INSTITUTO ANGLO-SAXON

California History.

2011-11-09T18:41:00.001-03:00

Halloween History.

2011-10-25T08:38:00.000-03:00

My Life in Three Stories by Steve Jobs.

2011-09-02T21:20:00.003-03:00

1. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life; that's it, _________. Just three stories.

1. no big reel
2. no big steal
3. no big deal

2. The first story is about __________.

1. connecting the spots
2. connecting the dots
3. connecting the pots

3. My biological mother was a young _______ and she decided to put me up for adoption.

1. wedded graduate student
2. unwed graduate student
3. widowed graduate student

4. My parents got a call in the middle of the night asking, "We've got _____________ do you want him?' They answered, "Of course."

1. an unextended baby boy
2. an unexperienced baby boy
3. an unexpected baby boy

5. My second story is about __________

1. love and life
2. love and lost
3. love and loss

6. We worked hard and in ten years Apple had grown from just the two of us ______into a 2-billion-dollar company and over 4000 employees.

1. in a parade
2. in a garage
3. in a mirage

7. I just turned 30, and then I ______.

1. got tired
2. got fired
3. got wired

8. It turned out that getting fired from Apple was _________ that could have ever happened to me. I was a beginner again.

1. the best thing
2. the worst thing
3. the past thing

9. I fell in love with _________ who would become my wife.

1. an amazing woman
2. an amusing woman
3. an amassing woman

10. In a remarkable __________, Apple bought NeXT [my new company], and I returned to Apple.

1. turn of the screw
2. turn of events
3. turn of the century

11. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that ___________. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as for your lovers.

1. I loathed what I did
2. I loved what I did
3. I left what I did

12. My third story is about _______.

1. dead
2. died
3. death

13. Because almost everything, all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure, _________ in the face of death leaving only what is truly important.

1. these things just fall away
2. these things just fall down
3. these things just fall over

14. You are already naked----there is no reason _________.

1. not to swallow your pride
2. not to wallow in sorrow
3. not to follow your heart

15. No one ________

1. wants to dead
2. wants to dye
3. wants to die

16. Death is ________ we all share----no one has ever escaped it.

1. the destination
2. the destiny
3. the destruction

17. Death is very likely the single best ________----it's life's change agent.

1. inventor of life
2. invention of life
3. investment of life

18. Your time is limited, so don't waste it _____________

1. living your own life
2. living someone else's life
3. living a boring life

19. Most important, have the courage to follow your heart and _________. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.

1. intuition
2. investigation
3. interruption

20. ________, stay foolish. I wish that for you.

1. Stay hungry
2. Stay angry
3. Stay greedy

4. Int. Boston top ten attractions.

2011-08-26T10:00:00.009-03:00

3. Int. UFOs in Mexico.

2011-08-19T09:38:00.004-04:00

100 Adv. National Geographic - The Human Footprint.

2011-08-12T11:28:00.002-04:00

2. Int. Hero Police Dog.

2011-08-11T14:31:00.000-04:00

1 Int. Size of the Universe.

2011-08-05T09:55:00.003-04:00

1. The History of Angels.

2011-07-28T22:50:00.005-04:00

INICIO PRÓXIMOS CURSOS.

2011-07-21T18:25:00.003-04:00

Gullivers travels.

2011-07-19T00:26:00.000-04:00

1995: U.S. space shuttle docks with Russian space station.

2011-06-29T10:06:00.001-04:00

On this day in 1995, the American space shuttle Atlantis docks with the Russian space station Mir to form the largest man-made satellite ever to orbit the Earth.

This historic moment of cooperation between former rival space programs was also the 100th human space mission in American history. At the time, Daniel Goldin, chief of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), called it the beginning of "a new era of friendship and cooperation" between the U.S. and Russia. With millions of viewers watching on television, Atlantis blasted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in eastern Florida on June 27, 1995.

Just after 6 a.m. on June 29, Atlantis and its seven crew members approached Mir as both crafts orbited the Earth some 245 miles above Central Asia, near the Russian-Mongolian border. When they spotted the shuttle, the three cosmonauts on Mir broadcast Russian folk songs to Atlantis to welcome them. Over the next two hours, the shuttle's commander, Robert "Hoot" Gibson expertly maneuvered his craft towards the space station. To make the docking, Gibson had to steer the 100-ton shuttle to within three inches of Mir at a closing rate of no more than one foot every 10 seconds.

The docking went perfectly and was completed at 8 a.m., just two seconds off the targeted arrival time and using 200 pounds less fuel than had been anticipated. Combined, Atlantis and the 123-ton Mir formed the largest spacecraft ever in orbit. It was only the second time ships from two countries had linked up in space; the first was in June 1975, when an American Apollo capsule and a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft briefly joined in orbit.

Once the docking was completed, Gibson and Mir's commander, Vladimir Dezhurov, greeted each other by clasping hands in a victorious celebration of the historic moment. A formal exchange of gifts followed, with the Atlantis crew bringing chocolate, fruit and flowers and the Mir cosmonauts offering traditional Russian welcoming gifts of bread and salt. Atlantis remained docked with Mir for five days before returning to Earth, leaving two fresh Russian cosmonauts on the space station. The three veteran Mir crew members returned with the shuttle, including two Russians and Norman Thagard, a U.S. astronaut who rode a Russian rocket to the space station in mid-March 1995 and spent over 100 days in space, a U.S. endurance record. NASA's Shuttle-Mir program continued for 11 missions and was a crucial step towards the construction of the International Space Station now in orbit.

1997: U.S. Air Force reports on Roswell. June 24.

2011-06-24T08:09:00.001-04:00

On this day in 1997, U.S. Air Force officials release a 231-page report dismissing long-standing claims of an alien spacecraft crash in Roswell, New Mexico, almost exactly 50 years earlier.

Public interest in Unidentified Flying Objects, or UFOs, began to flourish in the 1940s, when developments in space travel and the dawn of the atomic age caused many Americans to turn their attention to the skies. The town of Roswell, located near the Pecos River in southeastern New Mexico, became a magnet for UFO believers due to the strange events of early July 1947, when ranch foreman W.W. Brazel found a strange, shiny material scattered over some of his land. He turned the material over to the sheriff, who passed it on to authorities at the nearby Air Force base. On July 8, Air Force officials announced they had recovered the wreckage of a "flying disk." A local newspaper put the story on its front page, launching Roswell into the spotlight of the public's UFO fascination.

The Air Force soon took back their story, however, saying the debris had been merely a downed weather balloon. Aside from die-hard UFO believers, or "ufologists," public interest in the so-called "Roswell Incident" faded until the late 1970s, when claims surfaced that the military had invented the weather balloon story as a cover-up. Believers in this theory argued that officials had in fact retrieved several alien bodies from the crashed spacecraft, which were now stored in the mysterious Area 51 installation in Nevada. Seeking to dispel these suspicions, the Air Force issued a 1,000-page report in 1994 stating that the crashed object was actually a high-altitude weather balloon launched from a nearby missile test-site as part of a classified experiment aimed at monitoring the atmosphere in order to detect Soviet nuclear tests.

On July 24, 1997, barely a week before the extravagant 50th anniversary celebration of the incident, the Air Force released yet another report on the controversial subject. Titled "The Roswell Report, Case Closed," the document stated definitively that there was no Pentagon evidence that any kind of life form was found in the Roswell area in connection with the reported UFO sightings, and that the "bodies" recovered were not aliens but dummies used in parachute tests conducted in the region. Any hopes that this would put an end to the cover-up debate were in vain, as furious ufologists rushed to point out the report's inconsistencies. With conspiracy theories still alive and well on the Internet, Roswell continues to thrive as a tourist destination for UFO enthusiasts far and wide, hosting the annual UFO Encounter Festival each July and welcoming visitors year-round to its International UFO Museum and Research Center.

1944 : D-Day.

2011-06-06T08:16:00.001-04:00

Although the term D-Day is used routinely as military lingo for the day an operation or event will take place, for many it is also synonymous with June 6, 1944, the day the Allied powers crossed the English Channel and landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, beginning the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi control during World War II. Within three months, the northern part of France would be freed and the invasion force would be preparing to enter Germany, where they would meet up with Soviet forces moving in from the east.

With Hitler's armies in control of most of mainland Europe, the Allies knew that a successful invasion of the continent was central to winning the war. Hitler knew this too, and was expecting an assault on northwestern Europe in the spring of 1944. He hoped to repel the Allies from the coast with a strong counterattack that would delay future invasion attempts, giving him time to throw the majority of his forces into defeating the Soviet Union in the east. Once that was accomplished, he believed an all-out victory would soon be his.

On the morning of June 5, 1944, U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the supreme commander of Allied forces in Europe gave the go-ahead for Operation Overlord, the largest amphibious military operation in history. On his orders, 6,000 landing craft, ships and other vessels carrying 176,000 troops began to leave England for the trip to France. That night, 822 aircraft filled with parachutists headed for drop zones in Normandy. An additional 13,000 aircraft were mobilized to provide air cover and support for the invasion.

By dawn on June 6, 18,000 parachutists were already on the ground; the land invasions began at 6:30 a.m. The British and Canadians overcame light opposition to capture Gold, Juno and Sword beaches; so did the Americans at Utah. The task was much tougher at Omaha beach, however, where 2,000 troops were lost and it was only through the tenacity and quick-wittedness of troops on the ground that the objective was achieved. By day's end, 155,000 Allied troops--Americans, British and Canadians--had successfully stormed Normandy's beaches.

For their part, the Germans suffered from confusion in the ranks and the absence of celebrated commander Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, who was away on leave. At first, Hitler, believing that the invasion was a feint designed to distract the Germans from a coming attack north of the Seine River, refused to release nearby divisions to join the counterattack and reinforcements had to be called from further afield, causing delays. He also hesitated in calling for armored divisions to help in the defense. In addition, the Germans were hampered by effective Allied air support, which took out many key bridges and forced the Germans to take long detours, as well as efficient Allied naval support, which helped protect advancing Allied troops.

Though it did not go off exactly as planned, as later claimed by British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery--for example, the Allies were able to land only fractions of the supplies and vehicles they had intended in France--D-Day was a decided success. By the end of June, the Allies had 850,000 men and 150,000 vehicles in Normandy and were poised to continue their march across Europe.

The heroism and bravery displayed by troops from the Allied countries on D-Day has served as inspiration for several films, most famously The Longest Day (1962) and Saving Private Ryan (1998). It was also depicted in the HBO mini-series Band of Brothers (2001).

1897 : Dracula goes on sale in London.

2011-05-26T15:41:00.001-04:00

The first copies of the classic vampire novel Dracula, by Irish writer Bram Stoker, appear in London bookshops on this day in 1897.

A childhood invalid, Stoker grew up to become a football (soccer) star at Trinity College, Dublin. After graduation, he got a job in civil service at Dublin Castle, where he worked for the next 10 years while writing drama reviews for the Dublin Mail on the side. In this way, Stoker met the well-respected actor Sir Henry Irving, who hired him as his manager. Stoker stayed in the post for most of the next three decades, writing Irving's voluminous correspondence for him and accompanying him on tours in the United States. Over the years, Stoker began writing a number of horror stories for magazines, and in 1890 he published his first novel, The Snake's Pass.

Stoker would go on to publish 17 novels in all, but it was his 1897 novel Dracula that eventually earned him literary fame and became known as a masterpiece of Victorian-era Gothic literature. Written in the form of diaries and journals of its main characters, Dracula is the story of a vampire who makes his way from Transylvania--a region of Eastern Europe now in Romania--to Yorkshire, England, and preys on innocents there to get the blood he needs to live. Stoker had originally named the vampire "Count Wampyr." He found the name Dracula in a book on Wallachia and Moldavia written by retired diplomat William Wilkinson, which he borrowed from a Yorkshire public library during his family's vacations there.

Vampires--who left their burial places at night to drink the blood of humans--were popular figures in folk tales from ancient times, but Stoker's novel catapulted them into the mainstream of 20th-century literature. Upon its release, Dracula enjoyed moderate success, though when Stoker died in 1912 none of his obituaries even mentioned Dracula by name. Sales began to take off in the 1920s, when the novel was adapted for Broadway. Dracula mania kicked into even higher gear with Universal's blockbuster 1931 film, directed by Tod Browning and starring the Hungarian actor Bela Lugosi. Dozens of vampire-themed movies, television shows and literature followed, though Lugosi, with his exotic accent, remains the quintessential Count Dracula. Late 20th-century examples of the vampire craze include the bestselling novels of American writer Anne Rice and the cult hit TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

History Channel - Biography: Lord Byron 1/5.

2011-05-12T10:01:00.000-04:00

1469 : Niccolo Machiavelli born.

2011-05-03T18:44:00.001-03:00

On this day in 1469, the Italian philosopher and writer Niccolo Machiavelli is born. A lifelong patriot and diehard proponent of a unified Italy, Machiavelli became one of the fathers of modern political theory.

Machiavelli entered the political service of his native Florence by the time he was 29. As defense secretary, he distinguished himself by executing policies that strengthened Florence politically. He soon found himself assigned diplomatic missions for his principality, through which he met such luminaries as Louis XII of France, Pope Julius II, the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, and perhaps most importantly for Machiavelli, a prince of the Papal States named Cesare Borgia. The shrewd and cunning Borgia later inspired the title character in Machiavelli's famous and influential political treatise The Prince (1532).

Machiavelli's political life took a downward turn after 1512, when he fell out of favor with the powerful Medici family. He was accused of conspiracy, imprisoned, tortured and temporarily exiled. It was an attempt to regain a political post and the Medici family's good favor that Machiavelli penned The Prince, which was to become his most well-known work.

Though released in book form posthumously in 1532, The Prince was first published as a pamphlet in 1513. In it, Machiavelli outlined his vision of an ideal leader: an amoral, calculating tyrant for whom the end justifies the means. The Prince not only failed to win the Medici family's favor, it also alienated him from the Florentine people. Machiavelli was never truly welcomed back into politics, and when the Florentine Republic was reestablished in 1527, Machiavelli was an object of great suspicion. He died later that year, embittered and shut out from the Florentine society to which he had devoted his life.

Though Machiavelli has long been associated with the practice of diabolical expediency in the realm of politics that was made famous in The Prince, his actual views were not so extreme. In fact, in such longer and more detailed writings as Discourses on the First Ten Books of Livy (1517) and History of Florence (1525), he shows himself to be a more principled political moralist. Still, even today, the term "Machiavellian" is used to describe an action undertaken for gain without regard for right or wrong.

Leonardo Da Vinci.

2011-04-20T12:05:00.001-03:00

1896 : First modern Olympic Games.

2011-04-06T09:00:00.001-03:00

On April 6, 1896, the Olympic Games, a long-lost tradition of ancient Greece, are reborn in Athens 1,500 years after being banned by Roman Emperor Theodosius I. At the opening of the Athens Games, King Georgios I of Greece and a crowd of 60,000 spectators welcomed athletes from 13 nations to the international competition.

The first recorded Olympic Games were held at Olympia in the Greek city-state of Elis in 776 B.C., but it is generally accepted that the Olympics were at least 500 years old at that time. The ancient Olympics, held every four years, occurred during a religious festival honoring the Greek god Zeus. In the eighth century B.C., contestants came from a dozen or more Greek cities, and by the fifth century B.C. from as many as 100 cities from throughout the Greek empire. Initially, Olympic competition was limited to foot races, but later a number of other events were added, including wrestling, boxing, horse and chariot racing, and military competitions. The pentathlon, introduced in 708 B.C., consisted of a foot race, the long jump, discus and javelin throws, and wrestling. With the rise of Rome, the Olympics declined, and in 393 A.D. the Roman Emperor Theodosius I, a Christian, abolished the Games as part of his efforts to suppress paganism in the Roman Empire.

With the Renaissance, Europe began a long fascination with ancient Greek culture, and in the 18th and 19th centuries some nations staged informal sporting and folkloric festivals bearing the name "Olympic Games." However, it was not until 1892 that a young French baron, Pierre de Coubertin, seriously proposed reviving the Olympics as a major international competition that would occur every four years. At a conference on international sport in Paris in June 1894, Coubertin again raised the idea, and the 79 delegates from nine countries unanimously approved his proposal. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was formed, and the first Games were planned for 1896 in Athens, the capital of Greece.

In Athens, 280 participants from 13 nations competed in 43 events, covering track-and-field, swimming, gymnastics, cycling, wrestling, weightlifting, fencing, shooting, and tennis. All the competitors were men, and a few of the entrants were tourists who stumbled upon the Games and were allowed to sign up. The track-and-field events were held at the Panathenaic Stadium, which was originally built in 330 B.C. and restored for the 1896 Games. Americans won nine out of 12 of these events. The 1896 Olympics also featured the first marathon competition, which followed the 25-mile route run by a Greek soldier who brought news of a victory over the Persians from Marathon to Athens in 490 B.C. In 1924, the marathon was standardized at 26 miles and 385 yards. Appropriately, a Greek, Spyridon Louis, won the first marathon at the 1896 Athens Games.

Pierre de Coubertin became IOC president in 1896 and guided the Olympic Games through its difficult early years, when it lacked much popular support and was overshadowed by world's fairs. In 1924, the first truly successful Olympic Games were held in Paris, involving more than 3,000 athletes, including more than 100 women, from 44 nations. The first Winter Olympic Games were also held that year. In 1925, Coubertin retired. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the foremost international sports competition. At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, more than 10,000 athletes from 200 countries competed, including nearly 4,000 women. In 2004, the Summer Olympics returned to Athens, with more than 11,000 athletes competing from 202 countries. In a proud moment for Greeks and an exciting one for spectators, the shotput competition was held at the site of the classical Games in Olympia.

Fairy Tales - Sleeping Beauty .

2011-04-03T23:45:00.001-03:00

Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity?

2011-03-22T09:00:00.000-03:00

461 : Saint Patrick dies.

2011-03-17T11:03:00.002-03:00

On this day in 461 A.D., Saint Patrick, Christian missionary, bishop and apostle of Ireland, dies at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland.

Much of what is known about Patrick's legendary life comes from the Confessio, a book he wrote during his last years. Born in Great Britain, probably in Scotland, to a well-to-do Christian family of Roman citizenship, Patrick was captured and enslaved at age 16 by Irish marauders. For the next six years, he worked as a herder in Ireland, turning to a deepening religious faith for comfort. Following the counsel of a voice he heard in a dream one night, he escaped and found passage on a ship to Britain, where he was eventually reunited with his family.

According to the Confessio, in Britain Patrick had another dream, in which an individual named Victoricus gave him a letter, entitled "The Voice of the Irish." As he read it, Patrick seemed to hear the voices of Irishmen pleading him to return to their country and walk among them once more. After studying for the priesthood, Patrick was ordained a bishop. He arrived in Ireland in 433 and began preaching the Gospel, converting many thousands of Irish and building churches around the country. After 40 years of living in poverty, teaching, traveling and working tirelessly, Patrick died on March 17, 461 in Saul, where he had built his first church.

Since that time, countless legends have grown up around Patrick. Made the patron saint of Ireland, he is said to have baptized hundreds of people on a single day, and to have used a three-leaf clover--the famous shamrock--to describe the Holy Trinity. In art, he is often portrayed trampling on snakes, in accordance with the belief that he drove those reptiles out of Ireland. For thousands of years, the Irish have observed the day of Saint Patrick's death as a religious holiday, attending church in the morning and celebrating with food and drink in the afternoon. The first St. Patrick's Day parade, though, took place not in Ireland, but the United States, when Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City in 1762. As the years went on, the parades became a show of unity and strength for persecuted Irish-American immigrants, and then a popular celebration of Irish-American heritage. The party went global in 1995, when the Irish government began a large-scale campaign to market St. Patrick's Day as a way of driving tourism and showcasing Ireland's many charms to the rest of the world. Today, March 17 is a day of international celebration, as millions of people around the globe put on their best green clothing to drink beer, watch parades and toast the luck of the Irish.

1965 : Johnson calls for equal voting rights. March 15.

2011-03-15T10:53:00.003-03:00

On this day in 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson addressed a joint session of Congress to urge the passage of legislation guaranteeing voting rights for all.

Using the phrase "we shall overcome," borrowed from African-American leaders struggling for equal rights, Johnson declared that "every American citizen must have an equal right to vote." Johnson reminded the nation that the Fifteenth Amendment, which was passed after the Civil War, gave all citizens the right to vote regardless of race or color. But states had defied the Constitution and erected barriers. Discrimination had taken the form of literacy, knowledge or character tests administered solely to African-Americans to keep them from registering to vote.

"Their cause must be our cause too," Johnson said. "Because it is not just Negroes, but really it is all of us, who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice. And we shall overcome."

The speech was delivered eight days after racial violence erupted in Selma, Alabama. Civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King and over 500 supporters were attacked while planning a march to Montgomery to register African-Americans to vote. The police violence that erupted resulted in the death of a King supporter, a white Unitarian Minister from Boston named James J. Reeb. Television news coverage of the event galvanized voting rights supporters in Congress.

A second attempt to march to Montgomery was also blocked by police. It took Federal intervention with the "federalizing" of the Alabama national guard and the addition of over 2,000 other guards to allow the march to begin.

The march to Montgomery finally began March 21 with over 3,000 participants under the glare of worldwide news publicity.

The violence, however, continued. Just after the march was successfully completed on March 25, four Klansman shot and killed Detroit homemaker Viola Liuzzo as she drove marchers back to Selma.

On August 6, 1965, Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act, which made it illegal to impose restrictions on federal, state and local elections that were designed to deny the vote to blacks.

While state and local enforcement of the act was initially weak, mainly in the South, the Voting Rights Act gave African-American voters the legal means to challenge voting restrictions and vastly improved voter turnout. In Mississippi alone, voter turnout among blacks increased from 6 percent in 1964 to 59 percent in 1969.

In 1970, President Richard Nixon extended the provisions of the Voting Rights Act and lowered the eligible voting age for all voters to 18.

1959 : Rebellion in Tibet. March 10.

2011-03-10T10:16:00.001-03:00

On this day in 1959, Tibetans band together in revolt, surrounding the summer palace of the Dalai Lama in defiance of Chinese occupation forces.

China's occupation of Tibet began nearly a decade before, in October 1950, when troops from its People's Liberation Army (PLA) invaded the country, barely one year after the Communists gained full control of mainland China. The Tibetan government gave into Chinese pressure the following year, signing a treaty that ensured the power of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the country's spiritual leader, over Tibet's domestic affairs. Resistance to the Chinese occupation built steadily over the next several years, including a revolt in several areas of eastern Tibet in 1956. By December 1958, rebellion was simmering in Lhasa, the capital, and the PLA command threatened to bomb the city if order was not maintained.

The March 1959 uprising in Lhasa was triggered by fears of a plot to kidnap the Dalai Lama and take him to Beijing. When Chinese military officers invited His Holiness to visit the PLA headquarters for a theatrical performance and official tea, he was told he must come alone, and that no Tibetan military bodyguards or personnel would be allowed past the edges of the military camp. On March 10, 300,000 loyal Tibetans surrounded Norbulinka Palace, preventing the Dalai Lama from accepting the PLA's invitation. By March 17, Chinese artillery was aimed at the palace, and the Dalai Lama was evacuated to neighboring India. Fighting broke out in Lhasa two days later, with Tibetan rebels hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned. Early on March 21, the Chinese began shelling Norbulinka, slaughtering tens of thousands of men, women and children still camped outside. In the aftermath, the PLA cracked down on Tibetan resistance, executing the Dalai Lama's guards and destroying Lhasa's major monasteries along with thousands of their inhabitants.

China's stranglehold on Tibet and its brutal suppression of separatist activity has continued in the decades following the unsuccessful uprising. Tens of thousands of Tibetans followed their leader to India, where the Dalai Lama has long maintained a government-in-exile in the foothills of the Himalayas.

1917 : February Revolution begins. March 8.

2011-03-08T09:43:00.001-03:00

In Russia, the February Revolution (known as such because of Russia's use of the Julian calendar) begins when riots and strikes over the scarcity of food erupt in Petrograd. One week later, centuries of czarist rule in Russia ended with the abdication of Nicholas II, and Russia took a dramatic step closer toward communist revolution.

By 1917, most Russians had lost faith in the leadership ability of the czarist regime. Government corruption was rampant, the Russian economy remained backward, and Nicholas repeatedly dissolved the Duma, the Russian parliament established after the Revolution of 1905, when it opposed his will. However, the immediate cause of the February Revolution--the first phase of the Russian Revolution of 1917--was Russia's disastrous involvement in World War I. Militarily, imperial Russia was no match for industrialized Germany, and Russian casualties were greater than those sustained by any nation in any previous war. Meanwhile, the economy was hopelessly disrupted by the costly war effort, and moderates joined Russian radical elements in calling for the overthrow of the czar.

On March 8, 1917, demonstrators clamoring for bread took to the streets in the Russian capital of Petrograd (now known as St. Petersburg). Supported by 90,000 men and women on strike, the protesters clashed with police but refused to leave the streets. On March 10, the strike spread among all of Petrograd's workers, and irate mobs of workers destroyed police stations. Several factories elected deputies to the Petrograd Soviet, or "council," of workers' committees, following the model devised during the Revolution of 1905.

On March 11, the troops of the Petrograd army garrison were called out to quell the uprising. In some encounters, regiments opened fire, killing demonstrators, but the protesters kept to the streets, and the troops began to waver. That day, Nicholas again dissolved the Duma. On March 12, the revolution triumphed when regiment after regiment of the Petrograd garrison defected to the cause of the demonstrators. The soldiers, some 150,000 men, subsequently formed committees that elected deputies to the Petrograd Soviet.

The imperial government was forced to resign, and the Duma formed a provisional government that peacefully vied with the Petrograd Soviet for control of the revolution. On March 14, the Petrograd Soviet issued "Order No. 1," which instructed Russian soldiers and sailors to obey only those orders that did not conflict with the directives of the Soviet. The next day, March 15, Czar Nicholas II abdicated the throne in favor of his brother Michael, whose refusal of the crown brought an end to the czarist autocracy.

The new provincial government, tolerated by the Petrograd Soviet, hoped to salvage the Russian war effort while ending the food shortage and many other domestic crises. It would prove a daunting task. Meanwhile, Vladimir Lenin, leader of the Bolshevik revolutionary party, left his exile in Switzerland and crossed German enemy lines to return home and take control of the Russian Revolution.

Archaeologist opens tomb of King Tut. 1923.

2011-02-16T11:06:00.011-03:00

On this day in 1923, in Thebes, Egypt, English archaeologist Howard Carter enters the sealed burial chamber of the ancient Egyptian ruler King Tutankhamen.

Because the ancient Egyptians saw their pharaohs as gods, they carefully preserved their bodies after death, burying them in elaborate tombs containing rich treasures to accompany the rulers into the afterlife. In the 19th century, archeologists from all over the world flocked to Egypt, where they uncovered a number of these tombs. Many had long ago been broken into by robbers and stripped of their riches.

When Carter arrived in Egypt in 1891, he became convinced there was at least one undiscovered tomb--that of the little known Tutankhamen, or King Tut, who lived around 1400 B.C. and died when he was still a teenager. Backed by a rich Brit, Lord Carnarvon, Carter searched for five years without success. In early 1922, Lord Carnarvon wanted to call off the search, but Carter convinced him to hold on one more year.

In November 1922, the wait paid off, when Carter's team found steps hidden in the debris near the entrance of another tomb. The steps led to an ancient sealed doorway bearing the name Tutankhamen. When Carter and Lord Carnarvon entered the tomb's interior chambers on November 26, they were thrilled to find it virtually intact, with its treasures untouched after more than 3,000 years. The men began exploring the four rooms of the tomb, and on February 16, 1923, under the watchful eyes of a number of important officials, Carter opened the door to the last chamber.

Inside lay a sarcophagus with three coffins nested inside one another. The last coffin, made of solid gold, contained the mummified body of King Tut. Among the riches found in the tomb--golden shrines, jewelry, statues, a chariot, weapons, clothing--the perfectly preserved mummy was the most valuable, as it was the first one ever to be discovered. Despite rumors that a curse would befall anyone who disturbed the tomb, its treasures were carefully catalogued, removed and included in a famous traveling exhibition called the "Treasures of Tutankhamen." The exhibition's permanent home is the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Kasparov loses chess game to computer. 1996.

2011-02-10T11:01:00.003-03:00

On this day in 1996, after three hours, world chess champion Gary Kasparov loses the first game of a six-game match against Deep Blue, an IBM computer capable of evaluating 200 million moves per second. Man was ultimately victorious over machine, however, as Kasparov bested Deep Blue in the match with three wins and two ties and took home the $400,000 prize. An estimated 6 million people worldwide followed the action on the Internet.

Kasparov had previously defeated Deep Thought, the prototype for Deep Blue developed by IBM researchers in 1989, but he and other chess grandmasters had, on occasion, lost to computers in games that lasted an hour or less. The February 1996 contest was significant in that it represented the first time a human and a computer had duked it out in a regulation, six-game match, in which each player had two hours to make 40 moves, two hours to finish the next 20 moves and then another 60 minutes to wrap up the game.

Kasparov, who was born in 1963 in Baku, Azerbaijan, became the Soviet Union's junior chess champion at age 13 and in 1985, at age 22, the youngest world champ ever when he beat legendary Soviet player Anatoly Karpov. Considered by many to be the greatest chess player in the history of the game, Kasparov was known for his swashbuckling style of play and his ability to switch tactics mid-game.

In 1997, a rematch took place between Kasparov and an enhanced Deep Blue. Kasparov won the first game, the computer the second, with the next three games a draw. On May 11, 1997, Deep Blue came out on top with a surprising sixth game win--and the $700,000 match prize.

In 2003, Kasparov battled another computer program, "Deep Junior." The match ended in a tie. Kasparov retired from professional chess in 2005.

Programa Formación de Puestos de Trabajo. SENCE.

2011-02-01T21:38:00.011-03:00

Con una alta concurrencia de empresarios, trabajadores, dueños de OTECs y funcionarios de dicho organismo, el día martes 1 de febrero el Servicio Nacional de Capacitación y Empleo (SENCE) realizó una reunión informativa donde se dio a conocer el programa "Formación de Puestos de Trabajo"; lanzamiento donde se incluyeron los ítemes: "Bono de Capacitación MYPE" y "Bono de Capacitación para el Trabajador Activo".

La presente actividad contó con la presencia del Gobernador Provincial de Arica, Don José Durana Semir y el Director del Servicio Nacional de Capacitación y Empleo Don Mario Calderón.

Pope recognizes Knights Templar. January 13.

2011-01-13T10:56:00.004-03:00

On this day in 1128, Pope Honorius II grants a papal sanction to the military order known as the Knights Templar, declaring it to be an army of God.

Led by the Frenchman Hughes de Payens, the Knights Templar organization was founded in 1118. Its self-imposed mission was to protect Christian pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land during the Crusades, the series of military expeditions aimed at defeating Muslims in Palestine. The Templars took their name from the location of their headquarters, at Jerusalem's Temple Mount. For a while, the Templars had only nine members, mostly due to their rigid rules. In addition to having noble birth, the knights were required to take strict vows of poverty, obedience and chastity. In 1127, new promotional efforts convinced many more noblemen to join the order, gradually increasing its size and influence.

While the individual knights were not allowed to own property, there was no such restriction on the organization as a whole, and over the years many rich Christians gave gifts of land and other valuables to support the Knights Templar. By the time the Crusades ended unsuccessfully in the early 14th century, the order had grown extremely wealthy, provoking the jealousy of both religious and secular powers. In 1307, King Philip IV of France and Pope Clement V combined to take down the Knights Templar, arresting the grand master, Jacques de Molay, on charges of heresy, sacrilege and Satanism. Under torture, Molay and other leading Templars confessed and were eventually burned at the stake. Clement dissolved the Templars in 1312, assigning their property and monetary assets to a rival order, the Knights Hospitalers. In fact, though, Philip and his English counterpart, King Edward II, claimed most of the wealth after banning the organization from their respective countries.

The modern-day Catholic Church has admitted that the persecution of the Knights Templar was unjustified and claimed that Pope Clement was pressured by secular rulers to dissolve the order. Over the centuries, myths and legends about the Templars have grown, including the belief that they may have discovered holy relics at Temple Mount, including the Holy Grail, the Ark of the Covenant or parts of the cross from Christ's crucifixion. The imagined secrets of the Templars have inspired various books and movies, including the blockbuster novel and film The Da Vinci Code.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T19:58:00.004-03:00

USSR established. December 30, 1922.

2010-12-30T09:46:00.002-03:00

In post-revolutionary Russia, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) is established, comprising a confederation of Russia, Belorussia, Ukraine, and the Transcaucasian Federation (divided in 1936 into the Georgian, Azerbaijan, and Armenian republics). Also known as the Soviet Union, the new communist state was the successor to the Russian Empire and the first country in the world to be based on Marxist socialism.

During the Russian Revolution of 1917 and subsequent three-year Russian Civil War, the Bolshevik Party under Vladimir Lenin dominated the soviet forces, a coalition of workers' and soldiers' committees that called for the establishment of a socialist state in the former Russian Empire. In the USSR, all levels of government were controlled by the Communist Party, and the party's politburo, with its increasingly powerful general secretary, effectively ruled the country. Soviet industry was owned and managed by the state, and agricultural land was divided into state-run collective farms.

In the decades after it was established, the Russian-dominated Soviet Union grew into one of the world's most powerful and influential states and eventually encompassed 15 republics--Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Belorussia, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. In 1991, the Soviet Union was dissolved following the collapse of its communist government.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-21T09:34:00.006-03:00

Christmas is a very special time to think about those great people we have met this year; especially, friends we have made. For this reason, Anglo-Saxon Institute would like to wish a happy merry Christmas to every single person and institution that worked with us during 2010.

Merry Christmas!

1620 : Mayflower passengers come ashore at Plymouth Harbor. December 18.

2010-12-18T11:21:00.001-03:00

On December 18, 1620, passengers on the British ship Mayflower come ashore at modern-day Plymouth, Massachusetts, to begin their new settlement, Plymouth Colony.

The famous Mayflower story began in 1606, when a group of reform-minded Puritans in Nottinghamshire, England, founded their own church, separate from the state-sanctioned Church of England. Accused of treason, they were forced to leave the country and settle in the more tolerant Netherlands. After 12 years of struggling to adapt and make a decent living, the group sought financial backing from some London merchants to set up a colony in America. On September 6, 1620, 102 passengers--dubbed Pilgrims by William Bradford, a passenger who would become the first governor of Plymouth Colony--crowded on the Mayflower to begin the long, hard journey to a new life in the New World.

On November 11, 1620, the Mayflower anchored at what is now Provincetown Harbor, Cape Cod. Before going ashore, 41 male passengers--heads of families, single men and three male servants--signed the famous Mayflower Compact, agreeing to submit to a government chosen by common consent and to obey all laws made for the good of the colony. Over the next month, several small scouting groups were sent ashore to collect firewood and scout out a good place to build a settlement. Around December 10, one of these groups found a harbor they liked on the western side of Cape Cod Bay. They returned to the Mayflower to tell the other passengers, but bad weather prevented them reaching the harbor until December 16. Two days later, the first group of Pilgrims went ashore. After exploring the region, the settlers chose a cleared area previously occupied by members of a local Native American tribe, the Wampanoag. The tribe had abandoned the village several years earlier, after an outbreak of European disease. That winter of 1620-21 was brutal, as the Pilgrims struggled to build their settlement, find food and ward off sickness. By spring, 50 of the original 102 Mayflower passengers were dead. The remaining settlers made contact with returning members of the Wampanoag tribe and in March they signed a peace treaty with a tribal chief, Massasoit. Aided by the Wampanoag, especially the English-speaking Squanto, the Pilgrims were able to plant crops--especially corn and beans--that were vital to their survival. The Mayflower and its crew left Plymouth to return to England on April 5, 1621.

Over the next several decades, more and more settlers made the trek across the Atlantic to Plymouth, which gradually grew into a prosperous shipbuilding and fishing center. In 1691, Plymouth was incorporated into the new Massachusetts Bay Association, ending its history as an independent colony.

Great Wall of China History.

2010-12-15T10:23:00.003-03:00

Kenny Rogers' Greatest Hits goes to #1. Dic 13, 1980.

2010-12-13T09:46:00.001-03:00

There are pop stars who make a career out of changing their musical style and esthetic appearance every year or two, and then there is Kenny Rogers, the gravel-voiced country star with the impeccably groomed gray hair and beard who found a sound and a look that worked like a charm and never departed from either across decades in the public eye. But even Kenny Rogers took a while to find the right formula. After beginning his musical career in R&B in the late 1950s, he shifted first to folk with the New Christy Minstrels and then to rock with The First Edition over the course of the 1960s and early 1970s. Finally, Kenny Rogers went solo and made the decisive move to country music, and that's when he hit pay dirt. Just four years after earning his first country #1 hit with "Lucille" (1976), and with his formerly long brown hair and beard now fully gray, he released the album Kenny Rogers' Greatest Hits, which soared all the way to the top of the Billboard 200 pop album chart on this day in 1980, marking Kenny's arrival as a crossover superstar.

By 1980, Kenny Rogers already had seven #1 country singles under his belt, including "Lucille," "The Gambler" (1978) and "Coward Of The County" (1979). All three of those songs, as well as "Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer," his 1980 duet with Kim Carnes, had also reached the top 10 on the Billboard pop charts, but it was a brand-new song on Kenny Rogers' Greatest Hits that would help propel that album to 12-times Platinum status and give Rogers his only solo #1 pop hit: the Lionel Richie-penned "Lady." (A simultaneous country chart-topper, "Lady" also gave Richie, the former Commodores frontman, his only share of a country #1.)

For several years following the success of his Greatest Hits album, Kenny Rogers remained a hot item on both the pop and country charts, his biggest crossover hits coming with two 1983 duets written by prominent songwriters: "We've Got Tonight," written by Bob Seger and performed with Sheena Easton (#1 Country, #6 Pop); and "Islands In The Stream," written by Barry Gibb and performed with Dolly Parton (#1 Country, Pop and Adult Contemporary). And while Rogers would cease to be a factor on the pop charts after 1984, he would go on to earn five further country #1 hits: "Crazy" (a 1985 cover of the Willie Nelson-penned classic); "Morning Desire" and "Tomb Of The Unknown Love" (both 1987); "Make No Mistake, She's Mine" (1987, with Ronnie Milsap); and "Buy Me A Rose" (1999, with Alison Kraus and Billy Dean).

John Lennon shot.

2010-12-07T23:54:00.002-03:00

John Lennon, a former member of the Beatles, the rock group that transformed popular music in the 1960s, is shot and killed by an obsessed fan in New York City. The 40-year-old artist was entering his luxury Manhattan apartment building when Mark David Chapman shot him four times at close range with a .38-caliber revolver. Lennon, bleeding profusely, was rushed to the hospital but died en route. Chapman had received an autograph from Lennon earlier in the day and voluntarily remained at the scene of the shooting until he was arrested by police. For a week, hundreds of bereaved fans kept a vigil outside the Dakota--Lennon's apartment building--and demonstrations of mourning were held around the world.

John Lennon was one half of the singing-songwriting team that made the Beatles the most popular musical group of the 20th century. The other band leader was Paul McCartney, but the rest of the quartet--George Harrison and Ringo Starr--sometimes penned and sang their own songs as well. Hailing from Liverpool, England, and influenced by early American rock and roll, the Beatles took Britain by storm in 1963 with the single "Please Please Me." "Beatlemania" spread to the United States in 1964 with the release of "I Want to Hold Your Hand," followed by a sensational U.S. tour. With youth poised to break away from the culturally rigid landscape of the 1950s, the "Fab Four," with their exuberant music and good-natured rebellion, were the perfect catalyst for the shift.

The Beatles sold millions of records and starred in hit movies such as A Hard Day's Night (1964). Their live performances were near riots, with teenage girls screaming and fainting as their boyfriends nodded along to the catchy pop songs. In 1966, the Beatles gave up touring to concentrate on their innovative studio recordings, such as 1967's Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band, a psychedelic concept album that is regarded as a masterpiece of popular music. The Beatles' music remained relevant to youth throughout the great cultural shifts of the 1960s, and critics of all ages acknowledged the songwriting genius of the Lennon-McCartney team.

Lennon was considered the intellectual Beatle and certainly was the most outspoken of the four. He caused a major controversy in 1966 when he declared that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus," prompting mass burnings of Beatles' records in the American Bible Belt. He later became an anti-war activist and flirted with communism in the lyrics of solo hits like "Imagine," recorded after the Beatles disbanded in 1970. In 1975, Lennon dropped out of the music business to spend more time with his Japanese-born wife, Yoko Ono, and their son, Sean. In 1980, he made a comeback with Double-Fantasy, a critically acclaimed album that celebrated his love for Yoko and featured songs written by her.

On December 8, 1980, their peaceful domestic life on New York's Upper West Side was shattered by 25-year-old Mark David Chapman. Psychiatrists deemed Chapman a borderline psychotic. He was instructed to plead insanity, but instead he pleaded guilty to murder. He was sentenced to 20 years to life. In 2000, New York State prison officials denied Chapman a parole hearing, telling him that his "vicious and violent act was apparently fueled by your need to be acknowledged." He remains behind bars at Attica Prison in New York State.

John Lennon is memorialized in "Strawberry Fields," a section of Central Park across the street from the Dakota that Yoko Ono landscaped in honor of her husband.

HISTORY CHANNEL ANCIENT ALIENS.

2010-12-04T11:34:00.000-03:00

Fairy Tales - Cinderella.

2010-11-30T11:36:00.000-03:00

Advanced English Grammar ESL Lesson - Conditionals.

2010-11-29T08:32:00.000-03:00

Toy Story 3 - Behind the Scenes: Look on the Sunnyside - Trailer.

2010-11-15T15:42:00.001-03:00

Birth of the U.S. Marine Corps. Nov 10, 1775.

2010-11-10T12:41:00.001-03:00

During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress passes a resolution stating that "two Battalions of Marines be raised" for service as landing forces for the recently formed Continental Navy. The resolution, drafted by future U.S. president John Adams and adopted in Philadelphia, created the Continental Marines and is now observed as the birth date of the United States Marine Corps.

Serving on land and at sea, the original U.S. Marines distinguished themselves in a number of important operations during the Revolutionary War. The first Marine landing on a hostile shore occurred when a force of Marines under Captain Samuel Nicholas captured New Province Island in the Bahamas from the British in March 1776. Nicholas was the first commissioned officer in the Continental Marines and is celebrated as the first Marine commandant. After American independence was achieved in 1783, the Continental Navy was demobilized and its Marines disbanded.

In the next decade, however, increasing conflict at sea with Revolutionary France led the U.S. Congress to establish formally the U.S. Navy in May 1798. Two months later, on July 11, President John Adams signed the bill establishing the U.S. Marine Corps as a permanent military force under the jurisdiction of the Department of Navy. U.S. Marines saw action in the so-called Quasi-War with France and then fought against the Barbary pirates of North Africa during the first years of the 19th century. Since then, Marines have participated in all the wars of the United States and in most cases were the first soldiers to fight. In all, Marines have executed more than 300 landings on foreign shores.

Today, there are more than 200,000 active-duty and reserve Marines, divided into three divisions stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; Camp Pendleton, California; and Okinawa, Japan. Each division has one or more expeditionary units, ready to launch major operations anywhere in the world on two weeks' notice. Marines expeditionary units are self-sufficient, with their own tanks, artillery, and air forces. The motto of the service is Semper Fidelis, meaning "Always Faithful" in Latin.

National Geographic Channel - Halloween History, Origins and Ideas.

2010-10-28T23:11:00.000-03:00

Anastasia.

2010-10-21T21:29:00.002-03:00

Positive Thinking - Think positive by Ernest Vinaya Kumar . Reading 2.

2010-10-09T13:26:00.009-04:00

If you want to live longer, be happy, healthy and successful, all you have to do is tell yourself that you can do it by tapping the healing forces within.

There is no greater joy than a healthy, positive life. You feel exhilarated, energetic, happy and on top of the world. A sense of total well being permeates your mind. The future looks bright. You feel good to be alive.

Great, but how do we get out of our innumerable worries, tensions and fears that the increasingly competitive life burdens us with? Simple! Tell yourself that you are good, healthy and capable. That is the power of positive affirmations.

Such affirmations are also called self-suggestions. It is a powerful tool for transforming your inner self into an amazing health generating, self-healing entity. You can record these affirmations on a tape synchronized with pleasant instrumental music and replay them often to make them more effective and permanent.

SELF-INDOCTRINATION

Psychology says that our mind controls our body. So, taking charge of your mind becomes a vital factor in keeping your body healthy. You can do this through affirmations that establish the power of your mind. Try: "With the power of positive thinking I now take charge of my body to maintain perfect health, strength and happiness unconditionally, now and always, so be it." When you repeat this, the misleading programs of your mind will be erased.

It is said that we are never given a wish without the power to fulfill it. Each person is capable of programming his own mind to achieve what he desires. You can tap this capability by following a few simple steps. But before you begin, make yourself totally relaxed and be consciously willing to adopt the method.

Attuning yourself with nature guarantees an overall healthy life. To modify this statement into an affirmation, say: "I attune myself with nature to stay healthy now and forever."

You can have the right kind of food by affirming: "I can attract healthy food to keep myself fit, healthy and strong, everyday."

You can develop the habit of exercising your body and mind by affirming: "I can easily get up early in the morning everyday to exercise and keep fit and cheerful."

In case you are an insomniac, all you have to do is repeat: "I can relax into sound sleep now and wake up revitalized, alert, bright and cheerful early in the morning. It is done. So be it."

Sometimes, social influences play their part in either inducing or encouraging negative thinking. This is the stage where most doctors give up the case as incurable. So, to find the right doctor, suggest mentally to yourself: "I will locate the right doctor who can cure me completely in a simple, easy and positive way, now and always."

Your health problems can be dissolved by affirming: "I can now dissolve all my health problems, worries and fears easily, quickly and successfully in simple, easy and positive ways. So be it."

MAGNETIC RELAXATION

Unlike sleeping, magnetic relaxation requires you to be physically at rest but subconsciously alert. When your conscious mind is relaxed, the positive suggestions seep into your subconscious. To achieve maximum benefit from relaxation:

1. Sit in a comfortable chair or lie down on a bed.

2. Let go of all the tension by repeating to yourself: "I can now relax comfortably. I can now relax my body. I can now relax my mind. Easily, quickly and positively. Now I can enjoy the state of alert relaxation peacefully."

3. Let a feeling of soothing comfort take over.

4. Let go of yourself totally. Feel a universal healing energy surrounding you and getting absorbed into your body and mind.

5. Feel a cool breeze around your body. Visualize a white sparkling light pouring through your head down your body and seeping deep within you.

6. Think that soothing and healing forces are vibrating within and radiating from you.

7. Maintain a positive and peaceful state of mind during the session. Also, take precautions that you are not disturbed.

8. Mentally repeat to yourself: "Day by day in every way I'm getting better and better and better."

MAGNETIC ABSORPTION

The subconscious has the knowledge, power, wisdom and understanding to heal and maintain perfect health. It is the interference of negative suggestions that causes ill health and weakness. So, whenever you feel that something is not right, use affirmations to get back on the right track. Here is a simple one that can be absorbed into your subconscious to keep your body fit: "Attuned with universal healing powers and the source of life, all my body organs are now becoming normal and fit, and they will function perfectly to maintain excellent health, strength and vitality up to a great age."

USING THE SUBCONSCIOUS

The subconscious mind is perfectly programmed with a survival package in the form of universal instincts that can be synchronized with conscious programs to live in harmony. Accepting your subconscious instincts relieves you of half of your health problems.

The subconscious is always receptive to suggestions that transpire from your conscious mind. So keep your conscious mind filled with creative, positive, pleasant, peaceful and productive thoughts. When you repeat an affirmation in a relaxed state of mind, it works wonders. To retain these suggestions, repeat them often, till you feel confident that they have become a permanent habit.

The subconscious mind is an all-powerful, omnipresent and omniscient gift. Peace will prevail in your life when these conditions are maintained. So, affirm often: "I most willingly accept healthy, happy and self-healing success programs of my subconscious mind consciously for total fitness, now and always."

It is easy to program your subconscious to integrate your inner healing power into a self-healing force. All that you aspire for will come to pass. New friends, new relationships, new ideas, new thoughts and new plans can motivate you to become a powerful optimist. So affirm: "Today I am a new, dynamic, and optimistic futurist flooded with positive thoughts of successful self-healing."

VITAL LIFE ENERGY

Magnetic energy plays a vital role in self-healing. The more energy you generate through eating, breathing and exercising, the longer you will live with health and happiness. It is said that man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes out of his mouth. When we speak to ourselves in positive terms, we tend towards self-healing. We can build up positive statements like:

I am healing myself positively. Positive energy is keeping me healthy. Healing myself and others is easy for me. I have the positive habit of deep breathing. Today I am feeling better than ever before. Tomorrow I am going to be perfectly all right.

FEEL YOUNG, LIVE LONGER

Age is an attitude of the mind. When you think youthful, you feel youthful. Energy can also be enhanced by being active, alert and awake most of the time.

In my experimentation with autosuggestion, I feel that new frontiers can be explored in the process of evolution. Some of them are:

Assert firmly to reverse aging. Take it as a challenge.

Use the countdown method to feel young and energetic after 50. Subtract the number of years that you are over 50 from 50 and affirm that age constantly. For example, if you are 55, all that you have to do is to count downwards the years of your age by subtracting five from 50 and imagine that you are 45. Now build up positive magnetic statement like: "Today I am 45 years young."

The second phase is to regain the natural color and abundance of youthful hair on your head. But consistent practice coupled with firm determination is required on your part. You can begin the practice right now by affirming: "I am determined to regain all the hair on my head with its natural youthful color as soon as possible." Mentally repeat it 21 times just before you go to sleep at night.

SELF-HEALING IN SEVEN DAYS

The magnetic self-healing schedule that follows is an invincible method that can take you to the height of perfect health, strength and happiness. After practicing it for a period of seven days you will find that all your past health problems automatically disappear. The watchword here is consistency. All that you have to do is read the affirmations as soon as you get up in the morning and before going to sleep. It has cured me. It can do the same for you. Now read the following:

1. I'm relaxed, my body is relaxed.

2. My mind is relaxed, my emotions are relaxed.

3. I am now totally relaxed.

4. I am getting better, stronger and happier forever.

5. Now make yourself comfortable. Read the affirmation given below focusing your eyes in a half-closed manner as if you are reading it half asleep.

6. Hold your breath comfortably and read each statement twice. Relax after reading it. Don't hurry. Don't worry. You will see the difference from the very first day. After you practice the magnetic affirmations for seven days, let go of it. You can always come back to the seven-day program whenever you feel the need. You can mentally repeat each affirmation for the whole day but remember to hold your breath while doing so. Now repeat:

7. My body and mind are clean and energetic. I love my body.

8. Today I am becoming strong, powerful, dynamic, happy-go-lucky and attractive.

9. Today I can choose to take total interest in regaining perfect health successfully.

10. Today I assert, affirm and relax with total freedom to heal myself with the power of thought.

11. Today I am on the way to recovery easily, quickly and successfully to become healthy, happy and free. Today I have regained normalcy with the power of positive thought successfully.

12. Today health and energy are vibrating and radiating from me.

Do it for seven days at a stretch and discover the new, optimistic you who can take anything in his stride. It only takes a little belief and a little determination to change your life.

The Canterville Ghost. By Oscar Wilde.

2010-10-01T19:50:00.005-04:00

When Mr. Hiram B. Otis, the American Minister, bought Canterville Chase, every one told him he was doing a very foolish thing, as there was no doubt at all that the place was haunted. Indeed, Lord Canterville himself, who was a man of the most punctilious honour, had felt it his duty to mention the fact to Mr. Otis when they came to discuss terms.

"We have not cared to live in the place ourselves," said Lord Canterville, "since my grandaunt, the Dowager Duchess of Bolton, was frightened into a fit, from which she never really recovered, by two skeleton hands being placed on her shoulders as she was dressing for dinner, and I feel bound to tell you, Mr. Otis, that the ghost has been seen by several living members of my family, as well as by the rector of the parish, the Rev. Augustus Dampier, who is a Fellow of King's College, Cambridge. After the unfortunate accident to the Duchess, none of our younger servants would stay with us, and Lady Canterville often got very little sleep at night, in consequence of the mysterious noises that came from the corridor and the library."

"My Lord," answered the Minister, "I will take the furniture and the ghost at a valuation. I have come from a modern country, where we have everything that money can buy; and with all our spry young fellows painting the Old World red, and carrying off your best actors and prima-donnas, I reckon that if there were such a thing as a ghost in Europe, we'd have it at home in a very short time in one of our public museums, or on the road as a show."

"I fear that the ghost exists," said Lord Canterville, smiling, "though it may have resisted the overtures of your enterprising impresarios. It has been well known for three centuries, since 1584 in fact, and always makes its appearance before the death of any member of our family."

"Well, so does the family doctor for that matter, Lord Canterville. But there is no such thing, sir, as a ghost, and I guess the laws of Nature are not going to be suspended for the British aristocracy."

"You are certainly very natural in America," answered Lord Canterville, who did not quite understand Mr. Otis's last observation, "and if you don't mind a ghost in the house, it is all right. Only you must remember I warned you."

A few weeks after this, the purchase was concluded, and at the close of the season the Minister and his family went down to Canterville Chase. Mrs. Otis, who, as Miss Lucretia R. Tappan, of West 53d Street, had been a celebrated New York belle, was now a very handsome, middle-aged woman, with fine eyes, and a superb profile. Many American ladies on leaving their native land adopt an appearance of chronic ill-health, under the impression that it is a form of European refinement, but Mrs. Otis had never fallen into this error. She had a magnificent constitution, and a really wonderful amount of animal spirits. Indeed, in many respects, she was quite English, and was an excellent example of the fact that we have really everything in common with America nowadays, except, of course, language. Her eldest son, christened Washington by his parents in a moment of patriotism, which he never ceased to regret, was a fair-haired, rather good-looking young man, who had qualified himself for American diplomacy by leading the German at the Newport Casino for three successive seasons, and even in London was well known as an excellent dancer. Gardenias and the peerage were his only weaknesses. Otherwise he was extremely sensible. Miss Virginia E. Otis was a little girl of fifteen, lithe and lovely as a fawn, and with a fine freedom in her large blue eyes. She was a wonderful Amazon, and had once raced old Lord Bilton on her pony twice round the park, winning by a length and a half, just in front of the Achilles statue, to the huge delight of the young Duke of Cheshire, who proposed for her on the spot, and was sent back to Eton that very night by his guardians, in floods of tears. After Virginia came the twins, who were usually called "The Star and Stripes," as they were always getting swished. They were delightful boys, and, with the exception of the worthy Minister, the only true republicans of the family.

As Canterville Chase is seven miles from Ascot, the nearest railway station, Mr. Otis had telegraphed for a waggonette to meet them, and they started on their drive in high spirits. It was a lovely July evening, and the air was delicate with the scent of the pinewoods. Now and then they heard a wood-pigeon brooding over its own sweet voice, or saw, deep in the rustling fern, the burnished breast of the pheasant. Little squirrels peered at them from the beech-trees as they went by, and the rabbits scudded away through the brushwood and over the mossy knolls, with their white tails in the air. As they entered the avenue of Canterville Chase, however, the sky became suddenly overcast with clouds, a curious stillness seemed to hold the atmosphere, a great flight of rooks passed silently over their heads, and, before they reached the house, some big drops of rain had fallen.

Standing on the steps to receive them was an old woman, neatly dressed in black silk, with a white cap and apron. This was Mrs. Umney, the housekeeper, whom Mrs. Otis, at Lady Canterville's earnest request, had consented to keep in her former position. She made them each a low curtsey as they alighted, and said in a quaint, old-fashioned manner, "I bid you welcome to Canterville Chase." Following her, they passed through the fine Tudor hall into the library, a long, low room, panelled in black oak, at the end of which was a large stained glass window. Here they found tea laid out for them, and, after taking off their wraps, they sat down and began to look round, while Mrs. Umney waited on them.

Suddenly Mrs. Otis caught sight of a dull red stain on the floor just by the fireplace, and, quite unconscious of what it really signified, said to Mrs. Umney, "I am afraid something has been spilt there."

"Yes, madam," replied the old housekeeper in a low voice, "blood has been spilt on that spot."

"How horrid!" cried Mrs. Otis; "I don't at all care for blood-stains in a sitting-room. It must be removed at once."

The old woman smiled, and answered in the same low, mysterious voice, "It is the blood of Lady Eleanore de Canterville, who was murdered on that very spot by her own husband, Sir Simon de Canterville, in 1575. Sir Simon survived her nine years, and disappeared suddenly under very mysterious circumstances. His body has never been discovered, but his guilty spirit still haunts the Chase. The blood-stain has been much admired by tourists and others, and cannot be removed."

"That is all nonsense," cried Washington Otis; "Pinkerton's Champion Stain Remover and Paragon Detergent will clean it up in no time," and before the terrified housekeeper could interfere, he had fallen upon his knees, and was rapidly scouring the floor with a small stick of what looked like a black cosmetic. In a few moments no trace of the blood-stain could be seen.

"I knew Pinkerton would do it," he exclaimed, triumphantly, as he looked round at his admiring family; but no sooner had he said these words than a terrible flash of lightning lit up the sombre room, a fearful peal of thunder made them all start to their feet, and Mrs. Umney fainted.

"What a monstrous climate!" said the American Minister, calmly, as he lit a long cheroot. "I guess the old country is so overpopulated that they have not enough decent weather for everybody. I have always been of opinion that emigration is the only thing for England."

"My dear Hiram," cried Mrs. Otis, "what can we do with a woman who faints?"

"Charge it to her like breakages," answered the Minister; "she won't faint after that;" and in a few moments Mrs. Umney certainly came to. There was no doubt, however, that she was extremely upset, and she sternly warned Mr. Otis to beware of some trouble coming to the house.

"I have seen things with my own eyes, sir," she said, "that would make any Christian's hair stand on end, and many and many a night I have not closed my eyes in sleep for the awful things that are done here." Mr. Otis, however, and his wife warmly assured the honest soul that they were not afraid of ghosts, and, after invoking the blessings of Providence on her new master and mistress, and making arrangements for an increase of salary, the old housekeeper tottered off to her own room.

The storm raged fiercely all that night, but nothing of particular note occurred. The next morning, however, when they came down to breakfast, they found the terrible stain of blood once again on the floor. "I don't think it can be the fault of the Paragon Detergent," said Washington, "for I have tried it with everything. It must be the ghost." He accordingly rubbed out the stain a second time, but the second morning it appeared again. The third morning also it was there, though the library had been locked up at night by Mr. Otis himself, and the key carried up-stairs. The whole family were now quite interested; Mr. Otis began to suspect that he had been too dogmatic in his denial of the existence of ghosts, Mrs. Otis expressed her intention of joining the Psychical Society, and Washington prepared a long letter to Messrs. Myers and Podmore on the subject of the Permanence of Sanguineous Stains when connected with Crime. That night all doubts about the objective existence of phantasmata were removed for ever.

The day had been warm and sunny; and, in the cool of the evening, the whole family went out to drive. They did not return home till nine o'clock, when they had a light supper. The conversation in no way turned upon ghosts, so there were not even those primary conditions of receptive expectations which so often precede the presentation of psychical phenomena. The subjects discussed, as I have since learned from Mr. Otis, were merely such as form the ordinary conversation of cultured Americans of the better class, such as the immense superiority of Miss Fanny Devonport over Sarah Bernhardt as an actress; the difficulty of obtaining green corn, buckwheat cakes, and hominy, even in the best English houses; the importance of Boston in the development of the world-soul; the advantages of the baggage-check system in railway travelling; and the sweetness of the New York accent as compared to the London drawl. No mention at all was made of the supernatural, nor was Sir Simon de Canterville alluded to in any way. At eleven o'clock the family retired, and by half-past all the lights were out. Some time after, Mr. Otis was awakened by a curious noise in the corridor, outside his room. It sounded like the clank of metal, and seemed to be coming nearer every moment. He got up at once, struck a match, and looked at the time. It was exactly one o'clock. He was quite calm, and felt his pulse, which was not at all feverish. The strange noise still continued, and with it he heard distinctly the sound of footsteps. He put on his slippers, took a small oblong phial out of his dressing-case, and opened the door. Right in front of him he saw, in the wan moonlight, an old man of terrible aspect. His eyes were as red burning coals; long grey hair fell over his shoulders in matted coils; his garments, which were of antique cut, were soiled and ragged, and from his wrists and ankles hung heavy manacles and rusty gyves.

"My dear sir," said Mr. Otis, "I really must insist on your oiling those chains, and have brought you for that purpose a small bottle of the Tammany Rising Sun Lubricator. It is said to be completely efficacious upon one application, and there are several testimonials to that effect on the wrapper from some of our most eminent native divines. I shall leave it here for you by the bedroom candles, and will be happy to supply you with more, should you require it." With these words the United States Minister laid the bottle down on a marble table, and, closing his door, retired to rest.

For a moment the Canterville ghost stood quite motionless in natural indignation; then, dashing the bottle violently upon the polished floor, he fled down the corridor, uttering hollow groans, and emitting a ghastly green light. Just, however, as he reached the top of the great oak staircase, a door was flung open, two little white-robed figures appeared, and a large pillow whizzed past his head! There was evidently no time to be lost, so, hastily adopting the Fourth dimension of Space as a means of escape, he vanished through the wainscoting, and the house became quite quiet.

On reaching a small secret chamber in the left wing, he leaned up against a moonbeam to recover his breath, and began to try and realize his position. Never, in a brilliant and uninterrupted career of three hundred years, had he been so grossly insulted. He thought of the Dowager Duchess, whom he had frightened into a fit as she stood before the glass in her lace and diamonds; of the four housemaids, who had gone into hysterics when he merely grinned at them through the curtains on one of the spare bedrooms; of the rector of the parish, whose candle he had blown out as he was coming late one night from the library, and who had been under the care of Sir William Gull ever since, a perfect martyr to nervous disorders; and of old Madame de Tremouillac, who, having wakened up one morning early and seen a skeleton seated in an armchair by the fire reading her diary, had been confined to her bed for six weeks with an attack of brain fever, and, on her recovery, had become reconciled to the Church, and broken off her connection with that notorious sceptic, Monsieur de Voltaire. He remembered the terrible night when the wicked Lord Canterville was found choking in his dressing-room, with the knave of diamonds half-way down his throat, and confessed, just before he died, that he had cheated Charles James Fox out of £50,000 at Crockford's by means of that very card, and swore that the ghost had made him swallow it. All his great achievements came back to him again, from the butler who had shot himself in the pantry because he had seen a green hand tapping at the window-pane, to the beautiful Lady Stutfield, who was always obliged to wear a black velvet band round her throat to hide the mark of five fingers burnt upon her white skin, and who drowned herself at last in the carp-pond at the end of the King's Walk. With the enthusiastic egotism of the true artist, he went over his most celebrated performances, and smiled bitterly to himself as he recalled to mind his last appearance as "Red Reuben, or the Strangled Babe," his début as "Guant Gibeon, the Blood-sucker of Bexley Moor," and the furore he had excited one lovely June evening by merely playing ninepins with his own bones upon the lawn-tennis ground. And after all this some wretched modern Americans were to come and offer him the Rising Sun Lubricator, and throw pillows at his head! It was quite unbearable. Besides, no ghost in history had ever been treated in this manner. Accordingly, he determined to have vengeance, and remained till daylight in an attitude of deep thought.

III

The next morning, when the Otis family met at breakfast, they discussed the ghost at some length. The United States Minister was naturally a little annoyed to find that his present had not been accepted. "I have no wish," he said, "to do the ghost any personal injury, and I must say that, considering the length of time he has been in the house, I don't think it is at all polite to throw pillows at him,"--a very just remark, at which, I am sorry to say, the twins burst into shouts of laughter. "Upon the other hand," he continued, "if he really declines to use the Rising Sun Lubricator, we shall have to take his chains from him. It would be quite impossible to sleep, with such a noise going on outside the bedrooms."

For the rest of the week, however, they were undisturbed, the only thing that excited any attention being the continual renewal of the blood-stain on the library floor. This certainly was very strange, as the door was always locked at night by Mr. Otis, and the windows kept closely barred. The chameleon-like colour, also, of the stain excited a good deal of comment. Some mornings it was a dull (almost Indian) red, then it would be vermilion, then a rich purple, and once when they came down for family prayers, according to the simple rites of the Free American Reformed Episcopalian Church, they found it a bright emerald-green. These kaleidoscopic changes naturally amused the party very much, and bets on the subject were freely made every evening. The only person who did not enter into the joke was little Virginia, who, for some unexplained reason, was always a good deal distressed at the sight of the blood-stain, and very nearly cried the morning it was emerald-green.

The second appearance of the ghost was on Sunday night. Shortly after they had gone to bed they were suddenly alarmed by a fearful crash in the hall. Rushing down-stairs, they found that a large suit of old armour had become detached from its stand, and had fallen on the stone floor, while seated in a high-backed chair was the Canterville ghost, rubbing his knees with an expression of acute agony on his face. The twins, having brought their pea-shooters with them, at once discharged two pellets on him, with that accuracy of aim which can only be attained by long and careful practice on a writing-master, while the United States Minister covered him with his revolver, and called upon him, in accordance with Californian etiquette, to hold up his hands! The ghost started up with a wild shriek of rage, and swept through them like a mist, extinguishing Washington Otis's candle as he passed, and so leaving them all in total darkness. On reaching the top of the staircase he recovered himself, and determined to give his celebrated peal of demoniac laughter. This he had on more than one occasion found extremely useful. It was said to have turned Lord Raker's wig grey in a single night, and had certainly made three of Lady Canterville's French governesses give warning before their month was up. He accordingly laughed his most horrible laugh, till the old vaulted roof rang and rang again, but hardly had the fearful echo died away when a door opened, and Mrs. Otis came out in a light blue dressing-gown. "I am afraid you are far from well," she said, "and have brought you a bottle of Doctor Dobell's tincture. If it is indigestion, you will find it a most excellent remedy." The ghost glared at her in fury, and began at once to make preparations for turning himself into a large black dog, an accomplishment for which he was justly renowned, and to which the family doctor always attributed the permanent idiocy of Lord Canterville's uncle, the Hon. Thomas Horton. The sound of approaching footsteps, however, made him hesitate in his fell purpose, so he contented himself with becoming faintly phosphorescent, and vanished with a deep churchyard groan, just as the twins had come up to him.

On reaching his room he entirely broke down, and became a prey to the most violent agitation. The vulgarity of the twins, and the gross materialism of Mrs. Otis, were naturally extremely annoying, but what really distressed him most was that he had been unable to wear the suit of mail. He had hoped that even modern Americans would be thrilled by the sight of a Spectre in armour, if for no more sensible reason, at least out of respect for their natural poet Longfellow, over whose graceful and attractive poetry he himself had whiled away many a weary hour when the Cantervilles were up in town. Besides it was his own suit. He had worn it with great success at the Kenilworth tournament, and had been highly complimented on it by no less a person than the Virgin Queen herself. Yet when he had put it on, he had been completely overpowered by the weight of the huge breastplate and steel casque, and had fallen heavily on the stone pavement, barking both his knees severely, and bruising the knuckles of his right hand.

For some days after this he was extremely ill, and hardly stirred out of his room at all, except to keep the blood-stain in proper repair. However, by taking great care of himself, he recovered, and resolved to make a third attempt to frighten the United States Minister and his family. He selected Friday, August 17th, for his appearance, and spent most of that day in looking over his wardrobe, ultimately deciding in favour of a large slouched hat with a red feather, a winding-sheet frilled at the wrists and neck, and a rusty dagger. Towards evening a violent storm of rain came on, and the wind was so high that all the windows and doors in the old house shook and rattled. In fact, it was just such weather as he loved. His plan of action was this. He was to make his way quietly to Washington Otis's room, gibber at him from the foot of the bed, and stab himself three times in the throat to the sound of low music. He bore Washington a special grudge, being quite aware that it was he who was in the habit of removing the famous Canterville blood-stain by means of Pinkerton's Paragon Detergent. Having reduced the reckless and foolhardy youth to a condition of abject terror, he was then to proceed to the room occupied by the United States Minister and his wife, and there to place a clammy hand on Mrs. Otis's forehead, while he hissed into her trembling husband's ear the awful secrets of the charnel-house. With regard to little Virginia, he had not quite made up his mind. She had never insulted him in any way, and was pretty and gentle. A few hollow groans from the wardrobe, he thought, would be more than sufficient, or, if that failed to wake her, he might grabble at the counterpane with palsy-twitching fingers. As for the twins, he was quite determined to teach them a lesson. The first thing to be done was, of course, to sit upon their chests, so as to produce the stifling sensation of nightmare. Then, as their beds were quite close to each other, to stand between them in the form of a green, icy-cold corpse, till they became paralyzed with fear, and finally, to throw off the winding-sheet, and crawl round the room, with white, bleached bones and one rolling eyeball, in the character of "Dumb Daniel, or the Suicide's Skeleton," a rôle in which he had on more than one occasion produced a great effect, and which he considered quite equal to his famous part of "Martin the Maniac, or the Masked Mystery."

At half-past ten he heard the family going to bed. For some time he was disturbed by wild shrieks of laughter from the twins, who, with the light-hearted gaiety of schoolboys, were evidently amusing themselves before they retired to rest, but at a quarter-past eleven all was still, and, as midnight sounded, he sallied forth. The owl beat against the window-panes, the raven croaked from the old yew-tree, and the wind wandered moaning round the house like a lost soul; but the Otis family slept unconscious of their doom, and high above the rain and storm he could hear the steady snoring of the Minister for the United States. He stepped stealthily out of the wainscoting, with an evil smile on his cruel, wrinkled mouth, and the moon hid her face in a cloud as he stole past the great oriel window, where his own arms and those of his murdered wife were blazoned in azure and gold. On and on he glided, like an evil shadow, the very darkness seeming to loathe him as he passed. Once he thought he heard something call, and stopped; but it was only the baying of a dog from the Red Farm, and he went on, muttering strange sixteenth-century curses, and ever and anon brandishing the rusty dagger in the midnight air. Finally he reached the corner of the passage that led to luckless Washington's room. For a moment he paused there, the wind blowing his long grey locks about his head, and twisting into grotesque and fantastic folds the nameless horror of the dead man's shroud. Then the clock struck the quarter, and he felt the time was come. He chuckled to himself, and turned the corner; but no sooner had he done so than, with a piteous wail of terror, he fell back, and hid his blanched face in his long, bony hands. Right in front of him was standing a horrible spectre, motionless as a carven image, and monstrous as a madman's dream! Its head was bald and burnished; its face round, and fat, and white; and hideous laughter seemed to have writhed its features into an eternal grin. From the eyes streamed rays of scarlet light, the mouth was a wide well of fire, and a hideous garment, like to his own, swathed with its silent snows the Titan form. On its breast was a placard with strange writing in antique characters, some scroll of shame it seemed, some record of wild sins, some awful calendar of crime, and, with its right hand, it bore aloft a falchion of gleaming steel.

Never having seen a ghost before, he naturally was terribly frightened, and, after a second hasty glance at the awful phantom, he fled back to his room, tripping up in his long winding-sheet as he sped down the corridor, and finally dropping the rusty dagger into the Minister's jack-boots, where it was found in the morning by the butler. Once in the privacy of his own apartment, he flung himself down on a small pallet-bed, and hid his face under the clothes. After a time, however, the brave old Canterville spirit asserted itself, and he determined to go and speak to the other ghost as soon as it was daylight. Accordingly, just as the dawn was touching the hills with silver, he returned towards the spot where he had first laid eyes on the grisly phantom, feeling that, after all, two ghosts were better than one, and that, by the aid of his new friend, he might safely grapple with the twins. On reaching the spot, however, a terrible sight met his gaze. Something had evidently happened to the spectre, for the light had entirely faded from its hollow eyes, the gleaming falchion had fallen from its hand, and it was leaning up against the wall in a strained and uncomfortable attitude. He rushed forward and seized it in his arms, when, to his horror, the head slipped off and rolled on the floor, the body assumed a recumbent posture, and he found himself clasping a white dimity bed-curtain, with a sweeping-brush, a kitchen cleaver, and a hollow turnip lying at his feet! Unable to understand this curious transformation, he clutched the placard with feverish haste, and there, in the grey morning light, he read these fearful words:--

+------------------------------------+

+------------------------------------+

The whole thing flashed across him. He had been tricked, foiled, and out-witted! The old Canterville look came into his eyes; he ground his toothless gums together; and, raising his withered hands high above his head, swore according to the picturesque phraseology of the antique school, that, when Chanticleer had sounded twice his merry horn, deeds of blood would be wrought, and murder walk abroad with silent feet.

Hardly had he finished this awful oath when, from the red-tiled roof of a distant homestead, a cock crew. He laughed a long, low, bitter laugh, and waited. Hour after hour he waited, but the cock, for some strange reason, did not crow again. Finally, at half-past seven, the arrival of the housemaids made him give up his fearful vigil, and he stalked back to his room, thinking of his vain oath and baffled purpose. There he consulted several books of ancient chivalry, of which he was exceedingly fond, and found that, on every occasion on which this oath had been used, Chanticleer had always crowed a second time. "Perdition seize the naughty fowl," he muttered, "I have seen the day when, with my stout spear, I would have run him through the gorge, and made him crow for me an 'twere in death!" He then retired to a comfortable lead coffin, and stayed there till evening.

The next day the ghost was very weak and tired. The terrible excitement of the last four weeks was beginning to have its effect. His nerves were completely shattered, and he started at the slightest noise. For five days he kept his room, and at last made up his mind to give up the point of the blood-stain on the library floor. If the Otis family did not want it, they clearly did not deserve it. They were evidently people on a low, material plane of existence, and quite incapable of appreciating the symbolic value of sensuous phenomena. The question of phantasmic apparitions, and the development of astral bodies, was of course quite a different matter, and really not under his control. It was his solemn duty to appear in the corridor once a week, and to gibber from the large oriel window on the first and third Wednesdays in every month, and he did not see how he could honourably escape from his obligations. It is quite true that his life had been very evil, but, upon the other hand, he was most conscientious in all things connected with the supernatural. For the next three Saturdays, accordingly, he traversed the corridor as usual between midnight and three o'clock, taking every possible precaution against being either heard or seen. He removed his boots, trod as lightly as possible on the old worm-eaten boards, wore a large black velvet cloak, and was careful to use the Rising Sun Lubricator for oiling his chains. I am bound to acknowledge that it was with a good deal of difficulty that he brought himself to adopt this last mode of protection. However, one night, while the family were at dinner, he slipped into Mr. Otis's bedroom and carried off the bottle. He felt a little humiliated at first, but afterwards was sensible enough to see that there was a great deal to be said for the invention, and, to a certain degree, it served his purpose. Still in spite of everything he was not left unmolested. Strings were continually being stretched across the corridor, over which he tripped in the dark, and on one occasion, while dressed for the part of "Black Isaac, or the Huntsman of Hogley Woods," he met with a severe fall, through treading on a butter-slide, which the twins had constructed from the entrance of the Tapestry Chamber to the top of the oak staircase. This last insult so enraged him, that he resolved to make one final effort to assert his dignity and social position, and determined to visit the insolent young Etonians the next night in his celebrated character of "Reckless Rupert, or the Headless Earl."

He had not appeared in this disguise for more than seventy years; in fact, not since he had so frightened pretty Lady Barbara Modish by means of it, that she suddenly broke off her engagement with the present Lord Canterville's grandfather, and ran away to Gretna Green with handsome Jack Castletown, declaring that nothing in the world would induce her to marry into a family that allowed such a horrible phantom to walk up and down the terrace at twilight. Poor Jack was afterwards shot in a duel by Lord Canterville on Wandsworth Common, and Lady Barbara died of a broken heart at Tunbridge Wells before the year was out, so, in every way, it had been a great success. It was, however an extremely difficult "make-up," if I may use such a theatrical expression in connection with one of the greatest mysteries of the supernatural, or, to employ a more scientific term, the higher-natural world, and it took him fully three hours to make his preparations. At last everything was ready, and he was very pleased with his appearance. The big leather riding-boots that went with the dress were just a little too large for him, and he could only find one of the two horse-pistols, but, on the whole, he was quite satisfied, and at a quarter-past one he glided out of the wainscoting and crept down the corridor. On reaching the room occupied by the twins, which I should mention was called the Blue Bed Chamber, on account of the colour of its hangings, he found the door just ajar. Wishing to make an effective entrance, he flung it wide open, when a heavy jug of water fell right down on him, wetting him to the skin, and just missing his left shoulder by a couple of inches. At the same moment he heard stifled shrieks of laughter proceeding from the four-post bed. The shock to his nervous system was so great that he fled back to his room as hard as he could go, and the next day he was laid up with a severe cold. The only thing that at all consoled him in the whole affair was the fact that he had not brought his head with him, for, had he done so, the consequences might have been very serious.

He now gave up all hope of ever frightening this rude American family, and contented himself, as a rule, with creeping about the passages in list slippers, with a thick red muffler round his throat for fear of draughts, and a small arquebuse, in case he should be attacked by the twins. The final blow he received occurred on the 19th of September. He had gone down-stairs to the great entrance-hall, feeling sure that there, at any rate, he would be quite unmolested, and was amusing himself by making satirical remarks on the large Saroni photographs of the United States Minister and his wife which had now taken the place of the Canterville family pictures. He was simply but neatly clad in a long shroud, spotted with churchyard mould, had tied up his jaw with a strip of yellow linen, and carried a small lantern and a sexton's spade. In fact, he was dressed for the character of "Jonas the Graveless, or the Corpse-Snatcher of Chertsey Barn," one of his most remarkable impersonations, and one which the Cantervilles had every reason to remember, as it was the real origin of their quarrel with their neighbour, Lord Rufford. It was about a quarter-past two o'clock in the morning, and, as far as he could ascertain, no one was stirring. As he was strolling towards the library, however, to see if there were any traces left of the blood-stain, suddenly there leaped out on him from a dark corner two figures, who waved their arms wildly above their heads, and shrieked out "BOO!" in his ear.

Seized with a panic, which, under the circumstances, was only natural, he rushed for the staircase, but found Washington Otis waiting for him there with the big garden-syringe, and being thus hemmed in by his enemies on every side, and driven almost to bay, he vanished into the great iron stove, which, fortunately for him, was not lit, and had to make his way home through the flues and chimneys, arriving at his own room in a terrible state of dirt, disorder, and despair.

After this he was not seen again on any nocturnal expedition. The twins lay in wait for him on several occasions, and strewed the passages with nutshells every night to the great annoyance of their parents and the servants, but it was of no avail. It was quite evident that his feelings were so wounded that he would not appear. Mr. Otis consequently resumed his great work on the history of the Democratic Party, on which he had been engaged for some years; Mrs. Otis organized a wonderful clam-bake, which amazed the whole county; the boys took to lacrosse euchre, poker, and other American national games, and Virginia rode about the lanes on her pony, accompanied by the young Duke of Cheshire, who had come to spend the last week of his holidays at Canterville Chase. It was generally assumed that the ghost had gone away, and, in fact, Mr. Otis wrote a letter to that effect to Lord Canterville, who, in reply, expressed his great pleasure at the news, and sent his best congratulations to the Minister's worthy wife.

The Otises, however, were deceived, for the ghost was still in the house, and though now almost an invalid, was by no means ready to let matters rest, particularly as he heard that among the guests was the young Duke of Cheshire, whose grand-uncle, Lord Francis Stilton, had once bet a hundred guineas with Colonel Carbury that he would play dice with the Canterville ghost, and was found the next morning lying on the floor of the card-room in such a helpless paralytic state that, though he lived on to a great age, he was never able to say anything again but "Double Sixes." The story was well known at the time, though, of course, out of respect to the feelings of the two noble families, every attempt was made to hush it up, and a full account of all the circumstances connected with it will be found in the third volume of Lord Tattle's Recollections of the Prince Regent and his Friends. The ghost, then, was naturally very anxious to show that he had not lost his influence over the Stiltons, with whom, indeed, he was distantly connected, his own first cousin having been married en secondes noces to the Sieur de Bulkeley, from whom, as every one knows, the Dukes of Cheshire are lineally descended. Accordingly, he made arrangements for appearing to Virginia's little lover in his celebrated impersonation of "The Vampire Monk, or the Bloodless Benedictine," a performance so horrible that when old Lady Startup saw it, which she did on one fatal New Year's Eve, in the year 1764, she went off into the most piercing shrieks, which culminated in violent apoplexy, and died in three days, after disinheriting the Cantervilles, who were her nearest relations, and leaving all her money to her London apothecary. At the last moment, however, his terror of the twins prevented his leaving his room, and the little Duke slept in peace under the great feathered canopy in the Royal Bedchamber, and dreamed of Virginia.

A few days after this, Virginia and her curly-haired cavalier went out riding on Brockley meadows, where she tore her habit so badly in getting through a hedge that, on their return home, she made up her mind to go up by the back staircase so as not to be seen. As she was running past the Tapestry Chamber, the door of which happened to be open, she fancied she saw some one inside, and thinking it was her mother's maid, who sometimes used to bring her work there, looked in to ask her to mend her habit. To her immense surprise, however, it was the Canterville Ghost himself! He was sitting by the window, watching the ruined gold of the yellowing trees fly through the air, and the red leaves dancing madly down the long avenue. His head was leaning on his hand, and his whole attitude was one of extreme depression. Indeed, so forlorn, and so much out of repair did he look, that little Virginia, whose first idea had been to run away and lock herself in her room, was filled with pity, and determined to try and comfort him. So light was her footfall, and so deep his melancholy, that he was not aware of her presence till she spoke to him.

"I am so sorry for you," she said, "but my brothers are going back to Eton to-morrow, and then, if you behave yourself, no one will annoy you."

"It is absurd asking me to behave myself," he answered, looking round in astonishment at the pretty little girl who had ventured to address him, "quite absurd. I must rattle my chains, and groan through keyholes, and walk about at night, if that is what you mean. It is my only reason for existing."

"It is no reason at all for existing, and you know you have been very wicked. Mrs. Umney told us, the first day we arrived here, that you had killed your wife."

"Well, I quite admit it," said the Ghost, petulantly, "but it was a purely family matter, and concerned no one else."

"It is very wrong to kill any one," said Virginia, who at times had a sweet puritan gravity, caught from some old New England ancestor.

"Oh, I hate the cheap severity of abstract ethics! My wife was very plain, never had my ruffs properly starched, and knew nothing about cookery. Why, there was a buck I had shot in Hogley Woods, a magnificent pricket, and do you know how she had it sent to table? However, it is no matter now, for it is all over, and I don't think it was very nice of her brothers to starve me to death, though I did kill her."

"Starve you to death? Oh, Mr. Ghost--I mean Sir Simon, are you hungry? I have a sandwich in my case. Would you like it?"

"No, thank you, I never eat anything now; but it is very kind of you, all the same, and you are much nicer than the rest of your horrid, rude, vulgar, dishonest family."

"Stop!" cried Virginia, stamping her foot, "it is you who are rude, and horrid, and vulgar, and as for dishonesty, you know you stole the paints out of my box to try and furbish up that ridiculous blood-stain in the library. First you took all my reds, including the vermilion, and I couldn't do any more sunsets, then you took the emerald-green and the chrome-yellow, and finally I had nothing left but indigo and Chinese white, and could only do moonlight scenes, which are always depressing to look at, and not at all easy to paint. I never told on you, though I was very much annoyed, and it was most ridiculous, the whole thing; for who ever heard of emerald-green blood?"

"Well, really," said the Ghost, rather meekly, "what was I to do? It is a very difficult thing to get real blood nowadays, and, as your brother began it all with his Paragon Detergent, I certainly saw no reason why I should not have your paints. As for colour, that is always a matter of taste: the Cantervilles have blue blood, for instance, the very bluest in England; but I know you Americans don't care for things of this kind."

"You know nothing about it, and the best thing you can do is to emigrate and improve your mind. My father will be only too happy to give you a free passage, and though there is a heavy duty on spirits of every kind, there will be no difficulty about the Custom House, as the officers are all Democrats. Once in New York, you are sure to be a great success. I know lots of people there who would give a hundred thousand dollars to have a grandfather, and much more than that to have a family ghost."

"I don't think I should like America."

"I suppose because we have no ruins and no curiosities," said Virginia, satirically.

"No ruins! no curiosities!" answered the Ghost; "you have your navy and your manners."

"Good evening; I will go and ask papa to get the twins an extra week's holiday."

"Please don't go, Miss Virginia," he cried; "I am so lonely and so unhappy, and I really don't know what to do. I want to go to sleep and I cannot."

"That's quite absurd! You have merely to go to bed and blow out the candle. It is very difficult sometimes to keep awake, especially at church, but there is no difficulty at all about sleeping. Why, even babies know how to do that, and they are not very clever."

"I have not slept for three hundred years," he said sadly, and Virginia's beautiful blue eyes opened in wonder; "for three hundred years I have not slept, and I am so tired."

Virginia grew quite grave, and her little lips trembled like rose-leaves. She came towards him, and kneeling down at his side, looked up into his old withered face.

"Poor, poor Ghost," she murmured; "have you no place where you can sleep?"

"Far away beyond the pine-woods," he answered, in a low, dreamy voice, "there is a little garden. There the grass grows long and deep, there are the great white stars of the hemlock flower, there the nightingale sings all night long. All night long he sings, and the cold crystal moon looks down, and the yew-tree spreads out its giant arms over the sleepers."

Virginia's eyes grew dim with tears, and she hid her face in her hands.

"You mean the Garden of Death," she whispered.

"Yes, death. Death must be so beautiful. To lie in the soft brown earth, with the grasses waving above one's head, and listen to silence. To have no yesterday, and no to-morrow. To forget time, to forget life, to be at peace. You can help me. You can open for me the portals of death's house, for love is always with you, and love is stronger than death is."

Virginia trembled, a cold shudder ran through her, and for a few moments there was silence. She felt as if she was in a terrible dream.

Then the ghost spoke again, and his voice sounded like the sighing of the wind.

"Have you ever read the old prophecy on the library window?"

"Oh, often," cried the little girl, looking up; "I know it quite well. It is painted in curious black letters, and is difficult to read. There are only six lines:

"'When a golden girl can win Prayer from out the lips of sin, When the barren almond bears, And a little child gives away its tears, Then shall all the house be still And peace come to Canterville.'

"But I don't know what they mean."

"They mean," he said, sadly, "that you must weep with me for my sins, because I have no tears, and pray with me for my soul, because I have no faith, and then, if you have always been sweet, and good, and gentle, the angel of death will have mercy on me. You will see fearful shapes in darkness, and wicked voices will whisper in your ear, but they will not harm you, for against the purity of a little child the powers of Hell cannot prevail."

Virginia made no answer, and the ghost wrung his hands in wild despair as he looked down at her bowed golden head. Suddenly she stood up, very pale, and with a strange light in her eyes. "I am not afraid," she said firmly, "and I will ask the angel to have mercy on you."

He rose from his seat with a faint cry of joy, and taking her hand bent over it with old-fashioned grace and kissed it. His fingers were as cold as ice, and his lips burned like fire, but Virginia did not falter, as he led her across the dusky room. On the faded green tapestry were broidered little huntsmen. They blew their tasselled horns and with their tiny hands waved to her to go back. "Go back! little Virginia," they cried, "go back!" but the ghost clutched her hand more tightly, and she shut her eyes against them. Horrible animals with lizard tails and goggle eyes blinked at her from the carven chimneypiece, and murmured, "Beware! little Virginia, beware! we may never see you again," but the Ghost glided on more swiftly, and Virginia did not listen. When they reached the end of the room he stopped, and muttered some words she could not understand. She opened her eyes, and saw the wall slowly fading away like a mist, and a great black cavern in front of her. A bitter cold wind swept round them, and she felt something pulling at her dress. "Quick, quick," cried the Ghost, "or it will be too late," and in a moment the wainscoting had closed behind them, and the Tapestry Chamber was empty.

About ten minutes later, the bell rang for tea, and, as Virginia did not come down, Mrs. Otis sent up one of the footmen to tell her. After a little time he returned and said that he could not find Miss Virginia anywhere. As she was in the habit of going out to the garden every evening to get flowers for the dinner-table, Mrs. Otis was not at all alarmed at first, but when six o'clock struck, and Virginia did not appear, she became really agitated, and sent the boys out to look for her, while she herself and Mr. Otis searched every room in the house. At half-past six the boys came back and said that they could find no trace of their sister anywhere. They were all now in the greatest state of excitement, and did not know what to do, when Mr. Otis suddenly remembered that, some few days before, he had given a band of gipsies permission to camp in the park. He accordingly at once set off for Blackfell Hollow, where he knew they were, accompanied by his eldest son and two of the farm-servants. The little Duke of Cheshire, who was perfectly frantic with anxiety, begged hard to be allowed to go too, but Mr. Otis would not allow him, as he was afraid there might be a scuffle. On arriving at the spot, however, he found that the gipsies had gone, and it was evident that their departure had been rather sudden, as the fire was still burning, and some plates were lying on the grass. Having sent off Washington and the two men to scour the district, he ran home, and despatched telegrams to all the police inspectors in the county, telling them to look out for a little girl who had been kidnapped by tramps or gipsies. He then ordered his horse to be brought round, and, after insisting on his wife and the three boys sitting down to dinner, rode off down the Ascot road with a groom. He had hardly, however, gone a couple of miles, when he heard somebody galloping after him, and, looking round, saw the little Duke coming up on his pony, with his face very flushed, and no hat. "I'm awfully sorry, Mr. Otis," gasped out the boy, "but I can't eat any dinner as long as Virginia is lost. Please don't be angry with me; if you had let us be engaged last year, there would never have been all this trouble. You won't send me back, will you? I can't go! I won't go!"

The Minister could not help smiling at the handsome young scapegrace, and was a good deal touched at his devotion to Virginia, so leaning down from his horse, he patted him kindly on the shoulders, and said, "Well, Cecil, if you won't go back, I suppose you must come with me, but I must get you a hat at Ascot."

"Oh, bother my hat! I want Virginia!" cried the little Duke, laughing, and they galloped on to the railway station. There Mr. Otis inquired of the station-master if any one answering to the description of Virginia had been seen on the platform, but could get no news of her. The station-master, however, wired up and down the line, and assured him that a strict watch would be kept for her, and, after having bought a hat for the little Duke from a linen-draper, who was just putting up his shutters, Mr. Otis rode off to Bexley, a village about four miles away, which he was told was a well-known haunt of the gipsies, as there was a large common next to it. Here they roused up the rural policeman, but could get no information from him, and, after riding all over the common, they turned their horses' heads homewards, and reached the Chase about eleven o'clock, dead-tired and almost heart-broken. They found Washington and the twins waiting for them at the gate-house with lanterns, as the avenue was very dark. Not the slightest trace of Virginia had been discovered. The gipsies had been caught on Brockley meadows, but she was not with them, and they had explained their sudden departure by saying that they had mistaken the date of Chorton Fair, and had gone off in a hurry for fear they should be late. Indeed, they had been quite distressed at hearing of Virginia's disappearance, as they were very grateful to Mr. Otis for having allowed them to camp in his park, and four of their number had stayed behind to help in the search. The carp-pond had been dragged, and the whole Chase thoroughly gone over, but without any result. It was evident that, for that night at any rate, Virginia was lost to them; and it was in a state of the deepest depression that Mr. Otis and the boys walked up to the house, the groom following behind with the two horses and the pony. In the hall they found a group of frightened servants, and lying on a sofa in the library was poor Mrs. Otis, almost out of her mind with terror and anxiety, and having her forehead bathed with eau de cologne by the old housekeeper. Mr. Otis at once insisted on her having something to eat, and ordered up supper for the whole party. It was a melancholy meal, as hardly any one spoke, and even the twins were awestruck and subdued, as they were very fond of their sister. When they had finished, Mr. Otis, in spite of the entreaties of the little Duke, ordered them all to bed, saying that nothing more could be done that night, and that he would telegraph in the morning to Scotland Yard for some detectives to be sent down immediately. Just as they were passing out of the dining-room, midnight began to boom from the clock tower, and when the last stroke sounded they heard a crash and a sudden shrill cry; a dreadful peal of thunder shook the house, a strain of unearthly music floated through the air, a panel at the top of the staircase flew back with a loud noise, and out on the landing, looking very pale and white, with a little casket in her hand, stepped Virginia. In a moment they had all rushed up to her. Mrs. Otis clasped her passionately in her arms, the Duke smothered her with violent kisses, and the twins executed a wild war-dance round the group.

"Good heavens! child, where have you been?" said Mr. Otis, rather angrily, thinking that she had been playing some foolish trick on them. "Cecil and I have been riding all over the country looking for you, and your mother has been frightened to death. You must never play these practical jokes any more."

"Except on the Ghost! except on the Ghost!" shrieked the twins, as they capered about.

"My own darling, thank God you are found; you must never leave my side again," murmured Mrs. Otis, as she kissed the trembling child, and smoothed the tangled gold of her hair.

"Papa," said Virginia, quietly, "I have been with the Ghost. He is dead, and you must come and see him. He had been very wicked, but he was really sorry for all that he had done, and he gave me this box of beautiful jewels before he died."

The whole family gazed at her in mute amazement, but she was quite grave and serious; and, turning round, she led them through the opening in the wainscoting down a narrow secret corridor, Washington following with a lighted candle, which he had caught up from the table. Finally, they came to a great oak door, studded with rusty nails. When Virginia touched it, it swung back on its heavy hinges, and they found themselves in a little low room, with a vaulted ceiling, and one tiny grated window. Imbedded in the wall was a huge iron ring, and chained to it was a gaunt skeleton, that was stretched out at full length on the stone floor, and seemed to be trying to grasp with its long fleshless fingers an old-fashioned trencher and ewer, that were placed just out of its reach. The jug had evidently been once filled with water, as it was covered inside with green mould. There was nothing on the trencher but a pile of dust. Virginia knelt down beside the skeleton, and, folding her little hands together, began to pray silently, while the rest of the party looked on in wonder at the terrible tragedy whose secret was now disclosed to them.

"Hallo!" suddenly exclaimed one of the twins, who had been looking out of the window to try and discover in what wing of the house the room was situated. "Hallo! the old withered almond-tree has blossomed. I can see the flowers quite plainly in the moonlight."

"God has forgiven him," said Virginia, gravely, as she rose to her feet, and a beautiful light seemed to illumine her face.

"What an angel you are!" cried the young Duke, and he put his arm round her neck, and kissed her.

VII

Four days after these curious incidents, a funeral started from Canterville Chase at about eleven o'clock at night. The hearse was drawn by eight black horses, each of which carried on its head a great tuft of nodding ostrich-plumes, and the leaden coffin was covered by a rich purple pall, on which was embroidered in gold the Canterville coat-of-arms. By the side of the hearse and the coaches walked the servants with lighted torches, and the whole procession was wonderfully impressive. Lord Canterville was the chief mourner, having come up specially from Wales to attend the funeral, and sat in the first carriage along with little Virginia. Then came the United States Minister and his wife, then Washington and the three boys, and in the last carriage was Mrs. Umney. It was generally felt that, as she had been frightened by the ghost for more than fifty years of her life, she had a right to see the last of him. A deep grave had been dug in the corner of the churchyard, just under the old yew-tree, and the service was read in the most impressive manner by the Rev. Augustus Dampier. When the ceremony was over, the servants, according to an old custom observed in the Canterville family, extinguished their torches, and, as the coffin was being lowered into the grave, Virginia stepped forward, and laid on it a large cross made of white and pink almond-blossoms. As she did so, the moon came out from behind a cloud, and flooded with its silent silver the little churchyard, and from a distant copse a nightingale began to sing. She thought of the ghost's description of the Garden of Death, her eyes became dim with tears, and she hardly spoke a word during the drive home.

The next morning, before Lord Canterville went up to town, Mr. Otis had an interview with him on the subject of the jewels the ghost had given to Virginia. They were perfectly magnificent, especially a certain ruby necklace with old Venetian setting, which was really a superb specimen of sixteenth-century work, and their value was so great that Mr. Otis felt considerable scruples about allowing his daughter to accept them.

"My lord," he said, "I know that in this country mortmain is held to apply to trinkets as well as to land, and it is quite clear to me that these jewels are, or should be, heirlooms in your family. I must beg you, accordingly, to take them to London with you, and to regard them simply as a portion of your property which has been restored to you under certain strange conditions. As for my daughter, she is merely a child, and has as yet, I am glad to say, but little interest in such appurtenances of idle luxury. I am also informed by Mrs. Otis, who, I may say, is no mean authority upon Art,--having had the privilege of spending several winters in Boston when she was a girl,--that these gems are of great monetary worth, and if offered for sale would fetch a tall price. Under these circumstances, Lord Canterville, I feel sure that you will recognize how impossible it would be for me to allow them to remain in the possession of any member of my family; and, indeed, all such vain gauds and toys, however suitable or necessary to the dignity of the British aristocracy, would be completely out of place among those who have been brought up on the severe, and I believe immortal, principles of Republican simplicity. Perhaps I should mention that Virginia is very anxious that you should allow her to retain the box, as a memento of your unfortunate but misguided ancestor. As it is extremely old, and consequently a good deal out of repair, you may perhaps think fit to comply with her request. For my own part, I confess I am a good deal surprised to find a child of mine expressing sympathy with mediævalism in any form, and can only account for it by the fact that Virginia was born in one of your London suburbs shortly after Mrs. Otis had returned from a trip to Athens."

Lord Canterville listened very gravely to the worthy Minister's speech, pulling his grey moustache now and then to hide an involuntary smile, and when Mr. Otis had ended, he shook him cordially by the hand, and said: "My dear sir, your charming little daughter rendered my unlucky ancestor, Sir Simon, a very important service, and I and my family are much indebted to her for her marvellous courage and pluck. The jewels are clearly hers, and, egad, I believe that if I were heartless enough to take them from her, the wicked old fellow would be out of his grave in a fortnight, leading me the devil of a life. As for their being heirlooms, nothing is an heirloom that is not so mentioned in a will or legal document, and the existence of these jewels has been quite unknown. I assure you I have no more claim on them than your butler, and when Miss Virginia grows up, I dare say she will be pleased to have pretty things to wear. Besides, you forget, Mr. Otis, that you took the furniture and the ghost at a valuation, and anything that belonged to the ghost passed at once into your possession, as, whatever activity Sir Simon may have shown in the corridor at night, in point of law he was really dead, and you acquired his property by purchase."

Mr. Otis was a good deal distressed at Lord Canterville's refusal, and begged him to reconsider his decision, but the good-natured peer was quite firm, and finally induced the Minister to allow his daughter to retain the present the ghost had given her, and when, in the spring of 1890, the young Duchess of Cheshire was presented at the Queen's first drawing-room on the occasion of her marriage, her jewels were the universal theme of admiration. For Virginia received the coronet, which is the reward of all good little American girls, and was married to her boy-lover as soon as he came of age. They were both so charming, and they loved each other so much, that every one was delighted at the match, except the old Marchioness of Dumbleton, who had tried to catch the Duke for one of her seven unmarried daughters, and had given no less than three expensive dinner-parties for that purpose, and, strange to say, Mr. Otis himself. Mr. Otis was extremely fond of the young Duke personally, but, theoretically, he objected to titles, and, to use his own words, "was not without apprehension lest, amid the enervating influences of a pleasure-loving aristocracy, the true principles of Republican simplicity should be forgotten." His objections, however, were completely overruled, and I believe that when he walked up the aisle of St. George's, Hanover Square, with his daughter leaning on his arm, there was not a prouder man in the whole length and breadth of England.

The Duke and Duchess, after the honeymoon was over, went down to Canterville Chase, and on the day after their arrival they walked over in the afternoon to the lonely churchyard by the pine-woods. There had been a great deal of difficulty at first about the inscription on Sir Simon's tombstone, but finally it had been decided to engrave on it simply the initials of the old gentleman's name, and the verse from the library window. The Duchess had brought with her some lovely roses, which she strewed upon the grave, and after they had stood by it for some time they strolled into the ruined chancel of the old abbey. There the Duchess sat down on a fallen pillar, while her husband lay at her feet smoking a cigarette and looking up at her beautiful eyes. Suddenly he threw his cigarette away, took hold of her hand, and said to her, "Virginia, a wife should have no secrets from her husband."

"Dear Cecil! I have no secrets from you."

"Yes, you have," he answered, smiling, "you have never told me what happened to you when you were locked up with the ghost."

"I have never told any one, Cecil," said Virginia, gravely.

"I know that, but you might tell me."

"Please don't ask me, Cecil, I cannot tell you. Poor Sir Simon! I owe him a great deal. Yes, don't laugh, Cecil, I really do. He made me see what Life is, and what Death signifies, and why Love is stronger than both."

The Duke rose and kissed his wife lovingly.

"You can have your secret as long as I have your heart," he murmured.

"You have always had that, Cecil."

"And you will tell our children some day, won't you?"

Virginia blushed.

The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry. (Reading 1)

2010-09-23T22:29:00.004-04:00

ONE DOLLAR AND EIGHTY-SEVEN CENTS. THAT WAS ALL. AND SIXTY CENTS of it was in pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one's cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied. Three times Della counted it. One dollar and eighty-seven cents. And the next day would be Christmas.

There was clearly nothing left to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl. So Della did it. Which instigates the moral reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.

While the mistress of the home is gradually subsiding from the first stage to the second, take a look at the home. A furnished flat at $8 per week. It did not exactly beggar description, but it certainly had that word on the look-out for the mendicancy squad.

In the vestibule below was a letter-box into which no letter would go, and an electric button from which no mortal finger could coax a ring. Also appertaining thereunto was a card bearing the name "Mr. James Dillingham Young."

The "Dillingham" had been flung to the breeze during a former period of prosperity when its possessor was being paid $30 per week. Now, when the income was shrunk to $20, the letters of "Dillingham" looked blurred, as though they were thinking seriously of contracting to a modest and unassuming D. But whenever Mr. James Dillingham Young came home and reached his flat above he was called "Jim" and greatly hugged by Mrs. James Dillingham Young, already introduced to you as Della. Which is all very good.

Della finished her cry and attended to her cheeks with the powder rag. She stood by the window and looked out dully at a grey cat walking a grey fence in a grey backyard. To-morrow would be Christmas Day, and she had only $1.87 with which to buy Jim a present. She had been saving every penny she could for months, with this result. Twenty dollars a week doesn't go far. Expenses had been greater than she had calculated. They always are. Only $1.87 to buy a present for Jim. Her Jim. Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him. Something fine and rare and sterling--something just a little bit near to being worthy of the honour of being owned by Jim.

There was a pier-glass between the windows of the room. Perhaps you have seen a pier-glass in an $8 Bat. A very thin and very agile person may, by observing his reflection in a rapid sequence of longitudinal strips, obtain a fairly accurate conception of his looks. Della, being slender, had mastered the art.

Suddenly she whirled from the window and stood before the glass. Her eyes were shining brilliantly, but her face had lost its colour within twenty seconds. Rapidly she pulled down her hair and let it fall to its full length.

Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which they both took a mighty pride. One was Jim's gold watch that had been his father's and his grandfather's. The other was Della's hair. Had the Queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out of the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty's jewels and gifts. Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all his treasures piled up in the basement, Jim would have pulled out his watch every time he passed, just to see him pluck at his beard from envy.

So now Della's beautiful hair fell about her, rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters. It reached below her knee and made itself almost a garment for her. And then she did it up again nervously and quickly. Once she faltered for a minute and stood still while a tear or two splashed on the worn red carpet.

On went her old brown jacket; on went her old brown hat. With a whirl of skirts and with the brilliant sparkle still in her eyes, she cluttered out of the door and down the stairs to the street.

Where she stopped the sign read: "Mme Sofronie. Hair Goods of All Kinds." One Eight up Della ran, and collected herself, panting. Madame, large, too white, chilly, hardly looked the "Sofronie."

"Will you buy my hair?" asked Della.

"I buy hair," said Madame. "Take yer hat off and let's have a sight at the looks of it."

Down rippled the brown cascade.

"Twenty dollars," said Madame, lifting the mass with a practised hand.

"Give it to me quick" said Della.

Oh, and the next two hours tripped by on rosy wings. Forget the hashed metaphor. She was ransacking the stores for Jim's present.

She found it at last. It surely had been made for Jim and no one else. There was no other like it in any of the stores, and she had turned all of them inside out. It was a platinum fob chain simple and chaste in design, properly proclaiming its value by substance alone and not by meretricious ornamentation--as all good things should do. It was even worthy of The Watch. As soon as she saw it she knew that it must be Jim's. It was like him. Quietness and value--the description applied to both. Twenty-one dollars they took from her for it, and she hurried home with the 78 cents. With that chain on his watch Jim might be properly anxious about the time in any company. Grand as the watch was, he sometimes looked at it on the sly on account of the old leather strap that he used in place of a chain.

When Della reached home her intoxication gave way a little to prudence and reason. She got out her curling irons and lighted the gas and went to work repairing the ravages made by generosity added to love. Which is always a tremendous task dear friends--a mammoth task.

Within forty minutes her head was covered with tiny, close-lying curls that made her look wonderfully like a truant schoolboy. She looked at her reflection in the mirror long, carefully, and critically.

"If Jim doesn't kill me," she said to herself, "before he takes a second look at me, he'll say I look like a Coney Island chorus girl. But what could I do--oh! what could I do with a dollar and eighty-seven cents?"

At 7 o'clock the coffee was made and the frying-pan was on the back of the stove hot and ready to cook the chops.

Jim was never late. Della doubled the fob chain in her hand and sat on the corner of the table near the door that he always entered. Then she heard his step on the stair away down on the first flight, and she turned white for just a moment. She had a habit of saying little silent prayers about the simplest everyday things, and now she whispered: "Please, God, make him think I am still pretty."

The door opened and Jim stepped in and closed it. He looked thin and very serious. Poor fellow, he was only twenty-two--and to be burdened with a family! He needed a new overcoat and he was with out gloves.

Jim stepped inside the door, as immovable as a setter at the scent of quail. His eyes were fixed upon Della, and there was an expression in them that she could not read, and it terrified her. It was not anger, nor surprise, nor disapproval, nor horror, nor any of the sentiments that she had been prepared for. He simply stared at her fixedly with that peculiar expression on his face.

Della wriggled off the table and went for him.

"Jim, darling," she cried, "don't look at me that way. I had my hair cut off and sold it because I couldn't have lived through Christmas without giving you a present. It'll grow out again--you won't mind, will you? I just had to do it. My hair grows awfully fast. Say 'Merry Christmas!' Jim, and let's be happy. You don't know what a nice-what a beautiful, nice gift I've got for you."

"You've cut off your hair?" asked Jim, laboriously, as if he had not arrived at that patent fact yet, even after the hardest mental labour.

"Cut it off and sold it," said Della. "Don't you like me just as well, anyhow? I'm me without my hair, ain't I?"

Jim looked about the room curiously.

"You say your hair is gone?" he said, with an air almost of idiocy.

"You needn't look for it," said Della. "It's sold, I tell you--sold and gone, too. It's Christmas Eve, boy. Be good to me, for it went for you. Maybe the hairs of my head were numbered," she went on with a sudden serious sweetness, "but nobody could ever count my love for you. Shall I put the chops on, Jim?"

Out of his trance Jim seemed quickly to wake. He enfolded his Della. For ten seconds let us regard with discreet scrutiny some inconsequential object in the other direction. Eight dollars a week or a million a year--what is the difference? A mathematician or a wit would give you the wrong answer. The magi brought valuable gifts, but that was not among them. I his dark assertion will be illuminated later on.

Jim drew a package from his overcoat pocket and threw it upon the table.

"Don't make any mistake, Dell," he said, "about me. I don't think there's anything in the way of a haircut or a shave or a shampoo that could make me like my girl any less. But if you'll unwrap that package you may see why you had me going a while at first."

White fingers and nimble tore at the string and paper. And then an ecstatic scream of joy; and then, alas! a quick feminine change to hysterical tears and wails, necessitating the immediate employment of all the comforting powers of the lord of the flat.

For there lay The Combs--the set of combs, side and back, that Della had worshipped for long in a Broadway window. Beautiful combs, pure tortoise-shell, with jewelled rims--just the shade to wear in the beautiful vanished hair. They were expensive combs, she knew, and her heart had simply craved and yearned over them without the least hope of possession. And now, they were hers, but the tresses that should have adorned the coveted adornments were gone.

But she hugged them to her bosom, and at length she was able to look up with dim eyes and a smile and say: "My hair grows so fast, Jim!"

And then Della leaped up like a little singed cat and cried, "Oh, oh!"

Jim had not yet seen his beautiful present. She held it out to him eagerly upon her open palm. The dull precious metal seemed to {lash with a reflection of her bright and ardent spirit.

"Isn't it a dandy, Jim? I hunted all over town to find it. You'll have to look at the time a hundred times a day now. Give me your watch. I want to see how it looks on it."

Instead of obeying, Jim tumbled down on the couch and put his hands under the back of his head and smiled.

"Dell," said he, "let's put our Christmas presents away and keep 'em a while. They're too nice to use just at present. I sold the watch to get the money to buy Your combs. And now suppose you put the chops on."

The magi, as you know, were wise men--wonderfully wise men-who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication. And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi.

Second Day of the Battle of Chickamauga.

2010-09-20T12:37:00.007-04:00

Fill in the text with the right word.

besieged - As - and - long-term - tide - battle - deliberately - hasty

In one of the bloodiest battles of the war, the Confederate Army of Tennessee drives the Union Army of the Cumberland back into Chattanooga, Tennessee, from Chickamauga Creek in northern Georgia. Although technically a Confederate victory, the battle had little (1)_______ effect on the military situation in the region.

During the summer of 1863, Union General William Rosecrans had outmaneuvered Confederate General Braxton Bragg. Without fighting any major battles, Rosecrans had moved Bragg out of Tullahoma, Tennessee, and, by September, had captured Chattanooga. Pursuing Bragg into the mountainous region of northern Georgia, Rosecrans gleaned information from Confederate deserters that indicated Bragg was retreating. However, this information was false and had been (2)_______ fed to the Yankees.

Bragg had hoped to attack Rosecrans and drive the Federals south, away from Chattanooga and Union supply lines. On September 19, a division from Union General George Thomas's corps moved out to strike at what Thomas thought was an isolated Confederate brigade. But his force ran into dismounted Rebel cavalry, and the battle escalated when Bragg sent additional troops to the skirmish. (3)_______ the day wore on, the battle spread down the lines until both armies were fully engaged.

That night, additional Confederate troops arrived under the command of James Longstreet. Longstreet was part of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, and his men had fought at Gettysburg two months prior. He was dispatched with two of his divisions to stem the (4)_______ of Confederate defeat in the West.

Longsteet's appearance paid off for the Confederates. Around noon on September 20, the stalemate broke when Rosecrans ordered General Thomas Wood to move his division to plug a gap in the Yankee line. Although no such gap existed, one was created when Wood moved his division. Longstreet's troops were now able to march through the gap, and the Union line collapsed in chaos. Most of the Union army began a (5)_______ retreat to nearby Chattanooga, leaving Thomas's corps alone on the battlefield. Thomas stubbornly held his ground and halted the Rebel attack, which allowed him to successfully withdraw without further losses. His action earned him the nickname "The Rock of Chickamauga."

Bragg did not immediately pursue Rosecrans to Chattanooga. Instead, the Confederates (6)_______ the city until Union reinforcements arrived in late October. One of the largest battles of the war, Chickamauga resulted in 18,500 Confederate casualties and 16,100 Union casualties. Each side lost about 28 percent of their forces.

Answers: long-term - deliberately - As - tide - hasty - besieged.

English connectors.

2010-08-31T16:19:00.000-04:00

a corto plazo > as soon as possible
a corto plazo > forthwith
a corto plazo > in the short run
a corto plazo > in the short term
a corto plazo > on short notice
a corto plazo > within a short time
a cortos intervalos > in close succession
a costa de mucho trabajo > by dint of hard work
a decir verdad > actually
a decir verdad > as a matter of fact
a decir verdad > in fact
a decir verdad > to tell the truth
a deshora > at an unreasonable hour
a deshora > at an untimely moment
a deshora > at an unusual time
a deshora > very late
a destiempo > at an untimely moment
a diario > day in day out
a diario > everyday
a estas alturas > as late as this
a estas alturas > at this hour
a estas alturas > at this point
a estas alturas > at this stage
a este punto > until now
a este respecto > for that matter
a este respecto > in this connection
a este respecto > in this regard
a este respecto > in this respect
a este respecto > with regard to this matter
a este tenor > at this rate
a este tenor > if this continues
a fin de cuentas > after all
a fin de cuentas > all things considered
a fin de cuentas > finally
a fin de cuentas > in short
a fin de cuentas > taking everything into account
a fin de cuentas > when all is said and done
a grandes rasgos > briefly
a grandes rasgos > in a few words
a grandes rasgos > in a general way
a grandes rasgos > in outline
a hecho > continuously
a hecho > indiscriminately
a hecho > uninterruptedly
a intervalos > on and off
a juzgar por las apariencias > judging by appearances
a juzgar por las apariencias > on the face of it
a la distancia > in the distance
a la intemperie > at the mercy of elements
a la intemperie > in the open air
a la intemperie > out of doors
a la larga > eventually
a la larga > in the end
a la larga > in the long run
a la mayor brevedad posible > as soon as possible
a la postre > after all is said and done
a la postre > at last
a la postre > eventually
a la postre > finally
a la postre > in the end
a la postre > in the long run
a la sazón > at that time
a la sazón > at the time
a la sazón > then
a la ventura > at random
a la ventura > with no fixed idea
a la ventura > with no fixed plan
a la vez > at the same time
a la vez > together
a la vista de las dificultades > in the light of the difficulties
a la vista de las dificultades > in view of the difficulties
a la vista de todos > openly
a la vista de todos > publicly
a la vuelta de 6 años > at the end of 6 years
a lo más > at most
a lo más > at the most
a lo mejor > like as not
a lo mejor > maybe
a lo mejor > perhaps
a lo que parece > apparently
a lo que parece > to all appearances
a lo sumo > at most
a lo sumo > at the earliest
a lo sumo > at the most
a lo sumo > at the outside
a los efectos de esta sección > within the purview of this section
a los ojos de muchos > in the judgement of many
a manera de ejemplo > as an example
a manera de ejemplo > as an illustration
a mayor abundamiento > in addition
a mayor abundamiento > just in case
a mayor abundamiento > should the contingency arise
a mayor abundamiento > to boot
a medida que > as
a mi costa > at my expense
a mi juicio > in my opinion
a mi parecer > in my opinion
a mi parecer > in my view
a mi parecer > to my mind
a mi parecer > to my way of thinking
a modo de ejemplo > by way of example
a nivel popular (comunitario o local) > at the grassroots
a ojo de buen cubero > at a rough estimate
a ojo de buen cubero > by guesswork
a ojo de buen cubero > by rule of thumb
a ojo de buen cubero > in a rough and ready way
a ojo descubierto > with the naked eye
a partir del 15 de julio > as from July 15
a partir del 15 de julio > from July 15 onward
a partir del 15 de julio > from July 15 onwards
a partir del 15 de julio > on and after July 15
a partir del 15 de julio > starting on July 15
a pedir de boca > for the asking
a pedir de boca > to ones hearts content
a pesar de > despite
a pesar de > in spite of
a pesar de todo > all the same
a pesar de todo > despite everything
a pesar de todo > for all that
a pesar de todo > in spite of everything
a pesar de todo > the fact remains that
a pesar mío > against my will
a pie juntillas > firmly (believe)
a posta > intentionally
a posta > on purpose
a primera vista > at first blush
a primera vista > at first sight
a primera vista > it is readily apparent
a primera vista > on the face of it
a propósito > at the right time
a propósito > by design
a propósito > by the by
a propósito > by the way
a propósito > intentionally
a propósito > on purpose
a propósito > opportunely
a que haya lugar > for all pertinent purposes
a quien compete > to whom it may concern
a rachas > by fits and starts
a ratos perdidos > at odd moments
a simple vista > at a glance
a simple vista > at first
a simple vista > at first sight
a simple vista > with the naked eye
a su debido tiempo > in due course
a su debido tiempo > in due time
a su modo > in his own way
a su tiempo > at the proper moment
a su tiempo > at the proper time
a su tiempo > at the right time
a su tiempo > in due course
a su tiempo > in due time
a su tiempo > opportunely
a su vez > for its part
a su vez > in its turn
a tal efecto > for the purpose
a tal efecto > to that end
a tenor > in the same fashion
a tenor > likewise
a tenor de este acuerdo > in accordance with
a tenor de este acuerdo > pursuant to this agreement
a tenor de este acuerdo > under
a tiempo > just in time
a tiempo > on time
a título de ejemplo > as an example
a título de ejemplo > by way of example
a título de información > by way of information
a toda costa > at all costs
a todas luces > anyway you look at it
a todas luces > clearly
a todas luces > evidently
a todas luces > obviously
a todo andar > at full speed
a todo trance > at all costs
a todo trance > no matter what happens
a través > through
a través de los tiempos > through the ages
a última hora > at the eleventh hour
a última hora > at the last minute
a última hora > at the last moment
a un tiempo > at the same time
a veces > at times
a veces > sometimes
acto continuo > at once
acto continuo > next
acto continuo > straightway
acto continuo > then
acto continuo > then and there
actualmente > currently
además > in addition
además > moreover
ahí > there
ahora > now
ahora bien > but
ahora bien > however
ahora bien > nevertheless
ahora bien > now
al aire libre > in the open air
al aire libre > outdoors
al azar > at random
al contrario > on the contrary
al correr de los años > as the years go by
al correr de los años > as the years roll by
al efecto > for that purpose
al fin > at last
al fin > eventually
al fin > finally
al fin > in the end
al fin y al cabo > after all is said and done
al fin y al cabo > at long last
al fin y al cabo > in the end
al fin y al cabo > when all is said and done
al final > after all
al final > in conclusion
al final > in the end
al final de las cuentas > after all is said and done
al llegar a este punto > at this point
al mismo tiempo > at the same time
al ojo > at a rough estimate
al ojo > by guesswork
al ojo > by rule of thumb
al ojo > in a rough and ready way
al parecer > apparently
al parecer > to all appearances
al pie de la letra > exactly according to instructions
al pie de la letra > literally
al pie de la letra > to the letter
al pie de la letra > word for word
al principio > at the beginning
al principio > at the outset
al principio > at the start
al principio > in the beginning
al pronto > at first
al pronto > initially
al que corresponde en derecho > the authorized person
al que corresponde en derecho > the competent authority
al que corresponde en derecho > to whom it may concern
al revés > backwards
al revés > in the opposite way
al revés > in the reverse order
al revés > inside out
al revés > upside down
al revés > wrong side out
ambos (ninguno) > both (neither)
andando el tiempo > as time goes by
andando el tiempo > in the course of time
andando el tiempo > in time
ante > before
ante mí > in my presence
ante todo > above all
ante todo > before all else
ante todo > first of all
ante usted > before you
antes > before
antes > earlier
antes > previously
antes bien > on the contrary
antes de esto > before this
antes de nada > fisrt of all
antes que nada > before all else
antes que nada > before you do anything else
antiguamente > formerly
aparentemente > apparently
aparte > besides
aparte de esto > apart from this
apresuradamente > hastily
así > as
así > thus
así (que) > so
así como > as well as
así parece > so it seems
así vemos > thus we see
así y todo > and yet
así y todo > even so
así y todo > just the same
aún > still
aun a pesar de > even though
aún así > even so
aún así > for all that
aún en 1930 > as late as 1930
aún más > even more
aún más > furthermore
aún más > moreover
aunque > although
aunque > even though
aunque > though
aunque esto pueda ser > although this may be
aunque no lo parezca > incredible as it may seem
aunque parece extraño > curiously enough
aunque sea cierto > although this may be true
aunque sea verdad > although this may be true
bajo este aspecto > from this point of view
bajo este aspecto > in this respect
bajo este aspecto > viewed from this angle
bajo ningún concepto > not at all
bajo ningún concepto > on no account
bajo ningún motivo > on no account
bajo ningún motivo > under no circumstances
bajo todos los conceptos > from every point of view
bajo todos los conceptos > in every respect
bueno > well
cada que > whenever
casi > almost
cerca > near
cerca > nearly
ciertamente > certainly
claramente > clearly
como > like
como broche de oro > to cap it all
como consecuencia > as a result
como corresponde > as is only fair
como cuestión de derecho > from the legal standpoint
como cuestión de derecho > in point of law
como dice el dicho > as the saying goes
como ejemplo > as an example
como ejemplo > by way of example
como ejemplo concreto > as a case in point
como es debido > as is only fair
como es justo > as is only fair
como guste > at your convenience
como hipótesis > for arguments sake
como le sea posible > at your convenience
como máximo > at most
como máximo > at the most
como máximo > at the outside
como medida transitoria > as an interim measure
como mencioné > as I have said
como mínimo indispensable > at the very least
como mucho > at the most
como mucho > at the outside
como por arte de magia > as if by magic
como por encanto > as if by magic
como quien dice > as it were
como quien dice > so to speak
como quien no dice nada > as if it were of no importance
como quiera que sea > however it be
como quiera que sea > in any case
como remate > to top it all
como resultado > as a result
como se demuestra > as I have shown
como se dice > as the saying goes
como se ha previsto > as scheduled
como se ha señalado > as has been noted
como sea > at all costs
como sea > at all events
como si dijéramos > as it were
como si dijéramos > so to speak
como si no fuera importante > as if it were of no importance
como último recurso > as a last resort
comparado con > compared to
completamente > absolutely
completamente > thoroughly
completamente de acuerdo > absolutely
con buen fin > with good intentions
con carácter periódico > on a regular basis
con criterio comercial > on a commercial basis
con detenimiento > at length
con efecto > actually
con efecto > as a matter of fact
con efecto > in effect
con efecto > really
con el tiempo > in the course of time
con el tiempo > in time
con el tiempo > with time
con ello > in doing so
con esa finalidad > to that end
con ese fin > to that end
con ese fin > with that aim in view
con ese fin > with that end in view
con ese motivo > as a result
con este fin > for this purpose
con este fin > to this end
con este fin > with this aim
con este motivo > for this reason
con este propósito > for this purpose
con fines de lograr > for all appropriate purposes
con la mayor antelación > as far in advance as possible
con la mayor antelación > at the earliest possible date
con la mayor brevedad > as soon as possible
con la mayor brevedad > at your earliest convenience
con más motivo > even more so
con mayor motivo > even more so
con mayor razón > with all the more reason
con motivo de la boda > because of the wedding
con motivo de la boda > on the occasion of the wedding
con mucho > by a long shot
con mucho > by a long way
con mucho > by far
con mucho > far and away
con mucho > out and away
con mucho gasto > at great expense
con pleno conocimiento de causa > knowing full well
con poco tiempo de antelación > on short notice
con poco tiempo de aviso > on short notice
con premeditación > with malice aforethought
con provecho > to good purpose
con razón > for good reason
con razón > rightly so
con razón > that explains it
con razón > understandably so
con razón > with good reason
con razón o sin ella > rightly or wrongly
con seguridad > for sure
con tal propósito > with that in view
con tal propósito > with this aim in view
con toda probabilidad > in all likelihood
con toda seguridad > for certain
con toda seriedad > in all seriousness
con todas las reglas del arte > according to the book
con todo > after all
con todo > all in all
con todo > for all that
con todo > however
con todo > nevertheless
con todo > on the whole
con todo > still
con todo detalle > at length
con todo y eso > even so
con todo y eso > everything considered
con todo y eso > in spite of everything
con todo y eso > nevertheless
con todo y eso > nonetheless
con todo y eso > still
concurrentemente > concurrently
conforme pasa el tiempo > as the years go by
conforme pasan los años > as the years go by
conforme sea necesario > as circumstances may require
confrontado con > balanced against
consecuentemente > accordingly
consecuentemente > consequently
considerándolo bien > all things considered
considerándolo todo > all in all
conste por el presente documento > know all men by these presents
contra mi voluntad > against my will
contra su propia convicción > against ones better judgement
contrario a > in contrast
contrario a > opposite
cuando proceda > as appropiate
cuando proceda > in suitable cases
cuanto antes > as soon as possible
cuanto así > at most
cuanto así > at the most
cuanto así > at the outside
cueste lo que cueste > at all costs
dada la opinión del comité > in the light of the committees opinion
dada la situación > at this stage
de ahí en adelante > thereafter
de ahora en adelante > from now on
de ahora en adelante > from this point on
de ahora en adelante > from this point onward
de aquí > hence
de balde > free
de buena gana > gladly
de buena gana > readily
de buena gana > willingly
de buenas a primeras > immediately
de buenas a primeras > on the spur of the moment
de buenas a primeras > right away
de buenas a primeras > suddenly
de buenas a primeras > without warning
de cerca > at close range
de común acuerdo > by common consent
de común acuerdo > in concert
de consuno > by common consent
de consuno > in concert
de consuno > with one accord
de cualquier modo > at any rate
de cualquier modo > in any case
de esta manera > along these lines
de esta manera > in doing so
de esta manera > in this way
de esta manera > thus
de golpe > all of a sudden
de hecho > actually
de hecho > in fact
de hecho > in point of fact
de hecho > really
de hecho > truly
de inmediato > at once
de la misma forma > in like manner
de la misma manera > in like manner
de lo contrario > if not
de lo contrario > otherwise
de memoria > by heart
de mi competencia > within my province
de modo empírico > by rule of thumb
de momento > for the time being
de ningún modo > by no means whatsoever
de ningún modo > in no way
de ninguna forma > in no sense
de ninguna manera > by no means
de ninguna manera > in no way whatsoever
de no ser así > otherwise
de otro modo > otherwise
de palabra y de obra > in word and in deed
de paso > by the by
de paso > by the way
de paso > in passing
de paso > incidentally
de por sí > in and of itself
de pronto > all at once
de pronto > hastily
de pronto > hurriedly
de pronto > suddenly
de seguro > certainly
de seguro > truly
de seguro > undoubtedly
de todas formas > at any rate
de todas maneras > by all means
de todas maneras > in any case
de todas maneras > whatever happens
de todos modos > all the same
de todos modos > anyway
de todos modos > at any rate
de todos modos > by all means
de todos modos > definitely
de todos modos > in any case
de trecho en trecho > from place to place
de trecho en trecho > from time to time
de un golpe > at one stroke
de un modo u otro > in one way or another
de un modo u otro > somehow or other
de un momento a otro > at any moment
de un plumazo > at a stroke of the pen
de un plumazo > at one stroke of the pen
de un tiempo a esta parte > for some time now
de una vez > at once
de una vez > at one go
de una vez > once and for all
de una vez > without interruption
de una vez para siempre > once and for all
de vez en cuando > at intervals
de vez en cuando > from time to time
de vez en cuando > on and off
de vez en cuando > on occasion
de vez en cuando > once in a while
de vez en cuando > sometimes
decididamente > decidedly
definitivamente > decidedly
definitivamente > definitely
dejando esto de lado > aside from this
del mismo modo > by the same token
del mismo modo > in like manner
del mismo modo > in the same manner (way)
dentro de > within
dentro de esta problemática > in this context
dentro de este marco > in this context
dentro de poco > at an early date
dentro del marco de la situación > in the light of the situation
dentro del régimen actual > as matters now stand
desde > since
desde algunos puntos de vista > in certain respects
desde el principio > from the outset
desde fuera > from the sidelines
desde la barrera > from the sidelines
desde luego > clearly
desde luego > of course
desde todo punto de vista > absolutely
desde todo punto de vista > entirely
desde todo punto de vista > in every respect
desde todo punto de vista > in every way
desde todo punto de vista > utterly
desde un principio > right from the start
después > after
después > afterwards
después de esto > after this
después de largas deliberaciones > after mature consideration
después de meditarlo > after mature consideration
después de pensarlo bien > after mature consideration
después de todo > after all
después de todo > in the event
después de todo > when all is said and done
después de un tiempo > after a fashion
día tras día > day in day out
dicho esto > that said
dicho sea de paso > incidentally
dicho sea sin alarde > with all due modesty
durante > during
durante > for
el día 15 de julio > as of July 15
en absoluto > not at all
en absoluto > not in the least
en absoluto > not the least bit
en adelante > from now on
en adelante > henceforth
en adelante > hereinafter
en balde > for nothing
en balde > in vain
en beneficio propio > in ones interest
en beneficio propio > to ones own advantage
en breve > before long
en breve > in the near future
en breve > shortly
en breve > soon
en breves palabras > in short
en breves palabras > in summary
en breves palabras > to sum up
en buen estado > in running order
en buen momento > at a good time
en buen momento > at the right time
en buena lógica > in the light of cold reason
en buena y debida forma > in good and proper form
en cambio > conversely
en cambio > however
en cambio > in exchange
en cambio > in return
en cambio > on the oher side of the coin
en cambio > on the other hand
en cambio > to make up for it
en caso contrario > otherwise
en caso de necesidad > if necessary
en caso de necesidad > if need be
en caso de necesidad > should the need arise
en caso de necesidad > when required
en caso necesario > if necessary
en caso necesario > if need be
en caso necesario > should the need arise
en caso necesario > when required
en cierta manera > in a way
en cierta medida > to a certain extent
en cierto modo > after a fashion
en cierto modo > in a way
en ciertos aspectos > in some respects
en conclusión > in conclusion
en concreto > exactly
en concreto > specifically
en condiciones de igualdad > on an equal footing
en conjunto > on the whole
en consecuencia > accordingly
en consecuencia > consequently
en cuanto a eso > for that matter
en cuanto a esto > in this connection
en definitiva > conclusively
en definitiva > consequently
en definitiva > in a nutshell
en definitiva > in a word
en definitiva > in fixed and final form
en definitiva > in short
en definitiva > permanently
en definitiva > therefore
en definitiva > to sum up
en efecto > as a matter of fact
en efecto > in point of fact
en el acto > at once
en el acto > immediately
en el acto > on the spot
en el acto > there and then
en el devenir histórico > down through history
en el fondo > at heart
en el fondo > basically
en el fondo > deep down
en el fondo > really
en el futuro > subsequently
en el interín > in the meantime
en el interín > meanwhile
en el mejor de los casos > at best
en el mejor de los casos > in the best case
en el mismo orden de ideas > by the same token
en el mismo sentido > to that effect
en el momento adecuado > at a suitable time
en el momento de escribir estas líneas > at this writing
en el peor de los casos > at worst
en el peor de los casos > if the worst comes to the worst
en el principio > in the beginning
en el sentido amplio de la palabra > in the broad sense of the word
en el último momento > at the eleventh hour
en ese caso > in that event
en ese caso > in that instance
en esencia > essentially
en esencia > in essence
en esencia > in substance
en esta caso > in this case
en esta coyuntura > at this juncture
en esta coyuntura > in this situation
en esta instancia > in this instance
en esta ocasión > on this occasion
en esta situación > in these circumstances
en esta situación > in this situation
en este momento > at this point in time
en este orden de ideas > in this connection
en este punto > at this point
en este sentido > along these lines
en este sentido > therefore
en este supuesto > in this event
en fecha próxima > at an early date
en fecha próxima > in the near future
en fecha ulterior > at a later day
en fin > finally
en fin > in brief
en fin > in conclusion
en fin > in short
en fin de cuentas > after all
en fin de cuentas > when all is said and done
en forma intermintente > on and off
en general > as a general rule
en general > as a rule
en general > broadly speaking
en general > by and large
en general > for the most part
en general > in the main
en general > more often than not
en general > mostly
en general > normally
en general > on the whole
en general > taking everything into consideration
en general > usually
en grado sumo > extremely
en grado sumo > in the extreme
en igualdad de cirunstancias > on an equal footing
en igualdad de cirunstancias > other things being equal
en juego > at stake
en la actual coyuntura > at this stage
en la dirección contraria > in the reverse direction
en la encrucijada > at the crossroads
en la encrucijada > on the horns of a dilemma
en la forma prevista > as stipulated
en la medida de lo posible > as far as practicable
en la mejor de las circunstancias > in the best of circumstances
en la misma hipótesis > likewise
en las mismas condiciones > on the same basis
en letra de imprenta > in block letters
en letra de imprenta > in printed letters
en letras de molde > in block letters
en letras de molde > in printed letters
en líneas generales > approximately
en líneas generales > in broad outline
en líneas generales > roughly
en lo esencial > in the main
en lo más mínimo > in the least
en lo que a eso respecta > as for that matter
en lo que a mí concierne > for my part
en lo que a mí respecta > for my part
en lo que sigue > in what follows
en lo sucesivo > henceforth
en lo sucesivo > hereafter
en lo sucesivo > in the future
en los meses venideros > in the months ahead
en más de una manera > in more ways than one
en mi concepto > in my opinion
en modo alguno > by any standards
en modo alguno > not by any standards
en ningún aspecto > in no respect
en ningún caso > by no means
en ningún concepto > by any standards
en ningún concepto > not by any standards
en ningún concepto > on no account
en ningún concepto > under no circumstances
en otras palabras > in other words
en otras palabras > that is
en otro caso > in another case
en otro sentido > in another sense
en parte > in part
en parte > in some cases
en parte > partly
en perspectiva > in prospect
en perspectiva > in the offing
en pie de igualdad > on an equal footing
en pleno desarrollo > in full swing
en pocas palabras > briefly
en pocas palabras > in a word
en pocas palabras > in brief
en pocas palabras > in short
en pocas palabras > in summary
en primer lugar > in the first instance
en primer lugar > in the first place
en primer lugar > to begin with
en primer término > above all
en primer término > in the first instance
en primer término > in the first place
en principio > provisionally
en principio > tentatively
en realidad > as a matter of fact
en realidad > come to think of it
en realidad > in actual fact
en realidad > in fact
en realidad > in point of fact
en realidad > indeed
en realidad > really
en realidad > to all intents and purposes
en realidad > truly
en regla > according to the book
en resumen > in a nutshell
en resumen > in a word
en resumen > in brief
en resumen > in short
en resumen > in summary
en resumen > it boils down to this
en resumen > it comes down to this
en resumen > to sum up
en resumidas cuentas > in a word
en resumidas cuentas > in short
en resumidas cuentas > summing up
en rigor > strictly speaking
en seguida > at once
en sentido contrario > in reverse order
en sentido propio > in the literal sense
en señal de agradecimiento > as a token of (my) thanks
en señal de agradecimiento > as an expression of thanks
en serio > in all seriousness
en serio > seriously
en síntesis > briefly
en síntesis > in a nutshell
en síntesis > in brief
en síntesis > in short
en síntesis > summing up
en síntesis > to cut a long story short
en síntesis > to sum up
en su amplio concepto > in its broad sense
en su amplio concepto > in its broadest sense
en su apogeo > in full swing
en su caso > if applicable
en su caso > in an applicable case
en su caso > in an appropriate case
en su caso > in such an event
en su conjunto > as a whole
en su conjunto > in its entirety
en su conjunto > in the aggregate
en su debida oportunidad > at the right time
en su debida oportunidad > in due time
en su día > at the proper time
en su día > in due course
en su día > in due time
en su fuero interno > deep down
en su fuero interno > in his heart of hearts
en su justo valor > on its own merits
en su mayoría > in the main
en su totalidad > all told
en su totalidad > as a whole
en su totalidad > in its entirety
en su totalidad o en parte > in whole or in part
en suma > briefly
en suma > in a nutshell
en suma > in short
en suma > in sum
en suma > to sum up
en sus grandes líneas > broadly speaking
en sustancia > in a nutshell
en sustancia > in a word
en sustancia > in brief
en tal caso > in such a case
en tal caso > in this case
en términos generales > as a general rule
en términos generales > broadly speaking
en términos generales > generally speaking
en términos generales > in a broad sense
en términos generales > in broad terms
en términos propios > clearly
en toda la extensión de la palabra > in every sense of the word
en todo caso > anyhow
en todo caso > anyway
en todo caso > at any rate
en todo caso > in any case
en todo respecto > by and large
en todos los aspectos > in all respects
en todos los aspectos > in every respect
en todos los aspectos > in every way
en todos los aspectos > on every account
en total > and so
en total > in short
en total > to cut a long story short
en total > when all is said and done
en tramitación > in the pipeline
en trámite > in the pipeline
en última instancia > as a last resort
en última instancia > finally
en última instancia > in the end
en última instancia > in the final analysis
en última instancia > in the last resort
en última instancia > on balance
en último caso > as a last resort
en último término > as a last resort
en último término > if the worst comes to the worst
en un caso así > in such a case
en un futuro cercano > in the immediate future
en un futuro cercano > in the near future
en un futuro cercano > in the short run
en un futuro inmediato > in the immediate future
en un futuro inmediato > in the near future
en un futuro inmediato > in the short run
en un futuro previsible > in the foreseeable future
en un futuro próximo > in the immediate future
en un futuro próximo > in the near future
en un futuro próximo > in the short run
en un mal momento > at the wrong time
en un momento oportuno > at a suitable time
en virtud de > under
enseguida > next
entre > between
entre la espada y la pared > between the devil and the deep blue sea
entre la espada y la pared > on the horns of a dilemma
entre paréntesis > by the by
entre paréntesis > by the way
entre paréntesis > incidentally
es decir > that is
es más > further
es más > furthermore
específicamente > specifically
está de más decir > needless to say
esto demuestra que > this shows that
esto es > that is
esto muestra > this shows
etcétera > etcetera
eternamente > eternally
evidentemente > evidently
ex profeso > deliberately
ex profeso > expressly
ex profeso > on purpose
ex profeso > specifically
extremadamente > extremely
finalmente > at last
finalmente > finally
fuera de propósito > besides the point
fuera de tiempo > at the wrong time
gratis > gratis
habiendo sido apropiadamente autorizado > having been duly authorized
hasta > until
hasta cierto punto > after a fashion
hasta cierto punto > in a sense
hasta cierto punto > in a way
hasta cierto punto > in some degree
hasta cierto punto > to a certain extent
hasta donde alcanza la memoria > as far back as we can recall
hasta donde entiendo > as far as I can judge
hasta donde entiendo > as far as one can see
hasta donde sé > as far as I am concerned
hasta donde sé > as far as I know
hasta donde sea posible > as far as practicable
hasta el 22 de junio > on or before June 22
hasta el 22 de junio > through June 22
hasta el 22 de junio > up to and including June 22
hasta este punto > in this instance
hasta más no poder > to the limit
hoy en día > in these times
hoy por hoy > in these times
hoy por hoy > nowadays
huelga decir > needless to say
idéntico a > identical to
igualmente > in the same manner (way)
igualmente > likewise
igualmente importante > equally important
incansablemente > ceaselessly
incluso ahora > as late as this
indudablemente > unquestionably
inmediatamente > immediately
inmediatamente después > immediately after
innegablemente > undeniably
junto a > adjacent to
junto a > next to
lo antes posible > as soon as possible
lo más probable es que no venga > chances are he wont come
lo más pronto posible > as soon as possible
lo que es más > whats more
luego > then
mal que bien > willingly or unwillingly
mal que bien > willy nilly
más allá de > beyond
más aún > furthermore
más aún > in addition
más aún > moreover
más o menos > after a fashion
más o menos > more or less
más o menos > so so
más que todo > and especially
más tarde > later
mientras > while
mientras tanto > in the meantime
mientras tanto > meantime
mientras tanto > meanwhile
mirando así las cosas > on this showing
mirándolo bien > on balance
muy a menudo > more often than not
muy a mi pesar > against ones better judgement
ni > nor
ni con mucho > far from it
ni con mucho > not anything like it
ni con mucho > not anything near it
ni con mucho > not by a long shot
ni con mucho > not by any means
ni nada que se le parezca > far from it
ni nada que se le parezca > not anything if the sort
ni por nada > for no reason at all
ni por nada > not for anything in the world
ni por nada > under no circumstances
ni qué decir tiene > needless to say
no obstante > nevertheless
no obstante > notwithstanding
nuevamente > again
nunca > never
o > or
obviamente > obviously
para abreviar > for short
para colmo > to top it all
para colmo de desfachatez > to add insult to injury
para concluir > to conclude
para continuar > to continue
para decirlo con otras palabras > to put it in other words
para demostrar > to demonstrate
para el caso > for that purpose
para ello > in doing so
para empezar > for one thing
para empezar > for openers
para entonces > by that time
para esta hora > at this hour
para estar seguros > to be sure
para este fin > to this end
para este fin > with this aim
para esto > to this end
para estos momentos > at this time
para estudio ulterior > for further consideration
para ilustrar > for instance
para ilustrar > to illustrate
para lo que yo quiero > for my purpose
para los efectos consiguientes > for appropriate action
para mejor seguridad > for safetys sake
para mejor seguridad > to be on the safe side
para muchos > in the judgement of many
para no decir más > to put it mildly
para que conste (en acta) > for the record
para que quede claro > for the record
para remate > to top it all
para resumir > to sum up
para ser breve > for brevitys sake
para siempre > forever
para su gobierno > for what it is worth
para su gobierno > for your guidance
para su gobierno > for your information
para su información > for what it is worth
para su información > for your information
para todo fin > for all purposes
para todo fin útil > as thought fit
para todo fin útil > for all practical purposes
para todo fin útil > for your attention
para una aclaración > on a point of clarification
para variar > for a change
particularmente > particularly
pase lo que pase > at all events
pase lo que pase > in any event
pase lo que pase > no matter what happens
pase lo que pase > whatever happens
pensándolo bien > come to think of it
pensándolo bien > on reflection
pensándolo bien > on second thoughts
pensándolo mejor > come to think of it
pensándolo mejor > on reflection
pensándolo mejor > on second thoughts
pero > but
pero > yet
poco a poco > by degree
poco a poco > gradually
por > because of
por acuerdo superior > having been duly authorized
por ahora > at the moment
por ahora > at this stage
por ahora > for the moment
por ahora > for the time being
por analogía > correspondingly
por analogía > in like manner
por analogía > mutatis mutandis
por antonomasia > par excellence
por añadidura > for good measure
por añadidura > into the bargain
por añadidura > on top of all this
por añadidura > to boot
por añadidura > to cap it all
por añadidura > to crown it all
por añadidura > to make matters worse
por aquel entonces > at that time
por aquel entonces > then
por cambiar > for a change
por casualidad > as chance would have it
por casualidad > by chance
por causas ajenas a su voluntad > for reasons beyond their control
por cierto > admittedly
por cierto > by the by
por cierto > by the way
por cierto > certainly
por cierto > incidentally
por cierto > indeed
por cierto > of course
por comparación > by comparison
por cuanto > whereas
por de contado > of course
por de pronto > anyway
por de pronto > at least
por de pronto > for the moment
por de pronto > for the time being
por de pronto > meanwhile
por de pronto > until further notice
por decirlo así > as it were
por decirlo así > so to speak
por ejemplo > for example
por ejemplo > for instance
por el bien parecer > for forms sake
por el bien parecer > to keep up appearances
por el bien parecer > to save appearances
por el estilo > like that
por el estilo > of that sort
por el estilo > of the same type
por el lado bueno de las cosas > to look on the bright side
por el momento > for the moment
por encargo del comité > at the behest of the committee
por encargo del comité > on the instructions of the committee
por entonces > by that time
por esa misma razón > for the same reason
por ese lado > on that score
por esta razón > for this reason
por etapas > in stages
por extenso > at length
por extenso > in detail
por extenso > in full
por fin > at long last
por fin > finally
por fórmula > as a matter of form
por fórmula > for forms sake
por gusto > of no use
por gusto > to no avail
por igual > equally
por igual > evenly
por implicación > by implication
por iniciativa propia > on ones own initiative
por innovar > for a change
por la cuenta que le trae > in your own interest
por la misma razón > by the same token
por las buenas o por las malas > by fair means or foul
por lo contrario > on the contrary
por lo demás > aside from this
por lo demás > besides
por lo demás > furthermore
por lo demás > in other respects
por lo demás > moreover
por lo demás > otherwise
por lo general > as a rule
por lo general > for the most part
por lo general > in the main
por lo general > normally
por lo general > on the whole
por lo general > usually
por lo pronto > until further notice
por lo que a mí se refiere > as far as I am concerned
por lo que a mí toca > for my part
por lo que he visto > from what I saw
por lo que sé > for all I know
por lo que se puede juzgar > as far as I can judge
por lo tanto > therefore
por lo visto > apparently
por lo visto > as far as one can see
por lo visto > evidently
por lo visto > it seems evident
por lo visto > to all appearances
por mejor decir > in other words
por mejor decir > or rather
por mejor decir > rather
por mejor decir > to put it more exactly
por motivos de orden práctico > for practical purposes
por mucho tiempo > for long
por muy curioso que parezca > curiously enough
por nada del mundo > under no circumstances
por naturaleza > by nature
por naturaleza > intrinsically
por naturaleza > naturally
por ningún concepto > by no means
por ningún concepto > in no sense
por ningún concepto > in no way
por ningún concepto > not on any terms
por ningún concepto > on no account
por no variar > as usual
por otra parte > besides
por otra parte > furthermore
por otra parte > in addition
por otra parte > moreover
por otra parte > on the other hand
por otro lado > besides
por otro lado > conversely
por otro lado > furthermore
por otro lado > in addition
por otro lado > moreover
por otro lado > on the other hand
por poco > almost
por poco > nearly
por principio > on principle
por pura fórmula > for forms sake
por razones de fuerza mayor > owing to circumstances beyond our control
por razones diversas > for a variety of reasons
por regla general > as a rule
por regla general > generally
por regla general > usually
por remate > finally
por si acaso > just in case
por si acaso > should the contingency arise
por si fuera poco > and on top of that
por si fuera poco > and to top it all
por si fuera poco > to say the least
por si puede servirle > for what it is worth
por si sirve de algo > for what it is worth
por sí solo > on its own
por sí solo > spontaneously
por su bien > for your sake
por su cuenta y riesgo > at ones own risk
por su gobierno > for what it is worth
por su gobierno > for your guidance
por su gobierno > for your information
por su orden > in its proper order
por su orden > in its turn
por su parte > likewise
por supuesto > as a matter of course
por supuesto > it goes without saying
por supuesto > naturally
por supuesto > of course
por término medio > on the average
por todo lo anterior > for all that
por todo lo que sé > for all I know
por todos los conceptos > from every point of view
por todos los conceptos > in every respect
por último > at last
por último > finally
por último > in closing
por último > last of all
por una coincidencia > as luck would have it
por variar > for a change
por varias razones > for a variety of reasons
porque > because
positivamente > positively
previamente > previously
primero que nada > first of all
pronto > soon
pues > so then
pues > then
pues > well
que equivale a decir > in other words
que yo sepa > as far as I know
que yo sepa > for all I know
que yo sepa > to the best of my belief
repetidas veces > again and again
repetidas veces > time and again
respecto a eso > as for that matter
resumiendo > all in all
resumiendo > summing up
salvo el parecer de usted > unless I hear to the contrary
salvo el parecer de usted > unless otherwise notified
salvo imprevistos > barring unforeseen circumstances
salvo indicación en contrario > unless otherwise noted
salvo mejor opinión del consejo > unless the council demurs
salvo pacto en contrario > except as otherwise provided
salvo pacto en contrario > unless otherwise agreed
salvo prueba en contrario > unless otherwise proved
salvo prueba en contrario > unless proved to the contrary
salvo prueba en contrario > unless the contrary be proved
sea como sea > by all means
sea como sea > one way or another
sea lo que fuere > anyhow
sea lo que fuere > anyway
sea lo que fuere > be that as it may
sea lo que fuere > the fact remains
sea lo que fuere > whatever happens
sea o no sea > anyway
según convenga > as circumstances may require
según convenga > as may be best
según corresponda > as appropriate
según están las cosas > as matters now stand
según están las cosas > the way things are at present
según estén las cosas > according to how things are
según estén las cosas > depending on how things are
según las apariencias > on the face of it
según las reglas > by the book
según lo requiera el caso > as the case may be
según lo requiera el caso > as the case may require
según los cánones > according to the book
según mi criterio > in my opinion
según parece > as far as I know
según parece > to all appearances
según procede > as appropriate
según sea el caso > as appropriate
según sea el caso > as the case may be
según sea necesario > as the case may require
sépase por la presente > know all men by these presents
si > if
si es preciso > if necessary
si fuera necesario > as the case requires
si fuera necesario > if necessary
si fuera necesario > if need be
si fuera procedente > if proper
si fuese necesario > if necessary
si fuese necesario > if need be
si hiciera falta > if the need arises
si la Oficina lo estimara conveniente > at the option of the Bureau
si lo hay > if any
si los hay > if any
si procede > if appropriate
si se estima conveniente > if deemed appropriate
si todo marcha bien > in the normal course of events
si todo sigue bien > in the normal course of events
siempre > always
similarmente > similarly
simultáneamente > simultaneously
sin ambages ni rodeos > without any beating about the bush
sin cesar > ceaselessly
sin cesar > nonstop
sin cesar > on and on
sin cesar > unceasingly
sin considerar > regardless
sin demora > at once
sin demora > forthwith
sin demora > without delay
sin dilación > at once
sin dilación > forthwith
sin dilación > without delay
sin duda > of course
sin duda > undoubtedly
sin duda > without a doubt
sin embargo > all the same
sin embargo > even so
sin embargo > however
sin embargo > nevertheless
sin embargo > notwithstanding
sin embargo > still
sin excepción > bar none
sin falta > for sure
sin gran dilación > on short notice
sin igual > in a class by itself
sin igual > unequalled
sin igual > unique
sin igual > unparalleled
sin importar > regardless
sin ir más lejos > to cut a long story short
sin la menor duda > far and away
sin lugar a dudas > without question
sin más (ni más) > without further ado
sin más que pedirlo > for the asking
sin mencionar > not to mention
sin motivo alguno > for no reason at all
sin motivo alguno > without any reason
sin ninguna duda > far and away
sin orden ni concierto > any old how
sin orden ni concierto > without rhyme or reason
sin par > in a class by itself
sin par > unequalled
sin par > unparalleled
sin pensarlo > off the cuff
sin querer > by error
sin querer > unintentionally
sin reserva > without reservation
sin solución de continuidad > without let-up
sino > but
sobre > above
sobre todo > above all
sorprendentemente > surprisingly
súbitamente > suddenly
subsecuentemente > subsequently
suceda lo que suceda > at all events
suceda lo que suceda > no matter what happens
sui generis > in a class by itself
supongamos > for arguments sake
tal como > just as
tal como > such as
tal como están las cosas > as it is
tal como están las cosas > as things are
tal como están las cosas > as things now stand
tal como están las cosas > at this stage
tal como se estipula > as stipulated
tales como, entre otros > including but not necessarily limited to
también > also
también > as well
tan pronto como > as soon as
tan pronto como le sea posible > at your earliest convenience
teóricamente > according to the book
todavía en 1930 > as late as 1930
todo lo contrario > quite the opposite
tome el caso de > take the case of
total > overall
tras > after
tras esto > following this
tras meditarlo > after mature consideration
tras pensarlo bien > after mature consideration
tras unas cuantas horas > after a few hours
últimamente > lately
una que otra vez > on rare occasions
una que otra vez > once in a while
una sola vez > once and for all
una vez > once
una y otra vez > again and again
unas cuantas horas después > after a few hours
valga lo que valiere > for what it is worth
veamos el caso de > take the case of
y así > and so
y así sucesivamente > and so forth
y especialmente > and especially
y finalmente, pero no por ello menos importante > last but not least
y lo demás > etcetera
y lo que es más > even more
y luego > and then
y más que todo > and especially
y mucho menos > let alone
y para colmo > and to top it all
y para colmo > to make matters worse
y para que conste > and for the record
y para que quede claro > and for the record
y por si fuera poco > and to top it all
y sin embargo > and yet
ya en 1930 > as early as 1930
ya en 1930 > as far back as 1930

Valentino dies. August 23.

2010-08-23T06:16:00.002-04:00

The death of silent-screen idol Rudolph Valentino at the age of 31 sends his fans into a hysterical state of mass mourning. In his brief film career, the Italian-born actor established a reputation as the archetypal screen lover. After his death from a ruptured ulcer was announced, dozens of suicide attempts were reported, and the actress Pola Negri--Valentino's most recent lover--was said to be inconsolable. Tens of thousands of people paid tribute at his open coffin in New York City, and 100,000 mourners lined the streets outside the church where funeral services were held. Valentino's body then traveled by train to Hollywood, where he was laid to rest after another funeral.

Rudolph Valentino was born Rodolfo Guglielmi in Castellaneta, Italy, in 1895. He immigrated to the United States in 1913 and worked as a gardener, dishwasher, waiter, and gigolo before building a minor career as a vaudeville dancer. In 1917, he went to Hollywood and appeared as a dancer in the movie Alimony. Valentino became known to casting directors as a reliable Latin villain type, and he appeared in a series of small parts before winning a leading role in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921). The film, which featured a memorable scene of Valentino dancing the tango, made the rakishly handsome Italian an overnight sensation. His popularity soared with romantic dramas such as The Sheik (1921), Blood and Sand (1922), and The Eagle (1925).

Valentino was Hollywood's first male sex symbol, and millions of female fans idolized him as the "Great Lover." His personal life was often stormy, and after two failed marriages he began dating the sexy Polish actress Pola Negri in 1926. Shortly after his final film, The Son of the Sheik, opened, in August 1926, he was hospitalized in New York because of a ruptured ulcer. Fans stood in a teary-eyed vigil outside Polyclinic Hospital for a week, but shortly after 12 p.m. on August 23 he succumbed to infection.

Valentino lay in state for several days at Frank E. Campbell's funeral home at Broadway and 66th St., and thousands of mourners rioted, smashed windows, and fought with police to get a glimpse of the deceased star. Standing guard by the coffin were four Fascists, allegedly sent by Italian leader Benito Mussolini but in fact hired by Frank Campbell's press agent. On August 30, a funeral was held at St. Malachy's Church on W. 49th St., and a number of Hollywood notables turned out, among them Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and Gloria Swanson. Pola Negri appointed herself chief mourner and obligingly fainted for photographers several times between the train station and the chapel. She collapsed in a dead faint again beside Valentino's bier, where she had installed a massive flower arrangement that spelled out the word POLA.

Valentino's body was shipped to Hollywood, where another funeral was held for him at the Church of the Good Shepherd on September 14. He then was finally laid to rest in a crypt donated by his friend June Mathis in Hollywood Memorial Park. Each year on the anniversary of his death, a mysterious "Lady in Black" appeared at his tomb and left a single red rose. She was later joined by other, as many as a dozen, "Ladies in Black." The identity of the original Lady in Black is disputed, but the most convincing claimant is Ditra Flame, who said that Valentino visited her in the hospital when she was deathly ill at age 14, bringing her a red rose. Flame said she kept up her annual pilgrimage for three decades and then abandoned the practice when multiple imitators started showing up.

PAINTBALL PRO SCHOOL EN ARICA.

2010-08-19T22:05:00.004-04:00

Smithsonian Institution created. August 10, 1846.

2010-08-10T10:28:00.002-04:00

After a decade of debate about how best to spend a bequest left to America from an obscure English scientist, President James K. Polk signs the Smithsonian Institution Act into law.

In 1829, James Smithson died in Italy, leaving behind a will with a peculiar footnote. In the event that his only nephew died without any heirs, Smithson decreed that the whole of his estate would go to "the United States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an Establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge." Smithson's curious bequest to a country that he had never visited aroused significant attention on both sides of the Atlantic.

Smithson had been a fellow of the venerable Royal Society of London from the age of 22, publishing numerous scientific papers on mineral composition, geology, and chemistry. In 1802, he overturned popular scientific opinion by proving that zinc carbonates were true carbonate minerals, and one type of zinc carbonate was later named smithsonite in his honor.

Six years after his death, his nephew, Henry James Hungerford, indeed died without children, and on July 1, 1836, the U.S. Congress authorized acceptance of Smithson's gift. President Andrew Jackson sent diplomat Richard Rush to England to negotiate for transfer of the funds, and two years later Rush set sail for home with 11 boxes containing a total of 104,960 gold sovereigns, 8 shillings, and 7 pence, as well as Smithson's mineral collection, library, scientific notes, and personal effects. After the gold was melted down, it amounted to a fortune worth well over $500,000. After considering a series of recommendations, including the creation of a national university, a public library, or an astronomical observatory, Congress agreed that the bequest would support the creation of a museum, a library, and a program of research, publication, and collection in the sciences, arts, and history. On August 10, 1846, the act establishing the Smithsonian Institution was signed into law by President James K. Polk.

Today, the Smithsonian is composed of 19 museums and galleries including the recently announced National Museum of African American History and Culture, nine research facilities throughout the United States and the world, and the national zoo. Besides the original Smithsonian Institution Building, popularly known as the "Castle," visitors to Washington, D.C., tour the National Museum of Natural History, which houses the natural science collections, the National Zoological Park, and the National Portrait Gallery. The National Museum of American History houses the original Star-Spangled Banner and other artifacts of U.S. history. The National Air and Space Museum has the distinction of being the most visited museum in the world, exhibiting such marvels of aviation and space history as the Wright brothers' plane and Freedom 7, the space capsule that took the first American into space. John Smithson, the Smithsonian Institution's great benefactor, is interred in a tomb in the Smithsonian Building.

Last classic VW Beetle rolls off the line. July 30.

2010-07-30T08:20:00.003-04:00

On this day in 2003, the last of 21,529,464 Volkswagen Beetles built since World War II rolls off the production line at Volkswagen's plant in Puebla, Mexico. One of a 3,000-unit final edition, the baby-blue vehicle was sent to a museum in Wolfsburg, Germany, where Volkswagen is headquartered.

The car produced in Puebla that day was the last so-called "classic" VW Beetle, which is not to be confused with the redesigned new Beetle that Volkswagen introduced in 1998. (The new Beetle resembles the classic version but is based on the VW Golf.) The roots of the classic Beetle stretch back to the mid-1930s, when the famed Austrian automotive engineer Dr. Ferdinand Porsche met German leader Adolf Hitler's request for a small, affordable passenger car to satisfy the transportation needs of the German people Hitler called the result the KdF (Kraft-durch-Freude)-Wagen (or "Strength-Through-Joy" car) after a Nazi-led movement ostensibly aimed at helping the working people of Germany; it would later be known by the name Porsche preferred: Volkswagen, or "people's car."

The first production-ready Kdf-Wagen debuted at the Berlin Motor Show in 1939; the international press soon dubbed it the "Beetle" for its distinctive rounded shape. During World War II, the factory in Kdf-stat (later renamed Wolfsburg) continued to make Beetles, though it was largely dedicated to production of war vehicles. Production was halted under threat of Allied bombing in August 1944 and did not resume until after the war, under British control. Though VW sales were initially slower in the United States compared with the rest of the world, by 1960 the Beetle was the top-selling import in America, thanks to an iconic ad campaign by the firm Doyle Dane Bernbach. In 1972, the Beetle surpassed the longstanding worldwide production record of 15 million vehicles, set by Ford Motor Company's legendary Model T between 1908 and 1927. It also became a worldwide cultural icon, featuring prominently in the hit 1969 movie "The Love Bug" (which starred a Beetle named Herbie) and on the cover of the Beatles album "Abbey Road."

In 1977, however, the Beetle, with its rear-mounted, air-cooled-engine, was banned in America for failing to meet safety and emission standards. Worldwide sales of the car shrank by the late 1970s and by 1988, the classic Beetle was sold only in Mexico. Due to increased competition from other manufacturers of inexpensive compact cars, and a Mexican decision to phase out two-door taxis, Volkswagen decided to discontinue production of the classic bug in 2003. The final count of 21,529,464, incidentally, did not include the original 600 cars built by the Nazis prior to World War II.

14th Amendment adopted. July 28.

2010-07-28T12:43:00.001-04:00

Following its ratification by the necessary three-quarters of U.S. states, the 14th Amendment, guaranteeing to African Americans citizenship and all its privileges, is officially adopted into the U.S. Constitution.

Two years after the Civil War, the Reconstruction Acts of 1867 divided the South into five military districts, where new state governments, based on universal manhood suffrage, were to be established. Thus began the period known as Radical Reconstruction, which saw the 14th Amendment, which had been passed by Congress in 1866, ratified in July 1868. The amendment resolved pre-Civil War questions of African American citizenship by stating that "all persons born or naturalized in the United States...are citizens of the United States and of the state in which they reside." The amendment then reaffirmed the privileges and rights of all citizens, and granted all these citizens the "equal protection of the laws."

In the decades after its adoption, the equal protection clause was cited by a number of African American activists who argued that racial segregation denied them the equal protection of law. However, in 1896, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Plessy v. Ferguson that states could constitutionally provide segregated facilities for African Americans, so long as they were equal to those afforded white persons. The Plessy v. Ferguson decision, which announced federal toleration of the so-called "separate but equal" doctrine, was eventually used to justify segregating all public facilities, including railroad cars, restaurants, hospitals, and schools. However, "colored" facilities were never equal to their white counterparts, and African Americans suffered through decades of debilitating discrimination in the South and elsewhere. In 1954, Plessy v. Ferguson was finally struck down by the Supreme Court in its ruling in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.

Open Arms. Journey.

2010-07-19T13:09:00.002-04:00

No one. Alicia Keys.

2010-07-09T17:59:00.002-04:00

Bob Dylan records "Blowin’ In The Wind". July 9.

2010-07-09T11:17:00.002-04:00

"This here ain’t no protest song or anything like that, ‘cause I don’t write no protest songs." That was how Bob Dylan introduced one of the most eloquent protest songs ever written when he first performed it publicly. It was the spring of his first full year in New York City, and he was onstage at Gerde’s Folk City in Greenwich Village, talking about a song he claims to have written in just 10 minutes: "Blowin’ In The Wind." A few weeks later, on this day in 1962, Dylan walked into a studio and recorded the song that would make him a star.

Dylan’s recording of "Blowin’ In The Wind" would first be released nearly a full year later, on his breakthrough album, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. This was not the version of the song that most people would first hear, however. That honor went to the cover version by Peter, Paul and Mary—a version that not only became a smash hit on the pop charts, but also transformed what Dylan would later call "just another song" into the unofficial anthem of the civil rights movement.

"Blowin’ In The Wind" bore little or no resemblance to the highly topical, highly literal protest songs of the day, but that may have been precisely what made it so effective as a protest song. A lyric like "How many roads must a man walk down, before you call him a man?" lends itself perfectly to those seeking racial justice, just as "How many seas must a white dove sail, before she sleeps in the sand?" does to those seeking peace. The moving, vaguely spiritual, clearly dissatisfied, yet ultimately ambiguous nature of "Blowin’ In the Wind" made it the quintessential protest song of the 1960s—"A song that the times seemed to call forth," in the words of critic Greil Marcus.

It also represented a significant breakthrough for Bob Dylan as a songwriter. From "Blowin’ In The Wind" onward, Dylan’s songs would reflect a far more personal and poetic approach to self-expression—an approach that would lead him away from songs like "The Times They Are a-Changin’" and toward songs like "Like A Rolling Stone." And Dylan’s development as a songwriter would, in turn, have a similar effect on The Beatles, whose own move from "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" to "A Day In The Life" can be traced directly to their exposure to The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan in the spring of 1964.

"Lean On Me" begins its first stay at #1. July 8.

2010-07-08T16:19:00.001-04:00

Bill Withers stepped into a recording studio for the very first time at the age of 32, and two years later, he’d written and recorded one of the most beloved pop songs of the modern era: "Lean On Me," which began its first stay at #1 on the pop charts on this day in 1972.

Bill Withers was born in 1938 in the coal-mining company town of Slab Fork, West Virginia, where he left school at age 13 to help support his family following the death of his father. The Navy took Withers out into the wider world at the age of 17, and he settled in California following his discharge nine years later. At age 29, he set his mind to pursuing a career in music, but he hedged his bets with full-time factory jobs in various Southern California defense plants. It took three years for anyone to show an interest in him, but in 1970, Sussex Records signed Bill Withers and paired him with producer Booker T. Jones of Booker T. and the MG’s fame. While Withers continued to work in an aircraft factory assembling toilet seats, his 1971 debut album, Just As I Am, became a major critical success, yielding the Grammy Award-winning hit single "Ain’t No Sunshine" and the minor R&B classic "Grandma’s Hands."

Withers was still a full-time factory worker when he wrote the song whose success would finally convince him to give up his day job. "For a long time I didn’t really accept my new career," he told the Los Angeles Times in 1975. "It was like I was on vacation from the factory and at some point I would have to take my tool box and go back to work." Withers’ "Lean On Me" became a simultaneous #1 hit on the Billboard pop and R&B charts on this day in 1972, and it returned to the #1 spot on the pop charts in March 1987 in a hip-hop inflected remake by Club Nouveau. It has also been covered by artists as diverse as Michael Bolton (1994), Anne Murray (1999) and Limp Bizkit (2005).

Behind the Scenes of Twilight.

2010-07-06T20:31:00.001-04:00

First successful cloning of a mammal. Jul 5.

2010-07-05T12:13:00.001-04:00

On this day in 1996, Dolly the sheep--the first mammal to have been successfully cloned from an adult cell--is born at the Roslin Institute in Scotland.

Originally code-named "6LL3," the cloned lamb was named after the buxom singer and actress Dolly Parton. The name was reportedly suggested by one of the stockmen who assisted with her birth, after he learned that the animal was cloned from a mammary cell. The cells had been taken from the udder of a six-year-old ewe and cultured in a lab using microscopic needles, in a method first used in human fertility treatments in the 1970s. After producing a number of normal eggs, scientists implanted them into surrogate ewes; 148 days later one of them gave birth to Dolly.

Dolly's birth was announced publicly in February 1997 to a storm of controversy. On one hand, supporters argued that cloning technology can lead to crucial advances in medicine, citing the production of genetically modified animals to be organ donors for humans as well as "therapeutic" cloning, or the process of cloning embryos in order to collect stem cells for use in the development of treatments for degenerative nerve diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Some scientists also looked at animal cloning as a possible way to preserve endangered species. On the other hand, detractors saw the new cloning technology as potentially unsafe and unethical, especially when it was applied to what many saw as the logical next step: human cloning.

Over the course of her short life, Dolly was mated to a male sheep named David and eventually gave birth to four lambs. In January 2002 she was found to have arthritis in her hind legs, a diagnosis that raised questions about genetic abnormalities that may have been caused in the cloning process. After suffering from a progressive lung disease, Dolly was put down on February 14, 2003, at the age of six. Her early death raised more questions about the safety of cloning, both animal and human. Though Ian Wilmut, the lead scientist on the team that produced Dolly, has spoken out publicly against human cloning, its supporters are unlikely to be dissuaded. As for Dolly, the historic sheep was stuffed and is now on display at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

Harry Potter 7: Behind the Scenes.

2010-07-01T20:45:00.001-04:00

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows - Official Trailer [HD] .

2010-06-30T09:06:00.001-04:00

The Globe Theater burns down. June 29.

2010-06-29T13:41:00.001-04:00

The Globe Theater, where most of Shakespeare's plays debuted, burned down on this day in 1613.

The Globe was built by Shakespeare's acting company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, in 1599 from the timbers of London's very first permanent theater, Burbage's Theater, built in 1576. Before James Burbage built his theater, plays and dramatic performances were ad hoc affairs, performed on street corners and in the yards of inns. However, the Common Council of London, in 1574, started licensing theatrical pieces performed in inn yards within the city limits. To escape the restriction, actor James Burbage built his own theater on land he leased outside the city limits. When Burbage's lease ran out, the Lord Chamberlain's men moved the timbers to a new location and created the Globe. Like other theaters of its time, the Globe was a round wooden structure with a stage at one end, and covered balconies for the gentry. The galleries could seat about 1,000 people, with room for another 2,000 "groundlings," who could stand on the ground around the stage.

The Lord Chamberlain's men built Blackfriars theater in 1608, a smaller theater that seated about 700 people, to use in winter when the open-air Globe wasn't practical.

“King of Pop” Michael Jackson dies at age 50. Jun 25.

2010-06-25T08:11:00.002-04:00

On this day in 2009, Michael Jackson, one of the most commercially successful entertainers in history, dies at the age of 50 at his home in Los Angeles, California, after suffering from cardiac arrest caused by a fatal combination of drugs given to him by his personal doctor.

Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana, the seventh of Katherine and Joe Jackson’s nine children. At the age of 5, Jackson began performing with his older brothers in a music group coached by their steelworker father. In 1968, Motown Records signed the group, which became known as the Jackson 5, and Michael Jackson, a natural showman, emerged as the lead singer and star. The Jackson 5’s first album, released in 1969, featured the hit "I Want You Back," and the group’s brand of pop-soul-R&B music made them an immediate success. Their musical popularity even led to their starring in their own TV cartoon series in the early 1970s.

Jackson released his first solo album, "Got to Be There," in 1972, while continuing to sing with his brothers. Six years later, in 1978, he made his big-screen debut as the Scarecrow in "The Wiz," an adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name. Directed by Quincy Jones, the film starred an all-black cast that included singer Diana Ross as Dorothy. Jones collaborated with Jackson on his 1979 album “Off the Wall,” which sold some 7 million copies worldwide. The pair teamed up again for Jackson’s now-iconic 1982 album, "Thriller," which went on to sell 50 million copies around the globe, making it the best-selling studio album of all time. "Thriller" is credited with jump-starting the era of music videos and playing a key role in the rise of then-fledging cable TV network MTV, which launched in 1981.

In 1983, Jackson created a massive sensation on a live Motown anniversary TV special when he performed his now-signature Moonwalk dance step while wearing a black fedora and a single white glove covered with rhinestones. According to The Los Angeles Times critic Robert Hillburn, the performance served as Jackson’s "unofficial coronation as the King of Pop. Within months, he changed the way people would hear and see pop music, unleashing an influence that rivaled that of Elvis Presley and the Beatles."

Jackson’s next solo effort, "Bad," debuted in 1987. It sold 8 million copies and featured a music video from acclaimed movie director Martin Scorsese. By this time, however, Jackson had paid a high price for his massive success. According to The Los Angeles Times: "He became so accustomed to bodyguards and assistants that he once admitted that he trembled if he had to open his own front door."

By the 1990s, Jackson’s life was near-constant tabloid fodder. In 1993, he was accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy who had been a sleepover guest at his home. Jackson denied the allegations and the criminal investigation was dropped; however, the singer later settled a civil lawsuit with the boy’s family for a reported $20 million. In 2003, Jackson was accused of molesting another boy. Following a highly publicized trial in 2005, he was acquitted of all charges. During these years, Jackson also faced intense media scrutiny over his radically altered physical appearance, which included an ever-lighter complexion (which he attributed to a skin condition) and multiple plastic surgeries. Although Jackson himself was mostly close-mouthed on the topic, media sources alleged that Jackson developed an obsession with cosmetic surgery, in part, following an accident he suffered in January 1984 while shooting a Pepsi commercial. During filming, a pyrotechnics mishap set the singer’s hair on fire, and he suffered burns on his head and face that required reconstructive surgery. In the aftermath of the surgery, Jackson reportedly suffered from an addiction to prescription painkillers.

Jackson also made headlines with his brief marriage (1994-1994) to Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of singer Elvis Presley. From 1996 to 1999, he was wed to Debbie Rowe, the former assistant of his dermatologist and the mother of two of his three children. (Jackson’s youngest child, a boy, was reportedly born via a surrogate.)

On June 25, 2009, Jackson, who after a lengthy time away from the public spotlight was preparing for a series of summer concerts in London, was discovered unconscious in his Los Angeles mansion. The Los Angeles coroner’s officer later ruled the pop star’s death a homicide after lethal levels of the powerful sedative propofol, as well other drugs, were found in his system. Jackson’s personal physician, who was at the singer’s home when he died, had been giving him propofol as a sleep aid for a period of weeks.

On July 7, 2009, more than 20,000 fans attended a public memorial for Jackson at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Over 30 million viewers tuned in watch the event on cable TV, while millions more viewed it online.

U.S. Air Force reports on Roswell. Jun 24.

2010-06-24T09:20:00.001-04:00

On this day in 1997, U.S. Air Force officials release a 231-page report dismissing long-standing claims of an alien spacecraft crash in Roswell, New Mexico, almost exactly 50 years earlier.

Public interest in Unidentified Flying Objects, or UFOs, began to flourish in the 1940s, when developments in space travel and the dawn of the atomic age caused many Americans to turn their attention to the skies. The town of Roswell, located near the Pecos River in southeastern New Mexico, became a magnet for UFO believers due to the strange events of early July 1947, when ranch foreman W.W. Brazel found a strange, shiny material scattered over some of his land. He turned the material over to the sheriff, who passed it on to authorities at the nearby Air Force base. On July 8, Air Force officials announced they had recovered the wreckage of a "flying disk." A local newspaper put the story on its front page, launching Roswell into the spotlight of the public's UFO fascination.

The Air Force soon took back their story, however, saying the debris had been merely a downed weather balloon. Aside from die-hard UFO believers, or "ufologists," public interest in the so-called "Roswell Incident" faded until the late 1970s, when claims surfaced that the military had invented the weather balloon story as a cover-up. Believers in this theory argued that officials had in fact retrieved several alien bodies from the crashed spacecraft, which were now stored in the mysterious Area 51 installation in Nevada. Seeking to dispel these suspicions, the Air Force issued a 1,000-page report in 1994 stating that the crashed object was actually a high-altitude weather balloon launched from a nearby missile test-site as part of a classified experiment aimed at monitoring the atmosphere in order to detect Soviet nuclear tests.

On July 24, 1997, barely a week before the extravagant 50th anniversary celebration of the incident, the Air Force released yet another report on the controversial subject. Titled "The Roswell Report, Case Closed," the document stated definitively that there was no Pentagon evidence that any kind of life form was found in the Roswell area in connection with the reported UFO sightings, and that the "bodies" recovered were not aliens but dummies used in parachute tests conducted in the region. Any hopes that this would put an end to the cover-up debate were in vain, as furious ufologists rushed to point out the report's inconsistencies. With conspiracy theories still alive and well on the Internet, Roswell continues to thrive as a tourist destination for UFO enthusiasts far and wide, hosting the annual UFO Encounter Festival each July and welcoming visitors year-round to its International UFO Museum and Research Center.

Batman released. June 23.

2010-06-23T16:53:00.001-04:00

On this day in 1989, Tim Burton’s noir spin on the well-known story of the DC Comics hero Batman is released in theaters.

Michael Keaton starred in the film as the multimillionaire Bruce Wayne, who has transformed himself into the crime-fighting Batman after witnessing his parents’ brutal murder as a child. As the film’s action begins, mob henchman Jack Napier (Jack Nicholson) is gruesomely disfigured after Batman inadvertently drops him in a vat of acid during a stand-off in a chemical factory. After killing his boss (Jack Palance), Napier--now known as the Joker--goes on the loose in Gotham City, wreaking havoc and trying to turn its people against the caped crusader. When Batman’s affection for a beautiful newspaper reporter, Vicki Vale (Kim Basinger), is revealed, the Joker uses her to draw his rival out into the open, with dramatic results.

Controversy had surrounded the casting of Keaton (best known for comedies like 1983’s Mr. Mom) as Batman. An entire roster of prominent leading men--reportedly including Mel Gibson, Dennis Quaid, Harrison Ford and Kevin Costner--were considered for the role, and Burton reportedly wanted to cast an unknown actor (a la Christopher Reeve in Superman). Having worked previously with Keaton in Beetlejuice (1988), Burton liked the idea of collaborating with him again, and the producers agreed, after screening Keaton’s 1988 film Clean and Sober, that Keaton had talent as a “serious” actor as well.

In a new marketing strategy that would become a trend for movies featuring super heroes, Warner Brothers hyped Batman as a major summer “event” long before its release. The results were stunning, as the film grossed some $100 million in its first ten days of release, including $82.8 million at the domestic box office alone. Reviews for the film were mixed, though most critics praised Nicholson’s scene-stealing performance as the Joker. For his creation of the movie’s impressive Batmobile and the dark, cavernous Gotham City, Batman’s production designer, Anton Furst, won an Oscar for Best Art Direction - Set Decoration.

Burton’s second Batman film, Batman Returns (1989), also starred Keaton as the caped crusader. Most critics considered the sequel, also a box-office hit, to be a better movie than its predecessor. Warner Brothers, seeking even greater commercial success for the franchise, hired Joel Schumacher to direct the next installment, Batman Forever (1995), which starred Val Kilmer as Batman; Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey were the villains in that film, while Nicole Kidman was the love interest and Chris O’Donnell came on as Robin, Batman’s sidekick. Kilmer, like Keaton before him, left the franchise before the making of the next planned film because he felt Batman was getting less attention than his enemies; George Clooney took his place for Schumacher’s Batman & Robin (1997), which was roundly panned by critics.

A few years later, the director Christopher Nolan reoriented the series, going back to Bruce Wayne’s childhood for Batman Begins (2005), starring Christian Bale in the title role. That film earned the best reviews of all the Batman films to date, and was a huge box-office success. Nolan and Bale returned for a 2008 sequel, The Dark Knight, which featured a stunning turn by Heath Ledger (who was found dead of an accidental prescription drug overdose soon after filming was completed) as the Joker. In its opening weekend, the film raked in some $158 million, surpassing the previous record-holder, 2007’s Spider-Man 3, to score the highest-grossing opening weekend of any movie in history.

FDR signs G.I. Bill. June 22.

2010-06-21T20:50:00.002-04:00

On this day in 1944, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the G.I. Bill, an unprecedented act of legislation designed to compensate returning members of the armed services--known as G.I.s--for their efforts in World War II. As the last of its sweeping New Deal reforms, Roosevelt's administration created the G.I. Bill--officially the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944--hoping to avoid a relapse into the Great Depression after the war ended. FDR particularly wanted to prevent a repeat of the Bonus March of 1932, when 20,000 unemployed veterans and their families flocked in protest to Washington. The American Legion, a veteran's organization, successfully fought for many of the provisions included in the bill, which gave returning servicemen access to unemployment compensation, low-interest home and business loans, and--most importantly--funding for education.

By giving veterans money for tuition, living expenses, books, supplies and equipment, the G.I. Bill effectively transformed higher education in America. Before the war, college had been an option for only 10-15 percent of young Americans, and university campuses had become known as a haven for the most privileged classes. By 1947, in contrast, vets made up half of the nation's college enrollment; three years later, nearly 500,000 Americans graduated from college, compared with 160,000 in 1939. As educational institutions opened their doors to this diverse new group of students, overcrowded classrooms and residences prompted widespread improvement and expansion of university facilities and teaching staffs. An array of new vocational courses were developed across the country, including advanced training in education, agriculture, commerce, mining and fishing--skills that had previously been taught only informally. The G.I. Bill became one of the major forces that drove an economic expansion in America that lasted 30 years after World War II. Only 20 percent of the money set aside for unemployment compensation under the bill was given out, as most veterans found jobs or pursued higher education. Low interest home loans enabled millions of American families to move out of urban centers and buy or build homes outside the city, changing the face of the suburbs. Over 50 years, the impact of the G.I. Bill was enormous, with 20 million veterans and dependents using the education benefits and 14 million home loans guaranteed, for a total federal investment of $67 billion. Among the millions of Americans who have taken advantage of the bill are former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford, former Vice President Al Gore and entertainers Johnny Cash, Ed McMahon, Paul Newman and Clint Eastwood.

IRIS - GOO GOO DOLLS & AVRIL LAVIGNE.

2010-06-21T12:34:00.000-04:00

Mr. Tambourine Man is released, and the folk-rock revolution is on. June 21.

2010-06-20T23:29:00.002-04:00

Released on this day in 1965, the Byrds’ debut album, Mr. Tambourine Man, marked the beginning of the folk-rock revolution. In just a few months, the Byrds had become a household name, with a #1 single and a smash-hit album that married the ringing guitars and backbeat of the British Invasion with the harmonies and lyrical depth of folk to create an entirely new sound.

Perhaps someone else could have listened to the bright guitar lines of the Beatles’ "Ticket To Ride" and to Bob Dylan’s original "Mr. Tambourine Man" and had the idea of somehow combining the two, but neither of those recordings existed when the Byrds’ Roger McGuinn devised his group’s new sound. Newly signed to Columbia Records, the Byrds had access to an early demo version of "Mr. Tambourine Man" even before their label-mate Bob Dylan had had a chance to record it for his own upcoming album. On January 20, 1965, they entered the studio to record what would become the title track of their debut album and, incidentally, the only Bob Dylan song ever to reach #1 on the U.S. pop charts. Aiming consciously for a vocal style in between Dylan’s and Lennon’s, McGuinn sang lead, with Gene Clark and David Crosby providing the complex harmony that would, along with McGuinn’s jangly electric 12-string Rickenbacker guitar, form the basis of the Byrds’ trademark sound.

That sound, which would influence countless groups from Big Star to the Bangles in decades to come, had an immediate and profound impact on the Byrds’ contemporaries, and even on the artists who’d inspired it in the first place. "Wow, man, you can even dance to that!" was Bob Dylan’s reaction to hearing what the Byrds’ had done with "Mr. Tambourine Man." Just days before the hugely influential album of the same name was released to the public on June 21, 1965, Dylan himself would be in a New York recording studio with an electric guitar in his hands, putting the finishing touches on "Like A Rolling Stone" and setting the stage for his controversial "Dylan goes electric" performance at the Newport Folk Festival just one month later.

War of 1812 begins. June 18.

2010-06-17T22:06:00.002-04:00

The day after the Senate followed the House of Representatives in voting to declare war against Great Britain, President James Madison signs the declaration into law--and the War of 1812 begins. The American war declaration, opposed by a sizable minority in Congress, had been called in response to the British economic blockade of France, the induction of American seaman into the British Royal Navy against their will, and the British support of hostile Indian tribes along the Great Lakes frontier. A faction of Congress known as the "War Hawks" had been advocating war with Britain for several years and had not hidden their hopes that a U.S. invasion of Canada might result in significant territorial land gains for the United States.

In the months after President Madison proclaimed the state of war to be in effect, American forces launched a three-point invasion of Canada, all of which were decisively unsuccessful. In 1814, with Napoleon Bonaparte's French Empire collapsing, the British were able to allocate more military resources to the American war, and Washington, D.C., fell to the British in August. In Washington, British troops burned the White House, the Capitol, and other buildings in retaliation for the earlier burning of government buildings in Canada by U.S. soldiers.

In September, the tide of the war turned when Thomas Macdonough's American naval force won a decisive victory at the Battle of Plattsburg Bay on Lake Champlain. The invading British army was forced to retreat back into Canada. The American victory on Lake Champlain led to the conclusion of U.S.-British peace negotiations in Belgium, and on December 24, 1814, the Treaty of Ghent was signed, formally ending the War of 1812. By the terms of the agreement, all conquered territory was to be returned, and a commission would be established to settle the boundary of the United States and Canada.

British forces assailing the Gulf Coast were not informed of the treaty in time, and on January 8, 1815, the U.S. forces under Andrew Jackson achieved the greatest American victory of the war at the Battle of New Orleans. The American public heard of Jackson's victory and the Treaty of Ghent at approximately the same time, fostering a greater sentiment of self-confidence and shared identity throughout the young republic.

Statue of Liberty arrives. June 17.

2010-06-16T20:40:00.002-04:00

The Statue of Liberty, a gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States, arrives in New York City's harbor.

Originally known as "Liberty Enlightening the World," the statue was proposed by French historian Edouard Laboulaye to commemorate the Franco-American alliance during the American Revolution. Designed by French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, the 151-foot statue was the form of a woman with an uplifted arm holding a torch. In February 1877, Congress approved the use of a site on New York Bedloe's Island, which was suggested by Bartholdi. In May 1884, the statue was completed in France, and three months later the Americans laid the cornerstone for its pedestal in New York. On June 19, 1885, the dismantled Statue of Liberty arrived in the New World, enclosed in more than 200 packing cases. Its copper sheets were reassembled, and the last rivet of the monument was fitted on October 28, 1886, during a dedication presided over by U.S. President Grover Cleveland.

On the pedestal was inscribed "The New Colossus," a famous sonnet by American poet Emma Lazarus that welcomed immigrants to the United States with the declaration, "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, / The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. / Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me. / I lift my lamp beside the golden door." Six years later, Ellis Island, adjacent to Bedloe's Island, opened as the chief entry station for immigrants to the United States, and for the next 32 years more than 12 million immigrants were welcomed into New York harbor by the sight of "Lady Liberty." In 1924, the Statue of Liberty was made a national monument.

Star Wars - Clone Wars. Behind the Scenes.

2010-06-16T13:09:00.000-04:00

First roller coaster in America opens. June 16.

2010-06-15T19:36:00.002-04:00

On this day in 1884, the first roller coaster in America opens at Coney Island, in Brooklyn, New York. Known as a switchback railway, it was the brainchild of LaMarcus Thompson, traveled approximately six miles per hour and cost a nickel to ride. The new entertainment was an instant success and by the turn of the century there were hundreds of roller coasters around the country.

Coney Island, a name believed to have come from the Dutch Konijn Eilandt, or Rabbit Island, is a tract of land along the Atlantic Ocean discovered by explorer Henry Hudson in 1609. The first hotel opened at Coney Island in 1829 and by the post-Civil War years, the area was an established resort with theaters, restaurants and a race track. Between 1897 and 1904, three amusement parks sprang up at Coney Island--Dreamland, Luna Park and Steeplechase. By the 1920s, Coney Island was reachable by subway and summer crowds of a million people a day flocked there for rides, games, sideshows, the beach and the two-and-a-half-mile boardwalk, completed in 1923.

The hot dog is said to have been invented at Coney Island in 1867 by Charles Feltman. In 1916, a nickel hot dog stand called Nathan's was opened by a former Feltman employee and went on to become a Coney Island institution and international franchise. Today, Nathan's is famous not only for its hot dogs but its hot dog-eating contest, held each Fourth of July in Coney Island. In 2006, Takeru Kobayashi set a new record when he ate 53.75 hot dogs with buns in 12 minutes.

Roller coasters and amusement parks experienced a decline during the Great Depression and World War II, when Americans had less cash to spend on entertainment. Finally, in 1955, the opening of Disneyland in Anaheim, California, signaled the advent of the modern theme park and a rebirth of the roller coaster. Disneyland's success sparked a wave of new parks and coasters. By the 1970s, parks were competing to create the most thrilling rides. In 2005, Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, introduced the Kingda Ka roller coaster, the world's tallest (at 456 feet) and fastest (at 128 mph).

By the mid-1960s, the major amusement parks at Coney Island had shut down and the area acquired a seedy image. Nevertheless, Coney Island remains a tourist attraction and home to the Cyclone, a wooden coaster that made its debut there in 1927. Capable of speeds of 60 mph and with an 85-foot drop, the Cyclone is one of the country's oldest coasters in operation today. Though a real-estate developer recently announced the building of a new $1.5 billion year-round resort at Coney Island that will include a 4,000-foot-long roller coaster, an indoor water park and a multi-level carousel, the Cyclone's owners have said they plan to keep the historic coaster open for business.

Avatar. Behind the Scenes.

2010-05-24T19:25:00.000-04:00

Avatar. Trailer.

2010-05-24T19:23:00.001-04:00

I just wanna B close 2 U. Maxi Priest.

2010-05-10T11:33:00.001-04:00

THE DAY AFTER............. THE TEST :D

2010-05-05T02:04:00.004-04:00

I remember you. Skid Row.

2010-03-25T22:17:00.001-03:00

Sweet child o' mine. Guns and Roses.

2010-03-12T11:51:00.001-03:00

Alone - Cover by Celine Dion.

2010-02-06T17:46:00.000-03:00

Gonçalves On-Line y la Cultura. Hernán Sudy Pinto.

2010-01-22T09:50:00.001-03:00

Gonçalves On-Line y la Cultura.

2010-01-22T09:44:00.006-03:00

Gonçalves On-Line y la Cultura - José Barraza.

2009-12-21T18:02:00.003-03:00

Programa "Gonçalves On-Line y la Cultura" de diario electrónico Chasquis.cl. Entrevista al actor Gastón Herrera. Conductor Enrique Gonçalves.

Gonçalves On-Line y la Cultura - Gastón Herrera.

2009-12-15T14:53:00.002-03:00

Programa "Gonçalves On-Line y la Cultura" de diario electrónico Chasquis.cl. Entrevista al actor Gastón Herrera. Conductor Enrique Gonçalves.

Magellan reaches the Pacific.

2009-11-27T19:03:00.005-03:00

1. Complete el texto con las siguientes palabras. Los resultados los encontrará al final de "This Day in History."

persuaded - revolt - piracy - treacherous - bear - battleship - landed - men

November 28, 1520. After sailing through the dangerous straits below South America that now (1)_______ his name, Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan enters the Pacific Ocean with three ships, becoming the first European explorer to reach the Pacific from the Atlantic.

On September 20, 1519, Magellan set sail from Spain in an effort to find a western sea route to the rich Spice Islands of Indonesia. In command of five ships and 270 (2)_______, Magellan sailed to West Africa and then to Brazil, where he searched the South American coast for a strait that would take him to the Pacific. He searched the Rio de la Plata, a large estuary south of Brazil, for a way through; failing, he continued south along the coast of Patagonia. At the end of March 1520, the expedition set up winter quarters at Port St. Julian. On Easter day at midnight, the Spanish captains mutinied against their Portuguese captain, but Magellan crushed the (3)_______, executing one of the captains and leaving another ashore when his ship left St. Julian in August.

On October 21, he finally discovered the strait he had been seeking. The Strait of Magellan, as it became known, is located near the tip of South America, separating Tierra del Fuego and the continental mainland. Only three ships entered the passage; one had been wrecked and another deserted. It took 38 days to navigate the (4)_______ strait, and when ocean was sighted at the other end Magellan wept with joy. His fleet accomplished the westward crossing of the ocean in 99 days, crossing waters so strangely calm that the ocean was named "Pacific," from the Latin word pacificus, meaning "tranquil." By the end, the men were out of food and chewed the leather parts of their gear to keep themselves alive. On March 6, 1521, the expedition (5)_______ at the island of Guam.

Ten days later, they dropped anchor at the Philippine island of Cebu--they were only about 400 miles from the Spice Islands. Magellan met with the chief of Cebu, who after converting to Christianity (6)_______ the Europeans to assist him in conquering a rival tribe on the neighboring island of Mactan. In fighting on April 27, Magellan was hit by a poisoned arrow and left to die by his retreating comrades.

After Magellan's death, the survivors, in two ships, sailed on to the Moluccas and loaded the hulls with spice. One ship attempted, unsuccessfully, to return across the Pacific. The other ship, the Vittoria, continued west under the command of Basque navigator Juan Sebastian de Elcano. The (7)_______ sailed across the Indian Ocean, rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and arrived at the Spanish port of Sanlucar de Barrameda on September 6, 1522, becoming the first ship to circumnavigate the globe.

Answers: 1. bear 2. men 3. revolt 4. treacherous 5. landed 6. persuaded 7. vessel.

FDR establishes modern Thanksgiving holiday.

2009-11-25T20:32:00.004-03:00

1. Complete el texto con las siguientes palabras. Los resultados los encontrará al final de "This Day in History."

throughout - wonderful - gratitude - controversy - signs - regularly - bill - Constitution - vacations

November 26, 1941. President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1)_______ a bill officially establishing the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day.

The tradition of celebrating the holiday on Thursday dates back to the early history of the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies, when post-harvest holidays were celebrated on the weekday (2)_______ set aside as "Lecture Day," a midweek church meeting where topical sermons were presented. A famous Thanksgiving observance occurred in the autumn of 1621, when Plymouth governor William Bradford invited local Indians to join the Pilgrims in a three-day festival held in (3)_______ for the bounty of the season.

Thanksgiving became an annual custom (4)_______ New England in the 17th century, and in 1777 the Continental Congress declared the first national American Thanksgiving following the Patriot victory at Saratoga. In 1789, President George Washington became the first president to proclaim a Thanksgiving holiday, when, at the request of Congress, he proclaimed November 26, a Tuesday, as a day of national thanksgiving for the U.S. (5)_______. However, it was not until 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving to fall on the last Thursday of November, that the modern holiday was celebrated nationally.

With a few deviations, Lincoln's precedent was followed annually by every subsequent president--until 1939. In 1939, Franklin D. Roosevelt departed from tradition by declaring November 23, the next to last Thursday that year, as Thanksgiving Day. Considerable (6)_______ surrounded this deviation, and some Americans refused to honor Roosevelt's declaration. For the next two years, Roosevelt repeated the unpopular proclamation, but on November 26, 1941, he admitted his mistake and signed a (7)_______ into law officially making the fourth Thursday in November the national holiday of Thanksgiving Day.

1. signs 2. regularly 3. gratitude 4. throughout 5. Constitution 6. controversy 7. bill

Princess Diana dies.

2009-09-01T00:05:00.007-04:00

1. Complete el texto con las siguientes palabras. Los resultados los encontrará al final de "This Day in History."

underpass - Royalty - plunged - fashionable - tree-shaded - companion - enlisted - kind - settlement - manslaughter

August 31, 1997.

Diana, Princess of Wales, dies in Paris' Pitie-Salpetiere Hospital after suffering massive chest injuries in an early morning car accident. Her (1)_______, Dodi Fayed, was killed instantly in the 12:25 a.m. crash, as was driver Henri Paul, who was drunk and lost control of the Mercedes in a highway underpass. He was driving at excessive speeds in a reckless attempt to escape paparazzi photographers. Diana's bodyguard, Trevor Rees Jones, escaped with serious but nonfatal injuries. He was the only one wearing his seat belt. The death of Diana, beloved by millions for her beauty and good nature, (2)_______ the world into mourning.

On July 1, 1961, Diana Frances Spencer was born at Park House, the home that her parents rented on Queen Elizabeth II's estate at Sandringham, England. In her childhood, her playmates were Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, the younger sons of Queen Elizabeth. When her father inherited the title Earl of Spencer in 1975, she became known as Lady Diana Spencer. After completing her education, Lady Diana became a kindergarten teacher at a (3)_______ school in a suburb of London.

In 1980, she began a romance with Prince Charles, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth. In February 1981, the 33-year-old Prince of Wales announced his engagement to the 19-year-old schoolteacher. Diana's beauty and shy demeanor made her an instant media sensation, and on July 29, 1981, nearly one billion television viewers in 74 countries tuned in to witness her marriage to the heir to the British throne. Married in a grand ceremony at St. Paul's Cathedral, the couple's romance was, for the moment, the envy of the world. Their first child, Prince William, was born in 1982, and their second, Prince Harry, in 1984.

Before long, however, the fairy tale couple grew apart, an experience that was particularly painful under the ubiquitous eyes of the world's tabloid media. The paparazzi--freelance photographers--made Diana one of the most photographed women in the world, and privately she suffered from eating disorders and depression. In 1992, Diana and Charles formally separated. In August 1996, the prince and princess reached a final divorce agreement after prolonged negotiations. In exchange for a generous (4)_______ and the right to retain her apartments at Kensington Palace and her title Princess of Wales, Diana agreed to relinquish the title Her Royal Highness and any future claims to the British throne.

In the year after her divorce, the popular princess seemed well on her way to achieving her dream of becoming "a queen in people's hearts." She maintained a high public profile and continued to promote many humanitarian causes, including support for AIDS victims and a campaign against land mines. In late 1996, she became involved with millionaire Dodi Al Fayed, the son of the Egyptian-born owner of the Harrods department stores. Their romance grew in 1997, and in August Diana took a holiday with Dodi in the Mediterranean. As always, the paparazzi followed closely behind, and one photographer was paid $3 million by the tabloids for a photo of Diana and Dodi kissing on Fayed's yacht.

On August 30, Diana and Dodi flew from Sardinia to Paris. Diana planned to return to Kensington Palace the next morning after spending a night in Dodi's Paris villa. That evening, Diana and Dodi dined at a restaurant in Paris' Ritz Hotel, owned by Dodi's father since 1979. The paparazzi came out in force. Toward the end of the meal, Dodi told his chauffeur to drive his car back to his mansion in an attempt to draw off photographers. Henri Paul, the deputy chief of security at the Ritz, was (5)_______ to be the new driver. He agreed, even though he had been drinking heavily and was taking anti-depressant drugs that were not supposed to be mixed with alcohol.

Around midnight, Dodi and Diana emerged from the rear entrance of the Ritz. The paparazzi had not been fooled by the earlier ruse, and the couple were photographed getting into a bullet-proof Mercedes along with Diana's bodyguard. As they made their way across town, they were followed closely by paparazzi on motorcycles. On the Place de la Concorde, Henri Paul hit the accelerator in an attempt to escape the press. By the time they reached the (6)_______ below the Pont de l'Alma, the driver was traveling an estimated 120 mph in a 30-mph speed zone. Paul lost control as they flew into the underpass, and the Mercedes ricocheted off a wall and slammed into pillars supporting the tunnel roof. The paparazzi, 100 yards behind at the time of the accident, were able to stop in time. Several of them then ran down the tunnel and began taking photos, which were later confiscated by police.

The Mercedes, lying crushed against the 13th pillar, was a tangle of smoking metal. Diana, barely alive with serious chest injuries, was trapped inside. Emergency crews arrived within minutes, but because the car was made of reinforced steel meant to withstand bullets it took nearly an hour and a half to extricate her from the crumbled vehicle. She was taken to the Pitie-Salpetiere Hospital, where she suffered cardiac arrest minutes after her arrival. Surgeons failed to revive her, and at 3 a.m. she was pronounced dead. She was 36.

Diana's bodyguard was the only survivor of the crash. He suffered a concussion and other injuries and has no memory of the crash nor the events immediately preceding or following it. French authorities arrested 10 paparazzi photographers who were tailing the Mercedes and charged them with involuntary (7)_______. The charges were dropped when a formal investigation concluded that Henri Paul was solely at fault for the fatal accident.

The tragic death of Diana caused an outpouring of British national feeling not seen since the celebrations surrounding the end of World War II. Mourners brought more than a million bouquets of flowers to the royal palaces and waited in line more than 12 hours to sign books of condolences. More than 3,500 phone lines were set up to take donations for a memorial fund, and within a year the charity fund raised $133 million, of which $48 million came from sales of Elton John's memorial recording "Candle in the Wind 1997" and $20 million from official Diana souvenirs.

After being criticized for failing to satisfactorily match the grief of the British people, the royal family arranged for a state funeral to be held for Diana at Westminster Abbey on September 6. Diana's coffin was taken from Kensington Palace to the Abbey on a horse-drawn gun carriage, and an estimated one million mourners lined the route. Diana's sons, William, 15, and Harry, 12, joined their father, Prince Charles; grandfather Prince Philip; and uncle Charles, the Earl of Spencer, to walk the final stretch of the procession with the casket. The only sound was the clatter of the horses' hooves and the peal of a church bell.

The service, watched by an estimated two billion people worldwide, sacrificed royal pomp for a more human touch. Workers associated with Diana's various charities represented 500 of the 2,000 people invited to attend the funeral. Elton John, a friend of Diana, lent a popular touch to the ceremony when he sang "Candle in the Wind," accompanying himself on piano. After the service, Diana's body was taken by hearse to her family's ancestral estate near Althorp, north of London. In a private ceremony, she was laid to rest on a (8)_______ island in a small lake, securely beyond the reach of the camera lens.

Since the death of Princess Diana, Althorp, which has been in the Spencer family for over 500 years, is now a popular tourist attraction that offers tours to the general public.

Answers: 1.companion 2.plunged 3.fashionable 4.settlement 5.enlisted 6.underpass 7.manslaughter 8.tree-shaded

Louis Armstrong dies.

2009-07-06T09:40:00.005-04:00

1. Complete el texto con las siguientes palabras. Los resultados los encontrará al final de "This Day in History."

(churning out) - thus - outspoken - Although - overused - (selling out) - spreading - learned - headed - humbly - steady - would - (speaking out)

Louis Armstrong was the first vital jazz soloist to attain world wide influence as trumpeter, entertainer, and show business personality. He was a strong force in (1)_______ the influence of jazz throughout his life. Through his trumpet solos and vocal interpretations alike, jazz fans immortalize him. His “Hot Five” and “Hot Seven” recordings done in the mid 1920’s had no parallel in jazz. He is also a well-recognized Pop music figure by his personable and throaty, charming and guttural jazz vocals.

A common misconception about this legend is his date of birth; Louis Armstrong was born August 4th, 1901. For many years the public believed Armstrong to have been born on the Fourth Of July in 1900. The story, a fabrication created by crafty public relations men, made good print. (2)_______ he went along with the stunt, his influence in jazz, still being felt today, would be just as far reaching if he had laid claim to being born on "Groundhog Day."

Armstrong had what many, today, would refer to as a traumatic or dysfunctional childhood. Out of this environment was born a desire to succeed, be admired, and make people happy. Louis learned at an early age that music could lead to fame and money. He and his friends would sing for nickels and pennies on the streets of his native New Orleans and he saw how popular the musicians who played the funeral and celebratory parades were with the public. On New Year’s Eve 1913, just 12 years old, Armstrong was caught firing a gun into the air and sentenced to a boys home for waifs. It was here under the tutelage of Peter Davis, who ran the home, that Armstrong (3)_______ how to play the cornet and he was soon playing picnics and parades. Later in life Louis returned year after year to the same waifs home to spread his joy to whoever was housed there. He never forgot Peter Davis or the kids.

After his release Satchmo, as he became known, worked in a variety of jobs, occasionally playing background music in the houses of ill repute located mainly in the Storyville section of New Orleans. He was befriended by Joe "King" Oliver who became his mentor and sole musical influence but Oliver moved North to Chicago during a time when many Southern Blacks were heading North in search of a better life. Armstrong's playing continued to improve as he gained even more experience by taking the “Kings” chair in the Kid Ory band after Oliver left. In July of 1922 Oliver contacted Louis to join him in Chicago and Armstrong (4)_______ North.

Soon the level of the student's playing had surpassed that of his mentor. In 1924, urged by his wife Lil Armstrong, Louis set out to test his abilities with the sleek Fletcher Henderson band in New York which had a (5)_______ gig at the Roseland ballroom. After a long road tour with the band he left in 1925 to return to Chicago where wife Lil now had her own band.

1926 found Louis working several jobs; one in Carroll Dickerson’s orchestra at the Sunset Cabaret where Louis was billed as “The World’s Greatest Trumpet Player.” The owner of the club was Joe Glaser who became Armstrong’s longtime manager in 1935.

During the mid 1920’s Armstrong began recording the sessions that would become legendary with his “Hot Five” and “Hot Seven” groups. His first record under his own name was “My Heart” cut November 12th 1925. For better than three years Armstrong remained in Chicago (6)_______ a number of famous recordings that earned him worldwide acclaim. Many were with a pianist he had worked with in the Dickerson band named Earl “Fatha” Hines. By the time he returned to New York in 1929 both black and white audiences knew Armstrong the world over.

While in New York, this time around, Armstrong reached a pivotal point in his career; he led the Dickerson band and doubled in a roll on Broadway in the revue called “Hot Chocolates.” His first “popular song” hit came from this show; a song written by Fats Waller called “Ain’t Misbehavin’.”

From then until the mid 1940’s Louis played with a big band, his material now becoming “pop” songs of the day, rather than blues or original instrumental compositions. His singing took on a more dominant role in his performances and recordings and some of the groups his record label Decca paired him with were at best questionable. Jazz critics find much of his output from the mid 1930’s forward to be of a lesser regard than his pioneering efforts in the 1920’s even though Armstrong continued to spread the appeal of jazz, as popular music, around the globe as no one else could. While some of his “swing” recordings from the 1930’s and 1940’s provided many with the opportunity to enjoy him in a more "easy to relate to" and popular manner, others see them as evidence of Armstrong (7)_______ to pop music.

One bright spot for improvisation's sake took place at the 1944 Esquire All American Jazz Concert. Louis took his rightful place that evening at the top of a list of jazz all-stars selected by Esquire magazine. He later (8)_______ expressed his enthusiasm and appreciation of being there and playing with all the "greats" that evening but to a man, they had Satchmo to thank for making their careers more fruitful.

His new manager Joe Glaser had no trouble in booking and overbooking Armstrong during this period. The schedule he had Louis on was unbelievable, if not downright ludicrous. Many times Armstrong’s lips were so (9)_______ they bled from his performances. Because Glaser had him moving about so much doing live performances, Armstrong was not recorded as much in the studio with quality backing as he should have been even into the 1950’s.

In 1947 Armstrong led a sextet that was to become known as simply “Louis Armstrong And His All-Stars.” This small group, playing mainly Dixieland based jazz, proved an immediate success and became Armstrong’s permanent touring setting.

In the 1950’s and 1960’s, following his Decca affiliation, Armstrong was recorded in a variety of settings; from small groups with Oscar Peterson on piano, to two albums with Ella Fitzgerald, to big band and orchestral accompaniment. The bulk of these recordings can be found on the Verve record label. He can also be heard on a live Verve LP called “Jazz At The Hollywood Bowl” as recorded in the mid 1950’s. Although his “Blueberry Hill” and “Hello Dolly” were big pop hits at the end of his career they offer little for jazz and swing music fans. A more interesting and representative pop recording from his latter career (10)_______ be “A Kiss To Build A Dream On” arranged by Sy Oliver and another hit.

Armstrong was given a bad rap by some as being an “Uncle Tom,” a judgment laid on him by detractors that viewed his “clowning” akin to that of a minstrel act. However his love for Harlem, where he made his home, never ceased. Armstrong was (11)_______ and took an active role in Civil Rights issues starting as early as the Eisenhower era in the 1950’s.

Louis Armstrong was the first great trumpet soloist in jazz. His (12)_______ trumpet and vocals, while not as “hot” or improvisational in latter years, continued doing what he loved most, making people happy.

Answers: 1.spreading 2.Although 3.learned 4.headed 5.steady 6.churning out 7.selling out 8.humbly 9.overused 10.would 11.outspoken 12.unmistakable

Entrenamiento Equipo de Paintball Anglo-Saxon Institute.

2009-07-05T20:20:00.006-04:00