Monday 28 June 2010

Mobile Phones

Early in the 1990s mobile phones started to become available in many countries around the world. They were very expensive at the beginning but now you can get them for free if you sign up for a mobile phone plan with any of the available telecommunication companies in your country. They made life easier and many people liked to have them.

When they first started to invade our lives, some scientists warned us against the harms that they cause to our brains. Others said that they were 100% safe to use. Anyhow, people kept buying them. A new item for household budget was added. It was to pay for mobile phones for members of the family.

Now there are hundreds of models to choose from. There are top-selling models that attract young people and there are simple ones like the one I am using. Some people like to change their mobiles and get the latest ones on the market when they start to come out. This means more money to spend because mobile phones are usually very expensive when they first come out. Prices drop after some time of course.

There are many things you can do on your mobile depending on which model you are using. Now it is possible to surf the net while you are travelling thanks to the new internet technology available for us now. You can also download MP3 music and songs and listen to them on the go. You can watch football matches on your mobile screen if you want to but be careful because you can pay for your download. One person was asked to pay more than 20,000 dollars because he downloaded an episode of his favourite TV show and didn’t know he was using heaps of download.

The bad side of mobile phones is that they can cost a lot of money to keep. People can pay a lot of money to their telephone companies to keep using their mobile phones. Mobile phones also get lost easily because of their small sizes. In some countries muggers can stop you in the street and steal your mobile phone because in these countries mobile phones are expensive.

Mobile phone companies try to attract new customers with new TV advertisements and get them to sign up for mobile phone plans. They sometimes offer discounts to customers if they buy two mobile phones together. These companies also offer them new features that keep coming every day. Now we have touch screen mobile phones and those that can be used to play games. There are mobile phones that can have many programs on them and be used like a computer to send and receive email messages and do other things too.
Fill in the gaps:
expensive - money - like - started - coming - there - football - get
Early in the 1990s mobile phones started- to become available in many countries around the world. They were very expensive at the beginning but now you can ................ them for free if you sign up for a mobile phone plan with any of the available telecommunication companies in your country. They made life easier and many people liked to have them. When they first .................. to invade our lives, some scientists warned us against the harms that they cause to our brains. Others said that they were 100% safe to use. Anyhow, people kept buying them. A new item for household budget was added. It was to pay for mobile phones for members of the family. Now ................. are hundreds of models to choose from. There are top-selling models that attract young people and there are simple ones like the one I am using. Some people like to change their mobiles and get the latest ones on the market when they start to come out. This means more money to spend because mobile phones are usually very ......................... when they first come out. Prices drop after some time of course. There are many things you can do on your mobile depending on which model you are using. Now it is possible to surf the net while you are travelling thanks to the new internet technology available for us now. You can also download MP3 music and songs and listen to them on the go. You can watch ................... matches on your mobile screen if you want to but be careful because you can pay for your download. One person was asked to pay more than 20,000 dollars because he downloaded an episode of his favourite TV show and didn’t know he was using heaps of download. The bad side of mobile phones is that they can cost a lot of money to keep. People can pay a lot of ................... to their telephone companies to keep using their mobile phones. Mobile phones also get lost easily because of their small sizes. In some countries muggers can stop you in the street and steal your mobile phone because in these countries mobile phones are expensive. Mobile phone companies try to attract new customers with new TV advertisements and get them to sign up for mobile phone plans. They sometimes offer discounts to customers if they buy two mobile phones together. These companies also offer them new features that keep .................. every day. Now we have touch screen mobile phones and those that can be used to play games. There are mobile phones that can have many programs on them and be used ................... a computer to send and receive email messages and do other things too.
Can you find changes in the text here?
Early in the 1990s mobile phones started to become available in all countries around the world. They were very expensive at the beginning but now you can get them for free if you sign up for a mobile phone plan with any of the available telecommunication companies in your school. They made life easier and many people liked to have them. When they first started to invade our lives, some scientists warned us against the harms that they cause to our brains. Others said that they were 100% safe to use. Anyhow, people kept buying them. A new item for household budget was taken. It was to pay for mobile phones for members of the family. Now there are hundreds of models to choose from. There are top-selling models that attract young people and there are simple ones like the one I am using. Some people like to change their mobiles and get the latest ones on the market when they start to come out. This means more money to spend because mobile phones are usually very expensive when they first come out. Prices drop after some time of course. There are many things you can do on your mobile depending on which model you are using. Now it is possible to surf the net while you are travelling thanks to the new internet technology available for us now. You can also download MP3 texts and songs and listen to them on the go. You can watch football matches on your mobile screen if you want to but be careful because you can pay for your download. One person was asked to pay more than 20,000 dollars because he downloaded an episode of his favourite TV show and didn’t know he was using heaps of download. The bad side of mobile phones is that they can cost a lot of money to keep. People can pay a lot of money to their telephone companies to keep using their TV phones. Mobile phones also get lost easily because of their small sizes. In some countries muggers can stop you in the street and steal your mobile phone because in these countries mobile phones are expensive. Mobile phone companies try to attract new customers with new TV advertisements and get them to sign up for mobile phone plans. They sometimes offer discounts to customers if they buy two mobile phones together. These companies also offer them new features that keep coming every day. Now we have touch screen mobile phones and those that can be used to play games. There are mobile phones that can have many programs on them and be used like a computer to send and receive email messages and do lessons things too.
Fill in the gaps:
Early in the 1990s mobile phones started to become available in many countries around the world. They were very expensive at the beginning ....................... now you can get them for ............................if you sign up for a mobile phone plan with any of the available telecommunication companies in your country. They made life easier and many people liked to have them. When they first started to invade our lives, some scientists warned us against the harms that they cause to our brains. Others ........................that they were 100% safe to use. Anyhow, people kept buying them. A new item for household budget was added. It was to pay for mobile phones for members of the .......................... Now there are hundreds of models to choose from. There are top-selling models that attract young people and there are simple ones like the one I am using. Some people like to change their mobiles and get the latest ones on the market when they start to come out. This means more money to spend because mobile phones are usually very expensive when they first come out. Prices drop after some time of course. There are many things you can do on your mobile depending on which model you are using. Now it is possible to surf the net while you are travelling thanks to the new internet technology available for us now. You can also download MP3 music and songs and listen to them on the go. You can watch football matches on your mobile screen if you want to but be careful because you can pay for your download. One person was asked to pay more than 20,000 dollars because he downloaded an ............................ of his favourite TV show and didn’t know he was using heaps of download. The bad side of mobile phones is that they can cost a lot of money to keep. People can pay a lot of money to their telephone ...................... to keep using their mobile phones. Mobile phones also get lost easily because of their small sizes. In some countries muggers can stop you in the street and steal your mobile phone because in these ............................... mobile phones are expensive. Mobile phone companies try to attract new customers with new TV advertisements and get them to sign up for mobile phone plans. They sometimes offer discounts to customers if they buy two mobile phones together. These companies also offer them new features that keep coming every day. Now we have touch screen mobile phones and those that ........................ be used to play games. There are mobile phones that can have many programs on them and be used like a computer to send and receive email .............................. and do other things too.

Sunday 27 June 2010

What is Bullying?

I was surfing the net and found this web page on bullying. If you don't know what bullying is, now is the time to learn it. It is not very common in high schools in Australia but some young boys and girls end up taking their lives because of bullying. They see that they are under extreme pressure and decide to end their lives. I think the problem of bullying can be solved through education but it will take a lot of effort and we all have to teach our children about it.

Click here to read more.

Friday 25 June 2010

Sam's New Car

Sam is an 18 year-old young man who lives in one of the finest suburbs in Melbourne. His father is a wealthy businessman and he bought him a brand-new car.

Sam was allowed to get a license after passing a driving test. His father always talked to him about safe driving and he paid for Sam to get driving lessons.

Before Sam started driving his car, his father gave him some advice. He told Sam not to drive fast and watch out for changing traffic conditions. He also wrote a list of things that Sam had to be careful about. These things included the following:

- Always carry your license with you when you drive.

- Put your seatbelt on when you drive your car. You can have a fine if you don’t have your seatbelt on.

- Don’t drive when you are very tired or sleepy. This can make you lose control of your car and end up having a crash.

- Don’t tailgate (drive too close to the car in front). Leave a distance between your car and the one in front of you. If the driver in the other car slams on his breaks hard, you will have enough time to stop your car and avoid having an accident.

- If you have a bus or a truck in front of you, leave a distance and be careful when you change lanes.

- Be mindful of other people. Stop your car when pedestrians start to cross the road.

- There are radars to force people to follow the speed rules. You can pay a lot of money in fines if you drive over the speed limit.

- Don’t take part in a drag race. Don’t let any of your friends challenge you to drive fast. There is a big chance that you will end up having a crash for a stupid reason.

- Pay extra attention when you reverse your car. It is not easy to see what is behind and you can hit a pedestrian or another car that is behind you.

- NEVER drive when you are under the influence of alcohol. Don't be in the same car with someone who is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. This can be fatal. You can lose your life because of alcohol or drugs.

- If you have a car accident, stop and offer help to anyone hurt. Don’t leave the scene if there is anyone hurt. Call an ambulance if you think you need to. Give your license details to the other person and take his or her details to give to your insurance company.

- Remember not to leave your car keys inside the car when you lock the doors.

- If you feel unsafe inside your car, lock the doors and if there is anyone shouting at you, don’t answer the person back and avoid eye contact with him or her. Keep your mobile phone handy in case you need to call the police.

- Don’t use your mobile while driving. This will distract you. The person calling can always leave a message and you can check the message later on.

- Keep your car always clean. Don’t treat it as a rubbish bin. I’ve paid a lot of money for it. I don’t have a money printing machine at home so you can waste a lot of money. Have mercy for your old man.

- Always have car insurance. You will never know what is going to happen. A car insurance will give you peace of mind.

- Don’t allow people to smoke in your car. It will make the smell bad inside and it will not also be clean.

Thursday 24 June 2010

TV Program Classification

In Australia some people who come to live here may find TV programs different from the ones they used to watch in their own countries. Before a program or a movie is shown, a warning appears to tell people what sort of program or movie it will be. Young children can watch many films and programs that have a “G” rating. A “G” rating means that the content in the program or movie is for general viewing. This means that they are suitable for anyone to watch.

Other programs, especially those who are shown at or after 8.30 at night, are not suitable for young children to watch. That’s why they have a different rating.

Some programs have a “PG” rating. This means that parental guidance is required. It is good for a mature person to be next to a young child if that child wants to watch a program that is rated as “PG”.

Programs that have a classification “M” can be watched by mature adults who are 18 years of age or more. These programs and movies are not suitable for young children to watch because they may contain adult themes, drug use, horror, sex scenes, coarse language or violence. These programs are shown at night to reduce the chance that children will watch them.

A program that is classified as MA 15+ is definitely not for young children. It can contain many things that are not appropriate for them to watch.

The warnings can be seen before a program or movie is shown. They can also be found in the TV guide sections in different newspapers.

In the Aboriginal culture it is not appropriate to say the name of a person that has died. It is offensive if you do so. That is why there are special warnings for Aboriginals before certain programs are shown. A warning may say that the program will contain the voices or images of people who have died. People who live in Papua New Guinea also believe the same about people who have died because their culture is similar to the Aboriginal culture.

In some countries, especially those in the Middle East, local and national TV stations are not allowed to show sex scenes or images of naked people. Many TV presenters, football players and film stars there are often looked at as role models for the young.
Fill in the gaps:
died - suitable - content - can - because - young - images - to
In Australia some people who come to live here may find TV programs different from the ones they used to watch in their own countries. Before a program or a movie is shown, a warning appears to tell people what sort of program or movie it will be. Young children can watch many films and programs that have a “G” rating. A “G” rating means that the ......................... in the program or movie is for general viewing. This means that they are suitable for anyone to watch. Other programs, especially those who are shown at or after 8.30 at night, are not suitable for .................... children to watch. That’s why they have a different rating. Some programs have a “PG” rating. This means that parental guidance is required. It is good for a mature person ............. be next to a young child if that child wants to watch a program that is rated as “PG”. Programs that have a classification “M” can be watched by mature adults who are 18 years of age or more. These programs and movies are not .................... for young children to watch because they may contain adult themes, drug use, horror, sex scenes, coarse language or violence. These programs are shown at night to reduce the chance that children will watch them. A program that is classified as MA 15+ is definitely not for young children. It ................... contain many things that are not appropriate for them to watch. The warnings can be seen before a program or movie is shown. They can also be found in the TV guide sections in different newspapers. In the Aboriginal culture it is not appropriate to say the name of a person that has ....................... . It is offensive if you do so. That is why there are special warnings for Aboriginals before certain programs are shown. A warning may say that the program will contain the voices or images of people who have died. People who live in Papua New Guinea also believe the same about people who have died ...................... their culture is similar to the Aboriginal culture. In some countries, especially those in the Middle East, local and national TV stations are not allowed to show sex scenes or ...................... of naked people. Many TV presenters, football players and film stars there are often looked at as role models for the young.
Can you find some changes in the text?
In Australia some people who come to live here may find TV programs different from the ones they used to watch in their own countries. Before a program or a movie is shown, a warning appears to make people what sort of program or movie it will be. Young children can watch many films and programs that have a “G” rating. A “G” rating means that the content in the man or movie is for general viewing. This means that they are suitable for anyone to watch. Other programs, especially those who are shown at or after 8.30 at night, are not suitable for young children to watch. That’s why they have a different rating. Some programs have a “PG” rating. This means that parental guidance is required. It is good for a mature person to be next to a young child if that child wants to watch a program that is rated as “PG”. Programs that have a classification “M” can be watched by mature adults who are 18 years of age or more. These programs and movies are not suitable for young children to watch because they may contain adult themes, drug use, horror, boxing scenes, coarse language or violence. These programs are shown at night to reduce the chance that children will watch them. A program that is classified as MA 15+ is definitely not for young children. It can contain many things that are not appropriate for them to watch. The warnings can be seen before a program or movie is shown. They can also be found in the TV guide sections in different newspapers. In the Aboriginal culture it is not appropriate to say the name of a person that has died. It is offensive if you do so. That is why there are special warnings for Aboriginals before certain programs are shown. A warning may say that the program will contain the voices or images of people who have died. People who live in Papua New Guinea also believe the same about people who have died because their culture is similar to the Aboriginal culture. In some countries, especially those in the Middle East, local and national TV stations are not allowed to show sex scenes or images of naked people. Many TV viewers, football players and film stars there are often looked at as role models for the old.
Fill in the gaps:
In Australia some people who ...................to live here may find TV programs different from the ones they used to watch in their own countries. Before a program or a .....................is shown, a warning appears to tell people what sort of program or movie it will be. Young children can watch many films and programs that have a “G” rating. A “G” rating .....................that the content in the program or movie is for general viewing. This means that they are suitable for ......................to watch. Other programs, especially those who are shown at or after 8.30 at night, are not suitable for young children to watch. That’s why they have a different rating. Some programs have a “PG” rating. This means that parental guidance is required. It is good for a mature ........................to be next to a young child if that child wants to watch a program that is rated as “PG”. Programs that have a classification “M” can be watched by mature adults who are 18 years of age or more. These programs and movies are not suitable for young children to watch because they may contain adult themes, drug use, horror, sex ......................, coarse language or violence. These programs are shown at night to reduce the chance that children will watch them. A program that is classified as MA 15+ is definitely not for young children. It can contain many things that are not appropriate for them to watch. The warnings can be seen before a program or movie is shown. They can also be found in the TV guide sections in .........................newspapers. In the Aboriginal culture it is not appropriate to say the name of a person that has died. It is offensive if you do so. That is why there are special warnings for Aboriginals before certain programs are shown. A warning may say that the program will contain the ..................or images of people who ................died. People who live in Papua New Guinea also believe the same about people who have died because their culture is similar to the Aboriginal culture. In some countries, especially those in the Middle East, local and national TV stations are not allowed to show sex scenes or images of naked ......................... Many TV presenters, football players and film stars there are often looked at as role models for the young.

Wednesday 23 June 2010

Listening Tasks on Health

Task 1
Please click here to go to the web page.

Task 2
Please click here to go to the web page.

Task 3
Please click here to go to the web page.

Task 4
Please click here to go to the web page.

Task 5
Please click here to go to the web page.

Task 6
Please click here to go to the web page.

Drug Wars in Mexico

Mexico is the 14th largest country in the world. The area of Mexico is 1.973.550 kilometres and it has a population of 109 millions. Mexico has common borders with the United States of America in the north and Guatemala in the South.

Mexico was in the spotlight of the world in 2009 when the first cases of H1N1 pandemic were reported there and people all over the world started panicking because there was no vaccine for it at that time.

In 2008 bloody drug wars raged between drug cartels. Drug cartels are gangs that control the distribution of cocaine and other illicit drugs in jungle areas all over Mexico. It is estimated that 23,000 people have lost their lives in the past three years because of drug wars. Most of the people who killed were civilians caught in shooting outs.

Tens of thousands of military soldiers and policemen have been involved in the war to arrest cartel and organized crime leaders and restore peace and order in the country. Pictures are published daily in different newspapers of people killed after being tortured. In Mexico there was at least three shoot outs in different parts of the city. Because of drug wars, Mexico city is one of the deadliest places in the world.

The federal government can do very little because of corruption in state governments and in the police force. Drug cartels enjoy the protection of the local police in many parts of Mexico. The wars are mainly because gangs don’t recognize territorial turfs of one another.

Australia has issued a travel warning to people wanting to visit Mexico asking them to be vigilant and exercise a high degree of caution because of the high level of violent crime there especially the drug-related gang violence.

Other forms of violence in Mexico include sexual assault, armed robbery, kidnapping, pick pocketing, bag snatching and drink and food spiking in bars and restaurants. There has also been a number of “express kidnapping” where individuals are forced to withdraw money from ATM machines because they are threaten by gang members

Tuesday 22 June 2010

Police in Australia

Australia is generally a safe country. There are tens of thousands of people who come to live in Australia every year. Police officers in Australia work hard to keep the people safe at all times. Police officers are mostly men but there are thousands of women who work for the police too. Most police officers in Australia carry guns when they work.

The main job that police officers in Australia have is to help people. It is not to give people fines or arrest them. They only arrest people who break the law and commit crimes like stealing money from homes or businesses.

In some overseas countries police may ask for bribes and they can arrest anyone they like. This is called police corruption. In Australia this does not happen. A police officer has to show you his or her badge before they question you or ask to enter your house.

In police stations in Australia police must treat everyone with respect. The police officer who questions criminals is not allowed to slap them on the face or twist their arms to get them to talk.

Police officers often visit schools and talk to students about crimes and how to be safe. They tell them about the law in Australia and what to do when they need help.

If you ask for help from the police, you do not need to pay any money. Sometimes the police will come in a few minutes to the place where a crime has taken place. They try to come as soon as they can to arrest people who cause trouble, before they run away.

The police in Australia also use dogs to fight crime. They have many trained dogs that sniff out drugs and criminals. Dogs sometimes attack criminals who carry guns and help get them arrested.

Police officers in Australia deal with people whose first language is not English. They sometimes use the services of interpreters to be able to help those people more.

Police officers in Australia use cars, motorbikes, bikes and helicopters to keep peace and order. You can also see them walking on foot while they work. Sometimes they get special training to fight dangerous criminals who use guns and kill people.

Police officers are trained at the Police Academy. They do a lot of sports activities there to keep them fit and they learn about the law.

A police officer’s job is not an easy one. He or she can be asked to work different shifts and be on the job when other people are enjoying their holidays.

Sunday 20 June 2010

Crime

A crime is an offense that is punishable by law. Some crimes can shock a whole country while others can go unpunished. Different kinds of crimes include theft, burglaries, drug trafficking, murders, hold ups, manslaughters (killing someone with no intention of doing so like in car accidents), genocide (mass murder of a particular group of people because of race or religion), ethnic cleansing (deporting a group of people from their land or country), spying on ones country, torture, enslaving people, human trafficking, bribery and many more.

People who commit crimes are called criminals. When someone commits a crime, there is always a motive. This motive can be to steal money or to cause harm to someone or to a property.

Sometimes a new law is passed by the government to make people feel safe and deter criminals and stop them from even thinking about committing a crime. Some of the laws are considered very harsh by people who don't live in the same society and they voice their opinions against them. These laws are controversial. This means that people will argue about them for a long time but they will not change their opinions easily.

When a crime is committed, the police try to find clues to catch the offender or offenders. Detictives try to find any finger prints, foot prints, DNA evidence or falling hair at the scene of the crime.

When a criminal is caught, police press charges against the person accused. He or she has to appear in court to defend himself/herself. He or she has the right to use the services of a lawyer. If the person can't afford to hire a lawyer, the legal service in Australia can provide one for them free of charge. Lawyers normally charge thousands of dollars per day. A QC is a high profile lawyer in Australia. In Australia cameras are not allowed to be used inside a court room but artists can draw pictures of what is going on.

The person who is accused of committing a crime is called a defendant in court. There is also a prosecutor who tries to convince the judge to send the defendant to gail for a long time or get a severe punishment for what he or she has done.

When a person is sent to prison for committing a crime, he or she has to spend a prison term before they are allowed to be free again. A prisoner inside prison is often called an inmate in Australia. the chief of the prison is called a prison warden. It is nearly impossible to escape from prison because there are many prison guards, razor wires, high walls and security cameras in and outside the building.

In some third-world countries and in countries ruled under military dictatorship police forces sometimes resort to using torture against people arrested to get confessions. Different means of torture may include rape, water boarding or electrocution. Some people who get arrested can confess to committing crimes but in fact they are innocents because they can't bare the torture inflected on them. This normally happens against political activists.

Examples of torture sometimes are leaked to the media by human right activists. One famous example of torture in prison is the Abu Ghraib Prison pictures of Iraqi prisoners that were tortured by American soldiers who invaded their country. Today America still have secret prisons in more than 13 different countries around the world because under American laws, evidence gathered through torture can't be used in court.

Sometimes police officers act as if they are above the law. This happens quite often in third-world countries or in countries that lack democracy.

Friday 18 June 2010

Advanced Listening

Task 1
Here is a bit of listening from NPR news for students who would like to improve their English. Click here to start listening.

Task 2
Click here to go to another good listening task.

Task 3
Click here to go to task 3 online.

Task 4
Click here to go to task 4 and do the listening online.

Task 5
Click here to go to task 5.

Task 6
Click here to go to task 6.

Saturday 12 June 2010

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

In English we say that a picture is worth a thousand words. We always say that when one picture gives more detail than a long piece of writing. This is true when you look at this picture.

The two pictures are for the same person. A young man called Khaled Mohamed was in an internet cafe in the city of Alexandria, Egypt when some policemen came in. The policemen asked to see the people's ID cards.

Khaled refused to co-operate with them after they insulted him. In Egypt any policeman can insult you and your family and you can't answer back. If you do, you will be arrested and they will take you to a police station where you will be tortured for some days.

Khaled was arrested and taken to a police station. He was bashed up, electrocuted, tortured by fire and raped. He died inside the police station which is in one of the busiest suburbs in Alexandria. The police officers who took part in the torture were not stepped down from their work. They are arresting more and more people as you read these lines. Policemen in Egypt are untouchable and are above the law.

Some policemen took his body and threw it in the street in front of the internet cafe where he was arrested and drove off.

Some people demonstrated in front of police stations in the city of Alexandria but there is no hope the police will do anything to prosecute the police officers who were involved in the murder. There is a lot of police and government corruption in Egypt.

Human rights organisations are calling now for the Egyptian government to stop torture inside police stations. In 2009, nearly 200 people were killed inside police stations in Egypt and no charges were pressed against the killer police officers. The people who died were all tortured to death for no crimes.

In any election, the President's ruling party gets all the votes even if people don't take part in the voting when it is held. The result is always known before the elections dates. It is always 99.99% for the ruling party.

 Last year someone uploaded a video clip on YouTube of a policeman torturing a girl inside a police station. The girl was screaming and shouting for help but the officer kept on bashing and insulting her. The people in Egypt became angry after watching the video clip on the famous video sharing web site and asked the government to punish him. The government refused to do so and said the officer was new in the job and should not be punished.

Because of a corrupt government and a ruined economy, more than 5000 took their own lives in 2009. Many young men and women feel there is no hope to change things and, for them, committing suicide seems to be the best thing to do.

Picture source: http://english.aljazeera.net

Friday 11 June 2010

EL1D Class - Post Number 1

It was very nice to meet everyone in class today. I think your English is very good and I hope you have fun learning more English. Please click here to read the article and email me your summary. Please use your own language as much as you can. It is not a matter of copy and paste. You will have to send me an email every day but please read how to write a good academic summary.

You can also learn about the Harvard referencing system used in academic writing by clicking here.
 Good luck!

Thursday 10 June 2010

Con Artist

Do you know what a con artist is? A con artist is someone who gains your confidence because he or she is very persuasive but not long after that they take your money and you never see them again.

A con artist is short for “confidence artist”. Con artists can be well-dressed people and sometimes they tell you stories that make you sympathize with them. They are good at making you trust them and believe that they will never do anything bad to you.

Some con artists have nice jobs but they are after more money. You always get the feeling that they are really good friends because they show a lot of care for you.

In my country you meet some con artists in the streets near train stations in big cities. A con artist can approach you and tell you that he is a stranger in the city and has lost his wallet and needs money to buy a train ticket to go back to his town. You normally don’t think the person is telling a lie because they swear that every word they say is true. Some people give them more money than what the ticket if worth because they really feel sorry for them. I know a Saudi student who gave a con artist an iPhone after hearing his story. The same con artist approached other students in the same spot in the city the next day with the same story.

Con artists are quick thinkers. They have ready-made answers to all your questions and most of these answers are lies.

Sadly people don’t trust each other like before because cons are too many nowadays. There are different kinds of cons like street cons, business cons and internet cons.

One con destroyed our family life when I was about ten years old by taking all my dad’s money and disappearing. He was so intelligent and persuasive that my dad gave him all his savings to invest in a project that didn’t exist. He even took my dad to court because there was no proof that he took the money and ended up taking more money to drop charges in court against my dad. 

Fill in the gaps: 
story - more - are - take - answers - and - back - near
Do you know what a con artist is? A con artist is someone who gains your confidence because he or she is very persuasive but not long after that they .................. your money and you never see them again. A con artist is short for “confidence artist”. Con artists can be well-dressed people and sometimes they tell you stories that make you sympathize with them. They are good at making you trust them and believe that they will never do anything bad to you. Some con artists have nice jobs but they ................. after more money. You always get the feeling that they are really good friends because they show a lot of care for you. In my country you meet some con artists in the streets ................. train stations in big cities. A con artist can approach you and tell you that he is a stranger in the city and has lost his wallet and needs money to buy a train ticket to go ................. to his town. You normally don’t think the person is telling a lie because they swear that every word they say is true. Some people give them more money than what the ticket if worth because they really feel sorry for them. I know a Saudi student who gave a con artist an iPhone after hearing his .................. The same con artist approached other students in the same spot in the city the next day with the same story. Con artists are quick thinkers. They have ready-made ................... to all your questions and most of these answers are lies. Sadly people don’t trust each other like before because cons are too many nowadays. There are different kinds of cons like street cons, business cons and internet cons. One con destroyed our family life when I was about ten years old by taking all my dad’s money and disappearing. He was so intelligent ................... persuasive that my dad gave him all his savings to invest in a project that didn’t exist. He even took my dad to court because there was no proof that he took the money and ended up taking ................. money to drop charges in court against my dad. 
Can you find some mistakes?
Do you know what a con artist is? A con artist is machine who gains your confidence because he or she is very persuasive but not long after that they take your money and you never see them again. A con artist is short for “confidence artist”. Con artists can be well-dressed people and sometimes they tell you stories that make you sympathize with them. They are good at making you eat them and believe that they will always do anything bad to you. Some con artists have nice jobs but they are after more money. You always get the feeling that they are really good friends because they show a lot of care for you. In my country you meet some con artists in the streets near train stations in big cities. A con artist can approach you and tell you that he is a stranger in the city and has lost his wallet and needs money to buy a train ticket to go back to his town. You normally don’t think the person is telling a lie because they swear that every word they say is true. Some people give them more money than what the ticket if worth because they really feel sorry for them. I know a Saudi student who gave a con artist an iPhone after hearing his story. The same con artist approached other students in the same spot in the city the next day with the same story. Con artists are quick players. They have ready-made answers to all your problems and most of these answers are lies. Sadly people don’t trust each other like before because cons are too many nowadays. There are different kinds of cons like street cons, business cons and internet cons. One con destroyed our family life when I was about ten years old by taking all my dad’s money and disappearing. He was so intelligent and persuasive that my dad gave him all his savings to invest in a project that didn’t exist. He even took my dad to court because there was no proof that he took the money and ended up taking more money to drop charges in court against my sister. 

Monday 7 June 2010

Turkey has the best government in the world

ماذا قال أردوغان في خطاب "أسطول الحرية"


ألقى دولة رئيس الوزراء التركي رجب طيب أردوغان أمس في اجتماعه مع نواب حزبه حزب العدالة التنمية خطابا بشأن الهجوم "الدنيء" الذي قام به الكيان الصهيوني ضد أسطول الحرية، وقد كان الخطاب قويّا يقاطعه تصفيق النواب الحار بل وقيامهم على الأقدام مصفقين بين الحين والآخر، والذي كان يشدّ الانتباه أن بعض الوزراء الأتراك مثل وزير المواصلات السيد بن علي يلدرم كان لا يتمالك دموعه أثناء الخطاب، وأن مساعد رئيس الوزراء بولاند أرينش كان يحاول أن يحبس دموعه أثناء الخطاب ولكن ذلك لم يحل دون ظهور البكاء على وجهه المُحْمرّ.. لقد كان اجتماعا متميزاً يخطب فيه رئيس الوزراء ويبكي فيه الوزراء.. والسؤال هو: "ماذا قال رئيس الوزراء التركي السيد رجب طيب أردوغان؟" و "ما هي الكلمات التي أدمعت عيون الوزراء والنواب؟"

عند مطالعة الصحف ومواقع الأخبار العربية لا يكاد المرء يجد القوة التي يمكنها أن تهزّ غيمة الدموع فتمطرها، ولعل ذلك يعود إلى اعتماد الصحف على الترجمة الفورية التي أصرّ أردوغان أن ترافق خطابه منذ اللحظة الأولى باللغتين العربية والإنجليزية، وفي الترجمة الفورية لا يكاد المترجم يستوعب كل ما قيل بترجمته ناهيك عن محاولته اختيار كلمات أدبية مؤثرة تليق بكلمات دولة الرئيس الخطيب رجب طيب أردوغان. ولأجل ذلك تناولت بعض ما جاء في خطاب السيد أردوغان واعتمدت على ما نقله موقع يني شفق – وهي صحيفة تركية كبيرة – لأترجم بعض ما جاء في خطابه وذلك كما يلي:

إنني اليوم أوجه ندائي لا إلى الأتراك فحسب وإنما للعالم أجمع، أنادي ضمير البشرية وأشاطره مشاعري الحرّى

لقد وقعَ ليلة أمس هجومان ظلاميان: أحدهما الهجوم الغادر الذي أردى ستة من الشهداء في الإسكندرون، والثاني هو الهجوم الاستبداديّ المسلح الذي كان يهدف إلى إيقاف سفن المساعدات الإنسانية..

إن السفن المحملة بالرحمة والخير والتي ذهبت لتنقل المساعدات لم تبلغ مراسيها.. أمس صباحا قامت عناصر مسلحة تابعة للجيش الإسرائيلي بالهجوم على السفن التي ذهبت لتحمل المساعدات إلى غزة..

لقد استحقت المجزرة الدامية التي نفذتها إسرائيل ضد السفن التي تحمل المساعدات الإنسانية إلى غزة لقد استحقت هذه المجزرة كل اللعنات. إن هذا الهجوم هو هجوم صارخ على القانون الدولي، على الضمير البشري، على السلام العالمي.

أقول إنه هجوم على الضمير البشري لأن السفينة كانت تقل على متنها أناسا من مختلف الأعراق والأديان، وقد كان هدفها الوحيد هو إيصال المساعدات إلى غزة القابعة تحت الحصار. ولقد صرحت هذه السفن بنواياها وأعلنت حمولتها للعالم أجمع قبل أن تغادر موانئها. لقد كان على متن هذه السفن ستون صحفيا ليكونوا شهودا على تسليم المساعدات إلى مستحقيها.

إنه لمن الجليّ البيّن أن هذا الهجوم الذي وجّه إلى ستمئة إنسان يستقلون ست سفن تحمل المساعدات من خلال المياه الدولية إلى المظلومين والمعوزين والمشردين من الفلسطينيين إنه لمن الجلي أن هذا الهجوم هو هجوم على الفلسفة الأساسية للأمم المتحدة.

لم يكن على متن السفن سوى المدنيين والمتطوعين من أهل الخير. ولقد رفعت على هذه السفن الأعلام البيضاء، وبالرغم من كل هذا وذاك فإن السفن تعرضت لهجوم مسلح. ولقد كنا نحن آنذاك في أعمال لنا في أمريكا اللاتينية، ولقد عدنا إلى تركيا قبل إتمام إعمالنا هناك بسبب الهجوم اللعين الذي وقع في هاتاي وهجوم إسرائيل اللاقانوني.

وفي تركيا بدأنا مع الزملاء بالقيام بما يلزم القيام به بشكل مشترك.

لقد عقدنا أمس الساعة السادسة والنصف صباحا اجتماعا مع مساعد رئيس الوزراء السيد بولاند أرينتش والوزراء المعنيين. وقد تابعت خارجيتنا وقواتنا المسلحة الحدث عن كثب، وقامت خارجيتنا بالاتصالات بخصوص الحادثة، وقد بحثنا كل ما يمكن فعله في هذا الإطار.. والآن فإن الجمهورية التركية تقوم بكل ما يمكن القيام به بناء على القانون الدولي وأصول الدبلوماسية وسوف تستمر في ممارسة دورها هذا بعد الآن.

لقد سحبنا سفيرنا في تل أبيب، وألغينا المناورات العسكرية الثلاث، وقد طرح وزير خارجيتنا المبادارات لدى الأمم المتحدة. وتمت دعوة مجلس حلف شمال الأطلسي إلى اجتماع طارئ، وتمت دعوة جامعة الدول العربية ومنظمة المؤتمر الإسلامي للانعقاد العاجل.

تقول لنا إسرائيل أنها ستقوم بإرسال الجرحى، فرفضنا عرضها هذا قائلين لها إنّ لدينا من الإرادة والقوة ما يمكننا من استلام جرحانا..فهذي هي طائرات وزارة الصحة المدنية على وشك الوصول.. وقد اتخذت كافة التدابير لمعالجة كل الجرحى على الأراضي التركية.

إن على إسرائيل أن توصل المعلومات الصحيحة إلى شعبها، وإن العالم كله يتابع الموقف الذي ستتخذه إسرائيل آخذا العبر من ذلك.

إن على متن السفن متضامنين من اثنتين وثلاثين دولة، وإننا نتوقع من تلك الدول أن تتعامل مع الحدث بالحساسية اللازمة.

إن على إسرائيل أن ترفع الحصار اللا إنساني على غزة، وعليها أن لا تحول دون وصول المساعدات إلى مستحقيها...

لقد كانت الأحداث التي شهدناها أمس وصمة عار سوداء من الناحية الإنسانية.. وكان الهجوم المسلح على سفن مساعدات إنسانية مجازفة حقيرة.

إننا نعلم أن هناك قوانين للحرب وللسلام.. فلا يجوز الهجوم على الأطفال والنساء والشيوخ والمدنيين ورجال الدين ولا على المتطوعين الذين يرفعون الأعلام البيضاء. الذين يرتكبون هكذا هجوم يكونون قد داسوا على الإنسانية بأقدامهم، وخرجوا من إنسانيتهم.

حتى المستبدون وقطاع الطرق والقراصنة لا يُعْدَمون قواعد أخلاقية وحساسيات معينة... إن وصف هؤلاء حتى بهذه الصفات يعتبر مجاملة لهم..

لا بدّ وبكل تأكيد من معاقبة هجوم إسرائيل هذا..ولا بد من توقّع إجراء تحقيق دولي بحق دولة جعلت من الكذب سياسة لها، دولة لا تستحي

إن تركيا ليست دولة غرّة عديمة الجذور..وهي ليست أبدا دولة قبائل..

لا يُحاولنّ أحدٌ أن يتحدى تركيا ولا يحاولنّ أحد أن يختبر صبرها

إنّ تركيا لتضمِرُ لأعدائها من البأس بقدر ما تُكِنُّ لأصدقائها من التقدير

الإسرائيليون كذلك يعلمون أن هذه الحادثة هي ضربة قوية للصداقة بين الدولتين

القضية هي مواقف الإدارة (الإسرائيلية) الحالية التي لا تعرف معنى للقانون

لقد كانت تركيا هي البلد الوحيد في الشرق الأوسط الذي يبذل الجهود لتحقيق السلام

ولكن طفح الكيل، ففي وجهنا الآن إدارة اتخذت العنف سياسة لها، وهي إدارة لا تتردد في سفك الدماء

ينبغي أن لا تكتفي الأمم المتحدة بالقرار الذي اتخذته هذا المساء، يجب عليها أن تعمل بمقتضاه.

لقد أخبرني أوباما أنه سيتصل بي هذا المساء الساعة الثامنة، سوف نتحدث معه أيضا

إن جرأة الحكومة الإسرائيلية ينبع عن قوة تستمدها من مكان ما

سوف نتحدث اليوم مع رئيس وزراء بريطانيا الجديد كذلك

لا يمكن أن نقول لإسرائيل فليكن ما قمتِ به مكسبا حققته لصالحك، لا بدّ أن تدفع إسرائيل الثمن

إن إسرائيل تقضي على كل الدروع (الحلفاء)التي حولها واحدة واحدة.. إنها تقوم بعزل نفسها

لقد كنا دائما ضد معاداة السامية، وعارضنا الهجمات التي كانت تستهدف اليهود

واليوم لقد جاء دور الشعب الإسرائيلي حتى يتخذ نفس الموقف الإنساني الحساس

إن الموقف الهجومي لحكومتكم جعلت دولة إسرائيل في مثابة قطاع الطرق والقراصنة

وأشكر هنا الجماعات اليهودية التي أظهرت ردود فعل ضد ما حدث

ونحن لا نقبل لأي إنسان أن يغير نظرته إلى الأقلية اليهودية الموجودة لدينا

اليوم هو يوم جديد.. اليوم هو ميلاد جديد.. لن يبقى أي شيء على ما كان عليه بعد الآن

إن الهجوم على سفينة مدنية، واعتقال المسافرين على متنها، والهجوم على الأبرياء من البشر هو إرهاب دولة.

يقولون إن الذين كانوا على السفينة قد فتحوا علينا النار.. لقد سئمنا كذباتكم هذه.. تعلموا الصدق.. الصدق

لقد أظهر حاكمو إسرائيل مدى مهارتهم في القتل وارتكاب المجازر

إن كل أقوام العالم يرسلون اللعنات إلى هذا الظلم.. ولكن اللعن المجرد لا يكفي

إن إسرائيل لن تستطيع أن تجعل من سياستها الدامية سياسة مشروعة بأي مبرر كان

لن تستطيع إسرائيل أن تنظف الدم الذي يلطخ أياديها بأي ذريعة كانت

وعلى كل من يتجاهل هذه الهجمات الدامية أن يعرف أنه شريك فيها

لقد ظهر للعيان أن القضية ليست قضية حرب على إرهاب، وإنما هي قضية قتل أهل مدينة بأسرها

على إسرائيل أن لا تقع في أخطاء فادحة كتشبيهها تركيا ببلدان آخرى، عليها أن لا تحاول ارتكاب مثل هذه الأخطاء، لأنها ستدفع الثمن غالياً عندئذٍ..

حتى لو صمت الجميع، حتى لو أغمضوا عيونهم، وولوا ظهورهم.. نحنُ كـ" تركيا " لن نولي ظهورنا لفلسطين ولا لغزة، ولن نغمض عيوننا عما يصيبهما..

على أمتنا أن تصمد، سوف نعانق شهداءنا، سوف نضمد معا جراح مصابينا، وإننا لنشاهد بعين قريرة متابعة مواطنينا في كل أنحاء تركيا للقضية بحساسية ودقة كبيرة. وإن سفن المحبة والصداقة التي انطلقت من ميناء ضمير البشرية سوف تتجاوز كل الحواجز لتصل إلى مقاصدها في يوم ما.

فليسمع الذين يقولون إنهم يؤيدون هذا الهجوم اللا إنساني نحن ملتزمون بالقوانين بقدر تخليكم عنها. نحن في صف العدالة بقدر كونكم في صف العمليات الإرهابية الدامية.

نحن في صف الأبرياء والفلسطينيين بقدر مواجهتكم للمدنيين والمظلومين في غزة.

Sunday 6 June 2010

VU

Click here to listen.

Saturday 5 June 2010

Traveling in Melbourne

When you travel on a train, a bus or a tram in Melbourne, you need to buy one ticket only. In some countries around the world people need to buy three different tickets if they want to travel by bus, train or tram.

In Melbourne there are two main transport zones – zone one and zone two. You need to know if the station you are travelling from is located in zone one or two. You also need to know where the station you are travelling to is located.

If you are travelling from a station in zone one to another station in zone one, you need to have a zone-one ticket. If you are travelling from a station in zone one to a station in zone two, you need to buy a zone 1+2 ticket.

You need to validate your ticket before you get on the train. If you don’t do so, you can get a fine.

Zone one tickets are more expensive than zone two. There are rush hours in the morning and in the afternoon. These are the times when most people need to go or come back from work. Many streets become crowded with cars during rush hours.

If you don’t have the right ticket, you can get a fine. Fines cost a lot of money. You can get a fine if you don’t have a ticket and are travelling on a bus, a train or a tram. You can also get a fine if you have the wrong ticket. Ticket inspectors are people whose job is to check passengers’ tickets.

The CBD (Central Business District) in Melbourne is in zone one. Box Hill is in zone two.

It’s a good idea to know what time your train leaves so you can go to the station early enough and not have to rush. When you walk on the platform, don’t push other passengers. Wait for the train to come to a complete stop and give passengers a chance to get off first before you get on.

On the platform you are not allowed to smoke or ride a bike or use a skateboard. You can put your life and other passengers’ lives in danger.

You are not allowed to smoke or drink alcohol when you use public transport in Melbourne. You are not allowed to put your feet on the seat in front of you.

Children under 5 years old travel for free in Melbourne. Children under 16 years of age need to have a concession ticket when they travel by public transport.

Make and Do

The verbs "make" and "do" are used in many sentences. Students always make mistakes when they use them. Make and do are used a lot but because students always think in their first language, they confuse them.

Let's start with verb "Make". Look at the following:

- make a mistakes
  How many mistakes did you make in your last maths exam?
  I made three mistakes because I didn't read the questions well.
- make the bed
  In the morning I get up early and make my bed.
- make an appointment
  I made an appointment to see the doctor.
- make an effort
  I made an effort to finish my study in time.
- make plans
  I made a plan to study and work at the same time.
  I made a plan to get a job and buy a house in three years.
- make a decision
  You have to tell your boss if you'll take the job in the new branch or not. You have to make a decision quickly.
- make a phone call
  I asked my friend if I could use his phone to make a call.
- make noise
  The children made a lot of noise and I couldn't sleep.
- make an excuse
  He never does his homework. He makes an excuse every time.
- make up his mind
  After he thought for a few days, he made up his mind to accept the job.
- make a mess
  He threw his books everywhere in the room and made a mess.
- make tea/coffee
  Would you like me to make you a cup of coffee?
  I make coffee when I prepare my breakfast.

Now let's have a look on verb "do".

- do my best
  I studied very hard and did my best to pass the test.
- do harm
  If you jump from that window, you will break your leg and do yourself harm.
- do well
  I studied very hard and did well in the exam.
- do badly
  I didn't study hard and did very badly in the test.
- do homework
  I do my homework every day after I come back home from school.
- do business
  I travel overseas on business. I do business with different companies in China.
- do the shopping
  I don't have work on the weekend. I do the shopping every Saturday.
- do someone a favour
  My friend asked me to give him $1000 because he needed it. I gave him the money. I did him a favour.

Happy Land 4

The Happy Landers who had farms near the beach had a problem. Their farms started to change and it was hard to farm it. People could no longer plant vegetables, fruits or other crops because the seawater was covering the farms.

Scientists from Happy Land studied what was happening for some time and wrote a report for the government. They said that because of global warming, sea levels were rising and the whole country would go under water unless something is done about the problem. They recommended that people used their cars less.

The government decided that cars that had odd numbers and those that had even numbers take turns in using the roads. On Monday, no car that had an odd number was allowed to use the roads on the island of Happy Land. On Tuesday, no car that had an even number was allowed to use the roads and so on. People were encouraged to walk.

The king ordered that everyone fights pollution on the island. People on Happy Land started saving electricity and using less water to save the environment. School children were given lessons on how to help reduce the emission of carbon dioxide.

Parents started the Walking to School Bus to avoid using cars. All the children and supervising adults had fun. They also enjoyed the fresh air in the morning. The sky was not allowed to rain while people were walking to schools. One day all schools had to be closed on the island because it was too cold to walk to school. There was also a very important match on TV that everyone wanted to watch. The King ordered that everyone gets a public holiday when there is an important football match that people wanted to watch. This made the whole population feel happy. After some time, the sea levels started to go back to normal and the people of Happy Land were relieved.

One day the young handsome prince was riding a horse in the wood. He stopped to get a drink of water from a well. He saw a young girl singing alone in the wood. The girl didn’t know who he was. She was getting water from the well for her family. The prince offered to help her but she said she would then have to pay him for his help. The prince didn’t want to take any money from her. He felt that the water was too heavy for her. The girl insisted on carrying it herself because she didn’t have any money at the time. She felt guilty not to pay him if he helped her. When the prince tried to help, she took away the water from him.

The prince fell in love with her and decided to ask her hand in marriage. The girl agreed and it was declared all over Happy Land that a public holiday was introduced because the prince fell in love.

On that same day, thousands of young men and women got engaged to the people they loved. They wanted to share the same engagement date with the prince and the new princess.

Everyone on the island was happy and people danced in the streets. That night, there were fireworks in the sky and people stayed late eating popcorn in the open air. Eating popcorn in the open air was a custom to show that people were happy. The people didn’t drink soft drinks because they knew that soft drinks were not healthy.

Happy Land 3

One day the main TV station on the island of Happy Land showed footage of troops landing on the island and airplanes bombing the capital. The troops were not from the island. They were from a very powerful country that wanted to invade Happy Land. Happy Land didn’t have an army to defend it. The people of Happy Land were so peaceful that they thought they didn’t need to have an army. They always had good relationships with all the nearby islands.

The troops that invaded the island were from a very powerful country called America. That invading country didn’t like Happy Land and wanted to control it. The king addressed the people of Happy Land and asked them not to fight the invading forces. He asked them to smile and be kind to them and offer them food and presents. The invading troops were surprised to get presents from the people of Happy Land after killing many of them. They felt ashamed of themselves. They stopped dropping bombs on the capital of Happy Land and stopped the fight and they left the country.

After the invading forces left Happy Land, the whole population got out in the streets to celebrate victory over the invading forces. The Happy Landers buried the women and children who were killed in the attacks first before burying men. The king and the Queen visited hospitals to make sure everyone who was hurt gets the best medical treatment. For the first time in the history of Happy Land, the King and the Queen worked for more than four hours on that day.

The United Nations refused to condemn the attack on Happy Land because America had the right to defend itself. The people of Happy Land didn’t worry much about the United Nations and continued building their country again.

After some time, every thing went back to normal in the country of Happy Land. The people got one day more of public holidays to celebrate the victory over the invading forces. On that day, big air balloons were seen everywhere in the sky over the capital of Happy Land and the King, the Queen, the President and the Prime Minister took part in dances in the streets to mark the occasion.

The Happy Landers released pigeons in the air as a symbol of peace. Teachers taught their students about the importance of peace for Happy Land and the world. The students got a new mobile each to make them forget about the tragedy of the war that took place in Happy Land. They also got a lot of chocolate for free at their schools.

Happy Land 2

The Happy Landers love sports so much. They can’t live without playing sports. The people on the island are tall and their skin is tanned because they go to the beach a lot. There is a big football championship that takes place on the island every year. The team that wins the championship gets a trophy from the President of Happy Land. The King and the Queen also attend the final match but the law says that the President takes the trophy from the palace where the King and Queen live and hand it to the winning team. As for the team that loses, the law says that the players have to train harder for the following season. The players are not allowed to see their girlfriends for one month or talk to them on the phone.

The King and the Queen go to watch the final match in a convoy that consists of 100 carriages. The King and Queen’s carriage is gold plated and drawn by 20 white horses. The President’s carriage is decorated with flowers. He and the first lady and their children wave to the cheering crowd from the windows of the carriage. The children are not allowed to eat ice cream while they are going with their mum and dad to watch the final football match. The law says that if the children don’t do well at school before the match, they are only allowed to watch the match at home on a big plasma TV and not go to the stadium.

Most of the people who live on the island of Happy Land are honest. They don’t sign contracts when they buy or sell things. They only promise to pay the money on time if they are too lazy to print the money at home. If a person doesn’t pay the money on time, he or she rides on a donkey and wears a sign that reads “Dishonest” and goes on a parade around the island. It’s always a big shame for the family to have a member who is dishonest. The last person who was dishonest on the island lived there 100 years ago.

The Happy Landers love music. They have a Spring Carnival every year. They have nice music but they invite singers from other countries too. They invite singers from nearby islands to maintain peace in the area. The singers have to be of good character and must never have had any previous convictions before. The singers send CDs to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before they get selected. The Foreign Affairs Minister forms a committee to listen to the songs and decide which singers are allowed into the island. It is usually a difficult task to choose good songs and the committee members can claim overtime for working long hours to choose the songs.

The Prime Minister has special jobs to do on the island. He looks after the government and has to go everywhere to make sure that the people on the island are happy. He doesn’t get elected. The position is taken by anyone who wants to apply for it. Most of the people on the island don’t like to apply for the position of Prime Minister because the person has to work hard. Working hard means that the person will not have time to have fun or be happy.

Every year the whole country celebrates the King’s birthday. There is a long public holiday for one week. People don’t go to work. They go outside the palace to see the king and the Queen waving from the balcony of the big palace at the capital city of Happy Land. They present the king with bunches of flowers that they plant in the gardens of their homes. The law says that for each flower you pick on the island, you have to plant two. That’s why there are so many flowers everywhere on the island. The people on the island export most of the flowers to other countries overseas. They send a lot of flowers to countries that are at war with each other. The governments of the countries at war think that they get the flowers from the other country they are at war with and stop the war.

The King of Happy Land has a big cake for his birthday. He makes sure he brushes his teeth after eating a piece of the cake. He also has a big meal that has all kinds of healthy food. He shares the big meal with all the people on the island. Tables are set in the streets and people share the special food they cook for the occasion. Young boys and girls play music and dance in the streets to celebrate the occasion of the King’s birthday. The King also gives a surprise visit to one family on the island each year on his birthday and tells the kids in the house nice stories before he puts them to bed.

Each year the king chooses to visit one poor family on his birthday to make everyone in the family feel special. Everyone on the island keeps hoping that the King and the Queen will come to visit them.

After everyone in the house falls asleep, the King and the Queen go back to their palace and get a good night's sleep. At night no one is allowed to leave their homes on the island of Happy Land. This makes the country safer and lets the people have a rest. If anyone is caught walking outside their home at night, he or she gets sent to hospital and takes a special medicine to find out if they are sleep walkers or not. The people of Happy Land don’t have bad dreams when they sleep. They feel that what they have on their island is much better than what they can see in their dreams.

Thursday 3 June 2010

Happy Land

Do you want to live in the country of Happy Land? Happy Land is a small island that does not exist but let's think for a few minutes that it does.

Happy Land is a small island between Africa and Asia. It has a small population of only 5000 people. The weather in Happy Land is not too hot and not too cold. It is moderate. The people in Happy Land are all well educated. They all have university degrees. All the people can read and write. There is no letracy proplem there.
People in Happy Land don't work long hours every day. They only work four hours. After finishing their work, they go to the beach to have fun or go to different restaurants on the island.

When a citizen in Happy Land is 18 years old, he or she gets a car as a present from the government. They don't have to pay for it and they get cheap petrol too. People normally don't drive much because the island is small but it is the law to get a car when you are 18 even if you don't intend to use it. Everyone on the island also gets a plane ticket to go anywhere in the world for four weeks when they have their annual leave. All costs are covered by the government.

The people in Happy Land are free to say what they want. There are no prisons on the island and there are no police. Everyone follows the law and they don't cause trouble. If anyone causes trouble, he or she is disowned by the family and people don't talk to them for one month. During that month, they have to wear a red shirt and people don't come near them because they know they are bad. After that, they never make mistakes again.

The Happy Landers don't have a lot of petrol or gold. Every citizen has a machine that prints money at home. They print the money and go out to spend it anywhere on the island.

They have a small number of tourists who come to visit their island. There are certain conditions that a tourist must meet before he or she is allowed into the country. The person wishing to visit the island must be cheerful. If you are not cheerful, don't even think of applying for a visa because your application will be rejected. He or she must promise not to cause problems or disturb anyone on the island. Women who wish to visit the island must be beauriful and men have to be handsome. They also have to know how to ride bikes because the government wants to control pollution.

Only citizens of Happy Land are allowed to drive cars. Foreigners are not. If a foreigner is caught driving a car, he or she will be deported immediately and not be allowed to visit the island at all.

Happy Land has a strange government. They have a King and a Queen. They also have a President and a Prime Minister. Each one of them works only four hours a day. It is the law and they all have to obey it.

They have different poletical parties but they never fight to rule the country. They are not allowed to shout at each other or have any differences.

People in Happy Land are allowed to eat healthy food only. No junk food is allowed on the island. If you are caught eating junk food, you will be in big trouble. Your parents will have to make you do school homework for seven days. You will only be allowed to go to bed at 12 o'clock at night and wake up at 6 to do your school work. What a harsh punishment.

People on the island speak more than seven major languages. They can speak English, French, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Spanish and Vietnamese. There are people who speak more but many don't like to waste their time learning new languages. They prefer to go out and have fun rather than learn new languages.

By law, every citizen on the island must be good at playing football, tennis, basketball, and handball. The government thinks that if people can play all these games, they will become healthy so not much money is spent on building new hospitals. The islanders are not allowed to smoke at all.

People who are not well educated on the island dow minor jobs. They are sometimes asked to feed the fish in the ocean or walk along the streets to arrest people who are not happy.

Wednesday 2 June 2010

Massacre in Palestine

This week hundreds of people who support Palestinians sailed on some ships heading to Gaza. Gaza is a small part of Palestine where hundreds of thousands of Muslins live in absolute poverty because of Jewish occupation to their country for the past 65 years.

Gaza is like an open-air prison. The people of Gaza can't go to the beach because Israeli soldiers will shoot them.

Israel didn't want the ships to arrive in Gaza. Israeli troops landed from helicopters on the ships and opened fire on the people who were protesting. They killed 16 of them and wounded many more.

People on the ships come from 42 countries. There were demonstrations in many countries all over the world including Australia.

Many governments around the world called the attack brutal and inhuman. For Israel it does not care about what other countries say. Israel is protected by America. America is a super power and it controls most of the world.

Because of America's protection, Israel will kill more and more Palestinians every day and no country on earth will dare to do any thing against it because it has atomic bombs.

Australia will not do any thing about the problem because it has good relations with Israel and America.

Some people in Australia protested in Sydney and Melbourne against the Jewish attack on peaceful demonstrators. They say that the Australian government will not call the attack a terrorist attack because those who were killed were Muslims.

Some Jews don't like what Israel does to Palestinians. They say it is against their religion to kill anyone to take other people's land by force. They say that Jews lived among the Arabs and Muslims for thousands of years and the Arabs never killed them.

Sadly, most of the Jews don't like what those people say. They support what their army does to Palestinians and other Muslims in other countries.