English in Madrid

Image created by Chat GPT 'If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain': The wit and wisdom of Dolly Parton Dolly Parton, the much-loved US singer-songwriter who has died at the age of 80, was known for her pearls of wisdom and humour as well as her music. She regularly offered her perceptive and witty insights about life, music, fame and equal rights. Here are some of her most memorable quotes from down the years : Philosophy " The way I see it , if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain." "I always just thought if you see somebody without a smile, give 'em yours!" "I'm not going to limit myself just because people won't accept the fact that I can do something else." "If you don't like the road you're walking, start paving another one ." "Don't get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life." "Storms make trees take deeper roots ." "Sometime...

Singer Julio Iglesias faces Spanish inquiry into sexual assault allegations Two women have accused the Spanish singer Julio Iglesias of sexually assaulting them while they were working for him and allege that he "normalised abuse" in a coercive , threatening and violent environment. The allegations, made in reports by Spanish news site elDiario.es and US outlet Univision, are being investigated by Spain's judiciary. The singer employed the two women at his properties in Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic, and Lyford Cay, in the Bahamas. According to their testimonies, the sexual assaults took place in 2021. Iglesias, who is 82, has been a household name in Spain since the 1960s and has sold millions of records worldwide . According to elDiario.es and Univision, Iglesias and his lawyer did not respond to repeated requests for a response to the allegations ahead of their publication. However, a woman identified as a manager of one of the singer's Caribbean pro...

Image source:  Brandee Taylor en Unsplash The Andy Warhol painting that put him at odds with Donald Trump has a new owner   In 1981, the tycoon commissioned the artist to do a series of works inspired by Trump Tower, but he did not like the result and did not pay for it. Four decades later, ‘New York Skyscrapers ’ has been auctioned for almost $1 million  In 1981, six years before his death, Andy Warhol devoted the spring to a limited series of paintings commissioned by Donald Trump. The American tycoon, then 34 years old, asked the artist for paintings inspired by Trump Tower, which was still under construction, to adorn the atrium of his first architectural project, located at 725 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. “New York Skyscrapers stands as a testament to Warhol’s ability to encapsulate the spirit of an era characterised by excess, and it remains a powerful commentary on the pursuit of the American Dream as seen through the lens of one of the 20th century’s most ic...

Image generated by Chat GPT Spanish actor's son jailed for gruesome murder The son of a renowned Spanish actor has been jailed for life after he killed and dismembered a man on the southern Thai island of Koh Phangan last year. Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, the son of television star Rodolfo Sancho Aguirre, claimed he killed Colombian plastic surgeon Edwin Arrieta Arteaga in self-defence. He pleaded guilty to the murder in August 2023. At the time , Sancho, now 30, told Spanish news agency EFE he had been a " hostage " to Arrieta, who he said was obsessed with him. The case has generated a huge amount of interest in Spain, with scores of Spanish reporters flying to Thailand for the trial . Sancho was found guilty of premeditated murder, concealing a corpse , and destruction of property . A court on nearby island Koh Samui, where the case was heard, initially issued a death sentence for murder, but this was commuted to life imprisonment after taking into accou...

Source: You Tube (Sony Pictures Releasing UK) Key Words: Napoleon trailer Napoleon: The truth about 'small man syndrome' https://t.co/smu5XKcT6M via @BBC_Reel — English in Madrid (@madteacher72) November 26, 2023 Napoleon myth explained amid claim French general’s 'very small penis sold in USA’ NAPOLEON Bonaparte's penis has allegedly traded hands several times since his death amid claims it was removed during his autopsy - but there is a far more simple explanation. Napoleon was arguably the greatest general in history. Even the Duke of Wellington, who famously defeated him at the Battle of Waterloo, claimed “his presence in the field made the difference of 40,000 men". But there are many myths about Bonaparte ‒ who conquered most of Europe before his downfall in 1815 ‒ and the fate of his penis is one such myth. The story goes that after Napoleon died in 1821, Dr Francois Antommarchi concluded the autopsy by removing his penis.  He is then said to h...

Shakira: Singer settles Spanish tax fraud case with €7.5m fine Colombian pop star Shakira has reached a deal with Spanish prosecutors to settle a tax fraud case, just as her trial was about to begin. The singer has paid a €7.5m (£6.5m) fine - prosecutors had wanted to jail her for eight years and fine her €23.8m (£20.8m) if found guilty . She had faced tax fraud allegations for €14.5m (£12.7m) in a Barcelona court. Shakira, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing , said she settled "with the best interest of my kids at heart ". In a lengthy statement , she said her children "do not want to see their mom sacrifice her personal well-being in this fight". The performer had previously rejected a deal offered by prosecutors, instead opting to go to trial. " Throughout my career, I have always strived to do what's right and set a positive example for others," she said. "Unfortunately, and despite these efforts, tax authorities in Spain pursue...

Image created with Chat GPT Gerard Pique hits back at ex Shakira's diss track as he turns up   to work in a Twingo after she declared he'd ' traded a Ferrari' for the budget  car Gerard Pique has sent a clear message to his ex Shakira amid their very public breakup . The footballer hit back at his ex's diss track which targets   his new romance, by turning up to work over the weekend in a Renault Twingo car. The £8000 car was a deliberate choice, following Shakira's declaration in her newly released song that the former footballer had 'traded a Ferrari for a Twingo,' when he started dating his new partner Clara Chia Marti.  Smiling for the camera, Gerard happily parked his budget car among the more flashy motors as he arrived for work at his new seven-a-side project King's League in Barcelona. Shakira has unveiled a diss track aimed at her ex with producer Bizarrap, dubbed Shakira Bzrp Music Sessions 53, which was released in Spanish las...

Source: 磊 周 en Unsplash WHAT A MESS I filmed myself getting huge Messi tattoo across my forehead after World Cup win – two weeks later I hate it   A LIONEL Messi fan says he regrets tattoo ing the footballer's name on his forehead following Argentina’s victory in the World Cup. Colombian influencer, Maicol Quinonez, shared the shocking moment he got ‘Messi’ tattooed in huge letters across his head in a social media post. Now only two weeks later, the influencer more widely known as Mike Jambs says he hates the tattoo. The bizarre inking was a tribute to World Cup champion Lionel Messi and Quinonez captioned his post “ Fulfilling the challenge . I love you @leomessi’. The digital creator also had three stars tattooed on one of his cheeks representing Argentina’s World Cup wins and D10s on the other - a play on the Spanish word for ‘God’ and the footballers famous shirt number. Quinonez has racked up over 143,000 followers on Instagram, many of whom mocked the ...

  Source: Simone Savoldi on Unsplash Benedict: The Pope who resigned from the papacy Benedict XVI was already 78 when he became Pope in 2005. Age and ill health quickly took their toll , prompting his resignation less than eight years later. No other pope had stepped down since Gregory XII in 1415 and Benedict was the first to do so voluntarily since Celestine V in 1294. When he became 265th Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church it was the culmination of the rapid, and highly controversial , rise of Joseph Ratzinger. Supporters portrayed him as a highly intellectual man who laboured to protect the spiritual inheritance bequeathed to him by Pope John Paul II. To his critics he was the ultimate exponent and guardian of the Church's dogmatic approach to issues like abortion and contraception. The outrage he sometimes caused seemed typical of a man who was never afraid of upsetting people - if he believed something had to be said or done. Joseph Aloysius Ratzinger was born ...