12:40 AM
Man on Net
"The only reason some people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory."
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Thursday, December 13, 2012
James Reston
"This is the devilish thing about foreign affairs: they are foreign and will not always conform to our whim."
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Honore de Balzac
"Nothing so fortifies a friendship as a belief on the part of one friend that he is superior to the other."
Friday, December 7, 2012
Cha Hue – Hue Style Vietnamese Ham
Guest Post from Ravenous Couple
Vietnamese hams, or chả is ubiquitous part of Vietnamese cuisine. But like many Vietnamese dishes, the people of each region add special touches to a dish and call it their own. And it’s no different with chả Huế, a relative unknown compared with chả lụa. This ham originates from Huế, the ancestral capital of Vietnam and is often eaten as a snack and as a meat topping to the classic bún bò Huế soup. In fact, we’re always a tad disappointed when we don’t get a nugget of chả Huế in our soup. Why so? Well, to the generically mild pork paste giò sống, a generous amount of minced garlic and cracked pepper corns are added, transforming a typically mild chả into one with a delicious kick.
You can make your own pork paste or buy them premade in the frozen or refrigerated section of your Vietnamese market. Individually wrapped and steamed in banana leaves, these make for great gifts when visiting friends or relatives, especially with the Lunar new year, Tet, right around the corner. Here’s a short video on how to roll chả Huế.
Chả Huế
Yield: 10
Ingredients:
- 1 lb raw pork paste (giò sống)
- 1 tbs of coarsely cracked white or black peppercorns
- 1 head of garlic finely minced
- 1/2 tbs sugar
- 1/2 ts fish sauce
- ~10-12 sheets of 4 x 6 inch banana leaves and thin 6x 1/4 inch banana leaf strips to tie
Prepare your steamer. Combine all the ingredients into a mixing bowl until well incorporated. You can pinch off 1/2 ts and microwave it for about 30s and season to taste. Add more garlic and/or peppercorns if you like it more spicy.
Place about 1 heaping tbs of mixture onto one end of the banana leaf. Fold over the side edges and roll the pork mixture. Seal with the banana strip by giving it several twists and tuck the loose ends under. See video above.
Steam for 10 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked. Enjoyed immediately or at room temperature.
Friday, November 16, 2012
Song : We wish you a Merry Christmas
Gần tới ngày Giáng sinh , chúc các bạn một giáng sinh hạnh phúc với bài hát nổi tiếng "We wish you a Merry Christmas"
We wish you a Merry Christmas;
We wish you a Merry Christmas;
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Good tidings we bring to you and your kin;
Good tidings for Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Oh, bring us a figgy pudding;
Oh, bring us a figgy pudding;
Oh, bring us a figgy pudding and a cup of good cheer
We won't go until we get some;
We won't go until we get some;
We won't go until we get some, so bring some out here
We wish you a Merry Christmas;
We wish you a Merry Christmas;
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Thursday, October 25, 2012
No Action Will Get You Nowhere
Guest Post from Susie:
Sometimes you learn things in elevators. Especially when you get into an elevator and expect the elevator to read your mind.
Yesterday when I was out on the town in Vegas shopping at the outlet stores, my sister and I got into an elevator. We waited patiently for the elevator to move and it wasn’t until my sister chuckled and asked whether or not I had actually pressed the floor button that I realized we hadn’t moved.
Of course I had to take a picture of the buttons because I thought what had just happened was an awesome metaphor for life.
If you take no action, you will get nowhere.
We dream, we think, we plan. Yet so often, that’s as far as it goes.
I don’t know about anyone else but I know that only a small bit of what goes through my head actually sees the light of day and the awesomeness of creation.
The hardest part about doing anything is the first step and that first step is sometimes so paralyzing that we do nothing and take absolutely no action at all.
Last night I finally had the pleasure of meeting Mario, the founder of IdeaMensch, at the last event of his 4 month, 48 state, 50 event road trip. (I also got to meet some of the amazing people he has surrounded himself with.)
Mario spoke about what he learned from the experience of pulling off his road trip. One of his words of advice on how to pull off something really big was to just take action. If you don’t take that first step and try something or do something, you will not get anything done.
So next time you have a dream or a plan or a hope, just press that elevator button. You won’t move if you don’t.
What is the hardest first step that you have taken?
Chia sẻ bài viết vui lòng gửi về info@ tienganhvui.com
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Canh Chua Vietnamese Sour Tamarind Soup and Life in the Mekong Delta
Guest Post from Canh Chua Vietnamese Sour Tamarind Soup and Life in the Mekong Delta
From Tebetian highlands to the lowlands of southwest Vietnam, the Mekong river and it’s thousands of tributaries meanders it’s way across 39,000 square km in Vietnam known as the Mekong Delta or miền tây (western region) , encompassing the lands immediately west of Saigon to the very southern tip, Cà Mau.
Dubbed as a biologic treasure trove, the waters of Mekong river is a way of life for over 17 million inhabitants. It’s waters and rich soil help to produce half of the countries rice crop each year as well as an abundance of fruits. It’s also home to large aquacultural industry raising catfish, basa, and shrimp.
Life here revolves around the river–owning a boat is just as important as a scooter, if not more, as it means you can ferry your crops to the market to sell to earn a living. The Cái Răng market in Cần Thơ, is one of the largest floating markets in the region. Mainly a wholesale market for fruits and vegetables, this normal way of life has become a must see destination for anyone visiting this area.
Each morning at sunrise, the market is teaming with activity. Hundreds of large wholesale boats from all over delta converge and drop anchor in the market, hanging their crops on bamboo poles to signal what’s in season and for sale. We’re not sure if there’s any order to it all–bananas on one end or dragon fruit on the other, but the the large boats create lanes, or market aisles if you will, for smaller retail boats (and tourists boats) to weave through. Instead of aisle numbers and shopping carts, check the bamboo poles weave your boat to your vendor, place your order and soon bundles of fruit and vegetables are tossed onto your boat. It’s an extraordinary way of doing business that you’ll ever experience.
If you see household items on the boat such as cloths or pots and pans, or even pets on boat it doesn’t mean it’s for sale. Some families actually call the boats home!
As with markets on land, there’s no shortage of food options to satisfy all the hungry vendors and visitors. You can flag down floating cafes to indulge your cafe sua da morning fix as well as banh mi boats to satisfy your breakfast cravings.
Oh, but you’ll rather have a bowl of hủ tiếu instead? No problem! There’s a boat for that too. Just good luck trying to eat a bowl of noodles in a floating boat. After you manage that, the noodle lady will navigate around find you and retrieve her bowl and chopsticks. The ingenuity and perseverance of these people are simply amazing.
But the Mekong Delta isn’t known for hủ tiếu or even pho for that matter. It’s known for dishes that uses the abundant seafood and vegetables from the region such as hot pots called lẫu mắm made from salted fish as well as one of our favorite soups, canh chua. We adore canh chua because the contrasting flavors of sour, sweet, and savory and we also love the contrasting textures of all the different vegetables. Literally translated as sour soup, canh chua combines all the wonderful abundance of this region, incorporating seafood (such catfish, snakehead, eel, shrimp among others) along with colorful medley of tamarind, pineapple, tomatoes, okra, elephant ears, bean sprouts and a variety of herbs such as lemony ngo om. Enjoy canh chua with some steamed jasmine rice as part of a traditional Vietnamese meal or alone with some rice vermicelli noodles.
Everytime we make this dish, we’ll always remember the floating fruit vendors and life on the Mekong. If you’re visiting, hire a private small private boat to visit the market early around sunrise or slightly after when it’s most busy.
Canh Chua Sour Tamarind Soup with Prawns
Yield: 4 servings
We love using prawns for this dish but you can use your favorite seafood. Any firm white fish steaks would work well.
This recipe requires preparing tamarind pulp. It's best to use wet seedless tamarind typically sold in 14 oz blocks instead of juice or concentrates, although you certainly could if pressed for time. For why and how to prepare the pulp, see this link. by Leela of shesimmers.com
Ingredients:
Combine the tamarind pulp in equal amout (i.e 14 oz block, 14 fl oz water, roughly 1 cup) of hot water in a large bowl and soak for 15 minutes. Work the pulp with your hands until dissolved, squeezing out the puree and then tossing away the membranes. You're left with just the thick brown pulp puree. You can also strain the pulp through a fine sieve instead of using your hands.
In large pot bring water to boil and then add prawns, tamarind pulp puree, tomatoes, pineapple, okra, fish sauce, salt and sugar and bring back to boil.
When prawns are pink and tomatoes are just tender, add bean sprouts and elephant ear stems and season with additional salt or fish salt and sugar to taste. It should be sweet, sour, and savory.
Remove from heat and transfer to serving bowl. Finish with rice patty herb, fried garlic and optional chili.
From Tebetian highlands to the lowlands of southwest Vietnam, the Mekong river and it’s thousands of tributaries meanders it’s way across 39,000 square km in Vietnam known as the Mekong Delta or miền tây (western region) , encompassing the lands immediately west of Saigon to the very southern tip, Cà Mau.
Dubbed as a biologic treasure trove, the waters of Mekong river is a way of life for over 17 million inhabitants. It’s waters and rich soil help to produce half of the countries rice crop each year as well as an abundance of fruits. It’s also home to large aquacultural industry raising catfish, basa, and shrimp.
Life here revolves around the river–owning a boat is just as important as a scooter, if not more, as it means you can ferry your crops to the market to sell to earn a living. The Cái Răng market in Cần Thơ, is one of the largest floating markets in the region. Mainly a wholesale market for fruits and vegetables, this normal way of life has become a must see destination for anyone visiting this area.
Each morning at sunrise, the market is teaming with activity. Hundreds of large wholesale boats from all over delta converge and drop anchor in the market, hanging their crops on bamboo poles to signal what’s in season and for sale. We’re not sure if there’s any order to it all–bananas on one end or dragon fruit on the other, but the the large boats create lanes, or market aisles if you will, for smaller retail boats (and tourists boats) to weave through. Instead of aisle numbers and shopping carts, check the bamboo poles weave your boat to your vendor, place your order and soon bundles of fruit and vegetables are tossed onto your boat. It’s an extraordinary way of doing business that you’ll ever experience.
If you see household items on the boat such as cloths or pots and pans, or even pets on boat it doesn’t mean it’s for sale. Some families actually call the boats home!
As with markets on land, there’s no shortage of food options to satisfy all the hungry vendors and visitors. You can flag down floating cafes to indulge your cafe sua da morning fix as well as banh mi boats to satisfy your breakfast cravings.
Oh, but you’ll rather have a bowl of hủ tiếu instead? No problem! There’s a boat for that too. Just good luck trying to eat a bowl of noodles in a floating boat. After you manage that, the noodle lady will navigate around find you and retrieve her bowl and chopsticks. The ingenuity and perseverance of these people are simply amazing.
But the Mekong Delta isn’t known for hủ tiếu or even pho for that matter. It’s known for dishes that uses the abundant seafood and vegetables from the region such as hot pots called lẫu mắm made from salted fish as well as one of our favorite soups, canh chua. We adore canh chua because the contrasting flavors of sour, sweet, and savory and we also love the contrasting textures of all the different vegetables. Literally translated as sour soup, canh chua combines all the wonderful abundance of this region, incorporating seafood (such catfish, snakehead, eel, shrimp among others) along with colorful medley of tamarind, pineapple, tomatoes, okra, elephant ears, bean sprouts and a variety of herbs such as lemony ngo om. Enjoy canh chua with some steamed jasmine rice as part of a traditional Vietnamese meal or alone with some rice vermicelli noodles.
Everytime we make this dish, we’ll always remember the floating fruit vendors and life on the Mekong. If you’re visiting, hire a private small private boat to visit the market early around sunrise or slightly after when it’s most busy.
Canh Chua Sour Tamarind Soup with Prawns
Yield: 4 servings
We love using prawns for this dish but you can use your favorite seafood. Any firm white fish steaks would work well.
This recipe requires preparing tamarind pulp. It's best to use wet seedless tamarind typically sold in 14 oz blocks instead of juice or concentrates, although you certainly could if pressed for time. For why and how to prepare the pulp, see this link. by Leela of shesimmers.com
Ingredients:
- 6 cups of water or fish stock
- 1/2 lb large prawns, cleaned
- 1 cup tamarind pulp puree
- 1/2 sweet pineapple, peeled, sliced into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tomatos, cut in wedges
- 2 tbs sugar, plus additional to taste
- 1 tbs koshar salt, plus additonal to taste
- 1 tbs fish sauce
- 1-2 elephant ear stems, peeled and sliced on diagonal 1/2in thick
- 1 cup okra, sliced diagonal
- 2 red chilli, sliced (optional)
- 1/2 cup of bean sprouts
- 10 springs of rice paddy herb, roughly chopped
- fried garlic
Combine the tamarind pulp in equal amout (i.e 14 oz block, 14 fl oz water, roughly 1 cup) of hot water in a large bowl and soak for 15 minutes. Work the pulp with your hands until dissolved, squeezing out the puree and then tossing away the membranes. You're left with just the thick brown pulp puree. You can also strain the pulp through a fine sieve instead of using your hands.
In large pot bring water to boil and then add prawns, tamarind pulp puree, tomatoes, pineapple, okra, fish sauce, salt and sugar and bring back to boil.
When prawns are pink and tomatoes are just tender, add bean sprouts and elephant ear stems and season with additional salt or fish salt and sugar to taste. It should be sweet, sour, and savory.
Remove from heat and transfer to serving bowl. Finish with rice patty herb, fried garlic and optional chili.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Monday, August 6, 2012
Chinese noodles stall in Saigon
Guest post from Huu Nghiem
Not far from my place, there is one noodles stall, right in the corner between Hung Vuong and Le Hong Phong, how many times I pass by, always crowded.
One evening, I tried to order some noodles takeaway, two waiters seemed so busy and ignored my order. I decided not to come back, never ever... until today.
Today on the way back home with my old friend, having different thing in mind but when we passed by this noodles stall, I suddenly mentioned to my friend about what happening before, look at the stall, just opened, still empty. We decided to give it a try. Only typical Chinese noodles: yellow noodles and wonton.
As many other stalls somewhere else in Saigon, they also have their own homemade noodles in a tiny wooden drawer - that could be one of their secrets to keep customers coming back.
My friend ordered a "dry noodles" without soup, actually a small bowl of soup served separately. What I like is a thin, crispy, golden shrimp cake on the top, but not the crunchy pork rind (tóp mỡ - dried piece of fat).
I didn't see this deep fried shrimp cake on top of noodles for long!
My order - just a bowl of noodles with soup, we still want won-ton but not ready yet! Good and very surprisingly clear soup. I forgot to ask them not to add a spoon of fat, but it was too late!
The soup is so clear as water, with some shining rings of fat, slices of cooked pork meat.
Noodles here are good, not too soft, a bit strong as we expect.
After we sat down, ordered, just few minutes later, all tables were quickly occupied, it was around only 5:00 pm at that time and they do business until late at night.
Not far from my place, there is one noodles stall, right in the corner between Hung Vuong and Le Hong Phong, how many times I pass by, always crowded.
One evening, I tried to order some noodles takeaway, two waiters seemed so busy and ignored my order. I decided not to come back, never ever... until today.
Today on the way back home with my old friend, having different thing in mind but when we passed by this noodles stall, I suddenly mentioned to my friend about what happening before, look at the stall, just opened, still empty. We decided to give it a try. Only typical Chinese noodles: yellow noodles and wonton.
As many other stalls somewhere else in Saigon, they also have their own homemade noodles in a tiny wooden drawer - that could be one of their secrets to keep customers coming back.
My friend ordered a "dry noodles" without soup, actually a small bowl of soup served separately. What I like is a thin, crispy, golden shrimp cake on the top, but not the crunchy pork rind (tóp mỡ - dried piece of fat).
My order - just a bowl of noodles with soup, we still want won-ton but not ready yet! Good and very surprisingly clear soup. I forgot to ask them not to add a spoon of fat, but it was too late!
After we sat down, ordered, just few minutes later, all tables were quickly occupied, it was around only 5:00 pm at that time and they do business until late at night.
Pickled chili, two bottles of black vinegar and soya sauce. No any veggies.
I did have some posts about yellow noodles in my blog, here is a quick review of another traditional Chinese noodles stall in Saigon. I like the old cart, decorated with different characters from Chinese tale.
By the way, I heard there is a noodles stall near to Tân Định market, on Nguyen Huu Cau street, over hundred year old, a third-generation family business, still at the same place. Hope will share with you very soon.
By the way, I heard there is a noodles stall near to Tân Định market, on Nguyen Huu Cau street, over hundred year old, a third-generation family business, still at the same place. Hope will share with you very soon.
Chinese noodles stall at 297 Lê Hồng Phong, district 5, business hours from 17:00 to 23:00.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
“Best job in the world!”
Many of you are possibly still in school, others in university, others working and others looking for work. Whatever your situation, however, we think this news item will interest you.
- They are all mad, we’re really excited it’s going to be a really tight contest but an amazing outcome when we pick the final six.
First officials have to choose 18 finalists among the 40,000 entries who will be flown to Australia for interviews and final selection. Other vacant dream job positions are Outback Adventurer, Wildlife Caretaker, Lifestyle Photographer and Park Ranger. The six winners will be announced on June 21.
Tight - close or equal in score, progress, or ability.
Outcome - something that happens as a result of an activity or process.
Vacant - not occupied by a person : available to be taken by someone.
Text
The deadline has officially passed to apply for Australia’s six “Best Jobs in the World”, which includes such titles as “Chief Funster” and “Taste Master.”
More than 40,000 people from nearly 200 countries have applied for the six-month positions that come with a 100,000 dollar (Australian dollar) salary. Interested applicants were asked to create a 30-second video explaining their qualifications and most were of high quality says Karen Halbert of Tourism Australia.- They are all mad, we’re really excited it’s going to be a really tight contest but an amazing outcome when we pick the final six.
First officials have to choose 18 finalists among the 40,000 entries who will be flown to Australia for interviews and final selection. Other vacant dream job positions are Outback Adventurer, Wildlife Caretaker, Lifestyle Photographer and Park Ranger. The six winners will be announced on June 21.
Vocabulary
Deadline - a date or time when something must be finished : the last day, hour, or minute that something will be accepted.
Tight - close or equal in score, progress, or ability.
Outcome - something that happens as a result of an activity or process.
Vacant - not occupied by a person : available to be taken by someone.
Video
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Chicken at "Garden Mai" - Gà Vườn Mai
Guest Post by Huu Nghiem.
Gà hấp hành - steamed chicken with green onion, superb good, flavored with onion.
Last night I've been to a place - called "Gà Vườn Mai", an eatery - famous for their seven chicken dishes (only garden chicken!): steamed chicken with green onion (gà hấp hành), roasted chicken with garlic (gà rôti), chicken with Vietnamese mint (gà hấp rau răm), sour and sweet salad with chicken (gà bóp thấu), steamed chicken with fermented tofu (gà hấp chao), with salt (gà hấp muối)...
Head to toe chicken - costs you 230.000 VND (by Mar of 2013)
When they serve, not a plate of few pieces of chicken, but a whole chicken. So either you go there alone or with friends they always serve a full plate. Better be in company, if you don't want to end up with a lot of leftovers on the table.
Roasted chicken with a lot of garlic. Very tasty.
I really like small golden ground garlic, so garlicky, so tasty, crispy and flavored with fish sauce!
same as others chicken dishes, always in whole - from head to toe...
and from toe to buttock, by the way, chicken's buttock is a favorite part to many foodies.
We couldn't order all seven chicken dishes in their menu, I would love to try others, so I surely come back here one day. The only problem I have is how to get here! It's a real tricky, the place looks very spacious but located in small alley that we do need a guidance. But believe me, it's worth trying!
Chicken "Garden Mai"
Here's the address 958/10/13/18 Lac Long Quan, Tan Binh district, (one "/" means one alley, so we need to turn right or left at least three alleys to get there!)
I realize that Vietnamese love chicken much more than beef or pork. Chicken is an unavoidable item for any traditional celebrations, this "bird gives birth every day" always has a special place on the altar during any of family anniversaries.And whenever we talk about chicken - it should be "Vietnamese chicken" (gà ta) or "garden chicken" (gà thả vườn). These two phrases means a kind of chicken being kept freely in the farm, not in a huge industrial cage, they are not fed with special industrial bran, but anything they find in the garden, from human's leftovers, rice to the earthworms. Those "free" chicken are smaller in size, give less meat but their meat is far better, tastier than the"industrial chicken".
Gà hấp hành - steamed chicken with green onion, superb good, flavored with onion. Last night I've been to a place - called "Gà Vườn Mai", an eatery - famous for their seven chicken dishes (only garden chicken!): steamed chicken with green onion (gà hấp hành), roasted chicken with garlic (gà rôti), chicken with Vietnamese mint (gà hấp rau răm), sour and sweet salad with chicken (gà bóp thấu), steamed chicken with fermented tofu (gà hấp chao), with salt (gà hấp muối)...
Head to toe chicken - costs you 230.000 VND (by Mar of 2013) When they serve, not a plate of few pieces of chicken, but a whole chicken. So either you go there alone or with friends they always serve a full plate. Better be in company, if you don't want to end up with a lot of leftovers on the table.
Roasted chicken with a lot of garlic. Very tasty.
I really like small golden ground garlic, so garlicky, so tasty, crispy and flavored with fish sauce!
same as others chicken dishes, always in whole - from head to toe... 
and from toe to buttock, by the way, chicken's buttock is a favorite part to many foodies. We couldn't order all seven chicken dishes in their menu, I would love to try others, so I surely come back here one day. The only problem I have is how to get here! It's a real tricky, the place looks very spacious but located in small alley that we do need a guidance. But believe me, it's worth trying!
Chicken "Garden Mai"Here's the address 958/10/13/18 Lac Long Quan, Tan Binh district, (one "/" means one alley, so we need to turn right or left at least three alleys to get there!)
Sunday, June 24, 2012
ESL Podcast : Talking About Movies
Download Podcast
Script by Dr. Lucy Tse
SCRIPT:
Martin: What did you think of that movie?
Joanna: It was okay, but I’m not really into big-budget movies with a lot of special effects and big-name stars.
Martin: Oh, you’re a film snob. I bet you only watch indie films made on a shoestring budget with low production values.
Joanna: No, that’s not true. I just don’t like crowd-pleasers that are predictable. I like movies that stretch the imagination and have some artistic value.
Martin: You mean you like those weird movies with no plot and a lot of strange characters. They’re artsy, but leave you totally confused.
Joanna: I don’t mind some ambiguity, if that’s what you mean.
Martin: Well, I’m going to see the new Spiderboy movie next week. I don’t suppose you want to come?
Joanna: Spiderboy? I’ve been looking forward to seeing that movie.
Martin: But it’s a big-budget blockbuster.
Joanna: I can’t watch artsy films all the time. Variety is the spice of life, don’t you think?
Reference
Timeline of the most expensive productions:
snob [snɑb /snɒ-]
n. a person regarded as arrogant and annoying
blockbuster n.
1.
2.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Advertising Jobs on the Internet [ ESL Podcast ]
Listen Podcast Script by Dr. Lucy Tse
Script:
Wendy: I just heard that you’re not going to use a recruitment agency to fill the new position.
Pedro: No, I’m not. There are so many Internet job boards out there that I think we can find good candidates without using headhunters.
Wendy: But headhunters do a good job of weeding out people who don’t have the right experience or qualifications.
Pedro: Yes, but they also charge a large commission. I’m going to post an ad on a few major job boards to see what happens. Most of them don’t charge a listing fee so there’s no harm in trying.
Wendy: I predict you’re going to be flooded with applications, and it’s going to take a lot of time to separate the good from the bad.
Pedro: That’s where you come in.
Wendy: What do you mean?
Pedro: You are my assistant, aren’t you?
Wendy: Yes.
Pedro: And your job is to assist me, right?
Wendy: Yes.
Pedro: Good. Roll up your sleeves and get ready for a busy week!
Script:
Wendy: I just heard that you’re not going to use a recruitment agency to fill the new position.
Pedro: No, I’m not. There are so many Internet job boards out there that I think we can find good candidates without using headhunters.
Wendy: But headhunters do a good job of weeding out people who don’t have the right experience or qualifications.
Pedro: Yes, but they also charge a large commission. I’m going to post an ad on a few major job boards to see what happens. Most of them don’t charge a listing fee so there’s no harm in trying.
Wendy: I predict you’re going to be flooded with applications, and it’s going to take a lot of time to separate the good from the bad.
Pedro: That’s where you come in.
Wendy: What do you mean?
Pedro: You are my assistant, aren’t you?
Wendy: Yes.
Pedro: And your job is to assist me, right?
Wendy: Yes.
Pedro: Good. Roll up your sleeves and get ready for a busy week!
Friday, May 4, 2012
China’s Blind Lawyer May Come to the US
Nghe Audio về Chen Guangcheng , 1 luật sư mù có quan điểm bất đồng chính kiến với nhà cầm quyền Trung Quốc và đang tị nạn chính trị ở tòa đại sứ Mỹ
TEXT
Chen Guangcheng was born in a poor village in eastern China during the country’s ‘Cultural Revolution.’ He gained international recognition as a human rights lawyer. Now, the ‘blind barefoot lawyer,’ is involved in a diplomatic incident that has caught the attention of the world.
On April twenty-second, Chen Guangcheng escaped house arrest in his home village in Shandong Province. He fled to the United States Embassy in Beijing. He remained there for six days as diplomats discussed his case.
His escape came at a sensitive time. Officials from both countries were preparing for the two-day U.S.-China Strategic Economic Dialogue. The two sides use the yearly meeting to discuss security and economic issues. But, human rights suddenly became important. On Thursday, in her opening comments, American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton noted:
HILLARY CLINTON: "As part of our dialogue, the United States raises the importance of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Because we believe all governments have to answer to our citizens' aspirations for dignity and the rule of law and that no nation can or should deny those rights."
Chen Guangcheng had been returned to Chinese officials in Beijing the day before the Dialogue started. The move shocked activists and some American lawmakers. Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey held a Congressional hearing. He asked questions about the safety of the activist and people close to him.
CHRIS SMITH: “What happens if Chen or any member of his family suffers retaliation? Where is Chen's nephew, Chen Kegui? What happens now with He Peirong, the courageous young woman who drove Chen to safety?
On Friday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the activist could request permission to leave the country.
(SOUND)
Spokesperson Liu Weimin said Chen Guangcheng could seek a student visa “just like any other Chinese citizen.” At this time, it is unclear if his family would also be able to go with him. But at least one American university has offered him the opportunity to study.
Chen Guangcheng’s story is extraordinary. He became blind as a child. And he struggled to receive higher education. In the nineteen nineties, he became interested in legal issues after learning that he was being taxed illegally. He continued to study the law on his own.
Then he began helping others. A Chinese reporter said the activist helped about three thousand people. But his activities angered local officials. He would often carry cases to higher and higher authorities, even to the capital, Beijing. Increasingly he faced threats and beatings.
In two thousand six, Chen Guangcheng was tried in connection with exposing abuses of China’s one-child policy. He found women were being forced to end their pregnancies, often in violence ways. That same year, he was named to TIME magazine’s list of one hundred people who are changing the world.
After two trials, he was sentenced to four years in prison. Chen Guangcheng and his wife Yuan Weijing have two children, a son and a daughter.
Download :
http://www.fileduty.com/download/510/se-itn-chen-guangcheng-5may12.Mp3
Vocabulary
extraordinary
Adjective
- extraordinary (beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable)
"extraordinary authority"; "an extraordinary achievement"; "her extraordinary beauty"; "enjoyed extraordinary popularity"; "an extraordinary capacity for work"; "an extraordinary session of the legislature"
diplomatic
- diplomatic (relating to or characteristic of diplomacy)
"diplomatic immunity"
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
English quote: the greatest battle is
… not physical but psychological.
Chào!
Today we want to share with you a a great inspirational quote of a English writer, playwright and broadcaster. He says:
The demons telling us to give up when we push ourselves to the limit can never be silenced for good. They must always be answered by the quiet, the steady dignity that simply refuses to give in. Courage. We all suffer. Keep going.”
I think when the going gets difficult, we must calm our doubts and keep on going.
Vocabulary
Nugget – a piece of valuable information.
Prolific – producing a large amount of something.
Play writer – a person who writes plays.
Broadcaster – to tell (something that is private or secret) to many people.
Dignity – a way of appearing or behaving that suggests seriousness and self-control
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Play Bloomin' Gardens
Are you green fingered? How does your garden grow? You will need to be really horti-cultured to succ-seed at this garden-based puzzle game. Good luck! If you are studying at high school, college or at home, take a break from learning English and enjoy this fun game! Great for all learners of English, ESL and EFL. We love getting your feedback, so students and teachers - please do let us know what you think of Bloomin' Gardens...!"
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Alfred Korzybski
"There are two ways to slide easily through life; to believe everything or to doubt everything. Both ways save us from thinking." - Alfred Korzybski
Thursday, March 8, 2012
James Magary
"Computers can figure out all kinds of problems, except the things in the world that just don't add up."
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
St. Valentine's Day The Language of Love
1. I love you
2. I really like you
3. I want to go out with you
4. I want to be with you
5. You are everything to me
6. You mean the world to me
7. I have nothing without you
8. Be mine
9. You have changed my life
10. You are in my heart
11. I have always loved you
12. You are so special
13. You are so beautiful
14. You are the best
15. You make me so happy
16. All I want is to be with you
17. I'm yours always
18. We were made for each other
19. You are special
20. You are my whole world
Tell us what you talked with your lover in Valentine’s day by email info @ tienganhvui.com .
Monday, January 2, 2012
make or do 2
1. _______________ a bet
2. _______________ a job
3. _______________ the dishes
4. _______________ a skirt
5. _______________ the cleaning
6. _______________ your hair
7. _______________ believe
8. _______________ amends
9. _______________ some damage
10. _______________ a home
11. _______________ fifty press ups
12. _______________ some yoghurt
13. _______________ a fortune
14. _______________ a model
15. _______________ a noise
16. _______________ your best
17. _______________ the washing up
18. _______________ an application
19. _______________ some work
20. _______________ some harm
21. _______________ a favor
22. _______________ a man of you
23. _______________ a profit
24. _______________ an error
25. _______________ the washing
26. _______________ your nails
27. _______________ do
28. _______________ well in something
29. _______________ a promise
30. _______________ some practice
31. _______________ a reservation
32. _______________ a mess
33. _______________ your duty
34. _______________ ends meet
35. _______________ an effort
36. _______________ your own thing
37. _______________ an enquiry
38. _______________ some money
39. _______________ waves
40. _______________ eyes at someone
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Make or Do
Complete each gap below with either
make or do:
1. _______________ the laundry
2. _______________ an appearance
3. _______________ something crazy
4. _______________ a phone call
5. _______________ a fuss
6. _______________ your worst
7. _______________ laws
8. _______________ the big time
9. _______________ the honors
10. _______________ war
11. _______________ an excuse
12. _______________ someone feel uncomfortable
13. _______________ yourself proud
14. _______________ sense
15. _______________ sure of something
16. _______________ your way home
17. _______________ an exam
18. _______________ a fire
19. _______________ a face
20. _______________ a decision
21. _______________ business with someone
22. _______________ a date
23. _______________ a fool of someone
24. _______________ justice to something
25. _______________ an impression
26. _______________ an incision
27. _______________ more harm than good
28. _______________ too much
29. _______________ a speech
30. _______________ the grade
31. _______________ the newspapers
32. _______________ a suggestion
33. _______________ a crossword
34. _______________ hay while the sun shines
35. _______________ the shopping
36. _______________ history
37. _______________ some exercise
38. _______________ the trick
39. _______________ someone else’s dirty work
40. _______________ a mistake
For more fun tests, quizzes and games log onto www.teinganhvui.com now!
Posts
