Why Mistakes are Good when Learning English

Fail Faster, Succeed Sooner

When you use Listen and Answer in English, do you make mistakes? Probably you do.

Is it bad to make mistakes when you speak?

No. Its not bad. Its not bad to make mistakes-- its only bad to think about grammar rules.

To speak English easily, you must make a lot of mistakes. You MUST. In fact, the more mistakes you make, the faster you will improve.

The most important thing is that you MUST feel relaxed when speaking.

Make mistakes. Have fun. Don't think about grammar rules-- just communicate quickly.

You must feel relaxed. You must have fun with the language. When you do that, you will improve very quickly.

Soon, you will be making fewer mistakes! You improve automatically.

Speed is more important than perfection. That's right -- focus on being fast. Focus on understand faster and faster.

Listen to songs in English -- sing a long. Read my blogs out loud.

Smile! Laugh! Practice frequently.

You will be suprised how much better you will get ... and faster.

Startling Italian Research

Pollution Changes DNA in Three Days

Polluted air may devastate human DNA to the point of reprogramming genes in just three days, leaving people vulnerable to lung cancer and other diseases, according to a new Italian study.

The researchers, who discovered rapid DNA damage in Italian steel workers who breathed polluted foundry air, say it might happen to anyone living in a large city.

The study examined 63 healthy people who were exposed routinely to particulate matter while they worked in a steel mill in Brescia, Italy, and. The air around steel foundries usually has about 10 times more particulate matter than normal air, and a larger percentage of the particles are metals.

During the work week, two blood DNA samples were taken from the workers, one sample on the first day of the week before they were heavily exposed to the foundry air, and the other sample after several days on the job. A comparison of the samples showed changes in four genes that are believed to suppress tumors.

The workers’ DNA was damaged to the point that the rate of a body process called “methylation” was slowed, the researchers said. Methylation is a normal, ongoing biological process in which genes are organized into different groups. The slowing of methylation in the workers meant that fewer groups and therefore fewer genes were expressed and made into proteins, which is vital to the regular maintenance of the body. Such a reduction also has been observed in the DNA of lung cancer patients.

Study leader Andrea Baccarelli of the University of Milan said previous research has demonstrated that older people in Boston had DNA damage from particulate matter. However, Baccarelli said, “Our results need to be confirmed in air pollution studies before they can be extended to the general population.”

On a hopeful note, the research team raised the possibility that methylation damage can be ameliorated with folic acid, a vitamin found in many foods. “We found that subjects with higher intakes of methyl nutrients were protected from some of the cardiac effects of particulate matter,” Baccarelli said.

Berlusconi says he is World's Most Popular Leader

Article from: Reuters (May 2, 2009)


ITALIAN Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who has compared himself to Jesus Christ and Napoleon, boasted today that he was the world's most popular leader.

The conservative premier, in his third term in office, said opinion poll findings in his possession showed his popularity at just over 75 per cent, making him far more popular than US President Barack Obama - or any other head of government.

"The opinion polls I know say that he (Obama) is at 59 per cent. Only (Brazilian President Luiz Inacio) Lula tops 60 per cent - he is at 64 per cent. So mine is a record high," he said in Naples where he attended a May Day concert.

On his way out of the concert hall, the 72-year-old Mr Berlusconi - who has proclaimed himself the Jesus Christ of Italian politics and once said he was second only to Napoleon, except taller - was heckled by protesters who shouted "go away!".

Commentators agree Mr Berlusconi enjoys high popularity ratings despite the economic crisis - the International Monetary Fund expects Italy's economy to contract by 4.4 per cent this year - although perhaps not as high as he claims.

A poll published last month by left-leaning La Repubblica daily said support for Mr Berlusconi stood at 56 per cent and had risen in April for the first time since October thanks to his hands-on response to a deadly earthquake.

Mr Berlusconi, who regularly complains of unfair treatment by the media despite directly or indirectly controlling 90 percent of Italy's television, put his own popularity at 75.1 per cent.

"These are independent surveys, but they are not promptly published," he said.


By the way - more than 100 million people have now seen Susan Boyle's video. That's more than all the Italians in Italy -- so who is really the most popular?