Thursday, October 14, 2010

Hi, it's time to say goodbye. Being with you was wonderful ... It was a pleasure....
Thank you very much for everything.  God blesses you all and your families ...!! Miguel Sequeira

Cultural differences !!

I saw Susie sitting in a shoe shine shop
Where she sits she shines, and Where she shines she sits.

 How many cookies could a good cook cook If a good cook could
cook cookies? A good cook could cook as much cookies as a
good cook who cook cookies.

How can a clamm cram in a clean cream can?

The thirty - three thieves thought that they thrilled the throne
throughout Thursday.

I wish to wish the wish you wish to wish, but if you wish the wish the
witch wishes, I won´t wish the wish you wish to wish. 

Picky people pick Peter Pan Peanut - Butter, `tis the peanut-butter
picky people pick. 

Luke Luck likes lakes.
Luke´s duck lokes lakes. 
Luke Luck licks lakes.
Luck´s duck licks lakes. 
Duck takes licks in lakes Luke Luck likes.
Luke Luck takes licks in lakes duck likes.

A big black bug bit a big black dog on his big black nose!

Miguel Sequeira 

A song to think about

"Heal The World"
  Michael Jackson

There's A Place In
Your Heart
And I Know That It Is Love
And This Place Could
Be Much
Brighter Than Tomorrow
And If You Really Try
You'll Find There's No Need
To Cry
In This Place You'll Feel
There's No Hurt Or Sorrow

There Are Ways
To Get There
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Little Space
Make A Better Place...

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race
There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

If You Want To Know Why
There's A Love That
Cannot Lie
Love Is Strong
It Only Cares For
Joyful Giving
If We Try
We Shall See
In This Bliss
We Cannot Feel
Fear Or Dread
We Stop Existing And
Start Living

Then It Feels That Always
Love's Enough For
Us Growing
So Make A Better World
Make A Better World...

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race
There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

And The Dream We Were
Conceived In
Will Reveal A Joyful Face
And The World We
Once Believed In
Will Shine Again In Grace
Then Why Do We Keep
Strangling Life
Wound This Earth
Crucify Its Soul
Though It's Plain To See
This World Is Heavenly
Be God's Glow

We Could Fly So High
Let Our Spirits Never Die
In My Heart
I Feel You Are All
My Brothers
Create A World With
No Fear
Together We'll Cry
Happy Tears
See The Nations Turn
Their Swords
Into Plowshares

We Could Really Get There
If You Cared Enough
For The Living
Make A Little Space
To Make A Better Place...

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race
There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race
There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race
There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Flags

                                               Canada




                                             Australia




                                                    USA

                                               England

Chile Rejoices as Capsule Brings Miners to Freedom

SAN JOSÉ MINE, Chile — Each time the red, white and blue capsule rose smoothly out of the hole in the earth on Wednesday and another miner emerged safely, to applause and the waiting arms of his family, the scene replayed all around world with a joy that never seemed tired.
By mid-afternoon here, the precarious operation to hoist to the surface 33 miners who were trapped under a half-mile of rock for more than two months was moving along so efficiently that officials expected the job to be completed by the end of the day, far ahead of schedule.
“All okay!” 48-year-old Dario Segovia, the 20th rescued miner, shouted to his rescuers right before they lifted him out of the ground. Once freed from the cage-like rescue device, he thanked God and walked to hug his wife. Workers then wrapped him in a blanket and took him to triage for medical treatment.
After some routine maintenance, the capsule went back into the ground to fetch the next man — Yonny Barrios, 50, who became the group’s medic in the mine. He arrived to hearty handshakes and hugs from the doctors aboveground.
When the 17th miner, Omar Reygadas, 56, was released from the harnesses of the rescue capsule, he got down on his knees, then held his hands in the air and waved the blue and red flag of one of Chile’s soccer teams.
For more than 15 hours, the miners have been emerging at regular intervals in a pageant that has moved a worldwide audience — watching on television, on computers, even on mobile phones — to tears and laughter.
The second miner to reach the surface, Mario Sepúlveda, left the rescue capsule in a kind of victory dance, hugging family members and officials. He embraced the Chilean president, Sebastián Piñera, three times and presented people with gifts: rocks from the mine. He punched fists with the crowd and led a cheer: “Chi, Chi, Chi, le, le, le,” they shouted. “Miners of Chile!” The refrain echoed as subsequent miners reached the surface.
“I’ve been near God, but I’ve also been near the devil,” Mr. Sepúlveda said through a translator. “God won.”
The 12th miner — Edison Peña, 34, known for running miles in the mine tunnels every day — stepped from the escape capsule to rapturous cheers and the embrace of his girlfriend, and then another from Mr. Piñera.
“Thank God we’re alive,” Mr. Peña said. “I know now why we’re alive.”
Other miners expressed their gratitude in ways important to them. When the 17th miner, Omar Reygadas, 56, was released from the harnesses of the rescue capsule, he got down on his knees, then held his hands in the air and waved the blue and red flag of one of Chile’s soccer teams.Laurence Golborne, the mining minister, praised the rescue operation at an afternoon briefing on Wednesday, saying that officials were able to cut the time down between miners rescued from an hour to 45 minutes.
“We hope to finish this successfully by the end of this day,” he said.
Mr. Golborne did note two small problems, however. He said that the Phoenix capsule door had been sticking, and that it was necessary to do maintenance on the wheels of the capsule to prevent it from getting stuck in the shaft. “This capsule is going to continue in operations, unless there is a problem,” he said.
As of early afternoon, there were five rescue workers currently down in the mine, and a sixth rescue worker would go down “in a few hours” to replace some of the other workers, Mr. Golborne said.
Thus far, Mr. Golborne said, the most difficult rescue was that of Mario Gómez, 63, the oldest miner in the group, who had struggled with a lung condition. “We took additional precautions in this case, but he’s fine,” Mr. Golborne said. Mr. Gomez was the ninth man rescued. “Maybe we overdid it, but it’s better to do more than less.”
After the first 10 men were pulled up, Health Minister Jaime Mañalich said the next men to be raised would include those in a more “precarious” health condition, but Mr. Golborne reported no major health problems after 17 miners had been rescued.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Columbus Day

  
What do you think about the celebration of this day, should we celebrate it or just remember it???    There are some people that say that it was a slaugher...      Marco

Monday, October 11, 2010


The Window" (Author unknown)


Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man  was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour a day to drain the fluids from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.
The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and   families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military  service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the  man in the bed next to the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed would live for those one-hour periods where  his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and  color of the outside world. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake, the man had said. Ducks and swans played on the water while  children sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm amid flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite  detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by.  Although the other man could not hear the band, he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive  words. Unexpectedly, an alien thought entered his head: Why should hehave all the pleasure of seeing everything while I never get to see  anything? It didn't seem fair. As the thought fermented, the man felt  ashamed at first. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his envy eroded into resentment and soon turned him sour. He   began to brood and found himself unable to sleep. He should be by that  window - and that thought now controlled his life.
Late one night, as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the window  began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other man   watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window groped for the button to call for help. Listening from across the room, he never moved, never pushed his own button which would have brought the nurse running. In less than five minutes, the coughing and choking  stopped, along with the sound of breathing. Now, there was only silence--deathly silence.
The following morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window, she was saddened and called the hospital attendant to take it away--no  words, no fuss. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the man asked if he  could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his   first look. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall.
Moral of the story:
The pursuit of happiness is a matter of choice...it is a positive attitude we consciously choose to express. It is not a gift that gets delivered to our doorstep each morning, nor does it come through the window. And I am certain that our circumstances are just a small part of what makes us joyful. If we wait for them to get just right, we will never find lasting joy.

Food Idioms

Food Idioms

http://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/idioms-food.htm

IdiomMeaningExample Sentence
apple of one's eyea person that is adored by someoneBaby Jessica is the apple of her father's eye.
(have a) bun in the ovenbe pregnantI don't think Jan will come to the bar because she has a bun in the oven.
bad egga person who is often in troubleI don't want my little brother hanging around with the bad eggs on the street.
big cheesevery important person (VIP)I thought I was just going to interview the secretary, but they let me talk to the big cheese himself.
bread and butternecessities, the main thingJust explain the bread and butter of your report. You don't have to go into details.

Super Size Me!!

a little bit late...

Hi!
Well, I know that today can be a little bit late but I would like to say that on Friday I really enjoyed to be in classes. That breakfast was like a perfect gift for my 21 birthday.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Tongue twisters......try to say these ones as fast as you can.....

Betty Botter bought some butter, but she said "this butter's bitter! But a bit
of better butter will but make my butter better" So she bought some better
butter, better than the bitter butter, and it made her butter better so 'twas
better Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter!   




Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
if Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
wheres the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked? 

When a doctor falls ill another doctor doctor's the doctor. Does the doctor doctoring the doctor doctor the doctor in his own way or does the doctor doctoring the doctor doctors the doctor in the doctor's way"

what do you think about our national team???? Is it good???



Friday, October 8, 2010

Some funny pictures about holidays


Gunther Debbe

the environment is is our home

Hey you
Hey you, out there in the cold
Getting lonely, getting old
Can you feel me?
Hey you, standing in the aisles
With itchy feet and fading smiles
Can you feel me?
Hey you, dont help them to bury the light
Don't give in without a fight.

Hey you, out there on your own
Sitting naked by the phone
Would you touch me?
Hey you, with you ear against the wall
Waiting for someone to call out
Would you touch me?
Hey you, would you help me to carry the stone?
Open your heart, I'm coming home.

But it was only fantasy.
The wall was too high,
As you can see.
No matter how he tried,
He could not break free.
And the worms ate into his brain.

Hey you, out there on the road
always doing what you're told,
Can you help me?
Hey you, out there beyond the wall,
Breaking bottles in the hall,
Can you help me?
Hey you, don't tell me there's no hope at all
Together we stand, divided we fall.

A little bit of what we ate at the class!!


Wednesday, October 6, 2010

And what about Limón afro-caribeans are part of our culture.















In Costa Rica we have the afro-caribean culture, they are part of us, they celebrate their carnival on october 7th as celebration for the cultures day, is a nice carnival with music, different dishes like "pan bon", is a sweet bread with spices, the "rice and beans" that is made with chicken, salad and coconut milk, and pati that is  "empanada" made of meat the main ingredients in afro caribeans dishes is "chile panameño" is a hot chili.
We have to celebrate Limón is Costa Rica.

Jokes

God and the man
A man visits God and says "God, do you mind if I ask you a
few questions?" God says "No, ask me anything at all."

So the man says "God, you've been around for a very long time,
so, for you, how long is a thousand years?"

God replies "For me, a thousand years is only five minutes."
The man then says "That's interesting God. And, for you,
how much is a million dollars?"

God replies "For me, a million dollars is only five cents."
The man says "Really? Well then God, could you lend me
five cents please?"

God looks at the man, smiles, and says "Of course my son. Just wait five minutes!"
Genie joke
A woman is walking along a beach when she finds an old oil lamp.
She picks it up and rubs it, and out comes a genie.

The genie says to the woman, "Thank you for freeing me from the oil lamp.
I will grant you three wishes, but whatever you wish for, your horrible ex-husband will get twice as much. What is your first wish?"

The woman says, "I'd like a million dollars in my bank account, please!"
The genie says, "You now have a million dollars in your bank account,
and your ex-husband now has two million dollars. What is your second wish?"

The woman says, "I've always wanted a nice car. I'd like a brand new
Rolls-Royce, please!"

The genie says, "You now have a new Rolls-Royce in your garage
at home, and your ex-husband now has two new Rolls-Royces.
What is your third wish?"

The woman thought for a while and then said, "I'd like you to remove one
of my kidneys, please!"

What's 3 x 2?
A little boy returned home from school and told his father that he
had failed the maths test.

His father asked him, "Why did you fail?"
The boy replied, "The teacher asked me 'How much is 3 x 2?' and I said
'3 x 2 is 6'."

"Well, that's right" said his father.
The little boy continued, "Then she asked me 'How much is 2 x 3?"
"What the hell is the difference?" asked the father.
The son replied, "That's exactly what I said to my teacher and that's
why I failed the maths test.

Long grass
One afternoon a wealthy laywer was sitting in the back of his ,
limousine being driven to work, when he saw two men eating grass
by the side of the road.

He ordered his driver to stop, and then he got out to investigate.
"Why are you eating grass?" he asked the men.
"Sir, we don't have any money for food," one of the men replied.
"Come along with me," instructed the lawyer.
The first man said, "But sir, I have a wife and two children. They
are also hungry."

"Bring them along too," replied the lawyer.
The second man said, "Sir, I have a wife and six children. Can they
come as well, please?"

"No problem, bring them as well," answered the lawyer as he climbed
back into his limo.

Finally, they were all in the limo - the lawyer, the two men, their
two wifes and eight children.

One of the men said, "Sir, you are too kind. Thank you for taking all
of us with you."

The lawyer replied, "No problem, there will be plenty to eat at my home.The grass is almost half a metre tall."
Worms
It was the first day of Biology for a group of teenagers. The
professor had arranged a short demonstration for the class.

He took a worm and dropped it into a glass of water. The worm
wriggled about in the water.

Then he took a second worm and dropped it into a glass of alcohol.
The worm immediately died.

The professor asked the students if anyone knew what the point of
the demonstration was.

A boy raised his hand and said, "You're showing us that if we drink
alcohol, we won't have worms."

How to serve the table for a formal dinner

If I were a Boy


Music is also part of the culture. It´s a way to express how people feel. Through music we can learn about the other cultures. Sometimes maybe we disagree with some music videos or lyrics songs, but it´s culture for the singers and they sing and record videos according to their cultures. So we have to respect it even if it`s not ok for us!
"If I Were a Boy" is a pop song sung by American  singer Beyoncé Knowles . It was written by Toby Gad and BC Jean, and produced by Gad and Knowles for her third studio album, I Am… Sasha Fierce (2008). Alongside "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", the song was released as the album's lead single to U.S. radio on October 8, 2008.
The music video for "If I Were a Boy", directed by Jake Nava, was shot in black and white. Beyoncé said that the video is both compelling and reflective of the independent woman stance that she has exhibited throughout most of her career. It portrays a narrative about an ordinary day for a couple in a role reversal that is hinted at by the lyrics. This is visually revealed only at the end of the video where we get to realize that the husband is a cop and what the female character [Beyoncé] has been doing throughout the video is what the male character has had actually done to her all along. She wonders what women would do if they were men.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Table Manners by Crawsford´s Corner

Costa Rica´s Slangs TOP 9


1. Pulperia: (Pool-pa-ree-a) A Pulpería is a small corner store, usually family run which sells basic food items and occasionally items one would expect to find at a bazaar. There are thousands across the country, and they are in close proximity to all major tourist areas, cities, small towns and even in most rural areas.
2. Tico/Tica: (Tee-ko, Tee-ka) A Tico or Tica is another name for a Costa Rican born male of female (respectively). This term is ONLY used to refer to a person born in Costa Rica, not Spanish countries in general.
3. Tuanis: (Twan-ees) A slang word for "cool" or "neat," Costa Ricans use this word quite often without realizing it.
4. Que Chiva: (Kay-Chee-Ba) Similar to "tuanis," "que chiva" is used as a slang word for "how cool" or similar words.
5. Mae: (My) Usually translated as "buddy" or "man," this word is often used to start or end sentences. "¡Pura Vida Mae!"
6. Pura Vida: (Poo-ra Vee-da) As Costa Rica's official slogan, tourists may hear this term very often. Directly translated it means "pure life," although Costa Ricans use it in a plethora of different contexts. For example, locals use it to replace the word goodbye, you're welcome, and thank you. It is also a common response to many questions (for example "how are you?" or "how was your day?") and it translates to "awesome" or "great."
7. Rojo: (Ro-ho) A rojo in Costa Rica is another word for a 1000 colones bill. Rojo (meaning red) is the color of the bill, hence the name. If you are at the Pulpería and they tell you the cost of your items is "dos rojos," your cost is 2000 colones.
8. Teja: (Te-ha) A teja is a 100 colones coin. For example if you purchase an ice cream at the Pulpería and the cost is "tres tejas," you need to give them three hundred colones.
9. Toucan: (Two-can) A 5,000 colones bill is also called a "tucán" as there is a picture of a toucan on the bill.

Gallo Pinto: A little bit of our culture


Saturday, October 2, 2010

Slang and Idioms

An idiom is a phrase where the words together have a meaning that is different from the dictionary definitions of the individual words, which can make idioms hard for ESL students and learners to understand.


Websites:
1. http://www.idiomconnection.com/
2. http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/
3. http://www.eslcafe.com/idioms/id-mngs.html
4. http://a4esl.org/q/h/idioms.html
5. http://www.manythings.org/e/slang.html