Friday 13th

Today is Friday 13th; English-speaking people regard this date in the same way as some Spaniards think of Tuesday 13th so…is it a good / bad or ordinary day today?

The World Cup

The World Cup, promoted by FIFA, starts tomorrow bout I am sure you have heard about the protests against it in Brazil. 

The video below - by Brazilian director Carla Dauden - was the origin of the protests; in the video, Carla explains why she said she was not going to the world cup.

 

Some time after that first video, Carla shared a new one where she gave some reasons why you could change your mind and still go to the world cup; this video is called "Yes, you can still go to the world cup, if…"

Now it is up to you to decide, can people still go to the world cup?

No Tobacco Day 2014

Tomorrow is May 31st, No Tobacco Day; the theme of this year´s celebration is "Raise taxes on tobacco". Do you think it is likely to work? Why (not)?

Mother´s Day 2014

Happy Mother´s Day!

A salute to mums from a mum - about the hardships of their lives:

 

Do mothers change as time goes by? According to Bill Cosby, they do: 

Mothers vs. fathers - what you tell / ask one or the other:

Moms and IT:

A video to share with your mum:


A New Perspective For Moms from Elevation Church on Vimeo.

A message from Child Fund International to honor mothers on Mother´s Day:



The Beatles´Your Mother Should Know:

Your Mother Should Know: lyrics for you to sing along: 

Your Mother Should Know
Ooh..
Let's all get up and dance to a song
That was a hit before your mother was born.
Though she was born a long, long time ago,
Your mother should know. (Your mother should..)
Your mother should know. (Know..)
Sing it again.

Let's all get up and dance to a song
That was a hit before your mother was born.
Though she was born a long, long time ago,
Your mother should know. (Your mother should..)
Your mother should know. (Know..)

Lift up your hearts and sing me a song
That was a hit before your mother was born.
Though she was born a long, long time ago,
Your mother should know. (Your mother should..)
Your mother should know. (Know..)
Your mother should know. (Your mother should..)
Your mother should know. (Know..)
Sing it again.

Da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da
Da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da.
Though she was born a long, long time ago,
Your mother should know. (Your mother should..)
Your mother should know. (Yeah..)
Your mother should know. (Your mother should..)
Your mother should know. (Yeah..)
Your mother should know. (Your mother should..)
Your mother should know. (Yeah

Book Day 2014

Click here if you want to read some interesting books

March 21, World Down Syndrome Day

March 21 is World Down Syndrome Day, chosen for the the trisomy of the 21st chromosome.

I’m expecting a baby. I discovered that he has Down Syndrome. I’m scared: what kind of life will my child have? This is the beginning of this video, which tries to create awareness around Down Syndrome. The ad features fifteen people with Down Syndrome who assure the future mom that her future son, identified as having Down Syndrome, will have a normal life with the ability to do almost anything he wants to do. Just like them. 

Dear Future Mom, don’t be afraid. Your child will be able to do many things. He’ll be able to hug you. He will be able to run towards you. He’ll be able to speak and tell you he loves you…Sometimes it will be difficult, very difficult. Almost impossible. But isn’t it like that for all mothers?

Father´s Day 2014

Father´s Day  is celebrated on March 19th.

Watch these two videos with two different perspectives of father; in the first one, a father uses the web to share memories with his daughter as she grows up in this video depiction.

In the second video, Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman describes his father's unique teaching methods. “The difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something,” is a quote in this video, R. Feynman uses it while he describes what he was taught by his father.

Richard P. Feynman (1918-1988), scientist, teacher, raconteur, and musician.  He assisted in the development of the atomic bomb, expanded the understanding of quantum electrodynamics, translated Mayan hieroglyphics, and cut to the heart of the Challenger disaster.  But beyond all of that, Richard Feynman was a unique and multi-faceted individual.

Happy Paddy´s Day!

The video "Ireland Inspires" will be played in the Embassies of Ireland all over the world tomorrow, March 17th: St. Patrick´s Day.  John Concannon, Director of Market Development for Fáilte Ireland said, "This video is our animated postcard to the world -- showcasing Ireland in the best possible way and highlighting the strengths and qualities which make this country a great place to be. Promoting a positive and upbeat image of today's Ireland, this video is tailored to appeal to visitors, investors and all those attracted to the type of energy, creativity and potential which this nation can offer. "

Information about the celebration of St. Patrick´s Day: click here

In the mood for an Irish song? Click here. 

Molly Malone is a popular Irish song which has become the unofficial anthem of Dublin. Watch the video  below and you will understand the lyrics.

Molly Malone´s Lyrics

In Dublin's fair city,
Where the Girls are so pretty,
I first set my eyes,
On sweet Molly Malone,
As she wheeled her wheel barrow,
Through the streets broad and narrow,
Crying cockles and mussels,
Alive alive o!

Alive alive o!
Alive alive o!
Crying cockles and mussels,
Alive alive o!

She was a fish monger,
And sure it was no wonder,
For so were her
Father and Mother before,
And they both wheeled their barrow,
Through the streets broad and narrow,
Crying cockles and mussels,
Alive alive o!

Alive alive o!
Alive alive o!
Crying cockles and mussels,
Alive alive o!

She died of a fever,
And no one could save her,
And that was the end
Of sweet Molly Malone,
But her ghost wheels her barrow,
Through the streets broad and narrow,
Crying cockles and mussels,
Alive alive o!

This is my favorite version of the song, Sinead O´Connor´s: 



And this is probably the most popular, The Dubliners´:

March 8th: Women´s Day

March 8th is International Women´s Day  (IWD)

Here´s to all the remarkable girls out there (Girl Power):

 

2013 Girl Power Edition from Ines Almeida

The video below, I Am a Princess, is a Disney one - not that I am much of a Disney fan but the values it mentions (to be brave, to be kind, to be generous and compassionate) are certainly those that girls (and boys) should be learning to be decent adults. But since we are celebrating women´s day today, this is for all the future women.

And The Oscar Goes To...

Here´s to all movie geeks out there…

Here are some videos and lots of links to celebrate the night of the Oscars.

The first video is called "10 Little-Known Facts About The Oscars".

The next video is a funny parody of  the 2014 Best Film Nominees reenacted by kids; the films you can see in the video are the following: Captain Phillips, Her , American Hustle, The Wolf of Wall Street, Gravity, 12 Years a Slave, Nebraska, Dallas Buyers Club, Philomena  

Click here to watch a list of videos of people giving their acceptance speeches - it´s an article from Vice Magazine, called "Our Favourite Videos of People Emabarrassing Themselves at the Oscars"

Valentine´s Day 2014

February 14th, Valentine´s Day

What is love?

Celebrate this day with a love song: Close Your Eyes by Michael Bublé. The first video is the official one. 

And this video includes the lyrics for you to sing along ( and the translation in Spanish)

WCD (=World Cancer Day) 2014.

Today, February 4th, is WCD (= World Cancer Day).Let´s prepare a speaking activity about it: Homework Assignment 9

Here are two very different stories related to cancer that will make you think. Watch the videos, choose one and tell me about it in class. Remember to watch for the answer to the five questions: who?, when?, where?, what?, why?. I would also like to hear what you think about the project you choose







The first one is called "The Tutu Project"

The second one is called "If Only For a Second"; the audio is in French but the subtitles are in English- I am sure you will have no problem in getting the message

Superbowl 2014

Tonight is the Superbowl XLVIII: Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos. (Click here to know what this game is like)

On this side of the Atlantic we hear more about the music and the commercials played during the game than about the game itself, but here is a commercial you will not see: Native Americans protesting against the use of their distinguishing marks as mascots for the Washington Redskins. 

Click here to read about this campaign

January 30th: School Day of Non-Violence and Peace

Celebrating the School Day of Non-Violence and Peace

• A motto, Make Love, Not War, from a different perspective

• A song: John Lennon´s Imagine by "Playing for Change"

• The annual Global Peace Index 2013, International Alert and Vision of Humanity include lots of documents about peace research: maps, reports, videos…

• A video by "International Alert" that wants to show how words can stop bullets: Peace talks

International Alert - Peace Talks from International Alert on Vimeo.

Reasons to Learn English

Here´s one more reason for you to speak English well: if you want to be a film director and work in Hollywood, you need to give clear instructions to the staff working for you, or they´ll freak out…

Mexican Alfonso Cuarón won the Golden Globe Award 2014 for best director of his film Gravity. When he gave his acceptance speech, he explained his problems to make himself understood in English - "because of my thick accent," he says- when giving the actors and actresses directions. Try to understand him when he thanks Sandra Bullock for not quitting when he told her "Sandra, I am going to give you herpes" ( he says he meant "I am going to give you an ear piece" - but I still wonder whether he meant "a hair piece")

 

And here´s the trailer of the film, with subtitles in Spanish:

The Christmas Spirit: The Three Wise Men

Tonight is the night: The Three Wise Men are coming!

Click here for a different point of view of the arrival of The Three Kings

Review of 2013

Just a few things to remember 2013:

• Pope Francis was chosen person of the year

•  click here to be linked to Flocabulary and their Year in Rap 2013

• This is Reuters review with their pictures of the year

• the video below is JibJab´s review (JibJab is a digital entertainment studio from California) ; click on the captions to get the lyrics

glitter-graphics.com

Getting Ready for Christmas 2013

Learn how to say "Happy Christmas " in several languages: 

Barack Obama´s version of "Jingle Bells"

Christmas humour:

The first cartoon pays homage to the word "selfie", word of the year

10 tips and tricks for your Christmas holidays: 

Comments by ZingerBug.com

Getting into the Christmas Spirit

Have a look at the title of this video : KODA in Kindergarten Holiday Concert. KODA stands for "Kid of Deaf Adults". 

In this video a girl sings the songs for her deaf parents in the audience in a very enthusiastic way. She tries to keep up with her classmates´performance of the songs while using the sign language and all those signs together with her facial expressions make the video really funny. Enjoy!

Friday, 13th

Do you know what "triskaidekaphobia"is ? For the record, it is fear of the number 13. Number 13 is an unlucky number for many people; would you like to read about the origin of this superstition? Click here

In this video, they ask people what it is and whether they can spell it - now, close your eyes, can you spell it?

Are you a superstitious person? Can you give us an example of the things you do or don´t do because of superstition?