Paul Fix

"The only reason some people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory."...

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James Reston

"This is the devilish thing about foreign affairs: they are foreign and will not always conform to our whim."...

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Honore de Balzac

"Nothing so fortifies a friendship as a belief on the part of one friend that he is superior to the other."...

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Cha Hue – Hue Style Vietnamese Ham

Guest Post from Ravenous CoupleVietnamese hams, or chả is ubiquitous part of Vietnamese cuisine. But like many Vietnamese dishes, the people of each region add special touches to a dish and call it their own. And it’s no different with chả Huế, a relative unknown compared with chả lụa. This ham originates from Huế, the ancestral capital of Vietnam and is often eaten as a snack and as a meat topping to the classic bún bò Huế soup. In fact, we’re always a tad disappointed when we don’t get a nugget of chả Huế in our soup. Why so? Well, to the generically mild pork paste giò sống, a generous amount of minced garlic and cracked pepper corns are added, transforming a typically mild chả into one with a delicious kick. You can make your...

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Song : We wish you a Merry Christmas

Gần tới ngày Giáng sinh , chúc các bạn một giáng sinh hạnh phúc với bài hát nổi tiếng "We wish you a Merry Christmas" We wish you a Merry Christmas; We wish you a Merry Christmas; We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Good tidings we bring to you and your kin; Good tidings for Christmas and a Happy New Year. Oh, bring us a figgy pudding; Oh, bring us a figgy pudding; Oh, bring us a figgy pudding and a cup of good cheer We won't go until we get some; We won't go until we get some; We won't go until we get some, so bring some out here We wish you a Merry Christmas; We wish you a Merry Christmas; We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Yea...

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Scott Adams

"The best way to compile inaccurate information that no one wants is to make it up."...

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No Action Will Get You Nowhere

Guest Post from Susie:   Sometimes you learn things in elevators. Especially when you get into an elevator and expect the elevator to read your mind. Yesterday when I was out on the town in Vegas shopping at the outlet stores, my sister and I got into an elevator. We waited patiently for the elevator to move and it wasn’t until my sister chuckled and asked whether or not I had actually pressed the floor button that I realized we hadn’t moved. ...

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Canh Chua Vietnamese Sour Tamarind Soup and Life in the Mekong Delta

Guest Post from Canh Chua Vietnamese Sour Tamarind Soup and Life in the Mekong Delta From Tebetian highlands to the lowlands of southwest Vietnam, the Mekong river and it’s thousands of tributaries meanders it’s way across 39,000 square km in Vietnam known as the Mekong Delta or miền tây (western region) , encompassing the lands immediately west of Saigon to the very southern tip, Cà Mau. Dubbed as a biologic treasure trove, the waters of Mekong river is a way of life for over 17 million inhabitants. It’s waters and rich soil help to produce half of the countries rice crop each year as well as an abundance of fruits. It’s also home to large aquacultural industry raising catfish, basa, and shrimp. Life here revolves around the river–owning...

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Walt Disney

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible."...

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Chinese noodles stall in Saigon

Guest post from Huu Nghiem Not far from my place, there is one noodles stall, right in the corner between Hung Vuong and Le Hong Phong, how many times I pass by, always crowded.One evening, I tried to order some noodles takeaway, two waiters seemed so busy and ignored my order. I decided not to come back, never ever... until today. Today on the way back home with my old friend, having different thing in mind but when we passed by this noodles stall, I suddenly mentioned to my friend about what happening before, look at the stall, just opened, still empty. We decided to give it a try. Only typical Chinese noodles: yellow noodles and wonton. As many other stalls somewhere else in Saigon, they also have their own homemade noodles...

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“Best job in the world!”

Many of you are possibly still in school, others in university, others working and others looking for work. Whatever your situation, however, we think this news item will interest you. Text  The deadline has officially passed to apply for Australia’s six “Best Jobs in the World”, which includes such titles as “Chief Funster” and “Taste Master.”  More than 40,000 people from nearly 200 countries have applied for the six-month positions that come with a 100,000 dollar (Australian dollar) salary. Interested applicants were asked to create a 30-second video explaining their qualifications and most were of high quality says Karen Halbert of Tourism Australia. - They are all mad, we’re really excited it’s going to be a really tight...

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Chicken at "Garden Mai" - Gà Vườn Mai

Guest Post by Huu Nghiem. I realize that Vietnamese love chicken much more than beef or pork. Chicken is an unavoidable item for any traditional celebrations, this "bird gives birth every day" always has a special place on the altar during any of family anniversaries. And whenever we talk about chicken - it should be "Vietnamese chicken" (gà ta) or "garden chicken" (gà thả vườn). These two phrases means a kind of chicken being kept freely in the farm, not in a huge industrial cage, they are not fed with special industrial bran, but anything they find in the garden, from human's leftovers, rice to the earthworms. Those "free" chicken are smaller in size, give less meat but their meat is far better, tastier than the"industrial chicken". Gà...

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ESL Podcast : Talking About Movies

Download Podcast Script by Dr. Lucy Tse SCRIPT: Martin: What did you think of that movie? Joanna: It was okay, but I’m not really into big-budget movies with a lot of special effects and big-name stars. Martin: Oh, you’re a film snob. I bet you only watch indie films made on a shoestring budget with low production values. Joanna: No, that’s not true. I just don’t like crowd-pleasers that are predictable. I like movies that stretch the imagination and have some artistic value. Martin: You mean you like those weird movies with no plot and a lot of strange characters. They’re artsy, but leave you totally confused. Joanna: I don’t mind some ambiguity, if that’s what you mean. Martin: Well, I’m going to see the new Spiderboy movie next...

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Advertising Jobs on the Internet [ ESL Podcast ]

Listen Podcast Script by Dr. Lucy Tse Script: Wendy: I just heard that you’re not going to use a recruitment agency to fill the new position. Pedro: No, I’m not. There are so many Internet job boards out there that I think we can find good candidates without using headhunters. Wendy: But headhunters do a good job of weeding out people who don’t have the right experience or qualifications. Pedro: Yes, but they also charge a large commission. I’m going to post an ad on a few major job boards to see what happens. Most of them don’t charge a listing fee so there’s no harm in trying. Wendy: I predict you’re going to be flooded with applications, and it’s going to take a lot of time to separate the good from the bad. Pedro: That’s where you come in. Wendy: What do you mean? Pedro: You are my assistant,...

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China’s Blind Lawyer May Come to the US

    Nghe Audio về Chen Guangcheng  , 1 luật sư mù có quan điểm bất đồng chính kiến với nhà cầm quyền Trung Quốc và đang tị nạn chính trị ở tòa đại sứ Mỹ...

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English quote: the greatest battle is

  … not physical but psychological. Chào!   Today we want to share with you a a great inspirational quote of a English writer, playwright and broadcaster. He says: The demons telling us to give up when we push ourselves to the limit can never be silenced for good. They must always be answered by the quiet, the steady dignity that simply refuses to give in. Courage. We all suffer. Keep going.”   I think when the going gets difficult, we must calm our doubts and keep on going.   Vocabulary Nugget – a piece of valuable information. Prolific – producing a large amount of something. Play writer – a person who writes plays. Broadcaster – to tell (something that is private or secret) to many people. Dignity...

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Play Bloomin' Gardens

!-- Insert this code before your tag --> Are you green fingered? How does your garden grow? You will need to be really horti-cultured to succ-seed at this garden-based puzzle game. Good luck! If you are studying at high school, college or at home, take a break from learning English and enjoy this fun game! Great for all learners of English, ESL and EFL. We love getting your feedback, so students and teachers - please do let us know what you think of Bloomin' Gardens...!"...

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Alfred Korzybski

"There are two ways to slide easily through life; to believe everything or to doubt everything. Both ways save us from thinking." - Alfred Korzybski...

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James Magary

"Computers can figure out all kinds of problems, except the things in the world that just don't add up." body {background: #383838 !important;}div {background-color: #383838 !important;}header,nav,table,th,tr,td,dl,ul,li,ol,fieldset,form,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6,pre {background: transparent !important;}* {color: #B6AA7B !important;}a:link,a:link *,a:link:hover,a:link:hover *,a:link:active,a:link:active * {color: #B6AA7B !important;}a:visited,a:visited *,a:visited:hover,a:visited:hover *,a:visited:active,a:visited:active * {color: #D9C077 !importan...

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St. Valentine's Day The Language of Love

1. I love you 2. I really like you 3. I want to go out with you 4. I want to be with you 5. You are everything to me 6. You mean the world to me 7. I have nothing without you 8. Be mine 9. You have changed my life 10. You are in my heart 11. I have always loved you 12. You are so special 13. You are so beautiful 14. You are the best 15. You make me so happy 16. All I want is to be with you 17. I'm yours always 18. We were made for each other 19. You are special 20. You are my whole world   Tell us what you talked with your lover in Valentine’s day by email info @ tienganhvui.com .   Fun English Study Feed...

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make or do 2

1. _______________ a bet 2. _______________ a job 3. _______________ the dishes 4. _______________ a skirt 5. _______________ the cleaning 6. _______________ your hair 7. _______________ believe 8. _______________ amends 9. _______________ some damage 10. _______________ a home 11. _______________ fifty press ups 12. _______________ some yoghurt 13. _______________ a fortune 14. _______________ a model 15. _______________ a noise 16. _______________ your best 17. _______________ the washing up 18. _______________ an application 19. _______________ some work 20. _______________ some harm 21. _______________ a favor 22. _______________ a man of you 23. _______________ a profit 24. _______________ an error 25. _______________...

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Make or Do

  Complete each gap below with either make or do:   1. _______________ the laundry 2. _______________ an appearance 3. _______________ something crazy 4. _______________ a phone call 5. _______________ a fuss 6. _______________ your worst 7. _______________ laws 8. _______________ the big time 9. _______________ the honors 10. _______________ war 11. _______________ an excuse 12. _______________ someone feel uncomfortable 13. _______________ yourself proud 14. _______________ sense 15. _______________ sure of something 16. _______________ your way home 17. _______________ an exam 18. _______________ a fire 19. _______________ a face 20. _______________ a decision 21. _______________ business with someone 22. _______________...

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