Teaching & Learning
"Stay hungry. Stay foolish." Steve Jobs, from The Whole Earth Catalog
Sunday 24 December 2023
Wednesday 20 December 2023
The History of Christmas Carols
Credits: Vlad Vasnetsov por Pixabay |
The act of traveling to different homes comes from a different tradition altogether, albeit a similarly ancient one. In England, the word wassail — derived from the Old Norse ves heill meaning "be well, and in good health" — came to mean the wishing of good fortune on your neighbors. No one is quite sure when the custom began, but it did give us the song, "Here We Come-A-Wassailing" — sung as carolers wished good cheer to their neighbors in hopes of getting a gift in return. ("A Wassailing" also evolved into the popular "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" — its last verse, "Bring us some figgy pudding" stems from the wassailers' original intent.)
The two traditions of singing and visiting first merged in Victorian England, as church carols began to merge with Christian folk music. At that time, it was far from a Christmas tradition; festivals like May Day were deemed worthy of caroling, too, but the repertoire as well as early records of this are pretty unclear. In the 19th Century, as Christmas became more commercialized and popular, publishers began churning out anthologies of carols, many which were ancient hymns, also circulating them in broadsheets.
Credits: Karen Arnold por Pixabay |
Many of our today's most popular carols date to this period. Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern published in London by British lawyer William B. Sandys in 1833, was the first to print "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "The First Noel" and "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing." "Joy to the World" first appeared in the Anglican Church hymnalHymns Ancient and Modern in 1861. Composed by Isaac Watts, known as the "father of Englsh hymnody", the song actually wasn't written exclusively for singing at Christmastime. Charles Wesley's "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" was originally "Hark! How All The Welkin Rings!" (Welkin means sky or heaven, and came to mean making a loud sound.)
The Oxford Book of Carols, first published in 1928, was a landmark book that combined medieval carols, folk songs and Christmas songs from around the world, publishing 201 of them in a 700-page volume. An updated version, the New Oxford Book of Carols, was published in 1992. Ubiquitous holiday TV ads to the contrary, American caroling is far less common than it used to be, says Bob Thompson, professor of popular culture at Syracuse University. It's not unusual to see carolers standing still in a shopping mall or churchyard, but as for the random groups of friends traipsing to your doorstep for singing, don't count on it. "You talk to most baby boomers they might have a caroling story or two," says Thompson. "Talk to anybody born after 1960 or so and it's become much less common." Simply put, times and culture have changed. "The singing of Christmas carols at a stranger's door assumes a similarity of culture among carolers and audience," says Chris Brunelle, an assistant professor of classics at St. Olaf college. With America a far more diverse and less homogenous society than it was in caroling's heyday, that's a larger assumption than many are comfortable with. Still, most of us probably agree about the egg nog.
In Time World
Tuesday 12 December 2023
Tuesday 5 December 2023
Monday 4 December 2023
Friday 24 November 2023
Black Friday 2023
image credits: Infographic Journal |
The term “Black Friday” was coined in the 1960s to mark the
kickoff to the Christmas shopping season. “Black” refers to stores moving from
the “red” to the “black,” back when accounting records were kept by hand, and
red ink indicated a loss, and black a profit. Ever since the start of the
modern Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924, the Friday after Thanksgiving
has been known as the unofficial start to a bustling holiday shopping season.
The term stuck and spread, and by the 1990s Black Friday became an unofficial retail holiday nationwide. Since 2002, Black Friday has been the season's biggest shopping day each year except 2004, according to market-research firm ShopperTrak. Nevertheless, retailers continue to tie one-day in-store sales to Black Friday. In the Internet era, bloggers race to obtain leaked circulars and post them online weeks in advance of Thanksgiving. Many forums and websites chart the deals, helping shoppers make a plan of attack for the big day. And attack they will — the National Retail Federation anticipates 134 million people will hit the stores on Thanksgiving weekend.
Why did it become so popular?
photo credits: Time |
Black Friday is a long day, with many retailers opening up
at 5 am or even earlier to hordes of people waiting anxiously outside the
windows. There are numerous doorbuster deals and loss leaders – prices so low
the store may not make a profit - to entice shoppers.
Most large retailers post
their Black Friday ad scans, coupons and offers online beforehand to give
consumers time to find out about sales and plan their purchases. Other
companies take a different approach, waiting until the last possible moment to
release their Black Friday ads, hoping to create a buzz and keep customers
eagerly checking back for an announcement.
More and more, consumers are choosing to shop online, not
wanting to wait outside in the early morning chill with a crush of other
shoppers or battle over the last most-wanted item. Often, many people show up
for a small number of limited-time "door-buster" deals, such as large
flat-screen televisions or laptops for a few hundred dollars. Since these
coveted items sell out quickly, quite a few shoppers leave the store empty
handed.
image credits: CNNMoney |
Sources: Black Friday, Time
Thursday 23 November 2023
Happy Thanksgiving 2023
Thanksgiving is celebrated today, November 23rd, as always in the fourth Thursday of the month, all across the USA and Canada and precedes Black Friday, one of the busiest shopping days , mostly in the USA.
found pic @ Crosswalk |
In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians
shared an Autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first
Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of
thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn't until
1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed
a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.
THANKSGIVIG AT PLYMOUTH
found pic @ mbeinstitute |
found pic @ ucls-chicago |
THANKSGIVING TRADITIONS
found pic @ fashionpill |
In
many American households, the Thanksgiving celebration has lost much of
its original religious significance; instead, it now centers on cooking
and sharing a bountiful meal with family and friends. Turkey, a
Thanksgiving staple so ubiquitous it has become all but synonymous with
the holiday, may or may not have been on offer when the Pilgrims hosted
the inaugural feast in 1621. Today, however, nearly 90 percent of
Americans eat the bird—whether roasted, baked or deep-fried—on
Thanksgiving, according to the National Turkey Federation. Other
traditional foods include stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and
pumpkin pie. Volunteering is a common Thanksgiving Day activity, and
communities often hold food drives and host free dinners for the less
fortunate.
Parades have also become an integral part of the holiday in cities and towns across the United States. Presented by Macy’s department store since 1924, New York City’s Thanksgiving Day parade is the largest and most famous, attracting some 2 to 3 million spectators along its 2.5-mile route and drawing an enormous television audience. It typically features marching bands, performers, elaborate floats conveying various celebrities and giant balloons shaped like cartoon characters.
Beginning in the mid-20th century and perhaps even earlier, the president of the United States has “pardoned” one or two Thanksgiving turkeys each year, sparing the birds from slaughter and sending them to a farm for retirement. A number of U.S. governors also perform the annual turkey pardoning ritual.
THANKSGIVING IN THE UK
Thanksgiving Day in the United Kingdom is celebrated as a harvest festival. This day is a religious honouring to convey a feeling of gratitude to God for the year's plentiful and fruitful harvest and thanking family and friends for their love and support. The day is celebrated by preparing a special meal of large roasted turkey, which is a native American species, along with cranberry sauce, stuffing, with veggies. A variety of different pies with apple, mincemeat, pumpkin and pecan form the dessert menu. Gifts are also exchanged on this day which include flowers, jewellery, baked cookies, candy and wine.
Many towns and cities stage spectacular parades on this day. Many people are on the roads to enjoy the decorated floats, the costumes, the music and the heavy balloons.
Parades have also become an integral part of the holiday in cities and towns across the United States. Presented by Macy’s department store since 1924, New York City’s Thanksgiving Day parade is the largest and most famous, attracting some 2 to 3 million spectators along its 2.5-mile route and drawing an enormous television audience. It typically features marching bands, performers, elaborate floats conveying various celebrities and giant balloons shaped like cartoon characters.
Beginning in the mid-20th century and perhaps even earlier, the president of the United States has “pardoned” one or two Thanksgiving turkeys each year, sparing the birds from slaughter and sending them to a farm for retirement. A number of U.S. governors also perform the annual turkey pardoning ritual.
THANKSGIVING IN THE UK
photo credits: US Embassy in London |
Many towns and cities stage spectacular parades on this day. Many people are on the roads to enjoy the decorated floats, the costumes, the music and the heavy balloons.
Source: The History Channel (abridged and adapted)
You may also check relevant multimedia resources on this topic @:
You can get ELT resources (further info, lesson plans, printables, posters, slideshows, recipes, graphs, crafts, colouring pictures and greeting cards) on the topic @:
Wednesday 15 November 2023
Sunday 5 November 2023
The Gunpowder Plot & Bonfire Night
After Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, English
Catholics who had been persecuted under her rule had hoped that her successor,
James I, would be more tolerant of their religion. James I had, after all, had
a Catholic mother. Unfortunately, James did not turn out to be more tolerant
than Elizabeth and a number of young men, 13 to be exact, decided that violent
action was the answer.
A small group took shape, under the leadership of Robert Catesby. Catesby felt that violent action was warranted. Indeed, the thing to do was to blow up the Houses of Parliament. In doing so, they would kill the King, maybe even the Prince of Wales, and the Members of Parliament who were making life difficult for the Catholics. Today these conspirators would be known as extremists, or terrorists.
A small group took shape, under the leadership of Robert Catesby. Catesby felt that violent action was warranted. Indeed, the thing to do was to blow up the Houses of Parliament. In doing so, they would kill the King, maybe even the Prince of Wales, and the Members of Parliament who were making life difficult for the Catholics. Today these conspirators would be known as extremists, or terrorists.
To carry out their plan, the conspirators got hold of
36 barrels of gunpowder - and stored them in a cellar, just under the House of
Lords.
But as the group worked on the plot, it became clear
that innocent people would be hurt or killed in the attack, including some
people who even fought for more rights for Catholics. Some of the plotters
started having second thoughts. One of the group members even sent an anonymous
letter warning his friend, Lord Monteagle, to stay away from the Parliament on
November 5th. Was the letter real?
The warning letter reached the King, and the King's
forces made plans to stop the conspirators.
Guy Fawkes, who was in the cellar of the parliament
with the 36 barrels of gunpowder when the authorities stormed it in the early
hours of November 5th, was caught, tortured and executed.
It's unclear if the conspirators would ever have been
able to pull off their plan to blow up the Parliament even if they had not been
betrayed. Some have suggested that the gunpowder itself was so old as to be
useless. Since Guy Fawkes and the other conspirators got caught before trying
to ignite the powder, we'll never know for certain.
Even for the period which was notoriously unstable,
the Gunpowder Plot struck a very profound chord for the people of England. In
fact, even today, the reigning monarch only enters the Parliament once a year,
on what is called "the State Opening of Parliament". Prior to the
Opening, and according to custom, the Yeomen of the Guard search the cellars of
the Palace of Westminster. Nowadays, the Queen and Parliament still observe
this tradition.
On the very night that the Gunpowder Plot was foiled,
on November 5th, 1605, bonfires were set alight to celebrate the safety of the
King. Since then, November 5th has become known as Bonfire Night. The event is
commemorated every year with fireworks and burning effigies of Guy Fawkes on a
bonfire.
Some of the
English have been known to wonder, in a tongue in cheek kind of way, whether
they are celebrating Fawkes' execution or honoring his attempt to do away with
the government.
Was Guy framed?
There was no doubt an attempt to blow up Parliament
on November 5th 1605. But Guy Fawkes and his associates may have been caught in
a Jacobean sting operation which would have served the authorities by casting
Catholics, or Recusants, as an enemy to be pursued.
By the time Queen Elizabeth died, after ruling for
about fifty years, most people only remembered living under her rule. When
James I succeeded to the throne, many saw an opportunity for change. Those who
felt particularly hard done by, both by Elizabeth I and James I, even felt that
the situation was so bad as to require, in Fawkes' own words, "a desperate
remedy": it was an opportunity to simply replace the current king.
These were unstable times indeed, with several
smaller plots being discovered in the years preceding 1605. In fact, many of
the Gunpowder plotters were known as traitors to the authorities. For this
reason, it would have been difficult, if not unlikely, for them to gather 36
barrels of gunpowder and store them in a cellar under the house of Lords
without the security forces getting suspicious.
Furthermore, the letter warning one of the members of
government to stay away from Parliament is believed today to have been
fabricated by the king's officials. Historians suggest that the King's
officials already knew about the plot, that one of the plotters in fact
revealed the key points of the plot to the authorities. The suspected turncoat?
Francis Tresham.
The letter, then, would be a tool created by the
King's officials to explain how, at the last minute, the king found out about
the Plot and stopped it just before it wreaked its havoc on Parliament and
himself. At the same time, the letter was vague enough to give the officials
all the latitude they wanted in falsifying confessions and to pursue their own
anti-Catholic ends.
There are two fundamental problems with the letter.
Firstly, the letter was unsigned. Any and all of the conspirators, once
apprehended, might have saved themselves from torture and perhaps even death if
they could claim to have written it. None did. Not one of the conspirators who
was caught appears to have known about the letter. Secondly, the letter was very
vague in its content. It said nothing about the details of the planned attack.
Still, the king and his men knew exactly the where and when to catch the
conspirators and stop the explosion just hours before it was to take place.
How did they know?
The Plot Today
Guy left his name for everyday use
Today, we use the word "guy" to mean
"person" or "man", as in "that guy across the
street". Although the Oxford English Dictionary won't vouch for this
theory, many linguists and historians think that our use of the term in that
way is from our friend Guy Fawkes.
It's difficult to trace the exact path of the word
over the centuries, but it probably started by referring to the effigy of
Fawkes that was thrown on top of the bonfire every November 5th as "a
guy". Still today, as they walk down the street trying to collect money
for fireworks, kids will ask for "a penny for the guy." From there,
it's not a huge leap to talk about "a guy" as a living person. The
use of the word would have grown from there.
The Opening of Parliament
Another tradition still observed by Britons is the
annual visit of the Queen to Parliament every year. Ever since the Gunpowder
Plot, the reigning monarch enters the Parliament only once a year, on what is
called "the State Opening of Parliament". Prior to the Opening, and
according to custom, the Yeomen of the Guard search the cellars of the Palace of
Westminster. Today, the Queen and Parliament still observe this tradition.
No one really expects to find 36 barrels of gunpowder
when our Yeomen undertake this task every year. But, just like most of us who
like a good Bonfire Night, it's clear the Lords and MPs like a bit of a
celebration, too.
Bonfire Night
For 400 years, bonfires have burned on November 5th
to mark the failed Gunpowder Plot.
The tradition of Guy Fawkes-related bonfires actually
began the very same year as the failed coup. The Plot was foiled in the night
between the 4th and 5th of November 1605. Already on the 5th, agitated
Londoners who knew little more than that their King had been saved, joyfully
lit bonfires in thanksgiving. As years progressed, however, the ritual became
more elaborate.
Soon, people began placing effigies onto bonfires,
and fireworks were added to the celebrations. Effigies of Guy Fawkes, and
sometimes those of the Pope, graced the pyres. Still today, some communities
throw dummies of both Guy Fawkes and the Pope on the bonfire (and even those of
a contemporary politician or two), although the gesture is seen by most as a
quirky tradition, rather than an expression of hostility towards the Pope.
Preparations for Bonfire Night celebrations include
making a dummy of Guy Fawkes, which is called "the Guy". Some
children even keep up an old tradition of walking in the streets, carrying
"the Guy" they have just made, and beg passersby for "a penny
for the Guy." The kids use the money to buy fireworks for the evening
festivities.
On the night itself, Guy is placed on top of the
bonfire, which is then set alight; and fireworks displays fill the sky.
The extent of the celebrations and the size of the
bonfire varies from one community to the next. Lewes, in the South East of
England, is famous for its Bonfire Night festivities and consistently attracts
thousands of people each year to participate.
Bonfire Night is not only celebrated in Britain. The
tradition crossed the oceans and established itself in the British colonies
during the centuries. It was actively celebrated in New England as "Pope
Day" as late as the 18th century. Today, November 5th bonfires
still light up in far out places like New Zealand and Newfoundland in Canada.
For more information and for rhymes, chants and Bonfire Night recipes, visit Guy Fawkes and Bonfire Night.
The British Council has also a great multimedia lesson plan available here. You can either do it by yourself if you are a student or explore it in class if you are a teacher.
Tuesday 31 October 2023
If two witches would watch two watches, which witch would watch which watch?
Did you know that tongue twisters like the one in the title are a very tough task
for our transcranial direct current stimulation?
Yes, they are, which means that practising them is a very good way
of stimulating the language function in our brain!
Therefore... which witch is which?
Enjoy a very spooky and witchy Halloween tonight!
Tuesday 17 October 2023
Flipping the Classroom Explained
You may have
heard that flipped and blended learning are transforming school and university
classrooms, but what exactly is a flipped classroom?
Thursday 5 October 2023
Celebrating Steve Jobs...
Credits: Lenalensen by Pixabay |
Steve Jobs died twelve years ago, but it is impossible to forget his incredible genius. Without you, Steve, it's more difficult to stay hungry, stay Foolish. On October 5, 2011, Apple announced that co-founder Steve Jobs had died. He was 56 years old at the time. We all know who Steve Jobs is. The genius who revolutionized modern technology and the mastermind who emphasized style as much as function in our everyday digital devices.
However, there are a few facts about Steve Jobs
that perhaps you don't know that would shock you. Let's learn a bit more about
the real Steve Jobs with these 20 facts (slightly abridged), published by INC.
1. Steve Jobs was adopted shortly after being
born.
2. Jobs was, biologically, half Arab. His
biological father was Syrian and his mother was American.
3. Jobs and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak met
in high school – Wozniak was 18 and Jobs was just 13.
4. Jobs was a pescetarian, meaning he ate no
meat except for fish.
5. He was an official college dropout, but
continued his education by informally auditing classes.
6. One class Jobs audited was a calligraphy
course, which he says was instrumental in the future Apple products' attention
to typography and font.
7. There was actually a third founder of Apple
– Ronald Wayne, who even designed Apple's first logo. Wayne sold his 10 percent
stake just two weeks after partnering with Jobs and Wozniak for only $800.
8. Jobs was pushed out of his own company in
1985. Despite the fallout, he later recognized the coup as a blessing in
disguise, as it gave him a chance to experiment creatively and purchase an
animation studio, which would later be known as Pixar. Eventually he rejoined
Apple as CEO in 1997 (and revitalized the failing company).
9. While at Apple, Jobs always kept his annual
salary at $1. Don't worry, with 5.5 million shares of Apple stock and as the
majority shareholder of Disney stock (from selling Pixar), he wasn't quite what
you'd call a starving artist.
10. Jobs had an entire team devoted to
packaging who studied the experience of opening a box to learn how to achieve
the excitement and emotional response that is now common with Apple products.
11. Jobs is listed as either primary inventor
or co-inventor for 346 United States patents related to a range of
technologies, with most of the patents being for design.
12. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak notes that
Jobs never learned how to code.
13. Jobs harbored an intense dislike for PCs,
and is quoted as saying to one friend, "I'd rather sell dog shit than
PCs."
14. He never put license plates on his silver
Mercedes (despite driving it constantly). How did he do it? California has a
rule that a car owner has six months to put plates on a new car. Jobs just
changed cars (to the identical model) every six months, allowing him to drive
without plates.
15. Jobs actually served as a mentor for Google
founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, even sharing some of his advisers with the
Google duo.
16. Jobs was furious when Google created its
Android devices, entering as an Apple competitor in the phone market.
17. Jobs was found to have pancreatic cancer in
2003, but rather than taking the doctor-recommended path of immediate
operation, Jobs subscribed to an alternative-medicine regimen, including a
vegan diet, acupuncture, and herbal remedies, even consulting a psychic. After
nine months, Jobs gave in and underwent surgery. Many consider the delay a
major factor in his eventual decline.
18. Apple, Microsoft, and Disney properties
(including Disneyland and Disney World) flew their flags at half-staff when
Jobs died.
19. Tim Cook revealed in a 2014 interview that
Jobs's main office and nameplate are still as they were in 2011, when Jobs
passed away.
20. Sunday, October 16, 2011, was declared
Steve Jobs Day by the governor of California, Jerry Brown.
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