From slave to rebel gladiator: The life of Spartacus - Fiona Radford

UK Education System

Christmas Vocabulary Spanish/English

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British vs American English

BREXIT: insight and analysis

What is “Brexit”?

This term stands for “British Exit” from the European Union (EU). This has happened once before; Britain joined the EU in 1973, and promptly held a referendum on leaving it in 1975. They decided to stay... 40 years ago! However, today's results have drawn a very different outcome: UK citizens want to leave the EU and stand on its own for good.
The independence process is taking two years, but there are too many existing doubts and complex issues yet to be sorted out. Leaving is not that easy.

Is leaving the EU a good idea?

No. At least not if you care about things like the economy or “avoiding an unnecessary immigration crisis of epic proportions”. Economists are virtually united in their assessment that Brexit would cut into Britain’s trading activity and do measurable damage to the economy and growth, at least in the short to medium term. It would force Britain to renegotiate all of its trade deals with the rest of Europe, so it’s hard to predict its exact long term impact. Most believe that, eventually, Britain’s economy could sink.

The economy of the rest of Europe could also sink, to a smaller degree. Brexit would also probably cause Britain’s stock market and currency (pounds £) to fall into recession. On top of all of this, leaving the EU would mean a big change in immigration status for the millions of EU residents currently living and working in Britain. It would be harder for non-British people to stay and to travel to and from Britain.

What are the reasons for the exit?

Brexit is propelled by the same vague anti-immigrant, nationalist sentiment that motivates a lot of Donald Trump voters in the USA. Polls say that immigration, not the economy, is the most powerful driver of  the “Leave” vote. The old “my country first, we’re losing it to the immigrants" idea is digging deep in older, more conservative voters who are more prone to vote "Leave". The younger, more liberal voters, less tied to the past and less fearful of newcomers, are more likely to want to stay.
This ignorant, fear-based anti-immigrant mentality is despicable! 

On the other hand, there are important economical reasons among voters to preserve Britain's welfare. The UK, one of the main global economic forces, might motivate to make changes to ensure that all of its benefits are not widely shared among other less competent countries in the EU like Greek, Eslovenia, Portugal or Bulgaria.

Mother's Day: "THOMAS EDISON, NANCY'S SON."

NATURE IS SPEAKING: English Workshop for the II Science Week

**** Activate Subtitles on YouTube ****

Nombre del taller: “Nature is Speaking”.

Destinatarios: Alumnos de ESO y Bachiller.

Fecha: Del 1 al 5 de febrero.

Explicación del taller: Se procederá a la proyección de unos vídeos en versión original y subtitulados en inglés llamados “Nature is Speaking”, en los cuales actores famosos como Harrison Ford, Julia Roberts, Liam Neeson o Penélope Cruz , entre otros,  personifican los diferentes elementos de la naturaleza; los océanos, el hielo, el agua, los bosques, las plantas o la madre Naturaleza. Nos cuentan el daño causado por los humanos y nos hacen reflexionar sobre la situación actual de sobreexplotación y pasividad. Además, nos invitan a tomar medidas y a concienciarnos sobre la necesidad de proteger la naturaleza y todas las especies que en ella habitan.

Actividad complementaria: Los alumnos dispondrán de un buzón para que redacten una “Carta Abierta a la Naturaleza” y lo depositen en el mismo. Con esta actividad, los estudiantes se podrán dirigir directamente a la madre Naturaleza y a los diferentes elementos para reconocer las acciones erróneas que han cometido, el maltrato o la indiferencia hacia el medioambiente y cómo pueden poner solución a los problemas a los que se enfrenta la naturaleza. Las mejores cartas de cada etapa (ESO y Bachiller) serán seleccionadas y publicadas en el blog del “English Corner” y el blog de “La Semana de la Ciencia”.

Premier League Football Clubs on Map

On this cool map you'll be able to see and learn about the location of the most important Football Clubs on the Premier League.
It's both a geography and a sport learning activity.
Football maniacs will especially love it! Enjoy.

Not big enough? Higher resolution needed?

*** Click HERE to see on the Web ***

Top 10 Most Intelligent Animals

The Hidden Risks of Sitting (Los riesgos ocultos de estar sentado)

The Vikings, by Ana García Ibáñez (4º A ESO)

Parts of the Day

Sunrise / Dawn = amanecer, alba

Midday / Noon = mediodía

Sunset / Dusk = anochecer, crepúsculo

Midnight = medianoche

The 15 World's Deadliest Animals

What would you say is the most dangerous animal on Earth? Sharks? Snakes? Humans?... Of course the answer depends on how you define dangerous.

I encountered this amazing chart while surfing the net and I was shocked to see the information given. The death toll from mosquito bites is 725,000 in a year, whereas sharks kill an average of 10 people per year.

In my case, sharks have been giving me the creeps since I first saw Spielberg's killing white shark movie, Jaws. But if you’re judging by how many people are killed by an animal every year, then the answer isn’t any of the above. Forget about the shark, the hippopotamus, the snake, the wolf, the lion, the elephant or the crocodile. The right answer is... the mosquito! When it comes to killing humans, no other animal even comes close.

The number of mosquito-caused deaths really is a mind-blowing fact. Other than humans killing humans during periods of war (without relevant wars it remains at about 475,000 casualties per year), the mosquito usually wins. The reason? Mosquitoes carry terrible diseases, including malaria (which kills more than 600,000 people every year) or the dengue fever virus.

It is also interesting to see that, apart from the disgraceful human-killing-human factor on the second place, the snake rises on the third position with around 50,000 deaths. This is something I was expecting rather than the dog being the fourth most killing. The reason? Dogs spread and inflict the deadly disease of rabies, which kills around 25,000 people around the globe. After the dog comes strange insects and bugs such as the tse-tse fly, the assassin beetle or the water snail, all of them spreading human killing diseases as well. After them, two disgusting worm species and finally the big ones, known by everyone (crocodiles, hippos,etc.)

Check out the chart above for further details and... you know, beware the mosquito. It can be deadly!

Bad Translator!

Union Jack: the British Flag

The Union Flag, popularly known as the Union Jack, is the national flag of the United Kingdom. Therefore it is the official British flag for a kingdom formed by four different countries: England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

It is called the Union Flag because it symbolises the administrative union of these four countries under the same sovereign. The flag is the sum and combination of the individual flags of three of the Kingdom's countries. The flags that were combined to create The Union Jack were:

- England: represented by the heraldic cross of St. George. This flag, a red cross on a white ground, was introduced by king Richard I in 1194. It is still the flag of England as a single country.

- Scotland: represented by the heraldic cross of St. Andrew, a diagonal white cross on a blue field. In 1603, King James VI of Scotland inherited the English throne after Queen Elizabeth's death, becoming the new King of England as well (James I). In other words, he was the King of two rival kingdoms. But only a year later, James I combined both his thrones into a united kingdom of "Great Britain". In 1606, after hard political disputes, the new flag was created by unifying the English and Scottish flags in the so called "first Union flag".

-Ireland: represented by the heraldic cross of St. Patrick, a diagonal red cross on a white ground. In 1801 Ireland joined the United Kigndom and the creation of a new flag was necessary. It was then that the present British flag was designed. 

* Wales is the fourth country in the United Kingdom, but since it is a Principality, not a kingdom, it could not be included on the flag. Its flag is represented by a red dragon on a green and white field.

And finally, Ireland. Here is its flag. Since 1921, only Northern Ireland has been part of the United Kingdom. The rest of the island belongs to the Republic of Ireland, an independent country with a completely different flag (green, white and orange). Remember that the two Irelands are different countries and historically bitter rivals.

Saint Andrew's Day (Scotland)

Every November the 30th all Scottish around the world celebrate Saint Andrew's Day, which is Scotland's official national day. This day is considered in Scotland as an official flag day and it's also a bank holiday there. The Scottish Government established that on this date the flag of Scotland, called the Saltire or Saint Andrew's Cross, should fly high on all Scottish buildings and balconies.

Saint Andrew was one of Jesus's original disciples, the brother of Simon Peter and a fisherman by trade, who lived in Israel. After Jesus's crucifixion and subsequent resurrection, Andrew travelled widely in Greece and Asia Minor, preaching and spreading the word of God. He was finally caught by the Roman authorities, who were trying to stamp out the new Christian religion, and he was crucified on a diagonal cross. 300 years later, his bones were taken by ship to Scotland and that's the reason why a white diagonal cross over a blue background became the official national flag. Another widely regarded emblem of Scotland is the thistle, a typical inland and very prickly flower.

In Scotland and in many countries with Scottish connections (the USA or Ireland for example), St Andrew's Day is celebrated with Scottish cultural events in schools and all across the country including traditional Scottish food, parades, bagpipe music and dance. In Edinburgh, the capital city, there is a week of celebrations, concentrating on musical entertainment and traditional ceilidh dancing.

Remembrance Day

Each year in November, the United Kingdom remembers the British men and women who gave their lives in the two World Wars and other subsequent armed conflicts. For this reason, the 11th of November is known as Armistice Day, Remembrance Day, Remembrance Sunday or Poppy Day. The Field Poppy is a red flower that used to germinate and grow in the central European battlefields and, since then, it has been taken as the symbol for the fallen at war.

During the First World War, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, the Armistice was signed after more than four years of continuous deadly warfare. In many parts of the world, most schools, factories, shops, offices, public buildings etc. grant a two-minute silence at 11:00 am on 11th November. Traditionally, special events, church services and many military parades to honour the fallen are held throughout the UK on the second Sunday of November, which is the nearest Sunday to the 11th day.

Events and celebrations like this consolidate and strengthen the identity, unity and the historical heritage of the country and give honour to the millions of patriots who fought for a better world. It also teaches children about the miseries and sacrifice undergone by a whole nation in order to achieve freedom and welfare.

This year, Remembrance Sunday is held on the 10th of November, 2013.

Top 10 Most Read Books

All of us love to read a good book, but could you name the 10 most read books in the world? Over the last half century, hundreds of thousands of books have been produced, but only a select few have become the most popular and most read books in the world. Here you will discover some of the greatest pieces of literary work by highly talented authors.

According to American novelist and publisher James Chapman, this is the ultimate list of the 10 most read books in the world over the last 50 years. The figures show the number of books printed and sold but does not take into account multiple readings of the same book. Mr Chapman compiled this list after completing a long project of research. He consulted best-selling charts and publishing data worldwide, mostly among books translated in different languages. Come on, take a look!

Number 10: Diary of Anne Frank, by Anne Frank
Number 9: Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill
Number 8: Gone With the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell
Number 7: Twilight - The Saga, by Stephenie Meyer
Number 6: The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown
Number 5: The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho
Number 4: Lord of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkien
Number 3: Harry Potter - The Saga, by J. K. Rowling
Number 2: Quotations from the Works of Mao Tse-tung, by Mao Tse-tung
Number 1: The Holy Bible

I must admit some of the titles shown in the list were absolutely unspected, and others were quite evident. However, I believe a few books here are still missing, such as the Holy Quran (the Muslim Bible), The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follet, or Don Quixote, by Cervantes. What do you think of the list?

About Halloween

Introduction. Halloween is a holiday in most English-speaking countries that is celebrated on the night of October 31st. Children wear costumes and dress up as ghost, witches, zombies, monsters, goblins and other scary characters and then, they go to peoples' homes saying: "Trick or treat!" to ask for candy and sweets.

Origins. The word Halloween comes from the original "All Hallows' Eve", that is to say, the eve before the Christian feast of All Saints' Day, which takes place on November 1st. This day is dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows) and martyrs. Halloween has pagan origins though, and for many scholars the Celts, in their harvest festivals or Samhain, introduced the celebration.

Costumes. On Halloween, it was believed that the spirits and ghosts of the dead came back to roam the earth. People then wore masks and "dressed up" in an outfit to look like one of the spirits to avoid being recognized as one of the living.

Jack-o'-lanterns. They are big empty pumpkins carved with monstruous faces that hold candles inside to project scary lights and shapes in the dark.

Trick or Treat! It is a short expression the children say to threaten people, and its meaning is basically: "Give me a treat or I will play a trick on you." The treat refers to getting the candy (or even money), and the trick is usually a prank, or any other mischievous action, played on the householders.

Calvin & Hobbes is so cool!

I just love "Calvin and Hobbes". I've always thought the series is a masterpiece. Bill Watterson, creator and drawer, is a genius, an icon, a reference.

The plot is simple, but brilliant: an imaginative five-year-old kid who behaves like a boy but thinks like an adult. His favourite toy is a teddy tiger that comes to life when others aren't around... but only in Calvin's imagination. The kid is terribly intelligent, moody, creative and very very naughty. The style and the speech is simple, but the message is deep and appealing, which makes the series suitable for both adults and youngsters.

"Calvin and Hobbes" is for sure one of my favourite English comics. Have a try. You won't regret it. Simply hilarious!

Click here for lots of comic strips!! Enjoy :)

http://calvinhobbesdaily.tumblr.com/