English in Madrid

Source: You Tube (Qmusic - België) Key Words: Jeremy Kyle skull tattoo This is an example of a talk show - British style. It invites members of the public to discuss their relationship or family problems in front of an audience. Typical titles of the show are: My daughters won't accept their stepmother .  We're having a baby - should we even be together? A one-night stand caught on CCTV ? Can I t rust my girlfriend? You don't deserve to be a dad.... our family is better off without you. And the typical guest on the show is: a 20 year-old unmarried mum with 2 kids by 2 different fathers. a 25 year-old man who beats up his girlfriend and has a drug problem a man, his wife and her lesbian lover someone who has had a lifetime on benefits (unemployment, housing, invalidity ...whichever one they can claim ) The guests usually shout and swear at each other, and there is a (big and tough ) security man  at hand for when they start to fight with one anoth...

Source: Wikipedia ( Якушкин Иван )   Real Madrid unveil Jose Mourinho as their new coach Jose Mourinho has been unveiled as the new manager of Real Madrid after signing a four-year deal at the club. The 47-year-old replaced Chilean Manuel Pellegrini to become Real's 11th coach in the past seven years. "I like to give myself a challenge and this is a big one," said Mourinho. "I have a lot of confidence in myself and my ability as a coach." Sporting director Jorge Valdano said: "It's an honour to have one of the most prestigious coaches in the world." Valdano added: "We are delighted to have him here with us. The best thing for our club right now is to have Mourinho with us." Mourinho, once on the coaching staff at Barcelona, has moved to Spain after Real and his former club Inter Milan agreed a compensation package. The Portuguese boss won the Champions League in his final game at Inter after his side defeated Bayern Munich ...

Do you smoke? Would you like to give up? How many cigarettes do you smoke a day? Are you an ex-smoker? Was giving up easy? Are you ever tempted to have another cigarette? How do you stop yourself? What are your opinions on smoking? Does smoking bother you? Do you think there should be a complete ban in all public places? How can the young be discouraged from starting the habit? What do you think of the idea of putting graphic images on packets to show the consequences of smoking? Smoking legislation in Spain has not reduced the number of smokers The finding comes from the latest Eurobarometer research There are now more smokers in Spain than when the 2006 anti-smoking legislation came into effect. According to the Eurobarometer, 35% of Spaniards still smoke, going against the reduction seen in other parts of Europe, where the average number of smokers has fallen to 29%. It means that if the Government’s intention was to reduce the number of smokers with the current law, ...

Source: Marvin Meyer on Unsplash Comparing income with peers causes unhappiness Comparing your i ncome with those of family and friends is a recipe for unhappiness, a study has suggested. Researchers analysing data from a Europe-wide survey found three-quarters of those asked thought it important to compare their incomes with others. But those who compared salaries seem less content, especially if they looked at those of friends and family rather than work colleagues. The paper in the Economic Journal also found the poor were most affected. The researchers, from the Paris School of Economics, used data from the European Social Survey covering 19,000 participants in 24 countries. They found that those who compared their incomes with others tended to be less happy. The responses showed that the greater the importance people attached to such comparisons, the lower they ranked themselves on measures of satisfaction with life and standard of living , as well as on fe...

Source:  Jametlene Reskp on Unsplash Men tell more lies than women Men are more likely to tell lies than women and feel less guilty about it, says a survey . In a poll of 3,000 people, researchers found that the average British man tells three lies every day, that's equivalent to 1,092 a year. However the average woman appears more honest, lying 728 times a year - around twice a day. Mums are the people mostly likely to be lied to, says the Science Museum who commissioned the survey . Twenty-five per cent of men say they've lied to their mother, but only 20% of women admit to hav ing lied to their mum. In comparison, only 10% of people said they are likely to lie to their partner. MEN'S TOP 10 LIES 1. I didn't have that much to drink 2. Nothing's wrong, I'm fine 3. I had no signal 4. It wasn't that expensive 5. I'm on my way 6. I'm stuck in traffic 7. No, your bum doesn't look big in that 8. Sorry, I missed y...

What is the Queen's Speech? Written by the government and delivered by the reigning monarch, the Queen's Speech sets out the legislative agenda for the year ahead and is the centrepiece of the state opening of Parliament. Each session of Parliament begins with this royal address and covers the following year. In most years it takes place in November. But every time there is a general election, Parliament is dissolved and the Queen's Speech takes place shortly after the government comes to power, as happened in 1997, 2001 and 2005. The ceremonial trappings surrounding the speech make the event one of the high points of the parliamentary calendar, unrivalled in its spectacle and tradition despite some of the more arcane practices having been toned down in recent years. The Queen normally attends the state opening in person and delivers the speech from the grand throne in the House of Lords. Her speech does not set out the entirety of the government's p...

Source: You Tube (ProRepublica) Key Words: Fergie sells Andrew Cash claims 'devastate' duchess The Duchess of York is "devastated" and " regretful " after newspaper claims she offered to sell access to ex-husband Prince Andrew, her spokeswoman says. The News of the World said Sarah Ferguson was recorded by an undercover reporter posing as a businessman. She appears to accept $40,000 in cash. The paper says the prince - a UK trade envoy - knew nothing about the alleged £500,000 ($723,000) deal. The spokeswoman told PA the duchess regrets the incident. According to the video soundtrack the 50-year-old duchess tells the undercover reporter "£500,000 when you can, to me... open doors". She also says the cash would "open up all the channels whatever you need, whatever you want, and then that's what and then you meet Andrew and that's fine. "And that's, that's when you really open up whatever you want." ...

They think it’s all over SECRET plans by cocky English civic leaders to stage a World Cup victory parade are revealed today - 50 days BEFORE the final. Civic bosses in London are drawing up   proposals for a massive bash - despite the Auld Enemy last winning the tournament 44 years ago. The event would bring the city to a standstill - IF Fabio Capello's squad manage to triumph at the final in South Africa on July 11. City of London officials are believed to have started negotiations with other local authority bosses over the celebration by Wayne Rooney annd Co. It's thought transport and police chiefs will also be involved in deciding where and when would be most suitable for a parade. Last night one insider said the procession would "eclipse anything seen before." The source added: "Planning officials have to prepare for events like this months in advance - even if they are just a possibility. "Traffic, police and routes have to be pl...

A friend of mine told me he heard a report on Spanish radio about the death of the Scottish inventor of the cash machine. To be honest I had never heard of him, so I did a bit of googling. The hole-in-the-wall is another one on the long list of Scottish inventions which includes: fax machine - Alexander Bain television - John Logie Baird telephone - Alexander Graham Bell penicillin - Alexander Fleming pneumatic tyre - John Dunlop colour photography - James Clerk Maxwell steam engine - James Watt radar - Robert Watson - Watt ultrasound scanner - Ian Donald refrigerator - William Cullen thermos flask - James Dewar tarmac - John McAdam anaesthetics - James Young Simpson And I could go on..... Not bad for a small country! Cashpoint inventor cheques out THE Scots brainbox who invented the first hole-in-the-wall cash machine has died aged 84. John Shepherd-Barron came up with* the idea for an ATM in the 1960s as he soaked in the BATH. The married ...

Source: You Tube (simplykumcheong) Key Words: Kimberly Vlaminck star tattoos Girl with 56 stars tattooed on face admits she asked for them A teenage girl who claimed 56 stars were tattooed on her on her face as she slept when she asked for three has admitted she was awake the whole time – and lied because her father was "furious". Kimberley Vlaminck had insisted she dozed off after asking the tattooist for just three small stars – then woke in horror to find her face was covered. The Belgian blamed the Flemish-speaking tattooist for not being able to understand her French and English instructions. Amid a frenzy of media attention, she then said she would sue the tattoo artist, Rouslan Toumaniantz, for the £9,000 she needed for laser surgery to have them removed. She said after the tattooing last week: "It is terrible for me. I cannot go out on to the street. I look like a freak." But the 18-year-old has finally confessed she did not fall asleep, that s...