The Meaning of "Elegance"

What does "being elegant" mean to you? Is it something important in your life? Watch this video and check if your opinion agrees with the meaning of "elegance" shown there (languages in the video: English and french)

 

Read the explanation that comes with this short documentary, do you agree with it?

In this documentary we illustrate the brightly coloured and social affairs that bring the 'Sapeurs' together. Their bold choice to live an unexpected lifestyle is a source of celebrated originality and positivity. Their life is not defined by occupation or wealth, but by respect, a moral code and an inspirational display of flair and creativity. The Sapeurs show us that whilst in life you cannot always choose your circumstances, you can always choose who you are. 

Share your thoughts!

Physics in Everyday Life

Here is an interesting video for you to practise your listening comprehension skills while you learn some everyday physics.

Roger Bowley is a retired professor from the University of Nottingham (UK). In this video he explains how to unlock a car from various distances, using waves from his key, brain and a big bottle of water.

Methodology: 

1. Before watching the video, think about the topic and imagine the kind of vocabulary you will be hearing
2. Since many words in physics come from Latin, they are very similar to the Spanish ones so you will have no problem in understanding them. Here is a list of words you will hear; how many of them do you understand? Do not look them up, just read them aloud. Use a pronunciation tool, if you need it

• central locking device
• press a button
• to flash (the lights flash)
• electromagnetic waves
• frequency
• MHz= megahertz
• wavelength
• range
• signal
• extend (extend the range)
• pace
• water molecule
• electric field
• proton
• upwards and downwards
• oscillate
• ray
• synchronization
• phase

    3. Watch the video and listen for those words; once you hear them in context, you will understand their meaning. You may watch the video once for general understanding and the second time for listening comprehension: write the list of words on your notebook and tick them when you hear them.

Put this experiment into practice next time your parents park your car in a large parking lot. Let me know if it works!

To The Dance Lovers Out There

The video below, shot on the streets and rooftops in LA, is actually a commercial that advertises a brand name of jeans and cut-offs (definition from Urban Dictionary:"Cut offs" or "cut off jeans" are the names that are given to jeans that have been cut, usually D.I.Y, into shorts. They can be loose or they can be tight,and the length of the cut offs generally does not go past the knee. They can be worn by both guys and girls and typically are made from old pairs of jeans or jeans bought from a second hand clothing store.)

Could you describe one or two types of dances? It is not easy! This vocabulary may come in handy: float like, spin like, wobble like, step, walk …

These are the types of dances shown:

A - Arabesque, Morgan Quinn 
B - B-girl, Bgirl Terra 
C - Chicken Noodle Soup, Terence Dickson 
D - Death Drop, Nick Lanzisera 
E - East Coast Swing, Yani Marin, Nathan Kim 
F - Finger Tut, John P-Nut Hunt 
G - Grand Jeté, Julia Cinquemani 
H - Harlem Shake, Amanda Meade-Tatum 
I - Indian Bhangra, Reshma Gajjar 
J - Jump Style, Høps 
K - Krump, Jigsaw 
L - Liquid Dance, Phillip 'Pacman' Chbeeb 
M - Memphis Jookin, Lil Buck 
N - Northern Soul, Levanna McLean 
O - OMG, Anthony 'Lil' Bob' Cabaero 
P - Pole, Nicole 'The Pole' Williams 
Q - Questionable, Reid Shapiro 
R - Rumba, Junior and Emily Alabi 
S - Step, Soul Steps: Dionne Norton, Heather DeLeon, Maxine Lyle
T - Twerk, Twerk Team: Lady Luscious, Mizz Twerksum 
U - Ultimate, Shofu Tha Beatdown 
V - Vogue Hands, Javier Madrid of Legendary House of Ninja 
W - Whine, Colleen Craig 
X - X-press Yourself, Ryan Heffington 
Y - YMCA, Allison Chu at Next Models LA 
Z - TurF FeinZ: Byron Vincent Sanders Jr aka T7, Donald Brooks aka Torch, Eric Bossett aka Kidd Strobe, Gary Morgan aka Noh-justice, Leon M Williams aka Mann, Rayshawn Thompson aka Looney2smooth

Left- handers

Let´s learn a thing about left-handedness; common questions about left-handedness:

When you watch the following video, you will understand why it is hard to be a lefty - the world isn´t designed for lefties.

Ten curious facts about being a left-hander

Humorous Sketch About International Relations

International relations are difficult to understand but things get clearer when you personalize them: have a look at this sketch by Studio C (a sketch comedy television show) and see if you understand the relation between the countries  mentioned in it and the stereotypes depicted here.

Click on the English captions to make sure you follow the conversations

Word of the Year 2013: Selfie

"Selfie" (plural "selfies") has been named word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries: read about it here.

It was first used in 2002 in an Australian online forum; the suffix "-ie" is a characteristic one in Australian words, for example, "barbie"( for "barbecue") and "Aussie" (for "Australian")

How would you define what a "selfie" is, in your words? Have you ever taken a selfie? Have you ever posted any on the internet?

One more piece of news about "selfies" ( copied from Brandflakes for Breakfast):

As part of a new ad campaign, South African newspaper Cape Times has transformed some of the most famous photos in history into selfies. Utilizing the tagline “You can’t get any closer to the news,” the ad campaign gives us a different perspective on photos of historical figures such as Jacqueline Kennedy, Winston Churchill, and the royal couple. The “Kissing the War Goodbye” selfie is actually so realistic, we could have sworn we saw a similar photo on Instagram just this weekend!:  

Tips for Google Search

How do you "google"? 

When you need to find something on the internet (whatever it may be, the weather forecast, definitions of words, someone´s biography...), how do you do it? do you just write the name and start the search or do you have a special way to do it? 

Google suggests different ways to do the search in its Tips & Tricks page but here is a short but useful list of methods; are you acquainted with any of them?

Woud you like to recommend any other method - not included in this list- which you are specially fond of?

Idea taken from Technobuzz

The Commonwealth Explained

Learning a bit about New Zealand in class this week, the word "Commonwealth" came out, so perhaps we should go a little bit deeper into that.

Here is a map which shows the Commonwealth countries

And this is a video where people from those countries explain what the Commonwealth means for them. Pay attention to their accents because they are a good example of the variety of English accents all over the world.

As for New Zealand, watch this video where the All Blacks perform their Maori dance, the haka, before the game.

And, finally, a lovely video called "Full Moon Silhouettes." Read the description of the video made by photographer Mark Gee: it is a real time video of the moon rising over the Mount Victoria Lookout in Wellington, New Zealand, during moon rise on the 28th January 2013, People had gathered up there this night to get the best view possible of the moon rising.

Enjoy the music and the images! I bet they will make you wish you had been there!

Full Moon Silhouettes from Mark Gee on Vimeo.

Visual Vocabulary: How to Fold a Shirt

We cannot say that summer is in the air because the weather is absolutely crazy these days but we do feel summer holidays are just round the corner so here´s a useful piece of advice  for packing: how to fold a shirt or a t-shirt in under two seconds.

This is a good listening exercise because the narrator explains everything he does at the same time as he does it and, since you are both watching and listening, it is easy to follow the instructions. Choose the subtitles in English to make sure you get every single word of the explanation; you may want to watch it a second time without the subtitles to see how much you understand, or you may even feel like doing a dictation: listen to the audio, pause the video and write what you hear; once you have finished, check your writing.

Vocabulary:

• short sleeved shirt
• back of the shirt
• top and bottom of the shirt

Are You Ready for "Arde Lucus"?

Arde Lucus 2013 starts tomorrow: Lugo will be a Roman town for three days. 

Here are a couple of videos that can help you get the spirit of the celebration. Both videos are part of Ted-Ed/Lessons Worth Sharing, which means they are really good from an educational point of view.

The first video is about the domestic life of leisure of young, wealthy girls; it focuses on four sisters - called "Domitia," all of them. While you watch the videos, choose the subtitles (captions) in English - they will not be difficult to follow since the images follow the text closely.

Once you have watched the video, you can do a multiple choice exercise about it; click here. For extra information about freeborn women in ancient Rome and about the cultural aspects in the video, click here

The second video is about a 17-year-old boy living in Rome in 73 AD; his name is Lucius Popidius Secundus. You will see what life was like for a typical Roman teenager: arranged marriages, coming-of-age festivals, and communal baths.

Are you ready for some comprehension questions about the video? Click here. If you would like to read some extra information about this period of history, click here.

"The Local," Spain´s News in English

The Local  is an online newspaper in English; the Spanish edition focuses on news related to Spain. Its pieces of news are not long and they should not be difficult to read for a student of English with an intermediate level. 

Have a look at this piece of news published last week (4 June, 2013):

Singing pilot diverts flight in sightseeing stunt

A pilot with Spanish airline Iberia on Monday changed his flight plan to allow passengers to take in the sights of the historic Galician city of Lugo.

"He asked if he we could divert from our route a little to take in the beauty of the walls of Lugo," passengers on flight IB 0512 from Madrid to A Coruña told the newspaper La Voz de Galicia.

Passengers on the flight could hardly believe their ears, but moments later they found themselves above the famous Roman walls of the city.

The unusual in-flight entertainment had already started at take-off at Madrid's Barajas airport when the pilot, Ángel Aznárez, greeted them with a sung greeting in English.

It was a big surprise "but nice", one of the passengers said.

After take-off it was all quiet on board until the pilots starting singing again. 

During the flight, the knowledgeable captain introduced each city along the plane's route and provided historical information on aspects of Spanish history.

The stewards enjoyed the show as well, according to passengers. 

"They told us the captain's joyful behaviour was normal and that he was a really nice guy to both the crew and the customers," another passenger told La Voz de Galicia.

Aznárez' show was greeted with plenty of appreciative applause when the plane landed. 

Lugo is the only city in the world with intact Roman walls. These date from the 3rd century and are a UNESCO  World Heritage sight.

George Mills (george.mills@thelocal.com)

Moon Landing: A Hoax?

This post is for my 1ºBAC students, in relation to the reading text of unit 8 in their course book, Top Marks 1: The Great Moon Hoax 

S G Collins is a writer as well as the director of a creative company, Postwar Media. In this video, Collins attacks the moon landing hoax using very different arguments from those in our course book - based mainly on photographic evidence. S.G. Collins proves that faking the moon landing was technologically impossible in 1969 because right then we had the technology to send people to the moon and bring them back safely, but the technology to fake it didn´t exist. 

Click here to read about Collin´s arguments to make this video

A Gathering of Bald Men

A Gathering of Bald Men, the short story you have been reading, tells us about Caleb and his plan to commit suicide - being bald is, to some extent, the reason why he wants to do it. 

Watch this video to understand why people - specially men - go bald; the video is called "The Science of Hair Loss" or "Balding" (click on CC to get its subtitles in English)

Facts that Will Make You Smile

Read about some funny facts that will make you smile; try to imagine the meaning of the words you do not know with the help of the images that are shown.

Click here and go to the "about" section if you want to know where the images come from.

What´s your favourite picture? Why?

Improve Your Vocabulary

In this video you will see lots of things you are used to seeing everyday and  feelings you are familiar with but I bet you did not know there was a name for many of them - and I mean in Spanish! This is a BuzzFeed video and they state they have not made up any names (and I find it so hard to believe!)

How many of them can you translate into Spanish or Galician?

What Does It Take to Be a Pope?

I am sure you have all heard that Pope Benedict XVI is in the final hours of his pontificate right now, following his resignation, therefore, the process to choose a new pope will start right away.

Do you know what it takes to be a pope? Watch this video and learn about it. CPG Grey videos are excellent visually but he speaks so fast, so here´s you what you can do: either watch the video itself and see you much you can understand, or click on the video to go to the youtube page and read the transcript there (it is a good transcript, so it is worth reading it) or click here and you will be linked to CPG Grey´s page where you can read the transcript as a text

Arranged Marriages

Dear 1º BAC students,

now that you have read the story "Ekaterina" and we have talked about arranged marriages in class, let me share with you a video that will certainly impact you - to say the least. It is called "Too Young to Wed;" two women, a writer and a photographer, speak about their experience while investigating arranged child marriages. It is a disturbing video because, as you will see, some of the girls are really young (one of them is 5 years old!). 

This is certainly food for thought.

The Importance of Sleep

Dear students, 

I am worried about you. I think you do not sleep enough - you should see your faces during the lessons on Fridays...

This is an infographic about the importance of sleep focusing on American people; do you think you can say the same things about Spaniards? 
I hope you will find some useful information in it; and if you do, put it into practice!
                                                                                                             

Infographic from Greatist.com

And here´s the infographic in words: 

The Secret to Better Sleep

The average American sleeps 6.9 hours a night. When we get less sleep than we need, our reaction times get slower, our blood pressure rises, we eat more, and we’re more at risk of obesity and diabetes.

Sleep-Related Disorders

Sometimes lack of sleep is caused by disorders that can also cause problems during the day. Examples include:

Night sweats, which are caused by menopause, cancer, and infections.

Hypersomnia, which is excessive day time sleepiness caused by narcolepsy, being overweight, use of certain medicines, or drug and alcohol use.

Kleine Leven syndrome, where sufferers sleep up to 20 hours a day for several weeks.

Insomnia, which affects 30 to 50% of the population.

Narcolepsy, where sufferers may fall asleep easily during the day.

Periodic Limb Movement Disorder, where limbs move rhythmically during sleep.

Six percent of Americans suffer from sleep apnea, a condition where the sufferer stops breathing for 10 to 30 seconds, up to 400 times a night. Two to four percent of the American population suffers from apnea without a diagnosis. Apnea sufferers are six times more likely to die in a traffic accident due to fatigue. People who sleep next to apnea sufferers lose an average of one hour of sleep per night, and people with untreated apnea are four times more likely to suffer a stroke. Half of those with sleep apnea snore heavily.

Foods that Cause Insomnia

Alcohol may relax you, but it prevents you from sleeping well. And it’ll make you have to use the bathroom a lot! Spicy foods can cause heartburn or indigestion that keeps you awake. Sugar can also cause you to wake up craving more. And chocolate can contain caffeine that keeps you perky in the wee hours.

What Sleep Can Do for You

While the number of hours of sleep a person needs varies based on the individual, a good night’s rest has many benefits. It can reduce stress, improve memory, help you lose weight, prevent depression, and heal faster. Sleep can also reduce inflammation that could lead to heart conditions, cancer, and diabetes. Adequate sleep makes you more alert and gives you faster reaction times.

How to Get More Sleep

Keep the bed pet-free, as Fido or Jingles may keep you from sleeping well. Wind down before bed without checking email or watching TV. Read a good book and take a bath or shower to mentally prepare for sleep. If you’ve got a lot on your mind, write about it in a journal to unwind. Don’t sleep with electronics in the bedroom. They can distract you and rob you of sleep. Have a warm herbal or caffeine-free tea before going to bed. And don’t work out just before bed: Exercise can help you sleep, but work out earlier in the day for a good night’s rest.

Before bed, opt for light snacks like yogurt or popcorn rather than heavy carbs.

You’re Never Too Old for a Nap

The Spanish know the benefit of naps. They even close down stores and restaurants for several hours to catch a siesta. And for good reason! Naps do some great things for the body. They give you more energy and alertness, improve work productivity by as much as 30 percent, reduce stress and the risk of heart disease by 34 percent, and lower the risk of accidents on the job.

Many famous people have benefited from regular napping. Brahms found inspiration for his musical compositions from naps he took at his piano. Napoleon caught a few zzz’s on his horse between battles. Einstein would sleep in a chair with a pencil in his hand. When the pencil dropped, he woke up. Even presidents need naps. Bill Clinton would nap to help deal with the pressures of the job.

The Day You Were Born

Would you like to know what was going on in the world on the day you were born? Write the date on the widget below and a time machine will take you back to that moment; you´ll learn quite a few things about what the world looked like then and you may understand quite a few things about your personality...

Powered by TakeMeBack.to

I learnt about this in Ozge Karaoglu´s Blog

Black Friday

I hope you remember what we mentioned in class about Black Friday, have a look at this infographic for further information about it.

Sortable Black Friday Madness