English in Madrid

Source: Anastase Maragos on Unsplash Body image concerns more men than women, research finds Anxiety about body image has led to some men conceding they would exchange a year of their life for the perfect physique More men worry about their body shape and appearance – beer bellies, "man boobs" or going bald – than women do about how they look, according to research. More than four in five men (80.7%) talk in ways that promote anxiety about their body image by referring to perceived flaws and imperfections, compared with 75% of women. Similarly, 38% of men would sacrifice at least a year of their life in exchange for a perfect body – again, a higher proportion than women. "These findings tell us that men are concerned about body image, just like women. We knew that 'body talk' affected women and young people and now we know that it affects men too," said Dr Phillippa Diedrichs, from the centre of appearance research at the University of the West of E...

Women are better at parking than men, study suggests It is a cliché almost as old as the motor car itself, and the subject of many a sexist joke. But the idea that women cannot park is simply untrue, according to research indicating that female drivers are more adept than men at manoeuvring into a space. Covert surveillance of car parks across Britain has shown that while women may take longer to park, they are more likely to leave their vehicles in the middle of a bay. The study is one of the most comprehensive ever conducted on gender driving differences, and took into account seven key components of parking styles.  Women were also found to be better at finding spaces, more accurate in lining themselves up before starting each manoeuvre, and more likely to adopt instructors’ preferred method of reversing into bays.  Men were shown to be more skilled at driving forwards into spaces and more confident overall, with fewer opting to reposition their car once in a bay....

Source: Wikipedia (Victor Santa Maria) Spain's Franco-era probe judge Baltasar Garzón on trial  A high-profile Spanish judge has gone on trial accused of violating a 1977 amnesty law by investigating civil war and Franco-era crimes.  Baltasar Garzón is accused by two right-wing groups of overstepping his powers by trying to prosecute crimes committed between 1936 and 1975.  The case has reignited the debate about the way Spain has dealt with its past.  Mr Garzón's defence has called for the case to be dropped - a move backed by public prosecutors. Under Spanish law, private citizens can try to bring criminal charges against a person even if prosecutors disagree.  But Mr Garzón's lawyer, Gonzalo Martinez-Fresneda argued on Tuesday that the case should be dropped as there was no "directly harmed" party involved - and public prosecutor Luis Navajas agreed, asking "that the trial be shelved".  Madrid's Supreme Court - the only court in Spain able to hear...

Source: Wikipedia Spain could wield veto over Scotland's EU membership Independence for Scots could embolden separatists in Catalonia and Basque region, Madrid fears Spain is standing in the way of Scotland's ambitions to become an independent nation within the European Union because of fears that it could spark the break-up of the Spanish state. Spanish officials have registered concerns with counterparts in the United Kingdom over the Scottish government's independence blueprint, senior Whitehall sources confirmed yesterday. Spain has indicated it could block an independent Scotland's accession to the European Union, sources said. It has already refused to recognise Kosovo's existence as an independent state. Madrid fears such moves will encourage separatist ambitions in Spanish regions, particularly Catalonia and the Basque region. Spain's refusal to recognise Kosovo has frustrated the former Serbian province's ambitions to enter the union. The...

Image source : Roberto Vongher @ wikipedia Costa Concordia: Italians buy t-shirts with 'Get back on board, for ----’s sake!' logo Italians show anger at the Costa Concordia cruise ship captain, Francesco Schettino, with t-shirts screaming "Get back on board, for ----’s sake!" and the creation of Facebook pages and Twitter hashtags. It has come to symbolise the entire disaster – the furious command barked down a phone line by a Coast Guard official to the captain of the Costa Concordia to get back on the ship and take command of the mass evacuation. “Get back on board, for ----’s sake,” screamed the official, Gregorio De Falco – a phrase that has now gone viral among Italians on Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites. Source: Daily Telegraph Vocabulary : to scream   / a scream  - a hashtag - for f***'s sake / for God's sake / for pete's sake - to bark / a bark - to run aground - the crew - soul-searching - to...

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