viernes, 29 de octubre de 2010

New Upper-intermediate

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New Upper-intermediate

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sábado, 23 de octubre de 2010

viernes, 22 de octubre de 2010

Do the dead greet the dying? - CNN.com

"(OPRAH.com) -- Throughout my years of working with the dying and the bereaved, I have noticed commonly shared experiences that remain beyond our ability to explain and fully understand. The first are visions.

As the dying see less of this world, some people appear to begin looking into the world to come. It's not unusual for the dying to have visions, often of someone who has already passed on. Your loved one may tell you that his deceased father visited him last night, or your loved one might speak to his mom as if she were there in the room at that time.

It was almost 15 years ago that I was sitting at the bedside of my teacher, Elisabeth Kübler Ross, when she turned to me and asked, "What do you think about the deceased visiting those on their deathbeds to greet them?"

I replied quickly, showing my knowledge back to her: "You're speaking of deathbed visions, most likely caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain or a side effect of morphine."

She looked at me and sighed, "It will come with maturity."

Oprah.com: 4 healthy ways to grieve

I thought to myself: "Maturity? What did maturity have to do with anything?" Now, years later, I look at the events we still can't explain that happen at the end of life and realize what Elisabeth was saying.

It would be arrogant to think we can explain everything, especially when it comes to dying. My mother died when I was still a preteen. My father remained an incredible optimist his whole life, even when he was dying. I was busy trying to make sure he was comfortable and pain-free, and at first didn't notice he had become very sad.

He told me how much he was going to miss me once he was gone. And then he mentioned how much he was saying goodbye to: his loved ones, his favorite foods, the sky, the outdoors and a million other things of this world. He was overcome by sadness I could not (and would not) take away from him.

My father was very down-hearted for the next few days. But then one morning he told me my mother, his wife, had come to him the night before.

"David, she was here for me," he said with an excitement I had not seen in him in years. "I was looking at all I was losing, and I'd forgotten that I was going to be with her again. I'm going to see her soon." He looked at me as he realized I would still remain here. Then he added, "We'll be there waiting for you."

Over the next two days, his demeanor changed dramatically. He had gone from a hopeless dying man with only death in front of him to a hopeful man who was going to be reunited with the love of his life. My father lived with hope and also died with it.

Oprah.com: Why birth is not a beginning and death is not an end

When I started compiling examples to include in my book, "Visions, Trips and Crowded Rooms: Who and What You See Before You Die," I was surprised by how similar they were. In fact, it was hard to pick which ones to use because they were all so much alike.

Now I realize the very thing that makes them repetitious is also what makes them unique. As someone who has spent most of my life writing, teaching and working with the dying, I can't prove to you that my father's vision was real. I can only talk about my experience as a son and about countless other occurrences that take place every day.

I used to believe the only thing we needed to alleviate was the suffering of the dying by providing good pain management and symptom control. I know now that we have more -- we have the "who" and "what" we see before we die, which is perhaps the greatest comfort to the dying.

Some interesting and unexplainable items about deathbed visions:

• Visions people experience at the end of life are remarkably similar.

• The dying are most often visited by their mothers. It shouldn't be too surprising that the person who is actually present as we cross the threshold of life and take our first breaths once again appears at the threshold as we take our last breaths.

• Hands passionately reaching upward to some unseen force is witnessed in many deathbed encounters.

• Visions mostly occur toward a corner of the room.

• Those family members at a deathbed are not able to see the vision or participate in the conversation.

• Visions usually occur hours to weeks before death.

• Visions don't seem to appear in other frightening situations where death is not likely, such as stuck in an elevator, lost in a foreign city or lost hiking.

• Unlike traditional health care, the law treats a dying person's last words as the truth.

Oprah.com: Using technology to get through tough times

If you find the concept of a dead loved one greeting you on your deathbed impossible or ridiculous, consider what I finally realized as a parent: You protect your children from household dangers. You hold their hands when they cross the street on their first day of school. You take care of them when they have the flu, and you see them through as many milestones as you can.

Now fast-forward 70 years after you, yourself, have passed away. What if there really is an afterlife and you receive a message that your son or daughter will be dying soon? If you were allowed to go to your child, wouldn't you?

While death may look like a loss to the living, the last hours of a dying person may very well be filled with fullness rather than emptiness. Sometimes all we can do is embrace the unknown and unexplainable and make our loved ones feel good about their experiences.

Possible Responses and Tips

• There's really no point in telling your dying father you think he's hallucinating or that his mom has been dead for several years and can't possibly be there.

• Instead of disagreeing, try asking him, "What is your mom saying?"

• Say, "Tell me more about your vision." Perhaps Aunt Betty is telling your father that it's okay to die or maybe they're reminiscing about growing up together.

• Say, "It's great that Aunt Betty is here with you," or "I knew that Mother would come to meet you," or "I'm so glad that Mom is with you now."

• Denying their reality will only separate you from your loved one. So join and explore this profound time of life.

The saying goes, "We come into this world alone, and we leave alone." We've been brought up to believe that dying is a lonely, solitary event. But what if everything we know isn't true? What if the long road that you thought you'll eventually have to walk alone has unseen companions?

I would welcome those of you who have had an experience of your dying loved ones being comforted by those already deceased to share these stories here with others. In sharing our stories, we will see that the journey at the end of life is not a lonely path into eternity.

Rather, it may be an incredible reunion with those we have loved and lost. It reminds us that God exists and birth is his miracle that carries us into life. A deathbed vision is his miracle that carries us though the transition of death into the next part of our eternity.

Oprah.com: How to heal from your grief

Subscribe to O, The Oprah Magazine for up to 75% off the newsstand price. That's like getting 18 issues FREE. Subscribe now!

TM & © 2010 Harpo Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved."

Read more at Do the dead greet the dying? - CNN.com

jueves, 21 de octubre de 2010

Test vocabulario inglés | Descargar material

Several resources to learn and practice english.
;)

Test vocabulario inglés | Descargar material

Difference Between Illness and Disease | Difference Between | Illness vs Disease

Difference Between Illness and Disease | Difference Between | Illness vs Disease

You may have heard about the terms illness and disease on a regular basis. Do the terms mean the same things? Well, almost, but not quite. There is some difference between the usages of the terms, so you should be careful while using them.

Illness and disease both cause the same feelings of discomfort, pain or unease in people. However, an illness is more of a subjective feeling. This means that there is really no identifiable reason behind the condition. Of course, if the condition behind the illness is identified, it is more often referred to as a disease. However, in more generalized terms, we can define an illness as a state where the person has feelings of pain or discomfort that does not have an identifiable reason.

A disease refers to a condition where the body or the parts of the body of a person does not work properly. There is usually a pathological reason behind the condition.

Pathogens are those agents that may cause a disease in a person. For instance; there may be a bacterial or a viral attack on some part of the body that causes feelings of pain and discomfort in the person. It may also include such pain or discomfort that is caused by a particular malfunctioning of the body due to other factors. For instance, mental diseases are diseases that cause the typical symptoms of discomfort and abnormal functioning. However, the reason behind such a condition is rarely related to pathogens. Once the reason behind such discomfort has been identified, it is usually referred to as a disease.

In medical terms, a disease is described as an abnormal condition in any organism that obstructs its bodily function. It may, in rare cases, even cause the death of the person concerned. If we use it in a broader sense, it may even refer to disabilities and injuries, infections and deviant behavior. It is important to note that even the brain is a human organ, and is therefore prone to illnesses and disease. The main effect of a disease is felt when a particular organ of the body or the body as a whole fails to maintain its condition of balance and stability. This condition is referred to in medical terms as homeostasis.

It is important to note that both illness and disease result in more or less the same symptoms. However, an illness can be cured in most cases. For instance, cold, flu or gastrointestinal diseases can be cured by treatment. However, there are a number of diseases that cannot be cured. In medical terms, both are undesirable, as they interfere with the state of homeostasis.

Summary:

1. An illness is a vague condition that causes discomfort or pain. A disease refers to a condition that has established reasons behind it.
2. An illness is mostly curable. There are some diseases that cannot be cured, only managed.


Read more: Difference Between Illness and Disease | Difference Between | Illness vs Disease http://www.differencebetween.net/language/difference-between-illness-and-disease/#ixzz130GB9jc8

lunes, 18 de octubre de 2010

Language Exchange International

Language Exchange International

"Founded in 2010, Language Exchange International seeks to bring together, promote or start up groups across countries, both formal and informal, to pursue the following goals:

* To welcome and befriend foreigners in each of our cities with the goal of making their stay easier and more fulfilling through immersion in the countries in which they live.

* To promote languages and cultures internationally, regionally and locally with the goal of allowing people in each locality to practice languages and meet people from the entire world.

There are currently 22 member groups from Allemagne, Argentine, Australie, Canada, Espagne, France, Hongrie, Italie, Pérou, Ukraine in Language Exchange International. Find an international meeting/event near you !

No groups in your area ? Feel free to contact us if you wish to create one !
Do you already organise international meetings/event ? Contact us if you want to be part of the federation "

Facebook | CÁDIZ BABEL: Meeting Spanish-English in Cai

Facebook | CÁDIZ BABEL: Meeting Spanish-English in Cai

Language exchange to the purest "gaditano" style: at a bar having tapas and beer!!! It will take place in a new bar this year, called MESON "LA CANDELA" in Plaza de Candelaria, in the heart of Cádiz, more space, more activities and cheaper prices, come to enjoy the authentic "MEET UP SPANISH - ENGLISH in CAI" meet charming people and improve your spanish level. Every Wednesday from 21:30 h.

Wellcome back party on October the 6th, free shoots, language activivities to improve your spanish level and much more...YOU CAN'T MISS IT !!!

Ask Ana, Menchu, Sharon or Juan.

MadridBabel - Noticias

MadridBabel - Noticias

Meet people from all over the world in Madrid, practise languages absolutely free & make new friends through our wide range of international activities:

EVERY WEDNESDAY (MIÉRCOLES) > International Evening from 21:00 at The Quiet Man (Valverde, 44 - metro Tribunal o Gran Vía)

EVERY SUNDAY (DOMINGOS) > International Afternoon from 19:00 at The Quiet Man (Valverde, 44 - metro Tribunal o Gran Vía)

EVERY WEEK-END (FINES DE SEMANA) > Films in o.v., international dinners, tapas evenings, excursions, sports, wine tastings, cultural visits, parties & many other international activities weekly published on our Agenda, together with special offers by the friends of Club MadridBabel

martes, 12 de octubre de 2010

Paltalk



A website with many rooms to talk.
You can do multiconferencing with audio and video.
Trivia games and more...

You have to install the program and then find a room or group to join in.
It is posible to watch live presentations there... and... i have to investigate more...
;)

Rooms for talking in english
1) SpanishEnglishInglesEspanol
http://chat.paltalk.com/g2/paltalk/520028574
Here they check your mistakes talking in english and pronounce in english and spanish several sentences for learning and improving your english.

miércoles, 6 de octubre de 2010

Another site to get language exchanges

Language Exchange Community - Practice and Learn Foreign Languages
Mylanguageexchange.com

Here you can search for english natives to practice english.

You have to pay for sending messages to other members (be gold member).
6$/1 month
I am trying it and have become a gold member now.
There are many (really many) users registered here and you can search using several criteria such as: languages, country (even city), age, gender, last login time... etc

Tell me if you try it too...
;)

Find a friend to exchange languages!

Polyglot
Click here to enter in the Polyglot Website

You will have to register in that website in order to contact people to do languages exchanges.

You can practice not only english but french, german, etc.
It is useful to have installed in your computer some Instant Messenger software like: Skype, Yahoo, MSN Messenger, ICQ; because that's the way to talk to others remote users in spite of you can get meetings up provided you live near your potential partner... (or you love to move abroad and feel free to travel a lot)
;)