Hoping you all had...

... a merry,

merry Christmas!

Human Rights Day

On December 10, 1948

the General Assembly of the United Nations

adopted and proclaimed

the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

ARTICLE 1

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

ARTICLE 2

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

ARTICLE 3

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

ARTICLE 4

No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

(...)

Do They Know It's Christmas?

It's Christmas time

There's no need to be afraid

At Christmas time, we let in light and we banish shade

And in our world of plenty we can spread a smile of joy

Throw your arms around the world at Christmas time

But say a prayer

Pray for the other ones

At Christmastime it's hard, but when you're having fun

There's a world outside your window

And it's a world of dread and fear

Where the only water flowing is the bitter sting of tears

And the Christmas bells that ring there are the clangingchimes of doom

Well tonight thank God it's them instead of you

And there won't be snow in Africa this Christmas time

The greatest gift they'll get this year is life

(Oooh)

Where nothing ever grows

No rain nor rivers flow

Do they know it's Christmas time at all?

(Here's to you)

Raise a glass for everyone

(Here's to them)

underneath that burning sun

Do they know it's Christmastime at all?

Feed the world!

Let them know it's Christmas time again

Feed the world!

Let them know it's Christmas time again

This weekend...

The Golden Age finds Queen Elizabeth I facing familial betrayal

and danger for her throne and country.

In the changing religious and political tides of late 16th century Europe,

Elizabeth finds her rule challenged by the Spanish King Philip II,

who is building a sea-dominating armada

to ferry his powerful army to England

and restore the country to Catholicism.

Preparing to go to war to defend her kingdom,

Elizabeth struggles to balance ancient royal duties

with an unexpected vulnerability in her love for Raleigh.

The Thanksgiving Story

Most stories of Thanksgiving history start with the harvest celebration

of the Pilgrims and the Indians that took place in the autumn of 1621.

Although they did have a three-day feast in celebration of a good harvest,

and the local Indians did participate,

this "first Thanksgiving" was not a holiday,

simply a gathering.

The story behind the holiday traditions.

The Pilgrims, who sailed to America aboard the Mayflower, were originally members of the English Separatist Church. They had fled their home in England to escape religious persecution.
The Pilgrims set ground at Plymouth Rock on December 11, 1620.

Their first winter was devastating.

At the beginning of the following fall, they had lost 46 of the original 102 who sailed on the Mayflower. But the harvest of 1621 was a generous one. And so the remaining colonists decided to celebrate it with a feast.

It lasted for three days.

This "thanksgiving" feast was not repeated the following year.

Many years passed before the event was repeated.

After a 40-year campaign of writing editorials and letters to governors and presidents, Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor, turned her obsession into reality when, in 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a national day of Thanksgiving.

Since 1941, Congress has declared Thanksgiving as a national holiday to be commemorated by friends and families all over the country in the fourth Thursday of November.

BUY NOTHING DAY

To buy, or not to buy, that is the question.

Saturday November 24th 2007 is Buy Nothing Day (UK).

It's a day where you challenge yourself,

your family and friends

to switch off from shopping and tune into life.

The rules are simple:

for 24 hours you will detox from consumerism and live without
shopping.

Anyone can take part provided they spend a day without
spending!

This year our message is clear, shop less - live more!

Everything we buy has an impact on our planet. Buy Nothing Day highlights the environmental and ethical consequences of consumerism. The developed countries - only 20% of the world population are consuming over 80% of the earth's natural resources, causing a disproportionate level of environmental damage and unfair distribution of wealth.As consumers we need to question the products we buy and challenge the companies who produce them. What are the true risks to the environment and developing countries? The argument is infinite - while it continues we should be looking for simple solutions - Buy Nothing Day is a good place to start.

(click here for more information)

Hallowe'en rhymes...

Trick or Treat

give me something nice to eat

not too big

not too small

just the size of a crystal ball!!!

What to be for Hallowe'en

A hobo or a bride?

A witch or scary goblin,

It's not easy to decide.

It's Hallowe'en!!

The History and Traditions of Hallowe’en

Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in).

The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1st. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death.

Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the night of October 31st , the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future; these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.

To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.

During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.

The truth hurts!!

Humanity is sitting on a ticking time bomb.

With wit, smarts and hope, “An Inconvenient Truth”, Al Gore brings on his persuasive argument that we can no longer afford to view global warming as a political issue - rather, it is the biggest moral challenge facing our global civilization.

Global warming has already started and the evidence of change is becoming stronger and stronger. The world is heating up and sorry to say it, but it's OUR entire fault. Man-made causes do the most damage and they are many. Pollution is one of the biggest man-made problems. Burning fossil fuels is the number one cause for pollution. When fossil fuels are burned they send off a greenhouse gas - CO2.

Another major man-made cause for global warming is population. More people mean more food, and more methods of transportation. That means more methane gases because there will be more burning of fossil fuels, and agriculture. Another source of methane is manure. Because more food is needed we have to raise food. Another problem with the increasing population is transportation. More people mean more cars and more cars means more pollution.

Since CO2 contributes to global warming, increasing population makes the problem even worse because we breathe out CO2. Also, the trees that convert our CO2 to oxygen are being demolished because we're using the land that we cut the trees down from as property for our homes and buildings. We are not replacing those trees (an important part of our eco system), so we are constantly taking advantage of our natural resources and giving nothing back in return.
The increase in global temperatures is expected to disrupt ecosystems and will result in loss of species diversity, as species that cannot adapt will extinguish.

“An Inconvenient Truth” is a call to arms for us to fix a fixable problem, explaining the few things each individual can do to bring CO2 levels back down to where they were.
Don't get upset by anyone trying to turn the film into a political issue.

The topic discussed is imperative.

The truth hurts but global warming is already affecting the world and we know how to fix this problem and prevent a global environmental disaster…

“There is no doubt we can solve this problem. In fact, we have a moral obligation to do so. Small changes to your daily routine can add up to big differences in helping to stop global warming. The time to come together to solve this problem is now – TAKE ACTION”. Al Gore

PS. Trabalho da Ana Cláudia, Nuno, Elsa e André -11A

The English Club

.... that's Room 38!

Your English teachers are already available for you at TEC!

You can find Ms. Lurdes Costa, on Thursdays, from 13.30 to 15.00;

Ms. Acácia Mendes, on Wednesdays, from 10.1o to 11.40;

Ms. Cidália Rodrigues, on Tuesdays, from 11.55 to 13.20.

You just have to show up, if you are not having classes - of, course! - and you'll find many things to do there, including getting personal attention if you're having trouble learning English!

food for thought...

World Food Day is celebrated every year on October 16th to commemorate the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 1945.

World Food Day aims to amplify public awareness of the troubles of the world's hungry and malnourished people and to encourage people worldwide to take action against hunger.

More than 150 countries observe this event every year. In the United States, 450 national, private voluntary organizations sponsor World Food Day, and local groups are active in almost every community.

First observed in 1981, each year World Food Day highlights a particular theme on which to focus activities.

World Food Day - October 16th

This is NOT for the faint of heart...

Don't just stand and stare...

and then turn your face away in disgust...

Do something about it instead!

European Day of Languages

"Stupid is forever; ignorance can be fixed" - Don Wood

Hey there!

A new school year has just started

and the teachers in the English Department

just wanted to stop by

to wish you all the best

in your academic efforts!

We will shortly let you all know of the periods during which you can reach us

at TEC (The English Club),

at the school Library/Computer Centre,

or for personal study guidance.

see you soon...

the pictures at the theatre!

Bullying

Bullying ...

not an an easy term to describe.

It can mean different things to different people, especially when you deal with kids.

Some of the ways kids bully other kids are by:
• hitting,
• kicking,
• calling them names,
• saying or writing nasty things about them,
• leaving them out of activities,
• not talking to them,
• making them feel uncomfortable or scared,
• taking or damaging their things.

Sometimes it comes in the way of threats, or teasing.
This can become more damaging than just hitting or kicking.

The word 'bullying' is used to describe many different types of behaviour ranging from teasing or deliberately leaving an individual out of a social gathering or ignoring them, to serious assaults and abuse. Sometimes it is an individual who is doing the bullying and sometimes it is a group.

In any case, bullies are cowards.

They tend to pick on children/youths that won't stand up for themselves.

That's because children don't know how to do it and they need to be taught on how to defend from these kind of people.

The important thing is not the action but the effect on the victim.

No one should ever underestimate the fear that a bullied child feels.
It is painful, upsetting and frightening.

It can lead to a fear of school and reduces children's confidence.
Children often feel weak and friendless and often think it is their fault.
If it is not stopped children feel helpless because no one can protect them.

A lot of times the child may feel that they did something to bring this on, to deserve these actions. We need to reassure them that they aren't alone, and this wasn't brought on by them. Today children should realize that they don't have to face this on their own.
Children and young people who witness or become aware of bullying may be unsure about what to do and whether they should tell someone.
Make sure they know that they should talk to a parent or teacher, and tell themwhy.

Children must learn that they need to communicate,

communicate, and communicate!

It is essential that they tell their parents, teachers, and friends, what is going on!! That is the first step. We then can begin to give support and help kids understand the reason why they are being bullied.

Ignoring the problem won't fix it.

It will only get worse!

HELP STAMP OUT BULLYING!!

At "Covent Garden"

The theatre company came over, performed... and they were a hit!

Students love it all the way and the actors were quite impressed with the crowd: interested and participating!

Soon, you'll be able to see here some of the photos that were taken during the performances.

See you soon.

English Theatre at ESA

The Bristol School Theatre Company
will be coming to our schoo next April.11th to
present us with two sessions of their play, "Covent Garden".

These sessions will be just for the 7th, 8th and 9th grades!

Students attending the performances will be accompanied by their teachers at the time, as well as their English teachers. Don't miss it!

We hope you love it:

we're working very hard to make it a wonderful experience.

See you all there!

Hey, there!

Just a quick word to let you know that you can send your English teacher your essays and other stuff through this email:

amaresingles@gmail.com

...we created it just for you!

the holidays are coming!!

eheheheheh...

Easter holidays are right around the corner, people!

This is the week to wrap up the 2nd term and hope for excellent marks in all subjects... or else, someone at home is going to get really mad at you!

Have a nice time!
...and blog on!!

Hello!

Hey, there!
let us tell you what this blog is for: your english teachers will use it to report back to you whatever piece of information they consider important, as well as texts of all sorts, cartoons and other appealing images, songs and lyrics and any 'writable' interesting event that takes place in our school, community and world!

Soon enough, we'll pass on to you a special e.mail, designed just so you can send out to us your essays, comments, texts... you name it!

Hope to 'read' you here...

Well, it was just about time, right?

...and why did we choose this particular title for our blog?

Well, 'eeny miny miny moe' is a counting rhyme, - very much like the Portuguese UM-DO -LI-TÁ- ...! - used by children when picking a person for an activity by pointing to a different person in the group at each word or syllable in the rhyme, until the last syllable, at which point the pointed-to person is either chosen or out.

Its origin is not precise but we think it has been around since the 1850's.

And you can find a version in every country of the world.

Check it out at

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eeny,_meeny,_miny,_moe