English in Madrid

Source:  Tim Mossholder on Unsplash Learning a language is resolution for one in five Brits, survey says   Learning a language will be a new year's resolution for about one in five Britons in 2018, a survey suggests. About one in three said they intend to learn at least some key phrases. Spanish was the most popular language among 2,109 UK adults questioned by Populus for the British Council. "If we are to remain globally competitive post-Brexit, we need more people who can speak languages," said British Council schools advisor , Vicky Gough. Of the representative sample of adults polled : 64% said they had always wanted to speak another language fluently  56% said they regretted never hav ing made the effort to do so   58% agreed it was more important than ever for people in the UK to learn another language  but only a third said they could currently hold a basic conversation in one  45% were embarrassed by their poor langu...

Source:  Annie Spratt on Unsplash Polar bear video: Is it really the 'face of climate change'? It is harrowing footage . An emaciated polar bear searches for food on Baffin Island, north-eastern Canada.  Exhausted, it drags one leg slowly behind it, eventually trying to eat some discarded seating foam among rubbish humans have left. Polar bears hunt from the sea ice, which is diminishing every year, and the photography team are certain the unfortunate animal died within days . Watch the video here     Source : National Geographic "This is what starvation looks like ," wrote one of the photographers, Paul Nicklen. "The muscles atrophy. No energy. It's a slow, painful death." Mr Nicklen's colleague, Cristina Mittermeier, said: "We cried as we filmed this dying bear. This is the face of climate change." The clip has gone viral, widely shared as a warning about the dangers of climate change. But is there more to it ? ...

Source:  Annie Spratt on Unsplash Warmer Arctic is the 'new normal' A warming , rapidly changing Arctic is the "new normal" and shows no signs of returning to the reliably frozen region of the past. This is according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Arctic Report Card . Director of the administration's Arctic Researcher Program, Dr Jeremy Mathis, said the region did a great service to the planet - acting as a refrigerator. "We've now left that refrigerator door open," he added. Dr Mathis was speaking at the annual American Geophysical Union meeting in New Orleans, where Noaa presented its annual summation of Arctic science. This is the 12th report the administration has produced. And although it pointed to "a few anomalies" in a recent pattern of warming in the Arctic region, Dr Mathis said: "We can confirm, it will not stay in its reliably frozen state." "The thing I took t...

Source:  Ric Matkowski en Unsplash Garden shed becomes best rated restaurant on TripAdvisor - but it serves up Iceland ready meals  Oobah Butler created the fake "appointment only" restaurant in his garden using photographs of food and decoration made up of shaving foam and bleach A garden shed became the top-rated restaurant on TripAdvisor after a writer tricked the popular review site by submitting fake reviews. Oobah Butler, who writes for Vice, created the fake restaurant in his garden by setting up a website with photographs of food, which were in fact made from shaving foam, bleach and extra texture provided by using his bare foot as a backdrop . He based his meals on moods in a bid to set it apart from other restaurants - but many of the dishes served on opening night were in fact, Iceland ready meals . He bought a mobile phone and registered the number as the restaurant's while refusing to give an address as it was "appointment-only...

Source:    Bas van der Linden en Unsplash On Thursday I went to a vegan restaurant and without a doubt , it was the tastiest vegan meal I have had in Madrid. I will certainly go back. Ver esta publicación en Instagram Una publicación compartida de • V E G A • Restaurantes (@vegarestaurantes) Here are some of the reviews of Vega on Trip Advisor : ***** 28 September 2017 Dinner We went last Saturday evening. Food was yummy . Simple wholesome dishes filled with organic veggies and accompanied by some yum black rice. The mushroom croquetas were really tasty. As was the dessert, Panna cotta. The staff were helpful and very friendly. Would definitely go back. ****  22 June 2017 Fun, different and tasty ! We visited on a Saturday night and they were full (so definitely book in advance , thankfully we had). The atmosphere was great, it's a small place and it was bustling . The dining style is fairly casual with high tables, people eating at t...