Newsy: Teens Charged in Cyberbullying Case

Nine students are charged in a cyberbullying case resulting in a Massachusetts teenager's suicide. Now, state lawmakers are considering tougher laws.

"Phoebe Prince's lifeless body was found by her younger sister upstairs in their South Hadley house...." (WCBV-TV)

The death of a Massachusetts teenager by suicide has renewed discussions about cyberbullying. 15-year-old Phoebe Prince hanged herself, after weeks of relentless bullying. Nine teens have been arrested for everything from statutory rape to civil rights violations and harrassment. Massachusetts lawmakers are considering cracking down. But others say this is an issue of parenting.

We're looking at perpsectives from WCVB-TV, ABC, boston.com, WAAF-FM, and CBS, and slate.com.

First -- to the case. Prince moved to South Hadley from Ireland last September. By January, she had hanged herself after months of taunting, some of which school officials knew about. And as ABC's Yunji Denise reports it didn't stop with her death: "Several tribute pages for Phoebe Prince have popped up on Facebook. Most of the messages are positive, but others were so cruel, they had to be taken down."

A writer from the Boston Globe says what happened to Phoebe Prince happens in a lot of schools. And not enough is done about it: "The Mean Girls are pretty, and popular, and play sports. So far, they appear to be untouchable, too."

Charges finally came down this week from the prosecuting attorney. But on WAAF-FM, a blogger who goes by the name -- Hill-Man -- says, some things you just can't prevent: "Like angry medieval villagers, holding pitchforks and torches, they scream about how justice must be done and the girls who bullied Phoebe should be charged criminally. For what? Being mean? I’m sorry…but we don’t do that in this country."

A bullying expert tells CBS News the problem doesn't rest with the bullies alone. But with the victims who can isolate themselves in their torment: "Too often kids face cyber bullying, all by themselves, in their dark, staring at the screen."

And while lawmakers look to enact tougher cyber-bullying laws, a columnist on Slate.com says, parents have a role in this as well. It starts with talking and monitoring what kids are doing online: "If all of this sounds obvious, well, that's the upside. These efforts take awareness and effort and commitment on the part of schools and parents, but they're not technical or particularly difficult—you don't need to open Twitter account to help your kid navigate the online world."

So what do you think? Is this an issue of parenting? Or should lawmakers and prosecutors crack down?

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Idleness

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

April Fools' Day

April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is a day celebrated in many countries on April 1st. The day is named for the custom of playing practical jokes and hoaxes of varying sophistication on friends, family members, enemies, and neighbours, or sending them on a fool's errand, the aim of which is to embarrass the gullible. Traditionally, in some countries, such as the UK, Australia and South Africa the jokes only last until noon, and someone who plays a trick after noon is called an "April Fool". Elsewhere, such as in Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, Russia, The Netherlands, and the U.S., the jokes last all day.

Though it has been observed for centuries in several countries, including France and Britain, its origin is unknown. It resembles the Hilaria festival of ancient Rome (March 25th) and the Holi festival of India (ending March 31st). The custom of playing April Fools' jokes was brought to America by the British.

In Spain and Ibero-America, an equivalent date is December 28th, Christian day of celebration of the Massacre of the Innocents. The Christian celebration is a holiday in its own right, a religious one, but the tradition of pranks not, though the latter is observed yearly. After somebody plays a joke or a prank (such as sticking paper cut-outs of little men, or Monigotes to people’s backs) on somebody else, the joker usually cries out, as a popular expression, "¡Inocente!" (Innocent!).

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

April Come She Will (by Simon & Garfunkel, 1966)

Last January we posted a song by Simon & Garfunkel. Here is another minimalist masterpiece. Whatever happened to poets and musicians like them?

April, come she will

When streams are ripe and swelled with rain.

May, she will stay

Resting in my arms again.

June, she'll change her tune,

in restless walks she'll prowl the night.

July, she will fly

and give no warning to her flight.

August, die she must,

the autumn winds blow chilly and cold.

September, I'll remember

a love once new has now grown old.

My father's garden, by Mirko Faienza

Discovering a whole tiny world in my father's small garden located in front of his house, somewhere near Bologna, Italy. There is a small pond with small falls, some stones, some plants, and plenty of life! My first intentions were to reveal how much life you can find in such a small ecosystem. The filming took from May to November 2009. Of course I was not full time in the garden. Mostly it took patience!!

Shot on Panasonic 500- Fujinon 17x7.6 HD lens

My Father's Garden from Mirko Faienza on Vimeo.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Newsy: Philly Tackles Flash Mobs

Philadelphia is divided over what authorities are calling a violent flash mob phenomenon, where thousands of teenagers organize via social networking: Philadelphia police are blaming flash mobs for mayhem on the city's streets -- where as many as 3,000 teenagers organized via social networking.

Now, the City of Brotherly Love is divided over who's to blame for what started as performance art -- but in Philadelphia took a violent turn.

CNN reports flash mobs were first started as pranks, where large groups would organize a harmless spectacle --like mass pillow or snowball fights: "They call it flash mobbing. Usually through Facebook or Twitter. A whole bunch of people get together. Sometimes it's to support a cause, sometimes it's just to show the power of social networking, just for fun."

But it's not all fun and games in Philadelphia, where three teens will stand trial in a January death police blame on flash mobs.

Philadelphia's ABC affiliate talked with a teen psychologist who blames the violence on a perfect storm of impulsive social behavior.

DR. MICHAEL BRADLEY: "We're seeing these kinds of bizarre expressions of teen impulsivity, bad judgment, inability to understand consequences of their actions with the new technology which allows them in a New York minute to express these things in very dangerous ways."

But The New York Times suggests there could be deeper social reasons underlying the violence: "Most of the teenagers who have taken part in them are black and from poor neighborhoods. Most of the areas hit have been predominantly white business districts. ...Mayor Nutter, who is black, rejected the notion that race or the city cut in services was a factor."

Fox News reports city officials are pointing the finger at parents.

REPORTER: "They will be held responsible for their children's actions."

MICHAEL NUTTER: "Take control of your kids. It is not government's responsibility to raise your child."

REPORTER: "They are also considering making free transit passes for students invalid after 4 p.m. instead of 7 p.m. to control teenagers' ability to ride downtown."

But Philadelphia's CBS affiliate talked with students who say any proposal that punishes all teens isn't fair: "Every student is not a bad student. Every teenager is not a bad teenager. And some teenagers just go down South Street just to have fun, not to be disruptive or destructive. 

Philadelphia authorities have enlisted the help of the FBI in 24-hour monitoring of social networks.

So, Labor students, what do you think about all this?

Writer: Newsy Staff

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Newsy: Nintendo Playing With 3D

Nintendo announced a new 3DS, without glasses, will be released sometime in the next year. The announcement collides with their new DSi XL hitting the shelves.

"3-D is all the rage right now with 3-D movies dominating the box office and 3-D TVs hitting retail shelves and Nintendo has been taking notice of all this. Take a look, the video game company, announcing plans to sell a 3-D version of its popular handheld Nintendo DS within a year." (CNBC)

Not much is know about Nintendo's new hand-held 3DS -- except that clunky glasses won't be needed to get the effect. Nintendo says it will unveil the latest gaming system at the Electronics Entertainment Expo in June -- and release it within a year.

Tech Blog G4 points out that the announcement could hurt sales of their DSi XL, which is going on sale soon: "Just a few days before the DSi XL arrives in stores, Nintendo has to go and announce the 3DS. Sure, it's not coming out until sometime early next year, but it seems to make a DSi XL purchase a moot point now." 

Nintendo isn't the first video game company to explore 3-D. Its competition, Sony, announced it will also unveil 3-D technology for PS3 users later this year. PCWorld says if the 3DS doesn't have more perks than just 3-D, it won't sell: "They've built their reputation on game play first...and visual trickery last."

Sony Director of Hardware and Marketing John Koller says his company is not bringing 3-D technology to their handheld gaming system, the PSP. But Tech blogJoystiq doesn't buy it and notes the groundbreaking effect Nintendo products tend to have: "Of course, having been in the portable space for quite awhile, Koller must have some suspicion that a new DS could be a massive hit...and create a market for 3-D handhelds."

But CNET wonders if the new dimension will really have an impact on a handheld device's appeal: "But the DS is so small, is 3-D really a big deal on such a small screen? I'll have to see it to make a judgment call."

So would you pay for a 3-D gaming device? Or is Nintendo just riding the 3-D wave?

Writer: Erika Roberts

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

A year in the Rocky Mountains, by Dan Hudson

3 minutes 49 seconds to show the passing of time in a public park in the Rocky Mountains, US. Fantastic combination of music, images and excerpts from news bulletins. A video by Dan Hudson, music by Chris Jennings:
"This is an art project. It asks questions, rather than give answers. It asks questions about us as a species and as individuals. It asks questions about how we think and what we do. What is important in our lives? What is our relationship to the world around us? Do world events affect our daily lives? How does the social/political web of humanity affect our planet? What is nature? What is life? What is time? This is not an ordinary time lapse. It is made from video clips, not stills (most timelapse videos are made with still photographs). This way is much more difficult. But you get the beauty of the wind, rain and snow."

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Song of the week: Small-Town Boy, by Bronski Beat

"Smalltown Boy" is the debut single of the British synthpop group Bronski Beat, released in June 1984. It would also appear on the band's debut album The Age of Consent, released in December 1984.

The song was a huge commercial success, reaching number 3 in the band's native UK. As well, it was a number one hit in Holland and Italy, and hit the top 10 in Austraila, Canada, France, and Switzerland.

The music video features band member Jimmy Somerville as a boy facing bullies, loneliness and family misunderstanding. He makes friends, but is attacked by a gang of bullies and a policeman brings him back to his home. He catches a train, where he is reunited with his friends. This plot is depicted in the video. In the video, he is seen making friends (played by band members Larry Steinbachek and Steve Bronski) near a swimming pool and they overlook the people swimming. They are later briefly seen at the changing room near the pool. The video ends with Somerville riding on the train to London as he was in the beginning, but this time Steinbachek and Bronski join him.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

The World goes dark for Earth Hour

120 countries around the world will turn out the lights for one hour for Earth Hour as a symbol of unity for the planet's future – a tradition that has picked up momentum since starting in Australia in 2007.
Earth Hour started in 2007 with one city in one city turning off its lights – Sydney, Australia. National Geographic shows the difference even one year made in gaining momentum: “In 2007, one city took a stand…In 2008, the movement grew…to 50 million people around the world…In the United States alone, over 36 million turned out and switched off.”
But a blogger for ABC Australia says Earth Hour doesn’t actually do anything and people seem to forget that it’s just symbolic: “The subtleties of the Earth Hour message - that it's not about saving electricity, it's about the symbolism - have been well and truly lost...A global audience of over 50 million people have been led to believe they have to sit in the dark to be green.”

USA Today talked to one critic who says darkness is not the answer, but she says she thinks she knows what is: “Environmental challenges will not be solved by turning off our lights and symbolically hiding in the dark… We should be looking to technology and innovation to help solve environmental problems.”
ABC's Good Morning America says it’s not something people are forced to do, but it’s a way to make a statement: “You can turn your lights off and join people around the world as they say hey, we simply care and that climate change is something we want to make a statement about.”
MSNBC highlights some of the major landmarks around the world that will sit in darkness for the hour: “Some of the iconic buildings around the world scheduled to go dark during Earth Hour include: the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Empire State Building in New York, the Sears/Willis Tower in Chicago, the Space Needle in Seattle, the Sydney Opera House in Australia, and both the National Cathedral and the Smithsonian Castle in Washington, D.C.”
Earth Hour organizers say it’s not about what country you’re from, it’s about what planet you’re from. For ideas on what you can do while sitting in the dark, click on the Blogger Moms link.

Writer: Alyssa Caverley

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Videos in plain English

About Common Craft

Who they are and what they do: They make videos

Their three-minute videos help educators and influencers introduce complex subjects. Their videos may surprise you. They're short and simple. They use paper cut-outs. They cover subjects "in Plain English." But lurking under the simple surface are lessons that have been crafted with great care. Despite their fun and lighthearted style, they take explanation seriously.

Common Craft's animated explanations are delightfully witty, entertaining and educational and you can watch them in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German or French.
Here you can enjoy a couple of examples: Blogs in plain English:

And social networks:

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non commercial purposes only.

Ctrus: The ultimate football

'CTRUS’ functional principle is based on the mechanical properties of its materials. it is composed by an inner structure (skelle-core) and an outer net-embedded shell, made out of reinforced elastomers. 

These pieces have different durometer according to its structural location. the flexibility provided by its materials, emulates the bounce of an inflated pneumatic soccer ball, but offers the advantage of not loosing air. CTRUS doesn’t need air in order to perform.'

CTRUS provides added functionality controlled by the electronic components in its nucleus which communicate wirelessly with control stations at the stadium:

- inner light, color changes at critical game situations (goal, offside and out of bounds).

- recording of kick force and travel speed.

- location of the ball relative to the court (interactive detection system via GPS / RFID).

- P.O.V. camera footage (software stabilized image).

CTRUS - Envisioned by AGENT. from AGENT. on Vimeo.

The HYB method

With the HYB method, AGENT skilfully rearranges specific components from diverse sources in order to obtain new effective hybrid solutions and applies them where they are needed.

The HYB method presents new approaches for the endless paradigms and challenges of our  times as well as for the complex futures upon us.

Ctrus

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Newsy: Google TV Breaks on to the Screen

First the internet, then cell phones, now TV? Google is teaming up with Intel and Sony to develop a new platform called Google TV. 

The New York Times broke the story and explains the company's strategy: “...the project is a pre-emptive move to get a foothold in the living room as more consumers start exploring ways to bring Web content to their television sets. Google wants to aggressively ensure that its services, in particular its search and advertising systems, play a central role.”

A Marketwatch technology correspondent says it’s a great, but not novel idea. Companies like Apple, Microsoft and Sony have already debuted their own Internet-TV products: “ All these things have some devotees, but nothing has been a big huge breakthrough and so certainly possible – that’s a very distinguished combination of companies – that they’ll do it, but I have to be skeptical until I really see that they do it in a way that’s so much better and so much different...and makes a difference.

With other Internet-ready set-top box sets already on the market, a blogger for Lifehacker wonders what new things Google can add to the mix: “...we're wondering what they'll deliver that's new and unique. YouTube, a semi-decent browser, sure—but what else would you want on your biggest screen?”

A FOX News business correspondent wonders whether people will be willing to trade in their remotes for a mouse:  “It could be available as early as the summer. You know, for us Connel, Friday night’s twitting on our couch is a good time. I don’t know about for other people. That’s a question."

But, The Street has a less optimistic outlook -- sayings Google TV's destined for the discount bin: “The Google box, however, isn't answering a screaming need among consumers. Laptops and HD TVs have been happy living room companions for years. If history is any clue, the Google box is doomed.”

So, do you think Google TV will connect with consumers? Or will it be one of Google's first flops?

Writer: Alyssa Caverley

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Newsy: Dealing With the Global Water Crisis

Dirty water kills more people than war. That's according to findings presented by the United Nations Environment Programme ahead of World Water Day this week. The water crisis has spread drastically, as many around the world lack the resource. And according to the U.N., polluted water causes the deaths of around 2.2 million people each year.

A columnist for OnEarth Magazine says on top of a lack of clean drinking water and an inadequate drainage system, residents of Nairobi, Kenya have to use "flying toilets"-- plastic bags discarded after use. But she says solving these problems is easier than many would think: "The global water, sanitation and hygiene crisis is solvable with solutions that are available today. Solutions that include hand-dug wells, harvesting rainwater to use for drinking, protecting springs, water filtering and water purification and building safe latrines."

In the UK, protests are underway to have Parliament do more to help the global sanitation crisis affecting places like Kenya. Prince Charles says solving the water crisis can only be done through nature, rather than depending on technology: "We are far more likely to succeed in slowing down, coping and adapting to climate change if we work properly in harmony with nature to build ecosystem resilience and reduce our economic vulnerability by looking at how we use the land, as well as how we use technology." (Voice of America).

According to a writer for The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia is also struggling to maintain its resources. She says steps need to be taken immediately to conserve water for the country and the people that inhabit it: 

"Australia is the driest inhabited continent in the world and we must continue to treat fresh water as a valuable resource... Investments such as lining water channels and re-engineering water storages would yield huge dividends..."

A representative for the Water Advocates tells the Pulitzer Center although efforts have been made abroad, he hopes the U.S. government will do more to get involved: "Everyday around the world, 260,000 new people get water access for the first time. So something is being done currently. I think what we saw today is that there will hopefully be in the coming years, a quantum leap of activity from the private citizen sector and from the United States government." 

Are you doing your part to preserve the earth's water supply? If not, in a video for World Water Day, National Geographic wants you to heed the following warning.

Writer: Victoria Uwumarogie

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Newsy: Health Care Bill Called a Victory for Obama

"Today after almost a century of trying, today after over a year of debate, today, after all the votes have been tallied, health insurance reform becomes law in the United States of America...(applause)...today." (MSNBC)

President Barack Obama signed the $938 billion health care bill into law amid a room of ecstatic supporters. So now that health care is law, the question becomes how this changes Mr. Obama's presidency.

MSNBC discusses the significance of the day with CBS Washington Bureau Chief Mark Whitaker. He says it's not just historical but political and solidifies Mr. Obama's identity: "I think today, Barack Obama not only became President in a different way, but also, I think he became the true head of the Democratic Party and I think in some ways he never was."

CNN's Senior White House Corespondent Ed Henry talks about where this places Mr. Obama in comparison with past presidents: "Suddenly, his name is being dropped, if you read the editorial pages around the country, with the likes of FDR on social security, LBJ on medicare, suddenly it's Obama health care reform. Now, that may be a little bit much in such a brief amount of time, but I think it's a dramatic demonstration how quickly a president's fortunes can change."

Fox News' Senior White House Corespondent Major Garrett acknowledged the President's strengths in passing this bill: "He will get audits across the country, even from his detractors, for being persistent and not giving up on this goal. That is a hallmark of any successful president in American history, Republican or Democrat."

But NPR explored what this might mean in November. With so many congressional seats up for election, it's still an up-hill battle to sell the bill to the American people: "Now the question is whether a legislative victory translates into a political victory in November...The bill's passage may ultimately cost some Democrats their seats."

So what do you think? will this help the Republicans or Democrats in the November mid-term elections?

Written by: Erika Roberts

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Nature by Numbers

A short movie inspired on numbers, geometry and nature, by Cristóbal Vila. Log on to www.etereaestudios.com if you are looking for more information: the theory behind the movie, stills and screenshots ...

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Top 10 beaches of the World: Number 1, Cíes!!

... And the winner is... CIEEEEESSSSS!!!!

IN 2007 the English newspaper The Guardian chose Rodas Beach on Cíes Islands the best beach in the world. If someone wonders why, they only have to take a look at this picture:

This is the full story:

Mention Spanish beaches and most people instinctively think of the Mediterranean. Yet the wilder, stunning Atlantic coastline of Galicia, just north of Portugal, has far more dramatic praias – with far fewer people on them. One of the jewels of this coast is on Las Islas Cies, a 40-minute boat trip from the pretty town of Baiona. Once a pirates' haunt, Cies is now an uninhabited and pristine national park, open to the public only in summer. Galegos come here to spend long, lazy summer days on the Praia das Rodas, a perfect crescent of soft, pale sand backed by small dunes sheltering a calm lagoon of crystal-clear sea.

Locals call this their "Caribbean beach", and the water is turquoise enough, the sand white enough to believe the comparison … until you dip your toe in the water. Then it feels more like Skegness. You can sleep in an idyllic campsite, shaded by tall pine trees, with a view over the ocean. And, this being Spain, there's even a proper restaurant serving great seafood.

Where to stay: Camping Islas Cies is open Easter week and June-September.

If you don't believe it, you can see it with your own eyes here.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Best students - 2009/10 2nd Term

Our best students of English during the 2nd Term have been:

1 ESO A - Íñigo Alcubierre Clemente (7.60)

1 ESO B - Adrián Alonso Núñez (8.50)

2 ESO A - Iago Borrajo Rodríguez (8.34): Best student for the 2nd time this schoolyear.

2 ESO B - Miguel Romero Zapatero (9.41): Best student for the 2nd time this schoolyear.

3 ESO A - Belén González Muñoz (7.36)

3 ESO B - Lucía Oitabén Figueiras (9.11)

4 ESO A - Sara McGarry Arena (8.86): Best student for the 2nd time this schoolyear and has improved her 1st Term performance!

4 ESO B - Cristina Ponce Fernández (8.40): Best student for the 2nd time this schoolyear and she has also improved her 1st Term performance!

Very often the students who get the highest grades are not the most talented ones, but those who try harder, show a positive attitude and have a praiseworthy work ethics.

Congratulations!

Lyrics Training - Improving your foreign languages skills

What is Lyrics Training?

Lyrics Training is an easy and fun method to learn and improve your foreign languages skills through the music and lyrics of the songs. All you have to do is create an account. In a couple of minutes you will be playing in one of the three levels: Easy, Medium and Hard.

It is a great fun and a fantastic way to improve your listening skills and learn English (or any of the other languages they support).

Labor English Zone definitely recommends Lyrics Training!
Try and complete the lyrics for Green Day's Boulevard of Broken Dreams

No copyright infringement intendend. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

4th ESO B 2nd term PBL: The Necklace

4th ESO B students Miguel Vila, Carlos Pachón, Adrián Godar and Mónica Faro have chosen Guy de Maupassant's story "The Necklace" for their 2nd term PBL. This is what they have sent us:

Summary

Matilde is a precious woman who wanted good things in her life, but their parents weren’t rich. When se was 19 years, their parents look for a husband to him who wanted to him. A day his husband is invited to a celebration, Mathilde gets upset because he didn´t have dress to go to the celebration. His husband gives money him so that he buys the dress expensive and beautiful. When buying it his husband says to him that she is going with his friend to request a necklace to him, because she didn´t have any jewel. Mathilde asks to him Madame Forestrer and this accedes to lend it. In the dance everybody wanted to dance and to speak with Mathilde. She was happy. When finishing the celebration realizes of which it does not have the necklace and it decides to buy one very expensive. When buying it their husband and she become poor and must work to pay the necklace. A day Madame Forestrer is with Mathilde, and she tells all the truth him. Madame Forestrer says that to its necklace cost him 500 francs because the diamonds weren’t real. 

Personalities

Mathilde: Main character

Madame Forestrer: Friend of Mathilde

Monsieur Loisel: Husband of Mathilde

Song

We chose this song because in the song says ‘beautiful dirty rich’ because, firstly Mathilde was beautiful and rich and the she became dirty and poor and because in the video she is whit much money.

Stefani Germanotta (Lady Gaga) was born on March 28, 1986, as the eldest child to Italian American parents Joseph and Cynthia Germanotta in New York City. Playing piano by ear from the age of 4, she went on to write her first piano ballad at 13 and began performing at open mike nights by age 14. At age 11, the singer was set to join Juilliard School in Manhattan but instead attended Convent of the Sacred Heart, a private Roman Catholic school. She described herself in high school as "very dedicated, very studious, very disciplined" but also "a bit insecure" as she told in a interview, "I used to get made fun of for being either too provocative or too eccentric, so I started to tone it down. I didn’t fit in, and I felt like a freak."

At age 17, Germanotta gained early admission to the New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. There, she studied music and improved her songwriting skills by composing essays and analytical papers focusing on topics such as art, religion, social issues and politics. She later withdrew from the school to focus on her musical career. Music producer Rob Fusari, who helped her write some of her earlier songs, compared her vocal style to that of Freddie Mercury. Fusari helped create the moniker Gaga, after the Queen song "Radio Ga Ga". The singer was in the process of trying to come up with a stage name, when she received a text message from Fusari that read "Lady Gaga"

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

4th ESO B 2nd term PBL: The Lottery Ticket

4th ESO B students Reyes Moreno, Verónica Savio, Ángel Riveiro and Álvaro González have chosen Anton Chekhov's story "The Lottery Ticket" for their 2nd term PBL. This is what they have sent us:

The history is about a woman who buys a lottery ticket and asks her husband for the wining number. The husband looks for the number in the newspaper and they start to think what are they going to do with the money if the are the winners. Then, they start to argue about the money, but they still dont know if they have the winning number. After that the husband looks for it and they realize that it's not the winning one, so they stop arguing. Now, they can see that money is not the most important and that they love each other more than money.

The song is from Bob Fosse's film, created in 1972 and bassed on a theatre play, started in Brodway on 1966. This film says that the life is like a cabaret. The music is from John Kander and the lyrics are from Fred Ebb.

We have chosen this song 'cause the chosen history talks about how the money chages us and about what important it is. Because of that i think the first sentece of the song says it all, because of the money the entire world turns over.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ9USJgCnJs

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

4th ESO B 2nd term PBL: The Rocking Horse Winner

4th ESO B students Cristina Ponce, Lin Lingling, Víctor Otero and David Sánchez have chosen D.H. Lawrence's story "The Rocking Horse Winner" for their 2nd term PBL. This is what they have sent us:

The rocking horse winner 

The history talks about Paul, a boy whit incredible lucky to make money in horse’s races. When he ride by his rocking horse, he could guess the winner horse at races. He had a problem because his mother was all day whispering “there must be more money”, and it becomes Paul crazy. He started to put money in races and he was very lucky, so he had more and more money and a lot of anxiety to satisfier his mother. But she saw his soon was unhappy and healthless, and she understood that money is not important to be happy.

Relationship between the history and the video/song

The song and the video talk about the feeling of anxiety about the money. 

In the book, Paul’s mother suffer this problem, and also Paul will suffer it then, because his mother says always “There must be more money”. 

They think the money are the most important thing in theirs lives, but it is false. 

The principal topic about the song is a little … “complicated”, but combined whit this video, we think they are a good video and a good song to understand the history and try explain one of the principal topics of the book: the power of money to become our lives to a sea of money’s worries.

Jetro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the lyrics, vocals and flute work of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and guitarist Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.
Initially playing blues rock with an experimental flavour, they have also incorporated elements of classical music, folk music, jazz and art rock into their music.

Live history 

During the early 1970s Jethro Tull went from a progressive blues band to one of the largest concert draws in the world. In concert, the band was known for theatricality and long medleys with brief instrumental interludes. While early Jethro Tull shows featured a manic Anderson with bushy hair and beard dressed in tattered overcoats and ragged clothes, as the band became bigger he moved towards varied costumes. This culminated with the War Child tour's oversized codpiece and colourful costume. 

Other band members joined in the dress-up and developed stage personae. Bassist Glenn Cornick always appeared in vest and headband, while his successor Jeffrey Hammond eventually adopted a black-and-white diagonally-striped suit (and similarly striped bass guitar, electric guitar, and string bass). It was a 'zebra look', and at one point a two-manned zebra came out excreting ping pong balls into the audience while both performers moved forcefully around their stage areas. John Evan dressed in an all-white suit with a neck-scarf of scarlet with white polka-dots; described as a "sad clown" type with extremely oversized shoes, he joined in the theatrics by galumphing back and forth between Hammond Organ and grand piano (placed on opposite sides of the stage in the Thick as a Brick tour) or by such sight-gags as pulling out a flask and pretending to drink from it during a rest in the music. Barriemore Barlow's stage attire was a crimson tank-top and matching runner's shorts with rugby footgear, and his solos were marked by smoke-machines and enormous drumsticks. Martin Barre was the island of calm amongst the madmen, with Anderson (and sometimes Evan) crowding him and making faces during his solos.

The band's stage theatrics peaked during the Thick As A Brick tour, a performance distinguished by stage hands wearing the tan trench-coat/madras cap ensemble from the album art, extras in rabbit suits running across stage and an extended interlude during which Barre and Barlow entered a beach-tent onstage and swapped pants.

A Passion Play was planned to have a full-length film to go with the stage theatrics. However, from this effort, it seems that only a few excerpts have survived to be re-released on recent commemorative videos of the band, including the interlude "The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles."

A similar multi-media effort had been planned for Too Old To Rock and Roll... but was not completed. Thereafter, the emphasis on theatrics was reduced but never eliminated. In 1982's Broadsword and the Beast concerts, the entire stage was transformed into a Viking ship. Anderson often dressed as a country squire on tours in the late 1970s, with the rest of the band adopting the style during their folk phase. The A tour featured the same white jumpsuit uniforms worn by the band on the album cover. Certain routines from the 1970s have recently become ensconced in concerts, such as having a song interrupted by a phone call for an audience member (which Anderson now takes on a cell) and the climactic conclusion of shows including bombastic instrumentals and the giant balloons which Anderson would carry over his head and toss into the crowd.

In 1992, Jethro Tull embarked on a tour titled A Little Light Music, with most of the show focusing on acoustic songs, many of which they had not played live for years, if at all. A live CD was recorded on this tour and released under the same title later in that year. This was well received by fans because of its different takes on many past compositions, as well as a rendition of the folk song "John Barleycorn". As documented by these live performances, Ian's voice had clearly improved since his vocal cord injury in the mid-Eighties. After the CD release, the tour continued as a show of two halves, the Light and Dark Tour.

1993 was marked as the 25th Anniversary of Jethro Tull by the release of various new products, as well as an extensive Anniversary Tour, which started in May 1993 and lasting nearly a year. In keeping with the anniversary theme, this tour again revived a number of older songs.

The 25th Anniversary Box was a four-CD set including new and vintage live recordings, remixed and remastered songs from earlier albums, and re-recordings of old songs by the 90s band. A two-CD Anniversary Collection compilation was also released, containing original tracks remastered, and a video collection included new interviews, promo videos and archive material. The remixed single, Living in the (Slightly more Recent) Past, reached #32 in the UK singles chart. A planned second boxed set of outtakes and rare tracks was scaled down to two discs and released towards the end of the year under the title Nightcap.

Their 2008 tour, celebrating 40 years of the band, included many older songs as well as guest appearances from former band members and others.

Jethro Tull and sitarist Anoushka Shankar postponed a concert scheduled for 29 November 2008 in Mumbai after the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. They reorganized the performance as A Billion Hands Concert, a benefit concert for victims of the attacks, and held it on 5 December 2008. Ian Anderson commented on this decision stating that: "Some people might consider it disrespectful that we are having a concert but hopefully a majority will realise what this is about and what it says."

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only

4th ESO B 2nd term PBL: Sredni Vashtar

4th ESO B students Tirso García, Paloma Díaz, Cristian Rodríguez and Romina Domínguez have chosen Hector Hugh Munro's story "Sredni Vashtar" for their 2nd term PBL. This is what they have sent us:

No, this rather empty space is no mistake... They have not sent anything... maybe because they have not done anything...

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4th ESO A 2nd term PBL: The Necklace

4th ESO A students Sara McGarry, Lucía Baz, Christian Ferradás and Alberto Batista have chosen Guy de Maupassant's story "The Necklace Ticket" for their 2nd term PBL. This is what they have sent us:

Summary:

Mathilde Claudeau is a middle-class woman who is married to Monsieur Loisel. She has a normal life, but she wants to be rich. One day, she went to a party and she borrowed a really expensive necklace from her friend Madame Jeanne Forester. She lost the necklace and she had to buy another one, so she lost all her money and she had to move to another house. There she realized that what se got was enough. Then she met her friend and told her about it. Her friend said that it was a really cheap necklace.

Why did we choose that song?

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with its huge helium character balloons it's an attraction for thousands of New Yorkers. In the song, the Parade is symbolizing modern society's tendency to put material values over emotional ones. And then the song gradually flows into a story that tells that you have to move on even if you might never get everything you want, but in the end you will see that all you really need is a little hope. This happens in the story too, because Mathilde wasn't happy with what she had and then she realizes that it was enough. The moral of “The Necklace” is that you mustn't want always everything you see and you have to apreciate things before they're gone.

About the band:

Green Day is an East Bay rock band that was originally part of the punk rock scene at 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley, California. At first, the members were Billie Joe Armstrong (vocals and guitar), Mike Dirnt (bass) and Al Sobrante (drums), but Al had to leave to go to university, so Tré Cool joined the band as the drummer. They recorded their first album, 1039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours in 1989, and then Kerplunk in 1992, wich were both released by an independent record label, Lookout Records! Then, in 1994 they signed with Warner Brothers and they recorded an album that became a huge success, Dookie, with sold ver 10 million copies in the U.S. and 15 million worldwide. Green Day's follow-up albums, Insomniac, Nimrod and Warning, weren't as big as Dookie, but they were still successful, reaching double platinum, double platinum, and gold status respectivel. Then they did a copilation of their biggest hits (International Superhits!) and another one of the B-sides of their previous songs (Shenanigans). But the biggest hit came with American Idiot (2004), a rock opera that tells the story of an anti-hero: Jesus of Suburbia. On May 2009 Green Day released their eighth studio album, 21st Century Breakdown.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

4th ESO A 2nd term PBL: The Lottery Ticket

4th ESO A students Marina López, Paula Gil, Miguel Brenlla, Luis García and Andrea Fernández have chosen Anton Chekhov's story "The Lottery Ticket" for their 2nd term PBL. This is what they have sent us:

Summary

The Lottery Ticket, originally written by Anton Chekhov. Relate the story of a couple, Ivan and Masha Dmitritch, they hold what it could be a winning lottery ticket, but he resisted checking the numbers while they daydream about what they might do with the money. First the money idea it is fantastic, but then they started to argue about the things they could do with the money. Finally they saw the winning number and their ticket wasn’t the winner.

Author´s biography

David Guetta is a French Electro-House music DJ. He was born on 7th November 1967 in Paris, this DJ started working with Laurent Garnier in the gay nightclubs on fashion in the Parisian night (Broad and Central club). At the beginning of the 90´s he started to organize House parties in clubs dancefloor Folies Pigalle, Bataclan and Palace. Success is quickly. Guetta is fast businessman taking the artistic direction of "Bains-Douches" with his wife Cathy in 1994. Then he has played in Ibiza´s parties since 1996 and in their own festivities in 2002. The beginning of his fame started with the song Love do not let me go. Stay and The World Is Mine on Guetta Blaster (2004), are his others successes. In 2005, he won the title of the best DJ of the year in the House Music Awards. He returned in 2007 with the Pop Life album containing the single Love Is Gone and Baby When the Light, sang by the singer Chris Willis.

Why we chose this song?

Both of them speak about that the Money can destroyed people and what important can be it for them. Our story, The Lottery Ticket, tells us that the money doesn’t give the happiness but it gives problems. The characters of the story got ungry and they disagree about what to do with the money. The song tell that the character wants to get money, fame and jewellery at all costs and thinks the important it is the money lije in the story.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

4th ESO A 2nd term PBL: The Rocking Horse Winner

4th ESO A students Andrea Arruti, Pedro Cuesta, Esteban Bernárdez and David Barcia have chosen D.H. Lawrence's story "The Rocking Horse Winner" for their 2nd term PBL. This is what they have sent us:

We choose this song because in the history, Hester first thought that the money was important but then she thought that the money wasn´t important. In the song first the money is important but then the money gaves problems:

Resume of the history: The rocking horse winner

This history is about a children, Paul Jennings that had a rocking horse. He lived with his family in a big house. They never had enough money to pay the debts. The father said to Paul that they weren´t had lucky but Paul said that he had a lot of lucky.

Paul always predict the results of the horses racings. He had a team with the gardener Bassett and they bet the money and wons a lot of it.

His uncle Oscar was interested in the horses racings and he discovered the bets of Bassett and Paul and he wanted joined to them.

Then they bet the money in the racings, but one day Paul didn’t know the winner and lost the money some weeks. Some days later he was ill with too much temperature.

One day he scaped and went to ride in the rocking horse and he knew the results of The Derbyand they bet the money and they won 80000 pounds . When he was good he gave the money to his mother but she didn’t want it because she thought that the money didn’t brings the happiness.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

4th ESO A 2nd term PBL: Sredni Vashtar

4th ESO A students Naia Cea, Nerea Álvarez, Óscar González, Alexandro Rodríguez and Raúl Rioboo have chosen Hector Hugh Munro's story "Sredni Vashtar" for their 2nd term PBL. This is what they have sent us:


Sredni Vashtar

Conradin was ten years old and lived with his aunt, Mrs Roop and she was strict and didn't let Conradin have funny things. Conradin have a garden shed andhe played into the gaden with his chicken. One day Conradin ought a ferret and He put it into a cage, Conradin mustn't open it to no permit the ferret scape. Conradin has a ferret special name, Sredni Vashtar and he think it had MAGIC powers. One day Mrs Roop shold the chicken and other day after went to the shed and opened the ferret cage, and Sredni Vashtar run to the garden and Mrs Roop disappeared. Conradin could eat a lot and thought that Sredni Vaashtar used his powers to make disappeared Mrs Roop.

The song:

Pilot was a pop rock group formed in 1973 in Edinburgh, Scotland by former Bay City Rollers members David Paton and Billy Lyall. "Magic" is a popular music song of 1974, the first commercial success for the Scottish band, Pilot. We decided choose this song because the protagonist of the history believe in the magic and the song say that you shouldn't stop to believe.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non commercial purposes only.

Song of the week: Code Lyoko, by Noam Kaniel

Code Lyoko is a French animated television series featuring both conventional animation and CGI. It premiered on September 3rd, 2003 on the France 3 network, and was produced by Antefilms during the first season, MoonScoop Groupduring the second and third season, and by Taffy Entertainment during the fourth season, all in association with the France 3 television network and Canal J. The series has been translated into various languages and is currently airing in over 80% of the world's countries. In fact, you can find the song in lots of languages except Spanish, of all languages!

The author of the song is Noam Kaniel, an Israeli singer and composer, who was a child prodigy that has sold over 8 million records , and is known for composing or performing the theme songs of many animated series including X-Men, Code Lyoko, W.I.T.C.H., The Fantastic 4, Action Man, A.T.O.M., Gormiti, Team Galaxy, Combo Niños, Martin Mystery and many more

In this first video you can see the lyrics and sing along (be patient, as the lyrics will not appear until they actually sound):

And now you can enjoy a clip show:

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Newsy: Full Body Scanners: Safety vs. Privacy

Looks like modesty is not the best policy when flying. Full body scanners are coming to an airport near you and they see everything. The TSA announced nine more U.S. airports are getting the scanners for better security. But critics are quick to point out its not foolproof. 

On CNN, a TSA official says the system isn't perfect but its an improvement: "Our offices are identifying objects on the body that are comparable to what that threat was.

-Every time? 

-Our officers are doing a very good job.

-Every time? 

-I'd have to get back to you."

But privacy watchdogs say passengers would rather not bare all for the scanners. On PBS a congressman from Utah argues the x-rays are not only invasive but unnecessary:  "We don't need to look at naked 8-year-olds and grandmothers to secure airplanes. Are we really going to subject 2 million people per day to that? I think it's a false argument to say we have to give up all of our personal privacy in order to have security."

For many Americans, the value of safety heavily outweighs the right to privacy. CBS2 in New York talked to a passenger who says that after recent terrorist attempts, fliers cant afford to be shy:  "We're already checked all the way up and down, so what's one more thing really? I think we've seen already that what we're doing is not enough. "

But for Muslims looking to travel, the scanners could make for some indecent exposure. One of the groups concerned, The Fiqh Council of North America, urged Muslims to boycott the scanners: "It is a violation of clear Islamic teachings that men or women be seen naked by other men and women. Islam highly emphasizes modesty and considers it part of faith." 

With terror tactics continually evolving, On MSNBC, a representative for the ACLU warns we should be cautious on giving up our privacy for the governments latest toy: "The idea that we should just trust the government and there's some magic bullet out there that will protect everything isn't true." "Let's invest in technology that doesn't have this huge privacy impact." "They need to do that rather than  throwing money at new technology that is completely unproven and may not solve the problems we are facing today. "

So what do you think of full body scanners? Are they an invasion of privacy?

Writer: Marlena Kopacz

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Oxygen, by Christopher Hendryx

This is Oxygen, produced at the Ringling College of Art + Design as Christopher Hendryx's thesis for the department of Computer Animation.

Learn a little bit of basic chemistry while watching Oxygen try to make friends in Element-ary school. Expect future shorts with these characters late 2010!

Visit Christopher Hendryx's website at particleart.com to see his reel and other work!

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Song of the week: Welcome to my life, by Simple Plan

2nd ESO B student Arantxa Hierro suggests we post this song by Simple Plan. It is a superb idea, as the lyrics are easy to understand and everybody feels like this some time or another! Thanks a lot, Arantxa!

"Welcome to My Life" is the first single taken from Simple Plan's second studio album, "Still Not Getting Any...."

The song's intention is to express teenage angst about life becoming so frustrating that no one can understand how awful it is for them. In the music video, a traffic jam is seen and scenes are shown in which passengers deal with dysfunctional families and how the families' dysfunction affects their lives. At the end of the video, a few of the people in the traffic jam get out of their cars and begin to walk down the road. The video received some criticism for being similar to R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts".
As usual, don't pay much attention to the Spanish translation... it's not very good :-((

Enjoy it!

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Newsy: Rogue Waves Blamed for Cruise Ship Deaths

Two passengers were killed when cruise liner Louis Majesty was struck head-on by three waves estimated at over twenty-six feet tall.

Two passengers are dead and fourteen wounded after waves estimated as three stories tall struck the Louis Majesty, a cruise ship heading through the Mediterranean.

Some scientists and media outlets are blaming a phenomenon known as the "rogue wave," but others say it isn't even part of the story.

A Fox News anchor was among those blaming "rogue waves," for the incident, and talked with an oceanographer to explain just how the accident happened: "We call them rogue waves, these are massive waves in the ocean that suddenly pop up out of almost nowhere. Typically they're associated with a weather event and often where an ocean current and a big weather event occurs." 

But a scientist on Wired.com says it isn't so easy to explain how, where, or why a rogue wave forms: "We don't know what's going on out there. There are some theories, but I don't think those theories can ever translate into the real ocean environment."

Other news outlets took a direct approach to dismissing the "rogue wave" discussion. A CNN meteorologist explains how these waves weren't quite up to par: "Buoys nearby recorded significant wave heights (defined as the average of the largest 1/3 of waves over a 20 minute period) over 6 meters. The waves which hit the ship were reported to be between 8-9 meters. This would not be considered a 'rogue' wave, as rogue waves must have a height at least double the significant wave height, but it is nevertheless abnormally high."

A correspondent on MSNBC says other meteorologists are blaming severe weather for the massive--but not rogue--waves: "It was in the Mediterranean, it ran into a nasty weather system just off the coast of France and Spain that had whipped up 60-mile-an-hour sustained winds. Meteorologists say that the sustained winds are really the key to what happened here, that they were strong enough and sustained long enough to create a succession of these monster waves."

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.