BLIND ZERO - DRIVE

Have a fantastic "Academic Week"!

Dilbert Cartoon - Geeks, Nerds and Engineers

The word geek is a slang term, noting individuals as "a peculiar or otherwise odd person, especially one who is perceived to be overly obsessed with one or more things including those of intellectuality, electronics, gaming, etc.".

Nerd is a term often bearing a derogatory connotation or stereotype, that refers to a person who passionately pursues intellectual activities, esoteric knowledge, or other obscure interests that are age inappropriate rather than engaging in more social or popular activities.

An engineer is someone who is trained or professionally engaged in a branch of engineering. Engineers use technology, mathematics, and scientific knowledge to solve practical problems.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org

Describing an object by Pedro Malheiro

The object that I chose to describe is a book. The title of the book is REBAP, concrete regulation.
This book defines the rules for dimensioning concrete structures and is based on the Portuguese legislation. In the Civil Engineering Course, there are two subjects that study this book.

My choice by Evandro Alves: The Old Man and The Sea by Hemingway

This is a novel written by Ernest Hemingway, that helped him to win a Nobel prize.
The book tells a story of an old fisherman named Santiago, who went to sea eighty four days
without fishing anything. Santiago has a young pupil named Manolin. His parents prohibited him
of going to fish with Santiago, because of his lack of luck, and, instead, ordered him to go with
other luckier fishermen.
Anyway, Manolin continued to help Santiago in the morning leaving him coffee and the bait. During the night he helped Santiago getting his gear out of the boat and they talked about baseball and his idol player: DiMaggio.
On the eighty fifth day, once again Santiago set sail, but this time he decided to go farther away into the gulf (he felt that his lack of luck was about to end). On that day, by noon, a marlin took his bait and the journey began...
What happened next is something of real emotion and adventure which can only be understood and felt by reading it...
Just one last note: I loved to read the Portuguese version of the book, but I would love to get my hands (and eyes) on the original one.

Television

(click on the image to expand it)

Level III - Intermediate

Activity: Which are the advantages and the disadvantages of television?

April Fools' Day

April Fools' Day, sometimes called All Fools' Day, is one of the most light hearted days of the year. Its origins are uncertain. Some see it as a celebration related to the turn of the seasons, while others believe it stems from the adoption of a new calendar.

Ancient cultures, including those as varied as the Romans and the Hindus, celebrated New Year's Day on or around April 1. It closely follows the vernal equinox (March 20th or March 21st.) In medieval times, much of Europe celebrated March 25, the Feast of Annunciation, as the beginning of the new year.

In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII ordered a new calendar (the Gregorian Calendar) to replace the old Julian Calendar. The new calendar called for New Year's Day to be celebrated Jan. 1. That year, France adopted the reformed calendar and shifted New Year's day to Jan. 1. According to a popular explanation, many people either refused to accept the new date, or did not learn about it, and continued to celebrate New Year's Day on April 1. Other people began to make fun of these traditionalists, sending them on "fool's errands" or trying to trick them into believing something false. Eventually, the practice spread throughout Europe.

Source: http://www.infoplease.com/spot/aprilfools1.html

Cartoon of the Month

Click on the image to expand it.

Problems with Sounds?

Go to http://www.cambridge.org/elt/resources/skills/interactive/pron_animations/index.htm and check sounds, Stress, intonation and the phonemic chart.

Our Choice by Vera and Olga

Alanis Morissette - Biography

She was born on 1 June 1974 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Since emerging in 1995, ALANIS MORISSETTE has become one of the premiere singer/songwriters in contemporary music. Her deeply expressive music and performances have earned the seven-time Grammy Award winner vast critical praise and a dedicated fan base that extends throughout the world. She wrote and produced her new album UNDER RUG SWEPT.
Source: http://www.alanis-morissette.com/biography/

We chose this music because we like the letter and the video very much. We think that singer is very expressive.

Alanis Morissette - Eight Easy Steps

Alanis Morissette - Eight Easy Steps

How to stay paralyzed by fear of adandonment
How to defer to men in solve-able predicaments
How to control someone to be a carbon copy of you
How to have that not work and have them run away from you

How to keep people at arm's length and never get too close
How to mistrust the ones you supposedly love the most
How to pretend you're fine and don't need help from anyone
How to feel worthless unless you're serving or helping someone

I'll teach you all this in eight easy steps
A course of a lifetime you'll never forget
I'll show you how to in eight easy steps
I'll show you how leadership looks when taught by the best

How to hate women when you're supposed to be a feminist
How to play all pious when you're really a hypocrite
How to hate god when you're a pray-er and a spiritualist
How to sabotage your fantasies by fears of success

I'll teach you all this in eight easy steps
A course of a lifetime you'll never forget
I'll show you how to in eight easy steps
I'll show you how leadership looks when taught by the best

I've been doing research for years
I've been practicing my ass off
I've been training my whole life for this moment (i swear to you)
Culminating just to be this this well-versed leader before you

I'll teach you all this in eight easy steps
A course of a lifetime you'll never forget
I'll show you how to in eight easy steps
I'll show you how leadership looks when taught by the best

How to lie to yourself and thereby to everyone else
How to keep smiling when you're thinking of killing yourself
How to numb a la holic to avoid going within
How to stay stuck in blue by blaming them for everything

I'll teach you all this in eight easy steps
A course of a lifetime you'll never forget
I'll show you how to in eight easy steps
I'll show you how leadership looks when taught by the best

My choice by Irina Fatuda

Beyonce Knowles was born on September 4 1981 in Houston, EUA. She is a popular American R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, and fashion designer. She released her debut solo album, Dangerously in Love in June 2003, but her career starting-point was as lead singer of the R&B girl group Destiny’s Child, the world’s best-selling female group of all time.
On February 17, 2008 she celebrated ten years of career, and she won ten Grammy Awards.

Source: http://www.mojidol.com/index.php?page=BEYONCE-GISELLE-KNOWLES (abridged and adapted)

I chose this music because I like it and I also like Beyonce. I think that “Listen” is a type of music that is timeless and when I hear it I feel happy and romantic.

Beyoncé - Listen

Listen, to the song here in my heart
A melody I start but can’t complete
Listen, to the sound from deep within
It’s only beginning to find release
Oh, the time has come
For my dreams to be heard
They will not be pushed aside and turned
Into your own, all cause you won’t listen

Listen, I am alone at a across roads
I’m not at home in my own home
And I’ve tried and tried
To say what’s on my mind
You should have known
Oh, now I’m done believing you
You don’t know what I’m feeling
I’m more than what you made of me
I followed the voice you gave to me
But now I got to find my own, you should have listened

There is someone here inside
Someone I thought had died so long ago
Oh, I’m screaming out
And my dreams will be heard
They will not be pushed aside or worse
Bent into your own, all cause you won’t listen

Listen, I am alone at a across roads
I’m not at home in my own home
And I’ve tried and tried
To say what’s on my mind
You should have known
Oh, now I’m done believing you
You don’t know what I’m feeling
I’m more than what you made of me
I followed the voice you gave to me
But now I've got find my own

I don’t know where I belong
But I’ll be moving on
If you don’t, if you won’t
Listen…
To the song here in my heart
A melody I start but I will complete
oh, now I’m done believing you
You don’t know what I’m feeling
I’m more than what you made of me
I followed the voice you think you gave to me
But now I've got to find my own
My own…

Riddle of the week - The Case of the Archaeological Dig

"I've finally earned my place as assistant curator of the museum", said Bob Hobbie to Max, the chief administrator of the Belgra Archeological Museum. "I moved West of the Pakistani dig site and we've just unearthed some wonderful coin artifacts."
"Why did you start digging in a new location?" asked Max.
"One of the local natives told me that, for many generations, his family had passed down a legend of a lost village and he found a map among his father's things," said Bob. "His father recently passed away", he added. "The native followed the map and led me to this site on the condition that if we discovered anything of value he would be paid one thousand dollars", explained Bob.
"And what is it that you found buried,?" asked Max.
"It's just terrific," exclaimed Bob, "we found 3 gold coins of various sizes dated 400 B.C., and after properly dusting them off I found them to be in excellent condition." "I quickly paid the native to complete our verbal contract and keep him from trying to claim a portion of the discovery," concluded Bob. After considering for a few moments, Max told Bob that when he returns home he should look for another job!! Why?

International Women's Day Clip

Because tomorrow is the International Women's day.
Because there are thousands of women with no rights, no economical independence, no freedom.

Learn More:
http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/women/
http://www.internationalwomensday.com/
http://sol.sapo.pt/PaginaInicial/Vida/Interior.aspx?content_id=83893