GOOD FOR NOTHING

“Matches used in the U.S. in 1840 could be lighted from either end”

WORDS OF WISDOM

BE PREPARED!
YOU NEVER GET A SECOND CHANCE TO MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION!!!

RULES OF THUMB

PREPOSITIONS

ACROSS - Indica movimento ou extensão por cima de um objeto, de um lado para outro. Através de.

e.g.: - He lives across the street. She swam across the river.

AFTER - Depois de, após, atrás de, em busca ou no encalço de, à maneira de, abaixo de (graduação)

e.g.: - After a storm comes a calm. The letter arrived the day after. Peter went after his brothers. The policeman ran after the crook. A painting after Rembrandt. A captain comes after a major.

AGAINST - Contra, em contato com, para, (em previsão de)

e.g.: - Let’s all fight against tyranny. The public opinion was against Bill Clinton. She was leaning against the wall. We must save against bad days in the future.

Clip of The Day

"Dinner For One" is a comedy sketch written by Lauri Wylie a british author, for the theatre in the years 1920s. This comical play afterwhile went on to become the most frequently repeated TV programme ever according to the Guinness Book of Records. The present Clip is a single take black-and-white 1963 TV recording, featuring british comedians Freddie Frinton and May Warden.

..."Miss Sophie" is a lonely old lady celebrating her 90th birthday with four of her closest friends. (Sir Toby, Admiral von Schneider, Mr Pommeroy, and Mr Winterbottom). Unfortunately, all the guests are long dead, so butler James has to drink their share of the wine and do all the toasts. With the inevitable result he gets increasingly drunk, and keeps falling over a tiger skin on the floor..... The catch phrase for the show is,

Butler James - "Same procedure as last year Miss Sophie?"
Miss Sophie - "Same procedure as every year James".
Enjoy the Clip. HC

Christmas and New Year Holidays

Now that the Xmas and New Year festivities are over and we have already enjoyed our annual leave period, how about taking a look at the old traditions? Christmas is a Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, but many Christmas traditions come from pagan, or non-Christian sources. Christmas Trees come from a German pagan tradition. They were brought to the English (who later brought them to the US) by Prince Albert, the German husband of Queen Victoria.

Evergreen Wreaths and Boughs.

Wreaths are circles of leaves, berries and/or flowers that are usually placed on the front door. Boughs are tree branches. Evergreens are trees that stay green all year long. Because of this, they are pagan symbols of life. They were used to show that life is eternal and continues even in winter, the season of death.

Decorating with holly...

comes from the Roman solstice celebration called Saturnalia. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year, when the sun shines for the least amount of time. In ancient Roman solstice celebrations, people gave each other holly because they believed it kept away lightning and evil spirits during the long nights. People have exchanged gifts for thousands of years. The Saturnalia in Rome took place at the beginning of the New Year. People gave presents as symbols of the good luck, prosperity, and happiness that they wanted their friends and family to have in the coming year. Christians credit the Magi, or Three Wise Men, with starting this tradition when they brought gifts to the Christ Child. Santa Claus is a mix of characters from many different traditions, all of them pagan: the Dutch St. Nick, the English Father Christmas, and the German Kris Kringle, among others. For centuries Norse and Germanic peoples have talked about the Yule Elf, who carries presents to people who leave him food on the Winter Solstice.

UNDERSTANDING HISTORY

Ibrahim X Jacob ...

Ibrahim the Arab goes to Jacob's store to buy a dozen bras. Jacob the Jew, sensing good business, says they are rare and few and sells for 40 euros each.

Ibrahim, the Arab buys and comes back a few days later wanting two more dozen. Jacob, the Jew says that the pieces are becoming increasingly rare and sells for 50 euros a unit.

A month later, Ibrahim, the Arab buys what is left for 75 euros each. Jacob the Jew astounded, asks what's the reason for buying so many black bras.

Ibrahim the Arab says:

- I cut the bras in two and I make two stylish little caps and sell them to Jews for 120 euros each.

AND THEN THE WAR BEGAN

QUOTATION OF THE DAY

POLITICS: (Supplied by Breno Grisi)

"He knows nothing; and he thinks he knows everything. That points clearly to a political career". Bernard Shaw

TIPS OF THE DAY

PREPOSITIONS

FOR – Indica o fim ou recompensa, já obtida ou para ser obtida, da ação expressa pelo verbo.Para. Por. Em lugar de. Indica o objeto a favor do qual a ação se faz. Precede o nome do destino onde se quer chegar, quando acompanhado dos verbos que pedem esta preposição, tais como: “To embark for. To steer for. To leave for. To start for. To make for. To sail for”. Usa-se para denotar a duração de tempo e extensão de espaço. Emprega-se no sentido de “quanto a, em relação a” etc. Antes do preço de alguma coisa.

e.g.: - Mercenaries fight more for money than for glory.
Tiradentes died for his country.
Stop talking for God’s sake!
Don’t worry, I will do the dishes for you.
When will the plane leave for London ?
Because of the rain we made for the woods.
Humanity has not enjoyed the blessings of peace for many years.
World War II lasted for 6 long years.
For myself I ask no favor.
She is tall for her age.
He sold his old car for a few dollars.

LAUGHTER’S THE BEST MEDICINE

Good Ol’ King Arthur

A knight and his men return to their castle after a long hard day of fighting.

- "How are we faring?" asks the king.

- "Sire," replies the knight,

- "I have been robbing and pillaging on your behalf all day, burning the towns of your enemies in the west."

- "What?!" shrieks the king. I don't have any enemies to the west!

- "Oh," says the knight. "Well, you do now Sire".

Castaway

From a passenger ship one can see a bearded man on a small island who is shouting and desperately waving his hands.

- “Who is it?” a passenger asks the captain.

- “No idea. Every year when we pass, he goes mad like that” answered the captain!

Short Jokes

Bob says to his friend Bill

- "My doctor says if I don't give up sex, I'll be dead in a week."

- "Why is that?" Bill asks.

- "I've been screwing his wife, answers Bob."

**************************************************

- "I have to be very careful not to get pregnant," a woman told her friend.

- "I don't understand," said the friend. "I thought your husband had a vasectomy." The woman answered,

- "Precisely."

Word of The Day

WHET

Function: verb (with object)

Inflected forms:
whets; whetted; whetting

Meaning:
to make (something, such as a person's appetite or curiosity) sharper or stronger

e.g. We had some wine to whet our appetites. You've whetted my curiosity. The ads are trying to whet booksellers' interest.

GOOD FOR NOTHING

Johnny Weissmüller, the screen's most famous Tarzan, was hired for the role without a screen test.

WORDS OF WISDOM

TEXAS WISDOM

If you're ridin' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there.

RULES OF THUMB

HERE’S THE POINT

Common Prefixes

Prefixes are elements placed before a word to create a new word. Look at the following examples:
Anti- = against - antisocial (a person who does not like being with other people). Antiwar (a person who does not believe in war; opposed to war)
Hyper- = beyond the ordinary - hyperactive (a person who is very active; more active than other people). Hypersensitive (a person who is very sensitive; extra sensitive to things)
il-, in-, im-, ir- = not - illogical (not logical)
insufficient (not sufficient; not enough)
impossible (not possible)
irresponsible (not responsible)
Poly = many - polyglot (a person who speaks many languages). Polygon (a shape with many sides and angles)
Post = after - postseason (after the regular season) postscript (PS; additional remarks at the end of a letter)

CHRISTMAS CLIP

Clip of The Day

Lest We Forget

On Christmas Eve, 1914 during World War I, german soldiers set trees on trenches parapets and lit the candles. Then, they began singing carols, and though their language was unfamiliar to their enemies, the tunes were not. After a few trees were shot at, the British became more curious than belligerent and crawled forward to watch and listen. And after a while, they began to sing too. By the morning, the "no man's land" between the trenches was filled with fraternizing soldiers, sharing rations and gifts, and singing. After burying their dead bodies between the lines they were playng soccer. The game ended 3-2 for the Germans. Enjoy the clip below. Merry Xmas to you all. HC

MERRY CHRISTMAS

From Wikipedia

December 25th - Traditional Birthday of Jesus

Christmas or Christmas Day is a holiday observed generally on December 25/6 to commemorate the birth of Jesus, the central figure of Christianity. The date is not known to be the actual birthday of Jesus, and may have initially been chosen to correspond with either the day exactly nine months after some early Christians believed Jesus had been conceived, the date of the winter solstice on the ancient Roman calendar, or one of various ancient winter festivals. Christmas is central to the Christmas and holiday season, and in Christianity marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days.

Although nominally a Christian holiday, Christmas is also widely celebrated by many non-Christians, and many of its popular celebratory customs have pre-Christian or secular themes and origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift-giving, music, an exchange of greeting cards, church celebrations, a special meal, and the display of various decorations; including Christmas trees, lights, garlands, mistletoe, nativity scenes, and holly. In addition, several similar mythological figures, known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas and Santa Claus among other names, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season.

Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity among both Christians and non-Christians, the holiday has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses. The economic impact of Christmas is a factor that has grown steadily over the past few centuries in many regions of the world.

QUOTATION OF THE DAY

I never think of the future. It comes soon enough. Albert Einstein

TIPS OF THE DAY

PREPOSITIONS

BEFORE – Antes de. Perante. Diante. Ante. Indica posição em frente a um objeto.
Indica também prioridade, precedência em classe, ordem ou sucessão.
e.g.: - I shall be there before 6 o’clock.
The holiday season starts a fortnight before May 1st.
You must mail this letter before that package.

“I’ll have these players play something like the murder of my father before mine uncle”. (Hamlet, Act II. Scene II.)
BEHIND – Atrás. Indica a posição do objeto atrás do outro ou seguindo um outro.
Indica que um objeto fica após a remoção de um outro.
e.g.: - He died leaving a glorious name behind him.
I keep leaving my umbrella behind me.

BELOW - Abaixo de. Indica inferioridade de classe, de dignidade etc.
e.g.: - When the Sun sets it goes below the horizon.
An Earl is below a Marquis in rank.
Should I sign my name below the dotted line ?
The city of Recife, people say, is below the sea level

FAQ about Santa and Xmas

Q: If Santa doesn't have to age, then why has he become old?
A: He only appears to be old. He's an undercover kid.

Q: Why do we wish people a "Merry Christmas" instead of a "Happy Christmas"?
A: The two are about the same, but with "Merry Christmas" an extra twinkle is seen in the eyes.

Q: Why is a Christmas tree that has been chopped down called a "live Christmas tree?"
A: It's dead but doesn't know it, and yet it's having the time of its life.

Q: Why do we wrap our Christmas gifts with paper?
A: Because we like to see surprise and joy (real or kindly faked) in the recipients.

LAUGHTER’S THE BEST MEDICINE

Looks Can Be Deceptive

A 54 year old woman had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital. While on the operating table she had a near death experience. Seeing God she asked:

- “Is my time up?” God said,

- “No, you have another 33 years, 2 months and 8 days to live.”

Upon recovery, the woman decided to stay in the hospital and have a face-lift, liposuction, breast implants and a tummy tuck.She even had someone come in and change her hair color and brighten her teeth! Since she had so much more time to live, she figured she might as well make the most of it.

After her last operation, she was released from the hospital. While crossing the street on her way home, she was killed by an ambulance.

Arriving in front of God, she demanded,

- “I thought you said I had another 33 years? Why didn’t you pull me from out of the path of the ambulance? God replied:

- “Shit! I didn’t recognize you.”

Good For Nothing

In the White House, there are 13,092 knives, forks and spoons!

WORDS OF WISDOM

"Well done is better than well said."
Benjamin Franklin

RULES OF THUMB

Idioms using the word "Eat"

Eat like a bird = to eat very little
Eat like a horse = to eat a lot of food and to eat often
Eat your heart = to suffer from jealousy and envy
Eat your words = to take back your words; to apologize for something that you said
Eat out of your hand = to have someone do exactly as you wish
Eat at you = something that irritates or bothers you

Word of The Day

Bush-League

Function: adjective

Status: US, informal



Meaning:

Of very low quality

e.g.: Bush-League customer service
A bush-league (unprofessional) reporter

Clip of The Day

'...REMEMBER???

ARSENIC-BASED BACTERIA POINT TO NEW LIFE FORMS

Breno Grisi

We could be witnessing the first signs of a "shadow biosphere" – a parallel form of life on Earth with a different biochemistry to all others. Bacteria that grow without phosphorous, one of the six chemical elements thought to be essential for life, have been isolated from California's Mono Lake. Instead of phosphorous, the bacteria substitute the deadly poison arsenic. "Life as we know it could be much more flexible than we generally assume or can imagine," says Felisa Wolfe-Simon of NASA's Astrobiology Institute and the US Geological Survey in Menlo Park, California.

Wolfe-Simon's team took mud containing bacteria from the arsenic-rich Mono Lake and grew them in ever decreasing concentrations of phosphorous. Their rationale was that since arsenic is just below phosphorous in the periodic table, and shares many of its chemical properties and is even used as a source of energy for some bacteria, the bugs would be able to swap one for the other. That is just what happened.

"After one year, they are still alive and well," says Paul Davies of Arizona State University in Tempe. Not only that, the team showed that this ability was incorporated deep into the molecular building-blocks of the bacterium, strain GFAJ-1 of the salt-loving Halomonadaceae family, right down to the DNA.
"It's the first time such a chemical substitution has been shown for DNA," says Philippe Bertin of the University of Strasbourg, France, who was not part of the team. "Possibly, it's a relic of an ancestral metabolism that was supplanted during evolution because using phosphorus was more stable and less toxic."

Despite surviving on arsenic for a year, the bacteria would still "prefer" to grow using phosphorous: biomolecules react more efficiently in water and seem to be more stable when constructed with phosphorous than arsenic. They only substitute arsenic if there is no alternative.

Steven Benner, a chemist from the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution in Gainesville, Florida, who works on alternative forms of DNA, is sceptical that the bacteria really do contain arsenic. "I doubt these results," he says, since in order to measure the modified DNA it has to be put into a water-containing gel, which would rapidly dissolve any arsenate molecules. Any hypothesis that arsenate might replace phosphate in biomolecules must take this into account, he says.

Shadow biosphere. Davies says that future work will address the stability-in-water issue, but argues that the discovery underlines the need to look further for the first true representatives of alternate life forms in Earth's shadow biosphere.

Breno Grisi
Professor (retired) of Ecology, at UFPB, Federal University of Paraíba - Brazil, currently teaching courses in ecology at private universities

LAUGHTER’S THE BEST MEDICINE

Mistakes In Life

A woman awoke during the night to find that her husband was not in bed. She put on her robe and went downstairs. He was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in front of him. He appeared to be in deep thought, just staring at the wall.

She saw him wipe a tear from his eye and take a sip of his coffee.

- "What's the matter dear? Why are you down here at this time of night?" she asked.

- "Do you remember twenty years ago when we were dating and you were only 16?" he asked.

- "Yes, I do," she replied.

- "Do you remember when your father caught us in the back seat of my car?"

- "Yes, I remember."

- "Do you remember when he shoved that shotgun in my face and said, 'Either you marry my daughter or spend twenty years in jail'?"

- "Yes, I do," she said.

He wiped another tear from his cheek and said,

- "You know, I would have gotten out today. "

GOOD FOR NOTHING INFORMATION

CLINOPHOBIA IS THE FEAR OF BEDS

Tell Me Why...

"Are there 5 syllables in the word "monosyllabic"?

WORDS OF WISDOM

“I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.” Winston Churchill

RULES OF THUMB

Idioms

To look up to – To admire and respect
To look down on – To act as if someone is less important than you
To treat someone as an equal – To act as if someone is the same as you

Word of the Day

Elated

Function: adjective

Comparative and superlative forms: more elated; most elated

Meaning: very happy and excited
e.g.: She was elated at/about/over the news. She was elated to be chosen for the job. She was elated that she was chosen for the job.

Clip of The Day

Captain Bravo

Long ago lived a seaman named Captain Bravo. He was a manly man who showed no fear in facing his enemies. One day, while sailing the seven seas, a look-out spotted a pirate ship and the crew became frantic. Captain Bravo bellowed,

- “Bring me my Red Shirt.”

The First Mate quickly retrieved the captain’s red shirt and whilst wearing the bright red frock he led his men into battle and defeated the pirates.

Later on that day, the look-out spotted not one, but two pirate ships. The captain again called for his red shirt and once again, though the fighting was fierce, he was victorious over the two ships. That evening, all the men sat around on the deck recounting the day’s triumphs and one of the them asked the captain,

- “Sir, why do you call for your red shirt before battle?” The captain replied,

- “If I am wounded in the attack, the shirt will not show my blood and thus, you men will continue to fight, unafraid.”

All of the men sat in silence and marveled at the courage of such a manly man as Captain Bravo. As dawn came the next morning, the look-out spotted not one, not two, but TEN pirates ships approaching from the far horizon. The crew stared at the captain and waited for his usual reply.

Captain Bravo calmly shouted,

- “Get me my brown pants.”

Odd News

Grandma Patty Bigbee

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - A Florida woman and her boyfriend have been charged with trying to sell her infant grandson for $30,000.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents arrested 45-year-old Patty Bigbee and 42-year-old Lawrence Works on Friday in Daytona Beach after they met with an agent posing as a buyer. Both were charged with illegal sale or surrender of a child, and Bigbee was also charged with communication fraud.

FDLE agent Wayne Ivey said an investigation began last month after an informant told authorities the woman was trying to sell the baby. Authorities say the woman originally wanted $75,000 but was talked down to $30,000.

The child's mother is currently incarcerated on unrelated charges.

The infant has been turned over to child welfare officials.

Authorities said they didn't know if Bigbee or Works had an attorney.

WORDS OF WISDOM

“BETTER TO REMAIN SILENT AND BE THOUGHT A FOOL THAN TO SPEAK OUT AND REMOVE ALL DOUBT”.
Abraham Lincoln.

LAUGHTER’S THE BEST MEDICINE

5 Bucks

A man is walking around New York with his wife. They find a perfume shop, the wife goes in, and he waits outside. A hooker comes along and says to him...

- "Like to come home with me, buddy?"
- "For how much?", asks the man.
- "One hundred dollars," the hooker answers.
- "I’ll give you five bucks," he replies.

The hooker swears at him and walks away. A little later, the man’s wife comes out of the shop and they continue their walk. As they round the corner, there stands the same hooker. She takes one look at the man and his wife and says,

- “AHA! See what you get for five bucks?”


Father & SonA young Arab asks his father:

- What is this weird head gear we are wearing?

- Why, it’s a “chechia” because in the desert it protects our heads from the sun!

- And what is this type of clothes that we are wearing?

- It’s a “djbellah” because in the desert it is very hot and it protects your body!

- And what are these ugly shoes that we have on our feet?

- These are “babouches”, which keep us from burning our feet when in the desert!

- Tell me papa?

- Yes my son?

- "Then, why the f**k are we living in London…?"

Word of The Day

Give–And–Take

Function: noun (noncount)

Meanings:
1 - The process by which people reach an agreement with each other by giving up something that was wanted and agreeing to some of the things wanted by the other person

e.g.: A successful marriage requires a lot of give-and-take between husband and wife.

2- US: The act or process of exchanging ideas or comments

e.g.: She enjoys a lot of friendly give-and-take with her customers.

QUOTATION OF THE DAY

"A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don't need it." Bob Hope, Actor, Comedian and Author.

RULES OF THUMB

The thumb is the short, thick finger on your hand, the one that helps you hold things.

Thumb Nouns
The noun “thumb” is used in a lot of expressions:
To give someone the thumbs up/down,
to give someone approval/disapproval)

Thumb Verbs

Thumb is also used as a verb.
To thumb a ride (informal) to hitchhike; to try to get a ride by standing on the road sticking out your thumb.

Thumb Idioms
Here are some idioms with thumb. Can you guess their idiomatic meanings by thinking about their literal meanings?

To stick out like a sore thumb:
Betty sticks out like a sore thumb in that yellow dress. Everyone else is wearing blue. In other words, Betty looks very different from everyone else; she looks a little foolish.

A green thumb:
He has a green thumb. He is good at making plants grow. Everything in his garden flourishes.

A Rule of Thumb: (a practical rule) “You should pay your best attention to the Tips of Grammar as well as The Rules of Thumb listed in every issue of this BULLETIN. HC

Clip of The Day

"Harry and Sally"... is a 1989 American romantic comedy film written by Nora Ephron and directed by Rob Reiner. It stars Billy Crystal as Harry and Meg Ryan as Sally. The story follows the title characters from the time they meet just before sharing a cross-country drive, through some twelve years or so of chance encounters in New York City. The film raises the question "Can men and women ever just be friends?"

The whole story starts when Sally gives him a ride to New York after they both graduate from University. The film jumps through their lives as they both search for love, but fail, bumping into each other time and time again. Finally a close friendship blooms between them, and they both like having a friend of the opposite sex. But then they are confronted with the problem: "Would it be possible for a man and a woman be friends, without sex getting in the way?"

Curiosity: The lady who says "I'll have what she's having" after Sally's faked orgasm is director Rob Reiner's mother who happened to be visiting the set that day.

The orgasm scene was filmed at Katz's Deli, an actual restaurant in New York. The table at which the scene was filmed now has a plaque on it that reads, "Congratulations! You're sitting where Harry met Sally." HC

LAUGHTER’S THE BEST MEDICINE

MUD PIES

A man pleaded with the psychiatrist, "You've got to help me.
It's my son."
"What's the matter?"
"He's always eating mud pies. I get up in the morning and
there he is in the backyard eating mud pies. I come home at
lunch and he's eating mud pies. I come home at dinner and
there he is in the backyard eating mud pies."
The psychiatrist reassured him, "Give the kid a chance. It's
all part of growing up. It'll pass."
"Well, I don't like it, and neither does his wife."


Magic Elevators
A fifteen year old Amish boy and his father were in a mall. They were amazed by almost everything they saw, but especially by two shiny, silver walls that could move apart and then slide back together again.

The boy asked, 'What is this Father?'

The father (never having seen an elevator) responded, 'Son, I have never seen anything like this in my life, I don't know what it is.'

While the boy and his father were watching with amazement, a fat old lady in a wheel chair moved up to the moving walls and pressed a button. The walls opened, and the lady rolled between them into a small room. The walls closed, and the boy and his father watched the small numbers above the walls light up sequentially. They continued to watch until it reached the last number, and then the numbers began to light in the reverse order. Finally the walls opened up again and a gorgeous 24-year-old blond stepped out. The father, not taking his eyes off the young woman, said quietly to his son.....

'Go get your Mother'

GFN INFORMATION

No piece of paper can be folded more than 7 times if it is being folded in half for each of the 7 folds!

Odd News

Police: Man tossed oranges at planes
Published: Nov. 10, 2010 at 3:56 PM

MESA, Ariz., Nov. 10 (UPI) Police in Arizona said they arrested a man who was caught throwing oranges at airplanes and sniffing spray paint near an airport.

Investigators said they responded to a call at the Falcon Field municipal airport in Mesa and found Brian Henio, 33, in a neighboring orange grove throwing fruit at the planes, The Arizona Republic, Phoenix, reported Wednesday.

Police said Henio had paint on his upper lip and they recognized the smell of spray paint.

The suspect, who was described by police as "extremely jittery," told officers he knew he was trespassing and wanted to go to New Mexico, the arrest report said.

Henio, who allegedly tried to resist being handcuffed, was arrested and charged with possession of a vapor releasing substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and trespassing. He was taken to the Mesa City Jail.

WORDS OF WISDOM

I have wondered at times what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the US Congress. President Ronald Reagan

Word of The Day

OBNOXIOUS

Function: adjective

Comparative and superlative forms: more obnoxious; most obnoxious

Meaning: Unpleasant in a way that makes people feel offended, annoyed, or disgusted

e.g. He said some really obnoxious things about his ex-girlfriend at the party. Some teenagers were being loud and obnoxious. An obnoxious smell.


Derived forms:
Obnoxiously: Adverb
e.g. Obnoxiously loud music.

Clip of The Day

"PANDORA AND THE FLYING DUTCHMAN" (1951) is Albert Lewin's interpretation of the legend of the Flying Dutchman. The film stars: James Mason, Ava Gardner, Nigel Patrick and others. Ava Gardner became one of Hollywood's leading actresses, considered one of the most beautiful women of her day.

"In a little spanish seaport named Esperanza, during the 30s, appears Hendrick van der Zee, the mysterious captain of a yacht (he is the only one aboard). Pandora is a beautiful woman (who men kill and die for). She's never really fallen in love with any man, but she feels very attracted by Hendrick... We are soon taught that Hendrick is the Flying Dutchman, this sailor of the 17th century that has been cursed by God to wander over the seas until the Doomsday... unless a woman is ready to die for him..."

Famous last words

"The ladies have to go first. Goodbye, dearie. I'll see you later". John Jacob Astor

Astor and his wife were traveling on the Titanic when it struck an iceberg and began to sink. As Astor prepared to enter a lifeboat with his wife, a group of female passengers appeared on deck. He gave up his seat and spoke his final words to his wife; he was later found floating in the ocean, drowned.

Quote of the Day

"Broadly speaking, the short words are the best, and the old words best of all". Winston Churchill

LAUGHTER’S THE BEST MEDICINE

Clever Judge. But You Still Can't Beat The Lawyer

A lawyer defending a man accused of burglary tried this creative defense:

- “My client merely inserted his arm into the window and removed a few trifling articles. His arm is not himself, and I fail to see how you can punish the whole individual for an offense committed by his limb.”

- “Well put,” the judge replied. “Using your logic, I sentence the defendant’s arm to one year’s imprisonment. He can accompany it or not, as he chooses.”

The defendant smiled. With his lawyer’s assistance he detached his artificial limb, laid it on the bench, and walked out.

RULES OF THUMB

Now, let's look at the adjective ending - less.

When we add - less to a word, it means "without".

"shiftless" - without shifting, without moving, usually means "lazy", "faceless" - without a face.

What do you think "sleepless" means? How about "friendless" "homeless?"


Let's have fun with "less"

Fill in the blanks with a word from the list.

painless
sleepless
topless

1. I've had three _______ nights in a row. I guess I need some sleeping pills.

2. It is illegal for a woman to be _________ on most beaches.

3. Don't worry. The operation will be _________ .
We'll give you anesthesia.

Word of The Day

Naturally

Adverb

Meanings:

Naturally is used to describe something that happens or exists by itself without being controlled or changed by someone.

e.g. Her hair curls naturally.

A naturally sweet tea.
A number of important vitamins are found naturally in dark green vegetables like spinach.
Pearls are produced naturally by oysters.
He is naturally blond.
Their friendship developed naturally over time.

Naturally is also used to say that something is expected or normal.

e.g. Naturally, some mistakes were made.

When he heard the comment, he was naturally (of course) a little offended.
Naturally you’ll want rooms for the night.
“Did you visit her while you were there?” “Naturally.” (of course; yes)

Because of a quality or skill that a person or animal is born with

e.g. She’s naturally competitive.
He’s naturally able to make people feel comfortable.
Cats are said to be naturally curious.

In a way that is relaxed and normal

e.g. It’s hard to speak/act naturally when you’re nervous.

In a way that makes sense : in a logical and reasonable way

e.g. Her conclusions follow naturally from the theory.
Questions about the journalist’s sources arise naturally from such a controversial report.
When I saw that there were no lights on in the house, I naturally assumed you were asleep.

Idiom: Come Naturally
Meaning: If something comes naturally to you, you are able to do or learn it easily.

e.g. Musical talent comes naturally to that family.
Memorizing important dates in history came naturally to him (was easy for him) in school.