Friday, September 28, 2007

Speaking Practice at Chinswing!



Chinswing is a great place to listen and to be listened to.
Chinswing is a global message board where anyone can add voice messages to ongoing topical discussions. Share your personal interests or hobbies, debate hot issues or find answers to questions. We've combined features of podcasting, text forums and live voice chat to create a whole new way to talk.
I started some discussions there... Introduce yourself is our first task. Please, leave a voice message and tell the world what you think or listen to what other people think. You can also download your voice messages and save them as mp3 files.

Democracy... What is it?













Yesterday, in Myanmar - Burma, a protest leaded by monks ended on people been killed by a government that doesn-t listen to its own people. That-s a terrible thing to happen... Where-s democracy? what-s democracy? that-s our topic in this posting..

I love this definition of democracy...

A political system that allows the citizens to participate in political decision-making, or to elect representatives to government bodies.

What do you think? what-s democracy for you?... Leave a comment... Prticipate in a petition to stop violence in Burma. Sign a petition at Petition on Line


I found this interesting site... Why Democracy

They say that this group is not about being able to define democracy but about sharing conceptions, perspectives and experiences. Discuss current events, intellectualize about political theory, or talk about how cool documentaries are in our forums:
http://www.whydemocracy.net/forum
(You can chat about other stuff, too.)

Check it out and start sharing opinions with people in the world...

Keep on shining!
Doris3m

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Do the Salmon Dance!



The Chemical Brothers - The Salmon Dance Lyrics

Hello Boys and girls, my name is FatLip
and this is my friend Sammy the Salmon

Today, we’re going to teach you some fun facts about Salmon,
And a brand new dance.


Let me introduce to you a brand new dance
I know you’re gonna love it if you give it one chance
It’s not complicated, it’s not too hard
You don’t even have to be a hip hop star

See anyone can do it, all you need is style
Listen up peep gang (?) I’m a show you how
Put your hands to the side, as silly AS SILLY AS IT SEEMs
And shake your body like a salmon floatin’ up stream!

I’ll float up stream
(you know how we do it, you know how we do it)
Again

*All my peeps spend part of their life in fresh water*
*And part of their life in salt water*

Wow, very interesting

*We change round a couple of days after spawning*
*Then we DIE* (?)

When I first did the Salmon all the people just laughed
They looked around and stood like I was on c****
I heard somebody say out loud what the f*** is that
This n***’s dancin like a fish while he’s doin’ the snap

But the more I kept doing it the more they kept feelin’ it
Tnd then I heard some b**** say yo that n**** killin’ it
By the end of the night everyone was on my team
And the whole club was dancing like a salmon floatin’ up stream!

I’ll float up stream
(you know how we do it, you know how we do it)
again.

*Most of our friends find their home waters by their sense of smell*
*which is even more keen than that of a dog or a bear*

Wow.

*My family also rely on ocean currents, tides*
*The gravitational pull of the moon*

The moon? Fish pay attention to the moon? Wow.

*Did you know?*

What?

*That I could go to Japan, and back.*

You’re kidding me. Amazing. Jeez.

*Polluted water can kill both baby salmon, that are developing*
*and the adult salmon, that are on their way to spawn.*

Wow what a shame, what a shame
Huh?
Woah.
Wow. Hey kids, hey give it up for Sammy the Salmon and his amazing salmon dance.
Huh? Whadda ya say?
Who’s Hungry?

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Trimester sep/dec2007 week 4

Hello, everyone! We are starting week 4 of this trimester. This is to remind you that this week we will working with the following units and contents. Also, this week we have test practice at the lab.

Level 1 Unit 3 * Where are you from?
Tasks* Describe yourself. Write short descriptions of you, a friend and someone you admire. New Interchange exercises

Countries and nationalities

Verb to be Practice. Descriptions. More verb to be practice

Level 2 Unit 11 * Celebrations!!! What are you going to do?

Tasks
* Write a composition about your favorite festivity. In groups prepare a short presentation about a world celebration
New Interchange Exercises

going to. future plans
hollidays and celebrations

Level 4 Unit 11 * It's a very exciting city! Describing a city of the world.
Tasks
Write a two paragraph composition about your city in Venezuela and about your favorite city in the world. Say:

Why do you like living in the city?
What are some of the advantages of living in a city?
What are some of the disadvantages of living in a city?
Do you know the neighbors who live near you?
What's your favorite city? Why?
What city do you live in?
What part of this city do you like the best?
Can you describe the city?
What aspects of life in the city would you complain about?
What do you think should be done to improve living condition in cities?

New Interchange exercises

Puzzle: Adjectives describing a city

Read the following City Description... What do you think? Leave a comment... get a Punto Extra

Unit 5 Unit 3 * Time for a change!
Tasks
Composition describing where I live, what I wish to change about it and my dream house.

New Interchange exercises

Level 6 - Speaking Group
Unit 2 * Technology. What-s your favorite Gadget?

Tasks

Write in your blog your opinion about your favorite gadget

Listening!!! 20 questions

Friday, September 21, 2007

Talented People!!!

Do you know who Aldemaro Romero was?

Also known as
Maestro Aldemaro Romero was born on March 12, 1928 and died last week September 15, 2007 in Caracas. He was a Musician who was interested in Venezuelan popular music, Jazz, Classical, and Onda Nueva Music.
He was a great pianist, and wonderfull composer

Wikipedias says
Romero was a prolific composer, creating a wide range of music, such as Caribbean, Jazz, Venezuelan waltzes, including works for orchestra, orchestra and solist, orchestra and choir, chamber music, up to symphonic works of great dimensions.

Listen to some of his music here!

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Quote of the month at Tappis

Quote of the Month - "The last few decades have belonged to a certain kind of person with a certain kind of mind - computer programmers who could crank code, lawyers who could craft contracts, MBAs who could crunch numbers. But the keys to the kingdom are changing hands. The future belongs to a very different kind of person with a very different kind of mind - creators and empathizers, pattern recognizers and meaning makers. These people - artists, inventors, designers, storytellers, caregivers, consolers, big picture thinkers - will now reap society's richest rewards and share its greatest joys." - Dan Pink, A Whole New Mind

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Trimester sep/dec2007 week 3

Hello, everyone! We are starting week three of this trimester. This is to remind you that this week we will working with the following units and contents.

Level 1
Unit 2 * Where things are? A collage!

Tasks
* Draw or cut out some pictures and make a collage of common objects. Write short conversations asking and telling where things are in your collage.

New Interchange exercises
Common Objects
Plurals
Prepositions
this/these - it/they
yes/no and where questions

Level 2

Unit 10 * Talents and sports.

Tasks

*Show and tell... bring your talent to class and show what you can do... if not we won-t believe you..

*a composition about talents and sports.

New Interchange Exercises

Can for ability

Simple present

Sports

Sports - simple present wh questions

Level 4

Unit 10 * Have you ever been to Canaima?

Tasks

Write a short composition about 3 things you have already done (tell when you did them) and 3 things you haven't done yet but plan to do.

New Interchange exercises

Activities you have done or haven-t done

For and since

Simple past&Present perfect

Unit 5

Unit 2 * Caught in the rush.

Tasks

letter to the mayor telling about Maracaibo's traffic or public service problems.

New Interchange exercises

Adverbs of quantity

Common questions

compound nouns / countable and uncountable nouns

Indirect questions (wh-questions)

Level 6 - Speaking Group

Unit 1 * Describing Yourself

Friday, September 14, 2007

A free Hug!






We were visited by a group of clowns giving free hugs! It was fun! It felt great to receive a warm hug. These smiling people belong to a world wide organization.... Can you believe it? they go all over the world giving free hugs to everybody. You can visit their site and join their group. They are called Free Hug Campaing.


Brighten Up A Strangers Day 'Free Hugs'. - Click here for the funniest movie of the week

All The Same lyrics
by Sick Puppies.

I don't mind where you come from
As long as you come to me
I don't like illusions I can't see
Them clearly

I don't care no I wouldn't dare
To fix the twist in you
You've shown me eventually
What you'll do

I don't mind...
I don't care...
As long as you're here

Go ahead tell me you'll leave again
You'll just come back running
Holding your scarred heart in hand
It's all the same
And I'll take you for who you are
If you take me for everything
Do it all over again
It's all the same

Hours slide and days go by
Till you decide to come
And in between it always seems too long
All of a sudden

And I have the skill, yeah I have the will
To breathe you in while I can
However long you stay
Is all that I am
[ All The Same lyrics found on http://www.completealbumlyrics.com/ ]

I don't mind...
I don't care...
As long as you're here

Go ahead tell me you'll leave again
You'll just come back running
Holding your scarred heart in hand
It's all the same
And I'll take you for who you are
If you take me for everything
Do it all over again
It's always the same

Wrong or right
Black or white
If I close my eyes
It's all the same

In my life
The compromise
I close my eyes
It's all the same

Go ahead say it you're leaving
You'll just come back running
Holding your scarred heart in hand
It's all the same
And I'll take you for who you are
If you take me for everything
Do it all over again
It's all the same

Monday, September 10, 2007

Sunday, September 9, 2007

Good Bye, Maestro!

This week we lost a great human being... Luciano Pavarotti... I found this in answers.com but belongs to wikipedia:

Luciano Pavarotti (October 12, 1935September 6, 2007) was an Italian tenor and one of the most popular contemporary vocal performers in the world of opera and across multiple musical genres. Known for his televised concerts, media appearances, and as one of the Three Tenors, Pavarotti was also noted for his award-winning charity work for raising money on behalf of refugees and the Red Cross.


Pavarotti annually hosted the "Pavarotti and Friends" charity concerts in his home town of Modena in Italy, joining with singers from all parts of the music industry to raise money for several UN causes. Concerts were held for War Child, and victims of war and civil unrest in Bosnia, Guatemala, Kosovo and Iraq. After the war in Bosnia, he financed and established the Pavarotti Music Center in the southern city of Mostar to offer Bosnia's artists the opportunity to develop their skills. For these contributions, the city of Sarajevo named him an honorary citizen in 2006.[17]

Pavarotti came to Venezuela and gave a concert to raise funds for wheel chairs for Children in Venezuela on March 07, 1989 in Valencia. In 2005, he came back again to raise money this time for the children of "National Network of Youth and Children Orchestras of Venezuela" Sistema Nacional de Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles de Venezuela (FESNOJIV), directed by el Maestro José Antonio Abreu. The Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil de Venezuela, directed by Leone Magiera also had the chance to perform with him and the Soprano Simona Todaro.

You can know more about the work of our Youth and Children Orchestra by watching the movie To play and to Fight.

To Play and To Fight is the captivating story of the Venezuelan Youth and Children’s Orchestra System, an incredible network of hundreds of orchestras formed within most of Venezuela’s towns and villages. Once a modest program designed to expose rural children to the wonders of music, ‘El Sistema’ has evolved into what has been called “one of the most important and beautiful social phenomena in modern history.”Close to half a million students have participated in the program, which was founded in 1975 by musician and former government minister Jose Antonio Abreu as a social program to improve the lives of the country's underprivileged youth.
As we can read he was a great singer and humanitarian person... We are going to miss you.. dear maestro!!! Here let's listen to La Donna e Mobile:





La donna è mobile
Qual piuma al vento,
Muta d'accento — e di pensiero.
Sempre un amabile,
Leggiadro viso,
In pianto o in riso, — è menzognero.

Refrain
La donna è mobile qual piuma al vento
Muta d'accento e di pensier!
e di pensier!
e di pensier!

È sempre misero
Chi a lei s'affida,
Chi le confida — mal cauto il cuore!
Pur mai non sentesi
Felice appieno
Chi su quel seno — non liba amore!

Refrain
La donna è mobile
qual piuma al vento,
Muta d'accento e di pensier!
e di pensier!
e di pensier!

Now The English version I found in Wikipedia:

Woman is flighty
Like a feather in the wind,
She changes her voice — and her mind.
Always sweet,
Pretty face,
In tears or in laughter, — she is always lying.

Refrain
Woman is flighty
Like a feather in the wind,
She changes the tone of her voice and her thoughts,
And her thoughts!
And her thoughts!

Always miserable
Is he who trusts her,
He who confides in her — his unwary heart!
Yet one never feels
Fully happy
Who on that bosom — does not drink love!

Refrain
Woman is flighty
Like a feather in the wind,
She changes the tone of her voice and her thoughts,
And her thoughts!
And her thoughts!

Now, How was that? Did you like it? What's your favorite Luciano's song?

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Trimester Sept-Dec 2007! Welcome everybody!






Well, a new trismester have started this week! Wow! new students, new bloggers, new adventures... Hope this trimester you can learn a lot... Share a lot... and have F.U.N = (frivolous, unanticipacited, nonsese) This means learn, have fun and don't worry too much about how well you are doing... Just do something!


Well, these are the new classes!