THREE EXPRESSIONS WITH BEANS

                             I haven't got a bean – I don´t have any money at all

                          To be full of beans – to be energetic, lively, in high spirits

                             To spill the beans – to reveal a secret prematurely

* People from different parts of the world wrote sentences using these three idioms. As they are learners of English, we can notice spelling and grammar mistakes in some of them.

Carina, Uruguay
Oh dear I haven't got a bean! Ask your father please! Every weekend my son gets up full of beans and wake me up!

Hana, Korea

I'm full of beans whenever i hang out with my mates. but at work, well, tons of work sometimes make me a bit down.
Lan, Viet Nam
Every morning, when I wake up, I am full of beans. I think, I can do every thing without being tired. But now, I can not get another my English couses in a language centre any more because I have not got a Beans.
Lovell, China
When I take part in the meeting, I feel I'm full of beans.You should be careful when someone spill the beans on you, because that's maybe just a rumor.If I want not to buy something for my wife, I will say "I haven't got abean.
Joong , Vietnam 
Hello , everybody , I've learnt 3 idioms . Now I haven't got a bean but I'm full of beans .
Bea, Colombia
I am full of beans soon after I have drank a cup of Colombian Coffee. I want to spill the beans with all people about of it. Nonetheless here in Belgium the Colombian coffee is very expensive and when I am not working I haven't got a bean for buy it. . 
Victoria, Colombia
What if I spill the beans with you now that I'm in the middle of my undergrade at university?, I want to work because I haven't got a bean, because I have a lot of beans to do my things on my own. Wish me luck
Ion, Colombia
A secret: I`m full of beans when I take a shower and eat fish, especially at night but, sometimes, I haven`t got any bean to buy fish.
Fulbio, Colombia
i`m not full of beans when i have to use the computers because i don`t like them, besides i haven`t got a bean becase they cost me a lot, on the other hand for my work i can`t spill the beans because my clients get angry.
Debora, New York
Its a awfull time to spill the beans of my life, but I must do it...I haven't got a bean for the past four months because I cannot find a job, so I'm studying days and nights to improve my English to be able to find a job...sometimes I study full of beans.
Lee, China
I am full of beans at night to learn english. But I can not spill beans to my girl friend because she do not want me stay up to night. 
Carla, Peru
Although it's past midnight and I have to work tomorrow at 7 in the morning I'm full of beans because I love my job...I work in a school with primary level...and my children are lovely!!!....but I also work in the evenings otherwise i wouldn't have a bean to do one of my favourite hobbies.....go dancing!!!.....
Sergio, Venezuela
When I am full of beans, I need to spent a lot of money shopping at the mall, but I always haven't got a bean for that, but if I spill the beans to my friends, they will give me a bean of money AND I am ready to.... 
Tracy, China
I like these three idioms. This make me feel full of beans.
Bean, Vietnam
I feel very blue today because the weather in my place is not good for health. But another day I am full of beans to study English and chatting. I have not got a bean because I have just given my good position up, refuse a offer of a new job. I have never let spill the beans. 
Min, Korea
When I was young, I used to spend money eating something with my frinds on my way home. One day I hadn't got a bean, becase of spending all my money buying cookies. So I had to walk to my home an hour from my school. 
Agnes, Poland
I'm going to be full of beans tonight, couse I will go to the party :)
Rose, South Korea
My mum is my best friend.I can even spill the beans to my mum. 
Arturo, Mexico
Well, actually, I am not full of beans mostly becuase I have to work ten hours at day and then, after work just I want to get home and rest for the rest of the day, but I really would like to have a lot of energy and do many things that I can't do right now. 
Hajra, Pakistan
Some people are really lively and full of beans.I dont know about myself,I won't spill the beans.
Orhan,Turkey
Nowadays I haven't got a bean because of not having a job.When i find a job i am sure i'll be full of beans. Unfortunately I haven't got a bean to go and study in England even though I m full of beans!!!
Ana Paula, Brazil
I've been full of beans because the Sao Paulo International Films Festival has started. So many good films to see, and so little money to spend on it. Well, you can guess that by the end of the festival I haven't got a bean in my pocket, but I was happy because at least I could watch the films that I was eager to see. 
Alfonso, Spain
Hi teacher:I am not full of beans to learn English but I want to learn English. I need to motivate myself.Do you have any advace?
Victoria, Mexico
The night before the release of the last book from the harry Potter series I was full of beans. I just couldn't wait till the moment I could get the book and find out if my theories about Harry and his friends. Unfortunately, many people in the web spilled the beans about the end of the book. That was terrible! 
Burma
I was full of beans before going to the supermarket for shopping. But, after being in the crowded shops for one hour, I got exhausted and to spill the beans to you, I haven't had a bean left in my purse. 
Vidyasekaran, India
My Life is full of ups and downs. when i feel financially safe I seem to be full of beans. On the other hand i feel very much depressed if i haven't got a bean.
Katarina, Ukraine
I have been looking for a wedding ring for my boyfriend nearly for a month and I was really full of beans being busy with this not easy work. Two days ago I showed the ring to my granny and asked her not to spill the beans about it. Today I came to a jewelry to buy that beautiful ring and found that I hadn't got a bean. The only person who could help me was my old but the best granny in all the world. And she did it! 
Miss B, Tunisia
I want to spill the beans: whenever I am full of beans, I want to go shopping.Consequently, I won't have a bean even to drink a coffee!!
Rissgita, Indonesia
I start working at 7 a.m . During the day ,I'm full of beans to accomplished my job promptly.My wife told me that she hadn't got a bean for dinner...so I spilled the bean to my friend to lend me some money
Oriana, Italy
Every time I go out I'm looking for the cheaper food to eat,the cheaper dress to wear ,the cheaper place to go to dance to...I always think to myself I haven't got a bean!!!The only thing that can make me laugh and smile,when I stay at home in the week-end, is spilling the beans about what happened to my little sister,who is very funny at any rates.Then,when she discovers that I told something funny about her to the other members of my family, she has a sudden rush of anger towards me...Luckily she's an 8-year-old girl,and she can't hurt me that much,anyway I have to admit she's really full of beans when she beats me!!!
Nadda Chitchulanon, Thailand
I have been taking a nap for three hours today,I'm full of beans! I can work in the garage for the rest of the day.
Anna Pham, Vietnam
I am a student so I haven't got a bean. However, I am full of beans to study. Spill the beans that "practice makes perfect" 
Niema, Libya
I had long day at university today ,I was full of beans at the start of the day ,at 1pm I decided to buy some thing to eat because i was hungry but i found that I have not got bean!!! I forgot my money at home.


Adapted from www.bbc.co.uk by Milton França

A 90-YEAR-OLD BRAZILIAN MAN FATHERS 50 CHILDREN

Luiz Costa de Oliveira, a retired farm worker, had 17 children with his first wife before she died. He then remarried to Maria Francisca da Silva, 64, with whom he had other 17 children. But during the course of his second marriage he also had a long affair with his wife’s sister Ozelita Francisca da Silva, 58, who gave birth to 15 of his children.


He even had a fling with his mother-in-law Francisca Maria da Silva, 89, which also resulted in a child. "The best thing God made in the world was women," said Mr Oliveira, who lives in Campo Grande in the northern state of Rio Grande do Norte. “I could even have other children and not know it because I always liked to go out with women.”

“I don’t know all the names, but I know that I have many children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren scattered around,” he added.

Mr Oliveira’s second wife and sister-in-law said that his secret was that he was always kind to women. Some of his children died during their poverty-stricken childhood. But he can now boast more than 100 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren. Many still live in three houses near to Luiz's.

The OAP, who hasn't smoked or touched alcohol for 40 years, admitted he doesn't know the name of all his clan. He still remembers working hard on the land by day and racking up conquests by night. ''I hardly make love anymore these days, even though I'm in good health. But I still remember how wonderful it is to be in bed with a woman.'

Second wife Maria Francisca added: 'Luiz's only hobby was making love’.

              Adapted from www.telegaraph.co.uk and www.dailymail.co.uk by Milton França

401K, 24/7 AND OTHER IDIOMS WITH NUMBERS

In the previous text, you can see the idiom 401K in the sentence: “We have no health insurance. We have no 401K. We have no retirement fund. We have nothing after 9/11.”

What does the idiomatic expression 401K mean?

It´s a method by which the workers in a company can save money for their retirement by having an amount of money saved from their paychecks over a long period of time.

Here are other idioms with numbers in English:

all-in-one - combined, all the necessary features of something in one unit

all in one breath - spoken rapidly while one is very excited

all in one piece - safely, without damage

as busy as a one-armed paperhanger - very busy

as phony as a three-dollar Bill - phony, false, not genuine

at sixes and sevens - in a state of confusion

at the eleventh hour - at the last possible moment

back to square one - back to where one started

by the dozens - many, by a large number

catch-22 - a situation in which whatever decision is made the outcome will have negative consequences, a basically no-win situation

catch forty winks - to take a nap, to get some sleep

divide (something) fifty-fifty - to divide something into two equal parts

dressed to the nines - to be dressed in one's best clothes

feel like a million bucks/dollars - to feel great, to feel well and healthy

get the third degree - to be questioned in great detail about something

Give me five! - Hit me with your hand to show that you are happy about something.

in one ear and out the other - ignored, not listened to or not heard

in two minds about (something) - to be undecided about something

It/that makes two of us. - The same thing is true for me.

kill two birds with one stone - to achieve two objectives with one effort or action

know a trick or two - to know a special way to deal with a problem

like two peas in a pod - very close or intimate, very similar

nine times out of ten - almost always

nine-to-five job - a routine job in an office that involves standard office hours (usually 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM)

on all fours - on one's hands and knees

on cloud nine - very happy about something

once in a while - occasionally, infrequently

one at a time - individually

one for the road - one last drink (usually of alcohol) before one leaves for home

a one-night stand – a date that lasts only one night

six feet under - dead and buried

six of one and half a dozen of the other - there is little difference between two things or situations

three R's - the three basic skills in school - reading, (w)riting, (a)rithmetic

three sheets to the wind - drunk

two heads are better than one - two people working together can achieve better results than one person working alone

two-time (someone) - to cheat on one's partner by seeing someone else

two's company, three's a crowd - two people (usually a couple on a date) are happier when nobody else is around

twenty-four seven (24/7) – open all the time, twenty-four hours a day

TEN YEARS AFTER SEPTEMBER 11 ATTACKS, HOW LIFE HAS CHANGED

Almost three 3,000 people were killed in the attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. Early that morning, terrorists hijacked four passenger airplanes. Two planes struck the World Trade Center in New York City. Another hit the Pentagon building, just across the river from Washington, D.C. Passengers on the fourth plane are said to have fought the hijackers. Their plane crashed on a field in western Pennsylvania.

The victims were from the United States and many other nations. It was the worst terrorist attack in American history. But for many people, the event does not feel like history. Today, we hear some of the ways the 9/11 attacks changed lives around the world.

The attack on the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers not only destroyed those buildings, it changed the personality of the surrounding neighborhood. In the past ten years, the area has moved away from its business centered past to a family friendly area now called the Diaper District.

Stephanie Hryckowian is the daughter of a Ukrainian immigrant who owned the Beekman Deli. The family business served office workers from the Twin Towers for twenty-five years. Then, the 9/11 attacks changed her life forever. She remembers her reaction to the killing of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden: “When the president said they got Osama, I sat there crying, because I was so happy.”

Nearby is one of the office buildings formerly served by the Beekman Deli. Like many older buildings in Lower Manhattan, its businesses left after the September 11 attacks. It was then developed into housing. Lower Manhattan is now home to fifty-six thousand people. That is more than two times the number it had ten years ago.

Real estate agent Luis Vazquez is among the newcomers. He says: “Today, the Financial District has the highest concentration of households with children in the city."

There are so many families in Manhattan´s Financial District that The New York Times newspaper has called the area the Diaper District. It is not uncommon to see mothers pushing baby strollers down the side streets.

Jocelyn Zoland is a mother. She saw one of the planes strike the World Trade Center. She says: “It’s nice to see that in the shadow of that there are all these children and there are all these activities, and it has become a wonderful destination. We’ll see if things change though.”

Ms. Zoland says that change could include millions of visitors to the area with the completion of a nine eleven museum at Ground Zero. In addition, tens of thousands of office workers will occupy Freedom Tower, a skyscraper being built to replace the Twin Towers.

Many other businesses are still closed. Stephanie Hryckowian says what did not disappear was the Deli’s responsibility to pay taxes and make rent payments through 2004. That cost her 500,000 dollars in savings. She now rents out her home and lives with family members.“We have no health insurance. We have no 401K. We have no retirement fund. We have nothing after 9/11.”

The United States answered the 9/11 attacks with a war against terror. First it sent troops to Afghanistan after the country’s Taliban government refused to expel al-Qaida leaders. Then, United States forces went to Iraq. The American-led invasion led to the overthrow of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

The American collective sense of security changed after the 9/11 attacks. Many Americans now feel vulnerable, not only to more attacks but also to new measures designed to prevent terrorism.

Travelers have faced increased security at airports over the past ten years. Some measures are still being questioned, but traveler Bob Dubois believes they are necessary: “I think it’s something that we need in this day and economy as it is right now with what’s going on. You never know what’s going to happen and the people that are out there, and I think that we need to do this.”

Civil rights activists took legal action against the Federal Bureau of Investigation earlier this year for reportedly using informants to monitor Muslims. FBI officials would not comment. But officials say they take action only when they suspect criminal behavior.

Ahilan Arulanantham of the American Civil Liberties Union says the FBI’s methods are too invasive. He says the nation’s founding fathers wanted to guarantee basic rights.

Steven Martinez works for the FBI office in Los Angeles. He says the United States still supports the goal of an open society, but the risk of terrorism is real: “If we want to maintain that sense of freedom, we’re always going to have vulnerabilities in places where people gather – theme parks, movie theaters, shopping malls. Those present opportunities for our adversaries and those are very, very difficult to secure.”

                                                                             www.adapted from voanews.com by Milton França

GISELE BUNDCHEN

… And God Created Gisele

How does the world’s most successful supermodel—darling of the cameras, advertisers, and tabloids, and worth an estimated $150 million—make her life even more fabulous? By marrying star quarterback Tom Brady, then setting her sights on a higher consciousness. As Gisele Bündchen embarks on her next chapter, the exuberant 28-year-old beauty tells about her secret engagement, the shock of finding out Brady’s ex-girlfriend was pregnant with his baby, and how they’re working out the bi-coastal routine of a new family.

Bounding down the stairs of her Greenwich Village town house to greet a visitor, Gisele Bündchen commands the shock value of a close encounter with a giraffe: you can hardly believe an earthly creature is built this way.

Everything about her is so elongated and slender—those impossibly attenuated limbs! the swanlike neck!—that she seems almost preposterous, like a cartoon figure. Nearly six feet tall by the age of 13, she spent her childhood being teased by classmates who called her Olive Oyl.

But Popeye’s rail-thin girlfriend never tantalized anyone with the luscious curves that catapulted Gisele to stardom in her late teens, replacing the pale, wasted “heroin chic” of that era with “the return of the sexy model.” Since then, the tanned, athletic Brazilian beach babe who seemed born to wear a bikini has become the world’s most successful supermodel, amassing a fortune estimated at $150 million; last year alone, according to Forbes, Gisele earned $35 million. The 16th-richest woman in the entertainment industry, she has been featured on more magazine covers than any other model and has appeared as the face of more than 20 brands internationally, with current contracts including Dior, Versace, Max Factor, Ebel watches, and the Dolce & Gabbana fragrance The One.

At 28, Gisele has already spent 14 years in front of the cameras, not to mention in the gossip columns—and now she’s begun a whole new chapter of her life. On February 26, seven days after our cover was shot, she married New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in a private twilight ceremony at a Catholic church in Santa Monica that was followed by a small gathering at the couple’s home in Brentwood. But Gisele, who once described her ideal wedding as “a simple ceremony,” always knew she didn’t want an enormous extravaganza. “I don’t like parties. I prefer something more intimate, just for the closest people.”

Since Gisele Bundchen became a mother, the Top model has been outspoken when expressing her feelings about motherhood and life. In a recent interview for a recent issue of Harper’s Bazaar UK, Gisele talked about the importance of breastfeeding in the first months of a child’s life. Now, Gisele writes first-hand on the impact caused by the comment.

My intention in making a comment about the importance of breastfeeding has nothing to do with the law. It comes from my passion and beliefs about children. Becoming a new mom has brought a lot of questions, I feel like I am in a constant search for answers on what might be the best for my child. It’s unfortunate that in an interview sometimes things can seem so black and white. I am sure if I would just be sitting talking about my experiences with other mothers, we would just be sharing opinions. I understand that everyone has their own experience and opinions and I am not here to judge. I believe that bringing a life into this world is the single most important thing a person can undertake and it can also be the most challenging. I think as mothers we are all just trying our best.

Agree says:

I totally agree with Gisele. I can see the difference between my younger brother and myself. My younger brother was breastfed till he was 2 (which is the recommended length of time) and I was breastfed for about 4 months. I can clearly see the difference this has on our immune systems as my brother is very seldom sick, whereas I get sick very quickly. I would recommend that mothers breastfeed for as long as they can, up to 2 years. I know that some women can’t, due to complications or milk drying up, but if you are by the means, please do breastfeed, its the best gift you can give your child.

Roxane says:

Thank you for making a strong statement in support of breastfeeding. OK, maybe it was not perfectly politically correct but you weren’t wrong. Formula should NOT be about choice. It should be about helping the few babies to survive that truly need it. Breastfeeding has so many benefits for both mother and child that the true scandal is that companies have been allowed to devalue it and market this as some sort of lifestyle choice. It is a travesty. Keep advocating for breastfeeding please. And women who think another woman should not voice an opinion just because she is beautiful are misogynists of the highest order.

Sarah Keith says:

Thank you for your comments Gisele! I appreciate your passion and concern. I believe that the culture of breastfeeding and maternal support around the neonatal time in this country is a very big problem for parents, and I hope that culture will change soon. I don’t think that it’s a coincidence that this country has such high rates of anxiety/depression/mental illness AND very little support for breastfeeding and quality maternity/paternity leave for bonding with children…. I’m glad you spoke out and I’m sorry that the haters out there are upset with you for voicing your opinion. I hope we can find a way for mothers to feel good about both working AND parenting, and not feel like they have to choose one or the other– or feel like they aren’t “feminists” if they chose parenting.

Jeannette says:

I praise you for speaking out. Im 28 yrs. old, I have three girls. I wasn’t able to breastfeed my first born for that long. I breastfeed my second baby for eighteen months, and im still feeding my nine month old baby. I have notice the difference between my oldest who wasn’t breastfeed and the ones who where. Coming from a hispanic background I was always told since a child the importance of breastfeeding. My sister is in the army (reserves), and when she leaves for her training I breastfeed her baby girl since they are the same age. Im very happy for you and congratulation on your baby. I wish you both very good health and happiness. Hope you continue breastfeeding for a while, its a great experience!!!!!

Beth says:

I understand exactly what was trying to be said and agree that Breastfeeding is really important and I think it was a shame that the comment was twisted in such a way that an apology was felt to be needed. However I think why a number of people were upset was because some people cannot breast feed. I have a medical condition which meant that I never produced enough milk for my Son. It was heart breaking feeling that I couldn’t give him what I knew was best for him, and made me feel like a failure as a mother. What was worse were the people who told me I should breast feed exclusively and that I was a bad mother because I didn’t. It got so bad that I ended up telling a health care professional that she didn’t know what she was talking about. If I didn’t give my son formula he would die as my milk had dried up. There are a lot of vulnerable women out there in the same position who need support. I think this is probably why it has become such an explosive issue.

Christine says:

Breastmilk is made of NUTRIENTS
Formula of INGREDIENTS
They will never be the same.
You are just stating FACT.
Fact should not make so many people upset.
It is simply the truth.

  Adapted from www.blog.giselebundchen.com.br by Milton França