English in Madrid

Source:  Matthew Henry on Unsplash Blue Monday: Why it's a ' load of rubbish ' Christmas is over , it's cold and dark outside and that summer holiday seems like a world away . Blue Monday - also known as the most depressing day of the year - has been trending on Twitter all day .  Coined by psychologist Cliff Arnall in 2004, it falls on the third Monday in January every year. He came up with it after a holiday company asked him for a "scientific formula" for the January blues . Unsurprisingly , there was nothing scientific about it . Sophie Edwards, from Kent, has suffered with panic attacks and anxiety since the age of seven. She thinks labelling one day a year can be damaging for people dealing with their mental health issues . "I think Blue Monday is a load of rubbish to be honest - it's just a label on an ordinary day but it puts a lot of pressure on people who already have a mental illness to overcome it," Sophi...

Source:  Brett Jordan on Unsplash Here is a look back at some Tweets from 2019: The fires in many parts of Brazil’s Amazon area have brought an international outcry to save the world’s largest rainforest. https://t.co/5l33MmTDSG — VOA Learning English (@VOALearnEnglish) September 2, 2019 ✈️Do you like to travel? Do you ever worry that too many people visiting somewhere might damage the place they’ve come to see? It’s what we're discussing in 6 Minute English. Click and listen. https://t.co/ExrOXjm0mo #learnenglish #bbclearningenglish #vocab #travel #tourism pic.twitter.com/vdm3yb72Lq — BBC Learning English (@bbcle) September 12, 2019 A brief history of gender neutral pronouns https://t.co/G3XdBXGX6Y — Graham Mad Teacher (@madteacher72) September 22, 2019 Environmental #activist Greta Thunberg made an emotional speech at the UN #climate change summit in NY. She didn't appear pleased when President #Trump showed up. Learn #vocab in t...

Source: David Švihovec on Unsplash Spain's Magaluf and Ibiza crack down on alcohol-fuelled holidays Spain's Balearic Islands have passed a law banning pub crawls   and happy hours in three popular tourist destinations in a bid to crack down on alcohol-fuelled holidays. Restrictions apply to the tourist hotspots of Playa de Palma and Magaluf in Majorca and Sant Antoni in Ibiza. The regional government said it was the first law of its kind in Europe. Ibiza and Majorca have long been magnets for young British, German and Irish tourists. The measures adopted on Friday are just the latest effort by authorities to try to rein in heavy drinking on the Mediterranean islands. But some traders say the move could hurt small businesses. What are the new measures?  The new law includes a string of measures aimed at cracking down on so-called " booze   tourism", where visitors are encouraged to binge  drink . Organised pub crawls can no longer be...

Source: Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash Santander heir   gets £44m fine   for trying to smuggle   Picasso painting out of Spain on his yacht A billionaire member of the family that  runs  the Santander banking empire has been  sentenced  to 18 months in jail and fined €52.4 million (£45m) after being found guilty of attempting to smuggle a protected Picasso painting out of Spanish territory on his luxury yacht. The verdict by a Madrid court, which Jamie Botín’s lawyers have said he will appeal , comes almost five years after ‘Head of a Young Woman’ was seized on board the former banker’s schooner off the coast of Corsica. Mr Botín, 83, now a retired banker and uncle of Santander’s executive chairwoman, Ana Botín, denied wish ing to sell the Picasso painting abroad, but he broke the law in taking it outside Spanish jurisdiction after it was listed as a national heritage item. In 2012 Spanish authorities began to monitor Mr Botín’s...

Source: Photo by Chris J. Davis on Unsplash Have a look back at some more tweets from 2019 Vocab: to tick a box a rookie a sleuth to deny wrongdoing regardless of ... admittedly, ... to prowl to be run over (by a car) to carry out (tests) to take off (an idea) What other words did you come across? https://t.co/55iD23lBCW — Graham Mad Teacher (@madteacher72) May 5, 2019 BBC News - Grumpy Cat internet legend dies https://t.co/vD7qki8NEJ — Graham Mad Teacher (@madteacher72) May 18, 2019 Should we all try to be less angry? https://t.co/RURfyAa7s7 vía @bbcideas — Graham Mad Teacher (@madteacher72) May 24, 2019 Six Scottish D-Day veterans - all now in their 90s - recall the Normandy landings 75 years ago. https://t.co/MaHfkfPHDm pic.twitter.com/c853zLOCp6 — BBC Scotland News (@BBCScotlandNews) June 1, 2019 Former King of Spain's ex-mistress will be quizzed over payment claims https://t.co/qrY8jJwQaS — Graham Mad Teacher (@madteac...

Source: Brett Jordan on Unsplash Remind yourselves of #WOTD from Weeks 1 - 4:   What words are you going to try to use? Now try the crossword:  Check out all the  other words of the day . Tweet me some example sentences of your own.  Test your #WOTD knowledge in Quizlet .

Source: Photo by Sara Kurfeß on Unsplash Here is a look back at some Tweets from 2019: Goodness and kindness comes from within.. A puppy that was rescued from a frozen lake has been adopted by the man who saved her. The police diver broke through ice to save the dog's life - and will take her home, following her recovery.👏👏 pic.twitter.com/miTqg3LhuM — Angie Karan Ⓥ 🌱🐾 (@angie_karan) January 11, 2019 Spanish city protests against 'too friendly' devil sculpture https://t.co/OiX2Xu8x4b — Graham Mad Teacher (@madteacher72) January 16, 2019 The ongoing taxi strike in Madrid has had an unexpected effect: the roads are actually clearer in the city. The fact that cabs drive more than 100 kilometers a day looking for passengers may have something to do with it... https://t.co/D2XzmojcfO — El País in English (@elpaisinenglish) February 1, 2019 Spain is the healthiest country in the world, according to a study of 169 nations by Bloomberg. Researchers attrib...

Source:  Keith Hardy on Unsplash Dry January withdrawal symptoms : What happens when you stop drink ing alcohol? There are plenty of reasons why many of us will give up alcohol for the first month of the New Year, and new decade. After the excesses of Christmas, Dry January is always a welcome challenge – whether done as a money saving method, a detox for your post-Christmas skin or for charity.  However, amidst all the many benefits, the sudden withdrawal of alcohol might have some worrying side effects on your body. If you cut drink out cold turkey , what symptoms should you expect? Alcohol withdrawal symptoms WebMD lists some of the common effects of alcohol withdrawal, starting with cold sweats and having a racing pulse. Other symptoms, depending how much you drank on a regular basis to begin with, can include: Nausea  Vomiting  Shakes   Anxiety  Severe (but more uncommon) symptoms include seizures or having halluci...