Entries Tagged 'News' ↓

Last April an unknown Scottish woman by the name of Susan Boyle became an overnight sensation when she performed on the Britain’s Got Talent show. The less-than-glamorous 48-year-old defied expectations when she performed a stunning rendition of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ from Les Miserables. Fifty million YouTube hits later, and she became a worldwide celebrity. Joining the ranks of Tom Cruise, Naomi Campbell and Michael Jackson, she was even invited to the Oprah Winfrey show – with one caveat. Despite being a fellow English speaker, American television bosses decided to run her interview with subtitles because they feared many of their viewers would not understand her heavy Scottish accent. Continue reading →

This May 27th the big final between FC Barcelona and Manchester United will take place in Rome. For many of us who live and work in Catalonia this is a very exciting time, and the energy is palpable: draped over many a balcony are the typical ‘blaugrana’ flags, and the newspapers and television stations update us regularly on the latest FC Barcelona developments.

Even though Europe stands united behind the flag of the European Union, its citizens still speak their own languages, watch different television shows, and read different newspapers. Football, the world’s most popular game, is something that many Europeans share in common. People from different backgrounds come together to watch the game – even though they might wish for different results.

Perhaps an effortless and enjoyable way to practise your English is to follow the Champion’s League in English. Here are a few English language websites about football (‘soccer’ in American English) that you might find useful: soccernet.com, fourfourtwo.com, sportinglife.com, footballnewsblog.co.uk

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Nearly 40 years ago Earth Day started as a grassroots movement with the hippies. Now, four decades later, it has blossomed into a global cause. With issues such as global warming and renewable energy ever more present in our daily lives, Earth Day is an important moment to reflect on how we can help protect our unique planet.

We hope you will join us in making a commitment to a responsible lifestyle. Little things like recycling and moderate water consumption go a long way. Avoiding unnecessary trips in your car, installing energy efficient appliances in your home, and using solar and wind power not only save you money, they also put less of a strain on the environment.

Today, April 22nd, join billions of people in making a commitment to keeping our home beautiful and liveable.

It may come as some consolation that even among top-ranking politicians there can be some awkwardness when it comes to knowledge of other countries’ customs. Witness the recent encounters between the President of the United States and the Première Dame of France. When Carla Bruni leaned in for the customary kiss on the cheek, Obama instead stuck out his hand for a handshake. Only later during an evening dinner reception was the gaffe rectified, and they correctly performed the ‘kiss greeting’.

Also, in a reception with Queen Elizabeth II, First Lady Michelle Obama briefly put her hand on the Queen’s back, which is a big no-no according to standard protocol. One never touches the Queen of England — as tradition holds it, she’s the protector of the faith, as holy as the Pope himself. This incident echoed former Australian Prime minister John Howard, who put his arm around the Queen to direct her through a crowd. Needless to say, the British tabloid press was loving it all.

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Penelope Cruz has just become the first Spanish actress to win an Oscar for her role in last year’s hit movie, Vicky Cristina Barcelona. A native of Madrid, she has been a rising star in Hollywood ever since her 1998 Hollywood debut in the movie Hi-Lo Country.

She admits that speaking English is “like torture sometimes”. Nevertheless, the sultry beauty from Alcobendas has come a long way, and has proven to her compatriots and the bigwigs in Hollywood that she is a true star.

It is not surprising that Ms. Cruz would have trouble with her initial forays into the red-carpeted glamour of Hollywood. Like many of the 34-year-old star’s generation, she didn’t grow up learning English, and only started learning the language late in life (in her case, at the age of 18). Due to Spain’s past language education policies, it is at the tail-end of foreign language abilities in a recent EU survey from 2005 – coming 24th place out the 27 EU countries, tied with Italy and Portugal.

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