Winston Churchill

Churchill com o seu "V" de vitória e o charuto, tornou-se o símbolo da resistência a Hitler

Winston Churchill nasceu em 30 de Novembro de 1874 no Palácio de Blenheim propriedade dos duques de Marlborough (o sétimo duque era seu avô). Era filho de Randolph Churchill, um politico de sucesso na era vitoriana e de Jennie Jerome, cidadã americana. Como era habitual na época, foi entregue cedo aos cuidados de uma ama, Mrs. Everest que Churchill adorava. Mais tarde, quando casou e se tornou pai chegou a dizer ao seu filho “ nestas férias falámos mais um com o outro do que eu falei com o meu pai durante toda a vida dele” (Haffner 80).

Winston não foi um estudante com muito sucesso. Tornou-se cadete no colégio militar de Sandhurst, onde se revelaram os seus dotes militares. Em 1895, durante o conflito hispano-americano, por ocasião da luta pela independência de Cuba, foi correspondente de guerra em Havana, descobrindo assim a sua profissão de jornalista. Mais tarde tornou-se escritor, publicando diversas obras e foi ainda colunista, escrevendo um comentário semanal sobre política externa, publicado em Inglaterra e em outros países de língua inglesa.

Em 1900, surge a oportunidade de tentar a carreira política e é eleito para a Câmara dos Comuns. Segundo as suas próprias palavras: “ Na guerra só podemos ser abatidos uma vez, mas na política vezes sem conta”(Haffner 32).

Em 1908, casou com Clementine Hozier. Tiveram cinco filhos. Em 1922 compraram Chartwell, uma casa de campo em Kent, onde viveria até morrer.
Teve diversos cargos governamentais e participou na I Guerra Mundial. 

Ganhou o gosto pela pintura para a qual revelou talento. São conhecidos e apreciados os seus quadros com vistas da baía de Câmara de Lobos, na ilha da Madeira.

Contudo, foi durante a II Guerra Mundial que Churchill se tornou no homem do momento, ao assumir o cargo de Primeiro-ministro. Mostrou-se um chefe de governo hábil ao reforçar as relações do Reino Unido com os Estados Unido. Todavia, o seu talento de grande líder afirmou-se de forma notável pela determinação e coragem que conseguiu incutir aos seus compatriotas na luta sem tréguas contra a Alemanha nazi. Transformaram-no numa figura incontornável da História Universal. São diversos os discursos que proferiu com grande eloquência como o de “Sangue, suor e lágrimas” e “Nunca nos renderemos”.

 Já no fim da guerra tornou-se líder da oposição, porque perdeu as eleições. Voltou a ser primeiro-ministro, em 1951.

Em 1953 ganhou o prémio Nobel da literatura.

Morreu em 24 de Janeiro de 1965 e teve um funeral de estado.

Referências:

Haffner, Sebastian. Winston Churchill. Lisboa: Expresso, 2011

Poppy Day

A.Y. Jackson(1882–1974). House of Ypres. 1917

"What to paint was a problem for the war artist. . . . The old heroics, the death and glory stuff, were gone for ever; The impressionist technique I had adopted in painting was now ineffective, for visual impressions were not enough." 

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

John McCrae 1872-1918

As a colony of Great Britain, Canada was automatically at war. Almost totally unprepared for battle in 1914, Canada enrolled 625,000 military personnel by 1918. Most served in the Canadian Corps, which became one of the foremost fighting formations. The cost, however, was enormous: of the Canadians serving overseas, one in seven died.

The Canadian doctor John McCrae (1872-1918), who was fighting in the war, wrote a poem to honour his deceased comrade in arms. Soon after its publication the poem became very popular and the poppy became a symbol of Remembrance Day that is also known as Poppy Day, because it is traditional to wear an artificial poppy. In the United Kingdom poppies are sold by the Royal British Legion, a charity dedicated to helping war veterans.

Some of the battles of World War I took place in Flanders, which was located in the Western Front. There, many poppy fields existed.

Poppy Day or Remembrance Day commemorates the anniversary of the signing of the armistice that put an end to World War I, which started in 1914 and ended in 1918, causing 37 million casualties, among them more than ten thousand Portuguese soldiers.

The war ended exactly at 11 o’clock, on the 11th day in the 11th month (November) of 1918.

Prime Minister David Cameron and former prime ministers.

It is traditional to wear an artificial poppy on this day

The Cenotaph in Whitehall, London is the United Kingdom's primary national war memorial. It was built in 1920 by the British architect Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens. It is the site of the annual National Service of Remembrance held at 11:00 am on Remembrance Sunday, the closest Sunday to 11 November.

Ceremonies are held at war memorials and two minutes of silence are observed just after 11 o´clock. The start and end of the silence is often marked by the firing of a cannon. Following this, "Last Post" and “The Rouse” are sounded after which wreaths are laid by the Queen and senior members of the Royal Family attending in military uniform. Other members of the Royal Family usually watch the service from the balcony of the Foreign Office.

After the Funeral March the politicians lay their wreaths. The Queen leaves after the national anthem is sung by all those attending the ceremony. 

11-11-11 

It is an interesting coincidence that this year Poppy Day is on a lucky date with a symmetrical number. This will only happen again in one hundred years.

World War I – known at the time as The Great War - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on November 11, 1918.

In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day, but in 1954, after World War II President Eisenhower changed the name "Armistice Day" to Veterans Day.

In the USA Veterans Day is an important holiday and many marches take place in order to honour the veterans of all wars (a veteran is a soldier who has fought in a war), including World War II (1939-45), the Korean War (1950-53), the Vietnam War (1965-1975), the First Gulf War (1991), the Iraq War (2003-2010) and the war in Afghanistan (2001- present).

Read also:

Why the poppy?

Em Memória da minha Avó Maria: sobre a I Guerra Mundial

http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/canvas/tre/cwc106e.shtml

November 2011 Newsletter

© Clever Pants 2011

www.clever-pants.com

Quotes on the subject of Genius!

This months quotes are all about the idea of genius, and they all come from - arguably – geniuses

“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.”

Albert Einstein

“True genius resides in the capacity for evaluation of uncertain, hazardous, and conflicting information.”

Winston Churchill

“I put all my genius into my life; I put only my talent into my works.”

Oscar Wilde

“Common sense is genius dressed in its working clothes.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Genius is the ability to put into effect what is on your mind.”

 F. Scott Fitzgerald

Idioms – Go bananas

This month we have gone bananas for idioms related to madness!

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.

Go bananas

If someone becomes very emotional and starts behaving in a crazy way, they go bananas.

"If you announce that you're going to drop out of school,your parents will go bananas!

Away with the fairies

To say that someone is away with the fairies means that they are in such a dreamy state that they are not totally in touch with reality and give the impression of being slightly mad.

"It's no use trying to explain the problem to her - she's away with the fairies!"

Basket case

A person who's agitated mental state leaves them helpless or unable to cope with things is called a basket case.

"Jenny will turn into a basket case if this stressful situation continues."

The lights are on, but no one is home

A humorous way of referring to a person who is lacking intellect and/or sanity,or to someone who is simply preoccupied and not paying attention.

"Forget about Andy today - the lights are on but no one is home!"

Have you gone out of your mind?

If you ask someone if they've gone out of their mind, you think they are crazy, foolish or insane.

"You're going to ask for a 100% increase in salary?Have you gone out of your mind?"

Go nuts

To say that a person has gone nuts means that they have become completely foolish, eccentric or mad.

Have a screw loose

If someone has a screw loose, their behaviour is strange and they appear slightly mad.

"She wears a fur coat in summer - she must have a screw loose!"


The text was taken from:

© Clever Pants 2011

www.clever-pants.com

English Showcase III

This showcase has a chart of all the Kings and Queens of England.

The recent news about the rights of succession to the throne of England (read: More Queens in the Future ? in the blog) is also mentioned in the article from International Herald Tribune.

November is a month of important celebrations in the English Speaking Countries.

5th November is Guy Fawkes´ Night or Bonfire Night in Britain

11th November is Poppy Day / Remembrance Day in UK and some Commomwealth Countries and Veterans Day in USA

24th November is Thanksgiving in USA

Pumpkins

The pumpkin is one of the oldest known vegetables. Although many people use its name to mean any type of winter squash, it only applies to the yellow and orange varieties with a hard grooved rind and orange flesh. They vary in shape from round to oblong and in size from less than 2 kilos to more than 100.

Detail of a 1947 still life by the Portuguese painter Alda Machado Santos (1892-1977)

For Americans the pumpkin is a traditional symbol of Halloween.

To understand this association we must go back to its origins.

Celtic people believed that 31st October was the last day of the year. To celebrate they carried home a torch, symbolizing the New Year, to scare away evil spirits and to light the way for the souls of the dead to return home. Poor people carved lanterns out of turnips and went “souling”- asking for soul cakes in return for saying prayers for the dead.

When Irish immigrants settled in America “souling” became “trick or treat” and pumpkins replaced the old carving of turnips.

The Thanksgiving menu also includes pumpkin in the form of pumpkin pie.

If you are a cheesecake lover here is a recipe just for you:

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Base: 2 cups Bolacha Torrada (1 packet), ½ cup melted butter, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons light brown sugar.

Crush the biscuits and mix all the ingredients together until combined. Press into a greased cake pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then leave to cool slightly.

Filling:  3 packets cream cheese (Philadelphia), 3 eggs, ½ cup sugar, 2 tablespoons all purpose flour, 1 cup pumpkin purée (1/2 kg pumpkin), 2 tablespoons grated orange zest.

Boil 1/2 Kg pumpkin cut into chunks. Purée in a blender. Mix the other ingredients. Pour the mixture into the biscuit base and bake for 45 minutes. Chill for at least 12 hours before serving.

More Queens in the future?

The official photo of CHOGM 2011

On 28^th October, at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth, Australia (CHOGM 2011)  attended by the Queen, it was announced that the 16 nations of which Queen Elizabeth II is monarch have agreed unanimously to constitutional changes allowing men and women the same rights of succession to the throne. So, if the firstborn of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge is a girl, she can become Queen even if subsequent children are sons. It will also be permitted for Roman Catholics to marry into the Royal family.

The changes were announced by David Cameron, the Prime Minister. Referring to the old rule he said: “…this way of thinking is at odds with the modern countries that we have become". In light of the modern times it´s appropriate and fair to change policies accordingly.

                     

Queen Mary I (Bloody Mary)-1553-1558

Queen Elizabeth I (The Virgin Queen)- 1558-1603

Queen Anne-1702-1714

Queen Victoria-(1837-1901)

Queen Elizabeth II- (1952-present)

Pão-por-Deus. Tradição portuguesa tem semelhanças com o Halloween

Nos Estados Unidos, as crianças percorrem as casas dos vizinhos na véspera do dia de Todos os Santos a pedir doces, como forma de celebrar o Halloween e ameaçam fazer partidas se os não receberem (trick or treat).

Em Portugal, nas zonas rurais, nas ilhas da Madeira e Açores e em Cabo Verde, (Santiago), as crianças pedem o Pão-por-Deus, recitam versos e recebem como oferta: pão, broas, bolos, romãs, frutos secos, tremoços, nozes e castanhas que colocam dentro dos seus sacos de pano. Essa visita é feita na manhã do feriado, de 1 de novembro, dia de Todos-os-Santos sem ameaças de partidas a quem não tiver nada para dar.

O dia do Pão-por-Deus
É um dia de muita alegria
Vamos fazer um magusto
E festejar esse dia.

É também costume em algumas regiões da Beira Alta e Beira Baixa os padrinhos oferecerem um bolo, o santoro, (espécie de pão bento, comprido, em forma de tíbia) aos seus afilhados. Estes bolos também conhecidos por santório ou santórum comem-se cortados às fatias barradas com manteiga e acompanhados por queijo fresco ou presunto.

No Cercal (Alentejo) este dia também é conhecido por “Dia dos Bolinhos”. As crianças andam pelos montes e herdades a pedir estes bolinhos. Na zona do oeste, perto de Cadaval oferecem-se merendeirinhas ou brindeirinhas. Nos Açores, em S. Miguel fazem-se escaldadas ou bolos de massa sovada.

 São vários os versos associados a esta tradição:

Quando os donos da casa dão alguma coisa:

"Esta casa cheira a broa
Aqui mora gente boa.
Esta casa cheira a vinho
Aqui mora algum santinho."

Quando os donos da casa não dão nada:

"Esta casa cheira a alho
Aqui mora um espantalho
Esta casa cheira a unto
Aqui mora algum defunto."

No dia 1 de novembro de 1755, ocorreu o terramoto de Lisboa. Muitas pessoas viram todos os seus bens serem destruídos na catástrofe e tiveram que pedir "Pão-por-Deus" para poderem sobreviver, pois foram trágicos os anos que se seguiram a esta tragédia. No entanto, a Enciclopédia Portuguesa e Brasileira faz uma referência ao Pão-por-Deus já no século XVII na obra de D. Francisco Manuel de Melo A Feira dos Anexins (20-209), uma coletânea de provérbios e dizeres populares.

O Halloween é uma celebração muito antiga de origem celta, que só adquiriu a dimensão atual depois da sua introdução, no século XIX, nos Estados Unidos pelos emigrantes irlandeses. Está associado à crença que no dia 31 de outubro, véspera do ano novo celta, a vida e a morte ficavam muito próximas, uma vez que os espíritos dos mortos voltavam à terra. Foi adotado no Novo Mundo e através da globalização regressou à europa depois da II Guerra Mundial. Em Portugal é relativamente novo o hábito de celebrar esta tradição, que tem vindo a criar adeptos nos últimos dez anos.

Os fatos para comemorar o Halloween eram baseados em figuras sobrenaturais como bruxas, fantasmas, monstros, esqueletos, mas com o tempo e a procura de originalidade a temática expandiu-se e hoje em dia vê-se um pouco de tudo nas fantasias desta época, incluindo celebridades, personagens de ficção e princesas.







Conheces a história de Jack O´Lantern?

"Mens Sana in Corpore Sano"

A Healthy Mind in a Healthy Body

Physical exercise and sport are the keys for a healthy lifestyle. It’s not for nothing that health experts recommend sport as a way to improve the quality of life. More and more people also practise sports as a way of achieving a psychological well being to face the stress of modern life. It gives them a greater feeling of self-esteem. By playing sports, you also feel full of energy and reduce the risk of becoming overweight.

There are many old connections between sports and school in Britain. Some sports like football, cricket and rugby were played in the 19^th century in various ways in different schools, sometimes like a rivalry between older and younger boys. Their transformation into modern sports resulted from the influence of the new industrial middle classes who sent their sons to the public schools to be educated with the aristocracy; they turned games into a form of collective discipline: playing with courage and helping your team. In those days technique and skill were supposed to be less important than character. Fair play was an unwritten rule requiring not only the respect for the rules of the game but also for all the players involved, especially the rival team.

Some traditions in sports

The Calcutta Cup

England and Scotland compete for the Calcutta Cup. It used to belong to the Calcutta Rugby Club, which stopped playing in 1877. The club took all its money out of the bank and used it to make the cup, which they sent to England. It is a beautiful cup with snakes for handles and an elephant on the top.

Twickenham Stadium is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom. It is often referred to as the home of English rugby.

When D. Manuel II of Portugal was in exile, in England, he lived in Fulwell Park, Twickenham.

Wembley stadium

Wembley opened in 2007 and was built on the site of the previous 1923 stadium. It is England´s national football stadium and the FA (Football Association) Cup Final is held here.

*Sir Alex Ferguson is one of the most admired managers with the longest service in the history of football. He was appointed manager at Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United, on 6th November 1986.

David Beckham and Wayne Rooney are nowadays the most famous British players. In the 2004 European Championship, hosted by Portugal both played for England against the Portuguese national team and were defeated in a dramatic quarter finals.

Some of the best Portuguese players have strong connections with the English football: Eusébio became known worldwide after playing the 1966 World Cup in England, when he was considered the best player; Cristiano Ronaldo also won international recognition after his transference from Sporting to Manchester United, where presently Nani, another Portuguese player is one of the stars of the same team.

José Mourinho, our “special one” manager was in charge of the London club, Chelsea, from 2004 till 2007.The club coached by him set a new record of 64 consecutive home league matches without defeat. He also won the 2005 and 2006 Premier League Cup and the 2007 FA Cup.

*On 8 May 2013, Alex Ferguson announced his retirement as manager of Manchester United. During his 26 years at the club he won 38 trophies.

Cricket

It is very popular in Britain, played mainly in the summer. With the consolidation of the British Empire in the 19^th century it became a popular sport in countries like India, Pakistan and South Africa.

This game has had an impact on popular culture and some expressions related to it are used in the English language:

“It would have been easy to cheat, but it wouldn´t have been cricket” (fair).

“He is on a sticky wicket” (difficult situation)

Wimbledon

Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world. Everything at Wimbledon is very traditional: the courts are grass, the dress code is very strict for competitors who can only wear white, and there is a total absence of sponsor advertising around the courts.

The Derby

 Although it is often mentioned when important football matches take place, it has nothing to do with football. The Derby(dar-bi) is the most prestigious horse race in Britain, which takes place in Epsom.

Gericault. The Epsom Derby

The Royal Ascot

The Ascot Racecourse is also a horse race closely associated with the British Royal Family and every year the Royal Ascot is attended by the Queen. There are strict dress codes: women must wear a hat and men a grey or black morning dress with a top hat.

The Boat Race

The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race is a competition between teams ( of eight rowers and a cox  who steers the boat) from the two oldest universities in England and takes place every year in late March or early April on the river Thames.
Both Oxford and Cambridge use blue as their colour (Oxford – dark blue; Cambridge-light blue). When a student represents one of these universities we say that he “has won a blue”.

  Golf

The Old Course at St Andrews, Scotland,  is the oldest golf course in the world.

This small city became the centre of the news for the media when Prince William married Kate Middleton in 2011 because they both attended the University of St Andrews, the 3^rd oldest in the UK, almost 600 years old.

The topic “Sports” is in the 8^th grade syllabus of English as a foreign language.

The students are going to research on this topic and present their work to the class. I´m looking forward to listening to them.

References:

Wilson, Ken,and Peter Tite. Project GB. Sport. London: Mary Glasgow publications Ltd, 1978

http://images.search yahoo.com