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!