Down the chimney St.Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in furs from his head to his foot,
and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a pedlar just opening his pack.
His eyes how they twinkled! His dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry;
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly
That shook, when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.
He was chubby and plump - a right jolly old elf –
And laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself.
by Clement C. Moore
December 22, 2005
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Merry Christmas to friends!
Merry Christmas to foes!
The world's bright with joy, so
Forget all your woes.
The earth's full of beauty, of
Love and good cheer.
Merry Christmas to all and a
Happy New Year!
I wish you all the best for the coming year!!!
Marcos Gazzana
: )
Merry Christmas to foes!
The world's bright with joy, so
Forget all your woes.
The earth's full of beauty, of
Love and good cheer.
Merry Christmas to all and a
Happy New Year!
I wish you all the best for the coming year!!!
Marcos Gazzana
: )
November 18, 2005
Computer networks more vulnerable than ever
Software vulnerabilities that open computers up to malicious attacks are reaching record levels, while the methods hackers use to exploit them become more sophisticated, a new report warns.
A total of 1862 new vulnerabilities were announced between January 1 and June 30 2005, according to computer-security firm Symantec, based in Los Angeles, California, US, in its biannual Internet Security Threat Report on Monday.
This is a 31% increase from the second half of 2004 and a 46% increase over the same time period last year. Ninety seven per cent of the vulnerabilities were “severe” and 73% were classified as “easily exploitable”.
“This is the highest number of reported vulnerabilities we have seen in a 6-month period,” says security expert Dave Cole of Symantec. Johannes Ullrich of the Sans Institute’s Internet Storm Centre in Jacksonville, Florida, US, has also documented a rise in the number of vulnerabilities in the last two quarters.
15:18 19 September 2005
NewScientist.com news service
Celeste Biever
Click on the headline to read more.
A total of 1862 new vulnerabilities were announced between January 1 and June 30 2005, according to computer-security firm Symantec, based in Los Angeles, California, US, in its biannual Internet Security Threat Report on Monday.
This is a 31% increase from the second half of 2004 and a 46% increase over the same time period last year. Ninety seven per cent of the vulnerabilities were “severe” and 73% were classified as “easily exploitable”.
“This is the highest number of reported vulnerabilities we have seen in a 6-month period,” says security expert Dave Cole of Symantec. Johannes Ullrich of the Sans Institute’s Internet Storm Centre in Jacksonville, Florida, US, has also documented a rise in the number of vulnerabilities in the last two quarters.
15:18 19 September 2005
NewScientist.com news service
Celeste Biever
Click on the headline to read more.
November 8, 2005
French Riots
The French Government has authorised a range of emergency powers in an effort to combat riots that have broken out across France for 12 straight nights.
The move, announced by interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy, allows local authorities to impose curfews and lets police perform raids without warrants.
The powers were invoked under a 1955 law and it is the first time it has been implemented in mainland France.
Click on the headline to read more.
The move, announced by interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy, allows local authorities to impose curfews and lets police perform raids without warrants.
The powers were invoked under a 1955 law and it is the first time it has been implemented in mainland France.
Click on the headline to read more.
November 3, 2005
A Guinness is a "guinness"
Click on the picture to enlarge it
A Guinness pays it off! Guinness is way the most popular "Stout" of the whole world. As you can see in the picture it is a dark beer with a creamy top. A can of Guinness costs about R$ 10,00 in a supermarket in Brazil. The glass you see in the photo is the one used all over the UK. The measure used for beer is called "pint", which translating into portuguese is "pinta", equivalent to 568 ml. In the photo there is a line on the glass indicating the exact measure for "half pint", in portuguese "meia-pinta", the same as 284 ml.
So when you are in the UK, remember to say... "A pint of Guinness, please!"
Click on the links below or on the headline to read more. Find out about the history of Guinness, how it is brewed, etc.
"Crafted since 1759, GUINNESS® has a rich history: friendly, enterprising and well-travelled."
This is the suggestion for reading this week!
A Guinness pays it off! Guinness is way the most popular "Stout" of the whole world. As you can see in the picture it is a dark beer with a creamy top. A can of Guinness costs about R$ 10,00 in a supermarket in Brazil. The glass you see in the photo is the one used all over the UK. The measure used for beer is called "pint", which translating into portuguese is "pinta", equivalent to 568 ml. In the photo there is a line on the glass indicating the exact measure for "half pint", in portuguese "meia-pinta", the same as 284 ml.
So when you are in the UK, remember to say... "A pint of Guinness, please!"
Click on the links below or on the headline to read more. Find out about the history of Guinness, how it is brewed, etc.
"Crafted since 1759, GUINNESS® has a rich history: friendly, enterprising and well-travelled."
This is the suggestion for reading this week!
October 20, 2005
Why do the British drive on the left?
Answer 1
Up to the late 18th century, driving on the left was general in Europe. So why should all milestones and signs be put to the right? In the late 50ies people in Britain thought about changing to the right, like in Sweden. But they dimissed the thought, because of the costs (steering weels in cars, signs etc.). And Britain is an island, so there was no need to change to the right. And the British kept a little of their "splendid isolation".
Answer 2
In Roman times the shield was carried with the left hand and the sword with the right. The soldiers marched on the left, so they could protect their body with their shield and they were able to fight with their right hand.
Answer 3
A horse is mounted from the left. You swing the right leg over the horse's back. To make it easier for smaller people to mount the horse, special stones (mounting stones) were provided. They were put on the left side of the roads.
Answer 4
Battles are fought via the left wing, like in soccer. Napoleon fought his battles via the right wing. It made him successful as his enemies didn't expect this strategy. Napoleon ordered that people had to drive on the right. In countries where Napoleon did not invade, people still drove on the left. The drivers of old stagecoaches sat on the right.
In 1961, the change from the left to the right side took place in Sweden, due to practical reasons. This was the day "H" = höger. It means right in Swedish.
Answer 5
Horses were harnessed one behind the other in England. The reins were drawn with the left hand, so you had to sit on the right. That's why the people drove on the right, in order to get a better view of the road.
Answer 6
I must point out that in days of old logic dictated that when people passed each other on the road they should be in the best possible position to use their sword to protect themselves. As most people are right handed they therefore keep to their left. This practice was formalised in a Papal Edict by Pope Benedict around 1300AD who told all his pilgrims to keep to the left.
Nothing much changed until 1773 when an increase in horse traffic forced the UK Government to introduce the General Highways Act of 1773 which contained a keep left recommendation. This became a law as part of the Highways Bill in 1835.
Answer 7
I must point out that Napoleon was lefthanded, and so he used to draw his sword from right to left. He imposed his soldiers to parade marching on the right. Therefore, all Napoleon's conquests were changing the way carts and horses used to go. From left to right. The US after the War of Independence changed too, and so did Canada due to the French influence.
Commonwealth countries and other ones such as Japan, didn't change the way.
Up to the late 18th century, driving on the left was general in Europe. So why should all milestones and signs be put to the right? In the late 50ies people in Britain thought about changing to the right, like in Sweden. But they dimissed the thought, because of the costs (steering weels in cars, signs etc.). And Britain is an island, so there was no need to change to the right. And the British kept a little of their "splendid isolation".
Answer 2
In Roman times the shield was carried with the left hand and the sword with the right. The soldiers marched on the left, so they could protect their body with their shield and they were able to fight with their right hand.
Answer 3
A horse is mounted from the left. You swing the right leg over the horse's back. To make it easier for smaller people to mount the horse, special stones (mounting stones) were provided. They were put on the left side of the roads.
Answer 4
Battles are fought via the left wing, like in soccer. Napoleon fought his battles via the right wing. It made him successful as his enemies didn't expect this strategy. Napoleon ordered that people had to drive on the right. In countries where Napoleon did not invade, people still drove on the left. The drivers of old stagecoaches sat on the right.
In 1961, the change from the left to the right side took place in Sweden, due to practical reasons. This was the day "H" = höger. It means right in Swedish.
Answer 5
Horses were harnessed one behind the other in England. The reins were drawn with the left hand, so you had to sit on the right. That's why the people drove on the right, in order to get a better view of the road.
Answer 6
I must point out that in days of old logic dictated that when people passed each other on the road they should be in the best possible position to use their sword to protect themselves. As most people are right handed they therefore keep to their left. This practice was formalised in a Papal Edict by Pope Benedict around 1300AD who told all his pilgrims to keep to the left.
Nothing much changed until 1773 when an increase in horse traffic forced the UK Government to introduce the General Highways Act of 1773 which contained a keep left recommendation. This became a law as part of the Highways Bill in 1835.
Answer 7
I must point out that Napoleon was lefthanded, and so he used to draw his sword from right to left. He imposed his soldiers to parade marching on the right. Therefore, all Napoleon's conquests were changing the way carts and horses used to go. From left to right. The US after the War of Independence changed too, and so did Canada due to the French influence.
Commonwealth countries and other ones such as Japan, didn't change the way.
Where English is spoken...
Australia, Botswana, Brunei, Cameroon, Canada, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, The Gambia, Gyuana, Ireland, Israel, Lesotho, Liberia, Malaysia, Micronesia, Namibia, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon, Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Suriname, Swaziland, Tonga, UK, USA, Vanuati, Zimbabwe and many Carribean states.
Interesting!
Interesting!
Evacuations Begin in Florida as Wilma Churns Through Caribbean
A slightly weakened but still fierce Hurricane Wilma continued to spin through the Caribbean today, as scores of tourists and residents began evacuating low-lying coastal areas in the storm's projected path that could reach south Florida by Sunday.
After briefly becoming the most intense Atlantic storm ever observed, with top sustained winds of 175 miles an hour on Wednesday morning, Wilma's winds had eased to 145 m.p.h. by 8 a.m. today, the National Hurricane Center said on its Web site. The storm's slowdown was predicted to give a 24-hour reprieve to Florida residents, who had initially expected it to arrive on their shores by Saturday.
Click on the headline to read more.
After briefly becoming the most intense Atlantic storm ever observed, with top sustained winds of 175 miles an hour on Wednesday morning, Wilma's winds had eased to 145 m.p.h. by 8 a.m. today, the National Hurricane Center said on its Web site. The storm's slowdown was predicted to give a 24-hour reprieve to Florida residents, who had initially expected it to arrive on their shores by Saturday.
Click on the headline to read more.
October 13, 2005
As Polar Ice Turns to Water, Dreams of Treasure Abound
It seems harsh to say that bad news for polar bears is good for Pat Broe. Mr. Broe, a Denver entrepreneur, is no more to blame than anyone else for a meltdown at the top of the world that threatens Arctic mammals and ancient traditions and lends credibility to dark visions of global warming.
Still, the newest study of the Arctic ice cap - finding that it faded this summer to its smallest size ever recorded - is beginning to make Mr. Broe look like a visionary for buying this derelict Hudson Bay port from the Canadian government in 1997. Especially at the price he paid: about $7.
Click on the headline to read more
Or click here to watch a video
October 6, 2005
Exploding the myth of cultural stereotypes
Americans are pushy and the English are reserved, right? Wrong, says a new study, which reveals there is no truth in this sort of national stereotyping.
An international group led by Antonio Terracciano and Robert McCrae at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) surveyed more than 40,000 adults from 49 cultures. Participants were questioned about how neurotic, extraverted, open, agreeable, and conscientious typical members of their own culture are. This data was then compared with participants’ assessments of their own personalities and those of other specific people they had observed.
Click on the headline to read more.
An international group led by Antonio Terracciano and Robert McCrae at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) surveyed more than 40,000 adults from 49 cultures. Participants were questioned about how neurotic, extraverted, open, agreeable, and conscientious typical members of their own culture are. This data was then compared with participants’ assessments of their own personalities and those of other specific people they had observed.
Click on the headline to read more.
September 30, 2005
No password needed for comments
No password needed for comments anymore!!! Now you can give your opinion about the topics freely. Please write a comment!
: ]
: ]
September 29, 2005
Use E-Billing or Lose Business
Electronic billing has gained mainstream attention in the legal profession because it enables law firms to deliver invoices in a more detailed and consistent format to satisfy clients' growing demands for more precise billing information. Consequently, e-billing has became one of the most widely and quickly adopted legal technologies among Fortune 100 companies.
Corporate counsel and vendors encouraged firms to use such technology with promises that e-billing would revolutionize the attorney-client relationship. Clients promised their firms a faster payment cycle, expedited dispute resolution, lower administrative costs and a more efficient method for billing. Knowledgeable law firm administrators found that these systems can identify billing patterns, analyze time and resource expenditures and unify billing practices among practice groups. These programs also give firms more tools to ensure compliance with client billing guidelines. The firms that use these systems effectively have established a stronger bond with their corporate clients.
Click on the headline to read more.
Corporate counsel and vendors encouraged firms to use such technology with promises that e-billing would revolutionize the attorney-client relationship. Clients promised their firms a faster payment cycle, expedited dispute resolution, lower administrative costs and a more efficient method for billing. Knowledgeable law firm administrators found that these systems can identify billing patterns, analyze time and resource expenditures and unify billing practices among practice groups. These programs also give firms more tools to ensure compliance with client billing guidelines. The firms that use these systems effectively have established a stronger bond with their corporate clients.
Click on the headline to read more.
September 26, 2005
WHO reports steep rise in obesity in poorer countries
A staggering one billion of the world's population of 6.45 billion is overweight, warns the World Health Organization. And rates of overweight and obesity are rising dramatically in poorer countries, not just wealthy nations.
If the current trend continues, by 2015 there will be 1.5 billion overweight people in the world. Being overweight or obese greatly increases a person's risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other chronic diseases.
Click on the headline to read more.
If the current trend continues, by 2015 there will be 1.5 billion overweight people in the world. Being overweight or obese greatly increases a person's risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other chronic diseases.
Click on the headline to read more.
September 22, 2005
One more hurricane to hit US South
Rita, with winds of 165 m.p.h., forced the evacuation of as many as a million people from Corpus Christi to New Orleans.
Click on headline to read more.
Click on headline to read more.
September 15, 2005
Supreme Court declares acts of Congress unconstitutional
Laws permitting public employees to sue state employers for discrimination on the basis of disability and age, and also giving women access to federal court to sue rapists for damages, ran up against the court's new definition of the limits on Congress's power and the justices' insistence that they alone have the final word in interpreting the Constitution.
"I take umbrage at what the court has said, and so do my colleagues," Senator Specter told Judge Roberts.
From 1995 to 2003, the Supreme Court overturned all or parts of 33 federal statutes, 10 of them on the ground that Congress had exceeded its authority either to regulate interstate commerce or to enforce the constitutional guarantees of due process and equal protection. Until then, the modern court gave Congress wide berth to define its own role under both of the Constitution's relevant provisions, the Commerce Clause and the 14th Amendment.
Click on the headline to read more. Check new words with dictionary.com.
"I take umbrage at what the court has said, and so do my colleagues," Senator Specter told Judge Roberts.
From 1995 to 2003, the Supreme Court overturned all or parts of 33 federal statutes, 10 of them on the ground that Congress had exceeded its authority either to regulate interstate commerce or to enforce the constitutional guarantees of due process and equal protection. Until then, the modern court gave Congress wide berth to define its own role under both of the Constitution's relevant provisions, the Commerce Clause and the 14th Amendment.
Click on the headline to read more. Check new words with dictionary.com.
September 9, 2005
Can an aircraft accommodate more than 800 passengers???
The Airbus A380 can!!! The A380, will be the largest airliner ever built. Lengthwise, it would nearly stretch from goal line to goal line of a football field while its wing tips would hang well beyond the sidelines. Three full decks will run along the entire length of the plane. Upper and main decks will serve as passenger areas, and will be connected by a grand staircase near the front of the plane and by another smaller staircase at the back. Although the lower deck will be reserved primarily for cargo, it could be outfitted for special passenger uses such as sleeper cabins, business centers or even child care service. In a one-class configuration, the A380 could accommodate as many as 840 passengers. The more likely three-class configuration will still offer an unprecedented 555 passenger seats.
Check this awesome flash site to read more about that. The project started in 1991 it is now on the testing phase.
http://events.airbus.com/A380/default1.aspx
Check this awesome flash site to read more about that. The project started in 1991 it is now on the testing phase.
http://events.airbus.com/A380/default1.aspx
Today's Frontpages
Here you can check newspapers frontpages from many countries around the world...
http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/flash/
Have fun!
http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/flash/
Have fun!
NBC4 TV Live Feedroom
Click on the heading above if you want to watch the latest news. Practice your English by watching online news!
September 8, 2005
What is the longest word in English???
Most of the words which are given as 'the longest word' are merely inventions, and when they occur it is almost always as examples of long words, rather than as genuine examples of use. For example, the medieval Latin word honorificabilitudinitas (honourableness) was listed by some old dictionaries in the English form honorificabilitudinity (22 letters), but it has never really been in use. The longest word currently listed in Oxford dictionaries is rather of this kind: it is the supposed lung-disease pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis (45 letters).
To read more click on the headline!
To read more click on the headline!
Where is Michael Jackson???
The 47-year-old performer was even been spotted looking over some of the world's most audacious real estate developments in flashy Dubai, a booming luxury resort and one of the world's fastest growing cities.
"He wants to see more of this area. He likes it here," said Mohammed Bin Sulayem, the Emirates champion rally driver who escorted Jackson on sightseeing tours, alongside their mutual friend, Sheik Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, son of Bahrain's king.
Local newspapers are flush with speculative articles about the singer taking up residence. Bin Sulayem said he wasn't yet sure whether Jackson was ready to join the other westerners buying up luxury villas in this seaside emirate.
Click on the headline to read more
"He wants to see more of this area. He likes it here," said Mohammed Bin Sulayem, the Emirates champion rally driver who escorted Jackson on sightseeing tours, alongside their mutual friend, Sheik Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, son of Bahrain's king.
Local newspapers are flush with speculative articles about the singer taking up residence. Bin Sulayem said he wasn't yet sure whether Jackson was ready to join the other westerners buying up luxury villas in this seaside emirate.
Click on the headline to read more
September 7, 2005
Levee repaired; N.O. mayor says 10,000 may be dead
NEW ORLEANS — A week after Hurricane Katrina, the levee break that caused much of the area's flooding was repaired, floodwaters began to recede and the mayor made his direst prediction yet: as many as 10,000 deaths in his city alone.
Click on the headline to read full article.
From www.usatoday.com
Click on the headline to read full article.
From www.usatoday.com
September 5, 2005
Brazil qualify for 2006 World Cup
In the first World Cup tournament in which the current champions had to defend their title from the start of the qualifying rounds, Brazil - five times soccer world champions - carried forward their record of being the only team to play in every World Cup - by ensuring a top four finish in the 10-strong South American Group with a 5-0 victory over Chile in Brasilia, on Sunday.
The World Champions are the eighth team to qualify for World Cup 2006, joining host nation Germany, Argentina, Ukraine, the U.S.A., Japan, South Korea, Iran and Saudi Arabia in the finals.
The draw for the 32-nation final stage of the world's biggest sporting event will be made on December 9th in Leipzig, Germany.
Click here to read more
What is a Blog???
Definition
blog
A frequent, chronological publication of personal thoughts and Web links.
Information
A blog is often a mixture of what is happening in a person's life and what is happening on the Web, a kind of hybrid diary/guide site, although there are as many unique types of blogs as there are people.
People maintained blogs long before the term was coined, but the trend gained momentum with the introduction of automated published systems, most notably Blogger at blogger.com. Thousands of people use services such as Blogger to simplify and accelerate the publishing process.
Blogs are alternatively called web logs or weblogs.
Check out the article to learn more about the history of blogs weblogs: a history and perspective
blog
A frequent, chronological publication of personal thoughts and Web links.
Information
A blog is often a mixture of what is happening in a person's life and what is happening on the Web, a kind of hybrid diary/guide site, although there are as many unique types of blogs as there are people.
People maintained blogs long before the term was coined, but the trend gained momentum with the introduction of automated published systems, most notably Blogger at blogger.com. Thousands of people use services such as Blogger to simplify and accelerate the publishing process.
Blogs are alternatively called web logs or weblogs.
Check out the article to learn more about the history of blogs weblogs: a history and perspective
September 2, 2005
Hurricane Katrina and its trail of destruction
Thousands of refugees from Hurricane Katrina boarded buses for Houston, but others quickly took their places at the filthy, teeming Superdome, which has been serving as the primary shelter. At the increasingly unsanitary convention center, crowds swelled to about 25,000 and desperate refugees clamored for food, water and attention while dead bodies, slumped in wheelchairs or wrapped in sheets, lay in their midst.
"Some people there have not eaten or drunk water for three or four days, which is inexcusable," acknowledged Joseph W. Matthews, the director of the city's Office of Emergency Preparedness.
If you want to read more, click here
Interactive Map
From www.nytimes.com
"Some people there have not eaten or drunk water for three or four days, which is inexcusable," acknowledged Joseph W. Matthews, the director of the city's Office of Emergency Preparedness.
If you want to read more, click here
Interactive Map
From www.nytimes.com
September 1, 2005
Welcome note!
Be welcome to the Learners of English Blog! You can come to check out texts posted, e-learning tips and curiosities about the English Language! You can also write comments about the reports and tips and exchange ideas about them.
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