Trick or Treat!

The American tradition of "trick-or-treating" probably dates back to the early All Souls' Day parades in England. During the festivities, poor citizens would beg for food and families would give them pastries called "soul cakes" in return for their promise to pray for the family's dead relatives.

The distribution of soul cakes was encouraged by the church as a way to replace the ancient practice of leaving food and wine for roaming spirits. The practice, which was referred to as "going a-souling" was eventually taken up by children who would visit the houses in their neighborhood and be given ale, food, and money.

The tradition of dressing in costume for Halloween has both European and Celtic roots. Hundreds of years ago, winter was an uncertain and frightening time. Food supplies often ran low and, for the many people afraid of the dark, the short days of winter were full of constant worry. On Halloween, when it was believed that ghosts came back to the earthly world, people thought that they would encounter ghosts if they left their homes. To avoid being recognized by these ghosts, people would wear masks when they left their homes after dark so that the ghosts would mistake them for fellow spirits. On Halloween, to keep ghosts away from their houses, people would place bowls of food outside their homes to appease the ghosts and prevent them from attempting to enter.

Adapted from http://www.history.com/

Monty Python's Argument Clinic

Dealing with humour, we couldn't forget the fabulous Monty Python. Enjoy!

Nirvana

Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in 1987. Nirvana went through a succession of drummers, the most famous being Dave Grohl, who joined the band in 1990.

With the lead single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" from the band's second album Nevermind (1991), Nirvana entered into the mainstream, bringing a subgenre of alternative rock called grunge. Other Seattle grunge bands such as Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden and also the San Diego based band Stone Temple Pilots also gained popularity, and as a result, alternative rock in general became a dominant genre on radio and music television in the United States during the early-to-mid-1990s.

Nirvana's brief run ended with Cobain's death in April 1994, but the band's popularity continued in the years that followed

Anti-Paparazzi Law

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed an anti-paparazzi bill making it easier to sue media outlets that use photos that invade celebrities' privacy.
Paparazzi photos are sold for incredible amounts of money, for example, a photo of Princess Diana and Dodi Al-Fayed sold for over 3 million dollars. This has created a lot of controversy, as photographers usually wait outside celebrities' homes to take photos or interview them. Sometimes they intrude into private properties or pay people for information.
Do you think Schwarzenegger is right making a harder law against paparazzi? Do you think he is just angry because, as a celebrity, he has suffered them?

Welcome aboard!

Hello, everybody!
We start the new school year, and this year I'll try to use this blog both for my advanced and intermediate classes. Any other students are also welcome to use the blog in any way they please, and, of course, visitors are also welcome!