Making History

The controversial health care reform bill, a defining issue of Obama's presidency, has been passed. That means that nearly all Americans will have the right to health care. Watch the video and hear him say:


"When faced with crisis we did not shrink from our challenge -we overcame it. We did not avoid our responsibility -we embraced it, we did not fear our future -we shaped it."

In this Newsy video you can see the different sides of the story:

and the transcript if you need it.
Congratulations! (even if some think that's very bad news...)

Beatles for Sale

Don't let me down! Abbey Road is reportedly up for sale. The recording studio is to be sold in order to help EMI's finances, which seem to be in a very bad state. The British music industry is hoping the company won't let them down by letting this landmark in British recording history disappear forever. If you ever go to Abbey Road you'll invariably find people crossing the street and taking photos. I wouldn't like to see a fast food restaurant in the place where the fab four recorded some of their albums. I really feel it would be a pity to lose Abbey Road. Do you think you could afford to buy it?
Watch the video
Watch the most famous zebra crossing

Read the article (The Guardian)
Listen to Sir Paul's comments

Granny DJ rocks the dance floor

Who said it's too late to start a new career? DJ Ruth is 69 years old and she's rocking some of the most prestigious clubs in France. It all started one day when she went to her grandson's birthday party and the man at the door told her: "I don't think you want to go in there, madam"
"I'd rather think I do, because it's my grandson's birthday."- she answered. And she liked the music, (the noise,she says), the lights, the energy, the kids enjoying themselves...
Close to 70, do you think she should start thinking about hanging up her headphones? She's got a full schedule of gigs (and a lot of fun, I guess), so why should she?
I know, it's not really rock and roll, but she likes it.

Should animals be kept in captivity?

You probably know that just last week a trainer was killed by a killer whale at a Sea World in Orlando (Newsy video Transcript). Quite an anomaly? The killer whale must have taken revenge? Something went wrong and the whale might have misinterpreted something (the trainer's pony tail, they say): read story and watch impressive video of trainer and whale.

I do love watching dolphins jump and play, but I'd rather see them in the ocean than in a swimming pool. And I definitely don't like to see lions and tigers, elephants, giraffes or crocodiles locked in cages or confined in small and poorly kept grounds. However, I must admit I used to love going to the zoo as a kid. So Read the pros and cons of keeping animals in captivity (The Independent). What do you think?

UFO sightings declassified

Flying Toblerones, mysterious illnesses and silky-white substances, even a triangular shaped object hovering above an MP 's house (read story) are among hundreds of close encounters described in top-secret files released just last week by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). More than 6,000 pages of material covering sightings across Britain from 1994 to 2000 (read story).

A "close encounter" -or just a sighting- can be such a baffling experience that it will probably leave you speechless, so what do you do then? You sketch it.

How much of it is actually real? According to Nick Pope, "95% shouldn't be taken seriously" ... so what about the remaining 5%? the MoD admit they are "genuinely puzzled". So if you are genuinely interested in reading these files, you can download them from the National Archives. How I wish I could make friends with an alien from a remote galaxy!

Amazing! Lyrics training is a new beta site that helps you improve your ability to understand English through music and songs lyrics. You can choose from three different levels of difficulty . The clip will pause automatically at the end of each line and some words will be blanked out for you to guess. There are around 100 songs -quite a lot for a start. As it's always the case, you have to register, but it's free. Great for pronunciation purposes!

The Year of the Tiger

According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2010 is the Year of the Tiger, which starts on February 14, 2010 and ends on February 2, 2011. The Tiger is the third sign in the Chinese Zodiac cycle, and it is a sign of bravery. It keeps away the three main tragedies of a household: fire, thieves and ghosts. A pity it doesn't keep away overhunting, deforestation and poaching , which are putting big cats in danger of extinction .
Read the facts (The Guardian on World Wildlife Fund)
Watch this video about three albino tiger cubs born in Santiago de Chile's zoo (ITN)
I wish you a happy year of the tiger!

It's no fun to be Yellow

Just yesterday the American writer J.D.Salinger died (read full story, watch video). 'The Catcher in the Rye', his first novel about a teenager growing up in an adult 'phony' world, became a classic in American literature. This is an excerpt containing... guess what? Lots of conditional 3 structures.

I wished I knew who’d swiped my gloves at Pencey, because my hands were freezing. Not that I’d have done much about it even if I had known. I’m one of these very yellow guys. I try not to show it, but I am. For instance, if I’d found out at Pencey who’d stolen my gloves, I probably would’ve gone down to the crook’s room and said, “Okay. How ‘bout handing over those gloves?” Then the crook that had stolen them probably would’ve said, his voice very innocent and all, “What gloves?” Then what I probably would’ve done, I’d have gone in his closet and found the gloves somewhere…I’d have taken them out and showed them to the guy and said, “I suppose these are your…gloves?” Then the crook probably would’ve given me this very phony, innocent look, and said, “I never saw those gloves before in my life. If they’re yours, take ‘em”… Then I probably would’ve just stood there for about five minutes… I’d just stand there, trying to look tough. What I might do, I might say something very cutting and snotty, to rile him up—instead of socking him in the jaw. Anyway, if I did say something very cutting and snotty, he’d probably get up and come over to me and say, “Listen, Caulfield. Are you calling me a crook?...All I probably would’ve said would be…”Nobody’s calling anybody a thief. All I know is my gloves were in your…galoshes.” It could go on like that for hours. Finally, though, I’d leave his room without even taking a sock at him. I’d probably go down to the can and … watch myself getting tough in the mirror…It’s no fun to be yellow.”

Make up

It looks like British parents are having problems teaching their children to talk (read full story) and at the same time the government says that primary school children should learn Mandarin and Arabic (read full story).
Well, you can't complain too much here, don't you think so?
Language note: Remember that one of the meanings of the phrasal 'to make up' is to invent a story, an excuse, etc. often in order to deceive. You say 'you couldn't make it up' when you want to express disbelief or incredulity. The parents in the cartoon can't believe what they are reading.

Avatar Blues

It seems that some people are experiencing the Avatar Blues. According to the CNN, "James Cameron's completely immersive spectacle "Avatar" may have been a little too real for some fans who say they have experienced depression and suicidal thoughts after seeing the film because they long to enjoy the beauty of the alien world Pandora."

Read Full story and click on the image for the CNN video.

On another note, it seems that Avatar has been banned in China because its plot is too similar to what's going on in a region of that country. Read full story.
In either case, fact is stranger than fiction. Or...is that why you were a bit sad the other day?