Kevin Rudd's Sorry Speech

Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed the movie.

When Kevin Rudd was campaigning to become Prime Minister of Australia, he said that the first two things he would do if he became PM would be to sign the Kyoto Protocol (which, up till that time, Australia had not done), and he would also make a formal apology to the Aboriginal people, and in particular those who had been part of the Stolen Generation.

He became Prime Minister, and he kept his word on both election promises.

On February 13, 2008, Mr Rudd gave a speech which no other Prime Minister of Australia had ever given before - he said "sorry". All other PMs had made excuses as to why it wasn't necessary to do such a thing - it wasn't them who had made those policies, so why should they apologise? But many people were very happy and very relieved when Mr Rudd finally did so.

Below is a link to the speech that he gave. It's worth reading. Some of you have already read the story of Nanna Nungala Fejo, which comes from this speech.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/kevin-rudds-sorry-speech/2008/02/13/1202760379056.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

If you wish, open the link below in a different window, and you can watch the video (but make sure you have time to do so - it's 29 minutes long!) while you read the text.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1260533053645214295#

I hope you enjoy it. It was certainly one of the most memorable events for many Australians.

WhichEnglish book are you reading for this semester? Tell us a lttle about it.

Hi!! Sorry folks for write unti today.

Well let me tell you a litte bit about the book I´m reading THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST by Anne Tyler; she writes misterious noevels. I choose this book because the sinopsis was really interesting, it´s about a man that it´s crazy with his rutine after he lose his son, I don´t know if his son is death or lost but I´m in that :); well the point it´s that he starts to feel in love with his neightbord "Muriel" & she starts to worry about his extremely & scary rutine.

I´m enjoying this book because have a little of mistery but I don´t know if the end can answear all my questions so lets see what happend & I promise to tell you the end :).
Have a great week & see you on Tuesday!! :)
Carmen

What do you consider to be the best English accent?

Hello everyone!

Well I don´t know all English accents of course, but for me the British accent is the best.
I think this accent is very nice, polite, smart, etc, I´d like to know how to speak like a British someday.

Alicia

What did you not enjoy about today`s class?

Sorry to write up today, but I couldn´t do that before.
The question that I must answer is: What did you not enjoy about today's (Thursday) class?
Well, I like the topics that we review, especially knowing different sentences using the word wrong and the opinions of my classmates about Hypnosis, but I really hated the heat that was in the classroom. So hot it's annoying to pay attention in class and enjoy doing it. I prefer a cold climate to warm.
Well, I'll see you on Tuesday. Bye.

What do I do outside the classroom to help me improve my English?

Hello classmates!

Well wath I do in order to improve my English is read a lot in this languaje because in the science field everything is in English.

I found very useful listent to music in English and I try to understand the lyric, and if is posible I try to learn the song, so I can lear vocabulary.

Also I try to attend to conferences in English this is very useful because this is the real life.

What are you doing in order to improve teh areas of english taht you currently struggle with?

Hello every one

I have a lot of problems with my listening skills, something that I am doing is watching my favorites TV programs but now totally in English, for example I am a big fan of the Simpsons and Malcom in the Middle , to be honest I have watched almost all the chapters that I sometimes rememeber the scripts jeje.

So know I watch them in English and a I make a relation with the script that I know what they are saying, and with the sentence in English.

It sometimes gives me an idea that what they mean with some phrases, in what situations the use theme.

Feelings when I go class and I come out class

Hello everybody!!!

My question is: How did you fell when you entered the class today? And how did you feel when you left?

I think it´s easier to answer the second one...

In my opinion go to class it´s a moment in the day when i feel comfortable and anxious of learning, practicing and improving my skills. However sometimes I didn´t feel at ease as I said, perhaps it something psychological, in spite of better, i got stuck.

Finally when i left class i feel happy but a little dissatisfied, because I would like to be using specialized software´s, watching TV recordings and listening songs.

Strengths and weaknesses when I read in English

Hi everyone!
Now is my turn to respond the next questions: What are my strengths when I read in English? And, ¿What is my weaknesses?
Well, I think that my weaknesses is the vocabulary. Ultimately I have been increased it because I have read many articles and books in English about symbolism and anthropology. Although this have been good for me, I think this is a specialized vocabulary, therefore, I think I don’t have many problems with articles about anthropology, but I think it doesn’t same with other tetx, for example novels or books with other topics.
About my strengths, one is that always I try to catch the idea before take the dictionary and translate the words that I don’t understand. Nevertheless, I always have the dictionary aside and I consult it each time is necesary. Another strength is that I like to read.
I think the best way to improve your vocabulary and your reading is reading, reading whatever you can read.

Have a nice week!

When you write, which language do you think in first?

En Español !!!! . . .
No, no, no, to be honest, knowing that I have to write some topic in English, then, I think in English. But, for further honesty, when I’m writing and I have to describe any fact or whatever you want which is a little bit hard to express, I thought it in Spanish then I translate. I know that is the wrong way to improve my English learning and I’m working in giving up thinking in Spanish when I have to write in English. Sometimes, as a last resort, I use the google translator online, but that is the worst way to write in English, mainly because that tool translate word by word; Do you remember the teacher’s example? something as: I used to sleep 10 hours when I was child, and the translation is: Yo usaba para dormir 10 horas cuando yo era niño, and that doesn't make sense really.

To give up thinking in Spanish when you write in English I think you have to create an english mood. You know, listening to music in English, reading in English, and, if you want, watching tv in English, or videos, or whatever you want, but in English. I’m doing this and I guess is working!

See you later mates!!!

Characteristics of good language learners

Well I think there are 3 characteristics that a languege learner should have.

These are the characteristics:

-At fisrt they should have an extensive vocabulary, and the should know how is the correct use of al the words that they know.

-The second is that they need to improve the speaking, they need to speak fluently, and they should practice talking whit another´s speaker´s of the language that they´re learning in the best posible way.

-The third is that they should know how to write well, I mean they should know the gramar of the language.

And that´s all, if there are more characteristics I think that they´re less important, because when you are learning a new language the things that you need to know they´re only 3, writing, speaking, and well the vocabulary is basic for both of them so if u dont have one of them I think u never dominate the language perfectly.

What did you find interesting in class of thursday? What did you find boring?

Hi everyones:

Well let me see.. I thing that was good to practice how and where we should use the linking words beacuse is a good tool to undertand many lectures, also it help us to improve our writting.
I think that was a little boring espend so much time studing grammar, I think that we should try with new strategies, like writtings using the grammar, presentations or even discussions about it.
Well, I like to write in this place... see you next time.