DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME

This Sunday morning, we'll be changing the time one hour ahead. Daylight saving time (DST)—also summer time in British English and European official terminology —is the practice of temporarily advancing clocks during the summertime so that afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less. Typically clocks are adjusted forward one hour near the start of spring and are adjusted backward in autumn. Modern DST was first proposed in 1895 by George Vernon Hudson. Many countries have used it since then.
The practice has been both praised and criticized. Adding daylight to afternoons benefits retailing, sports, and other activities that exploit sunlight after working hours, but causes problems for farming, evening entertainment and other occupations tied to the sun. Its effect on health and crime is less clear. Although an early goal of DST was to reduce evening usage of incandescent lighting, formerly a primary use of electricity, modern heating and cooling usage patterns differ greatly, and research about how DST currently affects energy use is limited or contradictory.
DST clock shifts present other challenges. They complicate timekeeping, and can disrupt meetings, travel, billing, recordkeeping, medical devices, heavy equipment, and sleep patterns. Software can often adjust computer clocks automatically, but this can be limited and error-prone, particularly when DST protocols are changed.

Video What's Daylight Savings Time?

Video Daylight Saving Time explained:

EARTH HOUR 2011

[Taken from: http://earthhour.wwf.org.uk/]
The whole world’s buzzing about Earth Hour! Earth Hour switch-offs start in the mid-Pacific - 8.30 Saturday morning our time - then you can trace the excitement as it spreads east, till it’s our turn at 8.30pm tonight.
Check out the memorable images from across the world as they come in.
Iconic landmarks going dark range from: Niagra Falls in Canada; Times Square in New York; the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio; Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Big Ben and the London Eye in the UK; the Alhambra in Spain; Eiffel Tower in Paris; Brandenburg Gate, Berlin; Tivoli, Copenhagen; Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe; Kuwait Towers; Milad Tower, Tehran; Davis Station, Antarctica; and of course the Sydney Opera House in Australia.

Video Earth Hour 2011 official video:

17th MARCH: SAINT PATRICK'S DAY

Saint Patrick's Day (Irish: Lá Fhéile Pádraig) is a religious holiday celebrated internationally on 17 March. It is named after Saint Patrick (c. AD 387–461), the most commonly recognised of the patron saint of Ireland.

The day is generally characterised by the attendance of church services,wearing of green attire (especially shamrocks), and the lifting of Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking, which is often proscribed during the rest of the season.
Saint Patrick's Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland,Newfoundlan and Labrador in Canada. It is also widely celebrated by the Irish diaspora, especially in places such as the Great Britain, the United States, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand, among others.

Over the years the colour green and its association with Saint Patrick's day grew.Green ribbons and shamrocks were worn in celebration of St Patrick's Day as early as the 17th century. He is said to have used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish, and the wearing and display of shamrocks and shamrock-inspired designs have become a ubiquitous feature of the day. In the 1798 rebellion, in hopes of making a political statement, Irish soldiers wore full green uniforms on 17 March in hopes of catching public attention. The phrase "the wearing of the green", meaning to wear a shamrock on one's clothing, derives from a song of the same name.

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated by the Irish and Irish at Heart in big cities and small towns alike with parades, "wearing of the green," music and songs, Irish food and drink, and activities for kids such as crafts, coloring and games. Its a time for fun. Some communities even go so far as to dye rivers or streams green!

Video lesson on St. Patrick's Day:

Video "How to celebrate St. Patrick's Day":

Video St. Patrick's Day parades in Dublin:

Video St. Patrick's Day song:

Lyrics to the song:

Happy St. Patrick's Day! The story of St Patrick's Day began so long ago

The lyrics in this song will tell you all you need to know

the seventeenth of March is when this joyous holiday

is celebrated happily with colorful parades.

Patrick was only sixteen when the pirates captured him

they sold him to slavery and took him to Ireland

He kept the faith and made his escape when he was twenty-two

and made it back to Britain 'twas the only home he knew

Patrick had a vision to return to Ireland and vowed to teach Christianity

until the bitter end legend says that Patrick used the shamrock to explain

that the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are all and one the same

On this day the Irish dress in many shades of green and some are feeling lucky

with the leprechauns they've seen it's music and fun for everyone

We'll party and we'll play. Come one, come all.

Come join along on this St. Paddy's Day!

GOING UNDERGROUND: A JOURNEY THROUGH LONDON & ITS HISTORY

On Wednesday, 16th at 12:30h, some of our students will be attending a theatre play at the assembly hall of nearby EOI (Language school) at 12:30h. We'll be watching the play "GOING UNDERGROUND" by Moving On Theatre Company. In their typical own style, we'll be enjoying the British capital, its culture, its history, and, of course, its Underground. The show has been performed 226 times last year with total success and positive feeback.

Plot: The London Underground is the oldest and one of the biggest in the world, The history and culture of Britain's capital city are inextricably linked with its famous Underground. A train journey through its stations is a journey through time and the chance to savour all that London has to offer. Apart from 273 Underground stations in use, there are more than 40 "Ghost stations", closed to public and trains. In times of economic crisis, there are plans to convert some of these stations into underground car parks.

Bob is an eccentric teacher with a passion for the history of London. Today she is taking her students to Down Street Station so they can see its original state before the works begin to demolish it. When they arrive at the station, they find Harry, whose great grandfather built the station working there. The attempts to convince the authorities not to go ahead with the demolition will take us all on a comical, musical and educational journey through London and its history. Together, we will try and save the station and Harry's home.

Video "Going Underground" @ EOI-A Coruña, March 2011:

REMEMBERING MIGUEL DELIBES

[A year after he died & his connection with "Rafael Dieste" Secondary School]

Miguel Delibes, the Spanish writer, died a year ago, today, and a few days later, on 23rd March 2010, our school appeared on the local newspaper "La Voz de Galicia" in connection with him. It was remembering when Delibes had written a letter to some students of Rafael Dieste Secondary School in A Coruña.

It was the answer to other 20 letters, which each 14-year-old students had sent to him asking questions about his novel "El camino". They had read it during that course (2001-02). They asked him many questions on the book and its characters and he answered with a carefully handwritten letter. Starting with "A mis queridos amigos galleguiños", he explained about the village where his book's characters lived: Molledo, which is a real village, not in Castille, but in Santander. It was the village where his father was born and where he had spent many summers. He also considered the student's suggestions amusing and interesting and admitted they could have featured in his novel.

Isabel, the Spanish literature teacher, who got her students to write to him, says it was very generous of him to do so.

ANOTHER EARTHQUAKE & TSUNAMI, NOW IN JAPAN

Japan's most powerful earthquake since records began has struck the north-east coast, triggering a massive tsunami. Cars, ships and buildings were swept away by a wall of water after the 8.9-magnitude quake, which struck about 400km (250 miles) north-east of Tokyo. A state of emergency has been declared at a nuclear power plant but officials said there were no radiation leaks.
The death toll is unclear, but police say 200 to 300 bodies have been found in the port city of Sendai. At least 90 other people are reported to have died, and many more are unaccounted for.

Measured at 8.9 by the US Geological Survey, the tremor struck at 1446 local time (0546 GMT) at a depth of about 24km.
The first waves from the tsunami have reached the US mainland at Oregon, and people have been evacuated from coastal areas of that state and in California and Washington.
Some of the biggest waves of between 6-7ft (about 2m) would hit near California's Crescent City, predicted the US National Weather Service.
The waves earlier passed Hawaii, but there were no reports of major damage.
A tsunami warning was extended across the Pacific to North and South America, where many other coastal regions were evacuated, but the alert has since been lifted in most parts, including the Philippines, Australia, China and Indonesia.

Video of the news on TV:

After the earthquake and tsunami now the worries are about the nuclear threat as some of Japanese nuclear plants have been seriously affected, specially at Fukushima, and leaks are feared. Here is a recent video:

8th MARCH: 100th INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

International Women's DaY, originally called International Working Women’s Day is marked on March 8 every year. Nowadays this is a major day of global celebration of women. In different regions the focus of the celebrations ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration for women's economic, political and social achievements.

Tuesday, 8TH March 2011 will be the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day. For the second year running, Women for Women International is organising the ‘Join Me on the Bridge’ campaign. On this day, women, men and children around the world will meet on bridges to show solidarity and support for women who are helping their war torn nations to lay down arms, resolve their conflicts, and move toward a peaceful future. The main campaign is for women around the globe to live in a more secure world, have the chance of earning a sustainable living, and - now more than ever - have an equal voice at the decision-making tables in building the bridges of peace for our future.

Video JOIN US ON THE BRIDGE, 8th March:

SWEDISH POP DUO ROXETTE ARE BACK 10 YEARS AFTER

Roxette is a Swedish pop music duo, consisting of Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle. The group enjoyed worldwide success from the late 1980s until the mid-1990s, gaining nineteen UK Top 40 hits and four US #1 singles with, "The Look", "Listen to Your Heart", "It Must Have Been Love" and "Joyride", "Dangerous", "Fading Like a Flower","Dressed for Success".

After a stop in the mid-1990s, their popularity continued in other territories such as Europe and South America, where they earned various Gold and Platinum awards until the beginning of the new millennium. The duo took a break from recording and touring, when in 2002, Fredriksson was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Roxette took to the stage together again for the first time in 8 years, in 2009 and 2010.

Their songs continue to receive radio airplay, with "It Must Have Been Love" and "Listen to Your Heart" both recently receiving awards for achieving four million radio plays. They have sold an estimated 60 million records worldwide.
On 23 October 2009, the Swedish newspaper Expressen reported that Roxette were recording new songs. Per stated that he had been working on new material for an upcoming album since May 2009.
In early November 2010 it was announced that Roxette would undertake a full world tour, expected to start on March 1, 2011 in Russia with the latest concert announced to date being 31 July 2011 in Belgium.
On 3rd December 2010 Per Gessle confirmed that the 8th Roxette album, Charm School, will be released on February 11 2011 and preceded by the first single "She's Got Nothing On (But The Radio)" on January 10 2011. Here's the video with the lyrics below.

Video "SHE'S GOT NOTHING ON (BUT THE RADIO)", Roxette:

What she got she got to give it to somebody
What she got she got to give it to someone
It's not a case of growin' up or lots of money
It's just the fundamental twist of the sun
What she got she got to let somebody find it (- "Really?")
What she got is not for her to keep alone (- "Oh!")
Nobody's got a clue if there is such a reason (- "Yea?")
Why she wanna play it o-on her own
She's got nothing on but the radio
She's a passion play
And like the break of day
She takes my breath away
What she got she got to give to some contender
What she got is just like gold dust on a shelf
And no one's got a clue what's on her brave agenda
Why she wanna keep it keep it to herself
(Repeat chorus)
Who did the painting on my wall?
Who left a poem down the hall?
Oh I don't understand at all, he-he-hey (Repeat chorus)

And here's some of their greatest hits with lyrics & translations included:

Video !IT MUST HAVE BEEN LOVE"+lyrics:

Video "SPENDING MY TIME"+lyrics:

Video "LISTEN TO YOUR HEART"+lyrics:

Link to "FADING LIKE A FLOWER", Roxette+translation subtitles:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yW7axja9lo&feature=BF&list=PLAFA5B89D4C348470&index=36

Video with Roxette's story in English and an interview with Marie & Per in Swedish with English subtitles:

Video chronology of all their greatest hits:

CARNIVAL TIME (2): MARDI GRAS OR FAT TUESDAY

The terms "Mardi Gras", "Mardi Gras season", and "Carnival season",in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after Epiphany and ending on the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday" (in ethnic English tradition, Shrove Tuesday), referring to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season, which started on Ash Wednesday. Related popular practices were associated with celebrations before the fasting and religious obligations associated with the penitential season of Lent. Popular practices included wearing masks and costumes, overturning social conventions, dancing, sports competitions, parades, etc. Similar expressions to Mardi Gras appear in other European languages sharing the Christian tradition. In English, the day is called Shrove Tuesday, associated with the religious requirement for confession before Lent begins.
Carnival is an important celebration in Catholic European nations. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the week before Ash Wednesday is called "shrovetide", ending on Shrove Tuesday. It has its popular celebratory aspects as well. Pancakes are a traditional food. Pancakes and related fried breads or pastries made with sugar, fat and eggs are also traditionally consumed at this time in many parts of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Today, Mardi Gras is colourful street carnivals, marching bands, dancing and all-night partying in the streets. Many people dress up in spectacular costumes and wear beautiful masks. The biggest Mardis Gras carnivals are in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), and New Orleans (USA). Thousands of people from all over the world visit these cities to join in the fun. Venice (Italy) is home to one of the oldest carnivals in the world, which dates back to 1268. Thousands of mask-wearing people fill the Venetian streets and attend special masked balls. In Sydney, Australia, Mardis Gras is celebrated by the city’s gay and lesbian community with street parades and costumes.

More on Carnival:
Look for previous entry in this blog on February, 8th, 2010 or under the labels Carnival & Tradition, called IT'S CARNIVAL TIME.

Links to Carnival sites:

- Notting Hill Carnival (London)

- Mardi Gras (New Orleans)

Video Krewes at New Orleans 2006 Mardi Gras:

TIM BOWLEY & CHARO PITA: STORYTELLING IN ENGLISH & GALICIAN

Tim Bowley e Charo Pita, a British-man and a Galician-girl make up an artistic duo that go around the world telling stories. Tim with his powerful voice starts off the story in English and later Charo starts it in Galician... the same story from two cultures, two ages, two languages that blend in a unqiue and funny show.

They'll be back at our school for the third time, tomorrow, Thursday 3rd March. For 1st & 2nd ESO students at 10:30h & 11:20h, respectively, at our assembly hall.