A Selection of Listening Activities from My That's English

 Hi,

My That's English is an endless source of learning materials for intermediate students, so I recommend you again to check it regularly, browse the archives and look for materials about topics you might be interested in yourselves.  Here you can find a selection of activites I suggest for you:

- Doga, yoga with dogs (Thursday, 26th Dec 2013).

- The Great Train Robbery (Friday, 20th Dec 2013).

- Naomi Campbell on Racism in Fashion (Friday, 13th Dec 2013).

- Modern Love:  Falling in Love at 71 (Sunday, 9th Dec 2013).

http://mythatsenglish.blogspot.com.es/

Bike-Sharing in US cities

Here you can read and listen to a text about bike-sharing transport services in some large American cities and the problems poor people have to access these services. 

You have to copy the link and paste it on your web browser.

 I hope you like it:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2013/12/12/243215574/shifting-gears-to-make-bike-sharing-more-accessible

Detox Fashion Shopping

 Here you have an interesting video with Spanish subtitles about the latest Greenpeace campaing to promote toxic-free fashion shopping:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ty9kIeMaDQ

Promotional Video of Aragon

Here you have a link to a promotional video of Aragon for foreign investors, it is in English with subtitles:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpwRQiNGgo4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Child of the Forest

An interview to a Spanish man from Sierra Morena, who grew up alone in the mountains with the only company of animals.  There is no script, but perhaps you will be able to understand it:


http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01lw88v

Changing Sunrise and Sunset in Spain?

 Here you can find an article about the debate to change the time zone of Span'sclocks, which would mean getting up and going back home 1 hour earlier.

  I hope you like reading it:


http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/11/24/244995264/spains-been-in-the-wrong-time-zone-for-seven-decades?utm_medium=Email&utm_source=DailyDigest&utm_campaign=20131126

"Selfie" Word of the Year 2013

 Here is a link to the article that talks about the Oxford Dictionaries word of the year 2013:


http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/selfie-named-by-oxford-dictionaries-as-the-word-of-2013-8948476.html

Physical Exercise and Brain Health

 Another article that talks about how physical exercise can benefit brain health in various ways:


http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/11/11/244503589/sweat-your-way-to-a-healthier-brain?utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=20131117&utm_source=mostemailed

Brain Benefits of Bilingualism

 Here is a link to a recent article which talks about the benefits of bilingualism to delay dementia:


http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2013/11/14/244813470/new-study-shows-brain-benefits-of-bilingualism?utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=20131117&utm_source=mostemailed

Mala Rodriguez, a Spanish Rapper

Here is a link to the article, audio and video of Spanish rapper Mala Rodríguez.

 I hope you like it:


http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2013/10/10/220095469/mala-rodriguez-and-the-women-of-latin-hip-hop

More Bikes and Less Cars in Europe

 A brief NPR article that discovers a new European trend to buy more bikes and less cars:


http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/10/24/240493422/in-most-every-european-country-bikes-are-outselling-cars?utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=20131027&utm_source=mostemailed

The Alternative Ranking of the Best Universities in the USA

When you ask people which is the best univerisity in the USA, they usually say "Harvard", "Yale", "Princeton", "Columbia" etc.  These are, indeed, very prestigious private schools, but they charge ridiculously high fees, which only a very wealthy elite can afford.  The Washington Monthly has come up with al alternative ranking of universities in the US, which takes into account the overall service they provide to the country:

"We rate schools based on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories: Social Mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), Research (producing cutting-edge scholarship and PhDs), and Service (encouraging students to give something back to their country)."

They produce a general list of best schools and separate lists for the best National Universities, the best Liberal Arts Colleges, the best Community Colleges and the best Master's and Baccaluareate Colleges.  Here you have links to two of them:

General list, best education for your money: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/rankings_2013/bangforthebuck_all_rank.php

Best national universities: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/rankings_2013/national_university_rank.php

The education reform in Spain (ley Wert) is going to lay down the basis to classify students and schools according to exam results.  Exam results are important in education, but student needs are even more important, in my opinion.  The publis school network is the best system to provide all students with a fair chance in life and to create a future of properity for the country.

ESCUELA PÚBLICA: DE TODOS PARA TODOS

https://www.google.es/search?hl=es&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1024&bih=643&q=escuela+de+todos+para+todos&oq=escuela+de+todos&gs_l=img.1.1.0l2j0i24l3.890.4933.0.7730.16.12.0.4.4.0.89.964.12.12.0....0...1ac.1.29.img..0.16.989.vI0Wy5_G0eM#hl=es&q=escuela+publica+de+todos+para+todos&tbm=isch

More information about Juanjo Mena

You can read here below Wikipedia's biography of Juanjo Mena, and his agent's description of his successful career all over the world:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juanjo_Mena


http://sulivansweetland.co.uk/profile/juanjo-mena/

Juanjo Mena, an interview and the video of El Bolero de Ravel

You can download the podcast of "in Tune" by clicking on the link below, then you have to scroll down the screen to find the programme where Juanjo Mena is interviewed, it is called "Juanjo Mena on conducting at the Proms 17 JUL 2013":

http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/r3intune/all

The interview is fast and a bit difficult, but it only lasts 12 minutes.  I have also found a video with the actual performance of the orchestra, conducted by Juanjo Mena and a show of flamenco dancers, who drove the audience crazy, just follow this link:

http://www.contactox.net/index.php/videos-de-musica-y-mas/guillermo-symonds-qsaludos-melomanosq/10142-el-bolero-de-ravel-bbc-proms-2013


I hope you like it.  Have a nice weekend.

The Oldest Vegetarian Restaurant

Here you have a link to the article about this vegetarian restaurant in Switzerland which is still runnning:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/09/30/227836412/these-folks-went-vegetarian-back-when-it-was-way-uncool

Bike Activists in Madrid

Here is a link to a recent article about Madridpublished in NPR and Los Angeles Times.

 You can listen to it (there are many short interviews to Spanish people which will be easier to understand), there is a script and an article to read too:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/10/06/229287871/car-centric-spain-begins-to-embrace-the-bicycle?sc=tw&cc=share


I hope you enjoy it.

Obamacare

These days Health insurance is expanding to cover all Americans who were unisured before.  Here you can find a article from the Washington Post to give you an idea how it works.

 I hope you find it interesting:


http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/how-to-buy-insurance-under-obamacare-if-you-live-in-maryland/2013/09/16/84175df4-15ae-11e3-a2ec-b47e45e6f8ef_story.html

An Article about the EOI in the British press

 Here you can read an article about the EOI in Alicante, published by The Guardian:

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2013/sep/24/spanish-state-funded-language-schools


I hope you like it.