to greatly enhance the vocabulary skill of the people who do it. Another great way to improve your vocabulary is by playing word games. Not only can these games educate you, they are fun and entertaining.
The Importance of Word Games
Word games such as Scrabble are a great way to have fun while building your vocabulary at the same time. Your brain will be forced to play with the letters, and in addition to working with words, you will also learn new words. One additional tool that you might want to include in Scrabble is a dictionary. When you use a dictionary while playing Scrabble, you will be encouraged to use words that you wouldn’t normally use. Another great thing about word games is that they are interactive. As you play the game, you can also enjoy the company of others.
Crossword puzzles are another great way to build up your vocabulary while having fun at the same time. Many newspapers or magazines will have word puzzles, and you will want to use them. You can greatly improve your vocabulary by working with these puzzles on a weekly basis. It should also be noted that the puzzles will become harder each week. While it may sound strange, reading the dictionary is a great way to strengthen your vocabulary. While most people get their dictionary when they want to look up a word, why not read it?
CURIOUS BUILDINGS
House of Falling Furniture (San Francisco)
The Crooked House (Poland)
The Crazy House (Vietnam)
How would you feel living in places like these?
FUNNY THINGS
Remember the lady who had octuplets?
There was an old woman who lived in a shoe.
She had so many children, she didn't know what to do.
She gave them some broth without any bread,
Then whipped them all soundly and put them to bed.
by Nick Newman (The TimesOnline)
Commentary
The cartoon connects the birth of octuplets to a Californian mother earlier in the week with Obama's hectic first week in office. The babies represent Obama's policy initiatives. The joke comes from the play on the word "deliver". When someone delivers a baby, they help the woman who is giving birth. However, if someone "delivers", they do what they said they would do: This administration doesn't promise what it can't deliver.
The cartoon connects the birth of octuplets to a Californian mother earlier in the week with Obama's hectic first week in office. The babies represent Obama's policy initiatives. The joke comes from the play on the word "deliver". When someone delivers a baby, they help the woman who is giving birth. However, if someone "delivers", they do what they said they would do: This administration doesn't promise what it can't deliver.
FUNNY VIDEO
VIRTUAL HOLIDAYS
How about a virtual tour of Maui?
Visit : http://www.hawaiiholidays.com/pano/mau/mau.htm and learn something about this (they say) wonderful island.
Explore Kew Gardens in London in this fascinating virtual tour:
http://www.explore-kew-gardens.net/blackBack.htm
Visit the Taj Mahal in India: http://www.taj-mahal.net/augEng/main_screen.htm
Visit the Cannes International Boat Show: http://www.salonnautiquecannes.com/site/GB/Visitors/360_Virtual_Visits,I244.htm
Greetings and have a good time!
CURIOUS STUFF
