Vote for this song!

Hello everyone! Elena (Inglés 5) has just sent me the following information (I quote):

This morning I heard in the radio that a song  (Sunrise Number 1) by an Asturian group (Stormy Mondays) has been pre-selected to awake the astronauts during the last flight of the Endeavour. It's the only non-american group in the contest. I thought it could be interesting to find more info about it, and also the words of the song... Now an Internet voting is taking place to select the one song among the 10 finalists."

You can listen to the the song and vote for it in this link. The song is a version of a previous song also by the Stormy Mondays named Weatherman. Watch the videoclip of the old version here:

 

Thanks, Elena, for sharing it with us! :-D

The Danger of a Single Story

Here you can watch and listen to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian novelist inspired by her very own experience. She tells us about how our lives and cultures are composed of many overlapping stories, not only of one. She warns us too - if we hear only a single story, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

You can play it with or without Spanish or English subtitles on and you can access the transcript on the right-hand column (both in English and in Spanish). Enjoy! 

St. Patrick's Day!

Wear green, it's Saint Patrick's Day! Let's celebrate it with all our Irish friends! The best way to celebrate is always music, don't you think? You all probably know many Irish folk songs, so help yourself and pick one! I myself have chosen a rather sad one, but really beautiful - Carrickfergus.This is one of the most famous Irish traditional songs and I would like to share it with you today! I've chosen a moving moment from the TV series Boardwalk Empire (which I really recommend, by the way!). Below you will also find the lyrics and the Van Morrison version, hope you like it!

Here you have the lyrics:

I wish I was in Carrickfergus, only for nights in Ballygran

I would swim over the deepest ocean, the deepest ocean for my love to find

But the sea is wide and I cannot swim over and neither have I wings to fly

If I could find me a handsome boatman to ferry me over to my love and die

My childhood days bring back sad reflections of happy times I spent so long ago

My boyhood friends and my own relations have all passed on now like melting snow

But I'll spend my days in endless roaming soft is the grass my bed is free

Ah to be back in Carrickfergus on that long road down to the sea

And in Kilkenny it is reported there are marble stones as black as ink

With gold and silver I would support her, but I'll sing no more now till I get a drink

I'm drunk today and I'm seldom sober, a handsome rover from town to town

Ah, but I'm sick now, my days are numbered so come all ye young men and lay me down.

 And here you have the Van Morrison version:

New Stuff on this Blog

Hi everyone! I have been updating some of the useful links in this blog and you can now access some other handy sites to improve your English. Check out the new links both on the left and the right columns. You will notice I have included two new sections: THE NEWS (left column), from where you can access many of the most popular newspapers and radio stations all around the world, and WRITING SITES (right column), where you can visit many different webpages in which you can read helpful tips to improve your writing skills.

As I've said many times before, you are more than welcome if you want to share a video, a song, an interesting idea, an essay, a useful link, etc. Thanks a lot in advance! And, as alwas, have fun learning!! :-D

Terrible earthquake and tsunami waves strike Japan

Just amazing, terribly amazing and frightening. There's no need of words, look at the images:

International Women's Day 2011

Happy International Women's Day to all of you!!! :-D

Here you can take a look at Michelle Bachelet's message in this special day.

If you want to find out more on how the UN works for women's rights, here is the link to UN Women Watch.

Let me recommend you this other video, on how former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright sees her role as a woman in politics and diplomacy. Really interesting! And don't worry, you can play it with Spanish subtitles ;-)

And to finish off, if you would like a spark of humour, watch this other one, in which cartoonist Liza Donnelly deconstructs our childhood stereotypes and frames.

Oscars Quiz

So, have you already read everything about the last Academy Awards' ceremony? Let's check if you do have all the information! Try and do this quiz (click on the picture below) to find out how much you know about the Oscars. Test yourselves and then tell me how many you get right!