English in Madrid

Source:  Simon Berger on Unsplash The anti Valentine website: find a girlfriend and you’re out   Himote SNS is an internet forum for the habitually unpopular and the brainchild of a 23-year-old virgin. You ’ve got to love it...  Valentine’s Day is a torment for single people all over the world but few have as much to endure as young Japanese such as Hiroyuki Egami. The soppy   pink cards and boxes of over-priced chocolate start appearing in shops in early January. By the time February 14 finally comes around shops, advertisers and the mass media are united in a sugary hymn to the virtues of romance. “It’s this idea that you only have value if you’re half of a couple, that you have to be in a relationship,” Mr Egami, a 23-year-old website designer, said. “But I never had a girlfriend. I am still a virgin. I think I am more unpopular than most people. And there are others like me.” Rather than suffer ing in silence, a few months ago Mr Egami set up...

Source: Enrico Tavian en Unsplash If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men . ~ St. Francis of Assisi God loved the birds and invented trees. Man loved the birds and invented cages . ~Jacques Deval, Afin de vivre bel et bien I care not much for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it. ~Abraham Lincoln Hunting is not a sport. In a sport, both sides should know they're in the game. ~Paul Rodriguez The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men. ~Alice Walker Life is life - whether in a cat, or dog or man. There is no difference there between a cat or a man. The idea of difference is a human conception for man's own advantage. ~Sri Aurobindo Deer hunting would be fine sport , if only the deer had guns. ~Will...

Source: aboodi vesakaran en Unsplash "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated"  I like to think the above quote from Mahatma Ghandi is true. Here are some more Ghandi quotes: An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind. In a gentle way, you can shake the world. Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed . Read more Ghandi quotes here . What are your favourites? Read the quotes of other famous people here . What are your favourites and why? Source: Brainy Quote  

Source:  SAURABH MISHRA en Unsplash Ghandi's spectacles up for sale Mahatma Gandhi's iconic spectacles , which he once said gave him "the vision to free India", are to be sold at an auction in New York. A pair of the Indian independence leader's sandals and his pocket watch also form part of the sale next month. Auctioneers have put an estimate of £30,000 ($42,000) on the items but expect the winning bid to be higher. Because Gandhi had so few possessions, the sale is expected to attract huge attention from across the world. Gandhi presented the spectacles to Indian army Colonel H A Shiri Diwan Nawabin in the 1930s, after he had asked the great leader for inspiration. "Gandhi gave him the glasses and said: 'These gave me the vision to free India'," said Michelle Halpern, from Antiquorum Auctioneers in New York which will stage the sale on 4-5 March. Peaceful resistance Gandhi's modest lifestyle - epitomised by his simple ...

Source: Youtube  ( Charles Magalhães)  Key Words: Coldplay la vida I * used to rule the world Seas * would rise when I gave the word Now in the morning I sleep alone Sweep the streets I used to own I used to roll the dice Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes Listen as the crowd would sing "Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!" One minute I held the key Next the walls were closed on me And I discovered that my castles stand Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing Roman Cavalry choirs are singing Be my mirror, my sword and shield My missionaries in a foreign field For some reason I can't explain Once you go there was never Never an honest word And that was when I ruled the world It was a  wicked and wild wind Blew down the doors to let me in Shattered windows and the sound of drums People couldn't believe what I'd become Revolutionaries wait For my head on a silver plate ...

Source: Jonatan Moerman en Unsplash Source: You Tube (NewYork Times)   Key words Javier Bardem screen test Listen to Javier and write a summary of what he says. Consider the following questions: When did he first realise that he wanted to be an actor? What are his memories of the first film that he ever saw? What is his favourite sport? What did it teach him? How did he react when he first read the script from Woody Allen? What did Victoria Abril say that he liked? How did that help him play the character in "No Country for Old Men"? What do the Oscars mean to him? How does he rate his English?

Source: You Tube (The New York Times)   Key Words: Penelope Cruz screen test How do you rate her English? Can you answer the following questions? Write a summary of what she talks about. Where did Penelope live when she was very young? When did she first think about trying to become an actress? How does she feel about New York? How does she feel about LA? When did she first see the film "Tie me up, tie me down"? What was she doing when Almodovar called her for the first time? How did she react? What did she used to do that shows how obsessed she was with Almodovar? What did Almodovar promise her? What do people think of Woody Allen in Spain? What memories does she have about the film "Deconstrucitng Harry"? What normally happens when people have a meeting with Woody Allen? Why was she surprised by the audience's reaction in Cannes? What often happens the day after the Oscars? What did she do after the ceremony? What did ballet teach her? ...

I have always been concerned about animal rights. A couple of weeks ago I decided to participate in the action of Equanimal . We went to Galicia in order to disrupt the fox hunting championship being held there. I have been following their news with great interest for one or two years now. What are the arguments for and against hunting?