POPE BENEDICT XVI - FINAL GENERAL AUDIENCE

Pope Benedict XVI, who will be called "pope emeritus" when he steps down as the head of the Catholic Church, held his final general audience in front of thousands of pilgrims in St Peter's Square, the eve of his resignation



The emotional, historic farewell delivered Wednesday 27th February before an admiring crowd may have been the last public appearance by the pontiff. Earlier in the day, the Pope arrived for his sendoff in the open-sided “popemobile,” passing through tens of thousands that had crowded into a Roman piazza. He stopped several times to bless and kiss babies and children. Pope Benedict XVI assured a huge, cheering crowd at the Vatican Wednesday that he was not abandoning the Catholic Church, saying he would remain at its service through prayer.

OSCARS 2013

 Click on the picture to learn and practise English words and phrases about films and film award ceremonies.
 
 

OSCAR 2013 - ADELE WINS BEST ORIGINAL SONG

BEST ORIGINAL SONG: SKYFALL


A clearly emotional Adele thanked songwriting partner Paul
Epworth for "believing in me all the time.” She also gave a shoutout to husband Simon Konecki between sobs, saying “my man, I love you baby.”
Adele, the first female singer in history to top the Billboard
artist, album and singles list in the same year, already took
home a Golden Globe for the title track from the James Bond
film earlier this year.
 



Adele had performed the song on stage earlier in the evening - part of an Oscar telecast heavily

honoring music in movies.
 
 
 

OSCAR 2013 - "ARGO" WINS FOR BEST PICTURE

ARGO
Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck and George Clooney, Producers


FILM SYNOPSIS
When six Americans take refuge in the Canadian embassy in Tehran during the 1979 hostage crisis, U.S. government agent Tony Mendez turns to Hollywood for help. Working with a producer and a makeup artist, he devises a rescue mission that centers on the creation of a fake film production company scouting locations in Iran.
 

PAST IRREGULAR VERBS - GAME

Play this game. Use the letter tiles to spell out your answer as quickly as possible. Good luck!

JANE AUSTEN - 200th ANNIVERSARY " PRIDE AND PREJUDICE"

 "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife"
 
Two hundred years since the publication of Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen’s most famous novel, readers continue to be entertained and illuminated by her work.
Austen’s novels brilliantly combine drama with humour as they explore the enduring truths about the ways in which we look for happiness and a sense of belonging. The novels dramatise issues of class and the expectations and conventions of the time during which the books were written.
Jane Austen’s novels provide us with rich examples of the uses of language to describe behaviour and the ways in which we all think and feel. Even though her novels are now two hundred years old, they remain relevant and resonant in our lives today in many ways.
 
 

GROUNDHOG'S DAY

When: February 2nd each year

Groundhog Day is celebrated in the U.S. each year on February 2nd. On this day in mid-winter, the groundhog awakens from a long winter's nap, and goes outside of his den to see if he sees his shadow. This tradition is big on an otherwise cold and dreary mid-winter's day. According to legend, if the groundhog sees his shadow (a sunny morning), there will be six more weeks of winter. He then returns to his den and goes back to sleep. If however, he does not see his shadow (cloudy days), he plays around outside of his hole for a while. If he does not see his shadow, spring is just around the corner. The Groundhog's Day tradition travelled long ways. It comes from German roots. German immigrants brought the tradition with them from Germany. As they settled in hills of Pennsylvania, they began the tradition of using the Groundhog to predict the the arrival of Spring. The tradition is based upon Candlemas, the day that is the midpoint between Winter and Spring. A famous Candlemas poems goes: If Candlemas be fair and bright, Winter has another flight. If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, Winter will not come again. Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania is the site of the annual Ground Hog event. Our little rodent friend (yes, Groundhogs are classified as rodents) is called Punxsutawney Phil. There are a few other "predictors" around the country, but they all pale in comparison to Phil's ability to predict the remainder of winter.



GAME