О нас в журнале Wedding

Сегодня я узнала, что о нашей свадьбе написали в журнале "Wedding". Приятная неожиданность! Еще раз, неограниченное спасибо Маше за идею свадьбы, ее организацию и эту публикацию!!

Brazilians always know how to be positive and smiling

Vinyassa Flows with Yogatic

Warming Up with Yogatic

Funny Waking Up Exercises

Yoga for Runners with Yogatic

Perhaps great to do before and after jogging. I will try it out!

Warming-up and Sitting poses with Yogatic

Sun Salutations with Yogatic

The very first one, with many important details. It incorporates warrior II (virabhadrasana II) and triangle (utthita trikonasana) poses.


Sun Salutation A (Ashtanga Yoga):


Sun Salutation B (Ashtanga Yoga). It incorporates the warrior I (virabhadrasana I) pose and chair (utkatasana) poses.


One more:


All above are taken from here.

Here is one more - for keeping fit:

Upward Facing Dog Pose / Urdhva Mukha Svanasana with Yogatic

Cobra Pose / Bhujangasana with Yogatic

Sequence of Standing Poses with Yogatic

I am starting from 2:40 =) The sequence is very nice!

Yoga for opening the shoulders with Yogatic

Yogatic

I started doing yoga regularly, and I find the website yogatic very helpful. I specially like short videos with thorough instructions. I tried already a bunch (but far not all) of them, and I have some favorites. In order to be able to access them faster, I decided that I will put them here. Maybe someone else will also like my selection.

Машина времени

Я пролетела над Калинином по пути в Токио.

 

Lexical Illusions

Many readers are not aware that the
the brain will automatically ignore
a second instance of the word "the"
when it starts a new line.

Thanks avva for the reference.

Is the King of France bald?

Is the king of France bald? is problematic, because, to those of you who don't watch the news, the king of France has few hairs, which are usually hidden under a hat, making it difficult to see whether he is in fact bald. Just kidding!

I really liked the joke!

Наше чемоданное настроение

Уже прошло почти две недели с момента нашей свадьбы в Твери, а мы все еще находимся под впечатлением. Свадьба была непредсказуемой, солнечной, веселой, стильной, необычной - и это не только мои слова, но и слова гостей, прохожих и тех, кто просто видел фотографии.

Уже многое написано об идее и о самой свадьбе, поэтому приведу ниже ценные для нас ссылки:

Идея свадьбы by Maria Lvova
Идея выкупа by Maria Lvova

Описание свадьбы by Bruno
Описание свадьбы by Маша. Часть 1.
Описание свадьбы by Маша. Часть 2.

И в подтверждение - фотографии:



(Photos by Vitaly Shustrov)

Long time no see

It's being long time I wrote anything here. And my most recent (although very old) posts are just complaints about the internet provider here, very boring =P To improve it, let me post a cool photo taken by Bruno in Senegal today. I am absolutely impressed by the photos that he sent to me, but I will keep all of them in secret (except the one below) until Bruno will post them himself. It seems to be very cool and dangerous in Senegal. I am jealous and concerned about Bruno a lot at the same time.

Free rejects providing ANY service

(sorry for my French)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[15h22] Assistance: Que puis-je faire pour vous ?

[15h23] Moi: Bonjour

[15h23] Moi: Je voudrais inviter un technicien...

[15h23] Assistance: Quel est le souci que vous rencontrez plus précisément ?

[15h23] Moi: Mon internet ne fonctionne pas pendant 2 mois

[15h26] Moi: J'ai tout vérifié déjà 1000 fois. Je pense que le problème est dans le câble téléphonique.

[15h28] Assistance: Qu'affiche votre freebox ?

[15h30] Moi: La ligne de courir en rond

[15h31] Moi: Il n'y a aucun signal de la connexion avec la ligne téléphonique

[15h32] Moi: (J'ai déjà répondu à cette question plus tôt, dans les tchats précédentes)

[15h36] Assistance: nous rencontrons actuellement un souci technique.dans ce cas nous ne pouvons consulter votre dossier ou vérifier votre ligne .veuillez nous recontacter ultérieurement (30 minutes )

[15h37] Assistance: Est ce que les informations que je vous ai communiquées sont assez claires ?

[15h40] Moi: oui, d'accord...

[15h41] Assistance: Je me joins à toute l'équipe de Free pour vous souhaiter une excellente fin de journée. Vous pouvez à tout moment consulter votre site d'assistance dédié via l'adresse web suivante : www.free.fr/assistance

[04-12-2009 15h41] [Déconnexion Session Tchat par Assistance]

Fillers

Languagehut had a nice post today about space fillers around the world. The author quotes:

One of the things I tell students (learning English as a second language) is: 'Don't try to do things in a foreign language that you can't do in your own.' This includes space fillers, don't try to learn to speak without space fillers, learn the right ones and use them appropriately.

I observed some time ago already that it is considered quite normal in many cultures to use the fillers. The most shocking for me was to realize that even when people give talks, they freely use the fillers, and in fact nobody (neither a speaker himself nor the audience) really pays much attention to it.

A few days ago, a friend of mine who studies Russian showed me a list of Russian words and phrases that her teacher at school had given her to learn. These were mainly connectors of sentences. However, among those words there were also many fillers that ``can'' be used in Russian. While I was looking through the list, my friend asked me why I have such a sceptical expression on my face.

Let me explain.

As can be also seen in the wikipedia page about fillers, fillers in Russian are considered to be (and called) vermin words. As soon as a parent of an educated family hears a child uttering a filter for the first time, he/she immediately rebukes the child, and forbits the child to use the word again. The fillers are syntactically considered to be as inappropriate in speach of an educated person as swear words. Indeed, any filler can be syntactically substituted by a swear word (at least in Russian).

So, Russians are actually taught not to use the fillers. Can you imagine how it is surprising for me to observe, that people outside Russia are taught the opposite?

Of course, it is linguistically interesting (and important) for a person to know and recognize the fillers of the language she studies. But I think, one should be very careful advising a student to use the fillers. At least when it is concerned the Russian language.

Вопрос о пирожном

Представьте ситуацию:

В семье двое детей. Дома в холодильнике лежит вкусное пирожное, и оба, конечно, хотят отведать лакомый кусочек. Во время одной увлекательной игры во дворе с другими ребятами, один из них вспоминает об этом пирожном, и, сказав другому: " пойду пирожного поем", удаляется домой. Как поведет себя второй ребенок и почему?

Варианты ответов:

1) продолжит играть
2) тоже побежит за пирожным

Замечание: для обоих детей пирожное важнее, чем игра во дворе.

Заранее спасибо за ответы!

pas d'assistance en anglais

If you are a foreigner in France looking for a provider of internet, don't use "Free". Not only for what is described in the previous post.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[07-10-2009 16h22] [Début Session Tchat] [Service choisi: Technique]

[16h24] Assistance: Mme/M. LEBEDEVA, bienvenue sur le Tchat de Free,
vous êtes actuellement connecté(e) sur le salon Technique.

[16h25] Moi: Bonjour, puis-je parler anglais?

[16h27] Assistance: nous ne proposons pas une assistance en anglais via le chat

[16h27] Moi: d'accord...

Is "Free" really free? (or "free" means that you are free from the service of "Free"?)

"Free" provides very bad internet connection and even worse service!!!

I've been using "Freebox" connection provided by Free for about two years. In the place where I used to live before October the connection was very bad (sometimes it was disappearing for a few hours or even days), but I was tolerating this (although, I think this quality of service was unacceptable, considering that I had to pay 30 euro per month for their (so called) "service").

However, in October I moved to a new flat, and I made the necessary procedure on their web-page to keep their "service" (such a devoted customer I am... phuh...). It took them nine days to provide the internet connection in my new place. It worked for a bit more than a week: a week ago the connection disappeared and never appeared again.

A few days ago I contacted them by chat (via their web-page) informing them about the problem. They were not able to give an adequate answer, but they promised to make some tests. Today I got an email from them saying that they tested my line, and everything should work. BUT IT DOES NOT WORK!
I asked a friend of mine to come with his set of "Freebox" equipment and try it at my place. It didn't work. So, obviously, the problem is in the phone line or in the connection itself (which they claimed that they tested). We decided to contact them again, but this time we decided to do it by phone since it is faster than by chat. But for the phone-consultation you have to pay, of course! So, we dialed the phone (provided on their web-page) of their Hotline Technique. The dialog was like this (it was in French, of course! therefore my friend called, since his French is better than mine):

Hotline Technique: Could you tell me your fixed phone number?
My friend: 0387777777
Hotline Technique: Could you tell me the name of the Freebox subscriber?
My friend: Ekaterina Lebedeva
Hotline Technique: Please, phone 0892135161.

What? Didn't we phone the technical service already? Why don't you give the required number on your web-page? Why did you need to know my fixed phone number and my full name in order to give us this new number??? To steal more money? Congratulations then!

But this is the beginning of the story =) We phoned the given number. We got connected to a lady saying something like this: "There are too many phone calls requiring technical assistance. Please, phone later."

What? Doesn't it mean that if there are too many people requiring the technical assistance, the service you provide is simply bad? Why don't you hire more technical support employees to reply people's inquires? Why the very first employee refused to talk to us? She was free, was not she? Aaaah! Of cousrse, you need to steal more money. Good job!

So, after being unsuccessful in trying to get the answers by phone, we decided to chat with them. The whole chat is at the end of the post (Sorry for my French there). But let me summarize it in English: So, to make the long story short, they said that they can send a technician to my place on Monday the 2nd or on Friday on the 6th of November. However, I will not be in Nancy from the 1st to the 9th of November, so I asked if I can have an appointment before or after this period. The answer was simple "no". I just can't believe that!

What? They want me to contact them again (aha! to pay them for the communication via phone again). What about my time? I am here now, ready to make an appointment. What's the problem?

There are many other moments that make me extremely unsatisfied with their service. I just don't have neither time nor energy to write about them. It already took me too much time (I estimate all together something like nine hours at least, not considering the time of some friends of mine who were helping me). I also know many other people who got very disappointed with their service. Just one more story how money is stolen by big monsters from exposed people in this capitalist world.


-------------------------------------------------------------
[27-10-2009 20h14] [Début Session Tchat] [Service choisi: Technique]

[20h24] Assistance: Mme/M. LEBEDEVA, bienvenue sur le Tchat de Free, vous êtes actuellement connecté(e) sur le salon Technique.

[20h24] Assistance: Merci de me confirmer votre adresse mail de contact ainsi que le numéro de téléphone portable de contact

[20h25] Moi: Bonsoir

[20h25] Assistance: Bonsoir

[20h25] Moi: je confirme

[20h26] Assistance: En quoi puis-je vous aider?

[20h27] Moi: Je n'ai pas de connexion internet pendant une semaine. Je parle à l'assistance, et ils ont dit que cela devrait fonctionner, mais il ne fonctionne pas. J'ai pris des cables d'un ami, et j'ai essayé de les utiliser. Mais la boîte ne fonctionne toujours pas.

[20h28] Assistance: je vous informe que la remonté pour votre souci est traitée

[20h28] Assistance: et un test de position ok

[20h28] Assistance: Un test de position est une vérification de nos équipements ADSL au bout de votre ligne : un de nos techniciens est envoyé dans le NRA auquel vous êtes raccordé et va vérifier sur nos équipements à la position où votre ligne arrive : la synchronisation, la stabilité, le débit et l'atténuation du signal. * OK : tout est dans les normes, aucun problème n'a été détecté

[20h28] Assistance: Donc une intervention a domicile s'avère nécessaire pour qu'on puisse avancer dans la résolution de votre souci

[20h28] Assistance: pour cela

[20h28] Assistance: je vous propose un RDv avec un technicien de free qui va se déplacer jusqu'à chez vous

[20h28] Assistance: le rendez vous facilitera la tache ainsi qu'a nous, d'une part parce que le dossier sera pris en charge par le technicien lui même

[20h28] Assistance: A titre informatif, nous vous rappelons que le coût de cette intervention à domicile varie en fonction de certains critères :
- Intervention à domicile simple / Freenaute non présent durant le créneau
horaire 49 Euros.
- Intervention à domicile non facturée (responsabilité Freenaute non
engagée
ou erreur d'inscription) : déplacement offert.

[20h28] Assistance: S'il s'avère que vous ne pourrez être présent pendant la plage horaire qui vous est réservée ou que le rendez-vous ne s'avère plus utile, vous devez
impérativement demander l'annulation du rendez-vous au minimum 1 heure
avant le début de la plage horaire indiquée sur simple appel au numéro 3244
touche 2 ou bien par t-chat vous pouvez également annuler le RDv depuis votre interface de gestion rubrique " mon assistance"

[20h31] Assistance: RDV pour le 02/11/2009 Plage 11H00 - 13H00

[20h31] Assistance: ce créneau vous convient ?

[20h32] Assistance: je vous écoute ??

[20h33] Moi: non...

[20h34] Assistance: Lundi 02/11

[20h34] Assistance: 11H00 - 13H00
14H00 - 16H00
16H00 - 18H00

[20h35] Moi: Je suis disponible avant dimanche (1 Novembre) ou après le lundi (9 Novembre)...

[20h39] Moi: Dois-je payer le technicien si c'est un problème physique avec la ligne de téléphone?

[20h39] Assistance: j'ai pas ces disponibilités

[20h42] Moi: Quel est le coût d'annuler le contrat?

[20h43] Assistance: 90 euro

[20h45] Moi: même si je l'ai utilisé pendant près de deux ans?

[20h46] Assistance: oui

[20h46] Moi: d'accord

[20h46] Assistance: Vendredi 06/11

[20h46] Assistance: 10H00 - 12H00
11H00 - 13H00
14H00 - 16H00
16H00 - 18H00

[20h46] Assistance: vous avez choisi quel créneau

[20h48] Moi: Je ne suis pas à Nancy du 1 Novembre au Novembre 9

[20h48] Assistance: alors

[20h49] Assistance: je vous invite à nous recontacter pour fixer le RDv

[20h49] Assistance: Est ce que les informations que je vous ai communiquées sont suffisamment claires Mr LEBEDEVA,?

[20h49] Moi: après le Nov. 9 tout est ok pour moi

[20h50] Assistance: je vous invite à nous recontacter pour fixer le RDv
après le 9 Nov

[20h51] Assistance: j'espère que j'étais claire avec vous Mr LEBEDEVA, ?

[20h51] Moi: pouvez vous me donner un rendez-vous après le 9 novembre?

[20h52] Assistance: non

[20h52] Moi: oui, c`est claire

[20h52] Assistance: je suis désolée pas de RDv programmé après le 9 novembre

[20h53] Moi: d'accord..

[20h53] Moi: Bon soirée

[20h54] Assistance: Je me joins à toute l'équipe de Free pour vous souhaiter une excellente fin de soirée. Vous pouvez à tout moment consulter votre site d'assistance dédié via l'adresse web suivante : www.free.fr/assistance

[27-10-2009 20h54] [Déconnexion Session Tchat par Assistance]

Indifference to others... is it, in general, peculiar to French? Or just to citizens of Nancy? Or I am getting the wrong impression?

-----
Of course, I saw a few exceptions... but just a few, far not enough to overbalance my general opinion...

Ordered Books Related to Richard Montague

I ordered two books in amazon today. The first one is about the life, research and death of a great American mathematician and philosopher Richard Montague: "The Semantics of Murder" by Aifric Campbell. The second book is "Informal Lectures on Formal Semantics" by Emmon Bach where the author gives a non-technical introduction for Montague's theory on semantics. I hope the books will arrive soon!