Thursday 26 May 2016

Nigerians not happy with Buñol's tradition

A traditional event contrasted with a national shortage: Nigerians are not amused by the "tomatina".

Read about it here: http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-36381553


Tuesday 10 May 2016

The ultimate Eurovision drinking game

Yes yes I know that the Eurovision Song Contest is kind of cheesy but you also have to admit that it can be great fun, especially if you watch it with friends.

And if watching it with friends is your case, here you have a great drinking game to make the contest even more fun. 

The ultimate Eurovision drinking game


Enjoy, but remember not to drive if you're over the limit!!

 


Monday 9 May 2016

David Attenborough turns 90

David Attenbourough, aka "National Treasure" (although he doesn't like that title), voted UK's biggest culture icon, one of the most deeply and generally admired and loved people in the UK, has just turned 90.

Several publications have features on David's life and his infectious passion for nature.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03rm66z (some videos won't play unless you have a good proxy; others play just fine)

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/sir-david-attenborough-at-90-a-national-treasure-a7013651.html

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/may/08/bbc-david-attenborough-app-90-birthday-frozen-planet Info about a forthcoming app with free nature videos.



Gorillas and penguins give first hand accounts of meeting David:






Monday 4 January 2016

Manchester viral pic New Year 2016

Ok, on the negative side, it's fact that a lot of Brits often drink too much and their revelling can sometimes get out of hand. 

On the plus side, some people have the artistic sensibilities (and the humour) to recognise beauty no matter where it hides.

The original photo posted on Manchester Evening News shows a typical late night revellers' scene, but the pic quickly went viral, and not only because of Mancunians' pride in their city and people (!).









Take a moment to admire the composition, expression and proportions of the original scene before clicking on the links to see more.


One Tweeter even goes so far as to say that the picture fits into the "Golden Ratio". :D




Click herehere and/or here to see more artistic creations and read about the Manchester pic.










Further reading:

Wiki entry on Manchester
(Quite technical but interesting) Maths and myths of the Golden Ratio 
Manchester accent and slang
An article on binge-drinking





Wednesday 4 November 2015

Watch TV series and documentaries online

A colleague of mine has shared these links:

http://ororo.tv/es: watch TV series online with subtitles in English. Great practice!

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/ Watch documentaries online. In this case I tried one (about supermassive black holes) and as it was a YouTube video, the subtitles were NOT reliable. But luckily, they speak so clearly in documentaries that you probably don't need the subtitles anyway. ;)

Hope you find them useful!



Thursday 29 October 2015

The best clothes brands for your body shape






Whether you're an Apple, a Pear or a Column, there's a clothing brand perfect for you, according to this article: http://lifehacker.com/this-graphic-recommends-the-best-clothing-brands-for-yo-1736739449

Here's an example:






Useful info:

Body Mass Index (BMI) = http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm


Height converter: http://www.calculatorsoup.com/calculators/conversions/heightftcm.php



Friday 28 August 2015

Vocabulary: bar talk in the US

Test you English bar slang (or learn some!) with this online quiz:  https://www.eslpartyland.com/quiz-center/barmult

Question 1

In front of the bar you see a sign that says "Happy Hour 5-7"

This means:

  1. Only happy people are allowed inside. 
  2. Drinks are cheaper than usual. 
  3. There's a comedy show. 
  4. You get a free drink if you make the bartender laugh.
What do you think?

Check your answer and do the rest of the quiz here: https://www.eslpartyland.com/quiz-center/barmult




Saturday 1 August 2015

Barmen stop wearing kilts

I thought this piece of news was heart-breaking. For once that the men were wearing skirts!

Read about why they stopped here: Scottish barmen refuse to wear kilts

What do you think about it? Is it a serious or a laughing matter?





Tartan kilts. Choose your favourite, boys!

Wednesday 6 May 2015

The iRabbit

Cristina C. from C1 has sent me this video. Hope you enjoy it!


Monday 4 May 2015

May the fourth be with you

On the subject of nerds...

















Play Twister, maybe?

















(Photo by JD Hancock)



Join the Jedi church? No, that's not a joke: http://www.jedichurch.org/




Friday 1 May 2015

Nerdy

This post is for Josep G. who told me that "nerdy" doesn't exist in the dictionary.

I've posted a Weird Al Yankovic video before (Word Crimes). Here the original song, "Ridin' (dirty)" by Chamillionaire, featuring someone or other. 

Watch it first.



And here's Weird Al Yankovic's version:




Which do you like best?

Thursday 23 April 2015

Masterdating

There, that got your attention, didn't it? :D

Click on the link for some funny and clever new words, created by "blending" (also known as "portmanteau" words): http://www.demilked.com/new-modern-funny-random-words-portmanteaus/



















Thanks Gemma F. for the link! :D

Sorry

One of my students sent us this link. (Thanks, La Campoy!)

Personally I don't like the end of the video, but apart from that, he's easy to understand, and the general message is inspirational.

Any comments in the "comments" below!




Friday 6 March 2015

Wednesday 11 February 2015

Are you sick and tired of dinosaurs?

Are you sick and tired of hearing about dinosaurs? Then you'll love this post on the subject that's going round the internet.

To be perfectly honest, I initially thought it was a joke, but now I'm not so sure.

Either way, I think it's hilarious, so I hope you find it funny too.


The original post that I saw, here. Some of the comments are funny too. :D