digital story of nativity

a different vision of Xmas

Christmas Trivia and the first televised Queen's speech

XMAS TRIVIA


Santa Claus has many different names around the world including Father Christmas in the UK, Pere Noel in France, Kriss Kringle in Germany, La Befana in Italy, Julinesse in Denmark, Dedushka Moroz (meaning Grandfather Frost) in Russia and the Three Kings in Spain and Mexico.

The typical image we have of Santa Claus dressed in red clothes with white fur trim, is an amalgamation of cultural input over many years. Some people claim the image of Santa we know today is from Coca-cola advertising, but this simply isn't true. The standard Santa garb was well established by the 1920s and it wasn't until the 1930s that Coca-cola first used the Santa Claus design in their advertising.

The word Christmas comes from Cristes maesse, or "Christ's Mass." There is no set date for his birth in scripture and it wasn't celebrated on any particular day. However Christmas was first celebrated on the 25th of December in Rome in 336AD with an aim to replacing the popular pagan winter solstice celebrations

The first Christmas card was designed in 1843 by J.C. Horsley

The twelve days of Christmas are the days between Christmas Day and Epiphany (6th of January) and represent the length of time it took for the wise men from the East to visit the manger of Jesus after his birth.

Popular belief holds that 3 wise men visited Bethlehem from the east bearing gifts. However there is no mention in the bible about the number of wise men who visited. Three gifts were brought - gold, frankincense and myrrh, but names commonly attributed to the wise men - Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar were added some 500 years later.

The 26th of December is traditionally known as St Stephen's Day, but is more commonly known as Boxing Day. The reason it was called this is either alms boxes in church were opened and the money distributed to the poor, or alternatively it was named from the practice of servants receiving boxes of gifts from their employers on this day. Boxing day is NOT named after the practice of throwing out large numbers of boxes after Christmas!

English Puritan leader Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas between 1647 and 1660 because he believed such celebrations were immoral for the holiest day of the year.

The first postage stamp to commemorate Christmas was issued in Austria in 1937

Christmas trees become popular in the UK from 1841 when Prince Albert erected a tree in Windsor Castle following a German tradition. Fir trees have been decorated at Christmas time in Germany since the 8th century.

The Queen's Christmas speech was first televised in 1957.

The Christmas tree displayed in Trafalgar square in London is an annual gift to the UK from Norway since 1947. The Norwegian spruce given is a token of appreciation of British friendship during the Second World War

dumb ways to die

There are several ways to die but certainly some are more stupid than others. Have a look at this list and put them in order according to the song. Then check your answers with a version of the song with the lyrics

Have fun!!

SET FIRE TO YOUR HAIR

DO YOUR OWN ELECTRICAL WORK

EAT A TWO WEEK OLD UNREFRIGERATED PIE

EAT A MEDICINE THAT’S OUT OF DATE

EAT A TUBE OF SUPERGLUE

KEEP A RATTLE SNAKE AS A PET

GET YOUR TOAST OUT WITH A FORK

INVITE A PSYCHO KILLER INSIDE

DRESS UP LIKE A MOOSE DURING HUNTING SEASON

DISTURB A NEST OF WASPS FOR NO GOOD REASON

DRIVE AROUND THE BOOMGATES AT A LEVEL CROSSING

SCRATCH A DRUG DEALER’S BRAND NEW RIDE

TAKE YOUR HELMET OFF IN OUTER SPACE

I WONDER WHAT’S THIS RED BUTTON DO

RUN ACROSS THE TRACKS BETWEEN THE PLATFORMS

POKE A STICK AT A GRIZZLY BEAR

TEACH YOUR SELF HOW TO FLY

SELL BOTH YOUR KIDNEYS ON THE INTERNET

STAND ON THE EDGE OF A TRAIN STATION PLATFORM

USE YOUR PRIVATE PARTS AS PIRANHA BAIT

USE YOUR CLOTHES DRYER AS A HIDING PLACE

Now check you answers with with version

Steve Jobs

Interesting, food for thought speech of the late Steve Jobs, founder of Apple and Pixar, about various issues related to motivation, life, love and death. Watch the first 5 minutes and answer the questions:

This one is subtitled in English


STEVE JOBS STUDENT A

What do you know about the founder of Apple, who died recently?



Say whether these statements are True or False, Then watch the video and check your answers:

1. He had a degree on Electronic Engineering

2. He continued studying once he finished his degree

3. He was given for adoption

Continue watching the video and complete this information:

1. The first people who were going to adopt him were a …………………….. and his wife, who changed their mind when they found out that he was …………………….

2. His present parents were ungraduated, his mother never went to …………………. And his father didn’t finish ……………………………..

Now answer these questions briefly:

1. Why did Jobs give up going to regular college classes?

2. How did he feel when he decided to give up college?

3. Which classes did he go to?

4. How did he get money to buy food?

5. Where did he go for his meal on Sundays?

6. What does “connecting the dots” mean? How long did it take him to do that?





STEVE JOBS STUDENT B

What do you know about the founder of Apple, who died recently?



Say whether these statements are True or False, Then watch the video and check your answers:

1. He quit college after 6 months

2. He was adopted

3. His biological mother was a single parent

Continue watching the video and complete this information:

1. One of the requirements to be chosen as possible adopting parents was to ……………………………………….

2. His biological mother accepted to give him on adopting once his adopting parents promised to ………………………………………….

Now answer these questions briefly:

1. Did he know what he wanted to learn and do?

2. Looking back now, what does he think about this decision?

3. Where did he sleep?

4. How long did he have to walk to get a proper meal on Sundays?

5. What did he learn at college?

6. What does “connecting the dots” mean? How long did it take him to do that?

Nelson Mandela

Watch this video and answer these questions. Then read the newspaper article about Nelson Mandela

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqoYmx_L-Xs

1. When and where was he born?




2. What did his father do?



3. What kind of education did he have?



4. Who gave him the name “Nelson”?



5. What happened to him when his father died?



6. Why did he run away from home?



7. What did he come face to face with?



8. What 2 languages did he have?

A deep ……………………language, from his …………………… background

The language of the ………………………….., a completely contemporary language



9. What did the African National Congress want to establish?





10. What did the ANC adopt as a policy?





11. What campaign did the ANC launch in 1952?





12. What did Nelson do?



13. What did the National Party government do?





14. What did Mandela and Oliver Tambo set up? What for?





15. What kind of firm was it? What kind of clients did they have? Who did they defend their clients against?

*

*

*



16. When was Mandela arrested? What was he charged with?





17. When did he marry his second wife, Winny?





18. What did the S African government do in 1960?





19. What happened during a peaceful demonstration?

………………….. people were killed, …………………… were wounded



20 What did Mandela realise?





21. What was Mandela charged with while he was in prison?



22. Why did he stand trial but refuse to defend himself? What happened?



23. Where is Robben Island?



24. When was the ANC declared legal and Mandela released?



25. When did he win the Nobel Peace prize?



24. What happened in 1994?

KEY






1. When and where was he born?

July 18th 1918 in a small S African village



2. What did his father do?

He was a tribal chief



3. What kind of education did he have?

British



4. Who gave him the name “Nelson”?

His teacher



5. What happened to him when his father died?

He went to live with the leader of the Fendu people, who educated him for leadership and sent him to the finest schools



6. Why did he run away from home?

In order to avoid a pre arranged marriage



7. What did he come face to face with?

The brutal reality of racially divided S Africa



8. What 2 languages did he have?

A deep ……historical……language, from his tribal background

The language of the law, a completely contemporary language



9. What did the African National Congress want to establish?

A democratic government



10. What did the ANC adopt as official policy?

Non violent civil disobedience



11. What campaign did the ANC launch in 1952?

A campaign for the defiance of unjust laws



12. What did Nelson do?

He travelled S Africa and supported that effort



13. What did the National Party government do?

They took steps to restrain Nelson’s movements, banning him to attend any gatherings and confining him to Johannesburg



14. What did Mandela and Oliver Tambo set up? What for?

A law firm specialised in serving the black population.



15. What kind of firm was it? What kind of clients did they have? Who did they defend their clients against?

*Low price, accessible.

*Black clients

*Defending them against apartheid laws



16. When was Mandela arrested? What was he charged with?

In 1956. Treason



17. When did he marry his second wife, Winny?

In 1958



18. What did the S African government do in 1960?

Outlaw the ANC



19. What happened during a peaceful demonstration?

67 people were killed, 180 were wounded



20 What did Mandela realise?

That non-violent resistance was not enough



21. What was Mandela charged with while he was in prison?

Sabotage and conspiracy to overthrow the government



22. Why did he stand trial but refuse to defend himself? What happened?

So as not to legitimise the state’s case. He was sentenced to life imprisonment



23. Where is Robben Island?

A desolate rock island 7 miles of the coast of Cape Town



24. When was the ANC declared legal and Mandela released?

In 1990



25. When did he win the Nobel Peace prize?

In 1993



24. What happened in 1994?

Black people were allowed to vote for the first time in 300 years. Mandela was elected president in a landslide.

SWITCHED AT BIRTH

This is the video we have seen in class related to the article about the women who were switched at birth. Who needs a DNA test with this similarity?

Watch the news items, then answer the questions below:

True or False?

1)    They were switched at the hospital where they were born

2)   It was the midwife who made the mistake

3)   Dee Ann Angel and Kay Rene Reed went to the same school

4)   They lived 30 miles apart

5)   Neither them nor their mothers had any suspicions about their origins

minute 0:25

Answer these questions

2)   Where were they born?

3)   When were they switched?

4)   What did one of the mothers say?

5)   What is Dee Ann Angel like? And her family?

6)   Who did Dee Ann Angel express her doubts to?

7)   What is Kay Rene like? And her family?

8)   When did Kay Rene start to feel different?

9)   Did the mothers find out the truth before they died?

minute 1:54

Finish watching the news and answer these questions

1)    Why is Dee Ann sad?

3)   Where did Kay Rene live? What connection does this fact have with Dee Ann?

5)   What kind of feeling did Dee Ann have from time to time?

6)   Who knew about the doubts that Kay Rene’s mum had about her daughter?

7)   What didn’t exist at the time of their birth so as to scientifically check their origin?

8)   How were the mothers at the hospital after giving birth?

9)   Where did they all find out the truth?

10) Who’s Juanita?

11)  What did they say when Kay Rene and Juanita met for the first time?

Europe's statistics

Interesting webpage with interactive information about Europe: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2011/mar/14/new-europe-statistics-interactive