A minha Lista de blogues

segunda-feira, 30 de setembro de 2013

EXPO 98 foi há 15 anos


EXPO 98: Os Oceanos, Um Património Para o Futuro
A Expo 98 realizou-se há 15 anos- de 22 de maio a 30 de setembro de 1998 -para comemorar os 500 anos da chegada de Vasco da Gama à Índia. A zona oriental de Lisboa sofreu uma grande transformação. Foram construídos diversos pavilhões para acolher exposições dos diversos países participantes alguns dos quais servem agora a população no atual Parque das Nações.






domingo, 29 de setembro de 2013

A case of resemblance








 Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia













 King George V of the United Kingdom









The resemblance between King George V and Tsar Nicholas II was so remarkable that numerous instances of mistaken identity occured. Probably the worst was at the wedding of the then Prince of Wales to Mary of Teck in 1893. At the reception Prince George was mistaken by one of the guests who asked him if he had come to London on business or simply for the wedding. Prince George replied that as it was his wedding he felt he should attend.



Tsar Nicholas II, who was murdered by the Bolsheviks in 1917, and King George V were both first cousins. No wonder Prince Philip said in 1967:
“I’d like to go to Russia very much – although the bastards murdered half my family.” 



Regan, Geoffrey. The Guinness Book of Royal Blunders. London 1995




sábado, 28 de setembro de 2013

Idioms as easy as ABC...



idiom (n): an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is separate from the literal meaning or definition of the words of which it is made.



How many do you know?


as easy as ABC

- very easy

Learning how to use a computer is as easy as ABC for children.



cut class

- to not go to class

I decided to cut class in order to study for my geography test.



eager beaver

- someone who works very hard and is very enthusiastic

The young girl is an eager beaver and always comes to class before the other students.



fill in the blanks


- to supply the missing informaton about a situation.

I didn’t know what had happened at the party but Susan filled in the blanks for me.



have one's nose in a book


- to be reading a book

The boy loves to read and always has his nose in a book.



hit the books

- to begin to study hard

After relaxing all weekend I hit the books on Sunday evening.



learn (something) by heart


- to memorize something so that you can repeat it without thinking

The children learned all of the songs by heart for the school play.



pass with flying colours


- to pass something easily and with a high score

I was able to pass the science test with flying colours.



school of hard knocks

- the experience of learning about life through difficult experiences.

The girl left school at sisteen and began to learn about life at the school of hard knocks.



teacher's pet

- the teacher's favourite student

My sister was always the teacher's pet .



© Clever Pants 2012
www.clever-pants.com

The Library of Congress Web site


In the Library of Congress Web site…

You can read about "Amazing Americans" or visit "Join America at Play”, where you'll see a film of an early break-dancer from 1898.

"Jump Back in Time" and find what happened on the day you were born.

Click on "Explore the States," where you'll find fascinating facts and stories about all the states.

If you've ever wondered what the first cartoons looked like, then click on "See, Hear and Sing."

I hope you will find this Web site entertaining, fun to use and that you will learn something from it. I thank the Embassy of the USA in Portugal for sharing it.





A new James Bond novel





Solo is a James Bond continuation novel written by William Boyd, who carefully researched Ian Fleming´s novels. It was published on 26 September 2013.








The book keeps on featuring impressive hotels like the opening scene in The Dorchester Hotel in London. Here are some of the most memorable:

10 hotels featured in James Bond movies


sexta-feira, 27 de setembro de 2013

Prince George´s christening



The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have just announced the christening of Prince George will take place on Wednesday, 23rd October at The Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace. Prince George will be christened by The Archbishop of Canterbury.








Chapel Royal: The Queen`s Golden Jubilee Window (2002)






One of the Chapel's most notable organists and composers was George Frederick Handel, who was appointed by George II. Handel composed the great anthem 'Zadok the Priest' for the coronation of George II in 1727 and it has been used at every coronation since. It is also sung each year at the Royal Maundy service in which the Queen distributes Maundy money. 

Queen Victoria was married in the Chapel, and her marriage certificate, hand-written by the Archbishop of Canterbury and signed by both bride and groom, hangs on the wall in the vestry.

In 1997, the coffin of Diana, Princess of Wales lay before the altar where her family and friends could pay their respects in private, before the Princess's funeral in Westminster Abbey.

The Chapel Royal is not open to the public except for services.



World Tourism Day





quinta-feira, 26 de setembro de 2013

A FNAPLV e o Dia Europeu das Línguas




A Federação Nacional das Associações de Professores de Línguas Vivas (FNAPLV) escreveu um texto para celebrar a data do DEL 2013. 



Texto da FNAPLV





quarta-feira, 25 de setembro de 2013

EDL 2013


The European Day of Languages is celebrated annually on September 26. It is a day to alert the public to the importance of language learning to increase pluralism and intercultural understanding. 

The European Union has 24 official languages: Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish and Swedish.

The Importance of learning English


Jane Austen´s ring


A ring once owned by Jane Austen is to remain in Britain after Jane Austen´s House Museum successfully raised funds to buy it from American singer Kelly Clarkson.



http://www.jane-austens-house-museum.org.uk/


  

More posts about Jane Austen:

http://relvateresa.blogspot.pt/2013/08/jane-austen-on-10-pound-note.html
http://relvateresa.blogspot.pt/2013/01/pride-and-prejudice-200th-anniversary.html

Nighthawks




Edward Hopper – Nighthawks


Gottfried Helnwein - Nighthawks: Boulevard of Broken Dreams


Nighthawk is a person who normally stays up late at night. It is also the name of the famous painting by the American artist Edward Hopper.


In the second painting Gottfried Helnwein, an Austrian artist born in 1948, based his work on Hopper´s but substituted the four lonely people for the four American idols of the 20th century:
Humphrey Bogart,
Elvis Presley and 
James Dean.

The setting is a diner, normally a  small prefabricated building typical  in America that sells simple American food and is opened till late at night.

References:



segunda-feira, 23 de setembro de 2013

The Tea Spy




Robert Fortune (1812-1880) was a Scottish botanist who was sent to China by the Horticultural Society of London to research and collect exotic plants. He made two long journeys and lived in the country between 1842 and 1845.




Fortune was completely fascinated with the landscape he found and learned Mandarin so that he could travel freely. As a result of his travels many new exotic flowers and plants were introduced in Europe like the famous bonsai. In Fujian, Fortune learned the secrets of tea plant care such as oxidising of tea leaves. Consequently he discovered that green and black tea are from the same plant. His journey is described in his book A Journey to the tea countries of China.



English Heritage blue plaque outside Robert Fortune’s home at 9 Gilston Road, Chelsea, London







However his most famous accomplishment was the successful transportation of tea from China to India in 1848 on behalf of the British East India Company. He was chosen because of his knowledge of the country, local customs and language. His mission, though, was no longer concerned with research, but instead to steal the secrets of tea.

As purchasing tea plants was forbidden by the Chinese government of the time, Fortune disguised himself as a Chinese merchant. He wore local dress, shaved his hair and grew a pigtail for some of his journeys. These lasted for more than what was allowed for a European traveler at the time, as he visited forbidden areas of China that had only been visited by the Portuguese before. If he were caught he could face the death penalty.

The technology and knowledge that he brought from China, was very helpful in the later flourishing of the Indian tea industry. In 1866 only 4% of the tea consumed in England came from India. In 1903 it increased to 59%. The Chinese could not understand how their tea secret could have escaped while in Darjeeling, a town in India, the production of tea was growing fast.


I would like to dedicate this post to a dear friend who visited Canterbury recently and sent me this beautiful picture. I wish I were there too!


References:

História Viva. Ano IX Nº 104 Brasil 2013      www.historiaviva.com.br
http://www.teanamu.com/2011/07/robert-fortune-tea-thief-or-hero/

More posts about tea:

Would anyone like a cup of tea?

Tea Time- uma pausa para o chá


domingo, 22 de setembro de 2013

Downton Abbey- Season 4



Downton Abbey series 4 will premiere on Sunday, September 22, 2013 on ITV in the United Kingdom. In the US they will have to wait till January 5, 2014.



I´m looking forward to Downton's return to our screens.


More
: Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey



19th century fore-edge paintings


Fore-edge painting is a way of hiding a painting on the edge of a book so that it can only be seen when the pages are fanned out.


Secret Fore-Edge Paintings Revealed in Early 19th Century Books at the University of Iowa

Autumn has arrived!

S. Dartmouth, MA in 2004


Every season has its special beauty but watching the trees turn from a uniform green to all varieties of gold, yellow and red is a spectacular experience… 


Read- A Celebration of Fall

sábado, 21 de setembro de 2013

Passionada



Passionada is a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Dan Ireland and starring Jason Isaacs, Sofia Milos, Emmy Rossum, Seymour Cassel  and Theresa Russell. The screenplay is by the brothers Jermanok and David Bakalar was the producer.










The story of the film is set in New Bedford, MA- USA where a large population of Portuguese descendants live. Some stars of the film attended the world première in New Bedford.












Celia Amonte (Sofia Milos) is a beautiful Portuguese-American woman who lost her husband, a fisherman, to an accident at sea. Eight years after his death, Celia remains loyal to her late husband's memory, even though her teenage daughter, Vicky (Emmy Rossum), frequently encourages her to start dating again. Vicky meets a handsome Englishman named Charlie Beck (Jason Isaacs), who gambles for a living. and makes him watch her mother perform at a local nightclub, where she sings the fado. Charlie is immediately taken with her, but Celia isn't especially interested in him. In time, Charlie's charm eventually conquers Celia and a romance begins to bloom…




I enjoyed the film very much.

Summer's almost gone







Summer's almost gone
Summer's almost gone
Almost gone
Yeah, it's almost gone
Where will we be
When the summer's gone?

Morning found us calmly unaware
Noon burned gold into our hair
At night, we swam the Laughing sea
When summer's gone
Where will we be
Where will we be
Where will we be

Morning found us calmly unaware
Noon burned gold into our hair
At night, we swam the Laughing sea
When summer's gone
Where will we be

Summer's almost gone
Summer's almost gone
We had some good times
But they're gone
The winter's comin' on
Summer's almost gone



sexta-feira, 20 de setembro de 2013

Nutri Ventures- encontro com Michelle Obama



Os fundadores da Nutri Ventures, Rodrigo Carvalho e Rui Lima Miranda, foram recebidos na quarta-feira por Michelle Obama na residência oficial do presidente dos Estados Unidos. Trata-se da primeira empresa estrangeira a ser escolhida para integrar o grupo de trabalho patrocinado pela primeira-dama norte-americana no combate à obesidade infantil e marketing alimentar para crianças. A empresa portuguesa é a criadora de uma série de animação com o mesmo nome, que incentiva as crianças a terem hábitos saudáveis. 

Nutri Ventures nos EUA

quinta-feira, 19 de setembro de 2013

The First Kiss



Thomas Edison (1847-1931), the famed American inventor developed many devices that increased our quality of life. Some of them were the phonograph, the motion picture camera and the light bulb. In 1896, he made history again by recording the first kiss in the history of cinema, which was considered scandalous at the time.



terça-feira, 17 de setembro de 2013

Prince Harry in cold chamber


Prince Harry, Patron of the Walking With The Wounded charity, spent around 20 hours in a giant freezer in Warwickshire alongside his four teammates - all of whom have amputated limbs after sustaining injuries in Afghanistan - to simulate the tough conditions he will face when he treks to the South Pole this winter. After emerging from the huge testing facility, in which temperatures dropped to as low as minus 55C, the Prince blew into his hands and rubbed them together to warm up as he chatted with his teammates over tea and biscuits.

http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/news-and-diary/prince-harry-emerges-24-hour-south-pole-cold-chamber-training

segunda-feira, 16 de setembro de 2013

Prince Philip on unemployment


The Duke of Edinburgh has made memorable accidental remarks during his reign as the Queen's consort. In 1981 he was interviewed for the Jimmy Young Show. Asked about the current levels of unemployment he replied: “A few years ago everybody was saying we must have more leisure- everybody´s working too much. Now that everybody got more leisure, they are complaining they´re unemployed. People don´t seem to be able to make up their minds what they want, do they?"


The Guinness Book of Royal Blunders. London 1995 page 50

domingo, 15 de setembro de 2013

Portuguese in the Old West



Land, As Far As the Eye Can See: Portuguese in the Old West was written by Donald Warrin and Geoffrey L. Gomes and provides a history of the opening, conquest, and development of the American West by narrating the deeds of Portuguese pioneers. It is the 21st volume of the Portuguese in the Americas Series, which documents the variety and complexity of the Portuguese-American experience.

This updated version was published by Tagus Press at UMass Dartmouth, Department of the Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture in March 2013. 


Year 10- extensive reading


The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Read it here!


Download books




quarta-feira, 11 de setembro de 2013

September song

Hopefully the rest of September will be as beautiful and calm as this September song:




Oh, it's a long long while
From May to December
But the days grow short
When you reach September

When the autumn weather
Turns leaves to flame
One hasn't got time
For the waiting game

Oh, the days dwindle down
To a precious few
September, November

And these few precious days
I'll spend with you
These precious days
I'll spend with you

Oh, the days dwindle down
To a precious few
September, November

And these few precious days
I'll spend with you
These precious days
I'll spend with you
These precious days
I'll spend with you


Remembering 9/11:

Today is the twelfth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.Here is a look at covers from THE NEW YORKER


9/11/2001,” by Art Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly, September 24, 2001.


“What So Proudly We Hailed,” by Carter Goodrich, November 5, 2001.


“In the Shadow,” by Carter Goodrich, December 6, 2004.



“Soaring Spirit,” by John Mavroudis and Owen Smith, September 11, 2006.


“Reflections,” by Ana Juan, September 12, 2011.

terça-feira, 10 de setembro de 2013

The Pledge of Allegiance

I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Americans honour and respect their flag. When students say the Plede of Allegiance before school starts they must put their right hand over their heart. 

The Pledge of Allegiance was written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy (1855–1931) and was formally adopted by Congress in 1942. It has been modified four times since its composition. Congress added the words "under God" in 1954 due to the red scare over the Soviet Union.


1892

"I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

1892 to 1922

"I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to the republic for which it stands: one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

1923 

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States, and to the republic for which it stands; one Nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all."

1924 to 1954

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United Statesof America, and to the republic for which it stands; one Nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all."


1954 to Present

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Some might argue that it is a nationalistic slogan. Evidently, it is an emotional appeal to patriotism which may not be to everybody’s liking, but I am aware that children in the United States are not forced to proclaim vocally their allegiance. It is also a sign, perhaps, that the United States is still a “new” country, for in older countries like Portugal, there is no need to make such pledges.

Now an unidentified family of a student at a school in suburban Boston, has filed a lawsuit against the phrase ”under God” saying it violates the Equal Rights Amendment of the Massachusetts Constitution. It is the first such case to be tried on the state level: All previous attempts have been argued in federal court on the grounds that "under God" was an unconstitutional violation of the separation of church and state.

How will this end up?


http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/09/09/fox-news-host-atheists-dont-have-to-live-here/?sr=fb091013foxatheist12p

World´s happiest nations


Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Sweden are the world's happiest countries, according to the survey of 156 countries. The United States came in at number 17, but it still lags behind Canada (6), Australia (10), Israel (11) the United Arab Emirates (14) and Mexico (16), according to the 2013 World Happiness Report. The United Kingdom came in at 22 between Venezuela (20) and Brazil (24)

"People can be unhappy for many reasons -- from poverty to unemployment to family breakdown to physical illness," the report said. 

Improvements in the quality of life have been particularly prevalent in Latin America and the Caribbean, while reductions have been the norm in the regions most affected by the financial crisis or recent political and civil turmoil.





Congratulations, Denmark!



World´s happiest nations
(Explained by: GDP per capita , social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make
life choices, generosity, perceptions of corruption)


156. Togo
155. Benin
154. Central African Republic
153. Burundi
152. Rwanda
151. Tanzania   
150. Guinea
149. Comoros
148. Syria
147. Senegal
146. Madagascar
145. Botswana
144. Bulgaria
143. Afghanistan
142. Yemen
141. Chad
140. Cambodia
139. Malawi
138. Gabon
137. Sri Lanka
136. Niger
135. Nepal
134. Georgia
133. Liberia
132. Mali
131. Burkina Faso
130. Egypt
129. Congo (Brazzaville)
128. Armenia
127. Sierra Leone 
126. Haiti 
125. Tajikistan 
124. Sudan
123. Kenya
122. Cameroon
121. Myanmar
120. Uganda
119. Ethiopia
118. Macedonia
117. Congo (Kinshasa)
116. Azerbaijan
115. Iran
114. Djibouti
113. Palestinian Territories
112. Mauritania
111. India
110. Hungary
109. Laos
108. Bangladesh
107. Bosnia and Herzegovina
106. Serbia
105. Iraq
104. Tunisia
103. Zimbabwe
102. Mongolia
 101. Somaliland region
100. Swaziland
99. Morocco
98. Lesotho
97. Lebanon
96. South Africa
95. Dominican Rep
94. Mozambique
93. China
92. Philippines
91. Zambia
90. Romania
89. Kyrgyzstan
88. Latvia
87. Ukraine
86. Ghana
85. Portugal
84. Honduras
83. Kosovo
82. Nigeria
81. Pakistan
80. Montenegro
79. Bahrain
78. Libya
77. Turkey
76. Indonesia
75. Jamaica
74. Jordan
73. Algeria
72. Estonia
71. Lithuania
70. Greece
69. North Cyprus
68. Russia
67. Mauritius
66. Belarus
65. Nicaragua
64. Hong Kong
63. Vietnam
62. Albania
61. Angola
60. Uzbekistan
59. Turkmenistan
58. Croatia
57. Kazakhstan
56. Malaysia
55. Peru
54. Paraguay
53. Moldova
52. El Salvador
51. Poland
50. Bolivia
49. Ecuador
48. Malta
47. Guatemala
46. Slovakia
45. Italy
44. Slovenia
43. Japan
42. Taiwan
41. South Korea
40. Suriname
39. Czech Republic
38. Spain
37. Uruguay
36. Thailand
35. Colombia
34. Cyprus
33. Saudi Arabia
32. Kuwait
31. Trinidad and Tobago
30. Singapore
29. Argentina
28. Chile
27. Qatar
26. Germany
25. France
24. Brazil
23. Oman
22. United Kingdom
(21. Belgium
20. Venezuela
19. Luxembourg)
18. Ireland
17. United States
16. Mexico
15. Panama
14. United Arab Emirates
13. New Zealand
12. Costa Rica
11. Israel
10. Australia
9. Iceland
8. Austria
7. Finland
6. Canada
5. Sweden
4. Netherlands
3. Switzerland
2. Norway
1. Denmark



segunda-feira, 9 de setembro de 2013

Sunset at Montmajour



A new painting by the Dutch master Vincent Van Gogh (1853- 1890) has come to light.

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, which holds the largest collection of the artist's work, announced on Monday the discovery of a newly identified painting, a landscape titled "Sunset at Montmajour". It depicts a landscape in the vicinity of Arles in the south of France, where Van Gogh was working at that time. The museum attributed the painting to Van Gogh after "extensive research into style, technique, paint, canvas, the depiction, Van Gogh's letters and the provenance."

Starting September 24, it will appear in "Van Gogh At Work," an exhibition currently on show at the museum in Amsterdam.

Van Gogh achieved little recognition as an artist during his lifetime, but his reputation blossomed in the years after his suicide at the age of 37, following years of mental illness.

His works now hang in leading museums and galleries around the world.

In its statement, the Van Gogh Museum didn't divulge the full story behind the discovery of "Sunset at Montmajour," saying it would be published in the October edition of The Burlington Magazine, a fine art publication, and at the museum.

Louis van Tilborgh and Teio Meedendorp, two senior researchers at the museum, said the painting had belonged to the collection of van Gogh's younger brother, Theo, in 1890 and was sold in 1901.

I am a great admirer of Van Gogh´s work. In 2010 I had the opportunity to visit “The Real Van Gogh- The Artist and His Letters” in the Royal Academy of Arts in London where I learned about his amazing writing skills. His correspondence, displayed next to his paintings, showed a remarkable ability to communicate ideas, feelings, art and life in an emotive language. What then surprised me most about the letters to his brother Theo was his ability to join his writing with tiny sketches of his work.



A more recent post: The Museum Quarter in Amsterdam


The Stories of Seven Royal Babies





The Royal Baby Book: A Souvenir Album is an official publication to celebrate the birth of Prince George who was born in London on 22nd July 2013.





It looks back at seven heirs to the throne from Queen Victoria to Prince George through items from the Royal Collection, the Royal Archives and the private collections of members of the Royal Family. 

It also includes unpublished images of the Queen from her childhood. The photographs were taken by her parents and show that the future Queen's love of horses began from an early age: Princess Elizabeth began to learn to ride in the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace at the age of just three and a half, and was able to ride on her own by the time she was six.


domingo, 8 de setembro de 2013

To our firefighters

Eight Portuguese firefighters died this summer while serving our community, fighting against the numerous fires in the north of Portugal.



An hommage to firefighters in Linda-a- Velha
by Luís Cruz

I think we can´t thank firefighters enough for dedicating their lives to protecting our safety. The number of those that were caught by the fire is increasing every week. They were all very young and I can´t stop thinking of their families. They are indeed all heroes, although this is never enough consolation for all those that have suffered a loss.
Hopefully, in some way, we can prevent this from happening in the future.



My father worked as a volunteer firefighter before he got married in 1944. I can understand my mother’s concern with my father’s volunteer work.

sábado, 7 de setembro de 2013

Googling


1st day of school (2013 doodle)


15 years ago, Google, the American multinational corporation specializing in Internet-related services was founded by entrepreneurs Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were Ph.D students at Stanford university. 





Nowadays, even Waldo can be found…









Reference:
Embaixada dos EUA em Portugal ( facebook)



Douro in the World



 





The Douro Valley is shaped by the Douro River.






Between 4-10 September 2013 there will be a Douro ”Mission USA” to show this beautiful landscape, its history and the exceptional Port wines produced in this area that are known worldwide.






Porto Wine







Some enterprises of the region joined this initiative and will show 

the cheese and jam of this region.

I think it will be a success. With so many delicious products who can resist them? 


After the recent Harvard Design Prize to Metro do Porto, it will become very fashionable to know this region well.


Ronaldo, the only one


THE BEST!

in A BOLA 07 SET 2013

Harvard Design Prize for “Metro do Porto”



The Veronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design is a Harvard University - Department of the Graduate School of Design - award. This prize was established in 1986 on the occasion of the celebration of Harvard’s 350th and the GSD’s 50th anniversaries and to mark the visit of the Prince of Wales to Harvard and the GSD. The Prize is awarded every two years to recognize excellence in urban design projects during the previous ten years. Siza Vieira, a renowned Portuguese architect received the first award. 

On its 11th edition (September 2013) Eduardo Souto de Moura is awarded the prize as the coordinator of the project “Metro do Porto”. 

Award-winning projects are selected because they make an exemplary contribution to the public area of a city and improve the quality of life in that context.