A phrasal verb : to face up

THE MAN IN THE ARENA

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. 

 Excerpt from the speech "Citizenship In  A Republic"
                                          delivered at the Sorbonne, in Paris, France on 23 April, 1910 

Theodor Roosevelt

     Remember these clever words next Tuesday, when we'll be facing up the CAE exam 

alucina, vecina

"Alucina, vecina"
     Sorry. I'm conscious that our blogs must be in English. Anyway, I couldn't find an English expression to express my surprise . This morning , when I listened to the news in the radio I  was taken by surprise. Needless to say that Nelson Mandela was very old and he was also ill, but ...Did Emilio know that he was just on the point of dying? What is more, I wonder if Emilio is in the power of knowing what is going to happen. Don't dare to refute my thesis! Yesterday we had a very interesting debate about races and racism, we were talking about its causes and possible solutions. We finished our lesson a bit later than usual, JUST WHEN NELSON MANDELA PASSED AWAY!  This morning, when I heard that he died at 8:40...I thought "Alucina, vecina".
     I know that we are very busy but I would like you to think on the comment of somebody about this singular man: "The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fears"

THE HARVESTMAN

DADDY-LONGLEGS

     In many backyards the most conspicuous "spider" isn't a spider at all. This is the Daddy-longlegs, also known as the Harvestman. They are called Harvestmen because they are more visible in autumn, at harvest time! They are arachnids of the order Opiliones, this means that they are related to spiders, but they are neither spiders nor poisonous.

     Gordon Ramel, an associate Professor of English at Huai'an Normal University (China), has written...

The harvestman is not a spider,

       she has no poison glands inside her.

    No fangs, no web, no spinnerets.

   She's sweet and gentle as it gets.

     Unless you're dead, or awful small

 she cannot hurt you much at all.

 So love her if you chance to see

 her in the foorest's wild beauty;

    although her legs are thin and long

      she' still a part of Life's great song