TIPS FOR COMPARING TWO PICTURES

Describing two pictures from José Antonio Alcalde López

NOISE

We all should know that Spain is the second noisiest country in the world (being number one Japan). Marcie has prepared an audio file on the topic of  noise and how it can affect many aspect of our lives (hearing of course, but also concentration health, school grades, etc.)

Below you can watch and listen to a formative VIDEO on the negative effects of noise pollution.

IT IS GOLD!

Our Erasmus assistant, Marcie Robertson, has prepared an audio file on the topic of Gold. Listen carefully to some facts why this metal is so precious for humans and also some historical events behind it.
Also watch the video below to see how gold is recycled from old computer parts. Amazing!!

LA RIQUEZA DEL PLURILINGUISMO

En la edición digital y escrita de EL PAIS de hoy domingo 12 de marzo aparece un interesante artículo en la sección de Ideas (escrito por Louis-Jean Calvet, lingüista y ensayista francés, autor, entre otros libros, de ‘Las políticas lingüísticas’ y ‘Lingüística y colonialismo’) sobre la riqueza del Plurilingüsimo. 

Aquí dejamos algunos extractos de interés:

- Se calcula que en la actualidad hay en el mundo alrededor de 7.000 lenguas y aproximadamente 200 países, lo que supone una media de 35 lenguas por país. 

- Los países del Norte, que en muchos casos habían eliminado de su territorio parte de sus lenguas locales (lenguas indias en Estados Unidos y Brasil, lenguas regionales en Francia), hoy ven alimentado su plurilingüismo, sobre todo, por la inmigración.

- Lo cierto es que, desde hace siglos, los pueblos se desplazan y se mezclan, sus lenguas entran en contacto y toman palabras y expresiones unas de otras.

- Porque detrás de esas lenguas están los seres humanos (igual que detrás de los seres humanos están las lenguas). Unos seres humanos que, cuando se desplazan, no solo se incorporan a la economía del país que los acoge, sino que enriquecen su cultura, su mentalidad e incluso su cocina.

- Por eso las políticas lingüísticas deberían respetar un sencillo principio: no olvidar jamás que nosotros no estamos al servicio de las lenguas, sino que son las lenguas las que están a nuestro servicio, al servicio de los seres humanos. 

Sin embargo, os invitamos a leer con detenimiento todo el artículo en este enlace.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

Today we celebrate an important day. March 8th is a day to remember that half the world population has not the same rights as the other half. Here is a text telling the origin of this day we have prepared for our Bachillerato students.

"International Women's Day (IWD), originally called International Working Women's Day, is celebrated on March 8 every year. In different regions the focus of the celebrations ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women for their economic, political and social achievements. An example of an effective Women's Day was the 1975 Icelandic women's strike which paved the way for the first female president in the world, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir.

In some regions, the day has lost its political flavor and became simply an occasion for people to express their love for women in a way somewhat similar to a mixture of Mother's Day and Valentine's Day. In other regions however, the political and human rights theme designated by the United Nations runs strong political and social awareness of the struggles of women worldwide are brought out and examined in a hopeful manner. Some people celebrate the day by wearing purple ribbons.

How did it start? It’s difficult to say exactly when IWD began. Its roots can be traced to 1908, when 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding voting rights, better pay and shorter working hours. A year later, the first National Woman’s Day was observed in the US on February 28, in accordance with a declaration by the Socialist Party of America.

In 1910, a woman called Clara Zetkin – leader of the ‘women’s office’ for the Social Democratic Party in Germany – suggested the idea of an International Women’s Day. This way every country should celebrate women on one day every year to push for their demands. Later on, a conference of more than 100 women from 17 countries agreed to her proposal and IWD was formed. In 1911, it was celebrated for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on March 19.

In 1913, it was decided to transfer IWD to March 8, and it has been celebrated on that day ever since. Declared a national holiday in the Soviet Union in 1917, it spread to other nearby countries. The day was only recognised by the United Nations in 1975, but ever since it has created a theme each year for the celebration. It is now celebrated in many Eastern countries.

Not always peaceful demonstrations… However, in some countries celebrating this day means trouble. For example, International Women's Day sparked violence in Tehran, Iran on March 4, 2007, when police beat hundreds of men and women who were planning a demonstration. Police arrested dozens of women and some were released after several days of solitary confinement and interrogation. Shadi Sadr, Mahbubeh Abbasgholizadeh and several more community activists were released on March 19, 2007, ending a fifteen-day hunger strike."

TITANIC BOARD

This month the English board contains information about the famous ship, the Titanic. The Titanic is relevant to Southampton as it is the city it set sail from.  When I was in Southampton at Christmas I visited the Sea Life Museum which contained lots of information and artefacts about the tragedy, along with other facts about the city's maritime history.

Although catastrophic, the story of the Titanic is particularly interesting, especially with regards to why it sank (due to a number of reasons explained on the board!).

Here is an interesting video with more information about The Titanic.

SPORT IN ENGLAND

In England we may have terrible weather but luckily we have some great sports which compensate for this. Here are some summaries of three of the most popular sports in England.

Football

Football has existed in some form in England from the early 13th century, but in this period it was common for players to die from running into one another’s daggers! Luckily this had changed significantly by 1857 when Sheffield F.C. the oldest football team in the world was established (in the city in which I study). The first ever international football match was held in England too against Scottish opposition. Nowadays, the Premier League is perhaps the most watched football league in the world, with teams competing such as Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and of course the mighty Southampton. Last year the league was particularly incredible as outsiders Leicester beat the odds and were crowned champions.

Cricket

Another sport founded in England is cricket which can be traced back to the Tudor times. The game consists of a bat and ball and two sets of wickets. Each team has 11 players and the objective is to score more ‘runs’ than the opposition. There are three forms of the game; test cricket, one-day cricket and T20 cricket. Test cricket is maybe considered to be the most prestigious form of the game, and England’s fiercest rivals in this form of the sport are Australia. However, I would recommend to start by watching the T20 form of the game as it has a quicker pace and a great atmosphere!

Rugby Union

Invented in the town of Rugby in Warwickshire, the sport of rugby union has existed since 1823 and has continued to grow rapidly since this with 1,900 clubs now in existence in England. The England national team have a good reputation as a strong side, and many other teams from the former British Commonwealth also play the sport, such as Australia and New Zealand. The song of the English Rugby Union team is ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’.