NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL

Have you ever heard of Notting Hill Carnival?it takes place every summer in the area of Notting Hill,London.Held each August Bank Holiday since 1966, the Notting Hill Carnival is the largest festival celebration of its kind in Europe. Every year the streets of West London come alive, with the sounds and smells of Europe's biggest street festival. Twenty miles of vibrant colourful costumes surround over 40 static sound systems, hundreds of Caribbean food stalls,(make sure you visit Mama's Jerk Station, on the corner of Portobello Rd and Oxford Gardens) over 40,000 volunteers and over 1 million Notting Hill carnival revellers.

Starting its life as a local festival set up by the West Indian community of the Notting Hill area, it has now become a full-blooded Caribbean carnival, attracting millions of visitors from all over the globe. With many astonishing floats and the sounds of the traditional steel drum bands, scores of massive sound systems plus not forgetting the hundreds of stalls that line the streets of Notting Hill. The Notting Hill Carnival is arguably London's most exciting annual event.

The Notting Hill Carnival used to get under way on the Saturday with the steel band competition. Sunday is Kids' Day, when the costume prizes are awarded. On Bank Holiday Monday, the main parade takes place. It generally begins on Great Western Road, then winds its way along Chepstow Road, on to Westbourne Grove, and then Ladbroke Grove. In the evening, the floats leave the streets in procession, and people carry continue partying at the many Notting Hill Carnival after parties.

The Notting Hill Carnival 2011 datesare August 28th and 29th.

If you want to read more, click here: http://www.thenottinghillcarnival.com/

(EXTREME WEATHER) HURRICANE IRENE HITS NY

Hurricane Irene pummels New York amid fears of floodingThe menacing storm is moving slowly northwards


Ferocious winds from Hurricane Irene have begun to hammer New York, bringing torrential rain and the threat of flooding in the financial district.

New York City's public transport system has been closed and the mayor said it was now too late for people to leave.
Irene has already hit North Carolina and Virginia, causing damage and the deaths of at least eight people.
The eye of the storm, packing winds up to 75mph (120km/h), is due to hit New York in the next few hours.
The storm has weakened to a category-one hurricane since it came ashore but is still expected to be destructive.

About two million people have been left without power as the 500-mile-wide (800km) storm barrelled up the east coast.

The same number have moved out of the danger zone, most from New Jersey.

At 05:00 (09:00 GMT) the hurricane was moving along the New Jersey shore, about 115 miles south of New York City, having weakened slightly, the National Hurricane Center reported.
Some 370,000 people living in low-lying areas of New York City had been told to leave, but Mayor Michael Bloomberg warned those behind to stay put.
Continue reading click here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14698151

Back to class!!

Hi guys,
We are about to finish our summer hols and a brand new academic year is starting for everyone!.For those who have to take exams next week, just to remind you the date: 1st September at 16:00 in our classroom 11, best of luck for all of you!See you next week!!