Tea Time English

Recruiting Trends: 4 Methods for Finding the Right Talent Filed Under (Talent Management Matters) by Sherry Fox

2011-12-05T09:15:00.000-08:00

http://blog.technologyevaluation.com/blog/2011/11/29/recruiting-trends-4-methods-for-finding-the-right-talent/?referer=tec_nl_en_12052011_adid_17705&tecreferer=tec_nl_en_12052011_adid_17705

When it comes to finding the right talent, today’s organizations have plenty of options. With the increasing popularity of social networking, however, companies are moving away from traditional hiring processes and opting for more technologically driven methods.

Here are four of the more popular recruiting trends and some of the vendors that offer solutions, apps, or services in each of these spaces.

1. Social Media for Recruitment (Social Recruiting)

Because of the sheer volume of information (and traffic) on social media sites, many companies are daunted by the task of having to sift through it, and so have yet to include this platform in their hiring process.

Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter are some of the main social media tools used by today’s forward-thinking organizations. They allow recruiters to target the exact skill sets required for often difficult-to-fill positions.

The amount of traffic that social media sites see is attractive to recruiters and HR executives as a pool of potential candidates—while promoting their company and leveraging relationships that may turn into placements down the road.

Plenty of software vendors have adopted the idea of social networking, providing tools within their talent management or recruiting solutions that allow recruiters to easily find candidates through social networks, friend referrals, and more.

Social recruiting has become the primary focus of many recruiters and staffing firms because, unlike most search engines and job boards, social recruiting strategies promote transparent, two-way communication between an employer and job seeker.

Pros

Helps companies position their brands by targeting workers more dynamically than a job board posting allows

Increases candidate response rate

Allows companies to research on all publically posted information of potential candidates

Cons

If used improperly can actually tarnish a company’s reputation

Is only as good as the effort a company puts into it

May be more susceptible than traditional techniques to favoring or excluding candidates based on characteristics such as race or religion

Social Recruiting Vendors

Jobvite—Jobvite Source is a social sourcing and candidate relationship management (CRM) application that helps companies find relevant talent through employee referrals, social networks, and the Web.

SelectMinds—SelectMinds social recruiting and community management solutions automate the referral process while leveraging the social connections of a company’s current and former employees.

The Resumator—The Resumator is deeply integrated with social networks, using social recruiting tools that make it easy for companies to broadcast job openings across the social Web.

2. Managed Services: Vendor Management Systems and Recruitment Process Outsourcing

A vendor management system (VMS) is a software program that distributes job requirements to staffing companies, recruiters, consulting companies, and independent consultants. It facilitates the interview and hire process, as well as labor time collection, approval, and payment for both contingent, temporary, and (in some cases) full-time employees. A VMS can be used by recruiters within a staffing firm or by an organization’s recruiting department directly.

Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) entails services similar to those of VMS providers; however, RPO service providers generally handle the entire recruitment activity process (and since they manage a multitude of recruiters, their procedures are standardized). RPO services can help organizations to negotiate fees and contractual terms, determine and rate employee service providers (vendors), conduct pre-employment verifications, screen résumés, conduct interviews, and more.

Pros

Puts recruiting in the hands of the professionals

Streamlines the overall candidate hiring process

Benefits from the knowledge and expertise of consultants with regard to labor compliance regulations

Cons

Disconnects HR departments from the hiring process

Requires a well-defined corporate and staffing strategy to succeed

May cost more than an internal recruitment department

VMS and RPO Vendors

Beeline—Beeline’s VMS automates the process of procuring, managing, and analyzing contingent and project-based labor and allows companies to budget, track, and pay time and material and fixed-price milestone payments through consolidated invoicing.

Bond eEmpact—Bond eEmpact provides application tracking, process automation, résumé management, and Outlook integration staffing dashboard for staffing agencies around the globe.

Kenexa—Kenexa’s RPO division uses technology and human ability (through its many experienced consultants) to reach hard-to-find candidates and deliver them on-demand to recruiters.

OneHire—OneHire provides functionality such as applicant tracking and assessments. Its experienced staff can help companies manage a multitude of recruiters as well as help them to consolidate, refine, and define their recruitment processes.

TalentFlow—TalentFlow is a Web-based VMS that helps companies create an open marketplace for staffing services while managing their contingent workforce, materials, and services.

Zoho—Zoho Recruit is an applicant tracking system and recruitment software that helps staffing agencies and recruiting departments track job openings, resumes, candidates, and contacts.

3. Employee Screening and Background Checks

The reference check of the past has evolved into a thorough background check on all job applicants’ criminal history and work records, including current and past employment, performance, attendance, and reasons for leaving a job.

In high-security positions or positions of trust (e.g., in schools, hospitals, airports, or government), employee screening is a must. Depending on the type of position, employee screening and background checks can also include drug or alcohol testing, fingerprint investigation, and credit score. Background checks are also used to investigate potential government employees before granting security clearance.

Pros

Helps identify potentially problematic candidate behaviors

Helps reduce employee turnover and related costs

Reduces costs associated with employee theft

Protects employers against potential discrimination lawsuits

Cons

May give candidates the impression that a company is overly controlling or paranoid

May be construed as an invasion of personal liberty

Can be expensive in terms of money and time

Must be conducted responsibly or companies risk fines for mishandling personal data

Employee Screening and Background Check Vendors

AccuScreen—AccuScreen provides employment screening background checks, placing emphasis on past performance, employment periods, positions held, salary, rehire eligibility, and reasons for leaving.

HR Plus—HR Plus products include background screening, drug testing, and fingerprinting.

LexisNexis—LexisNexis Employment Screening offers in-depth criminal background checks, drug and alcohol screening, and employment verification.

Social Intelligence—Social Intelligence offers social media screening and investigative services including employment background checks, insurance claims investigations, corporate due diligence, and government services.

TalentWise—TalentWise offerings include background checks, drug testing, US Department of Transportation regulation compliance solutions, driving records, assessments, verifications, credit checks, and international searches.

4. Video (and Virtual) Interviewing

Video and virtual interviewing both provide a simple and unique way for recruiters to interview candidates while helping to build the company brand and cut down on recruiting costs.

Candidates can be interviewed using video-conferencing (similar to Skype). Or recruiters can ask candidates to complete a virtual questionnaire: candidates log in to a personalized interview session online and respond over the phone to the given questions (see Figure 1), and have the opportunity to review their answers before the information is stored for the recruiter.

The video and virtual experience is not for everyone though. Some candidates may be reluctant to be part of an interview where they know they will be videotaped or recorded. And experts acknowledge that video cannot substitute for in-person interaction when it comes to reading candidates or understanding employees’ needs.

How to measure if a degree is worth the debt

2011-10-04T07:02:00.000-07:00

FROM THE GUARDIAN UK

Jonathan Wolff

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/oct/03/students-tuition-fees

When I started studying economics at school, I was delighted to be handed a textbook called An Introduction to Positive Economics by Richard Lipsey. Fantastic! After all, I didn't want any of that negative stuff.

It was only as a graduate student in philosophy that I realised the contrast to "positive" was not "negative", but "normative". Lipsey was going to tell us how things are, not how things ought to be. Economists are straight talkers, not peddlers of values. But curiously, when economists do tell us how things are, it never looks good.

Thomas Carlyle famously called economics "the dismal science". I saw this in action when on a panel, interviewing health economists. We decided to ask all candidates an amusing "unexpected" question at the end: "Which concept from economics should be better known by the general public?"

Any economist reading this will already know how they all answered: "opportunity cost". In judging whether it is right to spend money in a particular way, you should first think what else you could be doing with it. Could you squeeze out a little more value or enjoyment? Health economics is dominated by considerations of opportunity cost. When the government created a new fund for cancer treatments, for example, economists immediately asked what we would have to give up to pay for it.

Worrying about alternatives foregone is fair enough, but also pretty joyless. Imagine living your life under the shadow of opportunity cost. Any time you want to go to the cinema, you'd have to ask whether there is some other way of getting more out of your time and money. If there is, then you'll make a net loss, even if you'd really enjoy your evening out.

Economics didn't start out trying to spoil our fun. A key idea from Adam Smith is "gains from trade", explained to me at primary school. My teacher told us that when we handed over our shilling for a packet of sweets, we were better off because we would rather have the sweets than the shilling, and the shopkeeper was better off because she would rather have the shilling than the sweets. Trade is a little miracle.

Try as I might – and I did try because even at the age of nine I was pretty argumentative – I couldn't find any major flaw in this reasoning. Of course, you might not like the sweets. Nevertheless, the general case that trade makes both sides better off without harming anyone else seemed to be secure, even if there are exceptions.

The notion of gains from trade should be called "positive economics" and opportunity cost "negative economics". A sensible life is probably to be found somewhere in the middle. Life is too short to fixate on opportunity cost and seek out the best all of the time. Good enough, for most ordinary purposes, is good enough.

With this deep understanding of economics, we now turn to the future of undergraduate education. From now on, students will acquire large debts in coming to university, and typically they will start to pay back in their mid-20s and possibly even into their early 50s, depending on how much they earn. In return, they will acquire new skills and knowledge, a qualification to put on their CV, an expanded address book of potential wedding guests, and if they are lucky or subsequently unlucky, have the best three years of their lives.

Writing this column shortly after attending our graduation ceremonies, I'm still convinced that going to university is the right thing for many school leavers, even given the debt they will incur. But I also know that it is not for everyone. At the moment too many school leavers just drift in, and have a thoroughly frustrating three years. Thinking about the opportunity cost of the time and money spent on a degree might well help them to focus. The dismal science, I have to admit, can have its uses.

• Jonathan Wolff is professor of philosophy at University College London. His column appears monthly

10 Pet Peeves about Your Resume

2011-09-17T07:14:00.000-07:00

from cnn.com

A recruiter rants about rampant resume ridiculousness.

BY: LESLIE AYRES

SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES

On the days when I'm reading lots of resumes, I can predict I will spend a lot of my time shaking my head and muttering to myself, "What were you thinking?!"

Sometimes, I'll even admit I actually yell it out in exasperation.

Maybe you think I'm a nitpicker, but far too many resumes are impaired by minor mistakes or missteps which really aren't so minor if they are what keep you from making the short list for an interview.

Here are ten of my pet peeves about resumes:

1. Fancy fonts.

No, your name does not look more interesting in that giant blue Old English script. In fact, I can't read it at all, because my computer doesn't have that font, and so it just created a completely unintelligible mess, which of course reflects on you because your resume is all I have to go on.

Just stick to common fonts like Arial, Tahoma, and Times New Roman unless you're a designer, and even then, no more than two fonts in a resume, please.

2. More than two pages.

I know that some of you are thinking "Are you crazy? How could I possibly fit my many years of important experience on just two pages?!" By editing, that's how.

A resume is not a chronicle of your life. It is a summary of pertinent experience. It's a short story, not a novel, and it's your job to figure how to tell that story in the space you have, and that's two pages.

3. No positioning statement or objective.

Am I supposed to just look at your experience and magically know what kind of job you are aiming for? While what you have done is important, what you want to do next is important, too.

The experience section is about your past, but this new job opportunity is about your future, and it's a wasted opportunity if your resume doesn't clearly indicate the kind of job you are aiming for.

4. Missing or hard-to-find contact information.

Don't put your contact information in miniature letters on the bottom of your resume because you think it looks cool. That's not where I'm going to look for it.

Include your phone, email and LinkedIn profile at the top of the page. Make it easy for people to contact you, not hard.

5. Too-much-information email addresses.

I get resumes all the time from people using the email address from their current job, which makes me question their loyalty and judgment. In many companies, your corporate email account is monitored, so it might even get you fired.

And leave the clever emails off, even if you really are a proudgrandpa @email.com or hotdancingqueen @email.com. For your job search, get an email account that uses your name.

6. Corporate gobbledygook.

The definition of gobbledygook is "wordy and generally unintelligible jargon" and that pretty much nails a large percentage of resumes I get. It's as if people are so freaked out by writing their resume that they forget how to speak English.

Don't try to impress me with acronyms and buzzwords, and don't throw in every number you can think of. Just tell the important parts of the story, straight and simple.

7. Typos or grammatical errors.

I know I'll probably get a comment that it's unfair to eliminate a candidate for a little typo, and maybe even pointing out a typo in this blog. Here's the deal: resumes are too important for you not to care that it's perfect, so instead of arguing, spend that time fixing your resume.

A typo on your resume is like showing up to the interview with a hole in your shirt; you might have a perfectly reasonable explanation, but it doesn't make you look good.

8. Third-person. This one continues to haunt me. As I've said before, it creeps me out when I get a resume written in third person. A resume is not a bio, and saying "Mr. Jackson has 20 years of experience" is just weird and off-putting.

You want people to feel a personal connection to you, not more distance. No third person resumes, please.

9. Eye-straining tiny text or paper-wasting giant text.

Some people think the way to fit more words on the page is to shrink the text down and reduce the margins, but that just makes it impossible to read.

On the other end of the spectrum, I got a resume recently that ran eight pages of large type. When I shrunk it down, it actually all fit comfortably on one page. Both of these are ridiculous extremes.

10. Writing "RESUME" at the top and "References on Request" at the bottom.

Don't be silly. We know it's a resume, and we know that if you want the job, you'll have to provide some references when we ask for them, so don't waste your valuable resume real estate stating the obvious.

In general, if people would just use their head when creating their resume, these could all be avoided. And if I've hit anything here that reminds you of your resume, awesome. Make some changes, and you just might find yourself getting called for more interviews, and that's the big payoff.

Tea Time Studio

2011-09-12T14:34:00.000-07:00

Another example of the many usages of tea time in the web.

http://www.teatimestudio.com/

Things related with Tea Time - Comics

2011-08-04T07:09:00.000-07:00

Image from Tea Time Comics.

It is unbelievable how many things you can find in Internet about Tea Time. Here is a different way to see the common word; teapots, cups, mugs etc. Also, you can find comics! take a look.

http://www.teatimecomics.com/

Strange Laws

2011-07-14T14:30:00.000-07:00

http://www.strangefacts.com/laws.html

In Texas, it's against the law for anyone to have a pair of pliers in his or her possession. In Philadelphia, you can't put pretzels in bags based on an Act of 1760. Alaska law says that you can't look at a moose from an airplane. In Corpus Christie, Texas, it is illegal to raise alligators in your home. In Miami, it is forbidden to imitate an animal. It is against the law to mispronounce the name of the State of Arkansas in that State. In Illinois, the law is that a car must be driven with the steering wheel. California law prohibits a woman from driving a car while dressed in a housecoat. In Memphis, Tennessee, a woman is not to drive a car unless a man warns approaching motorists or pedestrians by walking in front of the car that is being driven. In Tennessee, it is against the law to drive a car while sleeping. In New York, it is against the law for a blind person to drive an automobile. In West Virginia, only babies can ride in a baby carriage. In Georgia, it is against the law to slap a man on the back or front. A barber is not to advertise prices in the State of Georgia. In Louisiana, a bill was introduced years ago in the State House of Representatives that fixed a ceiling on haircuts for bald men of 25 cents. In Oklahoma, no baseball team can hit the ball over the fence or out of a ballpark.
	In Rochester, Michigan, the law is that anyone bathing in public must have the bathing suit inspected by a police officer !
In Kentucky, it's the law that a person must take a bath once a year. In Utah, birds have the right of way on any public highway. In Ohio, one must have a license to keep a bear. In Tennessee, a law exists which prohibits the sale of bologna (sandwich meat) on Sunday. In Virginia, the Code of 1930 has a statute which prohibits corrupt practices or bribery by any person other than political candidates. In Providence, Rhode Island, it is against the law to jump off a bridge. In the State of Kansas, you're not allowed to drive a buffalo through a street. In Florida, it is against the law to put livestock on a school bus. In New Jersey, cabbage can't be sold on Sunday.

	In Galveston, Texas, it is illegal to have a camel run loose in the street!
In North Carolina, it is against the law for dogs and cats to fight. In Singapore, it is illegal to chew gum. In Cleveland, Ohio, it is unlawful to leave chewing gum in public places. In Virginia, chickens cannot lay eggs before 8:00 a.m., and must be done before 4:00 p.m. In New York, it is against the law for children to pick up or collect cigarette and cigar butts. In Massachusetts, it is against the law to put tomatos in clam chowder.

In Washington State, you can't carry a concealed weapon that is over 6 feet in length. In San Francisco, there is an ordinance, which bans the picking up and throwing of used confetti. In Kentucky, it is illegal for a merchant to force a person into his place of business for the purpose of making a sale. It is against the law in Connecticut for a man to write love letters to a girl whose mother or father has forbidden the relationship. In Michigan, married couples must live together or be imprisoned.
	In the state of Colorado, a pet cat, if loose, must have a tail-light !
In Phoenix, Arizona, you can't walk through a hotel lobby with spurs on. In California, a law created in 1925 makes it illegal to wiggle while dancing. In Utah, daylight must be visible between dancing couples. In Michigan, it is against the law for a lady to lift her skirt more than 6 inches while walking through a mud puddle. In North Carolina, it is against the law for a rabbit to race down the street. In Georgia, it's against the law to spread a false rumor. In West Virginia, one can't cook sauerkraut or cabbage due to the odors and the offence is subject to imprisonment. In Missouri, a man must have a permit to shave. The law states that more than 3000 sheep cannot be herded down Hollywood Blvd. at any one time. In Texas, it is still a "hanging offense" to steal cattle.

Canada Day July 1st

2011-06-30T06:16:00.001-07:00

Canada Day (French: Fête du Canada), formerly Dominion Day (French: Le Jour de la Confédération), is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act (today called theConstitution Act, 1867), which united three British colonies into a single country, called "Canada", within the British Empire.Originally called Dominion Day, the name was changed in 1982, the year that Canada gained full independence from the United Kingdom. Canada Day observances take place throughout Canada as well as internationally.

Taken from wikipedia

Webpages: http://holidays.kaboose.com/canada-day/, http://canadadayinlondon.com

Biscuits and Gravy

2011-06-17T11:51:00.000-07:00

It is a popular breakfast dish in the United States, especially in the South.

It consists of soft dough biscuits covered in thick "country" or "white" gravy, made from the drippings of cooked pork sausage, white flour, milk, and often (but not always) bits of sausage, bacon, ground beef, or other meat. The gravy is often flavored with black pepper. In some parts of the southern United States this is also called sawmill gravy.

8 buttermilk biscuits
3/4 pound of sausage (fatty sausage works best for this)
4 cups of milk
4-8 tablespoons flour

Prepare biscuits as instructed on package. Brown sausage in skillet. As soon as sausage is completely brown, turn to medium heat. Add flour by the tablespoon, stirring constantly. Let the flour turn BROWN before adding another tablespoon (if you don't, your gravy will taste like flour). After you have added enough flour to make the gravy as thick as you like, add milk and stir with whisk.

Serve over biscuits.

2011-05-20T14:52:00.000-07:00

Play scrabble online

2011-05-09T08:49:00.000-07:00

www.about.com

There are several ways to play Scrabble online, including some officially sanctioned sites and some unofficial sites where you can play Scrabble-like crossword games.

Facebook

Two official versions of Scrabble are available on Facebook, one for residents of the U.S. and Canada and the other for residents of other countries. A third Scrabble-like game, Lexulous, is also available. (Lexulous was known as Scrabulous until lawsuits were filed against the creators by both Hasbro and Mattel.)

Free registration is required to join Facebook.

Games.com

Games.com, run by AOL Games, offers players five versions of Scrabble, including the classic board game.

Other versions include Scrabble Blast (play online or download), Scrabble Cubes (play online), Scrabble Journey (download only), and Scrabble Rack Attack (play online or download).

Free registration is required to join Games.com.

Lexulous.com

In addition to being available at Facebook, Lexulous can be played at Lexulous.com.

Free registration is required to join Lexulous.com.

Pogo.com

Pogo.com, run by Electronic Arts, is an official place to play Scrabble. Two versions are available: classic Scrabble (for two to four players) and Scrabble Blast (a solo game fairly described as Scrabble meets Boggle).

Free registration is required to join Pogo.com.

Scrabb.ly

Scrabb.ly, an independent crossword game, is a massively multiplayer online game. Once you play your first word, you keep building on your own work. Anytime you need to swap tiles, you lose a life (you only have a total of three). When your last life ends, your score is calculated.

Yahoo Games

Yahoo Games offers a game called Literati, a crossword game with similarities to Scrabble.

Free registration is required to join Yahoo Games.

Scrabble rules

2011-05-04T04:09:00.000-07:00

From http://www.scrabblepages.com/scrabble/rules/

Two to four players play in any game of Scrabble. The object of Scrabble is to score more points than one's opponent. A player collects points by placing words on the game board. Each letter has a different point value, so the strategy becomes to play words with high scoring letter combinations.

The Scrabble Board

A Scrabble game board is made of up cells in a square grid. The Scrabble board is 15 cells wide by 15 cells high. The Scrabble tiles fit within these cells one to a cell.

Scrabble Tiles

Scrabble is played with exactly 100 tiles. 98 of these tiles contain letters on them, while there are 2 blank tiles. These blank tiles add a wildcard aspect to Scrabble. The blanks substitute for any letter in the alphabet. Once played, a blank tile remains for the remainder of the game the letter for which it was substituted when first played.

Various letters have different point values, depending on the rarity of the letter and the difficulty in playing it. Blank tiles have no point value.

Tile Values

Here are the point values for each letter in Scrabble.

0 Points - Blank tile.

1 Point - A, E, I, L, N, O, R, S, T and U.

2 Points - D and G.

3 Points - B, C, M and P.

4 Points - F, H, V, W and Y.

5 Points - K.

8 Points - J and X.

10 Points - Q and Z.

Extra Point Values

Some squares on the Scrabble board represent multipliers. If a tile is placed on this square, then the tile's value is multiplied by a factor or either 2x or 3x. Certain tiles multiply the point value of an entire word and not simply the tile on that space.

Double Letter Scores - Light blue cells are found isolated on the board. When a tile is placed on this space, that tile's point value is multiplied by two.

Triple Letter Score - This is a dark blue cell on the Scrabble. The tile placed on this square has its points multiplied by three.

Double Word Score - Light red cells are found running diagonally towards the four corners of the board. When a player plays a word on one of these squares, the point value of the entire word is multiplied by two.

Triple Word Score - This is a dark red square on the Scrabble board. These are found on the four sides of the board equidistant from the four corners of the board. When a word is played using this square, then the points for the word are multiplied by three.

One Single Use - Note that extra point squares are only usable once. If one player plays a word using this cells, then the next time that space is used to make a word, the point value is not multiplied.

Starting the Game

Without looking into the tile bag, each of the Scrabble players takes one tile out of the tile bag. Whichever player has the letter closest to the beginning of the alphabet goes first. A blank tile is considered better than an "A". These tiles are placed into the bag once more.

Starting the game, each player begins their turn by drawing seven tiles apiece from the bag. The player can do one of three things on a turn. The player can place a word, exchange tiles or pass. Most of the time, the player will take the option of playing a word.

Exchanging tiles allows a player to replace anywhere between one and all of the tiles on the player's rack. If this option is taken, the player cannot do anything else that hand. Therefore, a tile exchange cannot be performed on a turn when the player places a word on the board.

A player may pass at any time. If all player's pass twice in a row, then the game ends.

The First Word Score

A player begins the game by placing a word on the star square at the center of the board. This star acts as a double word score. The star cell does not act as a double word score for subsequent players playing off the center square.

Play continues in a clockwise direction around the Scrabble board.

Replacing Scrabble Tiles

When a player places tiles on the Scrabble board, that player draws new tiles from the tile bag, adding until that player's number of tiles equals seven. The player must not look at the tiles when choosing new ones. Tile selection is usually done by holding the bag above the eye line, then reaching into the bag to add tiles one by one.

The Fifty Point Bonus

When a player is able to place all seven tiles from the tile rack on the board at the same time, that player receives a 50 point bonus. In end game scenarios, when the players hold less than the standard seven tiles, a player does not get the 50 point bonus for using all the tiles on the rack.

The End of a Scrabble Game

When all of the tiles have been taken from the bag and one player has used all of the tiles on their rack, then the game ends.

Tallying Scrabble Scores

Once the game has ended, each player counts the points on the tiles left remaining in their rack. Each player has that number deducted from their final score.

The player who ended the game and who therefore has no more tiles remaining is given an added bonus. Add the total of all points of all remaining players with tiles left on their racks. This number is added to the final score of the player who is "out" of tiles.

The Scrabble player with the highest score after all final scores are tallied wins.

Accepted Scrabble Words

Players may place any word which can be found in a standard English language dictionary. Official Scrabble dictionaries also can be found in bookstores and online.

Types of words which cannot be used are abbreviations, prefixes and suffixes. Words that require a hyphen or an apostrophe cannot be played. Words that are spelled with a capital letter cannot be used.

Generally speaking in an English-language game of Scrabble, foreign words cannot be placed on the Scrabble board. If those words appear in a standard English dictionary, then the word is allowable. This is because the word is spoken often enough by native English-speakers that it has become a part of the English language.

Scrabble (history)

2011-05-01T14:43:00.000-07:00

An example of american perseverance.
Invented in the great depression by Alfred Mosher Butts.
His main source for inventing the game was the New York Times.
The meaning is to grope frantically
The first game was manufactured in 1948.

More information go to: http://www.hasbro.com/scrabble/en_US/story.cfm

What is a webinar?

2011-03-04T08:43:00.000-08:00

Nowadays with the new advances in technology webinar is a new source that people must use to have instant access to information. This is a good presentation about how to use it and impress people.

http://videos.edufire.com/2009/entrepreneurship/10-steps-to-running-a-knockout-webinar/

http://www.gotomeeting.com/fec/webinar

I feel british today

2011-02-09T07:07:00.000-08:00

Today I started remembering my time I was in London and all the things I have lived. Also, because recentely many students are travelling this year there, and I started preparing them for that experience. Of course, searching for information and finding new things I have learned more than ever about this culture. Here I found a blog with many Brit curiosities such as Brits know how to cook!!! well I only remember the fish and chips cuisine. Have fun and learn more about this amazing place.

Best wishes.

http://www.theukcuriosityblog.com

Reading Colombian News

2010-11-09T06:49:00.000-08:00

Semana magazine one of the most important media in Colombia has an English portal where you can read Colombian news in English. Reading is an important skill and the best way to improve it is to read tons of articles and books. It is a good opportunity to learn vocabulary and improve one's reading comprehension.

http://www.semana.com/internacional/Seccion/96.aspx

How to write plane English for an international Audience

2010-07-23T10:09:00.000-07:00

Maintain cultural neutrality
taken from www.business.com

Writing for an international audience requires a keen sensitivity to the vast cultural differences that prevail throughout the world. We are tempted to believe that the world is becoming a smaller, more uniform place. A casual reading of the daily news, however, shows that the last decade of the 20th century is in fact witness to an increase in the importance of cultural identity!

Here are a few examples of things that require careful editing:

geographical references
historical references
date and time formats
political references
monetary references
units of measurement
experiential references
references to popular culture such as sports figures and celebrities
references to social customs such as coffee breaks
social events
social and religious value systems

The original text below is a good example of what not to write for an international audience:

Original Text (from "Kodak Digital Science User's Guide", 1998)

Instead of film, a digital camera places your pictures on a memory card. The pictures are made up of pixels. Stand really close to your TV -- so close that your mother would yell at you if she saw you. These little dots that make up the picture are pixels. It's the more the merrier when it comes to pixels and the quality of your digital pictures. But everything has its price. The more pixels you have (or the better the resolutions in other words) the more space you use on the camera memory card.

Football elements

2010-06-10T10:20:00.000-07:00

From Wikipedia.com

The various codes of football share the following elements in common:

Two teams of usually between 11 and 18 players; some variations that have fewer players (five or more per team) are also popular.
A clearly defined area in which to play the game.
Scoring goals or points, by moving the ball to an opposing team's end of the field and either into a goal area, or over a line.
Goals or points resulting from players putting the ball between two goalposts.
The goal or line being defended by the opposing team.
Players being required to move the ball—depending on the code—by kicking, carrying, or hand-passing the ball.
Players using only their body to move the ball.

In most codes, there are rules restricting the movement of players offside, and players scoring a goal must put the ball either under or over a crossbar between the goalposts. Other features common to several football codes include: points being mostly scored by players carrying the ball across the goal line; and players receiving a free kick after they take a mark or make a fair catch.

Peoples from around the world have played games which involved kicking or carrying a ball, since ancient times. However, most of the modern codes of football have their origins in England

Mother's day celebration

2010-05-03T14:51:00.000-07:00

The Story of Mother's Day

text and image from magiayamor.com

The earliest Mother's Day celebrations can be traced back to the spring celebrations of ancient Greece in honor of Rhea, the Mother of the Gods.
During the 1600's, England celebrated a day called "Mothering Sunday".
Celebrated on the 4th Sunday of Lent (the 40 day period leading up to Easter), "Mothering Sunday" honored the mothers of England.
During this time many of the England's poor worked as servants for the wealthy. As most jobs were located far from their homes, the servants would live at the houses of their employers. On Mothering Sunday the servants would have the day off and were encouraged to return home and spend the day with their mothers.
A special cake, called the mothering cake, was often brought along to provide a festive touch.
As Christianity spread throughout Europe the celebration changed to honor the "Mother Church" - the spiritual power that gave them life and protected them from harm. Over time the church festival blended with the Mothering Sunday celebration.
People began honoring their mothers as well as the church.
In the United States Mother's Day was first suggested in 1872 by Julia Ward Howe (who wrote the words to the Battle hymn of the Republic) as a day dedicated to peace. Ms. Howe would hold organized Mother's Day meetings in Boston, Mass ever year.
In 1907 Ana Jarvis, from Philadelphia, began a campaign to establish a national Mother's Day. Ms. Jarvis persuaded her mother's church in Grafton, West Virginia to celebrate Mother's Day on the second anniversary of her mother's death, the 2nd Sunday of May. By the next year Mother's Day was also celebrated in Philadelphia.
Ms. Jarvis and her supporters began to write to ministers, businessman, and politicians in their quest to establish a national Mother's Day. It was successful as by 1911 Mother's Day was celebrated in almost every state. President Woodrow Wilson, in 1914, made the official announcement proclaiming Mother's Day as a national holiday that was to be held each year on the 2nd Sunday of May.
While many countries of the world celebrate their own Mother's Day at different times throughout the year, there are some countries such as Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, and Belgium which also celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May.

Let's play Monopoly

2010-04-19T12:39:00.000-07:00

As good exercise to improve your buying and selling skills in English. I recommend this game as a good tool in Conversation classes.

History

Today, MONOPOLY is the best-selling board game in the world, sold in 103 countries and produced in 37 languages including Croatian. But where did the MONOPOLY game come from? How did this phenomenal pastime get its start?

MR. MONOPOLY tells the legend of MONOPOLY best.

It was 1934, the height of the Great Depression, when Charles B. Darrow of Germantown, Pennsylvania, showed what he called the MONOPOLY game to the executives at Parker Brothers. Can you believe it, they rejected the game due to "52 design errors"! But Mr. Darrow wasn't daunted. Like many other Americans, he was unemployed at the time, and the game's exciting promise of fame and fortune inspired him to produce the game on his own. With help from a friend who was a printer, Mr. Darrow sold 5,000 handmade sets of the MONOPOLY game to a Philadelphia department store. People loved the game! But as demand for the game grew, he couldn't keep up with all the orders and came back to talk to Parker Brothers again. The rest, as they say, is history! In its first year, 1935, the MONOPOLY game was the best-selling game in America. And over its 65-year history, an estimated 500 million people have played the game of MONOPOLY!

Over 200 million MONOPOLY games have been sold worldwide.
More than five billion little green houses have been "built" since 1935.
A MONOPOLY game made by my friends at Alfred Dunhill, with gold houses and silver hotels, sold for $25,000.
The longest MONOPOLY game in history lasted 70 straight days.
The longest MONOPOLY game in a bathtub lasted 99 hours!

The game of MONOPOLY is so much a part of today's popular culture that my lawyers have trademarked many of the game's graphic elements. The MONOPOLY tokens, Railroad, COMMUNITY CHEST, CHANCE, and Title Deed designs, as well as BOARDWALK and all four gameboard corners are legally protected.

www.hasbro.com/monopoly/

Green, Green, Green March 17th Saint Patrick day

2010-03-15T08:12:00.000-07:00

Facts about St. Patrick's Day Holiday

· St. Patrick’s Day is observed on March 17 because that is the feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. It is believed that he died on March 17 in the year 461 AD. It is also a worldwide celebration of Irish culture and history. St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland, and a provincial holiday in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

· In Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day, people traditionally wear a small bunch of shamrocks on their jackets or caps. Children wear orange, white and green badges, and women and girls wear green ribbons in their hair.

· Many cities have a St. Patrick’s Day parade. Dublin, the capital of Ireland, has a huge St. Patrick’s Day festival from March 15-19, that features a parade, family carnivals, treasure hunt, dance, theatre and more. In North American, parades are often held on the Sunday before March 17. Some paint the yellow street lines green for the day! In Chicago, the Chicago River is dyed green with a special dye that only lasts a few hours. There has been a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Boston, Massachusetts since 1737. Montreal is home to Canada’s longest running St. Patrick’s Day parade, which began in 1824.

Facts about Saint Patrick

· St. Patrick was born in 385 AD somewhere along the west coast of Britain, possibly in the Welsh town of Banwen. At age 16, he was captured and sold into slavery to a sheep farmer. He escaped when he was 22 and spent the next 12 years in a monastery. In his 30s he returned to Ireland as a Christian missionary. He died at Saul in 461 AD and is buried at Downpatrick.

Facts about the Irish

· 34 million Americans have Irish ancestry, according to the 2003 US Census. That’s almost nine times the population of Ireland, which has 4.1 million people.

· Some American towns have “Irish” names. You could visit: Mount Gay-Shamrock, West Virginia; Shamrock Lakes, Indiana; Shamrock, Oklahoma; Shamrock, Texas; Dublin, California and Dublin, Ohio.

· The harp is the symbol of Ireland. The color green is also commonly associated with Ireland, also known as “the Emerald Isle.”

· The Irish flag is green, white and orange. The green symbolizes the people of the south, and orange, the people of the north. White represents the peace that brings them together as a nation.

· The name “lephrechaun” has several origins. It could be from the Irish Gaelic word “leipreachan,” which means “a kind of aqueous sprite.” Or, it could be from “leath bhrogan,” which means “shoemaker.”

Facts about Clovers

· According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the highest number of leaves found on a clover is 14!

· One estimate suggests that there are about 10 000 regular three-leaf clovers for every lucky four-leaf clover.

Legend says that each leaf of the clover means something: the first is for hope, the second for faith, the third for love and the fourth for luck.

Best man speech

2010-01-25T06:32:00.000-08:00

Your best friend is getting married and has asked you to be the best man at the wedding. This means you have to make a speech at the reception after the wedding. You can imagine your best friend is someone you know or choose someone famous.

Is your friend getting married and you need help? this website is really helpful.

http://www.thebestmanspeech.com/

Image from the best man movie

Product Presentation Speech

2010-01-18T06:44:00.000-08:00

You have developed a new product that you think will make you rich. You have been given the opportunity to present your product to a group of financial backers. You can choose a product that already exists or think of soemthing totally new.

Internet sites: http://www.asktheinventors.com/Books/presentations.htm

http://www.infrasystems.com/product-presentations.html

Award Presentation Speech

2010-01-13T08:20:00.000-08:00

You have been asked to present somene with an award for outstanding achievement. You can decide who the person is and what their achievement has been. Mayebe it's someone who has dedicated their life to a cause, a sports star who has had a great season or someone who has been very courageous.

How do you say Happy New Year in other languages¡

2009-12-29T09:11:00.000-08:00

Yuan Tan (Chinese)
Shougatsu (Japanese)
Hogmanay (Scottish)
Chaul Chnam Thmey (Cambodian)
Nouruz (Iranian)
Tet Nguryen Dan (Vietnamese)
Festival of Saint Basil (Greek)
Rosh Hashanah (Jewish)
Muharram (Moslem)
Sylvesterabend (Austrian)
Ano Nuevo (Hispanic)
New Year (American)
Diwali (India)
Nos Galan (Welsh)

Xmas Cookies recipes

2009-12-21T18:42:00.000-08:00

For this Xmas I would like to share a special tradition that is xmas cookies. Here you can find the ingredients and instructions and in this way learn vocabulary and structure.

New words

apricot
baking soda
to sift
to chop or to snip
to beat
to drain

English structure

What can you see in this sentence?

e.g. Cover with boiling water.

You can use it in any kind of instructions such as recipes.

Apricot Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 36

1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup dried apricots
1/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
6 tablespoons apricot preserves
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 375F. Sift together flour and baking powder. Set aside. Chop or snip dried apricots into pieces slightly smaller than chips. Cover with boiling water. Set aside. In large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until mixture is light and creamy. Add egg and apricot preserves. Continue to beat until well blended. Pieces of apricot will remain visible. Stir sifted ingredients into creamed mixture until it is well blended. Fold in chocolate chips. Drain water from apricot bits. Fold apricot bits into batter. Drop batter by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake 8-12 minutes or until edges of cookies are slightly browned.

Note: The dried apricots used in this recipe should be plumped, moist and tender. If you're stuck with brown, shriveled and brittle fruit, simmer the apricots in water until they've softened enough to easily chop before using.

From: http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes

Image: knoxnews.com

Family Vocabulary

2009-11-27T07:32:00.000-08:00

From Englishclub.com

Your family members are also called your relatives. You have an immediate or nuclear family and an extended family. Your immediate family includes your father, mother and siblings. Your extended family includes all of the people in your father and mother's families.

Your sibling is your brother or sister. If you have 1 brother and 2 sisters, then you have 3 siblings. Your parent is your father or mother. Your child is your son or daughter. Your spouse is your husband or wife.

You may also have a stepfamily. Your stepfamily includes people who became part of your family due to changes in family life. These changes may include death, divorce or separation. New partnerships create new children. The new children and their relatives become part of your blended family. Some people are born into a stepfamily.



parent		relative of whom I am the child	Father, Daddy, Dad, Papa	Mother, Mummy, Mum, Mommy, Mom, Mama, Ma
father	mother
sibling		we have the same father and mother	first name; sometimes Bro	first name; sometimes Sis
brother	sister
uncle	aunt	sibling of my parent	Uncle [first name]	Aunt/Auntie [first name]
grandparent		parent of my parent	Grandfather, Grandpa	Grandmother, Grandma
grandfather	grandmother
cousin		child of my uncle or aunt	first name
spouse		relative to whom I am married	first name
husband	wife
child		relative of whom I am the parent	first name
son	daughter
nephew	niece	child of my sibling	first name
grandchild		child of my child	first name
grandson	granddaughter
great grandfather	great grandmother	parent of my grandparent	Great Grandpa	Great Grandma
father-in-law	mother in-law	parent of my spouse	first name; Dad	first name; Mum, Mom
brother-in-law	sister in-law	sibling of my spouse; spouse of my sibling	first name
ex-husband	ex-husband	my previous spouse (we divorced)	first name
half-brother	half-sister	my sibling born to my father or mother but not both	first name
step-parent		new spouse of one of my parents	first name
step-father	step-mother
step-child		child of my spouse but not of me	first name
step-son	step-daughter

In a family, the word generation means all the people in one stage of the family. For example, your parents are one generation, you and your siblings are the next generation, and your children and their cousins are another generation.

Andy Warhol exhibition

2009-08-03T09:03:00.000-07:00

Andrew Warhola,
Taken from wikipedia

August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987), more commonly known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. After a successful career as a commercial illustrator, Warhol became famous worldwide for his work as a painter, avant-garde filmmaker, record producer, author, and public figure known for his membership in wildly diverse social circles that included bohemian street people, distinguished intellectuals, Hollywood celebrities and wealthy aristocrats.

Do's and don'ts when you travel abroad

2009-05-20T19:20:00.000-07:00

Usually you are going to have these kind of situations. Also, in our own country we have many different ways of how to behave. Here I found a very useful article from Forbes magazine that can help you understand more about oter cultures and what do they consider rude or not.

Have fun and I receive comments, and experiences.

http://www.forbestraveler.com/best-lists/weirdest-customs-slide-9.html?partner=playlist&thisSpeed=25000

Saint Patrick day

2009-03-10T12:35:00.000-07:00

Saint Patrick's Day (Irish: Lá ’le Pádraig or Lá Fhéile Pádraig), colloquially St. Paddy's Day or Paddy's Day, is an annual feast day which celebrates Saint Patrick (circa 385–461 AD), one of the patron saints of Ireland, and is generally celebrated on March 17.

The day is the national holiday of Ireland. It is a bank holiday in Northern Ireland and a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland and Montserrat. In Canada, Great Britain, Australia, the United States and New Zealand, it is widely celebrated but is not an official holiday. ^[1]

It became a feast day in the Roman Catholic Church due to the influence of the Waterford-born Franciscan scholar Luke Wadding^[2] in the early part of the 17th century, and is a holy day of obligation for Roman Catholics in Ireland. The feast day usually falls during Lent; if it falls on a Friday of Lent (unless it is Good Friday), the obligation to abstain from eating meat can be lifted by the local bishop. The date of the feast is occasionally, yet controversially, moved by church authorities when March 17 falls during Holy Week; this happened in 1940 when Saint Patrick's Day was observed on April 3 in order to avoid it coinciding with Palm Sunday, and happened again in 2008, having been observed on 15 March.

Taken from wikipedia.com

New Blog: TOEIC Tea Time English

2009-02-18T13:37:00.000-08:00

I am really happy to announce my new blog specifically to people who are interested in presenting this exam from the ETS organization. www.toeicteatimeenglish.blogspot.com.

You will find information about the exam, vocabulary, grammar and more!!! Suggestions are welcome!!

This exam is designed to people who are interested in ceritifying their Business English proficiency, and also to companies who are interested in evaluating their employees in the Business English area.

Also coming soon the TOEFL blog and the IELTS blog.

See you soon!

English Classes for this year

2009-01-13T06:09:00.000-08:00

This year you will have more and better opportunities to learn and practice your English. These are the courses I will be offering during the year.

Elementary, Basic, intermediate, high intermediate and advanced English: For anyone who would like to learn the language. At the end the goal is to present an ETS exam or any of Cambridge University.

English for different purposes: These courses are for people who will like to practice their English depending on their work field or necessity. It could be for people who will travel to an English country or Business English.

TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS, Michigan etc.: If you are interested in presenting an exam to study abroad of for any other purpose this is your course.

Conversation clubs: could be individual classes or group classes max 4 people. You must be level B2 from the common european framework.

SOON skype classes as the new classroom: for all of those who would like to have classes in their homes, and using the latest technology.

All classes could be one to one or group lessons. The group lessons are max 4 students. At the beginning of any course you will have a placement test with details of your exact level and a chat of your personal goals in your learning process. The teacher would tell the students suggestions and other aspects to take into account during the whole process.

The books and material are mainly from Cambridge press and Longman. In the classes I will give you material like copies, flash cards etc.

Also, there will be extra activities developed in different environments and that will help you have more confidence in the language.

For prices and other details you can write to englishhh@gmail.com or phone me to my mobile in Bogota Colombia 3158733781

New Year's eve traditions

2008-12-29T04:02:00.000-08:00

Colombia has different New Year's celebrations. For us is a time to drink champaign, to eat grapes and be with friends and relatives. In my case, I really do not have any traditions, but something that I always do is to fill my pockets with cash, so I will have always money all the year. What do you do? Do you do something special in this date? I would like to share this article about the English tradition for the New Year's eve.

English New Year

In England crowds of people gather in Trafalgar square, and Piccadilly Circus as well as stand around to hear the chimes of London's Big Ben announces the arrival of the New Year. Everyone stands around with arms linked to sing Auld Lang Syne.

In England the custom of first-footing is important. The reason is that it is supposed to ensure good luck for the inhabitants of the house. The first-footer must be male, young, healthy and good looking. He must be dark-haired and he should be carrying a small piece of coal, money, bread, and salt. These are the symbols of wealth.

The custom of exchanging gifts was transferred to Christmas it was originally done at New Year, when the Lord of the Manor was given samples of produce by his tenants and peasants, while he gave a valuable gift to the Queen or King. The Englishman gave their wives money to by pins for the coming year. This Tradition died, but, the expression "pin money" is still used to describe the money set aside for personal use, especially if given to a woman by her husband.

On New Year's Day children from England and Great Britain rise early to make the rounds to their neighbors singing songs. They are given coins, mince pies, apples and other sweets for singing. This must be done by noon or the singer will be called fools.

The Burning Bush is a nineteenth century custom carried into the early years of this century. In Radnorshire and Herefordshire farmhand would get up early before dawn on New Year's Day and carry a hawthorn bush to the field. They were burnt in straw on the wheat field. It was a symbol of good luck for the farmers. The bushes sometimes hung in the kitchen until the next year.

In England girls would drop egg whites into water. They thought it would form the first letter of the name of the man they would marry.

Also movies make grammar mistakes

2008-12-18T06:32:00.000-08:00

I found this interesting article. This made me ask to myself if the language is changing for good or for bad. Soemtimes we think that the way they say it in the movies, songr or sitcoms is the best and is not all true.

Are Me and Him Ruining the Movies?

By Martha Brockenbrough

I must be getting old, because things I hear in the talkies -- oops, the movies -- are really starting to get my goat. Let's make an example out of two recent flicks: "High School Musical 3" and "Madagascar: Escape 2 [sic] Africa." An early scene in each contains the same hideous grammar error -- the use of me where I belongs. From "Madagascar": "You and me are different, son." From "High School Musical": "Me and my dad built this tree house."

It gives me the shrivels to hear this sort of dialogue. It's not English; it's Caveman (or "Cavemanglish," if you want to make a portmanteau out of it). Only two characters can get away with talking like that: Tarzan and Cookie Monster. Everyone else needs to know the difference between I and me. Actually, almost everyone else needs to know this. There are exceptions in high places, though it pains me to admit it. When Bill Clinton accepted the Democratic nomination in 1992, for example, he goofed twice, saying, "My mother was busy raising my brother and I," and "Give Al Gore and I a chance to bring America back." This is called "hypercorrection" -- he was avoiding using me to sound extra proper. It's proof, probably unnecessary, that you can be the leader of the free world even if you don't understand how to use pronouns.

What's more, you can probably also still get into the college of your dreams. I was very ready to dismiss "High School Musical 3" as wildly improbable not because of all the singing, dancing and cheek kissing, but because the main character, Troy Bolton, speaks Caveman. How could he possibly get into a school like Berkely? Then I talked to Marie Felde, director of media relations at UC-Berkeley. She set me straight. "If you used poor grammar but had something very special to bring to the student body, say you wrote an opera that was performed on a major stage, or invented a new tech tool that revolutionized communications -- that might work," she said. "High School Musical" isn't quite opera, but Zac Efron's character, Troy Bolton, did star in it, and his basketball team won the state championship, so I'm guessing this would impress the admissions committee, which looks for accomplishments like this when its members are making their decisions. So, fine. You can be president. You can go to Berkeley. Your life won't be ruined if you don't know the difference between I and me. But unless you're as cute as Cookie Monster or as loincloth-ready as Tarzan, you're going to bug people who know better. And there's no reason for that. There are just two little rules to remember when deciding between I, me and assorted other pronouns. Anyone can learn these.

Rule No. 1: I is the subject

Its official name is a nominative pronoun. All this really means is that it's standing in for your subject. So, use I when the pronoun you need is working as the subject of a clause or a sentence. I built this tree house. My dad and I built this tree house. This isn't hard to remember. If you find yourself getting confused when there are two subjects, drop one out. Everything should become clear. Even Troy Bolton probably wouldn't say, "Me built this tree house." Other pronouns can stand in for your subject, too. They are you, he and she, we, and they. So, you'd say, "He and Troy built the tree house," not "Him and Troy built the tree house."

Want More Martha?

Rule No. 2: Me is the object

Its fancy name is an objective pronoun. It means it's standing in for your object.

So, use me when your pronoun works as an object in the sentence or clause. A pronoun can be the object in two ways:

• It can be the object of a verb. For example: The sushi (your subject) made (your verb) me (your object) sick. The movie gave Monica and me a fright.
• It can be the object of a preposition. For example: She sent the letter to (a preposition) me.

Likewise, use you, him, her, us and them to stand in for your objects. There. That's it. Can you believe people get this wrong so often? And one last thing. That old tar pit -- it is I vs. it is me -- can be crossed off your list of things to worry about. Either one is fine, though the latter is best for informal contexts. In "The Second Tree from the Corner,"E:B white wrote a funny story he'd witnessed in a newsroom. Apparently a man had to identify his wife's body at the morgue. "My God, it's her!" the man exclaimed. The editor, earnest but emotionally tone deaf, changed it to "My God, it's she!" Now that's someone I'd like to go to the movies with, or, to put it in a way that would please the editor, someone with whom I'd like to go to the movies.

Christmas Party Tips

2008-12-15T06:37:00.000-08:00

While Christmas certainly is a time of joy for young and old, there's one person in every family who is likely to approach the holiday with a certain sense of trepidation. That person is the party host.

Holding a successful Christmas party takes a great deal of preparation, sensitivity and effort and though the rest of the family and other guests are likely to be willing to chip in with assistance in one form or another, it's still useful to know a few sure-fire Christmas party tips to help turn your event into a winner; without driving you to exhaustion in the process. The following collection of articles offers a wealth of practical advice to help you make the most of your time, budget and other resources in the lead up to Christmas, so that your concentration on the day only needs to be set on watching the smiles of your guests as they realise how blessed they have been to receive an invitation to such a successful event.

X-mas recipes for this year

2008-12-12T03:32:00.000-08:00

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

½ cup unsalted butter
½ cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups flour
⅛ teaspoon salt

Cooking Instructions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium until smooth. Add sugar. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg yolk until combined. Add vanilla. Beat until combined.
Add flour and salt. Beat until combined, scraping down side of bowl occasionally.
Between two sheets of waxed paper or plastic wrap with a rolling pin roll the dough to ¼-inch thickness. Cut out shapes. Reroll and use scraps until all dough is used.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes,depending on the size of the cookies, or until lightly browned.
Remove from oven and cool on cookie sheet 5 minutes. Remove to cooling rack to cool completely. Decorate as desired.

Make-Ahead

These cookies can be made through step 3, wrapped well, and refrigerated up to 1 week, or frozen up to 6 months.

Tips & Tricks

These cookies are also the perfect consistancy for making spritz cookies.

Preparation Time:

25 minutes, not including decorating time

Servings:

About 2 dozen cookies, depending on the size of the cookie cutters

Baking Time: 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of the cookies

Baked Potatoes

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds small new potatoes (scrubbed)
3 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
2 tablespoons olive oil or canola oil
1/2 teaspoon crumbled rosemary (optional)

Nutritional Information
1 serving:
Calories 219
Saturated Fat 1g
Total Fat 8g
Sodium 16mg
Cholesterol 0mg
Protein 3g
Carbohydrate 35g
Fiber 6g

Introduction:
Because most of their nutrients are directly beneath the skin, don't peel new potatoes. Just scrub and cook.

Makes 8 servings.

Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes with the garlic, oil, and rosemary, if using.

Step 2:
Transfer to a roasting pan and roast about 45 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Tip:
Look for smooth-skinned solid potatoes. Avoid potatoes that are blemished or sprouting and those with a green color, which will taste bitter.

The origins of Xmas

2008-12-06T12:46:00.000-08:00

All this month we will have different topics about Christmas and New Year's eve 2009. Enjoy for now the story of the origins of Christmas. My best wishes xx x Liliana

Christmas (IPA: /krɪsməs/), also referred to as Christmas Day or Christmastide, is an annual holiday celebrated on December 25 that marks and honors the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.^[2]^[3]^[4] His birth, which is the basis for the anno Domini system of dating, has been determined by modern historians as having occurred between 7 and 2 BC. The date of celebration is not thought to be Jesus' actual date of birth. It may have been chosen to coincide with the winter solstice,^[5] which the ancient Romans celebrated on December 25.^[6]

Modern customs of the holiday include gift-giving, church celebrations, and the display of various decorations—including the Christmas tree, lights, mistletoe, nativity scenes and holly. Santa Claus (also referred to as Father Christmas, although the two figures have different origins) is a popular mythological figure often associated with bringing gifts at Christmas. Santa is generally believed to be the result of a syncretization between St. Nicholas of Myra and elements from pagan Nordic and Christian mythology, and his modern appearance is believed to have originated in 19th century media.

Christmas is celebrated throughout the Christian population, but is also celebrated by many non-Christians as a secular, cultural festival. The holiday is widely celebrated around the world, including in the United States, where it is celebrated by 96% of the population.^[7] Some Orthodox groups celebrate Christmas on or near January 7, as January 7 corresponds to December 25 using the Julian calendar.^[8] Because gift-giving and several other aspects of the holiday involve heightened economic activity among both Christians and non-Christians, Christmas has become a major event for many retailers.

From wikipedia.com

Thanksgiving Celebration

2008-11-12T08:23:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a traditional North American holiday, which is a form of harvest festival. The date and whereabouts of the first Thanksgiving celebration is a topic of modest contention, though the earliest attested Thanksgiving celebration was on September 8, 1565 in what is now Saint Augustine, Florida.^[1] Despite scholarly research to the contrary, the traditional "first Thanksgiving" is venerated as having occurred at the site of Plymouth Plantation, in 1621.

Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. Thanksgiving dinner is done in the evening, usually as a gathering of friends and/or family. At this time you say all your thanks and wishes.

Maybe...........

2008-11-04T08:43:00.000-08:00

A nice student send me this and maybe you will find it true.

1. Maybe. . We were supposed to meet the wrong people before meeting the
right one so that, when we finally meet the right person, we will know
how to be grateful for that gift.

2. Maybe . . . when the door of happiness closes, another opens; but,
often times, we look so long at the closed door that we don't even see
the new one which has been opened for us.

3. Maybe . . . it is true that we don't know what we have until we lose
it, but it is also true that we don't know what we have been missing
until it arrives.

4. Maybe . . . the happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of
everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their
way.

5. Maybe . . . the brightest future will always be based on a forgotten
past; after all, you can't go on successfully in life until you let go
of your past mistakes, failures and heartaches.

6. Maybe. .. . You should dream what you want to dream; go where you
want to go, be what you want to be, because you have only one life and
one chance to do all the things you dream of, and want to do.

7. Maybe . . . there are moments in life when you miss someone -- a
parent, a spouse, a friend, a child -- so much that you just want to
pick them from your dreams and hug them for real, so that once they are
around you appreciate them more.

8. Maybe. .. . The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a
porch and swing with, never say a word, and then walk away feeling like
it was the best conversation you've ever had.

9. Maybe. . You should always try to put yourself in others' shoes. If
you feel that something could hurt you, it probably will hurt the other
person, too.

10. Maybe. . You should do something nice for someone every single day,
even if it is simply to leave them alone.

11. Maybe. . Giving someone all your love is never an assurance that
they will love you back. Don't expect love in return; just wait for it
to grow in their heart; but, if it doesn't, be content that it grew in
yours.

12. Maybe . . . happiness waits for all those who cry all those who
hurt, all those who have searched, and all those who have tried, for
only they can appreciate the importance of all the people who have
touched their lives.

13. Maybe . . . you shouldn't go for looks; they can deceive; don't go
for wealth; even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile,
because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright. Find the
one that makes your heart smile.

14. Maybe. . you should hope for enough happiness to make you sweet,
enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, and
enough hope to make you happy

15. Maybe . . . you should try to live your life to the fullest because
when you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling
but when you die, you can be the one who is smiling and everyone around
you crying.

Nor and Neither

2008-10-26T20:22:00.000-07:00

What is the correct answer?

Nor the apples, neither the basket _________ on the table.

Is it Is or Are?

An Article about tea....

2008-10-10T08:17:00.000-07:00

1. Does one drink tea or take tea? One drinks tea. During the Victorian era, the term to take tea was used by the lower classes and considered a vulgar expression by the upper classes.

2. Why is the shape of a teapot different from a coffee or chocolate pot? The teapot is designed with a lower rounded body to insure the tea leaves have the proper room for expansion during the infusion process. The lower placement of the spout on the vessel allows for the tea to be poured without interfering with the leaves.

3. What is the correct placement of the teapot on the table? The spout of the teapot and the tea kettle faces the hostess or pourer.

4.Are tea urns used for brewing or infusing tea? No. Tea urns were designed to heat and hold hot water for larger quantities of water. Their function was the same as a tea kettle.Ideally, one would dispense the hot water from the urn into the teapot. “Bring the pot to the Kettle, not the kettle to the pot.”

5.How does a teacup differ from a coffee or chocolate cup? Traditionally a cup equals four ounces. However, the time of day and the beverage served will dictate the proper size of the service piece. Except for demitasse cups, which are served half full, all other cups are served three quarters full. A teacup is 3 1/4” to 3 3/4” in diameter and 2” to 2 1/2” in height. the companion saucer ranges from 5 1/4” to 5 5/8” across. A teacup is shallow and wider than a coffee or chocolate cup, giving the beverage a chance to temper before drinking.

6. What is a moustache cup? A moustache cup is a nineteenth century variation of the teacup created in England by Harvey Adams. It is designed with a slit ledge projecting from the front side of the rim, allowing the tea to flow through while a gentleman’s moustache remains dry resting on the top lip.

7.Why in older pictures of tea settings are spoons placed across the top of a teacup? Tea was very expensive during the early years of its popularity. As such,the actual tea wares were small in size. There was no room for a teaspoon to rest on the saucer. A guest rested their teaspoon on top of their teacup as an indication they had had sufficient tea. This was a signal to the hostess to stop pouring tea. Today, to indicate the same signal, due to the larger size of the teacup and saucer, the proper placement of the spoon would be across the top of your saucer, not the cup.

8. What is a tea plate? Native to England and Europe, tea plates were customized to hold a teacup without a saucer.The plate was embedded with a shallow well to secure the teacup. The foods and tea were served together on one plate. When one is using separate tea service pieces the customary size today is either a salad/dessert plate of seven to eight inches or a bread and butter plate of six to seven inches.

9. Where does the expression”not my cup of tea” come from? To refer to one as “not my cup of tea” derives from the fifteenth century Japanese Teaism. “No tea to him.” As one “insusceptible to the seriocomic interests of the personal drama.” It is used to describe those one does not care for.

10. How is a traditional English trifle made? Ruth Darley’s advise ,whether made from scratch or not, for an easy and quick English trifle recipe. Preferably set in a large footed bowl, alternate layers of the following ingredients:sponge or pound cake moistened with Sherry, egg custard or pudding, sliced strawberries, whipped cream and slivered almonds, repeat layers until bowl is filled. Fruit juice may be substituted for Sherry. Custard and pudding flavors may be changed to taste as well as seasonal berries.

11.When drinking tea does one lift the teacup and saucer or just the teacup?

If one is seated at a table, the proper manner to drink tea is to raise the teacup only,placing it back into the saucer in between sips.

If you are at a buffet tea ,hold the tea saucer in your lap with your left hand and hold the tea cup in your right hand. When not in use, place the tea cup back in the tea saucer and hold in your lap.

In either event, never wave or hold your tea cup in the air.

12.What are the proper protocols for wearing gloves at an afternoon tea?

The protocols for wearing gloves are the same, whether one is attending an afternoon tea or any other event where foods and beverages are served.

While gloves are often highly designed with decorations and adornments, their sole purpose is to cover and protect ones hands from the elements.

When greeting another, remove the glove from the right hand, place the removed glove in your left hand and shake hands skin to skin.

It is improper to dine with ones gloves on. Remove your gloves before sitting down to dine. The exception is for long, formal gloves with buttons at the wrist. It is acceptable to unbutton, remove ones fingers and hands and fold back, to the wrist ,the lower portion of the glove without removing the upper portion from your arm. If the gloves have no wrist buttons, the gloves should be removed in their entirety before dining.

WISHING YOU HAPPY TEA TRAVELS!(TM)

About the Author:
Ellen Easton, author of TEA TRAVELS(TM), TEA PARTIES and Good $ense For $uccess(TM) published by RED WAGON PRESS, 45 East 89th Street, Suite 20A, NYC, NY 10128-1256: (212) 722-7981,is a consultant and designer of related products, to the hotel, food service ,special event and retail industries. She is also available for speaking engagements. Please contact her for more information.

No copyrighted materials may be reproduced in any other format, now known or unknown, without prior written permission by Ellen Easton/ RED WAGON PRESS. All copyrights and trademarks remain the sole property of Ellen Easton/ RED WAGON PRESS with all rights reserved. (212) 722-7981

Do you really want to learn English?

2008-10-07T08:10:00.000-07:00

I have been teaching English for seven years, and I have discovered many different kinds of students. Ones are really keen on learning. Others they do it (as mandatory) because they have to, and this is the main reason for abscence and quitting.

The ones that they really want to learn, they learn it in a very fast way. They think is more like a pleasure to do it. Usually, I have seen that they are the ones who have travelled to other countries and they use it in their daily lives;listen to music, watch tv, have friends from other countries, like to travel etc. For them is a constant interest to have a every day a better level of English. Of course for an English teacher this is completely an ideal group. Everybody participating, interest in new words etc. But this is not the real truth.

The second group is usually common to find. They go to learn because of their work or because of their studies but they don not feel it. They usually had a a bad experience with other teachers and methodology. For them is a like a "karma" to do it. As a teacher for me this is the challenging part. It is important to motivate them to do it but how? Firstly, all is your attitude as a teacher. You must be optimistic and really feel it as a passion to teach. Secondly, methodology is important. I think you must teach in an easy way with out using so much terminology, and also to have good material such as good books, activities; lots of them!!! and be interactive. Actually, I have discovered that students are interested in applying technology to their language learning process. Trying to use mobile phones, internet, email etc motivate them more to learn. Finally, find a catchy topic and apply it to the class. You must understand that person feelings, interest, daily life.

Culture - the fifth language skill

2008-10-01T09:40:00.000-07:00

Submitted by Barry Tomalin from Teaching English

This is the first in a series of articles by our third Guest Contributor Barry Tomalin.

What do we mean by 'culture'?
Many teachers quote the Dutch psychologist Geert Hofstede’s maxim ‘Software of the Mind’, the subtitle of his 2005 book ‘Cultures and Organisations’. What culture covers is the commonly held traditions, values and ways of behaving of a particular community. It includes what we used to call ‘British and American life and institutions’, ‘daily life’ and also cultural artefacts, such as the arts or sports. This is all interesting and sometimes useful knowledge and it is often included in textbooks.

However, there is also another level of understanding, of culture. This is how you develop cultural sensitivity and cultural skill. This covers how you build cultural awareness, what qualities you need to deal successfully with other cultures, and how to operate successfully with people from other cultures. This is often considered to be a business skill for adults, such as international sales managers or explorers. But if you think about it there is a set of skills also needed by refugee kids, ‘third culture kids’ following their parents as they are posted around the world, and students going abroad on gap years before university or overseas study grants. Therefore we could argue that the teaching of culture in ELT should include these things:

Cultural knowledge
The knowledge of the culture’s institutions, the Big C, as it’s described by Tomalin and Stempleski in their 1995 book ‘Cultural Awareness’.

Cultural values
The ‘psyche’ of the country, what people think is important, it includes things like family, hospitality, patriotism, fairness etc.

Cultural behaviour
The knowledge of daily routines and behaviour, the little c, as Tomalin and Stempleski describe it.

Cultural skills
The development of intercultural sensitivity and awareness, using the English language as the medium of interaction.

Culture – the fifth language skill

Why should we consider the teaching of a cultural skills set as part of language teaching and why should we consider it a fifth language skill, in addition to listening, speaking, reading and writing? I think there are two reasons. One is the international role of the English language and the other is globalisation.

Many now argue that the role of the English language in the curriculum is a life skill and should be taught as a core curriculum subject like maths, and the mother tongue. The reason for this is globalisation and the fact that to operate internationally people will need to be able to use a lingua franca. For the next twenty to thirty years at least, that language is likely to be English. That means that English will be a core communicative skill and will need to be taught early in the school curriculum. Many countries now introduce English at eight years old and many parents introduce their children to English at an even younger age, using ‘early advantage’ programmes.

The second argument is globalisation itself. You could say, ‘We are all internationalists now’. We are or will be dealing with foreigners in our community, going abroad more, dealing at a distance with foreigners through outsourcing or email, phone and video-conferencing. And this isn’t just for adults. Kids are interchanging experience and information through travel, keypal schemes and networks like Facebook. This is the time to develop the intercultural skills that will serve them in adult life.

Up until recently, I assumed that if you learned the language, you learned the culture but actually it isn’t true. You can learn a lot of cultural features but it doesn’t teach you sensitivity and awareness or even how to behave in certain situations. What the fifth language skill teaches you is the mindset and techniques to adapt your use of English to learn about, understand and appreciate the values, ways of doing things and unique qualities of other cultures. It involves understanding how to use language to accept difference, to be flexible and tolerant of ways of doing things which might be different to yours. It is an attitudinal change that is expressed through the use of language.

Conclusion
These are some of the big picture issues I would be delighted to exchange ideas on with you. In the next article we can look in more detail at some of the ‘nitty gritty’ operational issues that teachers and materials developers have to deal with in their daily lives.

I look forward to meeting you on the Net.

The Tudors month- Charles Brandon

2008-09-27T08:58:00.000-07:00

Charles Brandon was the third son of Sir William Brandon who, as Henry VII's standard bearer, had been killed by Richard III in person at the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was brought up at the court of Henry VII and became a favourite of Henry VIII. He held several posts in the royal household and distinguished himself in the French campaign of 1513. In 1515 he privately married Mary Tudor, Louis XII's (king of France) widow and Henry VIII's sister, to avoid the political difficulties surrounding the marriage — Henry was keen to acquire the gold plate and jewels which Louis had promised Mary before his death and he made it clear he would only sanction Suffolk's marriage to her if he did indeed get them. Wolsey brokered a deal, however and the couple were able to have a public wedding some months later. Suffolk supported Henry's divorce from Katherine of Aragon, in direct opposition to Wolsey, and after the latter's disgrace, his influence increased rapidly to the point where he acted as High Steward at the coronation of Anne Boleyn. He died in 1545, a year after commanding an English army invading France. Through his daughter by Mary, Frances, he was grandfather to Lady Jane Grey who would reign for nine days in 1553.

Actor's Bio

Henry Cavill began his career as an actor in Stowe Boarding School in England where he appeared in many student productions. He has appeared in several films, including The Count of Monte Cristo, I Capture the Castle, Riding Hood, Hellraiser: Hellworld, and the film adaptation of the myth of Tristan & Isolde. He will soon be seen alongside Robert DeNiro and Claire Danes in the magical-realist fantasy Stardust.

The Tudors Month - Anne Boleyn

2008-09-25T20:51:00.000-07:00

Anne Boleyn began her court life as one of Katherine of Aragon's ladies in waiting, and went on to become Henry VIII's second wife, bearing him one child, Elizabeth. She was a very powerful figure at court and found herself actively promoting the cause of Church reform; Henry's divorce from Katherine had been "legalised" through the Act of Supremacy which placed the King at the head of the Church in England, freed from Papal authority. In 1532 Henry made Anne the Marchioness of Pembroke, making her the first English female commoner to become a noble in her own right by creation rather than through inheritance. However, her relationship with Henry was volatile: she was upset by his string of mistresses and he felt betrayed by her apparent inability to produce a son. On May 17th, 1536 she was accused of adultery, incest (with her brother who was also tried and found guilty), witchcraft and high treason and two days later she was executed in the French style, with a sword.

Natalie Dormer

A native of Reading, England, Dormer had her breakthrough big screen debut opposite Heath Ledger in the period comedy Casanova, a film The New York Times described as, "...a lively, sly and altogether charming farce."

Along with considerable experience in British theatre, she lists appearances in such television series as "Rebus" and "Distant Shores" among her credits.

The Tudors Month - Characters from the TV series Thomas More

2008-09-24T11:58:00.000-07:00

Sir Thomas More was a scholar, author and a statesman. During his political career he was secretary and personal advisor to Henry VIII, Speaker of the House of Commons, chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Lord Chancellor. He refused to sign a letter asking the Pope to annul Henry's marriage to Katherine of Aragon and did not accept Henry's claim to be head of the Church of England. In 1535 he was tried for high treason and was beheaded. His body was buried in the Tower of London while his head was hung over London Bridge for a month from where it was rescued by his daughter Margaret. He was canonised in the Catholic Church in 1935.

JEREMY NORTHAM

Jeremy Northam made his American film debut in The Net, but has appeared frequently in British period films such as Carrington, Emma, The Winslow Boy, An Ideal Husband, Enigma, and as famed actor and singer Ivor Novello in Robert Altman's Oscar®-winning Gosford Park.

The Tudors Month - Characters from the TV series King Henry VIII

2008-09-23T08:29:00.000-07:00

Henry was never intended for the throne of England. However, the death of his older brother Arthur at the age of 15 and his taking of his dead brother's bride, propelled the young prince into the limelight and laid the foundations for one of the most spectacular reigns in English history. The young Henry VIII was an artist, musician, theologian and sportsman — the perfect Renaissance prince — but the failure of his first wife Katherine of Aragon to produce a male heir brought out his darker side. Henry could be cruel and capricious, using arbitrary execution as an instrument of Royal policy. In his bid to produce an heir he would dismantle the established church in England, loot its possessions, and set himself up as an absolute monarch. By the time of his death, his desire to maintain his own magnificent dynasty had seen him marry six times, deplete the nation's coffers, and cut a swath through the English nobility. Yet a new age had been born in the fires of change and though the years had transformed a Renaissance prince into a sickly, overweight tyrant, his rule marked a sea-change in the fortunes of England.

Actors Biography

Jonathan Rhys Meyers first gained international attention for his starring role in Todd Haynes' Velvet Goldmine opposite Ewan McGregor, Christian Bale and Toni Collette. Rhys Meyers' daring performance as ex-glam rocker Brian Slade garnered him a London Film Critics Circle Award nomination. Since then, Rhys Meyers has landed leading roles opposite today's hottest film actors and directors, and has emerged as one of Hollywood's most sought-after leading men.

In 2006, Rhys Meyers received a Golden Globe Award for "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie" for his portrayal of the young Elvis Presley in the television miniseries "Elvis." In addition to this honor, he received an Emmy® nomination. The flawless portrayal of "The King" by a young Irish actor floored critics and audiences alike.

Next spring, Rhys Meyers will be seen in August Rush, alongside an all-star cast, including Terrence Howard, Robin Williams and Keri Russell. The film will be directed by In America's Jim Sheridan.

Rhys Meyers was most recently seen in the much-anticipated action sequel Mission: Impossible III, in which he co-starred with Tom Cruise, Laurence Fishburne and Philip Seymour Hoffman, under the direction of J.J. Abrams.

In 2006, Rhys Meyers earned critical acclaim for his role in the highly anticipated Woody Allen film Match Point. Dubbed as Allen's "comeback," the film was nominated for three Golden Globes, including "Best Picture." Match Point, which co-starred Scarlett Johansson, debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in 2005, with Rhys Meyers winning the festival's Chopard Trophy for Male Revelation.

Rhys Meyers is also recognized for his role as the girls' soccer coach in the award-winning sleeper hit Bend It Like Beckham, in which he starred alongside Keira Knightley and Parminder Nagra. Rhys Meyers recent film credits include starring roles in Oliver Stone's epic Alexander, with Colin Farrell and Angelina Jolie; and Mira Nair's Vanity Fair, with Reese Witherspoon.

On the small screen, Rhys Meyers has starred in a wide range of long-form projects, both in the U.S. and U.K. Among his television credits are the Showtime presentation of "The Lion in Winter," with Glenn Close and Patrick Stewart; Alfonso Arau's "The Magnificent Ambersons"; "Gormenghast"; "The Tribe"; and "Samson and Delilah."

Born in Dublin, Ireland, Rhys Meyers made his film debut in A Man of No Importance, and then played the young assassin in Neil Jordan's biopic Michael Collins. His subsequent film credits include The Maker, Telling Lies In America, starring Kevin Bacon; The Governess, opposite Minnie Driver; the thriller B. Monkey; Mike Figgis' The Loss of Sexual Innocence; Ang Lee's western Ride With the Devil; Julie Taymor's Titus, with Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange; Prozac Nation opposite Christina Ricci; The Tesseract; the crime drama I'll Sleep When I'm Dead, with Clive Owen and Charlotte Rampling; and The Emperor's Wife. Rhys Meyers currently resides in London.

The Tudors Month - The Family Tree

2008-09-15T20:26:00.001-07:00

This month I want to present you a fascinating story...................... The Tudors. I hope you have seen the TV series presented in Colombia by People and Arts. Who are they? Why they were so important in the English Monarchy?

Tudor Family Tree

http://www.the-tudors.org.uk/

The Tudor Family Tree
Who were the Tudors? The Royal Tudors family tree traces the rise and the fall of the Plantagenet dynasty and the start of the Tudors dynasty with Owen Tudor. The Tudor family tree ends with Elizabeth I. Queen Elizabeth I died childless, thus ending the famous dynasty of the Tudors, and she was succeeded by King James I (1603–1625) and the dynasty of the Stuarts. Who did the Tudors marry? The six wives of Henry VIII immediately spring to mind. Who were the children of the Tudors? And who were the close relatives of the Tudors? Full details of the Tudors and their family tree is available in this section. King Richard III was defeated by Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 which started the House of Tudor. It is interesting to note that Edmund Tudor married Margaret Beaufort who was a descendent of John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford.

The Tudor Family Tree

		Edward III

Edward The Black Prince	Lionel ( Duke of Clarence)	William (No Issue)	Edmund (Duke of York	John of Gaunt (Duke of Lancaster)

Richard II	Richard Duke of York			Henry IV Bolingbroke

	Edward IV and Richard Duke of York			Henry V

	Edward V and Richard Duke of York were murdered Princes in the Tower			Henry VI Married Catherine of Valois

	Succeeded by their uncle who became Richard III			Catherine of Valois ( widow of Henry VI) married Owen Tudor

				Edmund Tudor

				Henry Tudor became King Henry VII m. Elizabeth of York

				King Henry VIII

				Edward VI

				Bloody Mary

				Elizabeth I

Tudor Family Tree - The Tudor Kings and Queens
The Tudor Family Tree and the House of Tudor reigned from 1485-1603. The Tudor family tree included three Kings and two Queens:

King Henry VII who reigned 1485-1509
King Henry VIII who reigned 1509-1547
King Edward VI who reigned 1547-1553
Queen Mary I who reigned 1553-1558
Queen Elizabeth I who reigned 1558-1603

Tudor Family Tree - The End of the Tudor Dynasty
The Tudor Family Tree and the House of Tudor started with the defeat of the last Plantagenet, King Richard III, at the Battle of Bosworth Field when he was defeated by Henry Tudor who became King Henry VII, the father of King Henry VIII who was the most famous Tudor King. The Tudor family tree then continued with his children: Edward VI, Bloody Mary and Queen Elizabeth I. The Tudor Dynasty and Family tree then ends as all of the children of King Henry VIII were childless.

The Start of the Stuart Dynasty
The next English royal dynasty were the Stuarts who started with James I who was the son of Mary Queen of Scots, the cousin of Queen Elizabeth I.

False Friends? Actual and Actuality

2008-09-11T07:13:00.000-07:00

Have you listened about this word? False friends are all those words that in English have a completely different meaning from Spanish (as an example) but they sound very similar in appearance.

What are the mistakes in these sentences?

What do you think about the actual crisis?

In the actuality he's living abroad.

The mistakes are in actual and actuality.

Actual is truthful, real.
Actuality is reality.

Correct sentences:

What do you think about the present crisis?

At the present he is living abroad.

Correct sentences with Actual and Actuality.

Those were her actual words.

His novel blurs the division between dreams and actuality.

More false friends soon in this blog or in our English classes.

Accent reduction

2008-09-09T09:09:00.000-07:00

This is a complete issue for people who are learning another language. Communication is no only how well you use the grammar, vocabulary etc but also how is your accent. By your accent you can tell where the people is from. I found this useful guideline from www.speakingyourbest.com and I hope it will help specially to spanish speakers.

Common Mispronunciations
for Spanish Speakers

Because Spanish is your native language, you may find that the following sounds are particularly difficult for you to pronounce.

1. The “b” and “v” sounds are often confused
You may notice that you pronounce “b” like “v” and “v” like “b.” These are important sounds to practice and master.

To form the "b" sound, place your lips together, then force out the sound.

For the "v", you will need to lightly bite your lower lip and continue the sound so that you can feel your lower lip vibrate.

The word “vet” may sound like “bet.”
The word “boat” may sound like “vote.”

2. The “sh” and “ch” sounds are often confused
The “sh” and “ch” sounds are often interchanged in words. The difference between these two sounds is this: The "ch" is actually made up of two sounds: "t" and "sh." For this sound, you will need to remember to begin by placing the tip of your tongue behind your upper front teeth; then finish with "sh." Pay special attention to learning how to hear and feel the difference between these two sounds.

The "sh" sound still begins with the tip of your tongue near the spot for the "t" sound, however you continue this sound.

The word “sheep” may sound like “cheap.”
The word “chop” may sound like “shop.”

3. The “z” sound is pronounced like “s”
This sound may be very challenging for you because you naturally pronounce “z” in Spanish like the American English “s” sound. The difference between the sounds is in what we call “voicing.” We use our voice to say “z” but don’t for “s.” The tricky part is that most of the time, the “z” sound in English is represented with the letter “s.” Devote a lot of time to this sound. Let’s look at how it can affect your English.

The word “was” may sound like “wuss.”
The word “busy” may sound like “bissy.”
The word “zoo” sounds like “Sue.”

"z" sound

Smile and place the tip of your tongue behind your upper front teeth. Use your voice as you continue the sound.

"s" sound

This is what we call the "snake" sound because it sounds like hissing. It is formed just like "z" but you do not use your voice.

"sh" sound

Round your lips and gently place your tongue tip behind your upper front teeth. It is a gentle sound that continues. We say this when we want someone to be quiet.

"ch" sound

This is made up of "t" and "sh." Begin by rounding your lips, then place your tongue tip behind your front teeth and say "t" followed quickly by "sh."

"b" sound

You must begin with your lips together, then separate your lips as you force out the sound.

"v" sound

If you lightly bite your lower lip and continue the sound, you will create a "v" instead.

NEW vocabulary word/From scratch

2008-09-04T06:19:00.000-07:00

Taken from sozoexchange.com

This is a phrase which means from the beginning or zero.
This expression is derived from the line scratched or drawn in the ground that people used as the starting line of a race. The phrase also means starting from raw ingredients.
For example, you can say, “My sister baked a cake from scratch for my birthday; she didn’t use any of those pre-mixed ingredients.”

Multi-word verbs - MWVs

2008-09-03T17:42:00.000-07:00

taken from teachingenglish.org.uk

Multi-word verbs, or MWVs, are verbs made up of two or more words. These words are a verb plus a preposition or particle. They are often known as phrasal verbs.

Example
‘Get on' and ‘turn off' are multi-word verbs.

In the classroom
Recording MWVs correctly can help learners understand and use them. Verbs can be grouped together according to the particle, e.g. verbs with ‘up', according to meaning, e.g. verbs about feelings, or according to the main verb, e.g. verbs beginning with ‘turn'. However verbs are grouped, it is useful to encourage learners to include an example of the verb in use.

Text messages and the Internet

2008-09-02T20:16:00.000-07:00

The increasing use of mobile phones and the Internet has had a significant impact on the lives of learners. I have found it really easily to use internet in my classes, but as a student how can you find it useful the usage of the internet when you are learning a language? How can you think you can learn English using your mobile phone?

Sometimes I feel that I have so much bookmarks in my internet explorer that I feel surprise when I don't remember the name of that webpage where I saw an interesting exercise. Also, I really don't know if using the mobile is a good idea. I have listened that many people feel annoyed when they receive so many text messages. I really think technology is useful but it has become more and more an important tool when learning a language that the day that occurs a black out I will really freak out!

Tell or Say

2007-06-14T10:12:00.002-07:00

Written by me.

You use these two words mainly in reported speech. You use the word "Tell" when you want to report what one person told you;

e.g Direct Speech

You have to do the homework.

Reported Speech
He told me (that) I had to do my homework.

You use the word "say" when somebody talks to a group of people and you want to report what that person said:

e.g Direct Speech
We have to do the homework

Reported Speech
He said (that) we had to do the homework.

The word "that" is optional.

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TEA TRAVELS (TM)FAQ about AFTERNOON TEABy Ellen Easton C. 2004 All Rights Reserved

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TEA TRAVELS (TM)
FAQ about AFTERNOON TEA
By Ellen Easton C. 2004 All Rights Reserved