[9thCW] BRITISH FOOD

A post about gastronomy, here are some videos to illustrate the best of British food and dishes, from the best restaurants to the typical everyday meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. ...

WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO COMMUTE TO NEW YORK?

Many people have to commute every day. Commute is the trip you have to do to go to work. In smaller cities, like Coruña, people can commute walking, but in bigger cities, like New York, it's impossible to go walking due to the long distances, and people have to use different means of transport.

In New York, do you know what's the most effective way to commute?

Would you go by subway/underground, by taxi, by bike, by Uber or by ferry?

Which do you think is the best way? Make your guesses, then watch the video to see if you are right...

Video "NYC's BEST WAYS TO COMMUTE":

SOCIAL MEDIA vs REALITY: ARE YOU LIVING AN INSTA LIE?

Are we living an insta lie? Are we addicted to technology, mobile phones and social networks? Watch this video and reflect about it for a moment. Give your opinions...

Video "ARE YOU LIVING AN INSTA LIE?"

SOMETIMES COUNTABLE, SOMETIMES UNCOUNTABLE...

This post is to show by infographics, how come words can be sometimes countables and others uncountables, depending on the context. This can be tricky confusing sometimes.

Video:

HARRY'S FINGER WAS BITTEN BY LITTLE CHARLIE A DECADE AGO!

Between these two photos above, 10 years have passed. A few weeks ago, our conversation assistant this course, Laura, showed in 1st BAC classes the video of little Charlie and his brother Harry as an activity to practice the passive: Harry's finger was bitten by his smaller brother Harry. 

This week we've learnt the story behind this viral video. You can get the complete story watching this video below, which was posted on YouTube in 2015, saying that the original one was 8 years old. That means that it's 10 years, now. In the video you'll hear why their parents posted it onto YouTube and how many viewers have watched it in all this time. You'll be surprised!

Video:

THIS IS THE PLACE! (Tribute to victims of Manchester's attack)

In the aftermath of Tuesday's terrorist attack at the Manchester Arena at the end of Ariana Grande's concert, people have gathered in the city to pay tribute to its victims. In one of the tributes in the city's Albert Square, local poet Tony Walsh read out a poem of support to his city and its inhabitants. Here you can watch the video of the moment and read/listen to the complete poem which is transcribed below. "THIS IS THE PLACE".
It's our tribute to the victims and people of Manchester and of any other attack throughout the world. Let's hope it could be the last time.

Video:

This is the place

In the north-west of England. It’s ace, it’s the best

And the songs that we sing from the stands, from our bands

Set the whole planet shaking.

Our inventions are legends. There’s nowt we can’t make, and so we make brilliant music

We make brilliant bands

We make goals that make souls leap from seats in the stands

And we make things from steel

And we make things from cotton

And we make people laugh, take the mick sommat rotten

And we make you at home

And we make you feel welcome and we make summat happen

And we can’t seem to help it

And if you’re looking from history, then yeah we’ve a wealth

But the Manchester way is to make it yourself.

And make us a record, a new number one

And make us a brew while you’re up, love, go on

And make us feel proud that you’re winning the league

And make us sing louder and make us believe that this is the place that has helped shape the world

And this is the place where a Manchester girl named Emmeline Pankhurst from the streets of Moss Side led a suffragette city with sisterhood pride

And this is the place with appliance of science, we’re on it, atomic, we struck with defiance, and in the face of a challenge, we always stand tall, Mancunians, in union, delievered it all

Such as housing and libraries and health, education and unions and co-ops and first railway stations

So we’re sorry, bear with us, we invented commuters. But we hope you forgive us, we invented computers.

And this is the place Henry Royce strolled with Rolls, and we’ve rocked and we’ve rolled with our own northern soul

And so this is the place to do business then dance, where go-getters and goal-setters know they’ve a chance

And this is the place where we first played as kids. And me mum, lived and died here, she loved it, she did.

And this is the place where our folks came to work, where they struggled in puddles, they hurt in the dirt and they built us a city, they built us these towns and they coughed on the cobbles to the deafening sound to the steaming machines and the screaming of slaves, they were scheming for greatness, they dreamed to their graves.

And they left us a spirit. They left us a vibe. The Mancunian way to survive and to thrive and to work and to build, to connect, and create and greater ― Manchester’s greatness is keeping it great.

And so this is the place now with kids of our own. Some are born here, some drawn here, but all call it home.

And they’ve covered the cobbles, but they’ll never defeat, all the dreamers and schemers who still teem through these streets

Because this is a place that has been through some hard times: oppressions, recessions, depressions, and dark times.

But we keep fighting back with greater Manchester spirit. Northern grit, northern wit, and greater Manchester’s lyrics

And these hard times again, in these streets of our city, but we won’t take defeat and we don’t want your pity.

Because this is a place where we stand strong together, with a smile on our face, greater Manchester forever

And we’ve got this place where a team with a dream can get funding and something to help with a scheme.

Because this is a place that understands your grand plans. We don’t do “no can do” we just stress “yes we can”

Forever Manchester’s a charity for people round here, you can fundraise, donate, you can be a volunteer. You can live local, give local, we can honestly say, we do charity different, that Mancunian way

And we fund local kids, and we fund local teams. We support local dreamers to work for their dreams. We support local groups and the great work they do. So can you help us. help local people like you?

Because this is the place in our hearts, in our homes, because this is the place that’s a part of our bones

Because greater Manchester gives us such strength from the fact that this is the place, we should give something back

Always remember, never forget, forever Manchester

CONFUSING: 'SOME', 'ANY, OR 'NONE' VIDEO LESSON

Watch this video lesson to get to distinguish through examples when to use the common quantifiers:

SOME, ANY & NONE.

By the way, the teacher on this video is Greg, who is Teresa Amido's son-in-law, our former Physical Education teacher.

You can follow his online video lessons on YouTube on OLA, the Online Way to Learn English page.

Video:

PORTUGAL WINS EUROVISION FOR THE FIRST TIME

Portugal has won the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time in 49 years with the song "AMAR PELOS DOIS" performed by Salvador Sobral. He said on receiving the trophy: "We live in a world of fast food music. This is a victory for music... music isn't fireworks, music is feeling." 
We're enclosing the videos of the winning moment of the show, his final performance with his sister Luisa, who is the composer of the song. Later a video with some extra info about him and a final lyric video with the song in Portuguese and the English translation.

Videos @ Eurovision final 2017:

Video "AMAR PELOS DOIS", Salvador Sobral @ ESC Final:

In second position came Bulgaria with Kristian Kostov and the song "BEAUTIFUL MESS":


Another of our favourites was Sweden with Robin Bengtsson's "I CAN'T GO ON" which ended up 5th.

"LOVE ACTUALLY", THE SEQUEL FOR "RED NOSE DAY" CHARITY

"Love Actually" has finally got its sequel, 14 years later. It's not a second film really, but a short film for charity shown on British TV on March 24th and on American TV next May 25th. Its director Richard Curtis has been directing again. It features: Liam Neeson, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, his stepson in the film, Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Colin Firth, Martine McCutcheon, Andrew Lincoln, Lucia Moniz, Bill Nighy, Marcus Brigstocke, Olivia Olson, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Laura Linney  and Rowan Atkinson. Emma Thompson isn't on the list, and obviously, neither her unfaithful husband, Alan Rickman, who died last year. The sequel has been made for charity purposes.

Here are some photos of the filming and the trailers of the sequel:

Fotos: @Zed Jameson / Fameflynet.UK.com

Trailers:

Love Actually - Reino Unido | 2003 | 128 min.

HOW BRITISH & AMERICAN SPELLING PARTED WAYS

Here's another animated video to show us the origin of how British & American spellings parted ways.

Video:

BUSINESS ENGLISH

This post is about economy and business. Above a chart of business related abbreviations. Below a video with vocabulary on the topic.

Video:

ALEX RAWLINGS' TIPS ON LANGUAGE LEARNING

Today we're bringing some videos from the British Council where language teacher and polyglot Alex Rawlings gives some interesting tips and help on language learning.

Video 1: FOUR WAYS TO GET BETTER AT LANGUAGES:

Video 2: "WHEN ARE YOU FLUENT IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE?":



Video 3: "HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED WHEN LEARNING A LANGUAGE":



Video 4 "BENEFITS OF LEARNING A NEW LANGUAGE":

[8th CW] "RAPPING THE COSMOS", THE REPORTERS' MAKING OF VIDEO

Finally including the reporters' making of video from the "RAPPING THE COSMOS" project that this year's English teacher-in-practice, Tania Souto, organized together with 2nd BAC students. Some of the students played the role of reporters asking all the participants how they felt setting up the work. At the end the actual show can also be seen.

Video REPORTERS:

Galician version of this post @ ArquivosDoTrasno

[8th CW] STAR WARS OPENING CRAWLS

STAR WAR CRAWLS

Each of the seven Star Wars films begin with nearly identical openings, in which the text "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...." is displayed, followed by the Star Wars logo over a field of stars. A subsequent downward tilt reveals the film's episode number, the subtitle in all-capital letters, and a three-paragraph summary of events immediately prior to the events of the film.

In the widescreen (or letterbox) versions of the Star Wars films, each line of the opening crawl text appears directly in its entirety from the bottom of the screen. In the fullscreen (or pan and scan) versions, the sides of each line of opening crawl text are visible only after that line reaches the center of the screen.

The roll-up (alternatively called the "crawl") is a homage to Flash Gordon serials of the 1930s and 1940s, which Star Wars creator George Lucas enjoyed as a child. It is also for this reason that many of the subtitles of the seven films have a "pulpy" sound to them or are reminiscent of the Gordon serials.

[From Wookieepedia]

Episode I: THE PHANTOM MENACE 

"Turmoil has engulfed the Galactic Republic. The taxation of trade routes to outlying star systems is in dispute. Hoping to resolve the matter with a blockade of deadly battleships, the greedy Trade Federation has stopped all shipping to the small planet of Naboo. While the Congress of the Republic endlessly debates this alarming chain of events, the Supreme Chancellor has secretly dispatched two Jedi Knights, the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy, to settle the conflict...."

Episode II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES 

"There is unrest in the Galactic Senate. Several thousand solar systems have declared their intentions to leave the Republic. This separatist movement, under the leadership of the mysterious Count Dooku, has made it difficult for the limited number of Jedi Knights to maintain peace and order in the galaxy. Senator Amidala, the former Queen of Naboo, is returning to the Galactic Senate to vote on the critical issue of creating an ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC to assist the overwhelmed Jedi...."

Episode III: REVENGE OF THE SITH 

"War! The Republic is crumbling under attacks by the ruthless Sith Lord, Count Dooku. There are heroes on both sides. Evil is everywhere. In a stunning move, the fiendish droid leader, General Grievous, has swept into the Republic capital and kidnapped Chancellor Palpatine, leader of the Galactic Senate. As the Separatist Droid Army attempts to flee the besieged capital with their valuable hostage, two Jedi Knights lead a desperate mission to rescue the captive Chancellor...."

Episode IV: A NEW HOPE 

"It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire. During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empire's ultimate weapon, the DEATH STAR, an armored space station with enough power to destroy an entire planet. Pursued by the Empire's sinister agents, Princess Leia races home aboard her starship, custodian of the stolen plans that can save her people and restore freedom to the galaxy...."

Episode V: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK 

"It is a dark time for the Rebellion. Although the Death Star has been destroyed, Imperial troops have driven the Rebel forces from their hidden base and pursued them across the galaxy. Evading the dreaded Imperial Starfleet, a group of freedom fighters led by Luke Skywalker has established a new secret base on the remote ice world of Hoth. The evil lord Darth Vader, obsessed with finding young Skywalker, has dispatched thousands of remote probes into the far reaches of space...."

Episode VI: RETURN OF THE JEDI 

"Luke Skywalker has returned to his home planet of Tatooine in an attempt to rescue his friend Han Solo from the clutches of the vile gangster Jabba the Hutt. Little does Luke know that the GALACTIC EMPIRE has secretly begun construction on a new armored space station even more powerful than the first dreaded Death Star. When completed, this ultimate weapon will spell certain doom for the small band of rebels struggling to restore freedom to the galaxy..."

Episode VII: THE FORCE AWAKENS 

"Luke Skywalker has vanished. In his absence, the sinister FIRST ORDER has risen from the ashes of the Empire and will not rest until Skywalker, the last Jedi, has been destroyed. With the support of the REPUBLIC, General Leia Organa leads a brave RESISTANCE. She is desperate to find her brother Luke and gain his help in restoring peace and justice to the galaxy. Leia has sent her most daring pilot on a secret mission to Jakku, where an old ally has discovered a clue to Luke's whereabouts...."

DANIEL TAMMET, AN AUTISTIC TALENT (World Autism Awareness Day)

On April 2nd, when it's World Autism Awarness Day, here's a post devoted to Daniel Tammet. Do you know him?
In Unit 5 of our 1st BAC textbook, there is a reading text about Daniel Tammet, an autistic person who has an outstanding talent for numbers and languages, though for ordianary everyday tasks, he's a bit more clumsy. He sees numbers as figures, he enjoys reflecting and experimenting with words and knows several languages. He's currently a freelance tutor, a writer, essayist and translator.

Yesterday he appeared on an interview on Spanish radio SER, so I looked for more information about him. Here are three links and some videos about him, on our etc-page you can find his interview yesterday on the radio (Cadena SER).

- Daniel Tammet @ Wikipedia.

- Daniel Tammet's webpage.
- Optimnem: language courses.

Video "THE BOY WITH THE INCREDIBLE BRAIN":

Video "DIFFERENT WAYS OF KNOWING", a lecture by Daniel Tammet:

BREXIT STARTS TODAY

The moment Theresa May's letter is handed in to Europe Council's president Donald Tusk by Tim Barrow.

Today, March 28th, is the day Brexit starts, and this is how the British newspaper THE GUARDIAN has shown its front page. Below the video of the Prime Minister Theresa May's statement on the Article 50.

Video:

ORIGIN OF THE MONTHS' NAMES

Another video to explain, this time, the origin of the names of the months of the year.

Video:

IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE LONDON TERROR ATTACK.

Last Wednesday, as our student's were boarding on their plane to London at Alvedro, we learnt about the breaking news of the terror attack on one of London's most iconic tourist landmarks: Westminster Bridge and the Big Ben at the Houses of Parliament. 

Today in the aftermath of the attack, we're including an infographic photo of how the attacks happened and some videos which retrace it.

Our condolences to the victims, amongst who is a woman who has family roots in Betanzos.

Videos:

- Video with data:

- Retracing the attacker's route:

THE UGLY TRUTH OF CHILDREN'S BOOKS

Here's a video which shows the ugly truth of children's books when it comes to display the relevant presence of determined female charcters in them. In the picture you can see shelves packed with books... there'll be just a fewin the video  at the end of the selection.

Equality doesn't exist here, though things are changing, as you will also see.

Video "THE IGLY TRUTH OF CHILDREN'S BOOKS":

Galician version of this post @ ArquivosDoTrasno.

"RAFAEL DIESTE" 4ºESO STUDENTS' TRIP TO LONDON

We're glad to announce that this afternoon, a group of twelve 4ºESO students from our school will be boarding on a plane in Alvedro on a 5-day trip to London.

They'll be visiting important landmarks in the capital* and they'll also be visiting a school in the village of Waddesdon, 95kms away. There, they'll also go to visit Waddesdon Manor, which belonged to the Rothschild family.

Have a good trip! Enjoy!

+ info: Waddesdon Manor
* BREAKING NEWS: TERROR ATTACK @ WESTMINSTER.
Unfortunately, as they were boarding on the plane, we've learnt that there has been a terrorist attack on Westminter Bridge by the Big Ben & Houses of Parliament.
Link to LATEST UPDATES OF THE NEWS.
Info on the attack: