THANKSGIVING DAY.

Good evening:

Today is an important festivity: Thanksgiving day.
I leave you some information about it:

What do people do?

Thanksgiving Day is traditionally a day for families and friends to get together for a special meal. The meal often includes a turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy, pumpkin pie, and vegetables. Thanksgiving Day is a time for many people to give thanks for what they have.
Thanksgiving Day parades are held in some cities and towns on or around Thanksgiving Day. Some parades or festivities also mark the opening of the Christmas shopping season. Some people have a four-day weekend so it is a popular time for trips and to visit family and friends.

Public life

Most government offices, businesses, schools and other organizations are closed on Thanksgiving Day. Many offices and businesses allow staff to have a four-day weekend so these offices and businesses also closed on the Friday after Thanksgiving Day. Public transit systems do not usually operate on their regular timetables.
Thanksgiving Day it is one of the busiest periods for travel in the USA. This can cause congestion and overcrowding. Seasonal parades and busy football games can cause disruption to local traffic.

Background

Thanksgiving Day has been an annual holiday in the United States since 1863. Not everyone sees Thanksgiving Day as a cause for celebration. Each year since 1970, a group of Native Americans and their supporters have staged a protest for a National Day of Mourning at Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts on Thanksgiving Day. American Indian Heritage Day is also observed at this time of the year.
There are claims that the first Thanksgiving Day was held in the city of El Paso, Texas in 1598. Another early event was held in 1619 in the Virginia Colony. Many people trace the origins of the modern Thanksgiving Day to the harvest celebration that the Pilgrims held in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. However, their first true thanksgiving was in 1623, when they gave thanks for rain that ended a drought. These early thanksgivings took the form of a special church service, rather than a feast.
In the second half of the 1600s, thanksgivings after the harvest became more common and started to become annual events. However, it was celebrated on different days in different communities and in some places there were more than one thanksgiving each year. George Washington, the first president of the United States, proclaimed the first national Thanksgiving Day in 1789.
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Source: http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/thanksgiving-day and http://www.google.es/imgres?q=thanksgiving+day&um=1&hl=es&client=firefox-a&sa=N&rls=org.mozilla:es-ES:official&tbm=isch&tbnid=JVGkYRP3VN7HGM:&imgrefurl=http://marole.blogspot.com/2009_11_01_archive.html&docid=V5O96YTjjbniIM&imgurl=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcsEW_MXMDC9rNoLdkBdtqG6Yej6QEL92BcBjKWUckb2B9_T3B3eqEqp1QhBS1lTxDUaMYGjKx1M-oN6DAnYXZZQ7UT7pIQBd8wsM137LlMygdjdKKtfbDS9G_r6_31Ksfe3oqN2IoJF8/s1600/Turkey%252Bfor%252BThanksgiving%252BDay.gif&w=400&h=535&ei=cH3OTsetJ4jItAbJ-qTsDA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=353&vpy=236&dur=2494&hovh=260&hovw=194&tx=94&ty=163&sig=114463859628524967235&page=1&tbnh=125&tbnw=92&start=0&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:13,s:0&biw=1024&bih=629

IMPORTANT DATES

Hi everyone:

This post is to inform you that our last session will be the 16th of December and we'll be back on the 13th of January.

See you!

Hi again!

Hello everyone:

I'm very sorry for not having written before. The truth is that I've been very busy in my new job and I've turned into a French teacher this year: I need more than 24 hours a day.
In addition, I'd like to welcome the new members in the group.
Well, I'll try to write something when possible.

 See you in the group!

HELLO AGAIN!!!

Hello people:

After a long period of holidays, we're back into reality. Our sessions will start next Friday 16th September.

I hope to see you all again!!!

OUR LAST SESSION.

Hello people:

I know it's been a long time without updating the blog. As you know, I found a job as a teacher almost 3 months ago and I've been (and I'm still) very busy. Sorry for not having written before.


I also want to remind you that we're having our last session this Friday, but don't worry! We'll come back in September for our 3rd season.

If I don't see you this Friday, have a very good and relaxing summer. Enjoy your holidays: they're short but necessary.

Regards for all.

1st APRIL SESSION.

Hello everyone:

We continued with our specific activities to practise speaking. This time Cecilia was the one who proposed the ideas for the conversation. And we spent the whole hour with this. So, thanks Cecilia for your contribution.

See you tomorrow!!

FOOL'S DAY.

Hi everybody:

Did you know today is Fool's Day?



"April Fool's Day or All Fool's Day,holiday of uncertain origin, known for practical joking and celebrated on the first of April. Prior to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1564, the date was observed as New Year's Day by cultures as varied as the Roman and the Hindu. The holiday is considered to be related to the festival of the vernal equinox, which occurs on Mar. 21. The English gave April Fool's Day its first widespread celebration during the 18th cent."

I leave some quotations about fools:

• It's better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and leave no doubt. --Mark Twain
• However big the fool, there is always a bigger fool to admire him. -- Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux
• [Politicians] never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge. -- Thomas Reed
• He who lives without folly isn't so wise as he thinks. -- François, Duc de La Rochefoucauld
• The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly, is to fill the world with fools. -- Herbert Spencer
• Sometimes one likes foolish people for their folly, better than wise people for their wisdom. -- Elizabeth Gaskell
• Looking foolish does the spirit good. -- John Updike
• Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed. -- Mark Twain
• A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees. -- William Blake
• A fool must now and then be right by chance. -- Cowper
• It is better to be a fool than to be dead. -- Stevenson
• The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year. -- Mark Twain 

 You can read more in:
April Fool's Day history.

April Fool's day origin.

Be careful! See u.
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Image taken from: http://afbucket.s3.amazonaws.com/1972simpkins.jpg
Sources: http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/society/A0804428.html, http://www.wilstar.com/holidays/aprilfool.htm

25th MARCH SESSION.

Hi mates:

We have decided to propose different kind of activities in order to change a bit. We want everyone to participate and get involved, so we've started to do more practical activities. For the moment it worked and we had fun too. We mainly did two activities: one about talking for a minute about a given idea and another one about a roleplay dealing with different situations. Needless to say that if you have ideas, they will be welcomed. You needn't be a teacher, just use your imagination.

Bye!!

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Image taken from: http://www.ctcroleplay.co.uk/images/ActorsPic.gif

18th MARCH SESSION.

Hello everybody:

This time, there weren't lots of topics as usual, but we had fun. We started with Cecilia's proposal: she brought some pictures to provoke reactions and invite people to talk about them. It really worked. We also had fun playing linguistic games.

See you in the next session.

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Image taken from: http://cdn.alt1040.com/files/2009/01/lego-digital-camera.jpg

VIDEOJUG.

Hello people:

I'm sure you've wondered how to do this or that other thing and you needed some practical information. Well, this link will be the perfect place for you the next time you need information. And, it's in English, of course. In Videojug you'll find videos about almost any topic you can imagine. So, the advantage is double: on the one hand, you get the information you need and, on the other hand, you practice your English. Great!

 I hope you find it useful.

See you sll in the next session.
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Image taken from: http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRm-L_b-dP6NOggIkn5LQq_30pO77HihypUW1F3ugDuzbpfQAJM&t=1

RED NOSE DAY.

Hello everyone:

Tomorrow is "Red Nose Day". Oh, you don't know about it? The main idea is to do something fun in order to raise money to change other people's lives across UK and Africa (that's why it's called like this).

For more information or inspiration you can visit the following web: Red Nose Day.

What are you going to do?

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Image taken from: http://www.homefarm.bradford.sch.uk/DIGITALLOCKER/Assets/View/5f2c57ae-8786-40ea-951e-140e79cd0f81/0/red%20nose%20day%202011.jpg

SAINT PATRICK'S DAY.

Hi everyone:

Today is Saint Patrick's day. I copy some information from the web:


Many folk ask the question 'Why is the Shamrock the National Flower of Ireland ?' The reason is that St. Patrick used it to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagans. Saint Patrick is believed to have been born in the late fourth century, and is often confused with Palladius, a bishop who was sent by Pope Celestine in 431 to be the first bishop to the Irish believers in Christ.

Saint Patrick was the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland who is credited with bringing christianity to Ireland. Most of what is known about him comes from his two works, the Confessio, a spiritual autobiography, and his Epistola, a denunciation of British mistreatment of Irish christians. Saint Patrick described himself as a "most humble-minded man, pouring forth a continuous paean of thanks to his Maker for having chosen him as the instrument whereby multitudes who had worshipped idols and unclean things had become the people of God."

Saint Patrick is most known for driving the snakes from Ireland. It is true there are no snakes in Ireland, but there probably never have been - the island was separated from the rest of the continent at the end of the Ice Age. As in many old pagan religions, serpent symbols were common and often worshipped. Driving the snakes from Ireland was probably symbolic of putting an end to that pagan practice. While not the first to bring christianity to Ireland, it is Patrick who is said to have encountered the Druids at Tara and abolished their pagan rites. The story holds that he converted the warrior chiefs and princes, baptizing them and thousands of their subjects in the "Holy Wells" that still bear this name.

There are several accounts of Saint Patrick's death. One says that Patrick died at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland, on March 17, 460 A.D. His jawbone was preserved in a silver shrine and was often requested in times of childbirth, epileptic fits, and as a preservative against the "evil eye." Another account says that St. Patrick ended his days at Glastonbury, England and was buried there. The Chapel of St. Patrick still exists as part of Glastonbury Abbey. Today, many Catholic places of worship all around the world are named after St. Patrick, including cathedrals in New York and Dublin city.

Why Saint Patrick's Day?
Saint Patrick's Day has come to be associated with everything Irish: anything green and gold, shamrocks and luck. Most importantly, to those who celebrate its intended meaning, St. Patrick's Day is a traditional day for spiritual renewal and offering prayers for missionaries worldwide.

So, why is it celebrated on March 17th? One theory is that that is the day that St. Patrick died. Since the holiday began in Ireland, it is believed that as the Irish spread out around the world, they took with them their history and celebrations. The biggest observance of all is, of course, in Ireland. With the exception of restaurants and pubs, almost all businesses close on March 17th. Being a religious holiday as well, many Irish attend mass, where March 17th is the traditional day for offering prayers for missionaries worldwide before the serious celebrating begins.

In American cities with a large Irish population, St. Patrick's Day is a very big deal. Big cities and small towns alike celebrate with parades, "wearing of the green," music and songs, Irish food and drink, and activities for kids such as crafts, coloring and games. Some communities even go so far as to dye rivers or streams green.

You can read more on:

Saint Patrick's day (history.com)
StPatrick's day.com
BBC's web.
BBC's section on Saint Patrick's Day.
Happy Saint Patrick's day!!!
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Source: http://www.st-patricks-day.com/
Image taken from: http://es.toonpool.com/user/2304/files/saint_patrick_s_day_766425.jpg

THE FISHER KING.

Hello everyone:

This Thursday is the turn of a film in O.V in English. It will be the "Fisher King". I leave you its trailer. If you are going, enjoy it.

Have a nice (and it seems rainy) week!!

11th MARCH SESSION.

Hello everyone:


As usual, we talked about a varied range of topics. For example, we talked about neighbours and meetings. Then, we turned to a current topic: elections are nearer and politicians seem to be very good now. Another current affair was Esperanza Aguirre's recent illness and, of course, the state of the Community of Madrid public health system. Following with the topic about politicians, we discussed the different application of laws depending whether if you're a public person, authority (police) or not, regarding parking. The final part of the session was more relaxed: the second series of jokes and the visit of an old member: François.

I leave you some jokes:

1. Why did the turtle cross the road? To get to the Shell station.
2. Why did the one-handed skeleton cross the road? Toget to the second- hand shop.
3. What do you call a cow in an Earthquake? A milkshake.
4. Why don't skeletons play music in the church? Because they don't have organs.
5. What do you call a chiken that crosses the road without looking both ways? Dead.

I must confess we really had fun in both joke sessions. So if you have time to find more, bring them to the next session.
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Image taken from: http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/gri/lowres/grin887l.jpg

PANCAKE DAY.

Hi English fans:

Last 8th March was "Pancake Day". I leave some information from the web and curiosities:

 "Many people love to eat warm pancakes covered with butter and syrup in the morning. But did you know that there is actually a holiday where people celebrate and eat pancakes with their families and friends? It is a tradition that started many years ago in England.

 Pancake Day is celebrated on Shrove Tuesday which is the day before Lent. Lent is a Christian holiday that was established in the 4th century as 40 days and is generally a period of fasting or other forms of self-denial. People generally eat a lot and have fun the day before Lent begins. Shrove Tuesday is often referred to as Pancake Day because fats, which were generally prohibited during Lent, had to be used up. People would take all the eggs and dairy products that they had left in their kitchens and use them to make delicious pancakes.

In the United Kingdom of Great Britian, Northern Ireland and several other countries around the world, Pancake Day is celebrated with fun, games, and of course a lot of eating. However, the most well known activity on this day is the Pancake Day race at Olney in Buckinghamshire, England which has been held since 1445. It all began when a woman was cooking pancakes on Shrove Tuesday to use up all of her perishables before Lent. While she was still cooking she heard the chiming of the bells summoning her to church. Not wanting to be late, the woman ran to church with her apron on and the frying pan still in her hand. Little did she know that this would start a tradition that would be around for over 500 years!

Only women are allowed to participate in this race. They must run a designated path with a frying pan and end up at the church. They must have a hot pancake in the frying pan which they must flip at least three times before they complete the race. The first woman to complete the race and arrive at church with the pancake is declared the winner. She then serves the pancake to the bellringer and is rewarded with a kiss from the bellringer called the “Kiss of peace”. This race still occurs in England and in several other cities"

I leave you two recipes

American pancakes.

English pancakes.


Delicious, isn't it? Enjoy your pancakes!!! And be careful if you are on a diet...
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Source: http://www.chevroncars.com/learn/holidays-seasons/pancake-day
Image taken from: http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRaUU12i9EhBwjmBv-JamKMVf2YXZB3Yp28a0MPPfprzxNC40-KsA

4th MARCH SESSION.

Hello everyone:

We started our session talking about bookshops and Alberto suggested one place in Madrid: J&J Books and Coffee., where you can find lots of second-hand books with interesting prices. We also talked about on line bookshops: Iberlibro. and Book depository. This lead the discussion towards the contrast between traditional and e-books. Once we changed the topic, we started to talk about geography and our sense of orientation. Inevitable, a comparison between men and women came out. Our final topic was fashion, men's cosmetics, metrosexual men and dres codes.

See u all in the next session.
P.S: Thanks for your contributions.

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Image taken from: http://es.toonpool.com/user/856/files/books_477425.jpg

YAPPR.

Hello everybody:

Maybe you're know wondering about such a strage name. Well, it's te name of a web where you can find videos. It's spefically for practising/ learning English. You just have to select the video and you'll find its trascript. I advise you to sign up (it's free) because you'll have more options.

I leave two links:

1. An example of a video: Wife goes shopping.
2. Yappr homepage.

Bye!!

SCREAMER RADIO.

Hi!

I'd like to write a post about what Estella suggested in our last meeting. It's about Screamer radio, a free Internet radio player where you can find thousands of radio stations around the world. It's very comfortable to use because you can filter the stations following several criteria and you needn't be going web by web to find the link. You just have all of them in one place.

Thanks Estella for your contribution.

Bye!
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Image taken from: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CAKNXtuGz_k/SMWY6PFVS9I/AAAAAAAABTc/mrlrtDPPCzs/s400/screamer+radio.jpg

25th FEBRUARY SESSION.

Hello everyone:

Well, this was our last session in February. As usual, varied topics were discussed. For example, we started with the New Zealand earthquake and the Lybian situation. Then we relaxed a bit and we changed the topics: we talked about the 1st meeting of the recently-created "Time Bank". Our last topic was about private information in the Internet, minors using social networks, piracy, copyright of intellectual, artistic... works as well as the current situation in the music industry.

See you in the next session.
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Image taken from: http://elproyectomatriz.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/internet.jpg

THE ALLERGIC PONTIAC.

Hello everyone:

It's true that there are lots of crazy people anywhere. Anecdotes about customers and customers' complaints can't be a never ending story. Let's see a real case. The story goes like this:

"Never underestimate your Clients’ Complaint, no matter how funny it might seem!

This is a real story that happened between the customer of General Motors and its Customer-Care Executive. Please read on…..

A complaint was received by the Pontiac Division of General Motors:

‘This is the second time I have written to you, and I don’t blame you for not answering me, because I sounded crazy, but it is a fact that we have a tradition in our family of Ice-Cream for dessert after dinner each night, but the kind of ice cream varies so, every night, after we’ve eaten, the whole family votes on which kind of ice cream we should have and I drive down to the store to get it. It’s also a fact that I recently purchased a new Pontiac and since then my trips to the store have created a  problem….

You see, every time I buy a vanilla ice-cream, when I start back from the store my car won’t start. If I get any other kind of ice cream, the car starts just fine. I want you to know I’m serious about this question, no matter how silly it sounds “What is there about a Pontiac that makes it not start when I get vanilla ice cream, and easy to start whenever I get any other kind?” The Pontiac President was understandably skeptical about the letter, but sent an Engineer to check it out anyway.

The latter was surprised to be greeted by a successful, obviously well educated man in a fine neighborhood. He had arranged to meet the man just after dinner time, so the two hopped into the car and drove to the ice cream store. It was vanilla ice cream that night and, sure enough, after they came back to the car, it wouldn’t start.

The Engineer returned for three more nights. The first night, they got chocolate. The car started. The second night, he got strawberry. The car started. The third night he ordered vanilla. The car failed to start.

Now the engineer, being a logical man, refused to believe that this man’s car was allergic to vanilla ice cream. He arranged, therefore, to continue his visits for as long as it took to solve the problem. And toward this end he began to take notes: He jotted down all sorts of data: time of day, type of gas uses, time to drive back and forth etc.

In a short time, he had a clue: the man took less time to buy vanilla than any other flavor. Why? The answer was in the layout of the store. Vanilla, being the most popular flavor, was in a separate case at the front of the store for quick pickup. All the other flavors were kept in the back of the store at a different counter where it took considerably longer to check out the flavor.

Now, the question for the Engineer was why the car wouldn’t start when it took less time. Eureka – Time was now the problem – not the vanilla ice cream!!!! The engineer quickly came up with the answer: “vapor lock”.
It was happening every night; but the extra time taken to get the other flavors allowed the engine to cool down sufficiently to start. When the man got vanilla, the engine was still too hot for the vapor lock to dissipate.
Even crazy looking problems are sometimes real and all problems seem to be simple only when we find the solution, with cool thinking."

What do you think now?
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Image taken from: http://www.google.es/images?um=1&hl=es&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aes-ES%3Aofficial&biw=1024&bih=556&tbs=isch%3A1&sa=1&q=helado+de+vainilla&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&oq=
Source: http://journal.naveeng.com/2007/10/17/vanilla-ice-cream-that-puzzled-general-motors/

18th FEBRUARY SESSION.

Hello everyone:


Our first topic was the film "The First Day of the Rest of your Life" shown last Thursday. It was a complete success because there were many people despite the weather in the afternoon. Then we started to analyse the current triangle teachers- parents- children in the education environment as well as the parents' situation regarding lack of time because of the long timetables. We also discusses about the measures companies could take in order to facilitate the concilation between family and professional lives.
After such serious topics, Alberto proposed an analysis and comparison between British and Spanish humour apart from comic films. You know, some of them are based on semantics (=meaning) and puns. He also brought some jokes in English to illustrate.

I copy 3 of them:

1. A commercial traveller was passing through a small town when he came upon a huge funeral procession. "Who died?" he asked a nearby local. "I`m not sure," replied the local, " but I think it`s the one in the coffin."

2. Why did the bus stop?
Because it saw the zebra crossing. 

3. (This one is a bit long):
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson went on a camping trip. As they lay down for the night, the fire dwindling nearby, Holmes said: "Watson, look up and tell me what you see".
Watson said "I see a fantastic panorama of countless of stars".
Holmes: "And what does that tell you?"
Watson: "Astronomically, it suggests to me that if there are billions of other galaxies that have roughly similar stellar population densities as represented by my view, that, potentially, trillions of planets may be associated with such a galactic and, therefore, stellar population. Allowing for similar chemical distribution throughout the cosmos it may be reasonably implied that life-and possibly intelligent life-may well fill the universe.
Also, being a believer, theologically, it tells me that the vastness of space may be yet another suggestion of the greatness of God and that we are small and insignificant.
Meteorologically, the blackness of the sky and the crispness of the stellar images tells me that there is low humidity and stable air and therefore we are most likely to enjoy a beautiful day tomorrow.
Why? - What does it tell you, Mr. Holmes?"
Holmes: "Someone stole our tent".

Good or bad jokes, it depends on your opinion...

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Image taken from: http://www.debateitout.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/teachers-cartoon.gif
Source: http://www.jokebuddha.com/joke/A_commercial_traveller#ixzz1EcGlqHS5
http://www.jokedictionary.com/jokes/b/busjokes.html
http://www.pinetree.net/humor/sherlockholmescamping.html

"IN MADRID" MAGAZINE.

Hello everyone:

Maybe you already know about the "In Madrid" magazine, but I'd like to give its web where you can read it online for free. Have a look at it and enjoy it: In Madrid magazine.

See you!
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Image taken from: http://www.in-madrid.com/images/masthead/inmadrid_mainlogo.jpg

STEVE JOBS AT STANDFORD UNIVERSITY.

Hello mates:

Do you know Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple company and of Pixar animation studios? Well, this is the speech he gave at Stanford University's in 2005.
It's worth listening, although it may seem a bit long, the way he tells his stories becomes very interesting and entertaining. It's also very easy to follow and it is divided into 3 parts:

1. Connecting the dots.
2. Love and loss.
3. Death.

It makes you think, doesn't it?

SPOTIFY

Hello mates:
 
I'm writing on behalf of Estella, who suggested me to write a post about Spotify. It's a new way of listening to music in streaming. You just have to download an application to start listening to music.

 Thanks Estella for your contribution (if you want to add something, just let me know).
Bye!!

"THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE"

Hello English "addicts":

This post is to remind you there will be a free film show this Thursday at 18.00 in the Cultural Centre ("Casa de la cultura") in Villalba. This time is the turn of a French film, so if you also speak/ understand French you can drop in. I leave its trailer: it's in original version, but with subtitles in English. If you finally go, enjoy it.

See you there!

11th FEBRUARY SESSION.

Hi everyone:

To be honest, last session was one of the funniest. We were in a very good mood, so witty comments became something natural. Our first topic was the "Time bank project", which is currently starting in our town. Then, we also talked about different accents of non-native people. Then we moved to talk about resources to learn English or interesting websites e.g. the use of podcasts to train our ears or watching films in original version. Our last topic was related to that: dubbing vs. original version films.

Apart from the topics I'd like to tell you that Elena will not be coming for personal reasons. So, Elena, thank you very much for being a member and we expect your visit one day.

See you all on Friday.
P.S: Please write something about you for the blog. Thanks in advance.
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Image taken from: http://evansheline.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/full-glass.jpg

THE ODYSSEY OF THE SPANISH TOMATO.

Hi people!

Today's post is about one question: Have you ever wondered why tomatoes are so expensive in the supermarkets? Maybe this post from a wonderful site can help you undesrtand.
The odyssey of the Spanish tomato.

Now I understand...

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Image taken from: http://kurioso.es/english/the-odyssey-of-the-spanish-tomato/

4th FEBRUARY SESSION.

Hello conversation mates:

Last Friday was a bit special for the group: Cecilia came back from her great two-month trip to Chile. She explained a lot of different aspects of her experience: her feelings after 18 years far from her country, how she spent Christmas holidays, her family, all what she did there...she had really lots and lots of things to tell us. For this reason, we only had one topic in this session.
Cecilia, welcome back to the group.
One of the vocabulary topics was seafood. I leave you a video about seafood idioms:

See you!

MORE ON PODCASTS.

Hello fans:

Today's post is about more podcasts (you know the Web is a great ocean of resources). Let's start:

• The first one is divided into three levels. It also has a business English section. You can also find videos. They are short and very specific, but easy to follow. And you know you can always repeat them several times. So choose your level and start listening. Podcasts in English.
• The second web is a specific site with podcasts about lots of topics. Every podcast has got three parts: the conversation (at low speed), an explanation about the vocabulary and expressions and, finally, the same conversation at normal speed. So, as you can see, it's very complete. English as a second language podcasts.
• The third one is a very complete web, where you can find free lessons of all levels and varied material. All you have to do is signing up (it's free and you only need a email address and user name) to start the tour. Englishpod (free lessons).

Bye!!

GROUNDHOG DAY.

Hi!!

Every 2nd February is a special day in Punxsautawney, Pennsylvania. According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a grounhog emerges from its burrow on this day. If he leaves the burrow, it means that winter-like weather will soon end. If it is sunny, the groundhog will supposedly see its shadow and retreat back into its burrow, and the winter weather will continue for six more weeks.This year is the 125th annual forecast for Phil.

You can find more information in the official web: Groundhog Day official website..

Maybe you remember a film about it: it was also called "Grounhog Day" (1993) with Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. Here you are Roger Ebert's review.
I leave you the trailer:

I also leave a link to this year's forecast: Phil's forecast for 2011.

Bye!!
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Information taken from Wikipedia.

YOU KIOSKE.

 Hello everyone:
 
 Do you know You Tube? Of course will be your answer. What about having a kind of You Tube but with magazines? So here you have "You Kioske". It's in Spanish but you have lots of stuff to read (but I'm afraid, not possible to download).

 
What's more important: magazines in English, including some like "Hot English" magazine. And...what's even more important...it's FREE! It's worth to have at least a quick glance. I'll be pleased to read your feedback!

 You kioske

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SHORT BIOGRAPHIES.

Hello people:

I've a new corner to have our biographies. It shouldn't be very personal, just a few things about you. No private life details are necessary. Come on and write about you!!

28th JANUARY SESSION.

Good morning:

Our conversation topics reflect our worries and the latest news. So, it's not so strange that our first topic was pensions and all the changes of the new Spanish law about it. Then, we talked about human resources and we talked about languages (including Spanish regional varieties). After that, Elena proposed us to explain her particular view on human evolution, nature, tele-transport or dimensions. We became a bit philophical in this point because we turned to discuss about the universe, the infinite and space. Apart from this, Jairo talked about the dark period of the Middle Ages. Another completely different topic was farms.

Linguistically speaking, we learnt two new expressions: "pull strings" (I copy definition by thefreedictionary.com):

To pull strings - influence or control shrewdly or deviously; "He manipulated public opinion in his favor" Synonyms: manipulate, pull wires. related words: act upon, influence, work.  have and exert influence or effect;E.g. "The artist's work influenced the young painter"; "She worked on her friends to support the political candidate" The second one was: "be as thick as two short planks" (be very dumb, be as dumb as a brick, have no intelligence at all), what in Spanish would be "no tener dos dedos de frente". Meaning (British informal): to be very stupid. E.g. He might be good-looking but he's as thick as two short planks (from wordmagicsoft.com and thefreedictionary.com) There's something new to learn everyday... Bye!!

ENGLISH LEARNING SERVICES.

Hello group:

As you know the amount of Internet resources regarding English practice and English learning is so huge that one can easily get lost. I have chosen three sites from three media networks. They have a special section for learning English. They are varied: one from Australia, one from Britain and one from U.S. Maybe you know the BBC's service. It's a more interesting way of practising. Forget about boring books.

Australia network.

Voice of America.

BBC World service learning English. 

I hope you find them useful.
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Image taken from: http://www.freedownloadpond.com/bbc-learning-english-pronunciation-tips/

THE GRAPES OF WRATH.

 Hello people:

Maybe you already know that the library is showing a new film in English. It will be this Thursday (27th) at 18.00 in the Culture House. This time the film will be "The Grapes of Wrath" directed by the master John Ford. The homonym novel was written by John Steinbeck in 1939, considered one of huis masterpieces.
Here I leave you Roger Ebert's review on the film: "The Grapes of Wrath" review.

Bye!
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21st JANUARY SESSION.

Hello everybody:

In the last session we were less than normally. We talked about stand-up comedy and shopping centres, specially those in Villalba. Then we moved to a very recent topic of discussion: restaurants, smoking and the new law. We also analysed the current situation of employment/ unemployment in Spain as well as matters regarding the world of work. Then, we changed the topic to discuss about pollution and alternative energy sources.
 So, as you can see, we always change from topic to topic and we never stop talking.

See you again on Friday.

HOT ENGLISH MAGAZINE.

 Hello everyone:

What do you think about having free e-mail lessons every week? If your answer is that it's a good idea, you should continue reading. I'm sure you know Hot English magazine. Well to get the free lesson, you only have to click in the link below:

Free weekly lessons.


And now extra material: if you want to watch free videos by Hot English magazine, don't forget to visit the following link:

Hot English magazine videos.

See you!

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Image taken from: http://www.hotenglishgroup.com/images/classes/covers.jpg

14th JANUARY SESSION.

Hello everyone:

It seemed very far away, but, finally, we've had our first session this year. At the beginning we were a bit shy and silent, maybe because our English had some "spiderwebs" after Xmas holidays. The warming up consisted of talking about our holidays (or in some cases lack of holidays, sorry Alberto and Marina). Then we started to talk about some movies as well as the shooting incident in the U.S. This led us to talk about violence nowdays. As usual, our final topic was a bit different: the National Health Service, basically in the U.S and Spain.

See you in the next session.

PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE.

Hello people:

In this post I'd like you to propose a topic (we can use it in the next sessions).

The topic is "planned obsolescence", that's to say, everything has been designed to last for a certain period of time in order to encourage new purchases. I'm afraid we're being manipulated by companies. What do you think?

I leave a short video about it, just click the link:

Planned obsolescence, perceived obsolescence.

You may also visit her website: The story of stuff.
Or her blog: Annie's Leonard's blog.

Bye!!
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SESSION REMINDER.

Hello English fans:


This post is to remind you we're having a session the next Friday, 14th. I hope to see you all there!


 

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Image taken from: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoWu_qzsIfQSdpw_mXzCodNzew_Q6Qxw5Xc2JWDX7P_o2CwPpKU9K_9oEdkc8mIFdwl91xZfV5dZ3uMy4-YFAiIP6eCIhz6n30VUlNpvMxTUms0I_BMC4Og5C0eTm_bIxXRKVMCpotQ9GP/s1600/imagesmyan_calendar_funny.jpg

ACCENTS.

Hello people:

I think it's quite interesting to hear about different accents. That's why I want to propose some videos.

The first one is about 21 different accents. Get your ears ready...




I also leave a link to another site, in this case about different speech accents, and not only in English. Click the following link: Speech accent archive.


Finally, and just for fun, I leave you a video of Dr House's (Hugh Laurie) interview about English and American accents. 

Bye!!

16 WAYS OF SAYING "I LIKE IT".

Hi people:

I'm sure you've been very good. That's why I hope you've received your presents, or at least some: The Wise Men are in crisis too, but I'm sure you deserve them. On the other hand, excessive consumerism isn't very good either. This could be a topic for the first session, what do you think?

My present for you is the following video entitled "16 ways of saying I like it". There's no excuse not to use a wide range of expressions..."I'm really into, I can't get enough of..., I fancy someone..." Watch the video to see them all.

I hope it's useful and you are really keen on watching it.
See you next week!

ABOUT THE VIDEOS.

Hi people!

I don't know if you notice about the videos section. Although it's called "the video of the week" it may not be changed so often for time reasons.
In addition, if you have not been able to visit the blog for some days, don't worry! You won't miss anything, because at the end you will find a section called "previous videos" where I'll post all the videos belonging to this section. Since I'm changing or adding things my advice is to have a look at the blog and all its sections from time to time.
 And last, but not least, if you have any contributions or ideas or suggestions, I'll be pleased to hear you.

Bye!!