Wordmaster

Hey, this is a bit of fun.

This is a flash-based vocabulary game called: Wordmaster
The game offers three levels and thousands of words to practice. It is one of many English language games offered for free on the BBC World Service Learning English site. Check it out.

blogging by mail

hey, check this out.

Lateral Logic Puzzle - The Race

The Race
A man and his wife raced through the streets in their car. Suddenly, they stopped, and the husband got out of the car and ran away from the car. Minutes later he returned to the car. When he came back, his wife was dead, and there was a stranger in the car.

Lateral Logic Puzzle - Gold and Jewels

A man is lying dead in a room. There is a large pile of gold and jewels on the floor, a chandelier attached to the ceiling, and a large open window.

This one's tough.
You really need to think differently about this one.
Need a hint?

Talking about film

Film and movies are something we all enjoy. As a topic, this is a great way to engage a conversation and learn about each other.

1. What films (Japanese or Western) have you seen recently?
2. Describe it: What genre is it?; what’s it about?; who was in it?; would you recommend it?
3. What is your favourite movie and why?
4. Why do you think film is such an important and influential art form?
5. What Japanese film(s) would you recommend to non-Japanese people to give them a better understanding of Japanese culture?
6. Have you seen any of the films on the AFI Top 100 list?
7. The American Film Institute recently declared that the past decade was the worst decade in history of American film. Why do you think they said this?

For a great collection of film information visit the Internet Movie Database [IMDB]

10 Facts about Japan

You meet people when you travel. Many people are interested in Japan and it is a good idea to learn about your own country before you travel. You will be surprised about the sorts of questions people will ask you.

If you can learn 10 things about Japan, then you will always have something to talk about.

I have assembled a list of 10 facts about Japan as an example. You will want to research some more. Here here they are:

1. Mt. Fuji is 3, 776 metres and is the highest point in Japan
2. The population of Japan is 127 million people
3. Japan is slightly smaller than the state of California
4. A litre of gas is approximately 150 yen or approximately $6.00 per gallon
   
5. Japan has the highest life expectancy for women - total population: 82.02 years (male: 78.67 years; female: 85.56 years)
6. Japan has two major religions: Shinto and Buddhist
7. Japan has the 2^nd largest economy in the world
8. You become an adult at the age of 20
9. Japan has a very low birth rate (ranking 222 of 223 countries)
10. There are 1500 earthquakes per year in Japan

Lateral Logic Puzzle - The Vacant Yacht

The Vacant Yacht
It is a bright, sunny day in the Atlantic Ocean. In the middle of the ocean is a yacht. There is no one on board. Several corpses are floating in the water nearby the yacht. What happened?

Boxing Day

What's the day after Christmas? Chances are, if you ask an American they won't know. But, if you ask a Canadian or a Brit, they'll tell you: Boxing Day.

Boxing Day is a holiday that originated in the UK and is celebrated in commonwealth countries: Canada, Australia, New Zealand etc.

The day after Christmas, the Feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, is better known as Boxing Day.

The term may come from the opening of church poor boxes that day; maybe from the earthenware boxes with which boy apprentices collected money at the doors of their masters' clients.

Read more about Boxing Day on Wikipedia

Did Coke really turn Santa red and white?

Did Coke really turn Santa red and white?
It's often said that Santa's red and white robes were the creation of a Coca-Cola advertising campaign. Is that true?
Read the answer here.

A Word A Day

Want to learn a new word a day? A Word A Day publishes a daily email with a word, it's definition, an example and and an audio pronunciation.

Here is a recent example:

A.Word.A.Day--jabberwocky

This week's theme: Yours to discover.

Why did I select these words (anthropomorphize, kafkaesque, excursive, dysphagia and jabberwocky) this week? If you know the answer, email it to (puzzle at wordsmith.org). One answer per person, please. The first reader to uncover the plot will receive an autographed copy of my new book "The Dord, the Diglot, and an Avocado or Two: The Hidden Lives and Strange Origins of Common and Not-So-Common Words". So will another reader randomly selected from all the correct answers.

jabberwocky (JAB-uhr-wok-ee) noun

Meaningless speech or writing.

[After Jabberwocky, a nonsense poem by Lewis Carroll which was part of his novel Through the Looking Glass (1871).]

The poem Jabberwocky is filled with made-up words, yet it has been translated into dozens of languages. Not bad for a nonsensical poem. Original, translations.

-Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org)

"To the Steelers, [Joey] Porter trying to outtalk them would be so much jabberwocky, nonsensical ramblings that cause no impact and only sound foolish." Alan Robinson; Sound of Silence; Associated Press; Nov 23, 2007.

Visit AWAD

Pre-Christian “Christmas” -- Fire, light and evergreens

Do you know about the origin of Christmas?

Christ was not born on December 25th - so why do we celebrate it then? Christ was born in the desert, yet fir trees, holly, mistletoe and poinsettia are symbols of Christmas. Where did Santa Claus come from and why is he so big with a white beard and a red and white suit? The answer may surprise you. Fir trees, holly and mistletoe are important plants for pagans - worshippers of nature - and their celebration of the winter solstice - the shortest day of the year - pre-dates the birth of Christ by thousands of years.

The following quote comes from an excellent collection of interesting articles on the history of Christmas published by the BBC.

Pre-Christian, northern societies used to enliven the dark days of the winter solstice with a celebration of fire, light and jollity, to create relief in the season of nature's dormancy and to hurry along the renewal of springtime. Christmas, as the celebration of the birth of Christ, was also a winter festival which gradually incorporated many pagan traditions, one of which was the burning of fires to ward away dark and evil spirits.

Read the whole article here: The 10 Ages of Christmas

Lateral Logic Puzzle - The Elevator

A man lives on the tenth floor of an apartment building. Every morning he takes the elevator down to the lobby and leaves the building. In the evening, he gets into the elevator, and, if there is someone else in the elevator -- or if it was raining that day -- he goes back to his floor directly. Otherwise, he goes to the seventh floor and walks up three flights of stairs to his apartment. Why?