Web site building resources

Web site building resources
Here are some resources that can help if you want to customise your site.
Thanks to Salvatore Sanfilippo of http://antifavicon.com/ for many of the links.
Dave


Graphics generators

Favicons
Make your own Web page buttons made easy.

Pixelbutton
Generation of antipixel style buttons. Easy to use.

Brilliant Button Maker
another antipixel style buttons generator, less immediate but allows to include images in buttons.

Random Text Generator
useful in order to test page layouts with real-looking text.

General Text to Image converter with anti-OCR option.

Email Icon Generator
turn emails into images in order to prevent spam.

Fractals Generator
web service, generates real time mandelbrot sets with nice colors.


Color tools

Color Schemes Generator
may save you when in doubt about good colors for your pages.

Color Palette Generator
generates a color palette matching an image you provide.


Search engines / SEO

Top Directories
with free web site submission. A good starting point to get some links.

99 Free SEO tools
is a collection of quality SEO tools.

Overtune Keyword Selector Tool
shows users common searches about a given topic.

Overtune BIDs viewer
is useful to check how much advertisers can pay for click for a given search query.

Robots.txt Generator
select what crawler to allow/deny, what directory to restrict, and so on.

The Visitors Web Log Analyzer
is a free log analyzer with Google specific reports.


Affiliate programs to earn from web sites

AdSense
you earn by displaying google ADs on your site.

Chitika
show banners about products like the Ipod or laptops, earn for every click.

Phonetics

This Website looks useful for students who want to understand and practice the very fundamentals of pronunciation.

It contains flash animated libraries of the phonetic sounds of English, Spanish and German. It brings together the best of flash animation, video, and detailed explanations of consonants, vowels, dipthongs, etc is a very complete and presentable way.

http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/#

Thanks to Elvia Morales from Brazil for this one.

Listening and podcasting

Check out the sites below and thanks to Eugene Sayson from Vancouver Community College for these recommendations.

Dave

ESLPOD
http://www.eslpod.com/index.html

Each ESL Podcast lasts 10-20 minutes, and has three parts:
1. A dialog or story read a bit slower than normal speech.
2. An explanation of some of the expressions and phrases used in Part 1.
3. A repetition of the dialog or story at a native rate of speech.

TOEFL Podcast
http://www.toeflpod.com/

Each TOEFL Podcast lasts 10-20 minutes, and has four parts:
1. A dialog or conversation at a somewhat slower speed
2. An explanation of some of the expressions and phrases used in Part 1.
3. A repetition of the dialog or conversation at native speed
4. A comprehension question similar to those found on the exams

Breaking News English by Sean Banville
Ready-to-use EFL/ESL Lesson Plans & Podcast
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/

All of these current events and business English lesson plans contain a news article, listening (MP3 file), podcast, communication activities, pair work, discussion, reading and vocabulary exercises.
Classroom handouts are reproducible in Word and PDF.

ESL Listening Podcasts
http://iteslj.org/links/ESL/Listening/Podcasts/

Easy Online RSS Reader for English as a Second Language (ESL) Podcasts
http://a4esl.org/p/

Jokes in English (MP3 Files)
http://www.manythings.org/jokes/

Listen and Repeat EnglishPractice Intonation, Rhythm, Pronunciation and Other Things
http://www.manythings.org/repeat/

Podcasting for ELT (EFL & ESL)
http://www.gigadial.net/public/station/15116

English Idioms and Slang
http://www.englishcaster.com/blogs/

ELT Podcast
Basic Conversations for EFL and ESL
http://www.eltpodcast.com/

English as a Second Language
World News in VOA Special English
http://esl.podomatic.com/

pod-EFL (for instructors)
http://www.pod-efl.com/

Podcasts as Educational Podcasts (for instructors)
http://esl.about.com/b/a/225451.htm

English as a Second Language Podcast
Podfeed.net

The Podcast Directory
http://www.podfeed.net/category_item.asp?id=3D2531

SMS, Chatroom and E-Mail Acronym Definitions

SMS, Chatroom and E-Mail Acronym Definitions

Thanks to ESL.about.com for this list.

The SMS, chatroom or e-mail acronym is listed on the right. The literal translation is in the center column and an explanation, if necessary, is on the right.

The Japanese versions seem to be very different. Maybe I should do a different entry for ASCII art.

Dave

Numbers
#1 // number one! // The best person

1 4 THE ROAD // one for the road // A drink before you go

10Q // Thank You

1DAY // One day // At some time in the future

1ON1 // One on one // In person

2 // To/Two/Too

2bctnd // To be continued // We'll talk about it later

2d4 // To die for // To like / love something very much

2DAY // Today

2g4u // Too good for you // The person is not a good match for you romantically, usually used as an insult

2Ht2Hndl // Too hot to handle // Very sexy, attractive

2l8 // Too late // The time is too late, missed opportunity

2MORO // Tomorrow

2NITE // Tonight

2WIMC // To whom it may concern // Formal greeting

3sum // Threesome // Three people together

4 // For

4e // Forever

4gv // Forgive // Forgive someone

4gvn // Forgiven // Usually used when someone forgives you for something you have done

4yeo // For your eyes only // Only for you to read

7K // Sick // Not feeling well OR something that is very strange

8 // Ate // Past tense of the verb 'to eat'

911 // Emergency, call me // Someone needs you to call them about something that is important

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AFAIK // As Far As I Know // Something you know based on something you have heard before
ALWZ // Always

ASAP // As Soon As Possible // Immediately

ASL // Age, Sex, Location // Questioning how old a person is, what sex he / she is, and where the person is

ATB // All the best // A way of saying goodbye

ATK // At The Keyboard // At the keyboard of a computer

ATM // At The Moment // Now

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
B // Be

B4 // Before

B4N // Bye For Now // A way of saying goodbye

BAK // Back at keyboard // Returned to the computer

BBL // Be Back Later // I will return later

BBS // Be Back Soon // I will return soon

BCNU // Be seeing you // A way of saying goodbye

BF // Boyfriend // A boy a girl is seeing romantically

BFN/B4N // Bye for now // A way of saying goodbye

BFz4evr // Best friends forever // A promise to be best friends

BHL8 // Be home late // I will be home late tonight

BIL // Boss is listening // An employer is listening to you speaking on the telephone

BM Val // Be my valentine // Be my girlfriend or boyfriend

BN // Been

BOL // Best of luck // Wishing someone success on something that he / she is going to do

BRB // Be Right Back // I will return very soon

BRT // Be Right There // I will come to where you are

BTW // By The Way // A way of mentioning a new subject

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
C // See // Do you understand? OR the verb 'to see'

CAN I BY U A DRNK 2NITE // can i buy you a drink tonight? // Inviting someone out for a drink at a bar or pub

CM // Call me // Asking someone to telephone

CMON // Come On // Expression meaning 'are you serious?', or 'I don't believe you'

CU // See you // A way of saying goodbye

CU Soon // See you soon // A way of saying goodbye

CU@ // See you at // Making an appointment to meet someone at a specific time, for example 'CU@11pm'

CUB L8R // Call you back later // I will telephone you latter

CUL // See you later // A way of saying goodbye

CUL8R // See You Later // A way of saying goodbye

CYA // See you around, See ya // A way of saying goodbye

CYR BOS // Call Your Boss // Please telephone your boss or employer

CYR BRO // Call your brother // Please telephone your brother

CYR H // Call your husband // Please telephone your husband

CYR MA // Call your mother // Please telephone your mother

CYR OFIS // Call your office // Please telephone your office

CYR PA // Call your father // Please telephone your father

CYR SIS // Call your sister // Please telephone your sister

CYR WF // Call your wife // Please telephone your wife

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
DK // Don't know // I don't know something you asked me

DO U WNT ME // do you want me? // Asking a person if they want to be with you romantically

doN // Doing // Explaining what a person is doing at the moment

Dur? // Do you remember // Asking a person about a memory of the past

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
E2eg // Ear to ear grin // Something that is funny, or makes someone very happy

EOD // End of discussion // I refuse to talk about it anymore

EOL // End of lecture // I'm finished telling you what I think

EVRY1 // Everyone

EZ // Easy

EZY // Easy

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
F? // Friends? // Would you like to be friends with me?

F2F // Face to face // In person

F2T // Free to talk // I can talk now

FAQ // Frequently Asked Questions // Important questions asked by many different people

FC // Fingers Crossed // I'm hoping that something happens

FITB // Fill in the blank // You can use any (usually negative) word to describe this thing or person, obvious

FOMCL // Fell out of my chair laughing // Very, very funny

FWIW // For What It's Worth // This is my opinion, good or bad

FYA // For your amusement // I think you might find this funny

FYEO // For your eyes only // Only you can see this

FYI // For Your Information // This is something I thought you might want to

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
G9 // Genius // Very intelligent, also used to say that something that someone says is very intelligent

GAL // Get A Life // Stop worrying about something and live your life OR pathetic

GF // Girlfirend // A girlfriend

GG // Good Game // A comment about a game that has just finished

GMeSumLuvin //Give me some lovin’! // I want some romantic involvement with you

GMTA // Great Minds Think Alike // You and I are very similar

GR8 // Great! // That sounds like a good idea OR I'm happy for you

GSOH // Good salary, own home // A comment about a person who is successful

GTSY // Glad to see you // I'm happy to see you

GUDLUK // Good luck // Wishing someone success

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
H&K // Hugs and kisses // A way of saying goodbye showing affection

h2cus // Hope to see you soon // A way of saying goodbye, and that you want to see the person soon

H8 // Hate

HAGN // Have a good night // A way of saying goodbye

HAND // Have a nice day // A way of saying goodbye

HK UP 2NITE // hook up tonight // Let's see each other tonight

HRU // How are you

Ht4U // Hot for you // I like you very much - romantically

HTH // Hope that helps // I hope what I just said helps you

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
I luv U // I love you

I M W8TNG // i am waiting // I'm waiting for you to do something or arrive

IAC // In any case // Used to change the subject, for example 'IAC, GUDLUK' - In any case, good luck

IAD8 // It's a date // An agreement to see each other

IC // I See // I understand

ICQ // I Seek you // I'm looking for you

IDK // I don't know

IIRC // If I recall correctly // If what I remember is correct, ...

ILU // I Love You

ILU2 // I love you, too

ILUA //I love you alot // I love you very much

IM 4 U // I am for you // I think I would be a good boyfriend / girlfriend for you

IMBLuv // It must be love // You think you or another person is in love

IMHO // In My Honest/Humble Opinion // My opinion is this: (usually used for a very direct statement)

IMI // I mean it // I am serious about what I am saying

IMO // In my opinion // I think

IMTNG // I am in a meeting // I am in a business meeting with other people

IOU // I owe you // I am very grateful to you for something you have done

IOW // In Other Words // To say something in a different way

IRL // In Real Life // In the real world, not fantasy

Its F8 // It's fate // Something is supposed to be or happen

IUSS // If you say so // If you think so (usually expressing that the person doesn't agree with you)

IYD // In your dreams // It will never happen, what you are thinking is absurd

JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ
J4F // Just for fun // In order to have fun

JFK // Just for kicks // In order to have fun

JK // Just kidding // Only joking, not serious

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK
KC // Keep cool // Remain calm and relaxed

KHUF // Know how you feel // I understand your situation

KISS // Keep It Simple, Stupid // What you are saying or doing is too complicated

KIT // Keep in touch // Let's keep talking to each other in the future

KOTC // Kiss on the cheek // A way of saying goodbye (friends)

KOTL // Kiss on the lips // A way of saying goodbye (romantic)

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
L8 //Late

L8R // Later // A way of saying goodbye

LDR // Long Distance Relationship // Two people who are romantically involved that do not live in the same city

LETS C A FLCK // let's see a flick // Should we see a movie or film?

LMAO // Laugh My Ass Off // Very funny

LOL // Laughing Out Loud // Very funny

LTNC // Long time no see // We haven't seen each other for a very long time

LtsGt2gthr //Lets get together // We should meet

LUV //Love

Luv U // Love You

Luv U2 // Love you too

lyN // Lying // Someone is saying something that is not true

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
M8 // Mate // Friend (British and Australian English)

MC // Merry Christmas

MGB // May god bless // A way of saying goodbye

Mob // Mobile // Cell phone (US English)

MTE // My Thoughts Exactly // That's exactly what I think or feel

MU // Miss you // I wish you were here with me

MUSM // Miss you so much // I wish you were here with me

MYOB // Mind your own business // Do not ask me questions about something

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
NC // No comment // I can't say what I think

NE // Any

NE1 // Anyone

NITING // Anything

No1 // No one

NP // No problem // It's not a problem

NRN // No Reply Necessary // You don't need to answer this

nufN // Nothing

NWO // No way out // There is no solution to a problem

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
O4U // Only for you // This is only for you to see

OIC // Oh, I see // I understand

OTOH // On the other hand // The other side of an opinion, situation or statement


PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
PCM // Please call me // Please telephone me

PCME // Please call me // Please telephone me

PITA // Pain in the ass // Something or someone that is very annoying or bothersome

PLS // Please

PLZ 4GV ME // Please forgive me

PO$BL // Possible // Something is possible

PRT // Party

PRW // Parents Are Watching // I can't say something because my parents are watching what I'm doing

PTB // Please Text Back // Please write me back an SMS

PUKS // Pick Up Kids // Pick up the children from somewhere

QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
QPSA? // Que pasa? // What's happening? OR What are you doing?

QT // Cutie // Attractive, pretty


RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
R // Are // The verb 'to be'

RGDS // Regards // A way of saying goodbye, or of greeting another person's friend or family

RINGL8 // Running Late // I'm behind schedule today

RLR // Earlier // Something that happened before

ROFL // Rolling On The Floor Laughing // Very funny

ROFLOL // Rolling On The Floor Laughing Out Loud // Very funny

ROTG // Rolling on the ground // Very funny

RTFM // Read the flaming manual // You should learn how to criticize someone

RU CMNG // Are You coming // Are you going to come with me / us?

RU? // Are you?

RUOK // Are you OK? // Do you feel well (usually used after something bad has happened)

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
SC // Stay cool // You need to remain calm

SETE // Smiling ear to ear // Very happy

SHLM // Shalom // Hello

shopN // Shopping

SME1 // Someone

SO // Significant other // Romantic partner, boyfriend or girlfriend

SOL // Sooner or later // Eventually, it will happen

SPK // Speak // Please say what you think

SPK 2 U L8R // Speak to you later // A way of saying goodbye

SRY // Sorry // An apology

STATS // Your sex and age // Are you a man or a woman? How old are you?

SWALK // Sent with a loving kiss // I write this and send it with love

SWATK // Sent/Sealed with a tender kiss // I write this and send it with love

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
T+ // Think positive // You need to be positive about a situation

T2Go // Time to go // A way of saying goodbye

T2ul // Talk to you later // A way of saying goodbye

TDTU // Totally devoted to you // I love you

THNQ // Thank you

THX // Thank You

TIA // Thanks in advance // I thank you for something you will do for me in the future

TIC // Tongue in Cheek // Not serious, ironic

TKS // Thanks

TTFN // Ta-Ta for now // A way of saying goodbye

TTYL // Talk To You Later // A way of saying goodbye

UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
U // You

U O ME // you owe me // I did something special for you

U2 // You Too

U4E // Yours For Ever // A way of saying goodbye

UI! // You Idiot! // You are stupid

UR // You are

UR Gr8 // You are great // I think you are fantastic

UR4Me // You are for me // I think I would like to be your boyfriend / girlfriend

UROK // You are OK // You are OK, (can also mean: but I'm not interested in you romantically

URT1 // You are the one // I think I would like to be your boyfriend / girlfriend

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
VRI // Very

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
W@ // What

W4M // Wait for me

W4U // Waiting for you

W8 // Wait

W84M // Wait for me

W84U // Wait for you

W8N // Waiting

WAN2 // Want to

WAN2 :-* // Want to kiss? // Do you want to kiss me?

Wan2 C a moV? // Want to see a movie? // Do you want to see a movie?

WB // Welcome Back // I'm happy you returned from somewhere

WNT 2 PLAY // want to play? // Do you want to do something together?

WOT // What

WRT // With respect to // Refering to something

WRU // Where are you?

WTF // What the heck? // I don't understand something, OR I don't believe something

WTF // What The F... // I don't understand something, OR I don't believe something

WTG // Way To Go! // Congratulations

WUF // Where Are You From?

WUWH // Wish you were here // I wish I could be with you now

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
X // Kiss

XLNT // Excellent

XO // Kiss and a hug

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Y // Why?

YBS // You’ll be Sorry // You'll regret what you are going to do

YGM // You got mail // You have e-mail

YR // Your

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
ZZZZ // Sleeping // I'm tired, bored or annoyed

Role plays - 'My most embarrassing date ever'

'My most embarrassing date ever':

This one comes from MSNBC and could possibly be useful for some roleplays.

Don’t choke
“On a first date once, we were eating chips and salsa as an appetizer. He was telling some joke, and when I laughed at the punchline, I inhaled the chip a bit too hard and it lodged in my throat: Suddenly, I couldn’t breathe at all! There was salsa pouring out of my mouth, and I was doing that choking signal to him. So he came around and started beating on my back. After a few scary seconds, the chip finally dislodged itself. I don’t even want to think about what I looked like at that moment, all stained with salsa. It took me the whole night of apologizing to feel comfortable around him.”
—Stephanie, Atlanta, GA

Buzz kill
“One time I agreed to go to a haunted house for Halloween with a guy, despite the fact that I hate haunted houses. No matter how cheesy, I get irrationally afraid. This one was set up in the woods in Louisiana. It wasn't bad at first: The requisite bowls of stuff you put your hand in, the rocking chair with a witch rocking in it who lunges at you. Then, just when I thought we were coming out of the woods, I heard the rip-start of a chainsaw and ‘Jason’ from Friday the 13th, hockey mask and all, comes tearing toward us. I freaked. And I mean freaked! I started running, full speed, through the woods, shrieking like a wounded animal. I could hear my date saying, ‘It's OK,’ but I kept running until I hit the parking lot... and a concrete parking bumper. I tripped, then skidded on my face and hands. It was terrible. We spent the rest of the evening picking gravel out of my skin.”
—Molly, Chicago, IL

Nice catch—not
“I was dating this guy and it was the first time I was meeting his family, so I was really trying to fit in. So when a game of football on the beach nearby started up, I jumped into the game even though I’m not really into sports. How hard could it be? Well, let’s just say I was terrible. I missed throw after throw. When my guy made a toss in my direction, I attempted to redeem myself with a brilliant catch—but instead felt the ball completely jam my fingers. Not wanting to appear weak, I tried to shake it off. But then we moved on to tennis. Not only was I terrible at that too, every time the ball hit my racquet, I felt excruciating pain. Finally my fingers got so swollen, I had to go to the hospital, where we discovered I’d shattered the bones in my fingers! It was really embarrassing to have my souvenir of the big date be a cast up to my elbow.”
—Regina, Fairfax, VA

Double-date
“I was pals with this guy Chris, and it seemed our friendship might be developing into something more. So we decided to have an actual date, and I invited him to a dance concert. But when I arrived, Chris showed up…with a date. He’d come straight from yoga and had brought along his instructor, who also thought he was on a date with Chris. When the instructor and I finally put the pieces together, we tried competing for Chris’ attention. I mean, that’s just plain weird! But the best part? By the end of the night, the instructor and I became friends and had a better time than Chris did.”
—Lance, New York, NY

Let ‘er rip
“I felt like a sexy, powerful woman as I pushed my date down on the couch and gave him a passion-fueled stare. I felt sexy and powerful, too, when I straddled him to plant a big kiss on him. Can't say I felt particularly sexy or powerful, though, when my pants split right down the middle.”
—Caroline, Los Angeles, CA

Drool is not cool
“I went to Philly for the weekend to see an old friend. We’d kept in touch and agreed to meet to see if maybe there was something more there. But, while we were eating brunch I ‘gleeked’ a stream of saliva into his orange juice while telling a story. It was so embarrassing. Adding insult to injury, he said, ‘Well, at least I can say I swapped spit with Carrie this weekend!’ Believe me, that was the only spit-swapping we did!”
—Carrie, Nashville, TN

Loves me not
“I became friends with this adorable guy who was very affectionate, always taking me out to dinner or on long romantic walks. We even talked about future plans, like how the next summer we hoped to have picnics, play frisbee, the works. I was so sure he loved me. He even said at one point, ‘Sorry, I just get kind of nervous because I'm trying to impress you.’ Finally after many outings, I decided to go for it and leaned in for a kiss. Well, he was quite surprised and said ‘Sweetie, I thought you knew: I’m gay.’ I was so mortified. Fortunately our friendship survived, but I definitely had to have my gay-dar adjusted.”
—Jenny, New York, NY

Rebounds and drinking don’t mix
“I was on one of my first dates after being dumped and was so nervous I decided to cope by drinking... a lot. By the end of the night, I was completely wasted, so when the guy I was out with suggested he give me a piggyback ride right at the bar, I jumped on his back, causing us both to crash to the floor! It took several bystanders to help us to our feet. Then, staggering back to the car for my ride home, I managed to stumble into two cars, setting off their alarms. When I finally got in his car, I was sick all over the dashboard. It was then I realized that I might need a little more time to ‘bounce back’ from my breakup."
—Erica, London, UK


And the winner is...

This just tells you how hard it is to be single nowadays. This was on the "Tonight Show" with Jay Leno.

Jay went into the audience to find the most embarrassing first date that a woman ever had. The winner described her worst first date experience. There was absolutely no question as to why her tale took the prize!

Marilyn said, "It was midwinter.. snowing and quite cold... and the guy had taken her skiing at Lake Arrowhead. It was a day trip (no overnight). No, not Marilyn. They were strangers, after all, and truly had never met before.

The outing was fun but relatively uneventful until they were headed home late that afternoon. They were driving back down the mountain when she gradually began to realize that she should not have had that extra latte. They were about an hour away from anywhere with a rest room and in the middle of nowhere! Her companion suggested she try to hold it, which she did for a while. Unfortunately, because of the heavy snow and slow going, there came a point where she told him that he had better stop and let her pee beside the road, or it would be the front seat of his car.

They stopped and she quickly crawled out beside the car, yanked her pants down and started. Unfortunately, in the deep snow she didn't have good footing, so she let her butt rest against the rear fender to steady herself. Her companion stood on the side of the car watching for traffic and indeed was a real gentleman and refrained from peeking. All she could think about was the relief she felt despite the rather embarrassing nature of the situation.

Upon finishing however, she soon became aware of another sensation. As she bent to pull up her pants, the young lady discovered her buttocks were firmly glued against the car's fender. Thoughts of tongues frozen to pump handles immediately came to mind as she attempted to disengage her flesh from the icy metal. It was quickly apparent that she had a brand new problem due to the extreme cold.

Horrified by her plight and yet aware of the humor she answered her date's concerns about "what was taking so long" with a reply that indeed, she was "freezing her butt off and needed some assistance!"

He came around the car as she tried to cover herself with her sweater and then, as she looked imploringly into his eyes, he burst out laughing. She too, got the giggles and when they finally managed to compose themselves, they assessed her dilemma.

Obviously, as hysterical as the situation was, they also were faced with a real problem. Both agreed it would take something hot to free her chilly cheeks from the grip of the icy metal! Thinking about what had gotten her into the predicament in the first place, both quickly realized that there was only one way to get her free so, as she looked the other way, her first time date proceeded to unzip his pants and pee her butt off the fender.

As for the Tonight Show... she took the prize hands down .or perhaps that should be "pants down." And you thought your first date was embarrassing!

This gives a whole new meaning to being "pissed off".

Oh, and how did the first date turn out? He became her husband and was sitting next to her on the Leno show.

JotForm

JotForm

I haven't used it yet but this looks like a really promising and useful site if you need to make on-line forms and save them in HTML.

Gami

The experience of one Japanese girl going abroad is something that you can expect to happen to you too when you visit English speaking countries.

It emphasises the importance of being able to communicate something of your own life and culture from home..

"I am asked about Japanese culture every time. They asked me why Japanese
people say we do not have religion. They asked me the population and area of
Iwate, Morioka, and Japan. They asked me the origin of Japanese traditional
events like Setsubun, and Hinamatsuri. Every time I cannot give exact answers.
When I asked about the population of Chicago or the origin of St. Patrick's Day,
etc to my friends almost all of students can answer. I realized how I do not
know about my own country and culture."

I saw this on Mark's blog.

BubbleShare: Share your story - Photo sharing, Photocasting - New Album

BubbleShare: Share your story - Photo sharing, Photocasting - New Album

Interesting possibilities here. Create your own photo album with accompanying audio clips for a presentation.

isnoop's Comic Strip Snagger v3.2

isnoop's Comic Strip Snagger v3.2 Get your cartoons by e-mail.

Treasure Hunts

Treasure Hunts
Comprehensive lists of example and methodologies for all kinds of Internet treasure hunts and scavenger hunts.

Quandary version 2 example mazes

Quandary version 2 example mazes

This is one for reading resources, with possibilities for small group discussion and interaction.

BBC | British Council teaching English - Think

BBC British Council teaching English - Think
Wow, what a great teaching and learning resource.

wwiTV.com - The ultimate guide to Live TV webcasts.

wwiTV.com - The ultimate guide to Live TV webcasts.

If you have a fast Internet connection, you can watch over a thousand live TV broadcasts indexed by country.

Interesting list of resources here

TV Channels

• ABCNEWS (USA)
• ABC News (AUS)
• Aljazeera (QAT)
• BBC (UK)
• Bloomberg (USA)
• CBSNEWS (USA)
• CCTV (CHN)
• CNN (USA)
• FOX NEWS (USA)
• KBS (KOR)
• MSNBC (USA)
• SKY NEWS (UK)

Newspapers in English

• Australian (AUS)
• Chicago Tribune (USA)
• Financial Times (UK)
• Guardian Unlimited (UK)
• Independent (UK)
• Los Angeles Times (USA)
• New York Times (USA)
• South China Morning Post (HK)
• Straits Times (SIN)
• Telegraph (UK)
• Times (UK)
• USATODAY (USA)
• Wall Street Journal (USA)
• Washington Post (USA)

News Magazines

• BusinessWeek (USA)
• Economist (UK)
• Far Eastern Economic Review (HK)
• FORTUNE (USA)
• NEWSWEEK (USA)
• TIME (USA)
• TIME Asia (HK)
• U.S.News (USA)

News Agencies

• Associated Press (USA)
• Reuters (UK)
  

News in Japan

• Asahi.com
• Japan Times
• Japan Today
• Kyodo News Online
• Mainichi Daily News
• NHK NEWSWATCH
• Daily Yomiuri On-Line