***

Well I was born in a small town
And I live in a small town
Probably die in a small town

~ as performed by John Mellencamp

***

Ah, small town Americans with their guns and their religion. Antipathy for those who aren't like them. Kansas values and American traditions...a speech on patriotism. What else can Senator Obama do to win over those precious working class folks that gave him the voting finger during the Democratic primary? Oh, oh, I know this one, pick me, pick me. Senator Obama can express his shame for those who aren't bilingual. He can make fun of the very people he's trying to appeal to in front of his base:

"I get embarrassed when Americans go to Europe and the only thing they can say is merci boucoup."

Well I'm sorry Senator Obama for lacking in the French language. Perhaps my high grocery bill and the $175 bucks I spent on gas keeps me from cracking open the old Rosetta Stone:

"How can you say that immigrants have to speak English when they come to America? Americans need to learn Spanish."

Well America's primary language is English Senator Obama, I mean that's the unifying language...you know? Isn't Obama all about unity?

I want to apologize to all of Senator Obama's worldly supporters. It seems you care about what the world thinks of America and her dumb citizens more than you care about what we think of each other as Americans and how we treat each other. I guess us small town folks are too inept to carry on a decent conversation. I mean all we do is shoot r guns and we cluuuuutch ar babbles, yehaww heuck, heuck.

You know it wasn't what Senator Obama said that offended me, it was the fact that he's trying to relate to middle America in one breath, and in the other he's insulting them. And of course the media didn't report this because well, they agree with Senator Obama. They think middle America is racist, inept, small minded bunch of rednecks that don't have a clue.

Just when I was about to commend Barack Obama for acknowledging the fact that the interview with Access Hollywood was a mistake, and it was, he turns around and makes these condescending remarks about yep you guessed it, small town Americans. You know what? Who cares if we can't speak Spanish or dazzle the Europeans with our skills in the French language.

We're too busy living OUR OWN lives the way WE want and we're too busy trying to make OUR lives better for our families and for ourselves.

....Elitist much, Senator?

....Git er dun?

***

After I finish these two--sometime Monday, I plan to update the year 4 for modern history books and put them in the various fonts and then place them on LULU.  My kids have actually used the modern books over the last year and I am really pleased with how they've turned out.

Once these are done, end of next week, I have to start formatting The Fun Spanish Level 2.  The Level 2 material has been translated and only has to be cut and pasted (that doesn't sound right, but I'm in a hurry) into the new books.  The covers for all of these are done and ready.

Also, when I have taken a break, I've purchased all of our supplies for next year.  I need to come up with a schedule still.

5th grader

CW Homer B and GWG 5 (I still have to purchase GWG)

TLP (co-op)

MFW Geography (Co-op)

TOG (yr 1 redesigned)

Analytical Grammar

(I know this is too much stuff.  But I wanted it all.  So here is my plan:  Do TLP, MFW with co-op and AG at home for 10 weeks.  When AG is over, do CW Homer B with GWG spliced in their rather than Harveys.  Our literature will all come from TOG.  We'll do TOG lite.  We'll do TOG rather than Bible study, so I think it will work.  But if necessary, I'll drop stuff--probably CW Homer.  Actually, I think my dd10 can handle it because she has already read the first semesters books for TOG and the TLP books covered at co-op.  So she's already ahead.  Basically, she reads a book or more a day--an oddity in our family. :)  MFW Geography seems really lite, especially since it will be at a co-op.)

Lof Fred Decimals followed by

Dolciani pre-algebra for the remainder of the year

Latin Prep with the workbooks

Fun Spanish Level 2 (once I finish it)

Apologia Zoology (coop)

Piano lessons weekly

Drama coop

Art lessons weekly

3rd grader

Same as his sisters, but replace CW Homer with WT 2.  If it's too much I'll drop it as well as TOG ancients.  I dont require as much from him.

Rather Latin Prep, he'll be doing Lively Latin.

1st grader

Various Readers

Shiller Math

Copywork

Writing with Ease (When he is ready using our copybooks for models.)

Geography pop up book

Punctuation pup up book

3 yo (Various assortment of mess prone projects.  He loves messes.)

io mi sono appena alzato!

ho fatto la mia bella colazione con latte e cereali, lavato e pronto per partire...

oggi vado alla national gallery...mi vado ad arricchire cultralmente..hehehe!

E' ARRIVATO...il mio nuovo flatmate...

tra indiani pachistani, filippini, siriani, ecc.ecc... alla fine l'ha spuntata uno spagnolo!

Joshan...21 anni di barcellona.

il primo impatto non è stato dei migliori..perche io sono entrato in casa, ho trovato questo ragazzo in cucina..mi sono presentato..e lui sapete che mi dice???

ma tu sei il ragazzo che sta nella mia camera?

ed io..con molta gentilezza gli ho risposto:

no, ti sbagli...sei tu il ragazzo che sta nella mia camera!

questo spagnolo è un giovane PONCHO...per chi conosce ste... allora ha gia capito come è!

è arrivato con uno skateboard..  vestito tutto brandizzato etnies, element, dc, volcom, ecc.ecc....

cmq apparte che lascia sempre la porta aperta della camera, che mette la sveglia alle 8 e di 10 minuti in 10 minuti la fa suonare fino a mezzogiorno e che mi ruba la cartaigienica, sembra tranquillo!

il tempo sembra avercela con me... quando ho i giorni liberi...fa brutto per tutto il giorno...quando invece vado a lavorare...alle 6 di mattina inizia gia a far bollire la stanza...mentre quando finisco il turno alle 14...ritorna brutto!

lunedi era una giornata super estiva!!! piena di sole...alle 2 sono uscito da lavoro e sono andato al parco a prendere il sole...bhe....appena sdraiato si è tutto coperto.....aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!! cmq il sole l'ho preso ugualmente....

oggi che sono a casa...tira vento...ed è coperto di nuvole!!!!

e invece sabato e domenica che sono tutto il giorno a lavoro...secondo voi come sarà???

le previsioni..danno sole..sole..sole!!!

haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

questa settimana sono tornati a casa, carlo di domodossola, e luca di messina, 2 ragazzi di 17 e 19 anni.

carletto diciasettenne..ha preso l'aereo, ed è venuto a lavorare a londra..deve ancora finire la scuola...e gia sta a giro per il mondo!

sono felice per lui,  io l'ho capito abbastanza tardi..ma se lui inizia gia adesso...girerà e scoprirà il mondo..

è venuto su...si è fatto il culo..lavorando per potersi mantenere a londra, quindi senza chiedere nulla ai genitori...

ogni tanto durante il servizio lo beccavo a farsi i bicchieri di crema di wishy...che spettacolo..hehehehe!

come lui ce anche nicolo' di milano che ha 17 anni...

insomma di ragazzi che hanno voglia di fare esperienze credo che ce ne siano...e credo che sia una osa giusta...certo, si deve avere anche un pò di carattere per stare fuori casa...e molti ragazzi non lo hanno neppure a 25 anni..figuriamoci a 17..ma questi sono proprio dei bravi ragazzi..e sono contento di averli conosciuti.oddio non è che avessero particolarmente voglia di lavorare..hehehe..mi ricordo luca..che un giorno lo abbiamo mandato a fare la spesa ed al posto di 10 zucchine ci ha portato 10 cetrioli da 50 cm ciascuno..heheheheheh!!!!

quante risate!

cmq io a 17 anni avevo altri interessi...andavo a giro con il treno...ma nella mia testa mai e poi mai sarebbe passato di mente di prendere ed andare a londra!

grandi!!!!!

per il resto tutto ok!

qui la vita procede piacevolmente...

l'inglese va avanti...il lavoro idem...e i divertimenti anche!

adesso mi vado a lavare che poi esco per andare a vedere il museo....

allego qualche foto fatta in questi giorni!

see you!

qui sono con carletto di domodossola!

qui invece stiamo facendo la famosa RIDUZIONE DI VINO ROSSO... hehehehe!

beppuzzo e le mie scarpe..lunedi a ..hyde park!!!!!

guardia a cavallo...qui avevano appena effettuato un arresto...a circa 150 mt da noi..

miguel al biliardo...

eccomi qui...con la stecca!!!!!!!!

matteo che da buon giocatore osserva la partita prima del suo turno! :-)

notate la faccia di davide!!!

e per finire ecco a voi i camdem guys!!!

da sx..il miticol LEO...

davidino...

io..

e marchetto!

con le foto oggi ho finito...

adessoooo corro alla national gallery...

bye bye..

Vínculos para descargarlo en Inglés y Español

Coméntalo en el foro

ILD explicó ayer en un comunicado que algunos de los vecinos y propietarios de suelos solicitaron un incremento en el precio por hectárea "y otras exigencias fuera de contrato, que Campbell indicó que no podían ser atendidas". Este último insistió en que el compromiso de opción de compraventa fija unas condiciones estándares "difíciles de cambiar" y que son "justas y generosas" para todos los vendedores, a los que se ofrece un modelo de contrato único, relató el consorcio.

Las mismas fuentes agregaron que los propietarios piden 12.000 euros por hectárea, mientras que ILD ofrece un máximo de 9.000 euros por hectárea de secano y 6.000 euros por la de erial.

A cambio, los promotores se comprometen a instrumentar ayudas que favorezcan la evolución de La Almolda "sin sentirse perjudicados" por el complejo de ocio y juego Gran Scala.

ILD afirmó ayer que la mayor parte de los habitantes y propietarios de los terrenos elegidos para la ubicación de Gran Scala "se mostraron conformes con el complejo proyectado".

Por otro lado, el coordinador general de Izquierda Unida de Aragón, Adolfo Barrena, emplazó ayer al Gobierno aragonés a que exija ante la ciudadanía que ILD que deje de utilizarle "como elemento de presión". Tras las declaraciones realizadas por el representante de ILD en España, Mark Campbell, en la reunión que mantuvo ayer con los vecinos y propietarios de terrenos en La Almolda, IU denunció, una vez más, que International Leisure Development (ILD) usa "técnicas claras de lobby de presión para hacer su negocio" y utiliza el nombre del Ejecutivo autonómico para presionar a los ciudadanos de la Almolda.

The deep and warm flavour of spanish smoked paprika can be overpowering in some dishes. This is one recipe in which I think it works beautifully. Together with the corianderseeds and saffron it really makes something special of a simple bowl of potatoes. You can use any kind of new potatoes, I like them small and in the skin ("krieltjes" in dutch) but still cut in half to absorb more flavour.
In winter I love them mixed with brussels sprouts, for summers I haven't found the perfect vegetable match yet. But it goes well with just about any kind of grilled meat.

RECIPE

Strifry for about 2 minutes:
500 gram of small potatoes (cut in half/wedges)

Add and stirfry for another minute :
3 chopped cloves of garlic

Then add
1,5 T tomato purée
1 T corianderseeds (crush them a little to release flavour)
a few sprigs of saffron
1 t hot spanish smoked (hot) paprika
enough water/stock to cover the potatoes (about 5dl)

Cook on really high heat. The sauce should reduce until thick and sticky. The timing depends on the size of  your potatoes, but be aware that due to the acidity of the sauce, it can take a little longer than you're accustomed to. 

If you want to add cooked brussels sprouts, like I do in winter, it’s better to keep it more liquid and thicken the sauce with a little cornstarch.

Recipe borrowed from : A passion for Vegetables by Paul Gayler.

http://www.livemocha.com/
http://www.babbel.com/
http://www.bb.co.uk/languages/spanish/
http://www.studyspanish.com/index.htm
http://www.learn-spanish-online.de/index.htm

I like the first one the most. Only.. I think that I will have to delete my profile picture because there have been some "friendship" requests from some male members of this site that, in my opinion, have little to do with learning the language. I guess, I just look too good :P

ENLACES DE DESCARGA EN ESPAÑOL

COMÉNTALO EN EL FORO

Resumen del Capítulo

La boda de la Princesa parece que será pronto. Por lo que han podido deducir Yourichi y Urahara, Kumoi seguramente usará una réplica de la princesa para efectuar la ceremonia. También suponen que todo esto será una trampa para engañarles y poder secuestrar a la verdadera princesa.

De mientras, Rurichio se encuentra apenada por lo que les ha pasado a Chad e Ishida. Se siente culpable. Más tarde se va al tejado de la casa para estar sola. Pero Ichigo va a hablar con ella. Le dice que no se preocupe, que nada es culpa suya, pero la princesa le confiesa que sabía toda la verdad de hace tiempo. Sabía que Kumoi estaba intentando asesinarla y tomar el control del Clan Kasumi-Ouji.

Ichigo intenta tranquilizarla, pero cuando todo parece que ha pasado, Rurichio le quita su insignia de Shinigami sustituto y le empuja. Así aprovecha para abrir una puerta hacia la Sociedad de Almas y escapar. La princesa quiere solucionar esto por ella misma.

Cuando los demás se enteran, deciden ir tras ella. Kenryuu intenta abrir otra puerta, pero se da cuenta de que la princesa la ha bloqueado desde el otro lado. Finalmente Rukia tiene que abrir una puerta Senkai para poder entrar.

De mientras, la princesa Rurichio llega por fin, todos parecen estar muy contentos por eso, pero se le nota algo raro en los ojos....

Después de unos problemas con los guardianes de la puerta, Ichigo y los demás consiguen llegar a la zona del Clan. Pero los que vigilan la puerta no les dejan pasar. Kenryuu y Enryuu son sospechosos por el secuestro de la Princesa.

Deciden escapar e idear un plan. Esperarán hasta el momento de la celebración para poder rescatar a la princesa.

Llega el día de la boda y una vez finalizada, Ichigo, Rukia, Kenryuu y Enryuu irrumpen e intentan llevarse a Rurichio. Pero no hay manera de que la Princesa les haga caso, se nota que es una réplica y por eso Kumoi sonríe.

Al final del capítulo, aparece la Capitana Soi Fong con sus hombres y parece que no viene en plan amistoso....

Colombia, which was discovered by Christopher Columbus, is located in the northern part of South America.  It boasts coastlines along both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, as well as amazing rainforests.

Teach your kids these Spanish colors and use them to learn about Colombia with printable coloring pages.

rojo - red

amarillo - yellow

anaranjado - orange

azul - blue

blanco - white

verde - green

gris - gray

marrón - brown

morado - purple

rosado - pink

negro - black

Colombian Coloring & Cultural Resource Links:

The best resource I found for coloring pages about Colombia are from an adoption website called RainbowKids.com. They have four coloring pages to help children adopted from Colombia learn more about their cultural heritage:  daily life, animals, festivals, and traditional food. These printables are great learning tools for ALL kids!

Children will also enjoy Crayola's flag of Colombia.  There are three stripes:  yellow, blue, and red.  The blue represents the water of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.  

A wonderful way to practice Spanish colors is to identify them on the plants and animals of the Colombian rainforest.  Check out Mongobay.com's Rainforest Slide Show.  When you are done, color these Macaws from First-School.com

Young Spanish-learners put language and culture together in this Spanish color-by-number of a mariposa (butterfly) from abc.teach.

Finally, dive into a little cultural music with songs and rhymes from Colombia.  You'll find lyrics in both English and Spanish from Mama Lisa's World.

Need more ideas on ways to play with Spanish colors?  Check out the ideas in Foreign Language Color Games.

Celebrate Colombia's Independence Day!

Photo Credit:  Kevin Rosseel http://morguefile.com/archive/?display=200485&

this guy is the best!!

nataliebeth

Try Michel Thomas she said, as she gave me a box of eight CDs: no books, no writing. You have three months!

I will let you know how I get on.

LYRICS:

Ha empezado todo,
era tu capricho
yo no me fiaba
era solo sexo
mas quise el sexo una actitud
como el arte en general
así lo he comprendido,
estoy aquí.
Escuchame si trato de insistir
aguanta soportándome,
mas te amo, te amo, te amo.

Soy pesado, me santiguo, mas te amo
perdona si te amo y si nos encontramos
hace un mes o poco más.
Perdona si no hablo bajo, si no lo grito, muero
Te he dicho ya que te amoooooo...

Perdona si me rio por mi desasosiego
te miro fiejo y tiemblo.
Sólo con tenerte al lado y sentirme entre tus brazos
si estoy aqui si te hablo emocionado... sí...
Si estoy alucinado... si estoy alucinado...

Yo, como estás, pregunta estupida.
A mi el amarte, me vuelve previsible.
Hablo poco, es extraño, voy muy lento
es el viento es el tiempo es el fuego,
perdona si te amo, si nos encontramos
hace mes o poco másssssssss...

Perdona si no hablo bajo, si no lo grito, muero
te he dicho ya que te amo, perdona si me rio
por mi desasosiego, te miro fijo y tiemblo,
sólo con tenerte al lado, sentirme entre tus brazos
si estoy aqui te hablo emocionado.

Siiiiiiii... si estoy alucinado... je!, si estoy alucinado...

Yo te amo!

Plastic bottles aren't the only things I recycle--I compiled this list for my final presentation in my advanced Italian grammar class last fall!







MELISSA'S TOP 10 REASONS TO STUDY ITALIAN
(Translated back into English)

10. You can go to Italian restaurants and order in Italian.

9. You'll gain deep insight into Bruno Tonioli's cryptic critiques on "Dancing With the Stars."

8. The opera will now be of some interest to you.

7. Italy isn't the only place where you can go to speak Italian! There's Switzerland, Argentina, and Australia, too.

6. I bet no one was expecting for you to know Italian!

5. You can study abroad in Florence or Rome. Both cities will allow you to easily travel around the rest of Europe.

4. Italian is rapidly becoming a popular non-native language for students to learn in the U.S. and Canada, so you're not alone--you're just thinking forward!

3. You'll be able to read wine bottle labels with ease and authority.

2. Even if you don't know Spanish or French, you'll totally understand it! And that goes for Latin, too!

1. If you go to Au Bon Pain and you would like to talk about the ragazzo at the adjacent table, do it in Italian!

I totally enjoyed studying Italian in college, so much in fact that I went totally overboard with the electives. And because I was usually the only person in each of my classes learning for love alone (not for major or minor requirements), I always had to keep these reasons in my metaphorical back pocket to stay motivated when things sometimes got challenging.

Kinda like this guy:

I've used this website a lot for organization, menu planning and calendars. I see they are adding more and more new things all the time. Now I see they have added a link to free Spanish lessons. How awesome.

Free resources are a homeschoolers best friend in my opinion!! Check it out!

Approximate pigment of flesh on someone of Puerto Rican descent:

Approximate pigment of flesh on someone of Mexican descent:

Approximate pigment of flesh on someone of Greek descent, like myself:

As you can clearly see in the above examples, figures 1, 2, and 3 bare striking similarities. So, naturally:

I only bring this up because I finally couldn't take being harassed in spanish tongue any longer. So, when for the billionth time, a ballsy fellow stopped me and began rambling en español I got up in his face and clearly said in plain, good-old American English: Sorry. I'm not latina. 

The response I got back? Más o menos. (translation: more or less)

Olé.

A great place to start your day would be a morning stroll along Palma’s waterfront, with the city stirring for the day, the busy fish market bursts into life, the Es Moll de Pescadors hosts the Llotja del Peix (Fish Market), here you can pick up fresh prawns, sea-bass, mullet, sardines and much more, but you will need to be early as it opens at 6.00am.

Little is left of the Arab occupation of Palma, but well worth a look are the Banys Árabs (Arab Baths), which date from the 10^th century and would have originally been part of a nobleman’s house. The domed horseshoe arches, are supported by a dozen columns in various styles. Possible salvaged from an earlier Roman building, the steam room had underfloor heating, with a separate ‘cooling off’ room, next door. The Arab Baths are located in Carrer Can Serra and are behind the Museu de Mallorca, which is the most significant museum in Mallorca, covering over 3,000 years of the island’s history, from the early Talaotic Period, through the Roman and Arab occupations, up to the present day, with exibitions by modern day Mallorcan artists.

To take a break from the ancient and historical, you might fancy a trip to the market, in the Plaça Olivar you will find the vibrant Mercat Olivar, a covered market offering a huge range of consumables, most notably fruit and seafood which are displayed in mind boggling quantities and varieties. While you are there try out one of the tapas bars, where the market workers eat, here you can taste some real Mallorcan tapas.

If you wish to do a little shopping whilst in Mallorca then Palma is the place to do it, the main shopping area is in the Plaça Juan Carlos I, which is located beside the cathedral, here you will find numerous big stores such as El Corte Ingles, interspersed with smaller shops. Shops generally open at 10.00am and close at about 1.30pm, the evening session is from 5.00pm to 8.00pm.

When you are all spent out you could take a look at the Poble Espanyol (Spanish Village), a sort of Spanish theme park, where you can see reproductions of famous buildings from Madrid, Toledo and Cordoba, visit handicraft workshops, eat traditional Spanish food and get a lesson in Spanish architecture through the ages.

Getting back to culture one of the many churches worth a visit is the impressive Basilica de Sant Francesc, originally from the 13^th century, the façade was rebuilt in the 17^th century. The church houses the tomb of Mallorca’s most famous citizen Ramón Llull (1235-1316) a wealthy courtier from Palma, who later became a hermit after a failed seduction attempt, he was later stoned to death in Tunisia, for attempting to convert Muslims to Christianity.

While there is still plenty to see in Palma, you could perhaps wind down your visit with an evening stroll up the Passeig des Born, a tree-lined promenade, which has long been the centre of city life in Palma. Have a coffee in one of the al fresco cafés and relax after a busy day in the beautiful Palma de Mallorca.

If you need a map for your visit to the city you can find one here: Map of Palma de Mallorca, if you are planning to travel by public transport you will need to take a Palma de Mallorca bus and find out the fares and timetables. You can check out todays weather here: Weather in Palma de Mallorca, for more information visit our website.

Asta dupa ce am citit articolul lui Stere0 despre Sigur Ros, care mi-a placut mult.