2012: Year in Review

In 366 days so much can happen - and certainly 2012 "was" no exception! As 2012 draws to an end, it's time for us to review what is already behind, either pleasant or tragic.
Google has produced a new fantastic Zeitgeist video according to 1,2 trillion searches in 146 languages thus highlighting the main events in 2012. Watch and remember:


The Guardian has "2012: the year in viral videos" that I'm also sharing below


Maps of The World has released a 60-second video including the top events of 2012 that you can peep here but even better is their interactive map and timeline you can access here: by clicking on each of the months, we have the main events and when clickng on the events on the map, a new box opens and you have pics and even more info. Visitors are also invited to vote: what event dominated the world's attention???

Screenshot from http://www.mapsofworld.com/events/year-2012/ 

Bio.com also has a fantastic Year in Review including a "2012 in Memoriam Video" also worth watching.
When searching the web, I'm sure you'll find some more available, such as the sound collage featuring a sampling of the musicians who died in 2012 by http://www.nytimes.com/

Also by http://www.nytimes.com/ is the year in review in pictures you can access here as well as a terrific review in graphics here.
What about yourself? What was your most pleasant moment  / event in 2012? And your saddest? Why?
What are your New Year's Resolutions? What are your 2013 goals? What will you do in 2013 to make it better??? (In case you want some input, check this New Year's Resolution Generator :=))))

Valued visitor and reader, my best wishes for 2013! A very happy and successful New Year, both personally and professionally.

Google Doodle DEC 2012

Merry Christmas

Another year over and Christmas day has finally come!
Songs are just perfect for teaching English and do make students more familiar with English-speaking cultures. Whether timeless classics or modern favourites, the set of Christmas songs I've presented for the last 10 days can be used with different age groups and according to (y)our own purposes: either just for fun / for singing, as a way to introduce vocab and Christmas traditions, to raise awareness of the hardships others face in different parts of the world or even to discuss the real meaning of Christmas, the choice is (y)ours.
In my classes this year I used the song "All I want for Christmas is you" by Mariah Carey , and ended up asking my adult learners what they wanted for Christmas. The topic was "All I want for Christmas is..." and each student wrote their own wishes in one of the bubbles. Today's Christmas tree is the result from one of my groups.

Unfortunately, worldwide wishes are surely different from our own and though Christmas should always be a time of peace, love and family gathering, consider the following cartoon from The Independent.

This is clearly a comment on American gun culture especially now in the wake of Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings that left 20 children and 6 adult staff members dead... yet, Americans still want more guns whereas in different places around the world (Aghanistan, Pakistan, Africa, Syria???) children all want the same for this Christmas: an end to violence!

Hope there are "Christmas truces" in conflict-stricken countries so that at least all children can have a peaceful Christmas.
As for myself, all I want for Christmas is not at all material or that different from the children in the cartoon... all I want is peace, love and harmony. A cliché, perhaps yet so true and heartfelt.
From my family to yours, we wish you all a very merry Christmas!

1 Day

Only one day!!!
Today a Christmas song by a Portuguese singer...yep... and with a very different message to make us think about the true meaning of this festive season.

A'STSNA OSRSEIDPNE

Please check it here.

                                                             ~ MERRY CHRISTMAS ~