American English X British English

Some of us, when first got in touch with English may have thought, am I gonna learn/speak American or British English? I can only understand Americans, but I can't British people...

According to Linguistics there isn't such difference, both are the same language. What makes them differ are some aspects like: vocabulary, pronunciation, spelling and really few grammar rules.

If you think about vocabulary and spelling, there goes a very useful list of synonyms between American and British English - http://www22.brinkster.com/abistene/doubts/AmExBrE.htm

About pronunciation perhaps the biggest difference between British and American English lies in here. In British English, many vowels have different sounds and are usually not nasalized. Stressed vowels are usually longer in American English. In packet, for example, the "a" is longer. #In British English, the "a" in words like can't, class and fast is pronounced at the back of the mouth whereas in America English it's pronounced at the front of the mouth.

#In British English the consonant /r/ is pronounced only before a vowel (for example in red and bedroom). In all other cases the /r/ is silent, sounding more similar to the sound "ah" (for example in car, learn, over). In American English the /r/ is always pronounced wherever it appears in word.
#In American English the "t" between vowels is pronounced as a soft "d" (/d/), so that writer and rider sound similar. British English speakers usually pronounce the "t" as /t/.
#The pot is hot - In British English, the "o" in words like pot and hot is pronounced by rounding lips.
These are just a few of the many differences in pronunciation between British and American English. British English also has a different rhythm, which makes it sounds more "clipped" and emphatic. American English, on the other hand, tends to sound more drawled.

Concerning grammar here are the major differences:

a - Present Perfect x Simple Past - In American English (AmE) the Simple Past can be used with already, just and yet. In British English (BrE), the Present Perfect is used with these adverbs. AmE: I already gave her the present vs. BrE: I have already given her the present

b - Have x Have got - In BrE it is possible to use have got or have to express the idea of possession. In AmE only have can be used in questions and negative sentences.

BrE: Have you got a computer? Yes, I have vs. Ame: Do you have a computer? Yes, I do

c - Prepositions and particles
Some prepositions and particles are used differently in British and American English:
American English / British English
checking something (out) / check something
different from/than / different from/to
do something over/again / do something again
in a course / on a course
live on X street / live in X street
look around the church / look (a)round the church
Monday through/ to friday / Monday to friday
on a team / in a team
on the weekend / at the weekend
ten after/past four (time) / ten past four
ten to/of/before/till four / ten to four
stay home / stay at home]

d - Form of the Adverb - In informal American English the adverb form ending in -ly is often not used: He looked at me really strangely. (BrE) vs. He looked at me really strange. (AmE)

e - Irregular Verbs - In British English the past simple and past participle of many verbs can be formed with -ed or -t, for example, burned/burnt. In American English only the forms ending in -ed are used:
They burned/burnt the documents. (BrE) vs. They burned the documents. (NAmE)
When the past participle is used as an adjective, British English prefer the -t form, whereas in American English the -ed form is preferred, (with the exception of burnt):
a spoilt child (BrE) vs. a spoiled child (NAmE) burnt toast (BrE and NAmE)
f - Go x Come and...
In these expressions "and" is often omitted:
Go and take a look outside. (BrE) vs. Go take a look outside. (NAmE)

g - On the telephone
Hello, is that David? (BrE) vs. Hello, is this David (NAmE)

That's it fellas!!! Next time you get worried about having American or British English, just keep in mind to use the language properly, regardless it's American or British.

"England and America are two countries separated by a common language." (George Bernard Shaw, Irish writer - 1856-1950)

Citizen Journalism

Citizen journalism’. ‘Citizen journalism’. You probably know both of those words on their own. A citizen? A member of a city or state. You may even remember ‘netizen’, ‘a citizen of the internet’. I expect you know that a journalist is generally someone who writes for a newspaper or magazine. But what does it mean when you put the two words together?
The incredible rise of the internet has brought countless changes to the way we communicate and get our information. It’s hard to think of any aspect of our daily lives which hasn’t been affected by the spread of the internet and mobile technology, and news and journalism is certainly no exception.
The easy availability of mobile phones which can take high quality video and photographs and record sound means that almost anybody who is on the scene of a newsworthy event is able to record it. News organisations are only too happy to use the public as a vast - and cheap - source of content for its news items, as it’s impossible to have reporters and correspondents everywhere. In fact, in a sense, we have become their eyes and ears on the ground. We can all become ‘citizen journalists’, although many ‘real journalists’ are not happy with the idea that everybody can do what they do…
Think of some memorable recent news events… you can bet that some of the images which you associate with them are examples of ‘citizen journalism’. Coverage of the Asian tsunami, the London bombings in 2005, the floods in New Orleans, or the terrorist attacks in Mumbai all made extensive use of mobile phone photos and video sent in by members of the public. When a plane was forced to land in the Hudson River in January 2009, the most up-to-date news came from ordinary people using Twitter on their mobiles to describe what was happening and send pictures.
I sometimes imagine what it would be like if current mobile technology had been around at key moments in history. Can you imagine watching mobile phone footage of the last moments of the Titanic, or the storming of the Bastille in Paris? Going further back, what if we had mobile phone footage of the Great Fire of London or the Battle of Hastings?

If you could be a citizen journalist in any historical period, which specific event would you like have witnessed?

Stay tuned with the best music in English

Since we'll be dealing with some musical affairs for the following weeks, I'd like to bring to you a good way to stay tuned with the best of English songs ever.

The United Kingdom, specially England, is famous for providing the best music artists of all time such as The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Elton John, Queen, George Michael and more recent stars like Oasis, Coldplay, Amy Winehouse, Lilly Allen...

How to listen to their songs without having to buy their albuns? If you thought about downloading, I'm sorry but there's a better way dudes. It's gonna save you space on your hard disk and time.

There are some great radio stations broadicasting live music on the internet. I'd like to present you "Absolute Radio"!

Absolute Radio (formerly Virgin Radio) is one of the UK's three Independent National Radio stations. The station rebranded to its current name at 7.45am on 29 September 2008. The station is based in London and plays popular rock music. It currently broadcasts on mediumwave and DAB across the UK, on 105.8 FM in London. The station also recently launched on the new free to air satellite service Freesat (channel 724). It is also available in other parts of the world via satellite, cable, and on the Internet.

Here goes the link to the radio webpage www.absoluteradio.co.uk/

There are some procedures in order to get ready to listen to the radio, just click on the blue tag at the top of the page. If you think that's complicated, scroll down and you're gonna see a black part where all the information necessary to get tuned is available.

For the students participation in class, you just need to listen to radio and tell the class as many songs as possible you heard (songs titles), the artists, the ones you may have liked, and if you came across to something really extraordinary in terms of music.

Have Fun and Discover Real Music!!!

Swine Flu Outbreaks

Media reports suggest that the deadly H1N1 swine flu virus, which has killed sixteen people and infected hundreds worldwide, is continuing to spread. According to the United Nations' World Health Organisation, there are a total of 331 confirmed cases of swine flu throughout the world, with hundreds more suspected cases.
The WHO raised its pandemic alert level to its fifth level on Friday, on a scale of one to six, and has said that it is possible that a transition to the highest level will be made.

In a televised address, Mexican president Felipe Calderon encouraged people to stay at home with their families, saying that there is "no place as safe as your own home."

Brazil investigates 2 suspect cases and Anvisa asks the population to avoid panic.

The Brazilian government complained last Monday that Mexican authorities took too long to inform other countries of its swine flu outbreak. Brazil has so far not reported any cases of swine flu, the Health Ministry said.
"In such cases as these there cannot be such a delay in notification. Brazil has a habit of not hiding serious public health cases," said Agenor Alvares, general director of the public Agency for Health Surveillance (Anvisa).
"They have been having cases since March, and we only found out a couple a days," Alvares complained.

Should we be alarmed? Should we avoid traveling overseas? Should we consider wearing masks in order to prevent infection? Should we restrict acess of people from countries with the reported disease cases?

Think about it guys! I wanna hear you sharing your opinions about that next Wednesday.

Easter History

Origin of Easter festival dates back to the Pagan times. It is celebrated to honor the Jesus’ return to life. There are many legends associated with Easter history. One of the Easter story says, that the very name Easter has been derived from Eostre, who was the Anglo Saxon Goddess of spring. Thus, it is also said that the Easter celebration is actually dedicated to the refreshing spring season. This Pagan holiday, Easter is one of the principal religious festivals of Christians. It was earlier addressed as the festivity of Eostre that always occurred during the period of vernal equinox, when the ratio of day to night was exactly the same.

But some of the legends say, that this festival Easter actually owes its origin to the Hebrew tradition, instead of the Christian tradition. According to the Hebrew lunar calendar, it falls in the first month also known as ‘Nisan’. According to Hebrew tradition, the reason behind its celebration is that, it was during this period, that Israel after having suffered for 300 years finally got rescued from the bondage of Egypt. But in all the legends, one thing that is emphasized is that, Easter is a grand holiday that is celebrated to glorify the victory of life over death and light over darkness.

Here are some ideas about various Easter symbols:
Easter Cross: cross is a symbol that reminds us of the sacrifice that Jesus had made for the mankind. On the Easter day, the cross is beautified with fresh white lilies.
Easter Eggs: Easter eggs are among the most prominent symbols of Easter that signify fertility. During the Easter week, competitions are held on Easter egg painting. In fact during this period, the gift shops witness a booming sale of Easter egg ornaments.
Easter Bunnies: Easter bunny owes its origin to the Anglo Saxon goddess called Eostre, who was always seen with her bunny. This bunny had laid the first colored eggs. Cute plump Easter bunny rabbits are in the hottest category of kids' shopping list during the Easter festivity.
Easter Lilies: Easter flower, Lily signifies purity and therefore it is also associated with mother Mary. To glorify the resurrection of Lord Jesus, the churches are beautified with flower vases stocked with gorgeous white lilies.

Here are some Easter facts: -
Easter always falls between March 22 and April 25. In Western Christianity, Easter marks the end of Lent, a period of fasting and penitence in preparation for Easter, which begins on Ash Wednesday and lasts forty days (not counting Sundays). The week before Easter, known as Holy Week, is very special in the Christian tradition. The Sunday before Easter is Palm Sunday and the last three days before Easter are Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday (sometimes referred to as Silent Saturday).
Pysanka is a specific term used for the practice of Easter egg painting.
From the very early times, egg has been considered to be the most important symbol of rebirth.
The initial baskets of Easter were given the appearance of bird's nests.
The maiden chocolate eggs recipes were made in Europe in the nineteenth century.
A must play Easter game for American kids is Easter egg roll.
A special dish for Easter springtime in USA is baked ham, potatoes and vegetables. Another most demanding recipe is hot cross buns.

Let me know your thoughts about Easter!!

P.S. Dear students, I love chocolates, specially Easter Eggs...

Big Brother

I'm not a TV addicted, when I have time, I'm pretty much interested in sports events and some live music performances. Once in a while I zap to a movie.

However, every beginning of a new year, maybe because i have lots of spare time, I get my attention directed to a certain reality show. First I say, huummm the contestans this year are not that interesting. It's an attempt to not stay tuned to that. But it's just a matter of time, in this case the first eviction. It's done. I'm already contaminated by this virus. What is really intriguing for me is to observe the different personalities living together, dealing with their own demons/conflits and fighting to stay the longest possible in the show. Here goes a little description of this show across the globe. Big Brother.

Big Brother is a reality tv show where, in each series, a group of people live together in the Big Brother House, isolated from the outside world but continuously watched by television cameras. Each series lasts for around three months, and there are usually fewer than 16 participants. The housemates try to win a cash prize by avoiding periodic evictions from the house. The idea for the show came during a brainstorm session at the production house of John de Mol Produkties (an independent part of Endemol) on September 4, 1997. The first Big Brother broadcast was in the Netherlands in 1999 on the Veronica TV channel. It has been a prime-time hit in almost 70 countries.

Though each country has made its own adaptations and changes to the format, the general concept has stayed the same: "housemates" are confined to a specially designed house where their every action is recorded by cameras and microphones at all times and they are not permitted any contact with the outside world.
In most versions, at regular intervals, normally once weekly (introduced in the UK version, although in most early series it was every two weeks), the housemates are invited to vote to have one of a number of nominated housemates evicted from the House. In some cases, two housemates may be evicted simultaneously (a "double eviction"), or rarely, no housemates will be removed for that week. At the end of the game, the last remaining housemate is declared winner of that particular series and receives prizes, often including a large amount of money, a car, a holiday and (in some editions) a house.

Big Brother Brasil has introduced a currency, the "Estaleca" (Z$), used by the housemates on the weekly shopping of groceries and other useful goods for the house. It also introduced the "Big Phone" feature, which consists on prizes or punishments to whomever answers the phone (or, if allowed, to someone else of their choice); sometimes housemates are sent straight to the elimination match just because they answered it.
The 9th Brazilian season featured the "Bubble", a glass house built inside a mall in Rio de Janeiro where 4 housemate-wannabes lived for a week until 2 of them were voted to enter the actual household. Later in the same season, a new "Bubble" was built inside the Big Brother household, with another 2 housemates living inside it for a week until they were voted in and the glass house dismantled.

Brazilian Winners:

Season 1, 2002: Kléber de Paula

Season 2, 2002: Rodrigo Leonel (cowboy)

Season 3, 2003: Dhomini Ferreira

Season 4, 2004: Cida da Silva (nanny)

Season 5, 2005: Jean Wyllys

Season 6, 2006: Mara Viana

Season 7, 2007: Diego Gasques (The German)

Season 8, 2008: Rafinha Ribeiro

Who's gonna be the next big thing? Let me know your guesses!!

Muslim World

This week, we've discussed about Culture differences in some countries. Many cultures have millenary traditions such as: Japanese culture, Chinese culture, Indian culture and the Muslin culture just to mention some. As the Muslin world is quite different from the reality we are accustomed in Brazil, it is important to have a look at some cultural aspects on these people.

The term Muslim world (or Islamic world) has several meanings. In a cultural sense it refers to the worldwide community of Muslims, adherents of Islam. This community numbers about 1.3-1.5 billion people, roughly one-fifth of the world population. This community is spread across many different nations and ethnic groups connected only by religion.

ROLES OF MEN AND WOMEN

1) Wives are considered the sexual property of their husbands.
Qur'an 2:223 Your wives are a tilth (cultivated land) for you, so go into your tilth when you like, and send beforehand for yourselves.

2) Muslim wives are to be totally dependent and obedient to their husbands.
Qur'an 4:34 Men are the maintainers of women, with what Allah has made some of them to excel others and with what they spend out of their wealth. So the good women are obedient, guarding the unseen as Allah has guarded. And those on whose part you fear desertion, admonish them, and leave them alone in the beds and chastise them. So if they obey you, seek not a way against them.

3) Men can divorce and remarry the same women many times.
Qur'an 2:230 So if he divorces her (the third time), she shall not be lawful to him afterwards until she marries another husband. If he divorces her, there is no blame on them both if they return to each other (by marriage), if they think that they can keep within the limits of Allah. And these are the limits of Allah which He makes clear for a people who know.

4) Men can marry up to four women if they can support them currently.
Qur'an 4:3 And if you fear that you cannot do justice to orphans, marry such women as seem good to you, two, or three, or four; but if you fear that you will not do justice, then marry only one or that which your right hands possess. This is more proper that you may not do injustice.

5) Childbearing Muslim women should be fully covered in public.
Qur'an 24:31 And say to the believing women that they lower their gaze and restrain their sexual passions and do not display their adornment except what appears thereof. And let them wear their head-coverings over their bosoms. And they should not display their adornment except to their husbands or their fathers, or the fathers of their husbands, or their sons, or the sons of their husbands, or their brothers, or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or those whom their right hands possess, or guileless male servants, or the children who know not women's nakedness. And let them not strike their feet so that the adornment that they hide may be known. And turn to Allah all, O believers, so that you may be successful.

6) Only old women can go out in public without being fully covered.
Qur'an 24:60 And women past childbearing, who hope not for marriage, it is no sin for them if they put off their clothes without displaying their adornment. And if they are modest, it is better for them.

MUSLIM FORBIDDEN FOODS

1) Faithful Muslims cannot eat bacon or sausage for breakfast in the name of Jesus Christ.
Qur'an 2:173 He has forbidden you only what dies of itself, and blood, and the flesh of swine, and that over which any other name than that of Allah has been invoked.

2) Faithful Muslims cannot eat a ham sandwich for lunch in the name of Jesus Christ.
Qur'an 5:3 Forbidden to you is that which dies of itself, and blood, and flesh of swine, and that on which any other name than that of Allah has been invoked, and the strangled animal, and that beaten to death, and that killed by a fall, and that killed by goring with the horn, and that which wild beasts have eaten - except what you slaughter; and that which is sacrificed on stones set up for idols, and that you seek to divide by arrows; that is a transgression.

3) Faithful Muslims cannot eat pork chops for dinner in the name of Jesus Christ.
Qur'an 6:146 Say, I find not in that which is revealed to me nothing forbidden for an eater to eat thereof, except that it be what dies of itself, or blood poured forth, or flesh of swine - for that surely is unclean - or what is a transgression, other than the name of Allah having been invoked on it.

4) Faithful Muslims will starve unless the food is blessed in the name of Allah only.
Qur'an 16:115 He has forbidden you only what dies of itself and blood and the flesh of swine and that over which any other name than that of Allah has been invoked.

RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE

1) Allah is the only true god and Islam is the only true religion.
Qur'an 3:82 Seek they then other than Allah's religion? And to Him submits whoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and to Him they will be returned.

2) Islam will prevail over all religions, cultures, and countries.
Qur'an 9:33 He it is Who sent His Messenger with guidance and the Religion of Truth, that He may cause it to prevail over all religions, though the polytheists are averse.

3) Muslims are warned against converting to Christianity.
Qur'an 3:99 O you who believe, if you obey a party from among those who have been the Book (the Bible), they will turn you back as disbelievers after your belief.
Note: Anyone who abandons Islam faces the death penalty in Saudi Arabia.

4) Religious dialog with Muslims will be almost impossible.
Qur'an 61:8-9 They (Christian apologists) desire to put out the light of Allah with their mouths (not with guns), but Allah will perfect His light, though the disbelievers may be averse. He it is Who sent His Messenger with the guidance and the true religion, that He may make it overcome the religions, all of them, though the polytheists may be averse.

Getting to Know New York City - NYC Experiences to Avoid

I was thinking of posting here some tips about the city that never sleeps in the world, New York.

I've never been to New York, but I do wish getting there and having the best time there. What follows is what a very respectable travel editor suggests when going to the big apple.

New York has so much going for it, the good overwhelms the bad. But there is bad, and I'm not talking about the obvious. I'm talking about experiences that might be perceived as good, but take my word for it: They are not. So, despite what you have heard, the following are a few experiences you must do your best to avoid:

New Year's Eve in Times Square: You see the event on television every year, and now you're here. This is your chance to be one of the hundreds of thousands of revelers packed tightly together in the frigid cold to watch the ball drop. Don't do it! Despite the happy faces you see on television, the whole thing is a miserable experience and not worth the forced elation of blowing on a noisemaker at midnight with half a million others. And you won't find many New Yorkers here; we know better.

Three-Card Monte: When you see a crowd gathered around a cardboard box with one man flipping cards, madly enticing innocent rubes into his game, while another guy scans the crowd for undercover cops, keep on walking. Don't stop and listen to the dealer's spiel or think you can be the one to beat him at his game. You can't. Buy a lottery ticket instead; your odds are much better.

Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides: Pity those poor beasts of burden. They get dragged out in the heat (though not extreme heat) and cold (though not extreme cold) with a buggy attached to them just to give passengers the feel of an old-world, romantic buggy ride through Central Park. But the horses look so forlorn, as if it's the last thing they want to do. And they don't even get a cut of the generous take: $40 for a 20-minute ride, $60 for 45 minutes, excluding tip. If you want a slow, leisurely ride through Central Park, minus the ripe and frequent smell of horse poop, consider an alternative called Manhattan Rickshaw Company (tel. 212/604-4729). The beast of burden behind the rickshaw has two legs, and the rate is about $1 per minute.

Chain Restaurants: Oh yes; they're here, probably to stay -- and most likely with more to come. I'm referring to those restaurants with familiar names like Olive Garden, Applebee's, Red Lobster, and Domino's. When you begin to feel the pangs of hunger, ask yourself: Did I come to New York to eat exactly what I can eat in every city or town in this country? Or did I come here to experience what makes New York so unique? Well, that includes the amazing variety of unchained restaurants, from the coffee shops and diners to the bargain-priced ethnic cuisine and higher-end dining experiences. So bypass the old standards, and try something different and exciting. You won't regret it.

Electronics Stores: You might notice a wealth of electronics stores in and around Times Square, on Fifth Avenue, or wherever gullible tourists frequent. Many of the stores post banners advertising a GOING OUT OF BUSINESS sale. These guys have been going out of business since the Stone Age. That's the bait and switch; pretty soon you've spent too much money for not enough stereos or cameras or MP3 players. The people who work at these stores are a special breed of shark; they work you hard to take their deal. Don't even get close enough to let them sink their fangs into you because when they do, you're usually theirs for the taking.

The Feast of San Gennaro: At one time this was a distinct and genuine Italian feast (please see the films Godfather II and Mean Streets for the Feast in the good old days). Its decline has pretty much coincided with the decline of Little Italy, a neighborhood that is just a shell of what it once was. Now the Feast, held annually for 2 weeks in September, is just an overblown and overcrowded street fair with bad food, cheap red wine, and games of chance you have no chance of winning.

Driving in the City: You have been warned already about driving in the city, but some people are stubborn and just can't give up the so-called freedom of maneuvering a car in heavy traffic, battling yellow cabs, and searching fruitlessly for a legal parking spot. With subways, buses, and your feet, New York has the best and fastest public transportation. A car is a luxury you want no part of.

2009 Oscar Predictions: Previewing the Best Films of 2008

Hi guys. I'm not an Oscar addicted, but at this time of the year, everybody gets curious, excited about the Oscar nominees. People cheer for their greatest stars and run to the theaters in order to see the best movies before the Oscar ceremony. Here are the nominees for the most important Academy categories.

Let's hurry to the movies. We still have some time left!!!

''Benjamin Button'' and ''Slumdog Millionaire'' lead with 13 and 10 nominations, respectively; Heath Ledger gets a Best Supporting Actor nod, but ''The Dark Knight'' snubbed in Best Picture and Best Director categories.

With 13 nominations — including Best Picture, Best Actor (Brad Pitt), Best Supporting Actress (Taraji P. Henson), and Best Director (David Fincher) — The Curious Case of Benjamin Button leads the field of Academy Award contenders announced this morning in Los Angeles. As expected, Slumdog Millionaire scored big too, nabbing 10 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director (Danny Boyle), and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Not surprisingly, Heath Ledger was recognized for his supporting role in The Dark Knight, but a widely anticipated Best Picture nomination didn't happen, and director Christopher Nolan came up empty as well. Other notable snubs: Clint Eastwood and Leonardo DiCaprio's turns in Gran Torino and Revolutionary Road, respectively. (Click over to PopWatch after reading the full list of nominees below to post your nominees for most frustrating Oscar omissions.)

The Academy Awards will be handed out on Feb. 22. Below, the complete list of nominees.
BEST PICTURE:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Frost/Nixon

Milk

The Reader

Slumdog Millionaire

BEST DIRECTOR:

Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon

Stephen Daldry, The Reader

Gus Van Sant, Milk

BEST ACTOR:

Richard Jenkins, The Visitor

Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon

Sean Penn, Milk

Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

BEST ACTRESSAnne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married

Angelina Jolie, Changeling

Melissa Leo, Frozen River

Meryl Streep, Doubt

Kate Winslet, The Reader

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

Josh Brolin, Milk

Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt

Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

Amy Adams, Doubt

Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Viola Davis, Doubt

Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:

Frozen River, Courtney Hunt

Happy-Go-Lucky, Mike Leigh

In Bruges, Martin McDonagh

Milk, Dustin Lance Black

WALL-E, Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Pete Docter

Michelle Pfeiffer: 'Society is beauty obsessed'

What follows is the story of a beautiful woman who fears that ageing will spell the end of her career.
But it is only a story - for Hollywood star Michelle Pfeiffer, who turned 50 last year, is very much on top of her game. Her looks have not faded either, those perfectly sculpted cheekbones and aqua-blue eyes are still described by many critics as "angelic".
It was perhaps her combination of age and good looks which inspired The Queen director Stephen Frears to cast Pfeiffer in his latest project, Cheri. She plays Lea, a retired, middle-aged courtesan in 1920s Paris, who is in love with a much younger man.
"It feels like society as a whole has become more and more youth and beauty obsessed, even since those days," says Pfeiffer.
"At the same time though, there are more opportunities for women. It's much more socially acceptable now for older women to be with a younger man. I always say 50 is the new 30 now.

However, Pfeiffer's film roles have been few and far between in recent years as she stepped back from the limelight to raise her family.
Cheri, adapted from two novels by Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, is her first dramatic leading role for more than six years.
It reunites her with Frears, the director of her 1989 hit Dangerous Liasons, as well as screenwriter Christopher Hampton.
But Pfeiffer brushes off comments that the film-makers were aiming to recapture former glories. "There is nothing formulaic about either of them, " she says.
"I think we probably have similar taste in material. I was thrilled when Stephen called me and talked to me about this project. I just felt so lucky." Lucky too, that she could return to film in France, where Dangerous Liasons was also set?

'Warmly received'
"Back to France!" she laughs. " I just loved it. It all happened so quickly - I couldn't believe that they managed to pull it together."
In truth, the funding was probably secured on the strength of Pfeiffer's name, and that of Kathy Bates, who signed up as Lea's adversary, the bitter, gossiping Madame Peloux.
Pride and Prejudice actor Rupert Friend plays Lea's younger lover, the titular Cheri, and completes the cast.
The movie has been warmly received after its world premiere this week at the Berlin Film Festival, with The Times describing it as "a breezy, bittersweet fondant fancy of a film".

But while Pfeiffer believes that today's Hollywood stars are under more pressure to maintain their youthful looks than the Parisian courtesans of the Belle Epoque, she is grateful for at least one development.
"As a courtesan, Lea has one of the very few chances of financial independence in those days for women," she explains. "But it didn't come without its price. She never married, she made the choice never to have children, as she didn't want her offspring to have that kind of life too.
"Not only is she isolated because of the social taboos of her profession but she's isolated in her own world as well."

'Liberated'
That has not been Pfeiffer's experience at all. Happily married with two children, she claims the acting parts she gets offered have only improved with time.
"I feel more liberated as I get older," she says. "There's less pressure to prove myself.
"I'm so lucky to have the choices I have, live the life that I lead and to juggle family and work.
"To have the dilemma of a job that I love going to do, or staying at home with the family - as dilemmas go, they're not bad ones to have."
She admits, almost cheerfully, that she has been asked about getting older "since I turned 35".
That was in 1993 - mere months after she had donned a full-body PVC catsuit for Batman Returns.
So how is it that she seems not to have aged since that award-nominated appearance ("most desirable female" at the MTV movie awards)? "When I'm not working I stay out of sight and, like everyone else, I let myself go," she admitted to journalists at a Berlin press conference.
"But I eat very well and exercise... and I have good genes."
Cheri will be released in the UK next month.

BBC Learning English

There is a very useful webpage for those who miss an envirnment full of tools and information about learning English. This page is part of the BBC group.
By the way, BBC is the British Broadcast Corporation. It's the world largest broadcating corporation. Imagine something 5 times bigger than Organizações Globo in Brazil.
BBC is divided in the following groups: Journalism (incorporates News, Sport, Global News and Nations and Regions), Vision (incorporates all TV production), Audio and Music (incorporates all radio production, music commissioning and BBC Radio Resources) and Future Media and Technology (Incorporates New Media, R&D, Information and Archives).
The journalistic part has the internet website as the most popular English page in the world. Inside www.bbc.co.uk we can access the service i had mentioned above www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/

Go and explore the whole page. You're gonna find unlimited ways of getting in touch with real English and consequently improving your skills.
Have fun!!!

Smartphones Review

Rivals: Samsung Omnia versus iPhone 3G

The Samung i900 Omnia is a valiant attempt at a touchscreen phone. Take a look at the adverts for the handset -- it's all about the touch. How does it stack up against the iPhone 3G? Read on to find out.

Look & Feel
The dimensions of Samsung's i900 Omnia are very similar to that of the iPhone 3G -- 112 x 56.9 x 12.5mm versus 115.5 x 62.1 x 12.3mm -- and is slightly lighter at 125g versus 133g.
With most of the front of the handset given over to the touchscreen, it looks fairly similar to the iPhone, too.

Screen
Just a third of an inch separates the screen sizes, with the Omnia's 3.2-inch display being the smaller.
Samsung states the screen resolution as WQVGA, which could be 480×272 but is a rather vague description. At that resolution, it doesn't beat the 480x320 of the iPhone. C'mon Samsung, give us the pixel count.

Camera
It's not difficult to trump the iPhone's camera, and the Omnia does so with a five megapixel camera boasting 4x digital zoom, auto focus, LED flash, various shot modes, photo effects and quality settings.
The iPhone 3G, by comparison, is still stuck with a bog standard two megapixel camera without any fancy features.

Multimedia
The Omnia can play back most music formats including MP3, AAC, WMA and MIDI, can play MPEG4, WMV, DivX, and other format videos, and record video in the MPEG4 format.
The iPhone handles just MP3 and AAC formats, and can play back MPEG4 video. It won't shoot video out of the box.
The Samsung Omnia boasts "3D sound technology", whatever that is. The iPhone does what a Video iPod does.

Navigation
The Omnia features A-GPS which can be used for navigation. The iPhone also has A-GPS which links in with Google Maps.
As the software currently stands, the Omnia may be more usable as a dedicated sat-nav system, whereas the iPhone can't offer automated turn-by-turn directions at present.

Communications
Both phones are 3G-enabled, able to run on the fastest HSDPA networks where available.
Both feature Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

Operating System
The Samsung Omnia uses Windows Mobile Professional 6.1. There's no mention of additional software on top of that.
The iPhone 3G uses a version of OS X.

Storage
Both the Omnia and the iPhone 3G come with either 8GB or 16GB of user memory, but the Omnia has the advantage of microSD expansion.

Applications
The Omnia will have access to third-party applications developed for the Windows Mobile operating system, generally without restriction.
The iPhone 3G officially has access to Apple-approved applications from the iTunes App Store. Additional apps can be added to individual iPhones on an ad-hoc basis, and of course the handset can be jailbroken.

Pricing & Networks
In the UK, the Samsung Omnia is currently available on contract on O2, Orange, Vodafone, generally on 12 or 18 month contracts, with prices varying according to contract.
The iPhone 3G is only available from O2, either pay-as-you go for £349 (8GB) or £399 (16GB), or at a range of price points when taken with a contract.

Conclusion
Samsung's Omnia handset offers many of the same features as the iPhone, at least superficially. It has similar look and feel, better camera functionality, and wider multimedia support.
However, in the end it still comes down to usability. If you can get on with a Windows Mobile handset, go for it, but I reckon the iPhone's user interface, built on OS X, still wins by a mile.