KODIAK Private English

The History of the English language

2014-04-07T09:23:00.000-03:00

HISTÓRIA DA LÍNGUA INGLESA

INTRODUÇÃO
A língua inglesa é fruto de uma história complexa e enraizada num passado muito distante.

Há indícios de presença humana nas ilhas britânicas já antes da última era do gelo, quando as mesmas ainda não haviam se separado do continente europeu e antes dos oceanos formarem o Canal da Mancha. Esse recente fenômeno geológico que separou as ilhas britânicas do continente, ocorrido há cerca de 7.000 anos, também isolou os povos que lá viviam dos conturbados movimentos e do obscurantismo que caracterizaram os primórdios da Idade Média na Europa.

Sítios arqueológicos evidenciam que as terras úmidas que os romanos vieram a denominar de Britannia já abrigavam uma próspera cultura há 8.000 anos, embora pouco se saiba a respeito.
OS CELTAS
A história da Inglaterra inicia com os celtas.

Por volta de 1000 a.C., depois de muitas migrações, vários dialetos das línguas indo-européias tornam-se grupos de línguas distintos, sendo um desses grupos o celta. Os celtas se originaram...
... presumivelmente de populações que já habitavam a Europa na Idade do Bronze. Durante cerca de 8 séculos, de 700 a.C. a 100 A.D., o povo celta habitou as regiões hoje conhecidas como Espanha, França, Alemanha e Inglaterra. O celta chegou a ser o principal grupo de línguas na Europa, antes de acabarem os povos celtas quase que totalmente assimilados pelo Império Romano.
A PRESENÇA ROMANA

Em 55 e 54 a.C. ocorrem as primeiras invasões romanas de reconhecimento, sob o comando pessoal de Júlio César. Em 44 A.D., à época do Imperador Claudius, ocorre a terceira invasão, quando então a principal ilha britânica é anexada ao Império Romano até os limites com a Caledônia (atual Escócia) e o latim começa a exercer influência na cultura celta-bretã. Três séculos e meio de presença das legiões romanas e seus mercadores, trouxeram profunda influência na estrutura econômica, política e social das tribos celtas que habitavam a Grã Bretanha. Palavras latinas naturalmente passaram a ser usadas para muitos dos novos conceitos resultantes das transformações sociais.
OS ANGLO-SAXÕES

Devido às dificuldades em Roma enfrentadas pelo Império, as legiões romanas, em 410 A.D., se retiram da Britannia, deixando seus habitantes celtas à mercê de tribos inimigas do norte (Scots e Picts). Uma vez que Roma já não dispunha de forças militares para defendê-los, os celtas, em 449 A.D., recorrem às tribos germânicas (Jutes, Angles, Saxons e Frisians) para obter ajuda. Estes, entretanto, de forma oportunista, acabam tornando-se invasores, estabelecendo-se nas áreas mais férteis do sudeste da Grã-Bretanha, destruindo vilas e massacrando a população local. Os celtas-bretões sobreviventes refugiam-se no oeste. Prova da violência e do descaso dos invasores pela cultura local é o fato de que quase não ficaram traços da língua celta no inglês.

São os dialetos germânicos falados pelos anglos e pelos saxões que vão dar origem ao inglês. A palavra England, por exemplo, originou-se de Angle-land (terra dos anglos). A partir daí, a história da língua inglesa é dividida em três períodos: Old English, Middle English eModern English. A segunda metade do século V, quando ocorreram as invasões germânicas, marca o início do período denominado Old English.
INTRODUÇÃO DO CRISTIANISMO

Em 432 A.D. St. Patrick inicia sua missão de levar o cristianismo à população celta da Irlanda. Em 597 A.D., ao tempo do Papa Gregório, a Igreja manda missionários para converter os anglo-saxões ao cristianismo. O processo de cristianização ocorre gradual e pacificamente, marcando o início da influência do latim sobre a língua germânica dos anglos-saxões, origem do inglês moderno. Esta influência ocorre de duas formas: introdução de vocabulário novo referente a religião e adaptação do vocabulário anglo-saxão para cobrir novas áreas de significado. A necessidade de reprodução de textos bíblicos representa também o início da literatura inglesa.

A introdução do cristianismo representou também a rejeição de elementos da cultura celta e associação dos mesmos a bruxaria. A observação ainda hoje de Halloween na noite de 31 de outubro é exemplo remanescente de cultura celta na visão do cristianismo.

Àquele período, a Inglaterra encontra-se dividida em sete reinos anglo-saxões e o Old English, então falado, na verdade não era uma única língua, mas sim uma variedade de diferentes dialetos.

Os dialetos do inglês antigo de antes do cristianismo eram línguas funcionais para descrever fatos concretos e atender necessidades de comunicação diária. O vocabulário de origem greco-latina introduzido pela cristianização expandiu a linguagem anglo-saxônica na direção de conceitos abstratos.

Ao final do século 8, iniciam os ataques dosVikings contra a Inglaterra. Originários da Escandinávia, esses povos usavam de violência e seus ataques causaram destruição em muitas regiões da Europa. Os vikings que se estabeleceram na Inglaterra eram predominantemente provenientes da região hoje pertencente à Dinamarca e falavam Old Norse, ancestral do dinamarquês. Esses mais de 200 anos de presença de escandinavos na Inglaterra naturalmente exerceram influência sobre o Old English. Entretanto, devido à semelhança entre as duas línguas, torna-se difícil determinar esta influência com precisão.
OLD ENGLISH (500 - 1100 A.D.)

Old English, às vezes também também denominado Anglo-Saxon, comparado ao inglês moderno, é uma língua quase irreconhecível, tanto na pronúncia, quanto no vocabulário e na gramática. Para um falante nativo de inglês hoje, das 54 palavras do Pai Nosso em Old English, menos de 15% são reconhecíveis na escrita, e provavelmente nada seria reconhecido ao ser pronunciado. A correlação entre pronúncia e ortografia, entretanto, era muito mais próxima do que no inglês moderno. No plano gramatical, as diferenças também são substanciais. Em Old English, os substantivos declinam e têm gênero (masculino, feminino e neutro), e os verbos são conjugados.
A CONQUISTA DA INGLATERRA PELOS NORMANDOS NA BATALHA DE HASTINGS

A Batalha de Hastings em 1066, foi um evento histórico de grande importância na história da Inglaterra. Representou não só uma drástica reorganização política, mas também alterou os rumos da língua inglesa, marcando o início de uma nova era.

A batalha foi travada entre o exército normando, comandado por William, Duque da Normandia (norte da França), e o exército anglo-saxão liderado por King Harold, em 14 de outubro de 1066.

O predecessor de Harold havia tido fortes vínculos com a corte da Normandia e supostamente prometido o trono da Inglaterra para o Duque da Normandia. Após sua morte, entretanto, o conselho do reino apontou Harold como sucessor, levando William a apelar para a guerra como forma de impor seus pretensos direitos.
Veja como um artista do século 11 representou, em tapeçaria, a travessia do Canal da Mancha pelas tropas de William:

A sangrenta batalha só terminou ao fim do dia, com o Rei Harold e seus irmãos mortos e um saldo de 1500 a 2000 guerreiros mortos do lado normando e outros tantos ou mais, do lado inglês.

William havia conquistado em poucos dias uma vitória que romanos, saxões e dinamarqueses haviam lutado longa e duramente para alcançar. Ele havia conquistado um país de um milhão e meio de habitantes e provavelmente o mais rico da Europa, na época. Por esse feito ficou conhecido na história como William the Conqueror.

O regime que se instaurou a partir da conquista foi caracterizado pela centralização, pela força e, naturalmente, pela língua dos conquistadores: o dialeto francês denominado Norman French. O próprio William l não falava inglês e, por ocasião de sua morte em 1087, não havia uma única região da Inglaterra que não fosse controlada por um normando. Seus sucessores, William II (1087-1100) e Henry I (1100-1135), passaram cerca de metade de seus reinados na França e provavelmente possuíam pouco conhecimento de inglês.

Durante os 300 anos que se seguiram, principalmente nos 150 anos iniciais, a língua de prestígio, usada pela aristocracia na Inglaterra, foi o francês. Falar francês tornou-se então condição para aqueles de origem anglo-saxônica em busca de ascensão social através da simpatia e dos favores da classe dominante.
MIDDLE ENGLISH (1100 - 1500)

O elemento mais importante do período que corresponde ao Middle English foi, sem dúvida, a forte presença e influência da língua francesa no inglês. Essa verdadeira transfusão de cultura franco-normanda na nação anglo-saxônica, que durou três séculos, resultou principalmente num aporte considerável de vocabulário. Isto demonstra que, por mais forte que possa ser a influência de uma língua sobre outra, esta influência normalmente não vai além de um enriquecimento de vocabulário, dificilmente afetando a pronúncia ou a estrutura gramatical.

O passar dos séculos e as disputas que acabaram ocorrendo entre os normandos das ilhas britânicas e os do continente, provocam o surgimento de um sentimento nacionalista e, pelo final do século 15, já se torna evidente que o inglês havia prevalecido. Até mesmo como linguagem escrita, o inglês já havia substituído o francês e o latim como língua oficial para documentos. Também começava a surgir uma literatura nacional.

Muito vocabulário novo foi incorporado com a introdução de novos conceitos administrativos, políticos e sociais, para os quais não havia equivalentes em inglês. Em alguns casos, entretanto, já existiam palavras de origem germânica, as quais, ou acabaram desaparecendo, ou passaram a coexistir com os equivalentes de origem francesa, em princípio como sinônimos, mas, com o tempo, adquirindo conotações diferentes. Exemplos:

Anglo-Saxão	Francês		Anglo-Saxão	Francês		Anglo-Saxão	Francês		Anglo-Saxão	Francês
answer ask begin bill chicken child clothe come doom	respond question commence beak poultry infant dress arrive judgement		end fair feed folk freedom ghost happiness heaven help	finish beautiful nourish people liberty phantom felicity paradise aid		hide holy house hunt kin kingly leave look mistake	conceal sacred mansion chase relations royal depart search error		ox sheep shut sight swine wedding wish work yearly	beef mutton close vision pork marriage desire labor annual

Pequenas diferenças dialetais resultantes desta simbiose entre diferentes grupos sociais e suas respectivas línguas podem ser observadas ainda atualmente. Nos meios intelectuais das classes mais privilegiadas dos países de língua inglesa existe até hoje uma tendência a um uso maior de palavras de origem latina. De acordo com o norte-americano Pat Brown, frequentador do fórum de discussões deste site,

The split between the French-speaking Normans and peasant English-speaking Saxons still exists today in a curious fashion. The Normans, as the conquerors and rulers, became the upper-class of England and their speech metamorphosed into today's well-educated English - composed primarily of Latin-based vocabulary. The common everyday speech of most modern English speakers however is still directly based on the Anglo-Saxon.

Além da influência do francês sobre seu vocabulário, o Middle English se caracterizou também pela gradual perda de declinações, pela neutralização e perda de vogais atônicas em final de palavra e pelo início do Great Vowel Shift.
THE GREAT VOWEL SHIFT

Uma acentuada mudança na pronúncia das vogais do inglês ocorreu principalmente durante os séculos 15 e 16. Praticamente todos os sons vogais, inclusive ditongos, sofreram alterações e algumas consoantes deixaram de ser pronunciadas. De uma forma geral, as mudanças das vogais corresponderam a um movimento na direção dos extremos do espectro de vogais, como representado no gráfico abaixo.

PRONÚNCIA
ANTES DO SÉCULO 15

PRONÚNCIA
MODERNA

fine /fi:ne/

hus /hu:s/

ded /de:d/, semelhante a dedo em português

fame /fa:me/, semelhante à atual pronúncia de father

so /só:/, semelhante à atual pronúncia de saw

to /to:/, semelhante à atual pronúncia de toe

/fayn/

house /haws/

deed /diyd/

/feym/

/sow/

/tuw/

O sistema de sons vogais da língua inglesa antes do século 15 era bastante semelhante ao das demais línguas da Europa ocidental, inclusive do português de hoje. Portanto, a atual falta de correlação entre ortografia e pronúncia do inglês moderno, que se observa principalmente nas vogais, é, em grande parte, consequência desta mudança ocorrida no século 15.
MODERN ENGLISH (a apartir de 1500)

Enquanto que o Middle English se caracterizou por uma acentuada diversidade de dialetos, o Modern Englishrepresentou um período de padronização e unificação da língua. O advento da imprensa em 1475 e a criação de um sistema postal em 1516 possibilitaram a disseminação do dialeto de Londres - já então o centro político, social e econômico da Inglaterra. A disponibilidade de materiais impressos também deu impulso à educação, trazendo o alfabetismo ao alcance da classe média.

A reprodução e disseminação de uma ortografia finalmente padronizada, entretanto, coincidiu com o período em que ocorria ainda a Great Vowel Shift. As mudanças ocorridas na pronúncia a partir de então, não foram acompanhadas de reformas ortográficas, o que revela um caráter conservador da cultura inglesa. Temos aí a origem da atual falta decorrelação entre pronúncia e ortografia no inglês moderno. D’Eugenio assim explica o que ocorreu:

O processo de padronização da língua inglesa iniciou em princípios do século 16 com o advento da litografia, e acabou fixando-se nas presentes formas ao longo do século 18, com a publicação dos dicionários de Samuel Johnson (figura ao lado) em 1755, Thomas Sheridan em 1780 e John Walker em 1791. Desde então, a ortografia do inglês mudou em apenas pequenos detalhes, enquanto que a sua pronúncia sofreu grandes transformações. O resultado disto é que hoje em dia temos um sistema ortográfico baseado na língua como ela era falada no século 18, sendo usado para representar a pronúncia da língua no século 20. (319, minha tradução)

Da mesma forma que os primeiros dicionários serviram para padronizar a ortografia, os primeiros trabalhos descrevendo a estrutura gramatical do inglês influenciaram o uso da língua, incorporando conceitos gramaticais das línguas latinas e trazendo uma uniformidade gramatical. Durante os séculos 16 e 17 ocorreu o surgimento e a incorporação definitiva do verbo auxiliar do para frases interrogativas e negativas. A partir do século 18 passou a ser considerado incorreto o uso de dupla negação numa mesma frase como, por exemplo: She didn't go neither.
SHAKESPEARE

William Shakespeare (1564-1616), representou uma forte influência no desenvolvimento de uma linguagem literária. Sua imensa obra é caracterizada pelo uso criativo do vocabulário então existente, bem como pela criação de palavras novas. Substantivos transformados em verbos e verbos em adjetivos, bem como a livre adição de prefixos e sufixos e o uso de linguagem figurada são frequentes nos trabalhos de Shakespeare.

Ao mesmo tempo em que a literatura se desenvolvia, o colonialismo britânico do século 19, levava a língua inglesa a áreas remotas do mundo, proporcionando contato com culturas diferentes e trazendo novo enriquecimento ao vocabulário do inglês.

Desde o início da era cristã até o século 19, seis idiomas chegaram a ser falados na Inglaterra: Celta, Latim, Old English, Norman French, Middle English e Modern English. Essa diversidade de influências explica o fato de ser o inglês uma língua menos sistemática e menos regular, quando comparado às línguas latinas e mesmo ao alemão. Poderia nos levar a concluir também que o inglês de hoje pode ser comparado a uma colcha feita de retalhos de tecidos de origem das mais diversas.
AMERICAN ENGLISH

A esperança de alcançar prosperidade e os anseios por liberdade de religião foram os fatores que determinaram a colonização da América do Norte. A chegada dos primeiros imigrantes ingleses em 1620, marca o início da presença da língua inglesa no Novo Mundo.

À época da independência dos Estados Unidos, em 1776, quando a população do país chegava perto de 4 milhões, o dialeto norte-americano já mostrava características distintas em relação aos dialetos das ilhas britânicas. O contato com a realidade de um novo ambiente, com as culturas indígenas nativas e com o espanhol das regiões adjacentes ao sul, colonizadas pela Espanha, provocou um desenvolvimento de vocabulário diverso do inglês britânico.

Hoje, entretanto, as diferenças entre os dialetos britânicos e norte-americanos estão basicamente na pronúncia, além de pequenas diferenças no vocabulário. Ao contrário do que aconteceu entre Brasil e Portugal, Estados Unidos da América e Inglaterra mantiveram fortes laços culturais, comerciais e políticos. Enquanto que o português ao longo de 4 séculos se desenvolveu em dois dialetos substancialmente diferentes em Portugal e no Brasil, as diferenças entre os dialetos britânico e norte-americano são menos significativas.
O INGLÊS COMO LÍNGUA DO MUNDO
Fatos históricos recentes explicam o atual papel do inglês como língua do mundo.

Em primeiro lugar, temos o grande poderio econômico da Inglaterra nos séculos 18, 19 e 20, alavancado pela Revolução Industrial, e a consequente expansão do colonialismo britânico. Esse verdadeiro império de influência política e econômica atingiu seu ápice na primeira metade do século 20, com uma expansão territorial que alcançava 20% das terras do planeta. O British Empire chegou a ficar conhecido como "the empire where the sun never sets"devido à sua vasta abrangência geográfica, provocando uma igualmente vasta disseminação da língua inglesa.

Em segundo lugar, o poderio político-militar do EUA a partir da segunda guerra mundial e a marcante influência econômica e cultural resultante, acabaram por deslocar o francês como língua predominante nos meios diplomáticos e solidificar o inglês na posição de padrão das comunicacões internacionais. Simultaneamente, ocorre um rápido desenvolvimento do transporte aéreo e das tecnologias de telecomunicação. Surgem os conceitos de information superhighway e global village para caracterizar um mundo no qual uma linguagem comum de comunicação é imprescindível.

RESUMO CRONOLÓGICO

10.000 - 6.000 a.C. - Sítios arqueológicos evidenciam a presença do homem nas terras que encontravam-se ainda unidas ao continente europeu e que os romanos posteriormente viriam a denominar de Britannia.

1.200 - 600 a.C. - Celtas se estabelecem na Europa e ilhas britânicas, marcando a partir daí sua presença na Europa por cerca de 8 séculos, antes de sua quase completa assimilação pelo Império Romano.

55 e 54 a.C. - Primeiras incursões romanas de reconhecimento, sob o comando de Júlio César.

44 A.D. - Legiões romanas, à época do Imperador Claudius, invadem e anexam a principal ilha britânica.

50 A.D. - Os romanos fundam Londinium às margens do Tâmisa.

410 A.D. - Legiões romanas se retiram das ilhas britânicas para defender Roma de ataques dos bárbaros.

432 A.D. - St. Patrick inicia sua missão de cristianizar a Irlanda.

450 - 550 A.D. - Tribos germânicas (anglos e saxões) se estabelecem na Britannia após a saída das legiões romanas. Início do período Old English.

500 - 1100 - Período que corresponde ao Old English.

465 A.D. - Suposta data de nascimento do lendário Rei Artur.

597 A.D. - Chegada de missionários católicos para converter os anglo-saxões ao cristianismo. Inicia o primeiro período de influência do latim na língua anglo-saxônica.

600 A.D. - A Inglaterra encontra-se dividida em 7 reinos anglo-saxões.

787 - 1000 A.D. - Ataques escandinavos (Vikings).

871 A.D. - Coroação do King Alfred, rei dos saxões do oeste, reconhecido como rei da Inglaterra após ter expulsado os Vikings.

1066 - Batalha de Hastings, em que os franceses normandos, liderados por William, derrotam Harold, conquistando a Inglaterra e dando início a um período de 350 anos de forte influência do francês sobre o inglês.

1066-1087 - Reinado de William I (William the Conqueror), primeiro rei normando.

1087-1100 - Reinado de William II, filho de William I e segundo rei normando.

1100-1135 - Reinado de Henry I, também filho de William I, o terceiro rei normando e o primeiro a ter uma esposa britânica (Mathilda of Scotland). É provável que Henry I tivesse algum domínio sobre o inglês, e foi em seu reinado que as diferenças entre as sociedades anglo-saxônica e normanda começaram a lentamente diminuir.

1100 - 1500 - Período que corresponde ao Middle English.

1204 - King John, Rei da Inglaterra, entra em conflito com o Rei Philip da França, marcando o início de um novo período de valorização do sentimento nacionalista inglês.

1300 - Robert of Gloucester faz referência à língua inglesa como sendo ainda uma língua falada na Inglaterra apenas por "low people".

1362 - Inglês é usado, pela primeira vez, na abertura do Parlamento Inglês.

1400 - 1600 - Período em que ocorrem com mais intensidade as mudança de vogais (Great Vowel Shift).

1470 - Advento da imprensa, inventada por Gutenberg, dando início a uma padronização da ortografia e levando à disseminação da forma ortográfica do dialeto de Londres.

1500 até hoje - Período correspondente ao Modern English.

1516 - Henrique VIII cria o primeiro sistema postal da Inglaterra.

1558 - Início do reinado de Elizabeth I (filha de Henrique VIII) e da era elisabetana, período caracterizado por um substancial aumento do vocabulário do inglês e pelas monumentais obras literárias de Spenser, Shakespeare e Jonson.

1564 - Nascimento de William Shakespeare.

1603 - Morte de Elizabeth I e fim do período elisabetano.

1611 - A Igreja da Inglaterra publica a King James Bible, que exerceu grande influência na linguagem de então.

1616 - Falecimento de William Shakespeare.

1620 - Os Pilgrims chegam à America do Norte e estabelecem a Colônia de Plymouth.

1755 - Samuel Johnson publica A Dictionary of the English Language, trazendo estabilidade à língua inglesa.

1762 - Bishop Robert Lowth publica Short Introduction to English Grammar, a primeira gramática influente da língua inglesa.

1776 - Declaração da independência dos Estados Unidos.

1700 - 1900 - Revolução Industrial, a qual alavancou o poderio econômico da Inglaterra, permitindo a expansão do colonialismo britânico e consequentemente da língua inglesa no século 19.

1806 - Ano de publicação do primeiro dicionário de Noah Webster: A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language.

1890 - 1920 - Apogeu do Império Britânico.

1928 - Ano de publicação da primeira edição do Oxford English Dictionary (OED), em 12 volumes e contendo cerca de 415 mil entradas.

1945 - Fim da segunda guerra mundial, marca o início de um período de influência político-militar dos EUA e uma consequente influência econômica e cultural decisiva para o papel do inglês como língua internacional nos dias de hoje.

1989 - Ano de publicação da segunda edição do Oxford English Dictionary (OED), em 20 volumes e em CD-ROM, contendo mais de 500 mil entradas.

1985 - 1995 - Surgimento da Internet.

Ricardo Schütz from:http://www.sk.com.br/sk-enhis.html

Let`s get together and speak English?

2014-04-04T08:44:00.000-03:00

Here`s the first attempt to put in practice an idea...
I have been repeating for some years now, mostly to my students, the fact that learning English in Brazil is something quite unique.
The fact is that a great percentage of the economically active population of Brazil have studied English before, and yet, the percentage of those who actually can speak is to a minimum.
Some factors contribute for this status quo, among them are; the poor quality of the schools we have in our country, the lack of professional teachers and mostly the very fact that most of people don`t speak English and therefore those who are in the language acquisition process don`t have opportunities to practice their English on a daily basis.

The atmosphere of an English school can be perceived as a sanctuary of the English language, due to its condition to allow learners to interact in English even if it is only for some hours a week.

The idea referred above takes this scenario under consideration, a population of people who need English and have studied English and yet strive to learn and/or practice English has motivated this endeavor. It is meant to be a gathering of people who want to change this scenario and get together to make English more active in their lives by using it more often and therefore changing this situation where the cons beat the pros in their quest to learn the language!

Join us! and let`s speak up and about!

Click on the link below if you share the need for more practice of the language and be part of this idea;
http://www.meetup.com/JundiaiEnglishPractice/

Suit Up!

2014-03-24T08:56:00.001-03:00

This very good TV show from USA Network features 2 up and coming lawyers who work in in NYC.

In this show you can find many law-related technical terms in context!

Enjoy it!

Suits (2011– )

TV Series - 45 min - Comedy | Drama

Creator:

Aaron Korsh

Stars:

Gabriel Macht, Patrick J. Adams, Meghan Markle |See full cast and crew »

While running from a drug deal gone bad, Mike Ross, a brilliant young college-dropout, slips into a job interview with one of New York City's best legal closers, Harvey Specter. Tired of cookie-cutter law school grads, Harvey takes a gamble by hiring Mike on the spot after he recognizes his raw talent and photographic memory. Mike and Harvey are a winning team. Even though Mike is a genius, he still has a lot to learn about law. And while Harvey may seem like an emotionless, cold-blooded shark, Mike's sympathy and concern for their cases and clients will help remind Harvey why he went into law in the first place. Mike's other allies in the office include the firm's best paralegal Rachel and Harvey's no-nonsense assistant Donna to help him serve justice. Proving to be an irrepressible duo and invaluable to the practice, Mike and Harvey must keep their secret from everyone including managing partner Jessica and Harvey's arch nemesis Louis, who seems intent on making Mike's life as ...Written by USA Network

Back I am!

2014-03-24T07:46:00.001-03:00

Finally after a long period without any activity on this blog I find myself wondering what took me so long to get back at it.
Well, aside professional limitations on time availability, I actually don`t have many reasons to it. So here I am, and hope to get back on track strongly.

Iphone ?? The one from Apple??

2013-02-15T08:10:00.000-02:00

Apple loses Brazilian iPhone trademark ruling

Brazilian regulators have ruled that Apple does not have exclusive rights to use the "iPhone" trademark in the country.

But the US tech giant has already lodged an appeal against the decision with the Brazilian regulators.

The ruling is the result of...

a local company, Gradiente Eletronica, registering the name in 2000, six years before the US firm.

Apple can continue to sell iPhone-branded handsets in Brazil.

But the decision means that Gradiente has an option of suing for exclusivity in South America's biggest market.

The Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) told the BBC that its decision only applied to handsets, and that the California-based company continued to have exclusive rights to use the iPhone name elsewhere including on clothing, in software and across publications.

"I can confirm that INPI published today its decisions about eight trademark applications related to iPhone, from Apple: four applications were rejected and other four were approved," said the agency's spokesman Marcelo Chimento.

"Some were rejected because a Brazilian company, Gradiente, made an application for G Gradiente iphone in 2000 and it was approved in 2008. As Apple started its applications for iPhone in 2006, they were denied because Gradiente had a very similar register for cell phones applied some years before the American company.

"The trademarks approved today for Apple were related to other classes, such as education, software development and advertising. Since they are in other classes, different from communications and telephones, they could be approved."

Appeal

INPI added that Apple had argued that it should have been given full rights since Gradiente had not released a product using the iPhone name until December 2012.

Apple is asking the INPI to cancel Gradiente's registration through expiration - it is arguing that the Brazilian firm did not use the name within a five year limit.

The Manaus-headquartered company now sells its Android-powered iPhone Neo One for 599 reals ($304; £196).

Bloomberg previously reported that the chairman of Gradiente had said: "We're open to a dialogue for anything, anytime... we're not radicals."

Apple's most recent financial results revealed its cash reserves had grown to $137bn (£88bn).

The firm's manufacturing partner, Foxconn, currently produces iPhones and iPads among other equipment at its facilities in Brazil.

source: http://www.bbc.co.uk

Hand gestures and culture...

2013-02-13T07:29:00.004-02:00

1.	P's and Q's	885 up, 337 down
	From an old printer's axiom. Back in the early days of printing presses, each line of text had to be set up one letter at a time. Since the letters in the press were reversed (so they'd print forward), the printmaker (or typographer) needed to be careful not to confuse one letter for the other. Reminding someone to "watch his p's and q's" means to pay attention to the details. On the stand, Bill was always careful to watch his p's and q's when dealing with the lawyers. buy p's and q's mugs & shirts
2.	P's and Q's	371 up, 453 down
	This axiom, regardless of its origins, has been common in post-victorian Britain as an abbreviation of 'to mind your manners' or, more specifically, to say both 'please' (p's) and 'thankyou' (thank-Q). Thus the phrase 'watch your p's and q's' has been in use to encourage people to speak politely, especially children, who remember such phrases better than just instructions. Kid 1: You spill my pint? Kid 2: feck off! Mum: Oi, watch you're p's and q's! Kid 2: Sorry. Feck off, please. from: http://www.urbandictionary.com/ 26 January 2011 Mind your P’s and Q’s if you want to make your $$’s Business without Borders Proper business etiquette can make the difference between a disastrous overseas encounter and a successful one Even a small blunder concerning the unspoken rules of cultural etiquette can derail progress (there was the sight of former U.S. president Richard Nixon getting off his plane in Brazil and giving the “OK” hand gesture, which locally translates into “up yours”). Help is at hand: the last decade has seen a sharp increase in the number of books and experts to turn to for help. “In Japan if you are about to sign a deal “In Japan if you are about to sign a deal you do that hand gesture, it’s a monetary symbol. They may wonder if you want a bribe,” said etiquette consultant Tina Manousos. The educator spoke recently to a group of business students at the annual Queens Conference on International Business in Toronto. “Opportunities are no longer in the continent you are from. They are everywhere,” said Manousos. “Your expertise in your field is not enough. As soon as you get off that plane you better know the politics, religion and superstitions of the people,” she added. “That’s what is going to make your company and yourself look good.” Along with the nuances of global hand gestures, Manousos commented on proper greeting standards with a focus on Far East and Asian cultures. Because they are a “proud people,” she stressed greeting your counterpart with less eye contact than is acceptable in North America (along with a slight bow and a gentler handshake). “Don’t go very deep in your bow unless you know the rituals of the country because it’s all done by rank in some places,” she said, adding it is crucial to know the rules of physical contact between genders in China and the Middle East. “Let the woman make the first move. If she gives you her hand then shake her hand and if she smiles and bows, do the same.” It’s also important to know in what order a person’s given and surname is used. Perhaps one of the most marked differences between Eastern and Western business practices, however, is the card exchange. While it is treated more casually in North America, Manousos stressed that cards are given with much weight in Asia, where a person is symbolically handing you their reputation. “They are going to present it with two hands with the card facing you. You should receive it as if you are getting something very special,” said Manousos. “Take the card with both hands. Only make notes on it regarding proper pronunciation in private, and never on the face of the card because it is almost as if you are defacing them when you write on the front,” she said. To close a meeting well, understand the politics of gift giving. In India, for example, one should stay away from leather products because the cow is sacred to Hindus. Avoid sharp objects such as letter openers as a general rule, because in some Asian cultures they can symbolize the “severing” of a relationship. “If you are doing business with France for example, don’t take a bottle of California wine because they think they have the best in the world,” she said. “On the other hand, Scottish whisky or smoked salmon from North America is great because it’s not something they have.” High-quality pens are always safe, but Manousos stressed doing some gift giving research as the best way to promote a positive final impression. “Know who you are doing business with,” she said. “It’s not necessarily about where you are but the people you are doing business with.” extracted from: http://globalconnections.hsbc.com/global/en/articles/mind-your-manners-if-you-want-to-make-your-dollars

Introverts...

2013-02-06T20:03:00.001-02:00

Definition: Contrary to what most people think, an introvert is not simply a person who is shy. In fact, being shy has little to do with being an introvert! Shyness has an element of apprehension, nervousness and anxiety, and while an introvert may also be shy, introversion itself is not shyness. Basically, an introvert is a person who is energized by being alone and whose energy is drained by being around other people.

Introverts are more concerned with the inner world of the mind. They enjoy thinking, exploring their thoughts and feelings. They often avoid social situations because being around people drains their energy. This is true even if they have good social skills. After being with people for any length of time, such as at a party, they need time alone to "recharge."

When introverts want to be alone, it is not, by itself, a sign of depression. It means that they either need to regain their energy from being around people or that they simply want the time to be with their own thoughts. Being with people, even people they like and are comfortable with, can prevent them from their desire to be quietly introspective.

Being introspective, though, does not mean that an introvert never has conversations. However, those conversations are generally about ideas and concepts, not about what they consider the trivial matters of social small talk.

Introverts make up about 60% of the gifted population but only about 25-40% of the general population.

This is an interesting video on Ted Talks I imagine you`d like to watch... At least 1/3 of you guys!!

Now watch this video and leave your opinion:

http://on.ted.com/Cain

Check out this great app for learning English

2013-02-05T12:24:00.001-02:00

Check out "VOA Special English"

Idiocy is a good word , but maybe it's just too light...

2013-02-04T18:46:00.000-02:00

Here is a good reading featured at the financial times @FT

Check it out guys, what's you opinion?

click here to read!

A HISTÓRIA DO HALLOWEEN E SEUS DETALHES

2012-11-01T08:55:00.001-02:00

A Data de 31 de Outubro é mundialmente conhecida como "O dia das Bruxas ou Halloween", que é uma festa típica que acontece nos países anglo-saxônicos, com especial relevância nos Estados Unidos.Mas de onde surgiu esse misterioso e sinistro costume?" O Dia das Bruxas é um evento tradicional e cultural, que ocorre nos países anglo-saxônicos, com especial relevância nos Estados Unidos, Canadá, Irlanda e Reino Unido, tendo como base e origem as celebrações dos antigos povos, sendo que não existe ...
...ao certo referências precisas de onde surgiram essas celebrações.

A palavra Halloween tem origem na Igreja católica.
Vem de uma tradição contraída do dia 1 de novembro, o Dia de Todos os Santos, é um dia católico de observância em honra de santos.
Mas, no século V DC, na Irlanda Céltica, o verão oficialmente se concluía em 31 de outubro.
O feriado era Samhain, o Ano novo Céltico.
Alguns bruxos acreditam que a origem do nome vem da palavra hallowinas - nome dado às guardiãs femininas do saber oculto das terras do norte (Escandinávia).

Mas os estudiosos dizem que a palavra Halloween surgiu da seguinte forma:

O nome é, na realidade, uma versão encurtada de "All Hallows' Even"(Noite de Todos os Santos), a véspera do Dia de Todos os Santos (All Hallows' Day).
"Hallow" é uma palavra do inglês antigo para "pessoa santa" e o dia de todas as "pessoas santas" é apenas um outro nome para Dia de Todos os Santos, o dia em que os católicos homenageiam todos os santos. Com o tempo, as pessoas passaram a se referir à Noite de Todos os Santos, "All Hallows' Even", como "Hallowe'en", e mais tarde simplesmente "Halloween".

O Halloween marca o fim oficial do verão e o início do ano-novo.
Celebra também o final da terceira e última colheita do ano, o início do armazenamento de provisões para o inverno, o início do período de retorno dos rebanhos do pasto e a renovação de suas leis.

Era uma festa com vários nomes: Samhain (fim de verão), Samhein, La Samon, ou ainda, Festa do Sol.
Mas o que ficou mesmo foi o escocês Hallowe'en.
Uma das lendas de origem celta fala que os espíritos de todos que morreram ao longo daquele ano voltariam à procura de corpos vivos para possuir e usar pelo próximo ano. Os celtas acreditavam ser a única chance de vida após a morte.
Os celtas acreditaram em todas as leis de espaço e tempo, o que permitia que o mundo dos espíritos se misturassem com o dos vivos.

Como os vivos não queriam ser possuídos, na noite do dia 31 de outubro, apagavam as tochas e fogueiras de suas casa, para que elas se tornassem frias e desagradáveis, colocavam fantasias e ruidosamente desfilavam em torno do bairro, sendo tão destrutivos quanto possível, a fim de assustar os que procuravam corpos para possuir, (Panati).
Os Romanos adotaram as práticas célticas, mas no primeiro século depois de Cristo, eles as abandonaram.
O Halloween foi levado para os Estados Unidos em 1840, por imigrantes irlandeses que fugiam da fome pela qual seu país passava e passou ser conhecido como o "Dia das Bruxas".

Travessuras ou Gostosuras? (Trick-or-treat)

A brincadeira de "doces ou travessuras" é originária de um costume europeu do século IX, chamado de "souling" (almejar).
No dia 2 de novembro, Dia de Todas as Almas (ou Finados aqui no Brasil), os cristãos iam de vila em vila pedindo "soul cakes" (bolos de alma), que eram feitos de pequenos quadrados de pão com groselha.
Para cada bolo que ganhasse, a pessoa deveria fazer uma oração por um parente morto do doador.
Acreditava-se que as almas permaneciam no limbo por um certo tempo após sua morte e que as orações ajudavam-na a ir para o céu.

Abóboras e velas: Jack O'Lantern (Jack da Lanterna)

A vela na abóbora provavelmente tem sua origem no folclore irlandês.
Um homem chamado Jack, um alcoólatra grosseiro, em um dia 31 de outubro bebeu excessivamente e o diabo veio levar sua alma. Desesperado, Jack implora por mais um copo de bebida e o diabo concede.
Jack estava sem dinheiro para o último trago e pede ao Diabo que se transformasse em uma moeda. O Diabo concorda.
Mal vê a moeda sobre a mesa, Jack guarda-a na carteira, que tem um fecho em forma de cruz.
Desesperado, o Diabo implora para sair e Jack propõe um trato: libertá-lo em troca de ficar na Terra por mais um ano inteiro. Sem opção, o Diabo concorda.
Feliz com a oportunidade, Jack resolve mudar seu modo de agir e começa a tratar bem a esposa e os filhos, vai à igreja e faz até caridade.
Mas a mudança não dura muito tempo, não.

No próximo ano, na noite de 31 de outubro, Jack está indo para casa quando o Diabo aparece. Jack, esperto como sempre, convence o diabo a pegar uma maçã de uma árvore. O diabo aceita e quando sobe no primeiro galho, Jack pega um canivete em seu bolso e desenha uma cruz no tronco. O diabo promete partir por mais dez anos.
Sem aceitar a proposta, Jack ordena que o diabo nunca mais o aborreça.
O diabo aceita e Jack o liberta da árvore.
Para seu azar, um ano mais tarde, Jack morre. Tenta entrar no céu, mas sua entrada é negada. Sem alternativa, vai para o inferno.
O diabo, ainda desconfiado e se sentindo humilhado, também não permite sua entrada, e como castigo, o diabo joga uma brasa para que Jack possa iluminar seu caminho pelo limbo. Jack põe a brasa dentro de um nabo para que dure mais tempo e sai perambulando.

Os nabos na Irlanda eram usados como "lanterna do Jack " originalmente. Mas quando os imigrantes vieram para a América, eles acharam que as abóboras eram muito mais abundantes que nabos. Então Jack O'Lantern (Jack da Lanterna).
Na América passa a ser uma abóbora, iluminada com uma brasa.
Sua alma penada passa a ser conhecida como Jack O'Lantern (Jack da Lanterna).
Quem presta atenção vê uma luzinha fraca na noite de 31 de outubro. É Jack, procurando um lugar.

BRUXAS

As bruxas tem um papel importantíssimo no Halloween. Não é à toa que o dia 31 de Outubro é conhecida como "Dia das Bruxas" em português. Segundo várias lendas, as bruxas se reuniam duas vezes por ano, durante a mudança das estações: no dia 30 de abril e no dia 31 de outubro.
Chegando em vassouras voadoras, as bruxas participavam de uma festa chefiada pelo próprio Diabo.
Elas jogavam maldições e feitiços em qualquer pessoa, transformavam-se em várias coisas e causavam todo tipo de transtorno.
Diz-se também que para encontrar uma bruxa era preciso colocar suas roupas do avesso e andar de costas durante a noite de Halloween.
Então, à meia-noite, você veria uma bruxa!

A crença em bruxas chegou aos Estados Unidos com os primeiros colonizadores. Lá, elas se espalharam e misturaram-se com as histórias de bruxas contadas pelos índios norte-americanos e, mais tarde, com as crenças na magia negra trazidas pelos escravos africanos.

O gato preto é constantemente associado às bruxas. Lendas dizem que bruxas podem transformar-se em gatos.
Algumas pessoas acreditavam que os gatos eram os espíritos dos mortos. Muitas superstições estão associadas aos gatos pretos. Uma das mais conhecidas é a de que se um gato preto cruzar seu caminho, você deve voltar pelo caminho de onde veio, pois se não o fizer, é azar na certa.

O Halloween pelo Mundo

A festa de Halloween, na verdade, equivale ao "Dia de Todos os Santos" e o "Dia de Finados", e foi absorvido pela Igreja Católica para apagar os vínculos pagãos, dando origem a festa. Os países de origem hispânica comemoram o Dia dos Mortos e não o Halloween. No Oriente, a tradição é ligada às crenças populares de cada país.

Estados Unidos

Desde 1800, quando os imigrantes irlandeses e escoceses levaram suas festividades de Halloween para a América do Norte, a festa tem se desenvolvido consideravelmente.
A conexão da festa com o Dia de Todos os Santos e o Dia de Finados ficou praticamente deixada de lado, e muitas novas tradições seculares se desenvolveram.
Para as crianças, fantasiar-se e sair pelas casas fazendo a brincadeira do "travessuras ou gostosuras" ainda é o maior evento.

A maioria das famílias nos Estados Unidos e no Canadá participam, mesmo porque não querem correr o risco de pequenos vandalismos.
Muitos adultos se fantasiam e participam com seus filhos de festas a fantasia e concursos.
Outras atividades de Halloween ocorrem durante o mês todo de outubro.
Estas tradições preservam o espírito de alegria do Samhain diante dos pensamentos assustadores de morte e do sobrenatural.
Os americanos acrescentaram filmes de terror, casas assombradas comunitárias, histórias de fantasmas e quadros espiritualistas.
Cartões e decorações também fazem parte do Halloween.

A festa só perde para o Natal no faturamento total do comércio.
Um outro costume comum do Halloween é recolher dinheiro para a UNICEF (site em inglês), em vez de doces.
Isto começou em 1950, na Filadélfia, quando uma turma de uma escola dominical teve a idéia de recolher dinheiro para as crianças necessitadas ao brincar de "travessuras ou gostosuras".
Eles enviaram o dinheiro que conseguiram, cerca de US$ 17, para a UNICEF, que foi inspirada pela idéia e começou um programa de "travessuras ou gostosuras", em 1955.

Espanha

Como no Brasil, comemora-se o Dia de Todos os Santos em 1º de novembro e Finados no dia seguinte.
As pessoas usam as datas para relembrar os mortos, decorando túmulos e lápides de pessoas que já faleceram.

Irlanda

A Irlanda é considerada como o país de origem do Halloween. Nas áreas rurais, as pessoas acedem fogueiras, como os celtas faziam nas origens da festa e as crianças passeiam pelas ruas dizendo o famoso “tricks or treats” (doces ou travessuras).

México

No dia 1º comemora-se o Dia dos Anjinhos, ou Dia dos Santos Inocentes, quando as crianças mortas antes do batismo são relembradas.
O Dia dos Mortos (El Dia de los Muertos), 2 de novembro, é bastante comemorado no México.
As pessoas oferecem aos mortos aquilo que eles mais gostavam: pratos, bebidas, flores.
Na véspera de Finados, família e amigos enfeitam os túmulos dos cemitérios e as pessoas comem, bebem e conversam, esperando a chegada dos mortos na madrugada.
Uma tradição bem popular são as caveiras doces, feitas com chocolate, marzipã e açúcar.

Tailândia

Nesse país, existe o festival Phi Ta Khon, comemorado com música e desfiles de máscaras acompanhados pela imagem de Buda. Segundo a lenda, fantasmas e espíritos andam entre os homens. A festividade acontece no primeiro dia das festas budistas.

Símbolos típicos do Halloween com seus misticismos e significados:

	A abóbora: Simboliza a fertilidade e a sabedoria.
	A vela: . Indica os caminhos para os espíritos do outro plano astral.
	O caldeirão: Fazia parte da .cultura, .como mandaria .a tradição..Dentro dele, os convidados.devem atirar.moedas.e.mensagens.escritas.com pedidos dirigidos aos espíritos.
	A vassoura: Simboliza o poder feminino que pode efetuar a limpeza da energia negativa. Equivocadamente, pensa-se que ela servia para transporte das bruxas.
	As moedas: Devem ser recolhidas no final da festa para serem doadas aos necessitados.
	Os bilhetes: Com os pedidos, devem ser incinerados para que aquilo que é solicitado através da mensagem escrita seja mais rapidamente atendido, pois se elevará através da fumaça.
	A aranha: Simboliza o destino e os fios que tecem suas teias, o meio, o caminho e suporte para seguir em frente.
	Os morcegos: Simbolizam a clarividência, pois els conseguem ver além das formas e das aparências, sem a necessidade da visão ocular. Conseguem captar as formas e as distâncias através de sua própria energia, emitindo sinais ultrasônicos.
	O sapo: Está ligado à simbologia do poder da sabedoria feminina, símbolo lunar e atributo dos mortos e de magia feminina.
	O Gato preto: Símbolo da capacidade de meditação e recolhimento espiritual, autoconfiança, independência e liberdade. Plena harmonia com o Unirverso.

Laranja - Cor da vitalidade e da energia que gera força. Os druidas acreditavam

que nesta noite, passagem para o Ano Novo, espíritos de outros planos se aproximavam

dos vivos para vampirizar a energia. vital encontrada na cor laranja.

Preto - Cor sacerdotal das vestes de muitos magos, bruxas, feiticeiras e

sacerdotes em geral.
- Cor do mestre.

Roxo - Cor da magia ritualística.

A celebração do Dia das Bruxas em 31 de Outubro, muito possivelmente em virtude da sua origem como festa dos druidas, vem sendo ultimamente promovida por diversos grupos neo-pagãos, e em alguns casos assume o caráter de celebração ocultista.
Hollywood fornece vários filmes sobre o tema, entre os quais se destaca a série "Halloween", no qual um assassino misterioso e praticamnte "imortal" retorna para se vingar em sua cidade natal.
Muitos desses filmes, apesar das restrições de exibição, acabam sendo vistos por crianças, gerando nelas o medo e má impressão das festas de Halloween.
Porém, não existe ligação dessa festa com o mal.
Na celebração atual do Halloween, podemos notar a presença de muitos elementos ligados ao folclore em torno da bruxaria.
As fantasias, enfeites e outros itens comercializados por ocasião dessa festa estão repletos de bruxas, gatos pretos, vampiros, fantasmas e monstros, no entanto isso não reflete a realidade pagã.

http://www.alemdaimaginacao.com/Noticias/A%20Historia%20do%20Haloween.html

não falamos bem...

2012-10-25T13:44:00.001-02:00

http://www.ef.com.br/epi/

Have you ever heard of hot desking? What is this??

2012-09-12T07:46:00.001-03:00

HOT DESKING/hɒt ˈdɛskɪŋ/

This term dates from the early nineties. It’s one of a set of words invented to describe...

aspects of new working practices. In hot desking, also sometimes called location independent working, workers do not have their own desks, but are allocated work space according to their needs, keeping their personal belongings in lockers or filing cabinets when not in the office. The system is heavily dependent on computers to route telephone calls, allocate resources and maintain individual working files.

The name may derive from hot bunking, the name given to the sharing of sleeping space by sailors on watch in wartime, when as one went on watch another took his place. The system is best suited to firms in which staff spend a lot of time out of the office, for example seeing clients, so that space doesn’t have to be kept permanently allocated for them and costs are reduced. Other names for the system are the virtual office and hotelling. The latter can refer to a version in which the building is treated as though it were a hotel without beds, in which all space and facilities for staff are provided against bookings as though to guests; one consultancy firm in the US is reported to have engaged a hotel concierge to ensure that services run smoothly.

A person who works according to this system is a hot desker; the verb to hot desk is also common.

source: http://www.worldwidewords.org

Sharing space - and learning to love it

Changing office space and working practices for flexible work

Changing the culture of possession

Even faced with a strong business case, there are always some people who don't want to share.

At a recent workshop on culture change, one sceptic said: "I only use my bed for a third of the day, but that doesn't mean I want to share it with strangers". I had to think about that one. For me, it would depend on who the strangers are, I guess.

But the point is an interesting one. Because there are two assumptions in this kind of view:

that one has a right to the same kind of "ownership rights" that one enjoys at home
that the other people one would share with are necessarily strangers.

Both assumptions need challenging.

On the first point: in principle, one has no more rights of exclusive ownership to an office desk than one has to a seat on a bus, a restaurant table or a stall in the office toilets.

And on the second point: in all probability the most likely people you would share space with are colleagues from your own team, or at least from the same department.

So a key part of the process of adjusting to space sharing is taking away the fear of change. And in particular, taking away the fear of loss of "ownership".

Doing work in a modern office is not about owning a particular desk, but havingguaranteed access to the right kind of facility for getting the work done. This might be a desk, or it might be a quiet workplace in a resource area, a training facility or a touchdown space (etc).

Achieving this more business-focused awareness should be a positive exercise, where teams analyse the way they work, and the kinds of facilities they need access to.

When teams and individuals help to redesign the way they work, they start to understand the trade-offs. And enabling a wide range of flexible working options is a key part of the trade-off. Less personalised space is the price paid for achieving more flexibility and better team space.

Question the exceptions

It may seem self-evident that certain jobs "have to be "full-time in the office" - usually support roles. Therefore they need their own dedicated desk.

But do they? Once more electronic-based processes are introduced, many administrative roles can in fact be done from anywhere. High volume telephony work too.

And it's usually a mistake to think in terms of whole jobs being suitable or not for remote/flexible work. Usually, there are tasks which can be done from anywhere, even if jobs as a whole can not.

And where flexibility of place is not possible, greater time flexibility is often possible, which also has an impact on the use of space.

Managers too, may claim they need a personal office for reasons such as doing confidential work. These kinds of argument are rarely compelling. Having flexible space to do the confidential tasks (such as appraisals or sensitive phone calls) is important. But this need doesn't apply 100% of the time.

Policies to make desk sharing work

Changing the habits of a working lifetime does not happen overnight. There are always people who don't agree with it, and who will try to subvert the principles by, as far as possible, resuming old habits and re-establishing the old office geographies.

And it probably won't only be the dissidents who lapse back into old ways. After a few weeks, it's worth checking to see if people have tended to colonise favoured positions, and have reintroduced their personal library behind their favourite seat or have their family photos on the desk, or leave out that 'urgent work-in-progress' on their favourite desk whenever they go out.

Is it harmless? Maybe. But people who colonise space create a tighter ratio of desks-to-people for everyone else to work with.

So here are some principles to make space sharing work:

A clear desk policy. Establish that whenever people are out of the office for more than a certain time - say 1 hour - they must clear everything from the desk. Having a locker to put things in is essential for this.
Well organised team storage. Piles of files can't be left on desks - but shutting them away in lockers can be worse. It will actually increase efficiency to accept the discipline of returning files to team storage and making them accessible to all.
Shared libraries of reference materials have the benefit of reducing duplication and preventing personal silos of information.
Have the same agreed compendium of essential information at each desk and/or online. E.g. key dates, fire escape routes, important telephone numbers, etc. And ban the maverick pinning up of "essential" information by desks to prevent "professional personalisation" of desks.
Create a beautiful environment! Provide attractive pictures, planting, water features, etc and this will justify the restriction on people putting their own knickknacks on their favourite desk.
Ergonomic work positions. Getting in the best and ergonomic workplace layout will help people accept working in different positions. Chairs must be adjustable - or some will claim they have to sit in a certain place each day.
Laptops are preferable to desktop PCs. That is because they can move everywhere with one member of staff, and any specialist software installed moves with them. This will prevent people laying claim to one particular space for IT reasons and enable more effective flexibility. When working in one position with a laptop for a long time, a keyboard and mouse, laptop stand and/or additional screen should be used.
Provide ample touch-down space to cope with peak demand. That is, places where people can connect their laptops to work for short periods. These can be touchdown bars, or locations in resource areas, informal meeting/refreshment areas etc.
Work in non-exclusive team areas with fuzzy boundaries. It's good to keep the team connection and work with each other to share space effectively. But space sharing will not achieve the maximum benefits if teams become exclusive. The aim should be to break down barriers, and encourage working across teams. "Qualified Flexible Team Space", we could call it.
Have a good telephony solution. People need to be able to log in to their extension whether in the office or out, and from whichever desk they sit at.
Encourage flexible working in practice. People working from home and on the move, and working compressed working weeks in particular will reduce the daily demand for space.

source:http://www.flexibility.co.uk

Reflex yourself

2012-09-11T08:45:00.002-03:00

Reflexive and Ergative verbs

Reflexive verbs

1 The reflexive pronouns (see pronouns) are:

Singular:	myself; yourself; himself; herself; itself
Plural:	ourselves; yourselves; themselves

We use a reflexive pronoun after a transitive verb when the direct object is the same as the subject of the verb:

I am teaching myself to play the piano.
Be careful with that knife. You might cut yourself.

These are the verbs most often found with reflexive pronouns:

cut
dry
enjoy
hurt
introduce
kill
prepare
teach

Some verbs change their meaning slightly when they have a reflexive pronoun as direct object:

amuse
apply
busy
content
behave
blame
distance
express
find
help
see

Would you like to help yourself to another drink?	=	Would you like to take another drink?
I wish the children would behave themselves.	=	I wish the children would behave well.
He found himself lying by the side of the road.	=	He was surprised when he realised that he was at the side of the road.
I saw myself as a famous actor.	=	I imagined that I was a famous actor.
She applied herself to the job of mending the lights.	=	She worked very hard to mend the lights.
He busied himself in the kitchen.	=	He worked busily in the kitchen.
I had to content myself with a few Euros.	=	I had to be satisfied with a few Euros.

The verb enjoy always has an object:

We all enjoyed the party.
I really enjoyed my lunch.

If enjoy has no other object, we use a reflexive pronoun:

~~They all enjoyed~~  They all enjoyed themselves.
~~I really enjoyed~~  I really enjoyed myself.

NOTE: We do not use a reflexive pronoun after verbs which describe things people usually do for themselves:

He washed in cold water.
He always shaved before going out in the evening.
Michael dressed and got ready for the party.

We only use reflexives with these verbs for emphasis:

He dressed himself in spite of his injuries.
She’s old enough to wash herself.

Ergative verbs

1. Ergative verbs are both transitive and intransitive:

Peter closed the door		Transitive: N + V + N
The door closed		Intransitive: N + V
I boiled a pan of water		Transitive: N + V + N
The pan boiled		Intransitive: N + V

2. Common ergative verbs are:

begin
break
change
close
drop
crack
dry
end
finish
grow
improve
increase
move
open
shake
start
stop
tear
turn

I broke the glass.
I dropped the glass and it broke.

The referee blew his whistle and started the match.
The match started at 2.30.

We grew some tasty potatoes.
The potatoes were growing well.

The wind shook the trees.
The trees shook in the wind.

3. Many verbs to do with cooking are ergative verbs:

bake
boil
cook
defrost
freeze
melt
roast

You should roast the meat at 200 degrees centigrade.
The meat was roasting in a hot oven.

I always defrost meat before I cook it.
I am waiting for the meat to defrost.

Melt the chocolate and pour it over the ice cream.
The chocolate was melting in a pan.

4. Verbs to do with vehicles are often ergative:

back
crash
drive
fly
reverse
run
sail
start
stop

I’m learning to fly a plane.
The plane flew at twice the speed of sound.

He crashed his car into a tree.
His car crashed into a tree.

5. We use some ergative verbs with only a few nouns:

catch: dress, coat, clothes, trousers etc.
fire : Gun, pistol, rifle, rocket.
play: guitar, music, piano, violin, CD, DVD etc.
ring: bell, alarm

She caught her dress on a nail.
Her dress caught on a nail.

He fired a pistol to start the race.
A pistol fired to start the race.

source: British Council

Behind the scenes at a McDonald's photo shoot

2012-07-24T11:06:00.001-03:00

Guys check out the pronunciation of about in Candian English...

David Guetta Ft. Sia - Titanium - Legendado - Tradução | HD

2012-06-29T10:52:00.001-03:00

Can you write the lyrics in English???

Try it !! your perception of the language will improve...

Plural Rules!

2012-06-28T09:20:00.002-03:00

Hey folks,
Sometimes English learners, from pretty much any level, show difficulties on using correctly the plural while speaking.

Subject-Verb agreement is a much more complex difficulty that also appears in a wide range of levels and seems to have no regard what so ever to the Plural rules usage, but in fact,
they are intimately related due to the fact that the ability to recognize those sounds like they are end up having the learner to block the use of Plurals in their speech and there forward to developing a Subject-Verb agreement problem.

Here are the rules to form the plurals:

singular + -s

singular	plural
a car	two cars
a cassette	two cassettes
a lamp	two lamps
a hat	two hats
a cup	two cups

Add -es after sibilants:

singular	plural
a box	two boxes
a sandwich	two sandwiches
a suitcase	two suitcases
a rose	two roses
a garage	two garages

Substitute y after consonant with -ies:

singular	plural
a city	two cities
a lady	two ladies

Add -s after vowel + y:

singular	plural
a boy	two boys
a day	two days

There are two forms of the plural of the word penny:
pennies -> You refer to the coins.
pence -> You refer to the price (how much sth. is).

Nouns on -f or -fe:

add -s		substitute with -ves
singular	plural	singular	plural
a roof	two roofs	a thief	two thieves
a cliff	two cliffs	a wife	two wives
a sheriff	two sheriffs	a shelf	two shelves

There are two forms possible:

scarf - scarfs/scarves
hoof - hoofs/hooves

Add -s for words ending in -ff.

Always use a dictionary if you are not sure.

Nouns on -o form the plural by adding -s or -es.

add -s		substitute with -ves
singular	plural	singular	plural
a disco	two discos	a tomato	two tomatoes
a piano	two pianos	a potato	two potatoes
a photo	two photos	a hero	two heroes

Some nouns can have two plural forms:

buffalo - buffalos/buffaloes
mosquito - mosquitos/mosquitoes
tornado - tornados/tornadoes

There is no rule when to use -s or -es. We often add -s with technical words.

Irregular plural forms:

singular	plural
a man	two men
a woman	two women
a child	two children
a mouse	two mice
a tooth	two teeth
a goose	two geese
a foot	two feet
an ox	two oxen

And here are the rules for the pronunciation of plurals :

''In American English, the sound of "s" depends on which sound comes before it.

1. If the noun ends in an unvoiced consonant sound: /f/, /k/, /p/, /t/, /th/-(thin), pronounce "s" as /s/.

2. When it ends in a voiced consonant sound, /b/, /d/, /g/, /l/, /m/, /n/, /ng/, /r/ or with a vowel sound, /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/, pronounce "s" as /z/.

3. If it ends with /s/, /z/, /sh/, /ch/-chair, /zh/-the second "g" in garage, /dz/-(j), pronounce "s" or "-es" as /iz/.

In other words, if the noun ends with a sound other than the 5 unvoiced consonants, pronounce "s" with a /z/ (or with an /iz/ as the case may be).'

All in all something relatively simple as using plurals to plural ideas isn't normally only associated with cognitive abilities, which is a barrier for Japanese learners for example, but a more complex situation involving the phonological ability to recognize plural sound patterns and therefore use them accordingly.

Draw Something for Android!

2012-06-08T19:37:00.001-03:00

I`ve been playing this game and it surely adds vocabulary in a different level!!

You`ll never forget those words...

Have fun!

why is it so difficult to undestand spoken English while learning it?

2012-05-26T17:52:00.001-03:00

We sometimes have difficulties to understand spoken English in real usage. The classroom scenario tends to be an approximation from reality, a simulation of a series of situations where the teacher strives to get the best from the student and naturally, in this process, ends up grading down/up his(her) language. The teachers out there will most certainly understand this dilema... Either one speaks down the natural level to "help" the learners getting the idea that has proven difficult to convey or even one tries to force an unnatural speech pace to push the learner into fast traking the learning process. One way or the other, the learner who normally isn't exposed to spoken English finds himself/herself in a learning environment where real and quality exposure to the languge is scarse. Here I put this topic up to discission. What are your biggest challenges as a teacher, as a learner?? Leave a comment and let's share some ideas on this very relevant matter...

Trouble using commas in English?

2012-05-24T16:12:00.005-03:00

Commas: Quick Rules

Summary: This resource offers a number of pages about comma use.

Contributors:Dana Driscoll, Allen Brizee
Last Edited: 2010-04-17 06:02:09

The comma is a valuable, useful punctuation device because it separates the structural elements of sentences into manageable segments. The rules provided here are those found in traditional handbooks; however, in certain rhetorical contexts and for specific purposes, these rules may be broken.

The following is a short guide to get you started using commas. This resource also includes sections with more detailed rules and examples.

Quick Guide to Commas

1. Use commas to separate independent clauses when they are joined by any of these seven coordinating conjunctions: and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet.

2. Use commas after

introductory a) clauses, b) phrases, or c) words that come before the main clause.

3. Use a pair of commas in the middle of a sentence to set off clauses, phrases, and words that are not essential to the meaning of the sentence. Use one comma before to indicate the beginning of the pause and one at the end to indicate the end of the pause.

4. Do not use commas to set off essential elements of the sentence, such as clauses beginning with that (relative clauses). That clauses after nouns are always essential. That clauses following a verb expressing mental action are always essential.

5. Use commas to separate three or more words, phrases, or clauses written in a series.

6. Use commas to separate two or more coordinate adjectives that describe the same noun. Be sure never to add an extra comma between the final adjective and the noun itself or to use commas with non-coordinate adjectives.

7. Use a comma near the end of a sentence to separate contrasted coordinate elements or to indicate a distinct pause or shift.

8. Use commas to set off phrases at the end of the sentence that refer back to the beginning or middle of the sentence. Such phrases are free modifiers that can be placed anywhere in the sentence without causing confusion.

9. Use commas to set off all geographical names, items in dates (except the month and day), addresses (except the street number and name), and titles in names.

10. Use a comma to shift between the main discourse and a quotation.

11. Use commas wherever necessary to prevent possible confusion or misreading.

MEDLEY IN BRAZIL - ESPECIAL MAMONAS #1 - SWING SWING com @TheMansfield @...

2012-05-16T14:01:00.001-03:00

THE STRUCTURE OF RELATIVE CLAUSES

2012-05-06T13:29:00.002-03:00

A relative clause always immediately follows the noun it modifies. Like all clauses, relative clauses have a subject and a verb. The relative pronoun may be the subject of the clause, but it isn’t always.

(Main noun) (Rel. Pro)I ate the ice cream that was in the freezer.
(Subj) (Verb)

(Main Noun) (Rel. Pro)I didn’t eat the pie that you were saving for tonight. (Subj) (Verb)

A relative pronoun is usually the first...

word of a relative clause; however, in some cases the pronoun follows a preposition:

We have many blessings for which we are deeply grateful.

Additionally, when the relative pronoun is not the subject of the relative clause, it may be omitted entirely (especially in spoken English):

I didn’t eat the pie you were saving for tonight.

When the pronoun is the subject, it cannot be omitted:

*I ate the ice cream was in the refrigerator.

TYPES OF RELATIVE CLAUSE

There are two types of relative clause. Both types modify nouns, but the first type makes a noun more specific, while the second type adds extra facts or information about a noun. It’s important to understand these two types of relative clause because they not only differ in meaning, but they are punctuated differently and often use different relative pronouns.

Type 1--Clauses That Make Nouns Specific

Women who work are happier than women who don’t work.

In the above sentence, the relative clauses who work and who don’t work are used to make the noun women more specific. This type of relative clause changes the meaning of the noun it modifies.
Women who work and women who don’t work are two different groups of women. Without the appropriate relative clauses, this meaning would not be clear:

*Women are happier than women.

This type of relative clause is sometimes called a Restrictive Relative Clause because it restricts or limits the meaning of a more general noun. Women who work is more restricted than the general noun women.

Here are some additional examples of sentences that show how a relative clause can change the meaning of a noun.

: Students learn a lot.
Students who ask questions learn a lot.Teachers are unpopular
Teachers who give a lot of assignments are unpopular.

Type 2--Clauses that Add Information

        Going to the movies, which I love to do, can be very expensive.
        In the above sentence, the relative clause which I love to do is used to say something extra about going to the movies, but it does not change the meaning of that phrase.
        If this clause were removed, the basic meaning of the sentence would be unchanged.
Going to the movies can be very expensive.
This type of clause is sometimes called an Unrestricted Relative Clause since the meaning of the noun it modifies is not restricted or limited by the clause.
Here are some more examples of relative clauses that add information. Note that although these clauses don’t change the basic meaning of the sentences, they do make the sentences more detailed.

Hunter college is part of the City University of New York.
Hunter College, which is located at 68th and Park, is part of the City University of New York.Creativity is a quality all human beings have.
Creativity, which may take many forms, is a quality all human beings have.

CHOOSING A RELATIVE PRONOUN

        The three most common relative pronouns are who, which, and that.
        The choice of pronoun depends upon the noun the clause refers to and on what type of relative clause is used.
Who

--refers to a person or people.
--may be used with a clause that makes a noun specific
--may be used with a clause that adds information

People who live in New York lead very busy lives.
My sister, who works for the YMCA, leads a very active life.

Which

--refers to a thing or concept
--is most often used in clauses that add information
--is sometimes used in a clause that makes a noun specific ( usually when a speaker or writer wants to sound more formal).        The Empire State Building, which used to be the tallest building in the world, is still a popular tourist attraction.
        The lessons which we have learned are no more important than the lessons which we have yet to learn.

That

--is used only in clauses that make a noun more specific
--most often refers to a thing or concept
--is sometimes used to refer to a person or people, (usually only in informal writing or in speaking)

The book that you gave me is lost
The kid that I babysit threw your book in the trash.

        Note: Some people consider that inappropriate when referring to people although most writers and speakers use it quite naturally. If you wish to be formal, always use who for a person or people:

The child who threw your book away was only three years old.

Where and When

--are used for a clause that refers to a place or time
--may be used for clauses that make a noun more specific
--may be used for clauses that add information
        New York is a place where people of many different cultures live and work together.
        New York City, where millions of immigrants live, is sometimes called a Melting Pot.

        The 1960's was a time when many Americans began to question the actions of their government.
In the 1970's, when many new rights and freedoms had been gained, people began to lead quieter, more private lives.

Choosing between Who, Whom, and Whose

Like most pronouns in English,

ex. I
he
we me
him
us my
his
our

the relative pronoun who has more than one form
Who -- for the subject of a clause Whom--for the object of a verb or preposition Whose-- for a possessive noun
The form of who in a relative clause must change depending on whether it’s the subject, object, or possessive.
As a Subject
        I know a woman who has two children.
In this sentence, who replaces woman as the subject of the verb has (A woman has two children)
As an Object
        My friend has two children, whom she loves very much.
In this sentence, whom replaces children as the object of the verb loves (She loves the children)
As a Possessive
        The older one is a boy, whose name is Jonathan
In this sentence whose replaces the noun boy as a possessive noun (the boy’s name is Jonathan).
As an Object of a Preposition
        Jonathan has a little sister, with whom he plays all the time.
In this sentence, whom replaces the noun sister as the object of the preposition with (he plays with his sister).

        Note: In a standard sentence, the preposition and its object normally come after the verb, but because the relative pronoun always comes at the beginning of a relative clause, it is a convention to place the preposition at the beginning of a relative clause in formal writing, as in the example above. Often, however, when speaking or in informal writing, the preposition comes after the verb of a relative clause.

        Jonathan has a little sister, whom he plays with all the time.

To be+ Verb(ING) or not To be+ Verb(ING)? Was that your question?

2012-04-24T15:23:00.001-03:00

Many verbs are used in continuous tenses. Here are some examples:

Present continuous - I'm jogging at the moment.

Past continuous - Jack was calling her when I arrived.

Future continuous - I will be traveling to London in one hour.

Present perfect continuous - I've been looking for you for 3 days.

Normally, the usages of the continuous tenses reflect
an action or process that is happening at a particular moment in time.

The focus when using continuous tenses is always on an action/process in progress. However, there are some important exceptions to using continuous tenses.

Most importantly, there are a number of common non-continuous verbs that are never or rarely used with continuous forms.

These verbs are usually things you cannot see somebody doing and fall into a few categories:

Mental / Emotional States

believe

dislike

doubt

imagine

know

like

love

hate

prefer

realize

recognize

remember

suppose

understand

want

fear

envy

mind

wish

Analyse this context:

The other day my wife and I arrived home somewhat in a good mood, we didn't expect to have the surprise we had...

Our dog, who normally stays inside when we are out for short periods, had tore one of our cushion pillows apart.

My wife got really upset and yelled at him:

'' I ______________ in what you've done here!!

(NOT to believe)

Here, specially for Brazilian learners, is common to be naturally induced to a mistake on using the continuous tense, as in (am believing). However, the correct form for this non-continuous verb is:

'' I don't believe in what you've done here!!

(NOT to believe)

Sense

appear

hear

see

seem

smell

sound

taste

Examples

I saw him when the train arrived. NOT I was seeing him when the train arrived.

It tastes strange. NOT It is tasting strange.

Did you hear that? NOT Are you hearing that?

Communication

agree

astonish

deny

disagree

impress

mean

please

promise

satisfy

surprise

Examples

You astonish me! NOT You are astonishing me!

I'm afraid I disagree with you. NOT I'm afraid I am disagreeing with you.

I meant to tell him yesterday afternoon. NOT I was meaning to tell him yesterday afternoon.

Other States

belong

care

concern

consist

contain

cost

depend

deserve

exist

fit

include

involve

lack

matter

need

owe

own

possess

seem

Examples

It depends on how much it costs. NOT It is depending on how much it is costing.

She said it involved a lot of work. NOT She said it was involving a lot of work.

It doesn't matter. NOT It isn't mattering.

There are also a number of verbs that don't take the continuous forms in one meaning but DO take the continuous forms in other meanings. Here are some of the most important:

Non-Continuous Meanings

feel = 'have an opinion' - He feels he should get a second chance.
see = 'understand' - I see what you mean.
think = 'have an opinion' - I think we should leave immediately.
appear = 'look like' - That appears to be stale.
look = 'seem' - It looks impossible!
taste = 'have a taste' - That tastes yummy!

Continuous Meanings

feel = 'feel physically' - I'm feeling awful this afternoon.
see = 'visit' - She's seeing a doctor this morning.
think = 'use the brain' - He's thinking hard about the problem.
appear = 'be on stage / perform' - Jack Daniels is performing at the Paramount tonight.
look = 'stare at' - I'm looking at that strange man.
taste = 'use the mouth' - The cook is tasting the sauce!

Accounting: GAAP (Part 1)

2012-04-20T10:40:00.000-03:00

Financial Accounting Terms

From How To Keep Score in Business

The biggest problem most people have with an unfamiliar area is the jargon. Professionals overwhelm the amateurs with confusing words and phrases. The following pages will give you practical definitions of over 100 important terms used in financial accounting. If you have some grasp of these words and phrases you will be able to deal more effectively with financial people and their reports.

Use this glossary when you need to interpret memos, bulletins, reports, articles, and presentations by accountants, financial analysts, bankers, and so on. If you have a good grasp of the jargon you will be amazed at how well you can hold your own in discussions. Knowing the accounting vocabulary is an important factor in management success.

Glossary

Account -- a record of financial transactions; usually ...

refers to a specific category or type, such as travel expense account or purchase account.

Accountant -- a person who trained to prepare and maintain financial records.

Accounting -- a system for keeping score in business, using dollars.

Accounting period -- the period of time over which profits are calculated. Normal accounting periods are months, quarters, and years (fiscal or calendar).

Accounts payable -- amounts owed by the company for the goods or services it has purchased from outside suppliers.

Accounts receivable -- amounts owed to the company by its customers.

Accrual basis, system, or method -- an accounting system that records revenues and expenses at the time the transaction occurs, not at the time cash changes hands. If you buy a coat and charge it, the store records or accrues the sale when you walk out with the coat, not when you pay your bill. Cash basis accounting is used by individuals. Accrual basis accounting is used by most businesses.

Accrued expenses, accruals -- an expense which has been incurred but not yet paid for. Salaries are a good example. Employees earn or accrue salaries each hour they work. The salaries continue to accrue until payday when the accrued expense of the salaries is eliminated.

Aging -- a process where accounts receivable are sorted out by age (typically current, 30 to 60 days old, 60 to 120 days old, and so on.) Aging permits collection efforts to focus on accounts that are long overdue.

Amortize -- to charge a regular portion of an expenditure over a fixed period of time. For example if something cost $100 and is to be amortized over ten years, the financial reports will show an expense of $10 per year for ten years. If the cost were not amortized, the entire $100 would show up on the financial report as an expense in the year the expenditure was made. (See entries on Expenditure and Expense.)

Appreciation -- an increase in value. If a machine cost $1,000 last year and is now worth $1,200, it has appreciated in value by $200. (The opposite of depreciation.)

Assets -- things of value owned by a business. An asset may be a physical property such as a building, or an object such as a stock certificate, or it may be a right, such as the right to use a patented process.

Current Assets are those assets that can be expected to turn into cash within a year or less. Current assets include cash, marketable securities, accounts receivable, and inventory.

Fixed Assets cannot be quickly turned into cash without interfering with business operations. Fixed assets include land, buildings, machinery, equipment, furniture, and long-term investments.

Intangible Assets are items such as patents, copyrights, trademarks, licenses, franchises, and other kinds of rights or things of value to a company, which are not physical objects. These assets may be the most important ones a company owns. Often they do not appear on financial reports.

Audit -- a careful review of financial records to verify their accuracy.

Bad debts -- amounts owed to a company that are not going to be paid. An account receivable becomes a bad debt when it is recognized that it won't be paid. Sometimes, bad debts are written off when recognized. This is an expense. Sometimes, a reserve is set up to provide for possible bad debts. Creating or adding to a reserve is also an expense.

Balance sheet -- a statement of the financial position of a company at a single specific time (often at the close of business on the last day of the month, quarter, or year.) The balance sheet normally lists all assets on the left side or top while liabilities and capital are listed on the right side or bottom. The total of all numbers on the left side or top must equal or balance the total of all numbers on the right side or bottom. A balance sheet balances according to this equation: Assets = Liabilities + Capital.

Bond -- a written record of a debt payable more than a year in the future. The bond shows amount of the debt, due date, and interest rate.

Book value -- total assets minus total liabilities. (See also net worth.) Book value also means the value of an asset as recorded on the company's books or financial reports. Book value is often different than true value. It may be more or less.

Breakeven point -- the amount of revenue from sales which exactly equals the amount of expense. Breakeven point is often expressed as the number of units that must be sold to produce revenues exactly equal to expenses. Sales above the breakeven point produce a profit; below produces a loss.

Capital -- money invested in a business by its owners. (See equity.) On the bottom or right side of a balance sheet. Capital also refers to buildings, machinery, and other fixed assets in a business. A capital investment is an investment in a fixed asset with a long-term use.

Capitalize -- to capitalize means to record an expenditure on the balance sheet as an asset, to be amortized over the future. The opposite is to expense. For example, research expenditures can be capitalized or expensed. If expensed, they are charged against income when the expenditure occurs. If capitalized, the expenditure is charged against income over a period of time usually related to the life of the products or services created by the research.

Cash -- money available to spend now. Usually in a checking account.

Cash flow -- the amount of actual cash generated by business operations, which usually differs from profits shown.

Chart of accounts -- a listing of all the accounts or categories into which business transactions will be classified and recorded. Each account usually has a number. Transactions are coded by this number for manipulation on computers.

Contingent liabilities -- liabilities not recorded on a company's financial reports, but which might become due. If a company is being sued, it has a contingent liability that will become a real liability if the company loses the suit.

Cost of sales, cost of goods sold -- the expense or cost of all items sold during an accounting period. Each unit sold has a cost of sales or cost of the goods sold. In businesses with a great many items flowing through, the cost of sales or cost of goods sold is often computed by this formula: Cost of Sales = Beginning Inventory + Purchases During the Period - Ending Inventory.

Credit -- an accounting entry on the right or bottom of a balance sheet. Usually an increase in liabilities or capital, or a reduction in assets. The opposite of credit is debit. Each credit in a balance sheet has a balancing debit. Credit has other usages, as in "You have to pay cash, your credit is no good." Or "we will credit your account with the refund."

Debit -- an accounting entry on the left or top of a balance sheet. Usually an increase in assets or a reduction in liabilities. Every debit has a balancing credit.

Deferred charges -- see prepaid expenses.

Deferred income -- a liability that arises when a company is paid in advance for goods or services that will be provided later. For example, when a magazine subscription is paid in advance, the magazine publisher is liable to provide magazines for the life of the subscription. The amount in deferred income is reduced as the magazines are delivered.

Depreciation -- an expense that is supposed to reflect the loss in value of a fixed asset. For example, if a machine will completely wear out after ten year's use, the cost of the machine is charged as an expense over the ten-year life rather than all at once, when the machine is purchased. Straight line depreciation charges the same amount to expense each year. Accelerated depreciation charges more to expense in early years, less in later years. Depreciation is an accounting expense. In real life, the fixed asset may grow in value or it may become worthless long before the depreciation period ends.

Discounted cash flow -- a system for evaluating investment opportunities that discounts or reduces the value of future cash flow. (See present value.)

Dividend -- a portion of the after-tax profits paid out to the owners of a business as a return on their investment.

Double entry -- a system of accounting in which every transaction is recorded twice -- as a debit and as a credit.

Earnings per share -- a company's net profit after taxes for an accounting period, divided by the average number of shares of stock outstanding during the period.

80 - 20 rule -- a general rule of thumb in business that says that 20% of the items produce 80% of the action -- 20% of the product line produces 80% of the sales, 20 percent of the customers generate 80% of the complaints, and so on. In evaluating any business situation, look for the small group which produces the major portion of the transactions you are concerned with. This rule is not exactly accurate, but it reflects a general truth, nothing is evenly distributed.

Equity -- the owners' share of a business.

Expenditure -- an expenditure occurs when something is acquired for a business -- an asset is purchased, salaries are paid, and so on. An expenditure affects the balance sheet when it occurs. However, an expenditure will not necessarily show up on the income statement or affect profits at the time the expenditure is made. All expenditures eventually show up as expenses, which do affect the income statement and profits. While most expenditures involve the exchange of cash for something, expenses need not involve cash. (See expense below.)

Expense -- an expenditure which is chargeable against revenue during an accounting period. An expense results in the reduction of an asset. All expenditures are not expenses. For example, a company buys a truck. It trades one asset - cash - to acquire another asset. An expenditure has occurred but no expense is recorded. Only as the truck is depreciated will an expense be recorded. The concept of expense as different from an expenditure is one reason financial reports do not show numbers that represent spendable cash. The distinction between an expenditure and an expense is important in understanding how accounting works and what financial reports mean. (To expense is a verb. It means to charge an expenditure against income when the expenditure occurs. The opposite is to capitalize.)

Fiscal year -- an accounting year than begins on a date other than January 1.

Fixed asset -- see asset.

Fixed cost -- a cost that does not change as sales volume changes (in the short run.) Fixed costs normally include such items as rent, depreciation, interest, and any salaries unaffected by ups and downs in sales.

Goodwill -- in accounting, the difference between what a company pays when it buys the assets of another company and the book value of those assets. Sometimes, real goodwill is involved - a company's good reputation, the loyalty of its customers, and so on. Sometimes, goodwill is an overpayment.

Income -- see profit.

Interest -- a charge made for the use of money.

Inventory -- the supply or stock of goods and products that a company has for sale. A manufacturer may have three kinds of inventory: raw materials waiting to be converted into goods, work in process, and finished goods ready for sale.

Inventory obsolescence -- inventory no longer salable. Perhaps there is too much on hand, perhaps it is out of fashion. The true value of the inventory is seldom exactly what is shown on the balance sheet. Often, there is unrecognized obsolescence.

Inventory shrinkage -- a reduction in the amount of inventory that is not easily explainable. The most common cause of shrinkage is probably theft.

Inventory turnover -- a ratio that indicates the amount of inventory a company uses to support a given level of sales. The formula is: Inventory Turnover = Cost of Sales ¸ Average Inventory. Different businesses have different general turnover levels. The ratio is significant in comparison with the ratio for previous periods or the ratio for similar businesses.

Invested capital -- the total of a company's long-term debt and equity.

Journal -- a chronological record of business transactions.

Ledger -- a record of business transactions kept by type or account. Journal entries are usually transferred to ledgers.

Liabilities -- amounts owed by a company to others. Current liabilities are those amounts due within one year or less and usually include accounts payable, accruals, loans due to be paid within a year, taxes due within a year, and so on. Long-term liabilities normally include the amounts of mortgages, bonds, and long-term loans that are due more than a year in the future.

Liquid -- having lots of cash or assets easily converted to cash.

Marginal cost, marginal revenue -- marginal cost is the additional cost incurred by adding one more item. Marginal revenue is the revenue from selling one more item. Economic theory says that maximum profit comes at a point where marginal revenue exactly equals marginal cost.

Net worth -- total assets minus total liabilities. Net worth is seldom the true value of a company.

Opportunity cost -- a useful concept in evaluating alternate opportunities. If you choose alternative A, you cannot choose B, C, or D. What is the cost or loss of profit of not choosing B, C, or D? This cost or loss of profit is the opportunity cost of alternative A. In personal life you may buy a car instead of taking a European vacation. The opportunity cost of buying the car is the loss of the enjoyment of the vacation.

Overhead -- a cost that does not vary with the level of production or sales, and usually a cost not directly involved with production or sales. The chief executive's salary and rent are typically overhead.

Post -- to enter a business transaction into a journal or ledger or other financial record.

Prepaid expenses, deferred charges -- assets already paid for, that are being used up or will expire. Insurance paid for in advance is a common example. The insurance protection is an asset. It is paid for in advance, it lasts for a period of time, and expires on a fixed date.

Present value -- a concept that compares the value of money available in the future with the value of money in hand today. For example, $78.35 invested today in a 5% savings account will grow to $100 in five years. Thus the present value of $100 received in five years is $78.35. The concept of present value is used to analyze investment opportunities that have a future payoff.

Price-earnings (p/e) ratio -- the market price of a share of stock divided by the earnings (profit) per share. P/e ratios can vary from sky high to dismally low, but often do not reflect the true value of a company.

Profit -- the amount left over when expenses are subtracted revenues. Gross profit is the profit left when cost of sales is subtracted from sales, before any operating expenses are subtracted. Operating profit is the profit from the primary operations of a business and is sales minus cost of sales minus operating expenses. Net profit before taxes is operating profit minus non-operating expenses and plus non-operating income. Net profit after taxes is the bottom line, after everything has been subtracted. Also called income, net income, earnings. Not the same as cash flow and does not represent spendable dollars.

Retained earnings -- profits not distributed to shareholders as dividends, the accumulation of a company's profits less any dividends paid out. Retained earnings are not spendable cash.

Return on investment (ROI) -- a measure of the effectiveness and efficiency with which managers use the resources available to them, expressed as a percentage. Return on equity is usually net profit after taxes divided by the shareholders' equity. Return on invested capital is usually net profit after taxes plus interest paid on long-term debt divided by the equity plus the long-term debt. Return on assets used is usually the operating profit divided by the assets used to produce the profit. Typically used to evaluate divisions or subsidiaries. ROI is very useful but can only be used to compare consistent entities -- similar companies in the same industry or the same company over a period of time. Different companies and different industries have different ROIs.

Revenue -- the amounts received by or due a company for goods or services it provides to customers. Receipts are cash revenues. Revenues can also be represented by accounts receivable.

Risk -- the possibility of loss; inherent in all business activities. High risk requires high return. All business decisions must consider the amount of risk involved.

Sales -- amounts received or due for goods or services sold to customers. Gross sales are total sales before any returns or adjustments. Net sales are after accounting for returns and adjustments.

Stock -- a certificate (or electronic or other record) that indicates ownership of a portion of a corporation; a share of stock. Preferred stock promises its owner a dividend that is usually fixed in amount or percent. Preferred shareholders get paid first out of any profits. They have preference. Common stock has no preference and no fixed rate of return. Treasury stock was originally issued to shareholders but has been subsequently acquired by the corporation . Authorized by unissued stock is stock which official corporate action has authorized but has not sold or issued. (Stock also means the stock of goods, the stock on hand, the inventory of a company.)

Sunk costs -- money already spent and gone, which will not be recovered no matter what course of action is taken. Bad decisions are made when managers attempt to recoup sunk costs.

Trial balance -- at the close of an accounting period, the transactions posted in the ledger are added up. A test or trial balance sheet is prepared with assets on one side and liabilities and capital on the other. The two sides should balance. If they don't, the accountants must search through the transactions to find out why. They keep making trial balances until the balance sheet balances.

Variable cost -- a cost that changes as sales or production change. If a business is producing nothing and selling nothing, the variable cost should be zero. However, there will probably be fixed costs.

Working capital -- current assets minus current liabilities. In most businesses the major components of working capital are cash, accounts receivable, and inventory minus accounts payable. As a business grows it will have larger accounts receivable and more inventory. Thus the need for working capital will increase.

Write-down -- the partial reduction in the value of an asset, recognizing obsolescence or other losses in value.

Write-off -- the total reduction in the value of an asset, recognizing that it no longer has any value. Write-downs and write-offs are non-cash expenses that affect profits.

How familiar are you with Incoterms??

2012-04-19T15:49:00.002-03:00

Definition of 'Incoterms'

Trade terms, published by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), that are commonly used in international contracts.

Investopedia explains 'Incoterms'

Incoterms are used to make international trade easier by helping traders in different countries understand one another.

Trade terms used ...internationally (such as Incoterms) are often identical in form to domestic terms (such as the American Uniform Commercial Code), but have different meanings. Therefore, it is important to indicate the particular law that governs their terms. For example, to use the Incoterm definition, a contract might refer to: "FOB (Incoterms 2000)."

Read more: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/incoterms.asp#ixzz1sVu4mzTu

Here are some Incoterms in the Logistic corpus:

Ex works (EXW) is an Incoterm. It means that the seller X has the goods ready for collection at his premises (Works, factory, warehouse, plant) on the date agreed upon. The buyer pays all transportation costs and also bears the risks for bringing the goods to their final destination. This term requires that the buyer must be able to carry out export formalities in the country of supply, these days almost impossible. Therefore in the vast majority of cases where terms are quoted EXW they actually intend the seller to carry out export formalities which means that the correct term is FCA (Seller's premises).

Free Carrier (FCA) is an Incoterm. The seller delivers the goods into the custody of the first carrier, and this is where risk passes from seller to buyer. The buyer pays for the transportation. It can be used for all modes of transportation including multimodal transport, such as in shipping containers where the ship's rail plays no relevant part in determining a shipping point.FCA is also the term to use in place of FOB for airfreight transactions.

Free Along Side (FAS) is an Incoterm. It means that the seller pays for transportation of the goods to the port of shipment. The buyer pays loading costs, freight, insurance, unloading costs and transportation from the port of destination to his factory. The passing of risk occurs when the goods have been delivered to the quay at the port of shipment.

Free On Board (FOB) is an Incoterm — also commonly but incorrectly referred to as "Freight on Board". It means that the seller pays for transportation of the goods to the port of shipment, plus loading costs. The buyer pays freight, insurance, unloading costs and transportation from the port of destination to the factory. The passing of risks occurs when the goods pass the ship's rail at the port of shipment. Internationally the term specifies the port of loading, e.g. "FOB New York" or "FOB Vancouver".

Cost and Freight (CFR) is an Incoterm. It means that the seller pays for transportation to the Port of Loading (POL), loading and freight. The buyer pays for the insurance and transportation of the goods from the Port of Discharge (POD) to his factory. The passing of risk occurs when the goods pass the ship's rail at the port of shipment which means that this term cannot be used for airfreight or land transport and also is inappropriate for most containerised sea shipments - the term CPT is the appropriate one for these.

Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) is a common term in a sales contract that may be encountered in international trading when ocean transport is used.When a price is quoted CIF, it means that the selling price includes the cost of the goods, the freight or transport costs and also the cost of marine insurance. CIF is an international commerce term (Incoterm). CIF is identical in most particulars with Cost and Freight (CFR), and the same comments apply, including its applicability only to conventional maritime transport. In addition to the CFR responsibilities, the seller under CIF must obtain in transferable form a marine insurance policy to cover the risks of transit with insurers of repute. The policy must cover the CIF price plus 10 per cent and where possible be in the currency of the contract. Note that only very basic cover is required equivalent to the Institute "C" clauses, and buyers should normally insist on an "all-risk" type of policy such as that under the Institute "A" clauses. The seller's responsibility for the goods ends when the goods have been delivered on board the shipping vessel. In the guidelines for CIF published in Incoterms 2000 the term "carrier" does not appear and it clearly states "the seller must deliver the goods on board the vessel at the port of shipment" which makes CIF the incorrect term to use where the seller wishes their responsibility to end when they deliver the goods into the hands of a carrier prior to the goods passing the ship's rail at the port of loading. In the great majority of transactions the more correct term is CIP. This term is only appropriate for conventional maritime transport, not ro/ro or international container movements.

Carriage Paid To (CPT) is an Incoterm. It can be used for all modes of transport including multimodal transport. The seller pays for the freight to the named point of destination. The buyer pays for the insurance. The passing of risk occurs when the goods have been delivered into the custody of the first carrier.

Carriage and Insurance Paid to (CIP) is an Incoterm. The passing of risk occurs when the goods have been delivered into the custody of the first carrier. This means that the buyer bears all risk and any additional costs occurring after the goods have been so delivered.It is the same as CPT except that the seller also pays for the insurance. Seller is required to obtain insurance only on minimum cover, additional coverage is responsibility of buyer or must be agreed between seller and buyer. Under CIP seller is also required to clear the goods for export.

Delivered At Frontier (DAF) is an Incoterm. It can be used when the goods are transported by rail and road. The seller pays for transportation to the named place of delivery at the frontier. The buyer arranges for customs clearance and pays for transportation from the frontier to his factory. The passing of risk occurs at the frontier.

Delivered Ex Ship (DES) is an Incoterm. Where goods are delivered ex ship, the passing of risk does not occur until the ship has arrived at the named port of destination and the goods made available for unloading to the buyer. The seller pays the same freight and insurance costs as he would under a CIF arrangement.

Delivered Ex Quay (DEQ) is an Incoterm. It means the same as DES, but the passing of risk does not occur until the goods have been unloaded at the port of destination.

Delivered Duty Unpaid (DDU) is an Incoterm. It means that the seller pays for all transportation costs and bears all risk until the goods have been delivered, but does not pay for the duty.

Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) is an Incoterm. It means that the seller pays for all transportation costs and bears all risk until the goods have been delivered and pays the duty.

source:
http://www.spenak.com/lexicon.Incoterms.1.html

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2012-04-18T18:19:00.001-03:00

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	PRONÚNCIA ANTES DO SÉCULO 15	PRONÚNCIA MODERNA
	fine /fi:ne/ hus /hu:s/ ded /de:d/, semelhante a dedo em português fame /fa:me/, semelhante à atual pronúncia de father so /só:/, semelhante à atual pronúncia de saw to /to:/, semelhante à atual pronúncia de toe	/fayn/ house /haws/ deed /diyd/ /feym/ /sow/ /tuw/