Still no solutions

Again, lots of speculation but still no solutions.

Today they were doing SOMETHING:

The institute is trying to relocate their own students to other classes on the ground and 1st floor. But we don't know if they'll be enough room for us. Maybe not. ???

Well, all I can say is: 5th years, read as much as you can these days, and 1st years, revise everything and work on the CD*.

Have a good weekend everyone!

*els de 1er, repaseu molt i feu servir el CD.

IES Joaquim Mir and the ... tornado?

Was it a bird, was it a plane? Or was it a tornado that tore the roof off our beloved EOI, lodged in IES Joaquim Mir? Some people claim to have seen waterspouts at sea (="mànegues". I didn't know that word) that day.

Looking at the damage it definitely must have been something pretty powerful to lift practically the whole roof off the building.

Yesterday we all went to work and had a look around, and then a meeting. As architects and technicians are still assessing the damage, no decisions can be made for the moment, although there's a lot of speculating going on.

For the moment classes have been cancelled for all this week. It also seems unlikely that they will be able to continue next week, but who knows: official notifications will be on the EOI's webpage, so keep checking.

Several newspapers and tv channels have covered the news:

http://www.lamalla.cat/infolocal/noticies/article?id=411640

http://www.tv3.cat/videos/3146850/Escola-sense-teulada

http://www.acn.cat/acn/ResultatsCerca.acn?cid=2543

http://www.europapress.es/videos/video-temporal-arranca-tejado-colegio-20101013194726.html

http://www.elpais.com/articulo/cataluna/techo/volo/instituto/estaba/vacio/elpepiespcat/20101014elpcat_2/Tes

But I would say that this one is the best and most complete: http://www.tdtgarraf.com/video/31069/migdia-13102010?a7eca8862593b770ffa28e0532e39562 (minute 9.30+)

Well, I leave you with some photos. As I say, keep checking the school webpage for more information. I don't know when or where, but see you !

Who's suing who?

Welcome to the fascinating world of mobile phone lawsuits. I hadn't really been following this, but apparently Microsoft sueing Motorola over Android was just the latest in a long line of mobile-related lawsuits, which The Guardian represented like this:

Too confusing? A clearer (and prettier) representation here: http://news.designlanguage.com/post/1252039209

PS. They seem to have patched it all up in the end, by the way. At least between Microsoft and Motorola...

The White Stripes - We're going be friends

Today I was re-listening to the White Stripes, and I thought I'd post this cute song about the beginning of the school year.

How old do you think the kids are in the song? What clues are there to their ages?





Lyrics:

The White Stripes - We're going be friends

Fall is here, hear the yell
back to school, ring the bell
brand new shoes, walking blues
climb the fence, book and pens
I can tell that we are gonna be friends

Walk with me, Suzy Lee
through the park, by the tree
we will rest upon the ground
and look at all the bugs we've found
then safely walk to school
without a sound

Well here we are, no one else
we walked to school all by ourselves
there's dirt on our uniforms
from chasing all the ants and worms
we clean up and now it's time to learn


Numbers, letters, learn to spell
nouns, and books, and show-and-tell
at playtime we will throw the ball
back to class, through the hall
teacher marks our height against the wall

And we don't notice any time pass
we don't notice anything
we sit side by side in every class
teacher thinks that I sound funny
but she likes the way you sing

Tonight I'll dream while I'm in bed
when silly thoughts go through my head
about the bugs and alphabet
and when I wake tomorrow I'll bet
that you and I will walk together again
cause I can tell that we
are going to be friends

PS. Remember that "I can tell" also means something like "I can see/distinguish, etc".

Shweeb

What do we need? We need Shweeb! :D

What do you think? The revolutionary new ecological public transportation system. Look!

I especially love the happy girl's face in seconds 37-38. Of course we'd all be happy, travelling by Shweeb! We could imagine that we're in Futurama, except that we'd actually be... doing exercise, pedaling like mad and probably sweating like pigs.

But that's what everybody really wants to do, isn't it?

Well, the people at Google must think so, because they've invested in it, and they do tend to make lots and lots of money.

This won't be like the segway, which was also going to revolutionise transport and is now only used by American millionaires, rich tourists and security guards at Carrefour. Of course, unfortunate accidents won't help the segway's cause.

Shweeb looks pretty safe, though, if even blondes can use it. ;)

Read more about it here: http://shweeb.com

Can you imagine the traffic jams?

It's Friday!!!

Friday

FRIDAY

FRIDAY!!!! :D

Have a good weekend everybody!

Today is the day

Classes start today! You're probably all just as happy as me!

New faces in class, old faces in the corridor; well, and some old faces in class too.

Well, looking forward to seeing everyone again. :)

PS. Also regards too to those brilliant students that passed 5th year and so have "finished learning English forever". :P

"International" banks

My brother sent me this, with the comment "well, they try, don't they?".

More NatGeo photos

Click on the link for some amazing photos:

Photo Gallery: Grasslands, Prairies, and Savannas (National Geographic).

Space, planets, meteorology, etc

"Is there intelligent life on Earth?"

"No, I'm just visiting"...

...says the classic joke.

And for those of us who have hope for at least extraterrestrial intelligence will be pleased by the discovery of a solar system quite similar to ours, with at least five planets, and maybe seven:

"Astronomers using ESO’s world-leading HARPS instrument have discovered a planetary system containing at least five planets, orbiting the Sun-like star HD 10180. The researchers also have tantalising evidence that two other planets may be present, one of which would have the lowest mass ever found. This would make the system similar to our Solar System in terms of the number of planets (seven as compared to the Solar System’s eight planets). Furthermore, the team also found evidence that the distances of the planets from their star follow a regular pattern, as also seen in our Solar System." (Read more)

On the subject of space-related things, did you catch the Perseid meteor shower in the middle of August? I didn't. For the first time in many years I actually remembered to look, and went up to the terrace with a glass of cava in my hand (I had visitors at the time), with the intention of enjoying nature's show - only to find that it had clouded over during the night and practically no bits of clear sky were visible.

Other people in different locations, and with very good photographic equipment, were luckier: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1008/PerseidStorm_arn.jpg Come to think of it, do you think the photo's 100% real, or touched up a little?

And again, on the subject of nice photos, how about this one:

Doesn't it remind you a bit of the Windows default desktop image, but a bit more dramatic?

But it's not. Apparently (I've just googled this) the actual "Windows" hill was later planted with grapevines, which is nice.

"Windows" Hill

4 super romantic ways to break up with your girlfriend

http://thegloss.com/sex-and-dating/allie-brosh-presents-4-super-romantic-ways-to-break-up-with-your-girlfriend/

Tiger in the luggage

You've probably been tempted to do the same at some time or other, but remember, people: smuggling wild animals is a criminal offence, even when they're as cute as this.

Read about it: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/26/thailand-airport-tiger-cub-luggage

Is it a darling? ♥

I want one!!

Love for ugly people

They say "beauty is only skin deep" and that real beauty is "on the inside", but the truth is that less-than-beautiful people seem to find it harder to find a date, at least on the internet, where an attractive profile photo can mean the difference between tons of messages and none at all.

With this in mind, these people have come up with the idea of a dating service ONLY for UGLY people.

If you're not sure if you're ugly enough to join, don't worry, they'll tell you! If you're too attractive you won't be allowed. Good-looking people are not accepted.

Sounds like your kind of thing? Read more here: http://swns.com/worlds-first-dating-site-for-ugly-people-launched-201141.html

It's probably limited to the UK to start with, but who knows if the idea won't catch on if it's successful?

Traffic jams

Personally I don't mind traffic jams much; one, because with my work timetable I don't usually get them, and two, because I enjoy sitting in the car listening to music, but I know most people hate them.

Well, how about this one in China? How long would you wait in a traffic jam before GOING COMPLETELY MAD? An hour? Two hours? Five? No, too impatient.

Read about it here: http://tinyurl.com/23lmmu2

(Nine WHAT?!!!)

The summer holidays are almost over

I'm sure you're all dying to get back to class... just to discover that you've forgotten almost all the English you learnt last year.

So that doesn't happen to you, now is a good time to revise a little bit. You've probably got the notes you took in class, and your last year's books and MultiRom.

However, if you've already lost the books/notes, or you used them to start the barbecue, remember that you can also do a bit of revision online: links in the right column, or the English File Page directly.

Well, I hope you've all done your registration correctly, given in all the necessary documents (there are always last minute panics, mistakes and disappointments so make sure) and that you've checked the starting dates. For further info, visit the school's webpage.

See you!