Internet is a wondrous tool and I use it, (ain't I a fool?)for you dear pupils, who wish to speak the Queen's English. Well, maybe not but at least, if asked whether you speak English or not, don't say: "I do not!"
Friday, December 31, 2010
PEACE & disarmament...
Shame on warmongers for there IS so much fighting and killing and suffering on this planet.
But we, the people of the rich countries with our cohort of weapons manufacturers and bomb salesmen do not seem to care. Well, I care. And I'm sure you do and it makes me smile.
Happy new Year to all.Life and peace.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Orwellian times. Can you believe it?
Cameras everywhere and ...Oh my!
Every nincompoop, (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nincompoop)every nitwwit and the likes can monitor anything and they'll keep wasting their time in front of a screen, for nothing or sheer evil. Just like Big Brother.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
A quote about war
-Golda Meir, Israeli Prime Minister (1898-1978)
Thank you again Anu http://wordsmith.org/
Friday, December 17, 2010
An orang-utan
http://www.greenthefilm.com/
Monday, December 13, 2010
Some speech
a comment here:http://tinyurl.com/34gkvyx
Sénateur Bernie Sanders: l'Amérique à deux vitesses S/T
envoyé par hussardelamort. - L'info internationale vidéo.
Thursday, December 09, 2010
The Infamous Double Slit Experiment
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Sunday, December 05, 2010
Friday, December 03, 2010
BP's Gulf of Mexico OIL SPILL
Well, you can now watch this very interesting video here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/commando602#p/a/f/0/d_x-b97LX0k
If you don't want to watch it all (15 minutes), concentrate on 3:45 up to 4:55 and then 13:00 onwards.
And then of course you might only have time to watch BP being made fun of...
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Planète Bureau
You see, I've got very creative friends!... but they're French ;-(
Why don't we write subtitles for them!
To my pupils: If you do so, you'll get a reward!
http://www.planete-bureau.fr/
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Learn English with songs!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
The Fly
Thy summer's play
My thoughtless hand
Has brushed away.
A fly like thee?
Or art not thou
A man like me?
For I dance
And drink, and sing,
Till some blind hand
Shall brush my wing.
If thought is life
And strength and breath
And the want
Of thought is death;
Then am I
A happy fly,
If I live,
Or if I die.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Body scanners: Opt out!
Some people are willing to refuse body scanners and would rather have a body search or "enhanced pat down"
Know that the TSA is Transportation Security Administration "that protects the nation's transportation systems to ensure freedom of movement for people and commerce." Indeed!!!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
ORAL COMPREHENSION SITES
Remember!
If you really want to improve your English, LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN to as much English as you can!
http://storycorps.org/listen
http://soundportraits.org/on-air/
Monday, November 08, 2010
Physics according to Niels Bohr
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/bpbohr.html
Saturday, November 06, 2010
If you like horses,
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7009219n&tag=component.1
Friday, November 05, 2010
5th of November = Guy Fawkes'night
http://www.guardian.co.uk/flash/0,5860,1605605,00.html
or here:http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/civil_war_revolution/gunpowder_robinson_01.shtml
I quote:
"Their first meeting was on 20 May 1604. Catesby was joined by his friends Thomas Wintour, Jack Wright and Thomas Percy at the Duck and Drake, in the Strand. The fifth person was Guy Fawkes. Originally from York, he had been recruited in Flanders, where he had been serving in the Spanish Army. They discussed their plan to blow up Parliament House, and shortly afterwards leased a small house in the heart of Westminster, installing Fawkes as caretaker, under the alias of John Johnson."
Here is a video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1ikQQk8cJQ
And the nursery rhyme: thanks Emily!
"Remember, remember the Fifth of November,
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I know of no reason
Why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, t'was his intent
To blow up the King and Parli'ment.
Three-score barrels of powder below
To prove old England's overthrow;
By God's providence he was catch'd (or by God's mercy*)
With a dark lantern and burning match.
Holla boys, Holla boys, let the bells ring.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!
And what should we do with him? Burn him!"
Thursday, November 04, 2010
Marijuana: 7 Health Myths Up in Smoke
Two days ago when U.S. democrats lose the majority in the House of Representatives but keep it in the Senate.
It was ultimately defeated, with 53.9% of California voters voting 'No'
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20021612-10391704.html
Marijuana: 7 Health Myths Up in Smoke
http://www.cbsnews.com/2300-204_162-10005201.html?tag=page
Monday, November 01, 2010
TEN FACTS
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/6546462/The-10-weirdest-physics-facts-from-relativity-to-quantum-physics.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/6546462/The-10-weirdest-physics-facts-from-relativity-to-quantum-physics.html
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
This video dates back to 1991!!!
Sitting in my study in front of my desktop, (a portable PC) I'm surrounded by paper. Bad for the planet.
Loads of files containing document, lessons, tests, papers, on the shelves and bookcases.
How nice it would be to have only one portable computer each with a video projector in the class, connected to the internet with the possibility for you to download the articles, links, audio and video files easily.
But the Education Nationale missed the opportunity then.. And it could have been cheap.
I guess it's better for businesss to give high-tech gizmos (gadgets whose name you can't recall) to people gradually, trickling down the devices only to make them obsolete with some new gadget, itself rendered obsolete with another one... ad lib.
Don't you see?
If you really don't see my point, make a list of all the electronic devices you've had since childhood.
You'll get it then!
If you mail this list to me and tell me what I mean, you'll get 2 additional points to your next test. I promise!
Rally to restore sanity
............................................UPDATES......... SOME SIGNS .........................................
Two great U.S. comedians: Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert
http://www.rallytorestoresanity.com/
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-october-27-2010/moment-of-zen---obama-will-not-be-at-the-rally
Watch this video too where the U.S. president's spokesman answers the question:" Is there a chance the president will put an appearance at the rally?"Watch his fingers spin.
tMon - Thurs 11p / 10cMoment of Zen - Obama Will Not Be at the Rallywww.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes | Political Humor | Rally to Restore Sanity |
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Seven years later... still so true!
Here a comment on the video I liked!
"What happened to the Black Eyed Peas?
I miss them. They used to make music with meaning and reason. This song brings me back when i was a little kid listening to this on the radio before all this same crap comes on over and over again: Everything now is sex and partying.
Wrong information always shown by the media
Negative images is the main criteria
Infecting their young minds faster than bacteria
Kids wanna act like what the see in the cinema
Now i ask you black eyed peas, "Where is the love?"
...from "The Shattered Element. Kuddos!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
TV Commercial with aliens...for the BBC, Budweiser and more!
And many others, did you notice?
http://creativebits.org/inspiration/ufos_advertising
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Saturday, October 09, 2010
Birdmen
Copy/Paste the link below to watch birdmen in action
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6816775n&tag=mncol;lst;5
Julian Boulle, a South African asks at the very end of the video:
Do you think anybody else had as much fun as us today in the entire world?
To which Holmes, an American professional skier answers: "I don't think so."
Friday, October 08, 2010
America's front yard
if you wish to see famous sights of Washington D.C.and its National Mall.
http://www.nps.gov/nationalmallplan/Timelapse.html
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
About Tax Havens
For once, a video in French. I'm sure Evav Joly speaks English but I couldn't find the English equivalent so here you go!
I quote Eva Joly:
"Une mesure aussi simple que de demander aux sociétés transnationales de déclarer ce qu'elles gagnent pays par pays et de ne pas l'obtenir au bout de huit ans..."
Listen to her if you want to know more.
Eva Joly - Les paradis fiscaux c'est la colonisation
envoyé par ccfd. - L'actualité du moment en vidéo.
The Event, some TV event...
No big deal really. Just the opportunity to watch a great series just a couple of days after the U.S. NBC viewers.
I've already posted a preview on that blog.Now the third episode has been I've just watched the third episode of The Event.
Yes, I do have some leisure time in front of my screen.
Well, that third episode of The Event is abso-...-lutely mind-blowing.
Great thriller and the plot unfolds smoothly. Actors are definitely convincing and as for the characters, we want to know more about them.
Well, you may want to see for yourself. Enjoy!
http://www.couchtuner.com/the-event/
Kuddos to couchtuner a.k.a. mytvsource.
Hey, NBC, we'll still buy the DVDs! Don't you worry.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Ground Zero 2010
a cbsnews video: after the inevitable commercial, learn about the progress made on ground zero.
An impressive building site.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
9 X 9/11
http://www.lemonde.fr/ameriques/article/2010/09/11/les-etats-unis-n-en-ont-pas-fini-avec-le-11-septembre_1409267_3222.html#ens_id=1395749
Thanks to Teo, I've done my research and found this video. I chose mainly it because I love that child's voice and the design of the carpet. While the kid is fumbling with the $20 dollar bill, listen to the background sound.
Come and ask me to show you a $20 bill students! You might make an impression on your teacher if you can tell her, in English, what you've heard in the background!
For the BTS students in particular, a 9/11 research by architects and engineers:
http://www.ae911truth.org/
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Mars latest news
http://izlegenclik.com/video-izle-29610-Opportunity+On+Mars.htm
and life too?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10151001
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
KuaFu
Read about our sun again while listening to "Here Comes the Sun" by the Beatles!
It might cheer you up....
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/16jul_ilws/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6j4TGqVl5g
Saturday, September 04, 2010
TOP SECRET AMERICA
A Washington Post Investigation by Dana Priest and William M. Arkin
Watch the video first
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/top-secret-america/
Then, read the article entitled The secrets next door by The Washington Post http://projects.washingtonpost.com/top-secret-america/articles/
Finally, read about the reactions to the Washington Post series
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/top-secret-america/2010/07/washington_reacts_to_top_secre.html
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Talking for a New Fairer World
PS: taxonomy (in French, taxinomie or taxonomie): science and practice of classification.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Octopus, Squid, Cuttlefish: Kings 'n Queens of Camouflage!
Here is the scientist who shot this incredible transformation!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW4PbW893ik&NR=1&feature=fvwp
Friday, July 02, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
Internet Kill Switch
Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com
Worst Case Scenario
Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com
Have you ever heard of Kudzu?
Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com
If you want to know more about it, have a look here http://www.kudzuworld.com/Kudzu/index.en.aspx
Grand Old Party 's future candidate?
You can also read the article below that tells us U.S. citizens might not know what GOP stands for... http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/12/03/politics/main531460.shtml
Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
A quote
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
38 years 4 months and fifteen days
Watch and read:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jun/15/bloodysunday-northernireland
Friday, June 11, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
I'm a fishwife
http://wordsmith.org/words/billingsgate.html
Dear Anu Garg, you make my day, and today, my blogging way.
And oh my, oh my, what a quote!
For those who have taken the time to open the link above and read that wordsmith.org page from top to bottom,they'll see what I mean.
Wordsmith is such a gem on the web.
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Sunday, June 06, 2010
DO YOU SPEAK FOOTBALL?
http://premierskills.britishcouncil.org/premierskills-dvd-questions
And below, the South African map with the football stadiums of the 2010 world cup.

Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
"The revolution volcano"
The Laki volcanic fissure in southern Iceland erupted over an eight-month period from 8 June 1783 to February 1784.
It triggered a weird weather and bad crops which were one of the causes of the revolution.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/15/iceland-volcano-weather-french-revolution
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Synthetic Life?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/may/20/craig-venter-synthetic-life-form
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
8th Wonderland
The video might make you feel like visiting the website below:
http://www.8thwonderland.com/
Well, you'll have to join to visit the country first and then you might want to get naturalized. hat's what I did.
It was entertaining to watch the short videos beginning with "Meet the ambassador" but then, when I got naturalized, even if I thought the constitution which is to be voted soon made sense,I was disappointed by the ambassador's replies to my questions!
I don't regret getting naturalized anyway.
I still think it's a great idea, this new land of democracy. The web could indeed become a great platform for actual democracy
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
OIL SPILL OUT OF CONTROL ... or WORSE

Follow-up on the Mexican Gulf Oil Spill.
http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0513/gulf-oil-gusher-ten-times-worse-prior-estimates/
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Facebook is not private.
Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
David Cameron: New British Prime Minister
Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/may/11/david-cameron-uk-prime-minister
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
steam on the left, magma ash on the right

Here is the best way to follow the Eyjafjallajokull volcano live!
http://eldgos.mila.is/english/eyjafjallajokull-fra-thorolfsfelli/
And a great site to get more follow-up.
http://scienceblogs.com/eruptions/
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Monday, May 03, 2010
How to pronounce names
Useful site!
Here is a video link about it!
http://cbs5.com/video/?id=56429
OIL SPILL OUT OF CONTROL
CBS — 1 mai 2010 — Until last week, drilling in the Gulf of Mexico had been catastrophe-free for decades. Now, drilling opponents have new ammunition in their fight. Wyatt Andrews reports:
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
The leading conservative politician about UFOs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_general_election,_2010
"The United Kingdom general election of 2010 will be held on 6 May[note 1] to elect one MP in each of the 650 constituencies to the House of Commons, the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The election was called on 6 April, and Parliament was dissolved on 12 April for the ensuing campaign. Voting will take place between 7.00 am and 10.00 pm. Local elections will also be held in some areas on that day.
The governing Labour Party will be looking to secure a fourth consecutive term in office and to restore support lost since 1997.[1] The Conservative Party will seek to gain a dominant position in UK politics after losses in the 1990s, and to replace Labour as the governing party. The Liberal Democrats hope to make gains from both sides; their most realistic ambition, as the campaign began, was to hold the balance of power in a hung parliament. Since the televised debates between the three leaders, their poll ratings have risen to the point where many are considering the possibility of a Liberal Democrat role in Government.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
EYJAFJALLAJOKULL
Tens of Thousands Stranded as Airports Shut Down in Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia and France
Watch the video below the article. Some plumes of smoke...and ash
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/14/tech/main6394180.shtml
Also read about the eruption and what preceded it here:
http://www.nat.is/travelguideeng/glacier_eyjafjallajokull.htm
You can also watch here how the plume of ash travels and where it prevents airplanes from flying.
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMKDU9MT7G_index_0.html
Read about
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
GREAT WEBGIFT FROM DOWN UNDER
http://australianetwork.com/learningenglish/
BRAVO to the Australian Network! Kuddos Down Under;-)

Tuesday, April 13, 2010
They knew, We knew, Guantanamo news

TRUTH ALWAYS COMES OUT IN THE OPEN SOME DAY
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7092435.ece?print=yes&randnum=1270802329473
Sunday, April 04, 2010
There was a time when the pen was mightier than the sword.

By Paul Craig Roberts
See first who he is here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Craig_Roberts
Then read this
http://www.counterpunch.org/roberts03242010.html
And if it's too tough for you to read in its original version here are the French subtitles from a "Le monde" blog:
http://legauloisdechaine.blog.lemonde.fr/2010/03/26/la-verite-dechue-a-entraine-la-liberte-avec-elle-paul-craig-roberts/
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
The Metalliers Champenois restored the Statue of Liberty Torch
Soon in the class
your English classroom pupils!
Here: the Chrysler Building
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/wonder/structure/chrysler2_skyscraper.html
Thursday, March 25, 2010
From Ireland! Thank you Lynn!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Learning vocabulary
can be pronouced /'forid/ but also /for'hed/!
http://learningchocolate.com/
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Spring? Ok GO!

I find those videos invigorating.
http://vimeo.com/8528144 get an idea of how it was shot http://vimeo.com/8878427
http://vimeo.com/7166047
Great spring to you all!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Imagine Peace Tower
New Year’s Eve (December 31st) and the first week of spring (March 21st -28th).
It is lit from 2 hours after sunset until midnight, and until dawn on New Year’s Day.


See more pics of the Imagine Peace Tower here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yokoonoofficial/sets/72157607538726414/
Imagine peace Tower site: http://imaginepeace.com/projects/imagine-peace-tower
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
ORIGAMI
The video on the link below on PBS is definitely a must-see if you like art, craft, beauty and human inventivity.
So do watch this Independent Lens movie called "Between the Folds". Enjoy!
http://video.pbs.org/video/1340426590/
And there's this great site in progress: Le Crimp, a French folding group:
http://www.le-crimp.org/
Here's another video with Vincent Floderer from le crimp in English, s'il vous plait!:
At the beginning he says "I'm doing Origami since twenty years." If you send me what he should have said in the comment, I'll grant you additional points on your next paper. Be the first to correct him!
(What I would do to get just one comment :-(
Monday, March 08, 2010
Friday, March 05, 2010
Monday, March 01, 2010
A word a day, my favourite sites about words.
Here is a very interesting text in today's edition of Anu Garg's newsletter:
To subscribe to his newsletter and discover his precious online work:
http://wordsmith.org/words/today.html
" Recently I visited London to attend a wedding. The bride had graduated from Oxford, and among the invitees were some of her fellow graduates and a professor. During the long ceremony, we intermittently chatted about London weather, Gordon Brown, Queen Lizzie, and language.
Among other things, we talked about the differences between British and American English. I recalled reading about the inroads American English is making even in the UK, so I decided to carry out an experiment to find to what extent American English had "corrupted" English English.
I told them that sometimes the British write certain numerals (e.g. 1 and 7) differently from how they're written in the US, and asked them to write a short sentence so I could see if there were other differences in the script.
I quickly thought of a sentence for them to write:
"Her favorite flavors were in the gray catalog, she realized."
I said it aloud and the five Oxonians and the Oxford don kindly wrote it down on their napkins (serviettes). I collected the napkins and then told them about the experiment -- it had nothing to do with handwriting. In reality, that sentence had five words that could be written with American or British spellings (favorite/favourite, flavor/flavour, gray/grey, catalog/catalogue realize/realise).
Of the six people who participated in the experiment, three spelled (spelt) everything the British way. The other three had one or more words spelled in American English.
What does this experiment prove? Not much, according to my 12-year-old daughter, "Your sample size is too small."
Language, by its very definition, is a vehicle of exchange. A language means nothing in vacuum. When two people share, they give and take, though the movement is not always equal in both directions. US export of movies, television, music, books, technology, etc. includes something that goes through under the radar: Language.
Will American English take over the other Englishes? Probably not. Will the English language diverge into distinct languages just as Latin turned into French, Spanish, Italian and other languages? Hope not.
But who knows? Only time can tell, but in the meantime let's celebrate the diversity of languages by learning words English has borrowed from some of the less-known languages: Hungarian, Hebrew, Nootka, Afrikaans, and Persian. Even though they're not as well-known to most of us, they are still spoken by thousands or millions of people."
I'm way more than a little proud to be quoted in his second book, Another word a day, on page 122! Anu Garg has written three books which are all in my library! Well, on my bedside table!
http://www.amazon.com/Another-Word-Day-Limited-Gift/dp/0471778788
And Anu's site has long been in this blog's tags.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Amazing demo: SixthSense
By the way, what movie and what actor does the speaker, Pattie Maes, refer to?
This is a question of oral comprehension for my pupils ;-) Additional points in sight for any comment...