'Ditablanda'

I have heard about the power of internet community since the nineties, when I first connected. However, last month I testified a demonstration of maturity from its users. On February 17th, Folha de São Paulo, the most important and biggest Brazilian newspaper, published editorial criticizing Venezuela popular verdict which gave to their governesses indeterminate reelection time. To the newspaper, this change on Venezuelan constitution is a way of dictatorship performance, although a democratic process was used to get to it.
At that context, the author tried to make a counterpoint with Brazilian ‘dark-year’ period, covered by the interval between 1964 to 1985, using a polemic and controversial term: ‘ditabranda’, a Portuguese relative to Spanish ‘ditablanda’, something like a ‘soft dictatorship’, originally coined in popular form in 1930, when General Damaso Berenguer replaced General Primo de Rivera on Spanish government. He governed by decrees and tried to calm down social spirits after crack of 1929 stock-market. Paradoxically, denominated ‘ditablanda’ executed more death sentences then the dictatorship it replaced.
A day after publication, the newspaper received thousands of e-mails protesting against mention, detaching the letters from jurist Fábio Konder Comparato and professor Maria Victória Benevides, well-known intellectuals raped and tortured by Brazilian dictatorship, published and ridiculed by Folha de São Paulo, its second mistake. These slips produced a reaction certainly not predicted. A petition was organized, catching more than ten thousand signatures; about two thousand readers canceled their subscriptions; famous bloggers, writers, journalists and intellectuals repudiated the declaration; about four hundred people protested in front of the journal office, in São Paulo, on march 7th, some of them coming from cities fourteen hours far from that capital. And all these actions were organized by web.
Without a choice, Otavio Frias Filho, the journal CEO, wrote a note recognizing its mistake. “It was an unhappy quotation”, he declared.
I have already saw some demonstrations of internet power of social mobilization, wether the claiming about bad services and expensive products, but for the first time I testified an act of protest occurring in Brazil, where society do not have this culture.

FCE Coursebook

Unit 1, pages 8 and 9.

Ex1 - I agree with the 3rd an 4th statements only.

Ex2 - On spidergram:

"People" line - actor, stunt, director, assistant;
"story" line - climax, plot, happy ending;
"parts of cinema" line - row, screen, box office;
"film making" line - acting, close-up shots, flashback, special effects, scene.

Ex3, topic 2.
a) line point number 3;
b) l.p.n. 1 (this one was already done);
c) l.p.n. 4;
d) l.p.n. 2.

Ex3, topic 4.
1. I liked very much the way of recording vocabulary shown on this unit. I will try to use it as often as it is possible, at least with those words I have more dificulty to record. Nevertheless, I used to write the words I think most important to my vocabulary, and try to use them imediately on a description, or maybe on a clause, because in my oppinion, understanding a new word in a context is more important than kowing its literaly translation.

2. I think I can´t answer this question now. I mean, I don´t have an oppinion now, because I have always been using only one way of recording words. Maybe later...

Grammar 1

Item 1 (green mark)
Ex1:

1. Wrong. I met carrie fifteen years ago.
2. Correct.
3. Wrong. I belonged to this club from 01 to 03.
4. Correct.
5. Wrong. He goes to the cinema at least twice every weekend. I don´t understand how he can do that!
6. Wrong. I have seen the video...
7. Correct.
8. Correct.
9. Wrong. When I was young, I used to see my grandmother nearly every day.
10. Correct.

Ex2:

Present simple - usually, every
Present perfect - for, ever, from, yet, already
Past simple - ago, was, so

Item 2

1.a) ago
1.b) since

2.a) since
2.b) when

3.a) for
3.b) ago

4.a) ever
4.b) never

5.a) for
5.b) when

6.a) before
6.b) ever

Item 3

Actor Kevin Spacey has just become the new director of London´s famous Old Vic theatre. He promised to appear on stage himself and bring in big-name talent in his new role. "I love making movies, but I have always loved the stage as well. This job is something that I thought a lot and I am looking foward to the challenge", he said.
Spacey, who won Oscars for the Usual Suspects and American Beauty, fell in love with the Old Vic after visiting it as a child.

Actress Hale Berry has become the first black woman to win an Oscar for her part in the film Monster´s Ball. She made an emotional speech when she accepted the award at yesterday´s Oscar ceremony in Hollywood. Berry has also appeared in the popular James Bond movie, Die Another Day. Another black actor, Denzel Washington, has also won the Oscar for best male actor for his role in Training Day.

Item 4

1. How many times has Brad Pitt been married?
2. Who directed Titanic?
3.Which football team has won the World Cup five times?
4. In which country was Lord of The Rings filmed?
5. Has Mel Gibson ever won an Oscar?
6. Can you name any musicals which have won Oscars the last ten years?
7. Which famous English footballer was called Romeo as a child?
8. Who usually presents evening news tv programmes in your country?

Ok, Bud. That is it by now.
See you. Doug, 9/3/09.