23 November 2009

LOL

We are thankful for

I especially thank my brother because he teaches me a lot of things. I thank my parents for helping me when I need and of course I thank my friends.
Thank you for all Aryan
I thank the friends and family I have
Thanks for my family, friends and best friends. I’m so proud because I can trust them and when I need, they help me. Thanks for everything, and the most important thing is that I’m HAPPY.
Thanks for the support they always give me, because when I need they are always by my side
I'm thankful for the friends I have
Thanks for helping me when I need
I'm thankful for being who I am and for my family and my friends
Thanks for the friends and family I have
I thank for the friends I have
I thank for all my friends and for my family
I thank all my friends
Thanks for the friends and family
I thank my friends forever
I thank my best friends. I also thank my sweet family
I would like to thank my family and friends for the support
I thank the friends and the family
Thanks Lord for all that you have given me in my life: my family, my friends and my conscience to make good decisions
Thanks for helping me and my parents
Thanks for the best friends I have
Thanks for everything
Thanks for everything
Thanks for the friends I have
I'm thankful for who I am and for my family and my friends
I thank the friends and family I have
I thank my friends forever
I thank the friends and family I have


902

Thanksgiving - a short history



In the United States, Thanksgiving began with the Pilgrims who settled around Plymouth in December of 1620. During the winter of 1620-21 they suffered many privations. Food and supplies were scarce and disease ran rampant in the region. Nearly half the population died.


At the harvest of 1621 there was a feast. However, 1622 the results were fairly poor. The settlers were beginning to starve again. The Governor at the time, William Bradford, was quick to recognize the problem. So every family was assigned a parcel of land according to the proportion of their number...It made all hands very industrious, so that much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been...and gave far better satisfaction.


Thankful for the re-institution of private property and the plenty which it provided, the Pilgrims invited their Indian benefactors in 1623 to a three-day celebration. More than 80 "Indians" came to enjoy the festivities. They brought venison, wild turkey and other victuals. There was much singing, rejoicing and even sermons.


The first Thanksgiving in Plymouth was not meant to be an annual event. Even so, it became a custom in many New England Colonies. During the Revolutionary war Thanksgiving Days were proclaimed to celebrate victory in battle or survival in the face of adversity. After the war and the founding of the government under the U.S. Constitution, George Washington, as President, proclaimed a day of thanks.


Proclaiming a day of thanks became popular. There was no official national day, but individual states, cities and towns began to pick out a particular day every year, usually in the autumn. The state of New York was the first to do this in 1830. By the time of the Civil War thanksgiving had become a popular public event. In 1863 and 1864 President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a "day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father."


It was at this point that the last Thursday in November became fixed in the minds of Americans as a day for giving thanks, at least until 1939 when President Roosevelt moved it up a week to make a longer Christmas season for the retail industry. Some people did not like the break with tradition and various localities refused to comply. Finally, Congress intervened and changed the holiday permanently to the "4th Thursday in November". It has been celebrated on this day ever since.


NO!

We think that the technology doesn't hamper communication, it helps communication. For example, when we need to talk and we can't meet with each other we talk through the computer or on the phone.
When we have an emergency we have to call to another person.
Today we usually use the phone, IM and MSN to talk.
Thanks to social networks, we can know the customs, cultures and everything related to a person who lives across the world, and better, we are able to talk directly with her! Knowing the culture of other countries only makes us a more cultivated and refined person in relation to various subjects, and also to be able to speak plenty of foreign languages.



Andreia Correia nº 3
Beatriz Oliveira nº 5
Joana Gomes nº 11
Magda Rodrigues nº 17
Sara Araújo nº 25

Daniela's Favourite Actor!

My favourite actor is Zac Efron.
He’s twenty-two years old.
He was born on October 18th, 1987 in California, U.S.A.
He enjoys playing basketball, skating, surfing…
He also likes to be with his friends and his girlfriend, Vanessa.
I like him because he’s such a good actor and…he’s so cute!
He has got brown, wavy short hair and blue eyes. He’s tall and slim because he goes to the gym everyday!
I think he’s a great actor and a good friend.
I love him!


Daniela Nogueira, 702

About technology

We think that technology is great because we can do lots of things at the same time, for example, talk with a virtual friend while listening to music. These little things happen because we have technology. With technology ours lives’ are easier but sometimes they aren’t more interesting.
Before, when people received a postcard, it was a something cool but now receiving an email is very trivial. It does mean that technology takes out some magic of our lives.
Besides, we learn a lot with technology, for example we know much about science or cells because of the new technologies.
Technology, as all things, has a positive and a negative side. However the most important, in our opinion, is that the technology improves our life quality.

Juliana, Francisca, Beatriz Bacelar, Raquel and Ana Paula; class 902.

22 November 2009

Ana Margarida from class 902 sent





Are we disconnected?

Nowadays young people use the new technologies a lot. But does this deprive us to be face to face with our real friends and other people?
We think that all the new technologies are very helpful. They are useful in doing school work, research, talking with our friends when we are away from them, creating new ways to enjoy being with our friends, etc.
Some people think that we, teenagers, are addicted to computers and all that technological stuff, but we disagree with them. We think that we won’t use technologies instead of being with our real friends, if we can. We will only use them if we need because they can provide us many things, but it is not our priority.
As you can see, new technologies are becoming very popular thanks to their utility and that can be good for us, if we don’t use them too much.

Diogo, nº10; Fábio, nº11; Miguel, nº21; Ruben, nº24 - 901

André wrote...

July 2009

Hi Bárbara!
In the last letter I forgot to tell you something.
The great news is that last summer I went into Paredes de Coura Festival with Margarida. It was difficult to convince her but when I told her that Franz Ferdinand were going to act, she immediately changed her mind.
We stayed there for four days, and during that time we only thought in one thing: music!
The best moment, was when Franz Ferdinand played “Ulysses” and “This Fire”, our favorite songs. It was something out of the world!
Other bands like Oasis, The Gift, and so many more also played at the festival, but the audience’s behavior wasn’t as bad as we were expecting.
There were no strange events, thank god! The only strange moment was seeing Margarida sleeping! Oh my god! How loud she snored!
I loved it; I really hope you’ve also enjoyed seeing Alice Cooper at Switzerland!
Music rules!

I hope to hear from you soon,
All the best,
André


André Pedrosa, nº5, 901

17 November 2009

International Day of Tolerance - 16 November

16 November - At the initiative of UNESCO, 1995 was declared the United Nations Year for Tolerance, and it saw the launching of a worldwide campaign for tolerance and non-violence. The International Day for Tolerance grew out of the momentum of that Year. Building tolerance and trust in diverse communities is not done overnight, but takes time and commitment. Building tolerance requires access to education. Intolerance is often rooted in ignorance and fear: of the unknown, and of the "other", such as other cultures, religions and nations. Intolerance is also closely linked to an exaggerated sense of self-worth and pride: notions taught and learned at an early age. Therefore in coming years, we need to place greater emphasis on educating children about tolerance, human rights and fundamental freedoms. But we should not forget that education does not end in school, that adults - firstly as individuals capable of committing acts of intolerance, but more importantly in their capacity as parents, law-makers and law-enforcement officials - also need to be considered a priority target of our educational efforts.
An International Day for Tolerance can serve as an annual occasion for tolerance education as well as for wider social and political reflection and debate on local and global problems of intolerance. It is a moment to take stock of the progress made during the year and to propose fresh policies to close remaining gaps.

World Diabetes Day - 14 November

World Diabetes Day raises global awareness of diabetes - its escalating rates around the world and how to prevent the illness in most cases. Started by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and WHO (World Health Organization), the Day is celebrated on 14 November to mark the birthday of Frederick Banting who, along with Charles Best, was instrumental in the discovery of insulin in 1922, a life-saving treatment for diabetes patients.WHO estimates that more than 180 million people worldwide have diabetes, according to 2005 figures. This number is likely to more than double by 2030 without intervention. Almost 80% of diabetes deaths occur in low and middle-income countries.

WHAT IS DIABETES?
Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or alternatively, when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood sugar. Hyperglycaemia, or raised blood sugar, is a common effect of uncontrolled diabetes and over time leads to serious damage to many of the body's systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels.
Type 1 diabetes (previously known as insulin-dependent or childhood-onset) is characterized by a lack of insulin production. Without daily administration of insulin, Type 1 diabetes is rapidly fatal.
Symptoms include excessive excretion of urine (polyuria), thirst (polydipsia), constant hunger, weight loss, vision changes and fatigue. These symptoms may occur suddenly.
Type 2 diabetes (formerly called non-insulin-dependent or adult-onset) results from the body’s ineffective use of insulin. Type 2 diabetes comprises 90% of people with diabetes around the world, and is largely the result of excess body weight and physical inactivity.
Symptoms may be similar to those of Type 1 diabetes, but are often less marked. As a result, the disease may be diagnosed several years after onset, once complications have already arisen.
Until recently, this type of diabetes was seen only in adults but it is now also occurring in obese children.
Gestational diabetes is hyperglycaemia which is first recognized during pregnancy.
Symptoms of gestational diabetes are similar to Type 2 diabetes. Gestational diabetes is most often diagnosed through prenatal screening, rather than reported symptoms.
Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT) and Impaired Fasting Glycaemia (IFG) are intermediate conditions in the transition between normality and diabetes. People with IGT or IFG are at high risk of progressing to type 2 diabetes, although this is not inevitable.

WHO ACTIVITIES TO PREVENT AND CONTROL DIABETES
WHO aims to stimulate and support the adoption of effective measures for the surveillance, prevention and control of diabetes and its complications, particularly in low and middle-income countries. To this end, WHO:
- Provides scientific guidelines for diabetes prevention;
- Develops norms and standards for diabetes care;
- Builds awareness on the global epidemic of diabetes; including partnership with the International Diabetes Federation in the celebration of World Diabetes Day (14 November);
- Conducts surveillance of diabetes and its risk factors.

The WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health complements WHO's diabetes work by focusing on population-wide approaches to promote healthy diet and regular physical activity, thereby reducing the growing global problem of overweight and obesity. The Strategy calls upon all stakeholders to take action at the global, regional and local levels and aims to lead to a significant reduction in the prevalence of diabetes and other chronic diseases.
WHO's work on diabetes is integrated into the overall WHO chronic disease prevention and control framework of the Department of Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion. The strategic objectives of the Department are to raise awareness about the global epidemic of chronic diseases; create healthy environments, especially for poor and disadvantaged populations; slow and reverse trends in common chronic disease risk factors such as unhealthy diet and physical inactivity; and prevent premature deaths and avoidable disability due to major chronic diseases.
Source: World Health Organization

11 November 2009

Conditional Clauses - Type 0



Conditional Clauses - Type 1






Conditional Clauses - Type 2





Conditional Clauses - Type 3



My Best Friend

My best friend is Rute Neves.
She is twelve years old. She was born in Famalicao on July 10 1997.
She likes playing volleyball, dancing and watching TV. She doesn’t like pasta. Her favourite food is pizza. She lives with her parents and two brothers.
She is tall. She has got brown eyes and wavy brown hair.
I really like her a lot!
Francisca Lobo

Me, myself and I - Kika Lobo

My name is Francisca.
I'm 12 years old. I'm Portuguese. I live in Famalicão. I was born in Porto.
I have got one brother and two sisters. I live with my family. I haven't got any pets.
I'm medium height. I have got long hair. I have got brown eyes and brown hair. I'm slim.
I like watching TV, playing volleyball, playing computer games and listening to music. My favourite singer is Michael Jackson. My favourite music is “We are the world “and "Black or White”. In my free time I like talking to my friends.
I like animals! I love cats.

Tiago, I'm Tiago Carvalho

My name is Tiago Carvalho.
I'm twelve years old. I was born in Braga on May 26 1997. I'm short and thin. I have got brown hair and brown eyes. I like playing tennis, riding a bike, watching TV and being with my friends. I live with my mother and my sister. My best friend is Rui. He is twelve years old. He is short and a bit fat. He has got curly brown hair and brown eyes. He likes playing hockey and playing football.

Me, Myself and Filipa

Hi, my name is Filipa Rodrigues.
I'm twelve years old. M birthday is on April 24. I live in Famlicão, and I was born in Famalicão.
My eyes are green and my hair is brown , but when I was younger my hair was blond!
I like watching TV and reading , but what I love the most is listening to music and be with my friends.
I don't the school, it's boring.
I live with my mother Elisabete and my brother. My parents are separated. My brother's name is Miguel and he loves music. He has good marks at school. My mother is lawyer and my father is an engineer. I have two dogs , their names are Fox and Rikki. I love them, but sometimes they love making tricks, I'm very nice to them.
My house is big, and a little farway from school.

LOL

sent by Ana Paula Silva

João Pedro Barbosa said:

Hello!
My name is João Pedro Barbosa.
I'm twelve years old.
My favourite sport is football, and my favourite food is pizza.
My house is very, very good and my parents are very good too.
My sister's name is Valéria Inês, my father is José Barbosa, and my mom is Olga Rodrigues.
I love beautiful girls, nice clothes and tennis.
I really want to be a football player in the future!
See you tomorrow teacher! :)

10 November 2009

Happy Fortieth Birthday!







We Shall Not Forget

Remembrance Day – also known as Poppy Day, Armistice Day (the event it commemorates) or Veterans Day – is a day to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war, specifically since the First World War. It is observed on 11 November to recall the end of World War I on that date in 1918. (Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice.) The day was specifically dedicated by King George V, on 7 November 1919, to the observance of members of the armed forces who were killed during war; this was possibly done upon the suggestion of Edward George Honey to Wellesley Tudor Pole, who established two ceremonial periods of remembrance based on events in 1917.

Wikipedia

2 November 2009

LOL


Advantages and Disadvantages of the Internet

Advantages

Communication:
The foremost target of internet has always been the communication. And internet has excelled beyond the expectations. Now we can communicate in a fraction of second with a person who is sitting in the other part of the world. Today for better communication, we can avail the facilities of e-mail; we can chat for hours with our loved ones. There are plenty messenger services in offering. With help of such services, it has become very easy to establish a kind of global friendship where you can share your thoughts, can explore other cultures of different ethnicity.

Information
Information is probably the biggest advantage internet is offering. The Internet is a virtual treasure trove of information. Any kind of information on any topic under the sun is available on the Internet. The search engines like Google, yahoo is at your service on the Internet. You can almost find any type of data on almost any kind of subject that you are looking for. There is a huge amount of information available on the internet for just about every subject known to man, ranging from government law and services, trade fairs and conferences, market information, new ideas and technical support, the list is end less.

Students and children are among the top users who surf the Internet for research. Today, it is almost required that students should use the Internet for research for the purpose of gathering resources. Teachers have started giving assignments that require research on the Internet. Almost every coming day, researches on medical issues become much easier to locate. Numerous web sites available on the net are offering loads of information for people to research diseases and talk to doctors online at sites such as, America’s Doctor. During 1998 over 20 million people reported going online to retrieve health information.

Entertainment
Entertainment is another popular raison d'être why many people prefer to surf the Internet. In fact, media of internet has become quite successful in trapping multifaceted entertainment factor. Downloading games, visiting chat rooms or just surfing the Web are some of the uses people have discovered. There are numerous games that may be downloaded from the Internet for free. The industry of online gaming has tasted dramatic and phenomenal attention by game lovers. Chat rooms are popular because users can meet new and interesting people. In fact, the Internet has been successfully used by people to find life long partners. When people surf the Web, there are numerous things that can be found. Music, hobbies, news and more can be found and shared on the Internet.

Services
Many services are now provided on the internet such as online banking, job seeking, purchasing tickets for your favorite movies, guidance services on array of topics engulfing the every aspect of life, and hotel reservations. Often these services are not available off-line and can cost you more.

E-Commerce
Ecommerce is the concept used for any type of commercial maneuvering, or business deals that involves the transfer of information across the globe via Internet. It has become a phenomenon associated with any kind of shopping, almost anything. You name it and Ecommerce with its giant tentacles engulfing every single product and service will make you available at your door steps. It has got a real amazing and wide range of products from household needs, technology to entertainment.


Disadvantages

Theft of Personal information
If you use the Internet, you may be facing grave danger as your personal information such as name, address, credit card number etc. can be accessed by other culprits to make your problems worse.

Spamming:
Spamming refers to sending unwanted e-mails in bulk, which provide no purpose and needlessly obstruct the entire system. Such illegal activities can be very frustrating for you, and so instead of just ignoring it, you should make an effort to try and stop these activities so that using the Internet can become that much safer.

Virus threat
Virus is nothing but a program which disrupts the normal functioning of your computer systems. Computers attached to internet are more prone to virus attacks and they can end up into crashing your whole hard disk, causing you considerable headache.

Portuguese Trick or Treat - did you know?

In Tomar, people set up the tables with all sorts of nuts and a traditional cake. Children knock on people's door and instead of trick or treat, give something nice to eat... it goes like this:

Bolinho, bolinho,
Esta casa tem Santinho!

But if don't give the children nuts or a slice of cake... it goes like this:

Bolão, bolão,
Esta casa vai ao CHÃO!

So next year you can use a real Portuguese tradition instead of "Doçura ou Travessura" or Trick or Treat!

From All Hallows Eve Up To Trick or Treat

Halloween is the one of the oldest holidays still celebrated today. While millions of people celebrate Halloween without knowing its origins and myths, the history and facts of Halloween make the holiday more fascinating.
Some people view Halloween as a time for fun, putting on costumes, trick-or-treating, and having theme parties. Others view it as a time of superstitions, ghosts, goblins and evil spirits that should be avoided at all costs.
Halloween is on October 31st, the last day of the Celtic calendar. It was originally a pagan holiday, honoring the dead. Halloween was referred to as All Hallows Eve and dates back to over 2000 years ago.
All Hallows Eve is the evening before All Saints Day, which was created by Christians to convert pagans, and is celebrated on November 1st. The Catholic Church honored saints on this designated day.
While there are many versions of the origins and old customs of Halloween, some remain consistent by all accounts. Different cultures view Holloween somewhat differently but traditional Halloween practices remain the same.
Halloween culture can be traced back to the Druids, a Celtic culture in Ireland, Britain and Northern Europe. Roots lay in the feast of Samhain, which was annually on October 31st to honor the dead.
Samhain signifies "summers end" or November. Samhain was a harvest festival with huge sacred bonfires, marking the end of the Celtic year and beginning of a new one. Many of the practices involved in this celebration were fed on superstition.
The Celts believed the souls of the dead roamed the streets and villages at night. Since not all spirits were thought to be friendly, gifts and treats were left out to pacify the evil and ensure next years crops would be plentiful. This custom evolved into trick-or-treating.

Carlos Pinto, 11.14

1 November 2009

Pet Log - Is it Jessica Rabbit?

Joana Costa, 701

Extra Credit 11.14/11.17


Write a short text on:

- how important is internet/television to you;

- how much time you spend online or watching TV;

- what you use it for;

- if it is a safe/trustworthy means of communication.