5 tips for giving presentations the Steve Jobs way. Watch the video.
Monday, 18 April 2011
Tuesday, 29 March 2011
Speak with authority!
Speaking with, uh, like, you know, authority -- has come out of fashion in the U.S. Click here to watch a short humorous video clip about the pitfalls of modern American English speaking -- with some generally helpful tips on speaking and presentation skills.
Monday, 14 March 2011
Grammar practise!
Need extra practise on some grammar points? Here is a link to a website where you can do some exercises online and review any grammar points you are unsure of. Just click here to open the link, then click on Grammatik-Übungen on the upper left, and then on the exercise you would like to practise. You can check yourself online.
Tuesday, 15 February 2011
Tiger Mother challenges western upbringing
In January, Amy Chua, 49-year-old Chinese-American law professor at Yale University, came out with a book that immediately became a best-seller in the US, as well as all over the world. In "The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother," Amy Chua recounts and reflects on how she raised her two daughters in an extremely strict, traditional success-oriented "Chinese" way. The book is a very tongue in cheek, blow by blow account of the successes as well as failures of her attempt to bring her children up with traditional "Chinese" values of hard work in the middle of mainstream America. The book is written with much humor, self irony and wide-reaching reflections. It has caused heated debates on all sides and has caused western and Chinese thinkers all over the world to re-consider their own parenting approaches and values on both a personal as well as global level.
Click here to watch a short interview with Amy Chua.
Click here to watch a short interview with Amy Chua.
Monday, 31 January 2011
Steve Jobs speaks at Stanford University
On January 17, Steve Jobs, visionary co-founder and CEO of Apple, announced he will take a medical leave of absence. The announcement came a year and a half after Jobs had returned from a six-month leave of absence following a liver transplant. This now indefinite leave of absence raises questions about both his long-term prognosis and the leadership of one of the world’s most valuable technology companies.
Here is a remarkable speech given by Steve Jobs at Stanford University's graduation ceremony in 2005, where he tells Stanford graduates three stories from his life. Jobs, who himself never graduated from college, concludes his speech with this advice: "Stay hungry, stay foolish."
Watch this 15 minute video clip of his speech here.
Here is a remarkable speech given by Steve Jobs at Stanford University's graduation ceremony in 2005, where he tells Stanford graduates three stories from his life. Jobs, who himself never graduated from college, concludes his speech with this advice: "Stay hungry, stay foolish."
Watch this 15 minute video clip of his speech here.
Monday, 29 November 2010
Aftermath of U.S. elections: "Build a Damn Fence!"
After the euphoria following Obama's victory two years ago, the sweeping Republican victories in the mid-term elections in the U.S. have given the Democrats a significant setback. In this spoof on the emigration of Mexicans across the border to the U.S., this author describes how hordes of American liberals are fleeing across the border to Canada.
From The Manitoba Herald
by Clive Runnels
The flood of American liberals sneaking across the border into Canada has intensified in the past week, sparking calls for increased patrols to stop the illegal immigration. The recent actions of the Tea Party are prompting an exodus among left-leaning citizens who fear they'll soon be required to hunt, pray, and to agree with Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck.
Canadian border farmers say it's not uncommon to see dozens of sociology professors, animal-rights activists and Unitarians crossing their fields at night. "I went out to milk the cows the other day, and there was a Hollywood producer huddled in the barn," said Manitoba farmer Red Greenfield, whose acreage
borders North Dakota. The producer was cold, exhausted and hungry. He asked me if I could spare a latte and some free-range chicken. When I said I didn't have any, he left before I even got a chance to show him my screenplay, eh?”
In an effort to stop the illegal aliens, Greenfield erected higher fences, but the liberals scaled them. He then installed loudspeakers that blared Rush Limbaugh across the fields. "Not real effective," he said. "The liberals still got through and Rush annoyed the cows so much that they wouldn't give any milk.”
Officials are particularly concerned about smugglers who meet liberals near the Canadian border, pack them into Volvo station wagons and drive them across the border where they are simply left to fend for themselves." A lot of these people are not prepared for our rugged conditions," an Ontario border
patrolman said. "I found one carload without a single bottle of imported drinking water. They did have a nice little Napa Valley Cabernet, though." When liberals are caught, they're sent back across the border, often wailing loudly that they fear retribution from conservatives. Rumors have been circulating about plans being made to build re-education camps where
liberals will be forced to drink domestic beer and watch NASCAR races.
In recent days, liberals have turned to ingenious ways of crossing the border. Some have been disguised as senior citizens taking a bus trip to buy cheap Canadian prescription drugs. After catching a half-dozen young vegans in powdered wig disguises, Canadian immigration authorities began stopping buses and quizzing the supposed senior citizens about Perry Como and Rosemary Clooney to prove that they were alive in the '50s. "If they can't identify the accordion player on The Lawrence Welk Show, we become very
suspicious about their age" an official said. Canadian citizens have complained that the illegal immigrants are creating
an organic-broccoli shortage and are renting all the Michael Moore movies. "I really feel sorry for American liberals, but the Canadian economy just can't support them." an Ottawa resident said.
"How many art-history majors does one country need?"
***************************************************************************
sneaking: moving secretly, stealthily
sparking: setting off in a burst of activity
prompting: moving to action, inciting
Bill O'Reilly: Conservative American television host, political commentary program "The O'Reilly Factor" on Fox News
Glenn Beck: conservative radio and television talk show and news host
Unitarians: members of a denomination that stresses individual freedom of belief, the free use of reason in religion, a united world community, and liberal social action
huddled: gathered in a close-packed group
acreage: area in acres
free-range chicken: chickens that are allowed to range and forage relatively freely (not caged)
screenplay: script of a film or movie
scaled: ascended to the top
blared: sounded loudly
Rush Limbaugh: conservative radio talk show host
station wagons: large carswith passenger compartment
to fend for themselves: provide for themselves
retribution: reward or punishment
wailing: crying, complaining
NASCAR: National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing
Perry Como: Musical television show host
The Lawrence Welk Show: Popular musical television show host
Rosemary Clooney: Popular singer in the 1950s
From The Manitoba Herald
by Clive Runnels
The flood of American liberals sneaking across the border into Canada has intensified in the past week, sparking calls for increased patrols to stop the illegal immigration. The recent actions of the Tea Party are prompting an exodus among left-leaning citizens who fear they'll soon be required to hunt, pray, and to agree with Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck.
Canadian border farmers say it's not uncommon to see dozens of sociology professors, animal-rights activists and Unitarians crossing their fields at night. "I went out to milk the cows the other day, and there was a Hollywood producer huddled in the barn," said Manitoba farmer Red Greenfield, whose acreage
borders North Dakota. The producer was cold, exhausted and hungry. He asked me if I could spare a latte and some free-range chicken. When I said I didn't have any, he left before I even got a chance to show him my screenplay, eh?”
In an effort to stop the illegal aliens, Greenfield erected higher fences, but the liberals scaled them. He then installed loudspeakers that blared Rush Limbaugh across the fields. "Not real effective," he said. "The liberals still got through and Rush annoyed the cows so much that they wouldn't give any milk.”
Officials are particularly concerned about smugglers who meet liberals near the Canadian border, pack them into Volvo station wagons and drive them across the border where they are simply left to fend for themselves." A lot of these people are not prepared for our rugged conditions," an Ontario border
patrolman said. "I found one carload without a single bottle of imported drinking water. They did have a nice little Napa Valley Cabernet, though." When liberals are caught, they're sent back across the border, often wailing loudly that they fear retribution from conservatives. Rumors have been circulating about plans being made to build re-education camps where
liberals will be forced to drink domestic beer and watch NASCAR races.
In recent days, liberals have turned to ingenious ways of crossing the border. Some have been disguised as senior citizens taking a bus trip to buy cheap Canadian prescription drugs. After catching a half-dozen young vegans in powdered wig disguises, Canadian immigration authorities began stopping buses and quizzing the supposed senior citizens about Perry Como and Rosemary Clooney to prove that they were alive in the '50s. "If they can't identify the accordion player on The Lawrence Welk Show, we become very
suspicious about their age" an official said. Canadian citizens have complained that the illegal immigrants are creating
an organic-broccoli shortage and are renting all the Michael Moore movies. "I really feel sorry for American liberals, but the Canadian economy just can't support them." an Ottawa resident said.
"How many art-history majors does one country need?"
***************************************************************************
sneaking: moving secretly, stealthily
sparking: setting off in a burst of activity
prompting: moving to action, inciting
Bill O'Reilly: Conservative American television host, political commentary program "The O'Reilly Factor" on Fox News
Glenn Beck: conservative radio and television talk show and news host
Unitarians: members of a denomination that stresses individual freedom of belief, the free use of reason in religion, a united world community, and liberal social action
huddled: gathered in a close-packed group
acreage: area in acres
free-range chicken: chickens that are allowed to range and forage relatively freely (not caged)
screenplay: script of a film or movie
scaled: ascended to the top
blared: sounded loudly
Rush Limbaugh: conservative radio talk show host
station wagons: large carswith passenger compartment
to fend for themselves: provide for themselves
retribution: reward or punishment
wailing: crying, complaining
NASCAR: National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing
Perry Como: Musical television show host
The Lawrence Welk Show: Popular musical television show host
Rosemary Clooney: Popular singer in the 1950s
Tuesday, 23 November 2010
Dining style and etiquette
Can you think of any other cultural differences when socializing in America or in Europe?
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