On Happiness

Henry David Thoreau "On Happiness". Artwork by Gavin Aung Than

(Post taken from Zen Pencils)

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was an American writer, poet, philosopher and one of the leading figures of the transcendentalism movement. Besides writing Civil Disobedience, which inspired such revolutionaries as Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jnr, Thoreau is most well-known for his book Walden, in which he recounts the two years he lived in a small cabin in the woods near Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. Thoreau used the time to immerse himself in his writing and to live a more simple and self-sufficient life. As he put it:

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Ham Geography

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2012-13 English Class Materials

ESO Students,

These are the materials you will need for this schoolyear:

COMPULSORY

• Student's Book and Workbook (NB: EDITIONS IN SPANISH WILL NOT BE VALID).
• DIN-A4 sized notebook
• Blue ballpoint pen
• Pencil
• Rubber

ENGLISH IN MOTION 1 ESO Student's Book
by Campbell, Robert; Holley, Gill; and Metcalf, Robert
Richmond Publishing (Santillana)
2009 1 ed.
ISBN: 978-84-668-0934-4
(Workbook ISBN: 978-84-668-1140-8)

ENGLISH IN MOTION 2 ESO Student's Book

by Campbell, Robert; Holley, Gill; and Metcalf, Robert

Richmond Publishing (Santillana)

2009 1 ed.

ISBN: 978-84-668-0935-1

(Workbook ISBN: 978-84-668-1141-5)

ENGLISH IN MOTION 3 ESO Student's Book
by Campbell, Robert; Holley, Gill; and Metcalf, Robert
Richmond Publishing (Santillana)
2009 1 ed.
ISBN: 978-84-668-0936-8
(Workbook ISBN: 978-84-668-1146-0)

ENGLISH IN MOTION 4 ESO Student's Book

by Campbell, Robert; Holley, Gill; and Metcalf, Robert

Richmond Publishing (Santillana)

2009 1 ed.

ISBN: 978-84-668-0931-3 

(Workbook ISBN: 978-84-668-1149-1)

SUGGESTED

• Bilingual ENG-SPA dictionary
• USB memory stick
• PC, mobile phone or tablet (to use at home and visit www.laborenglishzone.blogspot.com.es ... of course)

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

September 2012 English Exams Schedule

ESO Students,

This is your September English exams schedule: 

Monday 3rd September, 09.00: ESO 4

Tuesday 4th September, 10.15: ESO 1

Tuesday 4th September, 11.30: ESO 2

Wednesday 5th September, 10.15: ESO 3

And this is the schedule if you are taking any resit exams on pending coursework from PREVIOUS SCHOOLYEARS:

Monday 3rd September, 16.00: ESO 1, 2 & 3

Good luck!

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Day 7 - MUJA... & Back Home

All's well that ends well... We' ve had 6 wonderful days of fun, sport and adventure.

We must say that our students' behaviour and attitude have been remarkable: We have been congratulated not only by the campsite manager and staff but also by every single guide, instructor or member of the organizations we have been with.

Breakfast is scheduled for 9 am as usual, and then, on our way back home, we are to stop at MUJA (Museum of the Jurassic), Colunga, around 10.30 am, where we'll learn some natural history and geology.

We'll stop at Mondoñedo for lunch, between 2.30 & 3.30 pm, so we estimate we won't arrive at Labor school (Camelias entrance) before 6.30 pm.

Have a wonderful summer!

Day 6 - Canyon Hiking + Llanes

Rain, rain & more rain. Not that it will bother us much today though, as we are to leave our campsite at 9.15 to go canyon hiking down the Trescares river all morning and early afternoon.

We'll return to Palacio de Garaña for lunch, where we'll also take some rest and pack our suitcases for tomorrow.

At 6.30 pm we'll go to Llanes (where we'll eat dinner), so that our students can know the town, do some shopping and enjoy the local late evening atmosphere.

We'll keep you posted.

Day 5 - Canoeing + Tito Bustillo Cave + Speleology

It's raining again, but what might at first sound like bad news it's not that bad after all. Actually, it's not rain, but this heavy, thick mist that looks like drizzle.

Anyway, this weather could be our greatest ally today, as we expect to spend 3 or 4 hours rowing down the Sella river. We've been told that down, deep in the valley sunny, hot conditions are more a problem than an advantage.

Breakfast is scheduled for 09.00, as usual. At 11.00 our coach is to drive us to Arriondas, about 30 mins from Palacio de Garaña campsite, where we are going to start paddling down the river for a stretch of some 5 miles on 2-seater canoes. We will take a packed lunch to enjoy on the river banks approximately halfway down the river.
In the afternoon we're going to vusit the impressive Tito Bustillo cave, Ribadesella.
At this time we're afraid we cannot guarantee any photographs due to the nature of the activities of the day. Late in the evening we'll try to supply you with the news of this 5th day of our trip.
All the best!

Day 4 - Multiadventure + Pría Blowholes

After yesterday's terrific trek today we deserve some rest... Or not so!

We are to stay put at our campsite all day: in the morning we are going to enjoy a multiadventure park and try segways and balanzbikes, among many other sport and adventure activities.

After lunch, some rest lazying by the pool and in the early evening we are going to see (and hopefully hear) the blowholes known as "Bufones de Pría" at the nearby cliffs (just 1 km from our campsite, so no need to use our coach today).

The weather at Palacio de Garaña seems to be better today than yesterday -- mists and fogs blotted the sun out all day long on the coast, pushed inland by the sea winds but blocked by the first steep barriers of the Picos de Europa. Hopefully we will be able to sunbathe and swim later on.

We'll be posting pics + news as it happens. Have a nice day!

Day 3 - Trekking on Covadonga

Although the trekking was scheduled for next Thursday, our mountain guides have decided we'd rather try it today as the weather forecast was just fine.

Right now the campsite lies beneath the morning mists (actually, there's a very soft drizzle moistening everything), but sunshine and warmer temperatures are expected for later on.

The coach is to take us to Enol and Ercina lakes, where we are going to trek for about 4 hours. We are taking a packed lunch to enjoy up there, among the awesome peaks of Picos de Europa.

Then we are going to drive down to Cangas de Onís for some sightseeing and maybe a little bit of souvenir shopping.

As usual, stay tuned on Labor English Zone. We'll try to update our news as it happens, but today we cannot guarantee it due to poor 3g coverage on the mountains.

TERRIFIC TREK!!! AWESOME!!!
Nacho, our guide from Nakel Sport, had our coach stop halfway up the 11 km road linking Covadonga and the Enol & Ercina lakes, right after the world-famous cycling challenge known as "La Huesera". We then had to cover the second half of the mountain: a tough, steep trek under extremely hot conditions, only occassionaly relieved by very gentle gusts of breeze. Our lads behaved bravely to overcome this difficult challenge. As Antía Suárez remarked in her graduation speech, fellowship and friendship were present all day long as everbody supported and helped everybody else, voluntereed to carry bachpacks and rucksacks when a friend seemed to be going thtough a difficult time, shared their water and lunch... Not only these ESO 4 kids are remarkable students, but at Labor we are proud to boast they are truly kindhearted, positive and supportive... There is another secondary school staying right now at this campsite and their teachers simply can't believe our students' good manners and gentle, excellent behaviour.

Day 2 - Palacio de Garaña, Ribadesella

We have arrived at Palacio de Garaña campsite, just halfway between Ribadesella and Llanes, and on the edge of the magnificent Picos de Europa mountain range, where we will be staying at nice bungalows during the rest of our trip.

It' relax time now, as we have to gather momentum for the busy days ahead

Day 2 - Gijón

Day 2 - Oviedo

Before going to Gijón, we have strolled around the old city of Oviedo and then we have stopped for a while at San Miguel de Lillo and Sta. María del Naranco, 9th Century Pre-Romanesque churches.

Sta. María del Naranco is a familiar image for evrybody as it has become a long-standing logo of the Asturias tourist board.

Day 1 -Cudillero

2nd stop, Cudillero. After having lunch and a little bit of sunbathing at Praia das Catedrais, we are now getting to know this typical, tiny fishermen town.

Day 1 - Off we go!

19 ESO 4 students start their graduation trip today. We are travelling to Asturias.
Today we are to stop at Praia das Catedrais for lunch. Then we are moving on to Oviedo, where we will stay for our first night out.
We'll keep you posted

Summer 2012 Remedial Task

ESO Students,

Here is your 2012 summer remedial assignment:

• ESO 1 and ESO 3 Students - You should solve the activities of the 9 'Self Check' that you will find in every unit of your Workbook.
• ESO 2 and ESO 4 Students- You should solve the activities of the 9 'Test' sections that you will find on the last page of every unit of your Student's Book.

Use an A-4 sized notebook to copy the formulation or wording of every activity and underline their key words. Then, translate that wording into Galician/Spanish and solve the activities.

This assignment is NOT COMPULSORY. You do not need to hand in your homework as it will NOT ADD ANY POINTS AT ALL TO YOUR SEPTEMBER MARK. However, we would like to advise you to prepare these activities if you want to be successful in your September remedial exams.

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ESO 4 Best 2012 Graduation Speech

ESO 4 Students,

Here is Antía Suárez's graduation speech. It is the best speech in ESO 4 this year, not only because of its contents, but also because she delivered it with fairly good pronunciation, rhythm and fluency and her stance, posture and eye-contact with the audience were remarkable.

Best students - 2011/12 3rd Term

Our best students of English during the 3rd Term have been:

1 ESO A - Andrea Cobo Arena (8.57) (3rd Time this schoolyear)

1 ESO B - Irene Sánchez Sanz (9.77) — Best overall ESO student of English in the 3rd Term!

2 ESO A - Antía Junqueira Leis (9.15) (2nd Time this schoolyear)

2 ESO B - Mario Quinteiro Sotelo (9.64) (3rd Time this schoolyear)

3 ESO A - Rodrigo Rodríguez González (9.34) (3rd Time this schoolyear)

3 ESO B - Candela Rodríguez Bernárdez (9.66)

4 ESO A - Miguel Romero Zapatero (9.66)

4 ESO B - Jessica Davila Prado (7.64) (3rd Time this schoolyear)

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 praiseworthy work ethics.

Congratulations!

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'Celta on the Attack', by David Cartlidge

ESO Students,

We give you now a post by David Cartlidge last 27th March (incidentally, Día de la Reconquista in Vigo).

Vigo’s a city used to being under attack. The Middle Ages saw Vikings successfully raid on several occasions, before Francis Drake came along in the 15^th and 16^th centuries to much avail – the Turkish even had a go later on. Now, the football team in the city are making their own attack – their most calculated in years.

Yesssss, Promotion!!!

This is it, lads!! Congratulations!! We've done it! RC Celta will play in the top football league next 2012-13 season. It has been hard, it has been difficult, but we truly deserved it, didn't we? RC Celta have scored more goals than any other team in their league and have displayed brilliant, top-class, attacking football. Forget about Madrid or Barcelona and support your hometown team. If you don't support it, who will? People from Barcelona or Madrid? Noooo, they won't. We must be proud of our city, of our club, of who we are and of where we live. Stand up proudly and shout with us:

HALAAAAA CELTAAAA!!

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