Thursday, June 27th, 2013 - Save the language from slang

Is Carnival the only season when people from Bahia put sound trucks on the streets, organize parades of revelers and have a real good time?

How often do you do any of these things? Do you do them regularly enough to be called a regular or  a goer?

go to the movies  

go to the theater

go to a soccer match

go to bars

go to the beach

go to church

go to free events or freebies

moviegoer

theater-goer

soccer-goer

bar-goer

beach-goer

churchgoer

freebie-goer

Can someone be overly obsessed with something or someone else?

Obsessed people who become intensely involved with something tend to come across as freaks.

How many people have you met that sounded or acted like a freak - that were obsessed with something and dedicate hours of their time to an activity?

An eternal battle: Remind x Remember

Ernie and Bert might be able to help:

　

　

Some slang-like expressions

What do you think about this boy? Do you think I should go for it?

YOLO, try it. You have nothing to lose. (You only live once)

Th scene from the movie was so funny I am still LOL. (Laughing out loud)

This ain't going to work: we need to rethink things

Some people have nothing against slang, others believe it should be banned or eradicated

HOW can u if what gives the language the pizzazz is the slang?

I don't know if the head of school would see a project located near an ecological reserve area in a good light?

newspaper = daily

a weekly

a monthly

a yearly

Bread and Circus no more?

The protests in progress all over the country have been the talk of the town. Here are some of the ideas that came to mind during our discussion:  

　

• peaceful demonstrations
• violent riots
• invasion of buildings
• vandalism of public property
• battering of main gates to public buildings
• getting past police barricades
• protests in front of government offices  - city and state halls
• cities all over the county (municipality) and state joining the movement
• people demanding change
• people expressing dissatisfaction with the state of things
• increase in bus fares as a spark for the recent protests
• reaching boiling point
• feeling as if you were in a pressure cooker
• desire to take advantage of the international media attention due to the international events
• clear attempts to bend information and influence public opinion
• a strong belief that the protests are serious   
• a movement to ensure people’s rights as citizens
• a drive to develop a sense of citizenship and civic pride　
• a desire to see an end to politicians’ slush funds (money that is acquired illicitly, by diverting public money into their private accounts)

All this is well and good, but I can't help but ask myself:

Did we wait too long or are we still waiting on the world to change?

Isn't this maybe just a little too late?

Where do we draw the line?

Not a very comforting thought, but the fact of the matter is we are monitored 24/7 by the authorities in the name of security and protection.

They can access our bank accounts.
They can read our emails
They can listen to our phone conversations

Where does this end? Should there be a limit?

Tracking devices, tracer apps, antenna signals: there to make sure we are safe or to protect us from the dangers big cities "offer": theft, mugging, attacks, pick pocketing, and so on and so on.

Trusting these resources as means of protection can have a roller coaster effect on you: you feel safe only when you\re on top relaxed, when no one bothers you or your family.

They may not be effective, but they serve a purpose. People with a hidden agenda find ways to bypass the rules, get around the problem. As they say there are many ways to skin a cat, or many ways to do the same thing.

These things are here to stay so we needn't try to understand much. We will have to get used to the changes.
It may be beyond our control - something superior to us, but we can't let things get the better of  us.

Wanted: A little bit of kindness

Cities around the world - Toronto, New York, Sao Paulo, to name a few - are trying to (re)educate their residents in social etiquette. When you really think about it, it shouldn't be that hard. Being kind is. . .

• The least we can do
• Not that hard
• Make people around us act accordingly
• Soften those who are generally rude
• Lightens up the atmosphere we are in
• Gives everybody (elderly, those with special needs, pregnant women or adults carrying a child) equal treatment in public spaces
• Makes us more responsible citizens
• Disqualify the me, myself and I mentality

A simple gesture can bring an avalanche of good - like a crack of ice on a snow-capped mountain.



The secret? Put yourself in the other person's shoes and hopefully you'll reconsider certain attitudes.



The tendency to think of ourselves first can be stronger than us; but it's worth the try all the same.

Manners can be taught, one way or another

Maybe one of our greatest social ills today is inappropriate social behavior.

People don't respect others and make it a point not to be considerate at all, it would seem.

When you do a good deed, or you act kindly to others, it seems as if you are going against the tide, against the mainstream.


Here are some of the most common examples of bad manners:

• speaking loudly in public
• cutting someone off in a conversation
• staying in your seat on a bus or a train while an older person is standing
• playing music on a loudspeaker
• singing out loud while listening to music
• deliberately rubbing up on someone in a crowded subway car
• looking down a women's cleavage
• not cleaning your dog poop
• hogging or not sharing a seat on public transport
• doing "exercises" on public transport: pull ups for example

Here are some more, but this time you have to find the words or expressions on the right that match with the verbs on the left:

Did you know that there are fines for some of these anti-social actions?

But what is more important in your opinion, having a rule that prescibes a fine or having someone to enforce the rule?