World Water Day 2012 - The World Is Thirsty Because We Are Hungry

How important is water for you? Do you ever waste water?

Look at the photo. It was taken in Aldeadavila (Salamanca) two years ago. I'd would have liked to have taken another photo this year, but could you imagine how it would be? What about the water levels? I'm sure the shortage of water would be evident.

Aldeadávila April 2010 photo taken by JS

 

Here's a video about how important water is. The thing is that sometimes we don't even think that water is present in many things and if we continue wasting it as well as destroying our own environment, we will be condemned to live a "thirsty life".

As it is said in the video,"There are 7 billion people to feed on the planet today and another 2 billion are expected to join by 2050. Statistics say that each of us drinks from 2 to 4 litres of water every day, however most of the water we ‘drink’ is embedded in the food we eat: producing 1 kilo of beef for example consumes 15,000 litres of water while 1 kilo of wheat ’drinks up’ 1,500 litres."

  

What do you think? Can we change this situation? Will drought be worse in the future? Leave your comments.

You can't miss it

Have you ever got lost in a new city? What did you do? Do you usually ask for directions when you travel? 

Do you take a map with you?

Sometimes it is hard to give directions and people may get lost so listen to Greg giving you some advice in order not to get lost when you are in a new place.

Are they good pieces of advice? Do you hesitate when you are asked to give directions in the street?

Leave your comment.

World Poetry Day

The twenty-first of March was declared by UNESCO to be World Poetry Day.

There are a lot of extraordinary poets in the English and American Literature. 

William Shakespeare may be one of the first to come to your minds. 

Do you want to read some of his most famous quotes. Here is a selection of some of my favourite ones.

"All the world 's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts" - As You Like It ( Quote Act II, Scene VII). 

"How bitter a thing it is to look into happiness through another man's eyes!" As You Like It ( Quote Act V, Sc. II).

"When shall we three meet again in thunder, lightning, or in rain? When the hurlyburly 's done,
When the battle 's lost and won". Macbeth Quote (Act I, Scene I).

"Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under 't." Macbeth Quote (Act I, Scene V).

 "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so" Hamlet quote (Act II, Sc. II).

"You pay a great deal too dear for what's given freely". The Winter's Tale Quote  (Act I, Scene I)

 "Good Night, Good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow."
Romeo and Juliet ( Quote Act II, Scene II).

 Do you like poetry? Why / Why not?

Father's Day

Today is Father's Day and in a few weeks' time, we'll be celebrating Mother's Day. Why these two celebrations ? Is it necessary to have them just to remember our parents, give them a simple gift or tell them that we love them? I don't think so. They teach us a lot of things, they love us as if we were the most important and valuable "possession" they have, even they try to protect us from difficult situations where we can get hurt.

We have a lot of examples of good fathers in famous films. But let me remind you of two of my favourite ones.

The first film is To Kill a Mockingbird, based on the book with the same title by Harper Lee. In case you haven't heard of it, the only thing I can tell you is that Atticus Finch (role performed by Gregory Peck) is a widower who has to bring up his two children with the little help of Calpurnia, a black woman, in the south of the United States at a time where the rights of black people were almost none. Atticus is a lawyer who has to defend a black man accused of raping a white woman. Knowing that he is facing one of the most difficult situations in his whole career as a lawyer, and that his little daughter is always getting into trouble by being honest and sincere, Atticus gently and lovingly makes her promise .... 

Watch this video and guess what.

And what about this other father? I'm referring to Guido in Life is Beautiful. If you have seen this film, you know that when he is sent to the horror of a concentration camp with his son, he decides that Josue will live that experience as a game, getting points for things such as not complaining if he is hungry, ... and in the end ...

Watch that part of the film. With it, you can practise your German and Italian at the same time you read the subtitles in English.

 

Enjoy the day and congratulations to all of you who are fathers! I'm completely sure you would do the same in such difficult situations.

St Patrick's Day

Do you know what these images have in common? Try to guess!

A shamrock

A pint of beer

SpongeBob SquarePants dressed in green

 

Yeah, you're completely right. Today is 17th of March, that's why we're celebrating St Patrick's Day, the patron saint of Ireland.

Do you want to find out more about this celebration? 

 

Saint Patrick's Day is a public holiday in Ireland, Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand, and as you have watched in the United States.
 

^{Saint Patrick lived in the fourth century, he was born into a rich family. At the age of 16, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken captive to Ireland as a slave. He could escape and returned to Britain, becoming a priest then. In 432, he was already a bishop and decided to go back to Ireland where he made use of a shamrock to teach the doctrine of the Trinity to Irish people. After nearly thirty years of evangelism, he died on 17 March 461.} 

^{Green is the colour we associate with Saint Patrick's Day. Everybody wears something green on this day. Saint Patrick is, therefore,one of the most celebrated saints in the world.} 

^{Enjoy the day with a good pint of beer and wear something green!}

Moving to cities

More and more young people are moving from villages to cities, or even to other countries, so that they can improve their living and working conditions. Listen to two people talking about this problem. Then comment on the following:

• Are young people in your country or town moving?
• Do you think that there's a problem with brain drain in your country nowadays?
• Would you rather live in a big city or a small village?
• What will cities be like in the future?

The city of the future

Being polite in English

I would be delighted if you devote some of your precious time to read and watch a video, and obviously to comment on it, afterwards.

You see, it's easy to be polite in English. This entry has been created by Roman, who after our lesson on less direct and polite language, came up with this idea.

"This video is an extract from an episode of the famous American TV series Friends, where you could learn the polite speaking on the phone.
Phoebe calls to England because she needs to warn somebody about something, but it will be more difficult than she thought ...
Why does Phoebe need to warn her friends? And, who do you think is more polite on the phone?"

How rude the lady was!!! That's a funny video, don't you think? Thanks Roman for contributing not only with your good ideas but also with your availability and effectivity.

Make or Do?

As you know sometimes whether to use one verb or another can turn into a difficult decision. Test yourself with the following sentences. (The answers are in the first comment.)

1. My grandma used to ________ bread every day, but now she buys it.

2. Have you finished ________ your homework? Maybe you can help me with the housework.

3. I'm a bit worried about my niece. She finds difficult to ________ friends. She should be more sociable.

4. "I'll only marry a man who can ________ a lot of money," the woman in the supermarket queue said.

5. He's such a bright student. He always ________ his best in exams.

Comparing Lifestyles

Listen to Eli comparing her life in Japan to her life in England. Then reflect on your own lifestyle.

 

• Has it changed a lot in the last five years? 

• Are you living faster or more relaxed than five years ago? 

• Do you spend more time doing the household chores or working / studying than with your friends or relatives, or your hobbies and interests?

Write a few lines on it. Maybe it can help you to de-stress a little bit.

What's the weather like?

Practise the pronunciation of "weather" and "whether" again with this nursery rhyme.

Weather

---

Whether the weather be fine,
Or whether the weather be not,
Whether the weather be cold, ,
Or whether the weather be hot, ,
We'll weather the weather, ,
Whatever the weather,
Whether we like it or not.

The Rainbow

"What can you see at the end of the rainbow?"

A lot of countries and cultures, which range from the Indian culture to the Irish traditions, have long told tales and legends about the rainbow. These stories are all related to different beliefs -rainbows lead to God, they are the pathway of souls when people die, ... Some cultures even thought that if you looked at the end of the rainbow, it could bring death or bad luck. 

However, if there is an extended legend about the rainbow, that is the Irish one. This Irish tale tells that at the end of every rainbow, there is a pot of gold, which is guarded by a Leprechaun.

People say that he does not only takes care of the gold but also of all the fairies' treasure. If the treasure is ever in danger of being discovered by a greedy human being who thinks he is more clever than the leprechaun, the leprechaun tries to fool him with one of his tricks and he always succeeds, so the pot of gold and all the fairies' treasure will be safe forever.

This is a leprechaun

What do you think of this Irish tale? Do you like it? Do you know any similar tales? Write down about them or simply comment on this.