Daylight Saving Time

Daylight Saving Time (Horário de Verão) ends tonight!

As it says, the Daylight Saving Time (DST) was created to save artificial light by using more and more the sun natural light in our day by day.
But, did you know that people (including the famous multi-talented man Benjamin Franklin) thought about it a long time ago? According to Donarte Nunes dos Santos in Jornal do Brasil (http://www.jb.com.br/sociedade-aberta/noticias/2012/02/26/o-horario-de-verao-terminou-valeu-a-pena/) Ben Franklin proposed that because he thought people would stand up earlier in the summer. Although the astronomer George Hudson presented a writing proposal about it to the Royal Society of New Zealand in 1985, the real "father of the idea" was the English builder William Wilett. I know you are going to say that my opinion is totally one-sided, but I can't help it...English has been involved in almost every invention, creation, idea - what can I do? I just love them!
But going back to the DST, the arguments used by Willett to use the DST were the following:  

1 - more leisure time.
2 - less crime.
3 - reduction in the consumption of artificial light.
What about you, do you like the Daylight Saving Time program (horário de verão) here, in our state? Do you think the Willett's ideas were achieved? How do you feel about it?

Signs From Around the World! - # 04 - Being specific!

           I've already written about this book Signspotting (I and II), a very funny and interesting book. I can't help laughing everytime I read it. And although there are many funny mistakes, the reason why I like it so much is because I can learn English in a very amusing way. And make no mistake - learning is a very funny process, so if you are not having fun...probably you are not learning either!  Take a look at this sign  from India, for example. They decided to be very...very specific (what made it funny), but the question is: Do you know all the verbs listed below? Have you heard them anywhere? They are using so many synonyms to try to make the message so clear that they almost did the opposite and sometimes we do the same! We want so badly to be understood that we exaggerate a little and it can jeopardise all the message. Instead of paying attention to the message itself, the reader will get his/her focus on the exaggeration. So...less is more! Speaking or writing, try to use the necessary words to show your idea in a very clear way. On the other hand, if you don't do that, you will do exactly as our friends below - although animals thank them a lot!

"More Absurd & Amusing Signs From Around the World - Signspotting II". Compiled by Doug Lansky and edited by Lonely Planetar

For your homework: 

- list the verbs that you didn't know before reading the post.

- look them up in a very good dictionary.

- write one sentence for each one of the verbs listed.

Valentine's Day - Love, doubts and Shakespeare!

Foto by Douglas R. da SIlva  (Costa Rican Shop on Valentine's Day)

Doubt thou the stars are fire,

Doubt the sun doth move,

Doubt truth to be a liar

but never doubt thy love.

-- William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act II, Scene II.

 That's it...we can doubt of many things, but there is one we will never doubt for sure: on February 14th...love is in the air! Valentine's Day has been celebrating for many years and people around the world are going to take some minutes of their day to buy some flowers and/or chocolate for someone dearly loved. Of course it's always good to receive some presents, but what really makes it special is exactly the time out of the daily routine spent by someone to do something for us. And in a society where time is being more valuable than money, let's say that spending a little part of your day doing that, could be considered a present itself. So, as we spend a lot of time working (out of home and at home), we've decided to spend tonight (quality time) watching the most romantic movies together, which should be a very nice way to celebrate Valentine's Day. Movies where love is the main reason of our existence, at the end everybody is happy and the good guy gets together with the beautiful girl! Although we have already set that, (no need to buy anything), I'll get some chocolate...you know...just in case!

But choosing the movies was a hard task that it's not totally accomplished yet. The Beauty and The Beast cartoon is one of my favorite options, but there are also Audrey Hepburn's movies - Breakfast at Tiffany's and Roman Holiday (translated to Portuguese as A princesa e o plebeu) - which are so lovely! It also could be a musical: Moulin Rouge or a more recent one: My life in Ruins. Anyway, whatever you've decided to do (buying something, spending some time together or even both), the most important thing is sharing your joy for being celebrating this day with someone you really love. And if you don't have a girl/boyfriend right now, don't worry. Do as many people do, celebrating it with a dearly friend (maybe, in the future,who knows?) or with someone in your family who you love deeply and who would be very glad (or even surprised) for being remembered by you today! Just take care to not cause a heart attack in your grandparents! Sometimes it's difficult to handle too much emotion!

So, how do you intend to celebrate Valentine's Day? Do you have any movie suggestion to add to the most romantic movie list?

Charles Dickens - bicentenary of his birthday

Celebrating 200 years of Charles Dickens
(7 Februarry 1812  -  9 June 1870)

Can a simple man describe a society so perfectly that his work not only portrays a whole nation, but also keeps influencing it throughout the years until now? The answer is YES. And this man has a name: Charles Dickens, one of the greatest British novelists. People all around the world are celebrating his bicentenary, including the royal family. Some of his lovely characters and his stories became so peculiar and intense that sometimes we feel we could meet them around any London corner. Who hasn't heard about Mr. Scrooge? Who hasn't feel like going to The Old Curiosity Shop, meeting David Copperfield or adopting Oliver Twist? From now on, through all this year and around the world, Dickens will be honoured in countless events and ceremonies. To know a little bit  more about the bicentenary celebration, check the site  http://www.dickens2012.org/about-dickens-2012.

And what about you, what have you read from Dickens? What's your favorite Dickens' work? How about celebrating his birth centenary?

BACK to black...back to school! Going back here and there!

Hi everybody! WELCOME back! Today was our first day at school after a long and nice period of vacation! Going back to school today, for sure, was also a good moment because it was an opportunity of being together with some old friends...and maybe new ones. Last Saturday was also a "going back moment", but this time it was a moment of going BACK TO BLACK.

A former student of mine, Alexandre, kindly invited me to go to his Tattoo Studio opening (http://www.facebook.com/BacktoBlackclassictattoo?sk=info). Going there was a great surprise. First of all because the place is so charming! The kind of charming that for a moment made me going back to the south of France. I'd like to find the words to explain it better, but even if I try, I will not be able to describe such nice feeling. I just felt it. Second, because it was a celebration, not exactly only because of the opening, but also because it was about a person who was accomplishing his dream. I felt so proud of him! The greatest joy for us, teachers, (and I know I can tell you in the name of all other teachers), is being sure that our students are working in something that they really enjoying doing and that could make them genuinely happy! The students of 1ºEM are starting their journey in high school just now. The ones in 2ºEM are in the middle of the way  and if you're in the 3ºEM, you're almost there. For all of you (in one way or another) it's a time to think about vestibular, career and your profession. I don't know if I'll be able to help all of you during this year but two things I know for sure: 1st) I'll do my best in order to help all of you and 2nd) it doesn't matter what decision you take, as long as you can follow Alexandre's example. He finished high school some years ago and got his History degree at university. While he was studying there, he researched about tattoo history and today he has his own business: a very charming Tattoo Studio. It's funny (and tragic) how some students still got a misconception that people will only feel proud of them if they go to a law, engineering or medicine school. And the worst part is that some of them even go to these universities not because it's their option, but because they do believe it will make others felling happy or proud of them. And what about you and your wishes, your dreams? We must change some paradigms and understand, once for all, that nothing is more important than finding pleasure in our work. It is our responsibility and it can make all the difference in our life. Got it?!

But just by curiosity, if you could (because we know there are some implications - state law (lei estadual) 9828/97) have your body tattooed, what tattoo would you like to get? Why?