14th January 2015

Let's start with some quizzes

http://www.englishmedialab.com/Quizzes/advanced/compound%20adjectives%20match.htm

http://www.englishmedialab.com/Quizzes/advanced/upperintgrammar1.htm

New Year's resolutions difficult to keep

The start of every New Year is when we all make plans to change our life for the better
over the forthcoming twelve months. Psychiatry professor Jayashri Kulkarni says:
"January 1 is a 'magical' date and a vow made on this day is much more powerful than one made on
August 26, for example." So, we all make a list of things to quit, start or change. Unfortunately,
most of these promises are, more often than not, broken by January 31st. They are usually the
identical resolutions that were not fulfilled from the previous year, and the years prior to that. The
website usa.gov says people, "tend to make the same resolutions year after year, even though
they have a hard time sticking to them". Research shows 45 per cent of us make a New
Year’s resolution. The most common vows include losing weight, volunteering to help others, quitting smoking, saving money, and getting fit. Others include eating healthier food, drinking less alcohol, and going on a trip. However, research also shows that most of us are not so good at sticking to these. A study from the University of Scranton reveals that 71 per cent of us stick to our annual
promises for the first two weeks; six months later,less than 50 per cent are still on track to keep
their resolutions. Most people who give up on their resolutions do so because of a lack of willpower
and the use of the 'escape clause' that they will 'try again next year'.

How do you celebrate New Year?
How do you feel about last year?  Did you achieve some goals?
Do you ever make any New Year's Resolutions? why/why not?
Do you stick to them?
Do you have a lot of willpower?

Charlie Hebdo: Radical cleric Anjem Choudary calls cover depicting Mohamed an 'act of war'

The cartoon of the Prophet Mohamed on the cover of Charlie Hebdo's first edition since the massacre has been described as an “act of war” by a London-based Islamist cleric.

The cover depicts the Prophet with a tear falling down his cheek, holding a sign reading "je suis Charlie", replicating the phrase used on banners, stickers, clothes and social media as a show of solidarity in the wake of last week's attacks.

But radical preacher Anjem Choudary said “ridiculing” Mohamed is attacking his personality, calling the latest cartoon “extremely serious”.

To depict Mohamed in this way is “attacking the honour of the Prophet” as most Muslims do not draw or depict him in any way because it is deemed to be sacrilegious, Mr Choudary said.

He added that if the “act of war” was tried in a Sharia court it would carry capital punishment.

The 47-year-old, who lectures in Sharia law, was arrested in September as part of an investigation into Islamist terrorism but later bailed.

Mr Choudary described Charlie Hebdo's cover as a “blatant provocation” and claimed insulting Islam and Muslims is “part of the war that is taking place”.

People should be “sensible and sensitive to the emotions and the feelings of the Muslims”, he added, accusing authorities of refusing to “nip it in the bud”.

The Independent Uk