Please click HERE or on the Play Button to listen to an audio file on The Big Banana
Here are some scenes from the movie
Big Banana Trailer from Franck on Vimeo.
You can also watch the movie trailer by clicking HERE or on the Play Button
8/28/2011
"The Big Banana" - A movie (audio and trailer)
Please click HERE or on the Play Button to listen to an audio file on The Big Banana
You can also watch the movie trailer by clicking HERE or on the Play Button
After Irene (Linkers)
Photo: AP A New York City taxi is stranded in deep water on Manhattan’s West Side as Tropical Storm Irene passes through the city, in New York August 28, 2011
How about paraphrasing and linking the following sentences using the connectors above?
1. The storm came ashore in the biggest U.S. city as a tropical storm. It did not cause the widespread damage that was feared.
2. Anxious city residents didn't get a good night's sleep. Irene battered this city of more than eight-million people all through Saturday afternoon and continued through the night.
3. Judy Sayegh, of Brooklyn, said she was concerned that her basement would flood. “I woke up many times during the night to check that water was not coming into my cellar from my backyard because of the heavy rains and the wind. I was very relieved to see that my cellar was dry.”
4. Irene brought with her flood waters in some low-lying areas. Ultimately Irene did not live up to weather forecasters' worst fears.
5. When Irene hit Coney Island, the U.S. Weather reported her winds fell just short of the 119-kilometers per hour required for hurricane strength. Irene was downgraded to a tropical storm.
6. Most New Yorkers took the storm seriously. Some threw Irene parties on Saturday.
7. Brooklyn resident Jean McKenna said: “Well, I tried not to worry about it too much because we have had these situations before when they predict big storms or big events of some sort and then they come to nothing. I mean, you want to be prepared of course, but you do not want to overdo it.”
8. In New York, Con Edison, the power company, said 1,700 workers worked through the storm to try to maintain electricity. They wanted to help residents keep the lights and air conditioners on.
Timeline of Steve Jobs' life and career
Photo: AP
Apple CEO Steve Jobs holds the new iPhone 4 during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, California, June 7, 2010
Let's read the following timeline of his life and career and then reword it, but this time using Simple Past
February 24, 1955: Steven Paul Jobs is born in California. He grows up in the area that is to become known as Silicon Valley.
1974: Jobs works as a technician with the video game maker Atari. He saves money and then travels to India to find spiritual enlightenment.
April 1, 1976: Jobs and Steve Wozniak found Apple Computer after working on the design of their first computer in the garage of Jobs' home. They introduce the Apple I.
January 24, 1984: Apple introduces the Macintosh, an all-in-one desktop machine that is widely credited with revolutionizing the personal computer industry.
September 1985: Jobs resigns from Apple following a long-running dispute with other top executives.
1986: Jobs forms a new software company called NeXT, Inc., and buys a computer animation studio from Stars Wars creator George Lucas. The studio, Pixar, makes some of the most popular computer-animated films, including Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Monsters Inc., and Finding Nemo.
1997: NeXT struggles and is bought by Apple. Jobs returns to Apple and eventually to his role as chief executive.
1998: Under Jobs' leadership, Apple introduces its newest personal computer, the iMac, and returns to profitability.
October 2001: Apple introduces the iPod, promoting the personal digital music player as "1,000 songs in your pocket."
April 28, 2003: Apple launches the iTunes Music Store, an online store selling 200,000 songs for 99 cents apiece. The company also introduces an upgraded iPod that is thinner and lighter, and can hold up to 7,500 songs.
August 2004: Jobs is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and undergoes surgery.
December 2004: iPod sales hit the 10 million mark. The number of songs downloaded from the iTunes store tops 200 million.
October 2005: Apple introduces a new iPod that plays videos in addition to music. The iTunes stores sells one million videos in less than three weeks.
January 2007: Apple introduces the iPhone.
September 2007: Apple introduces the iPod Touch, which uses a touch-screen interface and has wireless networking capabilities.
June 2008: Apple introduces an updated iPhone, capable of running software applications - apps - that are designed by other companies, creating a new industry of phone apps.
July 2008: Apple creates the App Store as the new iPhone 3G goes on sale. More than 10 million apps are downloaded during the store's first few days.
February 2009: Jobs begins a six-month medical leave of absence during which he undergoes a liver transplant.
January 2010: Apple introduces its first touch screen tablet computer, the iPad.
January 2011: Jobs takes a second medical leave of absence but tells Apple employees he will remain involved in major strategic decisions.
March 2011: Jobs appears at an Apple event to introduce the iPad 2. The Financial Times says Apple's stock rises about 2 percent in the minutes after he begins speaking.
August 10, 2011: Apple briefly surpasses oil company ExxonMobil to become the world's most valuable company.
August 24, 2011: Jobs resigns as Apple chief executive. Tim Cook, Apple's chief operating officer, takes over as CEO.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
Irregular Plural. Theory and Quiz
Click on the icon or HERE to go through the explanations and then do the exercise.
There's another Irregular Plural exercise on the blog (08/20/2011). Click on the Quiz icon below if you want some further practice
8/26/2011
8/24/2011
DSK Case: charges dropped (video and article)
Photo: AP Former International Monetary Fund leader Dominique Strauss-Kahn, center, leaves Manhattan state Supreme court with his wife Anne Sinclair, left, and attorney Benjamin Brafman in New York, August 23, 2011
A New York judge has dismissed sexual assault charges against former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, one day after prosecutors moved to have the case dropped.
After the dismissal Tuesday, an appeals court rejected his accuser's request for a special prosecutor to continue the criminal case. Protesters gathered outside the courthouse Tuesday, criticizing the move to drop the charges.
The 62-year-old Strauss-Kahn later said the past months have been "a nightmare" for him and his family. In a written statement, he thanked supporters and said he is grateful that the Manhattan district attorney agreed to dismiss the case.
Strauss-Kahn was arrested in May, after a maid alleged he sexually assaulted her when she went to clean his room at a luxury hotel in Manhattan. Guinean-born Nafissatou Diallo accused the former IMF managing director of attacking her at the hotel on May 14. Strauss-Kahn's lawyers denied the allegation and suggested that any sexual encounter was consensual.
Prosecutors filed their request to have the case dismissed, saying the evidence did not prove that Strauss-Kahn engaged in a forced sexual encounter. They expressed concern about the maid's reliability, saying she has not been truthful on "great and small" matters, and that they could not ask a jury to believe her when they no longer believed her themselves.
Diallo's case faltered in late June when prosecutors revealed inconsistencies in her account of what happened. They also disclosed that she had fabricated a story about being raped in her native Guinea for her U.S. asylum application.
Efforts to clarify what happened between Strauss-Kahn and Diallo will likely continue in civil court, where she has sued him. He also faces an investigation in France of another attempted rape accusation.
Before the incident, Strauss-Kahn was a leading contender to challenge French President Nicolas Sarkozy in an election next year. Strauss-Kahn resigned his IMF post after being arrested on the rape allegations, which significantly eroded his support among French voters.
And now, the lawyers
8/22/2011
Long lines on the Western coast of Lybia (video)
You can also watch this video by clicking HERE
After watching the video at least twice, please answer the following questions
1 - What are the rebels giving away? Why?
2- What did Lybian people do without for a long time? Why?
3- Why is Tripoli cut off from the outside world?
Car burning in Germany
Fill in the blanks while reading the following article from The Economist
BERLIN has been overtaken by a strange wave of car-burning.
Last night nine cars …………………………………………(go up) in flames. The night before it ………………………………………… (be) 15. Altogether this year 290 cars ……………………………………… (torch). Last year ………………………………………… (be) relatively quiet, with only 44 cars attacked; 2009, though, ………………………………………… (be) a big year, with 401.
Torching cars, by placing a firelighter under a tire …………………………………………(be) absurdly easy, and hard to prevent. The targets ………………………………………… (be) any kind of car, from BMWs to Volkswagens.
A police spokesman ………………………………………… (say) a lot of the recent cases ………………………………………… (be) probably copycat acts by "confused" people. The most recent series ………………………………………… (be) the work of one group, or even an individual.
In general the motives ………………………………………… (vary) from vandalism to insurance fraud, revenge, or "political" acts carried out by left-wing extremists. This last explanation ………………………………………… (account) for around one-third of car-burnings.
Interestingly, in Hamburg, where 193 cars ………………………………………… (burn) this year, police judge fewer than ten cases ………………………………………… (be) political.
Last week Klaus Wowereit, the mayor, ………………………………………… (call) on Berliners to be vigilant. But the arsonists’ areas of operation …………………………………………(be) unpredictable, ranging from prosperous Charlottenburg in former west Berlin to Friedrichshain, formerly part of the communist east.
adapted from The Economist
And now, what about listening to the following audio so as to compare the information provided by NPR and by The Economist?
After getting the main ideas and the details, please play the audio once again. Our target now is to identify the following words
in a row
hooliganism
unrest
tough
car arson
targeted
rising rents
do not fit
more likely
dealing with
motivation
gentrification
none
so far
torched
quote
warned
recent riots
dismisses
a lone arsonist
comparable
reward
catch
hooliganism
unrest
tough
car arson
targeted
rising rents
do not fit
more likely
dealing with
motivation
gentrification
none
so far
torched
quote
warned
recent riots
dismisses
a lone arsonist
comparable
reward
catch
Libya uprising timeline
How about reading the following facts and putting all the information together?
Please use Simple Past and don't forget to include prepositions of time
February 17:
Anti-government protests begin
February 24 - 6 March:
Rebels seize control of several towns and cities but are driven back
March 17:
UN authorizes no-fly zone and "all necessary measures" to protect civilians
March 19:
First strikes by US, French and British warplanes stop pro-Gaddafi forces
March 30:
Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa defects
April 16-25:
Bombs fall on rebel-held Misrata
May-July:
Rebels and government troops engage in skirmishes
Mid-August:
Rebels seize key towns of Zawiya and Gharyan outside Tripoli
August 21:
Rebels enter Tripoli
August 22:
Pro-Gaddafi forces fire a suspected Scud missile from near their stronghold city of Sirte,
Several members of Col Gaddafi's family are captured, including his high-profile son Saif al-Islam
Rebels catch and detain Col Gaddafi's eldest son Muhammad who later escapes from rebel custody
China and Russia urge Gaddafi forces to stop fighting
Pro-Gaddafi Al-Urubah TV reports that rebels loot the Algerian embassy in Tripoli .
Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim tells Al-Urubah that 80% of Tripoli is under complete control..
Col Ahmed Omar Bani, the military spokesman for the rebel council tells BBC that the rebels control 95% of Tripoli.
Al-Arabiya reports that NATO bombs Col Gaddafi's compound in Tripoli.
The sudden rebel advance into Tripoli comes up against some last gasp resistance from Gaddafi loyalists, amid uncertainty over the whereabouts of Col Gaddafi and his family
8/15/2011
Berlin marks 50th anniversary of the Berlin Wall
Photo: AP
A West Berlin guard stands in front of the concrete wall dividing East and West Berlin at Bernauer Strasse, as East Berlin workmen add blocks to the wall to increase the height of the barrier, October 7, 1961 (file photo)
Germans on Saturday .................................. (mark) the 50th anniversary of the rise of the Berlin Wall, which .................................. (divide) Berlin and .................................. (come) to define the Cold War.
The city .................................. (observe) a minute of silence at noon in memory of those who .................................. (die) trying to escape.
Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit .................................. (tell) people attending the ceremony that the construction of the wall 50 years ago must be a constant reminder to maintain freedom and democracy.
German President Christian Wulff and Chancellor Angela Merkel also .................................. (attend) the ceremony.
After the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, the victorious World War II allies .................................. (divide) Germany into four zones of occupation. The U.S., French and British sectors .................................. (become) West Germany, while the Soviet sector .................................. (become) communist East Germany.
On August 13, 1961, authorities in the communist East .................................. (order) all crossing points from East Berlin to West Berlin to be sealed off with barbed wire, later reinforced with concrete. The wall .................................. (divide) streets and neighborhoods and .................................. (tear) apart families and friendships. The wall .................................. (design) to keep residents in the east from fleeing to the West. The 161-kilometer wall later .................................. (include) 45,000 cement blocks and dozens of watchtowers.
Historians .................................. (say) 125 people .................................. (die) trying to cross the wall from communist East Berlin, but some experts .................................. (say) the death toll .................................. (be) much higher. East German border guards .................................. (have) orders to shoot to kill anyone they ............................................. (spot) trying to escape.
In June of 1987, U.S. President Ronald Reagan .................................. (deliver) a speech in Berlin in which he .................................. (challenge) then-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall."
In November 1989, East German residents and the government in the communist state .................................. (bring) down the wall. East and West Germany .................................. (reunite) October 3, 1990.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
8/14/2011
8/12/2011
8/10/2011
8/09/2011
Staying Professional in Virtual Meetings
Q. Virtual meetings have become a staple of business life, whether conducted by phone or video. What are the biggest differences between a virtual meeting and one that is face-to-face?
A. Teleconferences and videoconferences offer a relatively inexpensive way to meet with colleagues from around the country or the world, but they also present special challenges.
When you aren’t in the same room with other people, you lose important nonverbal cues that register unease, confusion, agreement or disagreement. That makes it easier to miscommunicate, says Sean O’Brien, senior vice president for strategy and communications at PGi, which provides technology platforms for virtual meetings.
Participants in virtual meetings often feel a lowered sense of accountability, Mr. O’Brien says. “In face-to-face meetings people really show up, not just physically but also mentally. They come to the meeting prepared and actively participate,” he says. In virtual meetings — including the telepresence variety, where images are highly realistic — that’s often not the case.
Q. During a teleconference, no one can see you, so it’s common for attendees to hit the mute button and do other things while listening. Should you?
A. People sometimes do things in a virtual meeting that they’d never do in person, like checking sports scores or having side conversations. “I’ve seen people at a videoconference grooming themselves on camera,” says Laura Stack, C.E.O. of the Productivity Pro, a management consulting firm, and author of “SuperCompetent: The Six Keys to Perform at Your Productive Best.”
But if you are at a virtual meeting only to listen, some multitasking is fine, says Bob Preston, chief collaboration officer at Polycom, a telepresence, video and voice communications company in Pleasanton, Calif.
Generally, though, it’s better not to do other things while you’re in a virtual meeting, because you could miss important information. And use the mute button to block background noise. Mr. Preston recalled a teleconference in which someone was eating a bag of potato chips. “You could hear it rustling during the meeting, and finally someone said: ‘Whoever is eating the potato chips, could you please mute?’ That’s embarrassing.”
The mute button is also important if you use a headset. “I’ve had meetings where someone went into the bathroom and forgot their headset was on,” Mr. O’Brien says.
Q. Often in teleconferences and videoconferences, there is a slight voice delay, causing people to talk over one another. How can you make sure you are heard without being rude?
A. If you want to cut into the discussion during a teleconference, you need to prompt the group first, so say something like “Excuse me” or “Question” and then wait a couple of seconds before continuing, says Mr. Preston.
In a videoconference, the speaker will be the biggest image on your screen, but there is usually a smaller window where you can see everyone else, so prompt the group by raising your hand, or by raising your hand and saying, “I have a point I’d like to make,” says Stephen Epstein, chief marketing officer at Avistar Communications, a video communications software company.
Q. What should you wear — and avoid wearing — to a videoconference?
A. Avoid stripes. They don’t transmit well on camera and can be mistaken for movement, causing the camera to keep refreshing itself, says Susan Colaric, director of instructional technology at Saint Leo University in Florida. Stay away from large, shiny jewelry, too, because it picks up glare.
“Wear solid colors with noticeable accents and dress for your audience,” she says. “For instance, in academia, ties are rare, but in law firms, they aren’t.”
Q. If you are a presenter at a virtual meeting, how should your presentation differ from that in a face-to-face meeting?
A. Virtual presentations should be shorter because it’s easier to lose people’s attention. Mr. Preston suggests pausing periodically to check in with your audience. “If you notice people tuning out, looking around or fidgeting, address them,” he advises. For example, he suggests, say: “Debbie, you look a little puzzled. Can I clarify?”
Q. What’s the best way to stand out in a virtual meeting?
A. Be prepared and actively engaged, asking questions and offering opinions and answers. Especially in teleconferences, there is a tendency to wait for someone else to speak first, says Ms. Stack. “Don’t worry about being the first one,” she says.
Look into the camera when you speak and use the same kind of body language and facial expressions as in a face-to-face meeting, Mr. O’Brien says. “Sometimes in virtual meetings there is a lot of passive engagement, where people hit the mute button and disappear,” he says. “That’s definitely not the way to stand out.”
London Riots Spread to Other British Cities
Photo: REUTERS Police in riot gear drag a man along a street in Hackney, East London
Violence ………… (break out) in two more British cities, while London ………….. (endure) its third straight night of rioting.
Police in Birmingham and in Liverpool …………………(report) fires and looting. A Liverpool police spokesman …………………………. (say) police ……………………………….. (take) swift and robust action to what he ………………………………….(call) "isolated outbreaks of disorder."
British Prime Minister David Cameron ……………………………… (cut) short a vacation in Italy and ………………………… (rush) back to London to deal with some of the city's worst rioting in years.
Buildings, cars and bus stops …………………………………… (burn) and police ………………………………….. (fight) with young people for a third straight night Monday in several London neighborhoods. Stores and restaurants …………………………..(loot) and police …………………………….. (throw) gasoline bombs.
The violence ……………………………….(break out) after police ……………………………………(shoot) to death a 29-year-old man in London's economically depressed Tottenham neighborhood late last week.
A peaceful demonstration marking his death …………………………. (explode) into violence Saturday when protesters …………………………..(throw) stones at police, ……………………………………… (smash) store windows, and ……………………………………..(set) cars and buses on fire.
Police ………………………………………(arrest) 215 people so far. Thirty-five police ………………. (hurt), including three policemen who ………………………………(run )over by a car while ………………………………… (try) to make arrests.
British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg ………………………….(call) the violence "needless," "opportunistic" and "completely unacceptable." Home Secretary Theresa May ………………………. (condemn) the rioters as criminals.
But London residents …………………………….. (say) the riots ……………………………. (trigger) by anger over the gloomy economic situation in north London, including high unemployment and reduced public services.
Tottenham ……………………….. (be) home to a large number of ethnic minorities and ……………………………..(have) a history of racial tensions. In 1985, a police officer …………………..(kick) to death there when Afro-Caribbean youths in a deprived housing estate ……………………… (go) on a rampage.
You can also watch this video footage of the riots by clicking HERE
8/07/2011
In which country do workers get the most days off? (video)
You can also watch this video from The Economist by clicking HERE
Kraft to split into two companies
US food giant Kraft
has announced plans to split into two independent companies by the end of next year.
A global snacks business, with estimated revenues of $32bn will include Trident gum, Oreo biscuits and Cadbury.
The other company, a North American food business with revenues of $16bn, will take in brands including Kraft and Philadelphia cheeses, and Capri Sun.
Kraft business is growing in two different directions, which have different future strategic priorities, growth profiles and operational focus.
Its snack food business is focused on fast-growing, developing markets, while its grocery business is primarily focused on growing revenue in North America.
Creating two independent companies is a logical step.
"We have two strong, but distinct, portfolios," Kraft's chief executive Irene Rosenfeld said.
"Our strategic actions have put us in a position to create two great companies, each with the leadership, resources and strong market positions to realize their full potential."
Kraft has made a number of acquisitions in recent years, including LU Biscuits from French food group Danone and the controversial takeover of Cadbury in the UK.
The board must first approve the plan to split into two companies. Then Kraft will at least 12 months to restructure.
adapted from BBC News
has announced plans to split into two independent companies by the end of next year.A global snacks business, with estimated revenues of $32bn will include Trident gum, Oreo biscuits and Cadbury.
The other company, a North American food business with revenues of $16bn, will take in brands including Kraft and Philadelphia cheeses, and Capri Sun.
Kraft business is growing in two different directions, which have different future strategic priorities, growth profiles and operational focus.
Its snack food business is focused on fast-growing, developing markets, while its grocery business is primarily focused on growing revenue in North America.
Creating two independent companies is a logical step.
"We have two strong, but distinct, portfolios," Kraft's chief executive Irene Rosenfeld said.
"Our strategic actions have put us in a position to create two great companies, each with the leadership, resources and strong market positions to realize their full potential."
Kraft has made a number of acquisitions in recent years, including LU Biscuits from French food group Danone and the controversial takeover of Cadbury in the UK.
The board must first approve the plan to split into two companies. Then Kraft will at least 12 months to restructure.
adapted from BBC News
8/04/2011
8/02/2011
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