February!

The Romans and the Celts regarded February as the start of spring.

When did February first appear on a calendar?

February, along with January, was introduced onto the Roman calendar by Numa Pompilous when the calendar was extended from ten to twelve. The word February comes from the word 'februa' - which means cleansing or purification, and reflects the rituals undertaken before Spring.

Other names for February

The Anglo Saxons called February 'Sol-monath' (cake-month), because cakes were offered to the gods during that month. February was also known to the Saxons as 'sprout-kale' from the sprouting of cabbage or kale.

Having only 28 days in non-leap years, February was known in Welsh as 'y mis bach' - the little month.

In Shakespeare's time about 400 years ago, the second month of the year was called 'Feverell'. In Isaac Newton's time one hundred years later it had become 'Februeer'. The modern name, February, is only about a hundred years old.

See: http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/images/title760.gif

Grammy Awards

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Mike Blake/Reuters

Updated Feb. 1, 2010
The Grammy Awards are the most prestigious awards in the music recording industry. The Recording Academy votes for the winners, who are presented in a televised show once a year. The 52nd annual awards were held on January 31, 2010.

Affirming her role as one of the reigning queens of pop music, Beyoncé was the top winner at the 2010 show, taking six prizes, including song of the year for her inescapable hit "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)."

But she shared the spotlight with Taylor Swift, the poised 20-year-old country-pop singer, who was crowned a new superstar with four wins, including the top prize, album of the year, for "Fearless"...

... Right behind Beyoncé, with three awards each, were the Black Eyed Peas, a powerhouse of radio-friendly hip-hop, and the alternative rock band the Kings of Leon.

Full List of Winners

GOLD RUSH?

iPad: Steve Jobs presents Apple's new tablet

Apple has put an end to weeks of speculation by unveiling its tablet device, which it has called the iPad.

Steve Jobs, Apple's chief executive unveiled the touchscreen device at an event in San Francisco.
Mr Jobs described the tablet, which will cost between $499 and $829 in the US, as a "third category" between smartphones and laptops.
The device, which looks like a large iPhone, can be used to watch films, play games and browse the web.
The firm has also done a deal with publishers including Penguin, Macmillan and Harper Collins to allow e-books to be downloaded directly to the device through a new iBook Store.
"You can download right onto your iPad," said Mr Jobs.
He also showed off magazines and newspapers on the device.
'Gold rush'
He told an audience of journalists, analysts and industry peers that the device lets people "hold the whole web in your hands".
"What this device does is extraordinary. It is the best browsing experience you have ever had," he said.

Teachers, dear colleagues... BE AWARE!

How to cheat in all your tests:

HAITI. How Can We Help?

"Un euro por Haiti" de Telecinco con la campaña de Ayuda Española de Emergencia propone que cada uno de nosotros done un euro en el número de cuenta de La Caixa 2100 2254 18 0200213776.

Other ways to helpAlso accepting cash and in-kind donations are the following sites: Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, UNICEF (1-800-4UNICEF), Direct Relief, Yele Haiti, Partners in Health, Red Cross, World Food Program, Mercy Corps (1-888-256-1900), Save the Children, Lambi Fund, Doctors Without Borders, The International Rescue Committee, Care, William J. Clinton Foundation, Meds & Food For Kids, Feed the Children, Habitat for Humanity, Mayor's Fund for NYC

Welcome to Pueblo Inglés!

La Alberca (Salamanca), 17 ene (EFE).- El conocido como Pueblo Inglés de La Alberca, en la Sierra de Francia salmantina, se ha convertido desde hace nueve años en un lugar muy demandado por todo tipo de personas que quieren o necesitan aprender el idioma anglosajón en sólo una semana...

MORE INFO: more than english

7.0 QUAKE IN HAITI

7.0 QUAKE IN HAITI 10 MILES FROM PORT-AU-PRINCE, A DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE

KILLER QUAKE STRUCK JUST BELOW THE SURFACE 2010-01-14

The quake that struck Haiti on Tuesday erupted just below the surface on a notorious fault where two plates of the Earth's crust jostle and grind, scientists said on Wednesday.

"It was a very shallow earthquake, occurring at a depth of around 10 kilometers (6.2 miles),"seismologist Yann Klinger of the Institute of the Physics of the Globe (IPG) in Paris told AFP.

"Because the shock was so big and occurred at such a shallow depth, just below the city (of Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital), the damage is bound to be very extensive," he said.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) said on its website that the quake, which measured a very powerful 7.0 magnitude, occurred at 2153 GMT on Tuesday 15 kms (9.4 miles) southwest of Port-au-Prince at a depth of around 8.3 kms (5.2 miles).

The movement was horizontal, occurring on the northern rim of the Caribbean plate where it rubs with the North American plate, the USGS and Klinger said.

"This fault is well known, it had been mapped and researchers have been following it," said Klinger.

He added that the death toll in Haiti, the poorest nation in the western hemisphere, would most probably be amplified by shoddy buildings and poorly-equipped emergency services.

"The buildings are likely to be very flimsy and not necessary of a very high quality. In addition, first responders may not be as effective as they are in Western Europe, for instance," he said.

Many of Haiti's oldest buildings, including the presidential palace, were destroyed in the quake, amid fears that hundreds of people may have been killed, sources in Port-au-Prince said early Wednesday.

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Merry Happy Joyful... CHRISTMAS!!!!

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