Death To False Idols!

Look at this one: 

Having destroyed the palace as being a monument to 'false idols', the ISIS extremists then proceed to tweet a selfie of themselves standing in front of the ruins to their 'fans'. Where’s the irony here?

Cartoon by Morten Morland from The Times.

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Cartoons about the Scottish referendum.

I love reading this blog because I always get to learn a thing or two from it. In this very specific topic, you will read and learn some things about the Scottish independence referendum, 2014. (((Read more here)))

In Two Minds Over Scottish Independence.

BACKGROUND

 
Scotland goes to the polls on September 18 and voters will be asked to answer the question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?" The latest opinion polls suggest that the result is too close to call. Read more >>

CARTOON

The cartoon by Heath from the Mail on Sunday shows a party where people are discussing Scottish independence. Those in favour have the Scottish flag painted on their faces, and those against the Union Jack. However, one man has both flags painted on his face, and tells his interlocutor, "To tell you the truth, I'm in two minds."

EXPLANATION

If you are in two minds about something, you are uncertain or to have difficulty in making a decision.

• I'm in two minds about accepting the job. The joke is that the man has two flags painted on his face to show that he is undecided.

Cameron Woos Scots.

BACKGROUND

 
British PM David Cameron dropped everything last Wednesday to head to Scotland to stem the momentum of the "Yes" campaign for secession. For Alex Salmond, the Scot leading the charge for independence, the move means the Brits are panicked. "If I thought they were coming by bus, I'd send the bus fare," he told Reuters. Cameron's visit came a day after his impassioned Daily Mail piece, in which he promised Scots that a "no" vote wouldn't keep the status quo, but usher in more power over taxes, spending, and welfare.Read more >>

CARTOON

The cartoon by Paul Thomas from the Daily Express shows David Cameron and his wife Samantha in their kitchen. Cameron is reading a newspaper whose front page headline reads, "Cameron Woos Scots." Samantha, who is wearing a tartan skirt, sash, and tam o' shanter (hat), tells her husband, "I thought you'd take more notice of me dressed like this ..."

EXPLANATION

Tartan is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours traditionally associated with Scotland. By wearing tartan, Samantha hopes David will pay more attention to her, as he has suddenly become very keen on Scotland and things Scottish.

VOCABULARY

To woo is to try to persuade people to support you or to buy something from you, especially by saying and doing nice things.

• Supermarkets are trying to woo customers by cutting prices.

• The party is clearly trying to woo women voters.

Scotland's Voice

BACKGROUND 

The Scottish referendum takes place next week and will determine if Scotland is to remain part of the United Kingdom.

CARTOON

The cartoon by Chappatte from The International New York Times shows a (stereo)typical English gentleman (note the bowler hat and umbrella) drinking a glass of Bow No More whisky, which has just been served to him by his manservant. The manservant is showing him the bottle, which features a picture of an angry Scotsman on the label. The Englishman comments, "Strong character!"

COMMENTARY

The cartoonist plays on the double meaning of 'strong character', which could refer to the taste of the whisky or to the Scotsman on the label. The cartoon can be seen as a metaphor for the surprised reaction of the English to the strength of the Scottish 'Yes' campaign. The name of the whisky is also a play on words and a nod to Bowmore, a well known Islay single malt. If you bow (down to) to someone, you show respect to someone who is more powerful than you (just like the manservant, in fact).

The Tortoise and the Hare.

BACKGROUND

Supporters of Scottish independence from Britain have taken their first opinion poll lead since the referendum campaign began, indicating a real possibility that they might win, according to a YouGov survey for the Sunday Times newspaper. With less than two weeks to go before the Sept. 18 vote, the poll put the "Yes" to independence campaign on 51 percent against "no" camp on 49 percent, overturning a 22-point lead for the unionist campaign in just a month, the Sunday Times said. YouGov said that the results excluded those who would not vote and those who did not plan to vote or did not know how they would vote. With those groups included, secessionists would be on 47 percent and those championing the United Kingdom would be on 45 percent, it added. Read more >>

THE CARTOON

The cartoon by Brian Adcock from The Independent uses Aesop's fable of the Tortoise and the Hare as a metaphor for the Scottish Independence race.The story concerns a Hare who ridicules a slow-moving Tortoise and is challenged by the tortoise to a race. The hare soon leaves the tortoise behind and, confident of winning, takes a nap midway through the course. When the Hare awakes however, he finds that his competitor, crawling slowly but steadily, has arrived before him. In Brian Adcock's version, the tortoise is Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond, and the hare is Alistair Darling, former Labour chancellor and leader of the Better Together campaign, which wants to keep Scotland in the UK.

NOTES

1. Tortoise is pronounced 'tortus'.

2. Adams had a similar cartoon in The Telegraph back in April.

PORTAL DA LÍNGUA INGLESA has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-partly internet websites referred to in this post, and does not guarantee that any context on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

Is something important missing? Report an error or suggest an improvement.

In some instances, I have been unable to trace the owners of the pictures used here; therefore, I would appreciate any information that would enable me to do so. Thank you very much.

From the English Blog - http://zip.net/bdpyXZ

Cartoon: Abbey Road Jihadists.

This cartoon by Blower from The Telegraph shows a group of armed Jihadists walking across a pedestrian (or zebra) crossing as a police officer leans out of a police vehicle, which has stopped to let them cross.

COMMENTARY

Of course, the cartoon is based on the iconic cover of the Beatles' Abbey Road album. The message seems to be that Jihadists are now walking the streets of London (and the rest of Britain), and there's nothing the police can do about it. Today's Times cartoon by Gary Barker has a similar theme.

TRIVIA NOTE

The third Jihadist is walking barefoot, just like Paul did on the original cover, helping to fuel the 'Paul is dead' conspiracy theory.

From the English blog.

PORTAL DA LÍNGUA INGLESA has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-partly internet websites referred to in this post, and does not guarantee that any context on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

In some instances, I have been unable to trace the owners of the pictures used here; therefore, I would appreciate any information that would enable me to do so. Thank you very much.

Is something important missing? Report an error or suggest an improvement.

Did you spot a typo?

Do you have any tips or examples to improve this page?

Do you disagree with something on this page?

Use one of your social-media accounts to share this page:

Cartoon: Ad Infinitum.

BACKGROUND

The English Premier League starts today. The world's most popular football league is back after a three months hiatus. The new season promises more excitement, thrills, drama, upsets and surprises. Champions Manchester City will battle a resurgent Manchester United as well as Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool to hold onto their Premier League crown.  

CARTOON

The cartoon by Bob from the Daily Telegraph comprises two panels. In the left-hand panel a man is sitting in front of the TV crying because the World Cup in Brazil has just finished ("It's over"). His wife, who seems unimpressed, hands him a tissue to dry his eyes. In the right-hand panel, the same man is staring excitedly at the screen because it's the first day of the Premier League ("It's started"). This time his wife, whose expression has not changed, is removing the box of tissues and handing him a can of beer.

COMMENTARY

The title of the cartoon 'Ad Infinitum' is Latin for 'to infinity'. If something happens ad infinitum, it never finishes, or happens again and again.

• You cannot stay here ad infinitum without paying rent. The cartoonist is making a humorous comment on fact that as soon as one football competition ends, another one begins, and so on until the end of time (or so it seems).

From the English Blog. 

Learning English from Cartoons: Harry's Las Vegas Strip.

This cartoon by Andy Davey from The Sun, relates to the latest scandal involving Prince Harry, who was photographed in the nude clutching his privates during a game of strip pool in Las Vegas. The photos have since gone viral on the internet.

The Queen is on the phone to Harry while reading about his 'Nude Photos Outrage' in a newspaper. She tells him: "Harry, when I said send me some pictures of the Las Vegas strip ..." Prince Philip seems to be less concerned by Harry's antics than his wife.

EXPLANATION
The cartoonist plays on the double meaning of the word 'strip'. If you strip, you take your clothes off (think striptease!). But a strip is also a long street in a city or town, where there are a lot of stores, restaurants, and hotels. Many of the largest hotel, casino and resort properties in the world are located on the Las Vegas Strip.

VOCABULARY

Pool is a form of billiards. Strip pool is a party game and a variation of the traditional game where players remove an item of clothing whenever their opponent pockets the ball.

Theenglishblog.

SOME CARTOONS ABOUT THE AMERICAN EDUCATION: BACK TO SCHOOL.

Learning English from Cartoons: Continental Heatwave.

This cartoon by Blower from The Daily Telegraph uses the heatwave currently sweeping much of southern Europe as a metaphor for the Eurozone crisis.

The top panel shows people enjoying the sun on a beach in the south of England (note the white cliffs and Union Jack flags). In the lower panel, the sun has been replaced by the euro sign and the people are fleeing the boiling sea.

The message is clear: even though Britain is not part of the eurozone, the UK will feel the heat from the eurozone crisis (i.e., suffer the consequences).

VOCABULARY

A heatwave is a period of time during which the weather is much hotter than normal.

• Heatwave warnings were issued for a swath of central and southern France, from Burgundy to the Pyrenees.

From theenglishblog.com

Learning English from Cartoons.

Essa charge que encontrei na internet retrata dois jovens se comunicando por meio do Iphone, o telefone móvel (smartphone) da Apple. Aqui os dois caminham lado a lado, mas mesmo assim preferem o contato virtual. Não é assim que nossa nova geração vive?

Chamo a atenção para o uso da linguagem: “addicted to our i-phones? They’re havin’ a laugh”, diz o garoto. “OMG – yeah – LOL – gotta go – gotta check who’s tweeted about it”, responde a menina.

O LEGAL AQUI É A COMPLEXIDADE DOS TERMOS:

No caso do jovem, “addicted to our i-phones? They’re havin’ a laugh”, temos ADDICTED TO como VICIADO EM, nesse caso no Iphone. Em “They’re havin’ a laugh”, o verbo HAVE perde o “G” da estrutura “-ing” tendo assim um “n” pronunciado. Claro que explicação vai bem mais além, mas é assim que a maioria das pessoas fala no dia a dia, principalmente em situações informais.

No caso da menina as expressões ganham mais dificuldade para àqueles que não estão habituados ao uso exagerado de abreviações existentes na comunicação on-line.

Em “OMG – yeah – LOL – gotta go – gotta check who’s tweeted about it”, temos OMG que significa “Oh, My God”, Ai, Meu Deus!, em tom de surpresa em português e LOL que quer dizer "LAUGHING OUT LOUD”, ou seja, “morrendo de dar risadas”. Além do uso de GOTTA que significa GOT TO usado corriqueiramente pelos falantes nativos da língua de Shakespeare. Temos diversos exemplos desses usos: WANT TO = WANNA; GOINT TO = GONNA... vejam que TWEETED é usado como verbo.

Para você que não tem muita familiaridade com esses termos (abreviações) em inglês, digo que é importante aprender para se comunicar bem nas salas de bate-papo onde a comunicação se dá por meio da língua inglesa.

VEJAM:

ASL - Age, Sex Location [Idade, Sexo e Local]

DYK - Did You Know [Você sabia (que...)]

CU - See You [Até mais]

C YA- See You [Até mais]

BTW - By The Way [Por falar nisto; A propósito]

GMAB - Give Me A Break [Me dá um tempo; qualé!]

NMP - Not My Problem [Não é problema meu]

OJ - Only Joking [tô brincando, tô te tirando]

STSP - Same Time, Same Place [No mesmo horário, no mesmo local]

IDK - I Don't Know [Sei lá; Eu não sei]

TAI - Think About It [Pense a respeito]

TIE - Take It Easy [Vá com calma; relaxe]

BLNT - Better Luck Next Time [mais sorte na próxima]

BRB – Be right back [volto logo]

PORTAL DA LÍNGUA INGLESA.

www.portaldalinguainglesa.blogspot.com

Learning English from Cartoons: Independence Day.

BACKGROUND

Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, and political speeches and ceremonies, in addition to various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States. Independence Day is the national day of the United States. (source: Wikipedia)

 THE CARTOON

This cartoon by Bob Englehart from The Hartford Courant shows the mascots of the two main US political parties: the Democratic donkey and the Republican elephant against the backdrop of the Declaration of Independence. They begrudgingly wish each other a "Happy July 4th" — a comment on the hostile relations between the two parties in this crucial election year.

 VOCABULARY

Ya is used in writing as a way of showing the way people sometimes pronounce the word ‘you’ or ‘your’.

• How's that workin' for ya?

From the english blog.

Learning English from Cartoons: The Queen's Historic Handshake.

This cartoon by Andy Davey from The Sun relates to the historic handshake between the Queen and the former IRA commander, Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness, now Northern Ireland's deputy first minister, in Belfast on Wednesday. The Daily Telegraph puts the handshake into context:

The Queen, once a prime target for the IRA, shook hands not once but twice with Martin McGuinness, a former commander of the terrorist group, in a gesture that meant every bit as much as the sovereign’s historic visit to Ireland last year.

Barely a decade ago, the idea of the monarch, the ultimate symbol of British rule in Ulster, even being in the same room as Mr McGuinness, arguably the most recognisable former member of the IRA, would have been unthinkable. Full story >>

THE CARTOON

In the cartoon, we see the Queen reaching out to shake McGuinness's hand over the bombed-out wreck of a car—a clear reference to The Troubles, in which IRA terrorist attacks claimed the lives of hundreds of victims. Note the 'History' numberplate on the car, another reminder of past events.

VOCABULARY

You shake hands with someone or give someone a handshake.

From: theenglishblog.