A REAL HERO!

NELSON MANDELA: FLESH AND BLOOD

Nelson Lolihlahla Mandela was born in a village called Qunu, in South Africa, on 18th July 1918. He studied law at Witwatersrand University. In 1944 he joined the African National Congress (ANC) and founded the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL). From 1952, he worked actively not only against discriminatory legislation but also against exploitation and segregation.

In 1962 he was arrested and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for leaving the country illegally. While he was in prison, he was accused of sabotage and, as a result, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. During his years in jail, he worked hard, especially in favour of education, and he was a source of strength for the other prisoners as well. On several occasions he was offered liberty if he abandoned violence, but he rejected it. As a result, he became a symbol of resistance. Moreover, he personified struggle. “The struggle is my life” are Mandela’s words. In 1990 he was released from prison and went back to the activity he had had to abandon a long time ago.

Mandel has always claimed his dedication to democracy, education, and, in particular, equality. In addition, he has sacrificed his whole life in favour of his people. For instance, he has fought against oppression and deprivation, and what’s more, he has never answered racism with racism.

Mandela’s work has been recognised worldwide. In 1993 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, which he accepted in the name of all South Africans.

In 1996 he divorced his first wife and two years later he married again. In 1999 Nelson Mandela retired from public life and went back to the village where he was born. Nevertheless, he continues to be an inspiration for many human-rights and anti-racist activists.

FICTIONAL HEROES NEVER DIE

Real heroes are only human. They live and die like the rest of us. But fictional heroes are different. They began life many years ago and they will live on in fiction in the future. Here are some favourite twentieth-century fictional heroes.

1. The spy 007 has been working for the British Secret Service since 1953 when Ian Fleming first wrote about him in Casino Royale. Fleming is now dead, but the spy still lives on. The first film was Dr No in 1962 and since then he’s appeared in over twenty films. The Cold War was finished and Bond’s enemies are not the Russians now, but there are still plenty of bad people out there! Columbia, the film producer, recently finished filming his latest adventure.

2. He first saved Gotham City from evil, with the help of Robin, in a comic book in 1939 and has been fighting crime for over fifty years. The team has made three TV series, as well as films and novels. The most popular TV series was in the 1960s, and our hero has recently appeared in films. He will live on as long as there are criminals like the Penguin, Catwoman and the Joker in Gotham City.

3. This character has been living with his pet dog Snoopy in a small American town since 1950, when he first appeared in the strip cartoon Peanuts. Over forty years later, he still experiences all the happiness and frustration of the typical boy, playing baseball with his friends and going to school. His first appearance in a TV film was in 1965, and so far he has made three cinema films. His appeal is as strong as ever.

4. The talking rabbit first asked “What’s Up Doc?” in 1937 and has been eating carrots in public ever since. He has appeared in comic books, newspaper strips and above all, hundreds of cartoon films. He will be popular for as long as people laugh at rabbits.

5. The green frog has been singing and dancing on TV since 1957, although it was only in 1967 that it became famous with the Muppets. Since then, 253 million people in 100 countries have seen hundreds of Muppet shows. There have also been three films. Success has not changed him; he remains exactly the same colour.

AGES and STAGES

Quotes by: Abraham Lincoln, Oscar Wilde, Goucho Marx, Jerry M. Wright

(writer) Billie Burke (actress) ,Robert Frost (poet).

“And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.”

“Age is something that doesn't matter, unless you are a cheese.”

“Diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman's birthday but never remembers her age.”

“Age is not a particularly interesting subject. Anyone can get old. All you have to do is live long enough.”

“The soul is born old but grows young. That is the comedy of life.”

“The first sign of maturity is the discovery that the volume knob also turns to the left.”

Are you a fashion victim? Give your opinion!

CHRISTMAS KARAOKE ON LINE

Let me present you this original Christmas carol karaoke, a good idea to have fun in Christmas time. To say the truth, it is more suitable for adults and young people than for little kids, because you need to read fast the English lyrics.

I am sure you will enjoy listening to these lovely songs. Moreover, some of the videos you can find on this website are really nice, with funny scenes of children playing with the snow or the bells ringing.

The carols in karaoke version are “Jingle Bells”, “We wish you a marry Christmas”, “Oh Christmas tree”, “Ring, ring the bells”, “Do you hear the Christmas bells?”... Some of them, together with their lyrics, even have different versions. I hope you fancy singing to improve your pronunciation.

Merry Christmas and happy 2010!

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A WEBSITE REVIEW

The Internet has dramatically changed the way people shop, turning Ebay into the most popular website for people to buy and sell products on the net. This new buying system saves you money and time because you just have to pay and wait for the product to be delivered right to your door.

Ebay features the largest online auction site in the world where you can find whatever you imagine, even those things you cannot find in a common shop! What I love about eBay is that it has a secure online payment system.

One of the main strengths of this website is that sellers can add descriptions and photographs of their products, so that you can get an accurate idea before buying something.

At the beginning, the site is quite hard to navigate as there is so much information to look at, but you soon get used to it and navigating becomes easier.

One of its main drawbacks is the fact that there are charges for buying and selling items. Another downside to Ebay is that some people take a long time to answer and they do it when the auction has already ended. Others take ages to pay for the goods they have bought. Also be aware of people who exaggerate the descriptions of their goods on sale.

Once read the arguments for and against, is eBay good or bad? To my mind, if you are aware of the downsides and know how to protect yourself from fraudsters, eBay is one of the best places in the world to shop.