CHINESE NEW YEAR_ 31st JANUARY

Chinese New Year is celebrated in many countries around the world. Each new year is named after one of twelve animals. 2013 was the year of the Snake and 2014 is the year of the Horse.

2014 Year of the Horse

Dragon dances, acrobats, fireworks, a parade ... London is buzzing with excitement at Chinese New Year. Find out what you can do to join in the excitement!

Lunar New Year celebrations begin in China

People do lots of special things to celebrate Chinese New Year, this song is about some of them.

My Favourite Day - Chinese New Year

Make a colourful paper dragon.

The Great Race

Chinese New Year - Game

Chinese Year of the Dragon - Game

Greeting Cards

Lantern Festival

Year of the Horse - Printables

POPE FRANCIS ROCKS ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE COVER

Pope Francis has become the first pontiff to grace the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. It is a typical picture of the pope, smiling and waving, above the cover line, "The times they are a-changin.'"

This is one popular pope. Only last month he was smiling from the cover ofTime magazine as its 2013 "person of the year." And that was his second Time cover appearance last year.

But Rolling Stone is a rock music magazine, so it is a landmark decision to feature him. (No jokes then about a Rolling Stone gathers no mass).

Inside the magazine is a 7,700-word profile by contributing editor Mark Binelli, who writes: "In less than a year since his papacy began, Pope Francis has done much to separate himself from past popes and establish himself as a people's pope."

Never has a pope had so much in common with a rock star.

Pope Francis, who is known for his independent streak and for captivating crowds, has landed the February 2014 cover of Rolling Stone magazine.

“The times they are a-changin’ at the Vatican,” Rolling Stone declared in the headline, offering a look “inside the Pope's gentle revolution"

CHANGES TO CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH. FCE 2015

From January 2015, Cambridge English: First will have new specifications. Cambridge English: First is at Level B2 on the CEFR. It can be taken as a computer-based or a paper-based exam. It uses real-life situations that are designed to help your students communicate more effectively and learn the language skills to use everyday written and spoken English for work and study purposes.

Changes to exam at a glance

These are the key changes to the Cambridge English: First exam that will be introduced in January 2015.

Description                          Current version                        Revised version (2015)

Format                                 Five papers                             Four papers

Timing                                 3 hours 59 minutes                 3 hours 29 minutes

Number of Parts                 17                                             17

Number of questions          104                                           84

OXFORD DICTIONARIES WORD OF THE YEAR 2013

SELFIE

a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website

     Oxford Dictionaries announced selfie as their international Word of the Year 2013.  Language research conducted by Oxford Dictionaries editors reveals that the frequency of the word selfie in the English language has increased by 17,000% since this time last year.

     Selfie can actually be traced back to 2002 when it was used in an Australian online forum:

2002 ABC Online (forum posting) 13 Sept.

“Um, drunk at a mates 21st, I tripped ofer [sic] and landed lip first (with front teeth coming a very close second) on a set of steps. I had a hole about 1cm long right through my bottom lip. And sorry about the focus, it was a selfie.” 

      The word gained momentum throughout the English- speaking world in 2013 as it evolved from a social media buzzword to mainstream shorthand for a self-portrait photograph. Its linguistic productivity is already evident in the creation of numerous related spin-off terms showcasing particular parts of the body like helfie (a picture of one’s hair) and belfie (a picture of one’s posterior); a particular activity – welfie (workout selfie) anddrelfie (drunken selfie), and even items of furniture – shelfie and bookshelfie.

THE 30 BEST GOALS IN WORLD 2013

Start Slideshow

Lionel Messi. Cristiano Ronaldo. Franck Ribery. Gareth Bale. Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Arjen Robben. Neymar. These are just some of the elite stars that stun us with an incredible mix of skill and class every week. However, football is a global sport and players that may never get the chance of mixing it with the best in the world are still capable of producing a wonder strike. How some of these goals found the Internet is truly a wonder.

So, here is the top 30 goals in professional football for the year 2013...

Start Slideshow

REVIEW OF 2013

From Rosa's blog.

• Pope Francis was chosen person of the year

•  click here to be linked to Flocabulary and their Year in Rap 2013

• This is Reuters review with their pictures of the year

• the video below is JibJab´s review (JibJab is a digital entertainment studio from California) ; click on the captions to get the lyrics

WELCOME 2014!!!

LONDON NEW YEAR'S EVE FIREWORKS 2014

SONG: WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS- KARAOKE WITH LYRICS

THE DIGITAL STORY OF THE NATIVITY

WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS

WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS

THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

On 8 December, Spain celebrates the ‘Feast of the Immaculate Conception’. It is a public holiday and, for many this is when Christmas officially starts. The feast was originally called the Conception of Mary and arose in the Eastern Catholic Church in the seventh century It spread to the West in the eighth century, and in the 11th century received its present name, the Immaculate Conception. In the 18th century it became a feast of the Roman Catholic Church.

It was proclaimed an official feast day in 1854 by Pope Pius IX. It honours the Virgin Mary and the fact that, out of all the women in history, God chose her to be the mother of His own Son, Jesus.

In 1854, Pope Pius IX's solemn declaration, Ineffabilis Deus, clarified with finality the long-held belief of the Church that Mary was conceived free from original sin. In proclaiming the Immaculate Conception of Mary as a dogma of the Church, the pope expressed precisely and clearly that Mary was conceived free from the stain of original sin. This privilege of Mary derives from God's having chosen her as Mother of the Savior; thus she received the benefits of salvation in Christ from the very moment of her conception. (The picture above shows her mother, Anna, with the infant Mary within her womb.) This great gift to Mary, an ordinary human being just like us, was fitting because she was destined to be Mother of God. The purity and holiness of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a model for all Christians.

NELSON MANDELA HAS DIED_ 5TH DECEMBER

Nelson Mandela, whose victory against apartheid united his native South Africa and changed the course of modern history, has died following a long illness.

The Nobel Peace laureate, who spent nearly three decades as a political prisoner before going on to lead his country, passed away at his Johannesburg home surrounded by his family.

South African President Jacob Zuma said "the nation has lost its greatest son", adding: "He is now resting. He is now at peace."

MORE INFORMATION

 NATIONAL ANTHEM OF SOUTH ANFRICA

MANDELA: A LONG WAY TO FREEDOM

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom is based on South African President Nelson Mandela's autobiography of the same name, which chronicles his early life, coming of age, education and 27 years in prison before becoming President and working to rebuild the country’s once segregated society.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN UNITED KINGDOM, GREAT BRITAIN...

I know it is incredibly fast, so this time I recommend watching it with subtitles!. Really interesting.



Thanks to Rosa's room

25th NOVEMBER, VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN DAY

25th NOVEMBER VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

violenceagainstwomen-111123094436-phpapp01

SAY NO TO VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN_ SONG: THIS TIME_ CELINE DION

IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH WITH DAILY ACTIVITIES

 At the airport, taking a taxi, ordering a pizza, greeting people or saying goodbye, you can listen, practice and learn English with these videos about daily activities.
As they say:" Welcome to twominuteenglish.com Teaching you English in two minutes or less"
15 videos and growing 
Click here to go to twominuteenglish.com

VETERANS DAY - 11th NOVEMBER

Veterans Day Power Point

WORLD TEACHERS' DAY - 5th OCTOBER

On October 5, 1994, the first World Teachers' Day was held. This event has been organized on the same date each year since then. However, local events may be on some other date close to October 5, so that they do not fall during fall (northern hemisphere) or spring (southern hemisphere) school vacations. In 2002, Canada Post issued a postage stamp to commemorate World Teachers' Day.

"A Call for Teachers" is the slogan for World Teachers' day.

This year's celebrations will focus on UNESCO's work on quality teachers for global citizenship and cultural diversity.

Teachers develop learners' abilities to build a sustainable future with citizens who are able to take action in their own communities and contribute to global challenges. 

MATER DEI IN MALAGA (SPAIN)

On the occasion of the feast of Mater Dei and in the Year of Faith, seven images of Virgin Mary, each standing on Her float, will be taken out on a procession to meet at Plaza del Obispo on Saturday, 28 September in the afternoon, in praise of the Marian dogmas and the theological virtues.

Devotees will be able to visit the city’s Patroness at Her shrine on Friday and Saturday.

At the Church of La Victoria, they will be able to kiss the hand of Our Lady of La Merced.

María Auxiliadora, whose blessing will have its 75th anniversary this year, will be part of the Mater Dei celebrations.

SONG: LET HER GO _ PASSENGER

"Let Her Go" is a song written and recorded by British singer-songwriter Passenger. "Let Her Go" was released in July 2012 as the second single from Passenger's third album All the Little Lights. In early 2013, the song broke through in Europe and Oceania, reaching number-one in several countries, making it his first international success.

WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL

DIANA, PRINCESS OF WALES 1 JULY 1961 – 31 AUGUST 1997

Diana, Princess of Wales was killed in a car crash in Paris on 31 August 1997. The vehicle in which the Princess was travelling was involved in a high-speed accident in the Place de l'Alma underpass in central Paris shortly before midnight on Saturday, 30 August.

Princess Diana was a popular international media icon of the late 20th century as the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981.

POET SEAMUS HEANEY DIES AGED 74

Seamus Heaney, acclaimed by many as the best Irish poet since WB Yeats, has died aged 74.

Heaney was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995 "for works of lyrical beauty and ethical depth, which exalt everyday miracles and the living past".

Over his long career he was awarded numerous prizes and received many honours for his work.

7 UNUSUAL MYTHS AND THEORIES ABOUT THE MOON

Created by a fiery planetary explosion about 400 billion years ago, the moon has comforted man for thousands of years. It's been everything from a god to a compass, and the only cosmic body human beings have ever visited. Explore some of the fascinating, surprising or simply bizarre theories that earthlings have entertained about the moon throughout history.

1. Full moons make you crazy.

Since ancient times, full moons have been associated with odd or insane behavior, including sleepwalking, suicide, illegal activity, fits of violence and, of course, transforming into werewolves. Indeed, the words “lunacy” and “lunatic” come from the Roman goddess of the moon, Luna, who was said to ride her silver chariot across the dark sky each night. For thousands of years, doctors and mental health professionals believed in a strong connection between mania and the moon. Hippocrates, considered the father of modern medicine, wrote in the fifth century B.C. that “one who is seized with terror, fright and madness during the night is being visited by the goddess of the moon.” In 18th-century England, people on trial for murder could campaign for a lighter sentence on grounds of lunacy if the crime occurred under a full moon; meanwhile, psychiatric patients at London’s Bethlehem Hospital were shackled and flogged as a preventive measure during certain lunar phases. Even today, despite studies discrediting the hypothesis, some people think full moons make everyone a little loony.

I HAVE A DREAM - MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered this speech on August 28, 1963, on the steps of the Washington, D.C., Lincoln Memorial.

More than 200,000 Americans gathered in Washington, D.C., for a political rally known as the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Organized by a number of civil rights and religious groups, the event was designed to shed light on the political and social challenges African Americans continued to face across the country. The march, which became a key moment in the growing struggle for civil rights in the United States, culminated in Martin Luther King Jr.’s "I Have a Dream" speech, a spirited call for racial justice and equality.

FULL TEXT AND VIDEO AND AUDIO OF THE SPEECH

You can practice the speech with the following karaoke.

MOTHER TERESA 26 AUGUST 1910 - 5 SEPTEMBER 1997

Mother Teresa of Calcutta was born on 27 August 1910. She always wrote her birthday as the 27 August because that was the day of her baptism, which was always more important to her than her birth.

Who was Mother Teresa?

Mother Teresa birth name was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. At the age of 18 she became a nun in Ireland and chose the name of Sister Teresa, in memory of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux.

What is Mother Teresa famous for?

Mother Teresa is famous all over the world for her work with the poor in India. For over 45 years she ministered to the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying.

THE NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL SUNDAY 25 & MONDAY 26

Every year the streets of West London come alive, with the sounds and smells of Europe’s biggest street festival. Twenty miles of vibrant colourful costumes surround over 40 static sound systems, hundreds of Caribbean food stalls,(make sure you visit Mama’s Jerk Station, on the corner of Portobello Rd and Oxford Gardens) over 40,000 volunteers and over 1 million Notting Hill carnival

revellers.

Starting its life as a local festival set up by the West Indian community of the Notting Hill area, it has now become a full-blooded Caribbean carnival, attracting millions of visitors from all over the globe. With many astonishing floats and the sounds of the traditional steel drum bands, scores of massive sound systems plus not forgetting the hundreds of stalls that line the streets of Notting Hill. The Notting Hill Carnival is arguably London’s most exciting annual event.

The Notting Hill Carnival used to get under way on the Saturday with the steel band competition. Sunday is Kids’ Day, when the costume prizes are awarded. On Bank Holiday Monday, the main parade takes place. It generally begins on Great Western Road, then winds its way along Chepstow Road, on to Westbourne Grove, and then Ladbroke Grove. In the evening, the floats leave the streets in procession, and people carry continue partying at the many Notting Hill Carnival after parties.

MALAGA FAIR 2013: THE BIGGEST IN ITS HISTORY

The Fair in Malaga in August is the biggest festival in our city. This year will be the longest yet, it will last for 11 days from the 17th until the 24th of August. The Malaga Fair 2013 will surprise you in many ways: from the decorated streets through the historic centre and fairground rides, the horseriders that pass by, with the verdial and Sevillian dancers, to the bull fighters or simply the excitement from the malagueños and tourists.

200 free shows

The Malaga Fair programme lists 200 free shows in 2013, that range from street performances from the verdiales dance group, traditional Malgueño dancing concerts with famous Spanish singers and groups, such as Andy and Lucas, Chambao and El Sueño de Morfeo; child rides, without forgetting the 15 expositions that you can visit in 9 museums and enabled spaces in the Birthplace of Picasso, el CAC (Centro de Arte Contemporáneo) or the Carmen Thyssen Museum, amongst others. There will be also other events which you can pay to see, such as the bullfighting in “La Plaza de La Malagueta”.  

History

The origin of the Malaga Fair came from the commemoration of the conquest of the city from the Moors by the Catholic Kings on the 19th August 1487. This year it will take place on a working day and the festivities will take place the day before, in other words, the 18th August, the day of the patron saints in Malaga, “San Ciriaco” and “Santa Paula”. 

Fair by day

The Malagueño festivals in August can be enjoyed in many ways in 2 different areas. During the morning and afternoon you can find “los feriantes” in the city centre. The historic streets are decorated with coloured lanterns, the bars serve drinks and tapas, folk groups sing and dance and the youths enjoy the more recent music in discos and pubs. 

Fair by night 

A little further away from the centre, next to the Palacio de Congresos, in the area known as“Cortijo de Torres”, an artificial enclosure is built for the festivities in Malaga. Although there is lots of life throughout the day, there is much more at night-time, where many of the “fiesteros” move to the centre. Here there are numerous stalls to eat drink and dance in; attractions for teens and children, and, above all, something which draws the most attention to foreign visitors, the horse drawn carriages with riders and passengers wearing traditional Andalusia clothes.

Come to Malaga! Come to the fair! In 11 days of festivities you will find every type of entertainment adapted to your likes and preferences in one of the most loved cities in Spain. 

MALAGA FAIR 2013: 9 Activities and Events You Won’t Want to Miss

Once again, anyone who visits the city during this week long festivity will be treated to a whole host of fun and entertaining activities and events. We’ve gone through the 26 page official programme for the ‘Feria’ and picked out – what we feel to be – some of the more interesting events on the calendar. Live music, bullfighting, museum exhibitions, Kids activities, Flamenco Shows are just some of the treats awaiting you!

Here’s the list:

1)      The official opening of the Fair on the Malagueta Beach (next to the port). You’ll witness a fabulous firework display with music and a free live concert with local singer Vanesa Martin. (Friday 16th August at midnight)

2)      ‘Ciudad de Malaga’ Horse and Carriage competition in the Malagueta bullring. (Sunday 18th August at 10.00pm)

3)      Magical Pirate Fair with games, workshops, storytelling, theatre, magic show and lots more. Located in Calle Alcazabilla this activity is available from 12.00pm to 3.30pm on the 19th, 20th,21st,22nd, 23rd and 24th August.

4)      Various free concerts in the ‘Auditorio Municipal’ located in the main fair ground. Highly popular Spanish artists such as Chambao, Merche and Andy y Lucas will be delighting crowds from 11pm most evenings. (See full guide for exact dates).

5)      Bullfighting: Throughout the week, those of you interested in watching a traditional bull fight will be spoilt for choice with some of the greatest matadors visiting the Malagueta bullring throughout the week.

6)      Flamenco Festival in the ‘Auditorio Municipal’ at the main fair ground. (11.00pm on the 21st August)

7)      The day fair in Malaga’s historic centre. Lots of great food, drink and lots of flamenco dancing!

8)      Museum exhibitions: Throughout the week, many of the city’s museums will be putting on special exhibitions; if you’re an art lover, you won’t want to miss this!

9)      Historical Parade to commemorate the conquering of the city by the Catholic Kings in 1487. (25thAugust at 7.00pm)

For a full copy of the Official Programme for the fair, please CLICK HERE.