Archive for March, 2010
Passover : Festival of Freedom
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010Passover marks the Israelites’ liberation from slavery and their exodus from Egypt around 3000 years ago.
Passover (Pesach) lasts for eight days in the United States. Many Jewish people spend the Passover period with family members or close friends.
What do people do?
Many people spend the Passover period with family or close friends. They make a special effort to ensure that older people, the poor, and those living alone can take part in the ceremonial meals known as Seder. They may do this by inviting people into their homes or giving them a gift basket. Passover gift baskets are filled with Seder plates and ceremonial foods and wine.
Other people choose to spend the Passover period at a Jewish hotel or resort or on a cruise ship. People combine Passover observances with other activities. Popular activities include sightseeing, relaxing with family or friends, skiing in the Rocky Mountains, traditional Jewish cooking classes and studying Jewish law and culture under the supervision of a well-known Rabbi.
The Passover is celebrated in many Jewish communities in the United States.
It includes ceremonial meals and wine. ©iStockphoto.com/Stella Levi
Learn about Passover
- Video here
- Articles here
- Photo of a Seder service at the Hebrew Sheltering Home for the Aged in Los Angeles, ca.1928 here
- Nazi Germany’s Last Surviving Rabbi Marks Passover Seder, video here
How We Choose Varies by Culture
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010New book examines ‘The Art of Choosing,’ from marriage partners to candy bars
Every human being makes thousands, perhaps millions, of choices over the course of a lifetime, and each one has some kind of personal and social impact.
“Choice is essentially the only tool we have that enables us to go from who we are today to who we want to be tomorrow,” says Sheena Iyengar, whose book, “The Art of Choosing,” sums up over 15 years of her research on the subject.
Iyengar examines how we make important life decisions, like who to marry, as well as seemingly trivial choices such as which kind of candy bar or soft drink to buy. Continue reading here
Listening the story here
Source: VOA News
‘The Art of Choosing’ suggests the desire to choose is universal, but how we choose varies by culture.
Muslim Students Bring Food, Conversation to Florida Homeless
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010In the southern U.S. state of Florida, a group of American Muslim students is running a non-profit organization called Project Downtown. The project’s goal is to help the poor, poor people of all backgrounds and cultures. Imran Siddiqui of VOA’s Urdu Service went down to the city of Tampa, Florida to learn more about Project Downtown and the Muslim students who belong to it.
Project Downtown Philadelphia here
South Korean Students Battle Cyber-Bullying with Positive Comments
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010In recent years there has been a string of high-profile celebrity suicides in South Korea. Authorities say many have been the result of hateful messages posted on-line. Cyber-bullying, as it is called, is a big concern in South Korea, one of the world’s most wired countries. Some students are trying to counter bullies by flooding online forums with positive comments.
Students at the Hogook Middle School in Ilsan, just outside of Seoul, have a unique assignment.
Their task is to go online to message boards and other forums and write positive, cheerful comments. Teachers and other adults hope those comments will discourage others from leaving vicious and negative remarks. Continue reading here.
Listening to the story here.
Source : VOA News
The World Went Dark for Earth Hour
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010Last week, we invited you to join us in turning off your lights for Earth Hour. 120 countries around the world turned out the lights for one hour for Earth Hour – a tradition that has picked up momentum since starting in Australia in 2007. In the United States only over 36 million turned out and switched off. We hope that you all joined the movement, and you will continue to take action to save our planet.Here is a great report from Newzy. Enjoy it.
Essential Apps for English Learners: Grammar
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010Having previously looked at Dictionary and News apps, I’m now going to cover apps for learning or practising grammar.
As far as free/cheap apps go (the type we prefer!), the choice is disappointing. Or rather, there are plenty of apps, but very few worth the trouble of downloading. Here are a few which are.
• 10 Minute English teaches intermediate-level learners of English using realistic audio dialogues between native speakers of English (British English and American English). The dialogues are structured around grammar points which intermediate learners usually have difficulty with. The grammar used in the dialogues is fully explained in simple and clear terms. The free ‘Lite’ version has three lessons, while the ‘full’ version costing $4.99 has ten.
• Grammar Girl Podcast App ($1.99). One of the very best ELL podcasts delivered right to your iPhone along with a weekly bonus audio file that covers an additional grammar or writing topic. Bonus tips are only available through the app. You’ll also occasionally receive free book excerpts. Of course, you could subscribe to the podcast on iTunes for free, and transfer it to your iPhone, but $1.99 is a small price to pay to avoid all that hassle and get direct access to over 200 podcasts.
• Mobi Bac Terminale Anglais (free). Excellent grammar reference app for French speakers. Covers all the main grammar points and gives tips on preparing for the Baccalauréat oral and written exams. No exercises, however.
To get a grammar app with a full range of practice activities and exercises, you’re going to have to pay a bit more.
• English Grammar in Use Activities ($9.99) Based on the best-selling grammar book by Raymond Murphy. Designed for intermediate level learners of English. Over 2,800 questions, divided into 16 grammar sections. Features a variety of activity types. Audio recordings of all the exercises. Record and play back function.
• English Grammar in Use Tests ($4.99) This app preceded the ‘Activities’ one and has fewer questions (1,700) and no audio. For a more detailed comparison see here.
Thanks to Jeffrey Hill from The English Blog for this very interesting post.
CNN Student News: Monday 29 March
Monday, March 29th, 2010March 29 – From a presidential visit in Afghanistan to an event in which lights went out worldwide, we have our globetrotting shoes on for today’s edition of CNN Student News. And when we return to the U.S., you’ll see how a group of inner-city students is getting expert lessons in finance.
The Migratory Artist
Monday, March 29th, 2010A Migratory Artist from Nico Colombant on Vimeo.
“To be free is not easy. To be free is hard. And always, you feel pain in your heart, but always there is happiness too.” — Salvadoran artist Danilo Rivera
Danilo Rivera gives the same instruction to all the students at his dance class in Washington, D.C: “Be free!”
Considering National Education Standards
Saturday, March 27th, 2010Some say national standards will provide an excellent education for all students. Others fear it is the first step to federal control.
This is the VOA Special English Education Report.
Americans are considering national education standards recently developed by teachers and other education experts. The National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers led the effort.
The United States, unlike other nations, has never had the same school standards across the country. The reason? Education is not discussed in the Constitution. That document limits the responsibilities of the federal government. Other responsibilities, like education, fall to the individual states. Continue reading here
Listen to the story here
Source: VOA News
American History: Songs Cowboys Sang
Saturday, March 27th, 2010Cowboys of the American West told of their hard, dangerous lives in song.
Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION – American history in VOA Special English.
This week in their series, Kay Gallant tells what life was like for the early American cowboy.
People all over the world have seen all sorts of films about the cowboy. And he is often shown in television shows. But the real life of the cowboy is not often shown. His work has been hard, and his life lonely and full of danger.
The cowboy has told his own story in many songs and ballads. Hundreds of these have come from cowboys whose names are not known. They just sang these songs as they rode on the saddles of their horses across the cattle lands. Or, as they sat at their campfires at night. Continue reading here
Listen to the story here
Source: VOA News
