NEW YORK. ONE WORLD TRADE CENTER, FREEDOM TOWER / NUEVA YORK. ONE WORLD TRADE CENTER , LA TORRE DE LA LIBERTAD

Hi my dear friends. Today we are going to come back to New York. Ten years ago a  new tower appeared just in the same place where the Twin Towers stayed. It was the "One world Trade Center".

Hola mis queridos amigos.  Hoy vamos a volver a Nueva York. Hace diez años apareció una nueva Torre justo en el mismo lugar donde se encontraban las Torres Gemelas. Era el "One World Trade Center". 

Info: Speak Up magazine.

Photos: NuevaYork.es  /  NYC  /  Guia.NuevaYork  /  ElHuffPost  /  SpeakUp  /  Cestee.es  / Posters.es  /  BBC .

FREEDOM TOWER.  ONE WORLD TRADE CENTER

One World Trade Center is the tallest building in the United States.  It was built ten years ago, on the site of theTwin Towers that were destroyed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.  The new Tower officially opened on 3 November 2014.  Its base has the same footprint as the original towers.  From base to parapet, it has the same height, too.  A tall spire crowns the building, making it an elegant new icon on the Manhattan skyline.

THE TWIN TOWERS

The Twin Towers were synonymous with New York.  Built in 1962, they symbolised financial success and the American Dream.  Some people saw them as a challenge.  French artist Philippe Petit famously walked on a tightrope between the two buildings without a safety rope in 1974.  Toymaker George Willing -nicknamed the Human Fly- climbed up the south Tower in 1977. It took him nearly four hours.  John Vincent went down instead of up, in a death-defying BASE jump in 1991.

ACT OF TERROR

The attack on 11 September 2001 -simply known as 9/11- was utterly devastating. The two planes demolished not only the two towers, but also damaged the other buildings in the WTC complex.  Besides the attackers, 2,977 people lost their lives. The site burned for 99 days. The clean-up operation took eight and a half months, during which two million tons of steel and rubble were removed.

A NEW START

One World Trade Center would become the centre piece of Ground Zero and a competition was launched to choose the design.  Daniel Libeskind's was the winner:  a glass tower, with memorial gardens representing the footprints of the fallen towers.  The project changed significantly due to safety concerns. The final construction was designed by David Childs, with advanced features for safety and sustainability.

One World Trade Center took eight years to complete. It became popularly known as the Freedom Tower. It consists of eight isosceles triangles on a square base, topped by a mast. At 1,776 feet (541 metres) including the spire, it is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.  The height is a reference to the year 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was approved by Congress.

THE HIGHEST VIEW

The One World Observatory on the 100th , 101st and 102nd floors offers the highest view over New York, allowing visitors to see up to 45 miles in all directions. The WTC complex has four other towers, a performing arts centre, the Oculus transportation hub and the September 11 Memorial and Museum.  Overlooking the complex, over at Liberty Park, is The Sphere, the only piece of art to survive the attack.  Now, it is a symbol of resilience and survival.

VOCABULARY

SPIRE: aguja  /  TIGHTROPE: cuerda floja  /  NICKNAMED: apodado  /  TO CLIMB UP: escalar  /  DEATH-DEFYING: que desafía a la muerte  /  UTTERLY: completamente  /  STEEL: acero  /  RUBBLE: escombros  /  CONCERNS: preocupaciones  /  FEATURES: características  /  TO TOP: rematar  /  HUB: centro  /  TO OVERLOOK: tener vistas a 

SPRING IN AUSTRALIA. FLORIADE / PRIMAVERA EN AUSTRALIA. LA FLORIADE.

Hi my dear friends. In Spain we are in Winter but not in Australia. We are going to know a bit more about Spring in Australia and a big Festival called FLORIADE. I hope you'll like it and if you are planning a trip this year, why not to Australia? Here you can see some ideas for the current year 2025!

Hola mis queridos amigos. En España estamos en  invierno pero no en Australia. Vamos a conocer un poquito más sobre la Primavera en Australia y un gran Festival llamado FLORIADE. ¡Espero que os guste y si estáis planeando un viaje ¿por qué no a Australia? ¡Aquí tenéis algunas ideas por si os decidís a viajar a las Antípodas en este años 2025)

Info: from Speak Up magazine.

Photos: Speak up (2)  /  Involved.CBR.Involved.Canberra  /  Canberraguidedtours  /  Floriade.gardens.Tour.

SPRING IN AUSTRALIA  -  FLORIADE

Spring starts in September in the southern hemisphere. As the leaves start falling in the north, flowers start to blossom below the equator.  The capital of Australia literally comes into bloom, as it welcomes the new season with a colorfoul flower festival.  Hailed as "Australia's biggest celebration of spring", Floriade returns to Canberra's Commonwealth Park.

A MILLION PLANTS

Floriade is more than a pretty flower show.  A million bulbs and annuals are planted across four hectares of the park, alongside Lake Burley Griffin.  Huge displays of flowering bulbs are punctuated by a variety of artistic features.  Every year has a different theme, usually centered around historic or cultural events.  Previous themes have included music (1991), Aussie icons, myths and legends (2007) and World War One remembrance (2015).

Last year's 2024  theme was Art in Bloom.  The organisers promised something special: "For thirty enchanting days, visitors have witnessed a harmonius blend of horticulture and art, with garden bed designs inspired by painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, music, theatre and cinema."

DUCTH INSPIRATION

Floriade was conceived by landscape architect Christiaan Slotemaker de Bruine and horticulturist Peter Sutton, who worked for City Parks.  The name Floriade is derived from the Latin "floreat".  The initial design was inspired by the famous Keukenhof Gardens in the Netherlands, which also holds a Floriade event every ten years.  The concept was the nation's multiculturalism.  Featuring Dutch and Aboriginal floral patterns, it was sponsored by the Dutch Embassy and the Bicentennial Authority.

DOUBLE CELEBRATION

The first Floriade was held in 1988, to celebrate the capital's 75th birthday and Australia's Bicentenary of European settlement.  Accompanied by a programme of live music and entertainment, it was an enormous success.  Initially, intended as a one-off event, its popularity convinced authorities to make it an annual celebration.

FLORIADE TODAY

Floriade has since grown into the largest flower festival in the southern hemisphere, drawing up to half a million visitors.  Despite being free to enter, it brings in around  Australian Dollar 35-45  million  (€21-27 million) every year.  Besides the floral displays, it includes NightFest, four nights of after-dark entertainment and horticultural illuminations, and a gnome-decorating competition, run by the Rotary Club to raise funds for charity.  In addition to the park, a tulip trail runs through the suburbs, thanks to 300,000 bulbs and annuals planted by local schools and community groups.

More info:  www.floriadeaustralia.com

                                        *************************************

VOCABULARY

To blossom: florecer  /  To come into bloom: florecer  /  to hail: considerar  /  blend: mezcla  /  patterns: modelos, patrones  /  settlement: asentamiento  /  one-off: único  /  to draw: atraer  /  trail: sendero, camino.

DIGITAL SLANG - INTERNET VERNACULAR ENGLISH / JERGA DIGITAL - INGLÉS COLOQUIAL PARA INTERNET

Hi my dear friends. Nowadays, we are all used to the Internet and its slang, principally young people so we are going to see much more about this curious slang and the Internet vernacular English. I hope you'll like it!

Hola mis queridos amigos. Hoy en día todos estamos acostumbrados a Internet y a su "jerga" principalmente los jóvenes así que vamos a ver mucho más sobre este curioso lenguaje y el Inglés coloquial para Internet. ¡Espero que os guste!

Info: from Speak Up magazine.

Photos: speakup  /Redbubble  /  Break.into.english  /  Immigo  /  7ESL

DIGITAL SLANG.  INTERNET VERNACULAR ENGLISH

British and American slang proliferates in today's interconnected world.  Social media platforms are where slang Brit and slang Yankee compete to win young users over through the exchange of memes, tweets or videos.  Rapid and viral sharing turns language into a shared asset among cultures and continents.  Through their distinctive vernacular, British and American English merge into a global linguistic fabric, creating a dynamic and ever-evolving landscape that reflects the fluid nature of modern communication.

HISTORIC EVOLUTION

Some famously vulgar four-letter swear words originate from Old or Middle English and are commonly used by both British people and Americans. Other expressions simply refuse to cross the Atlantic. For centuries, the British have used terms like "blimey" (God blind me) or "bloody hell" to show surprise or irritation, which Americans rarely use.  Although both Brits and Americans now say "guy" ,meaning "man" or "guys" meaning "people", only British people use the word "bloke" to mean "man". "Bro" is an American term of address to a male friend, whereas Londoners, in particular South Londoners, usually say "bruv".

"Cool", meaning excellent or admirable, originated in the jaz era. Consequently it started in America and spread to the UK with the music. The same cannot be said of "awesome". As far back as the late 16th century it was a common English word meaning "inspiring reverential awe" or "wonder", but only in 1960s America did it become slang for "overwhelming" or "incredible". The term was used so frequently that its meaning gradually weakened to simply "great".

THE AUDITORY LANDSCAPE

The evolution of podcasting has highlighted further differences. While American podcasts feature terms like "dude" and "awsome", in British podcasts there will appear as "mate" and "brilliant".  The language tapestry is enhanced by this auditory landscape., which reflects the divergence of slang.

However, the fusion of traditional and digital media has given rise to linguistic hybrids.  Memes, a cornerstone of online culture, encapsulate humour and cultural references, transcending language barriers.  memes  featuring British sitcom characters of American pop culture icons serve as a shared language, embodying the interconnected nature of slang in the digital age.

GLOBAL SPREAD

Nowadays, expressions that were once limited to a certain territory are accepted worldwide. The verb "to chill" is common enough for non-mother tongue speakers to use, even though the art of relaxing is more often defined as "chillaxing" by young Brits.  Similarly, the British slang term "cheeky", meaning "rude" or "impolite" in an amusing way, is common in the daily discourse of young people around the world.  The American word "lit", which has been used for over a century to mean "intoxicated" and more recently has gained the meaning of "exciting" or "excellent", is also widely used outside the English-speaking world.

Consider the term "savage".  Originating from African-American Vernacular English and now adopted globally, it showcases the intricate interplay between cultural appropriation and linguistic evolution.  Slang, once confined to regional boundaries, now traverses continents, challenging notions of ownership and sparking conversation about cultural exchange.

UNEXPECTED SIMILARITIES

Despite the differences, a curious convergence emerges in the abbreviations used on social media.  The use of expressions like LOL (laugh out loud) OMG (oh my god!), WTF?? (what the fuck?), IMO (in my opinion), TBH (to be honest), or BRB (be right back)  has become a kind of digital lingua franca, trascending national barriers.  These linguistic shortcuts provide common ground were British and American slang meet and are now used universally, regardless of the native language of the speaker.

Virality on social media plays a fundamental role in the evolution of slang. An iconic example is represented by expressions like "sksksk" or "and I loop", which are used to express shock, surprise or embarrassment and gained popularity through the TikTok platform.  These seemingly meaningless expressions have crossed linguistic barriers., creating a common language among users of different nationalities. The domino effect si so powerful that these new expressions quickly inflitrate everyday conversation.

A LANGUAGE IN MOTION

As we peer into the future, aritificial intelligence (AI) and virtual communication technologies stand poised to influence slang evolution.  Chatbots and virtual assistants, with their ability to understand and mimic human language, may contribute to cross-cultural slang adoption.  The intersection of technology and language proples slang into uncharted territories, challenging preconceptions and reshaping linguistic landscapes.

As slang continues to evolve, fuelled by social media and pop culture, it's clear that British and American English will forever be in a linguistic dance.  This is not just a comparison of words, but a celebration of the richness and versatility of the English language, embracing change and evolving with society. In an increasingly connected world, slang becomes a bridge between cultures and a means to express the essence of contemporary youth, a language in motion that continually redefines our understanding of the English language.

VOCABULARY

-SLANG: jerga  /  -ASSET: recurso, activo  /  -VERNACULAR: lengua coloquial  /  -TO MERGE: fusionarse  /  -BLIMEY: caramba!  /  -BRUV: colega  /  -AWESOME: impresionante, genial  /  -OVERWHELMING: abrumador  /  -TO WEAKEN: debilitar  /  -DUDE: colega  /  -MATE: colega  /  -TAPESTRY: tapiz, complejidad  /  -TO ENHANCE: aumentar  /  -CORNERSTONE: piedra angular  /  -STCOM: comedia  /  -TO EMBODY: encarnar  /  -CHEEKY: descarado  /  -INTERPLAY: interacción  /  -T SPARK: desencadenar  /  -SHORTCUTS: atajos.

ALCATRAZ, PRISON ISLAND / ALCATRAZ - LA ISLA PRISIÓN.

Hi my friends. Today we are going to know a bit more about a famous prison ALCATRAZ.

Hola mis queridos amigos. Hoy vamos a conocer un poquito más bore una famosa prisión ALCATRAZ.

Info: from Speak Up magazine.

Photos: elDiario.es (2)  /  ElImparcial  /  RTVE.es (2)  LaRepublica.pe  /

"PRISON ISLAND - ALCATRAZ"

Alcatraz Island in San Franciso Bay is infamous for being a former maximum-security prison. Between 1934 and 1963 the federal penitentiary nicknamed "the Rock" was occupied by America's most notorious criminals. The twenty-two-acre island is located two kilometres off the coast of California.  The bay opens out onto the Pacific Ocean and the waters are freezing and the tides treacherous.

BRIEF HISTORY

In 1775, Spanish naval officer Juan Manuel de Ayala named the island "Isla de los Alcatraces" because of the many seabirds that lived there. It became a military fort during the American Civil War in the 1860s, holding military deserters, insubordinates and Confederate sympathisers. At one time , indigenous people the Hopi were imprisoned there, too, for passively resisting government attempts to assimilate them.

NOTORIOUS INMATES

In the early 20th century a new prison was built there for America's most dangerous civilian criminals. Inmates (all men) included mobsters Al Capone and George "Machine Gun" Kelly, and convicted murderers such as Robert F.Stroud, nicknamed "the Birdman of Alcatraz". Prisoners slept in three metre by 1.5 metre cells, and were closely supervised by the latest security technology. They did factory work, laundry, general prison maintenance and food preparation to keep them occupied.

ESCAPE ATTEMPTS

Alcatraz was considered escape-proof. Nevertheless, there were fourteen escape attempts involving thirty-six inmates. Twenty-three were recaptured, seven killed and three bodies recovered from the bay.  Five inmates remain unaccounted for.  In 1937, bankrobbers Theodore Cole and Ralph Roe escaped through a window in the prison factory they worked in and disappeared into thick fog.  A thorough search revealed nothing and the men were presumed dead, swept out into the ocean.

DUMMY HEAD

In 1962, Clarence Anglin, John Anglin and Frank Morris used spoons to dig holes in their cells and left dummy heads made of soap. paper and hair in their beds as a cover-up.  They then took to the waters on an inflatable raft made out of raincoats.  They were never seen again.  In 2014, two academics at Delft University in the Netherlands teamed up with a tidal expert to make a simulation of all the routes the raincoat raft might have taken, some of which, they proved, might have led the men to freedom!

TOO EXPENSIVE

In 1963, less than a year after this infamous escape, Alcatraz was abandoned as a prison. The necessity of transporting fresh water to and waste away from the island was just too expensive.

THE BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ

Robert Franklin Stroud was a violent convicted murderer and a US federal prisoner for fifty-four years of his life.  During this time, much of which was spent in solitary confinement, he reared and sold birds and became a respected self-taught ornithologist and author of two books on bird diseases. He was incarcerated at Alcatraz from 1942 to 1959. While he could not keep birds there, he continued his research while studying law in the prison library. His memoir "Looking Outward: A voice from the grave" was published posthumously in 2013.

VOCABULARY

-infamous: tristemente célebre  /  -to nickname: apodar  /  -tides: mareas  /  -treacherous: tricioneras   /  --inmates: internos  /  -mobsters: mafiosos  /  -laundry: lavandería  /  -excape-proof: a prueba de fugas  /  -unaccounted for: sin noticias  /  -to presume: suponer  /  -to sweep out: barrer  /  -to dig: cavar  /  -raft: balsa  /  -waste: residuos  /  -to rear: criar  /  -grave: tumba.  

AN INFLUENCER'S DILEMMA by Talitha Linehan / A short story.

 Hi my dear  friends. First al all:  Thank you so much to be always there!!!  Today we are gooing to read a short story about "influencers and travels".  A lot of people want to become "influencers" nowadays and if it is possible, travelling around the world. This short story is about this fashionable subjet. I hope you'll like it!

Hola amigos. Primeramente:  ¡Muchas gracias por estar siempre ahí! Hoy vamos a leer un relato corto sobre "influencers y viajes". Mucha gente quiere convertirse en "influencer" hoy en día y si es posible, viajando alrededor del mundo. Este relato corto trata sobre este tema tan de moda. ¡Espero que os guste!

AN INFLUENCER'S DILEMMA  by Talitha Linehan.

From: Speak Up magazine.

Photos: RTVE.es  /  LaVanguardia/  ComputerHoy/  Amazon.es

Katya refreshed the brower on her laptotp and read the most recent comments on her vlog. Wow! You look incredible. Beautiful girl. Beautiful place! Inspirational. Living the dream, Katya!

The comments were in reaction to her final video from Joshua Tree National Park, where she had spent a week exploring the desert landscape and documenting every moment for her travel vlog, GLOBAL ADVENTURES.

The name of her vlog wasn't very accurate. Until now, she'd visited destinations only in the US. But her plan was to visit every national park in the country to attract more subscribers -and advertisers. She wanted to use the money  generated by advertisements on her vlog to begin living her dream of visiting every country in the world!

She refreshed her browser again and more comments appeared. "Ooooh, I'm going there next. Can't wait!" read one, from a user called Wendy's World.

Katya cringed. Wendy was a wannabe travel influencer, desperate for attention. She'd been commenting on all of Katy'as posts and, to her frustration, had begun replicating her style in videos and visiting the same destinations as her.

Katya visited Wendy's vlog and saw, with a sense of satisfaction, that she had only a few hundred subscribers compared to Katy'as 10,000+.  "How pathetic!"  she thought.

She was about to disconnect when she saw she had a new direct message. She clicked on it and saw, to her surprise, that it was from an eccentric billionaire she followed named Alison Yang. Alison was one of Katya's idols, an older woman who'd travelled the world.

"Make your travel dreams come true," the message read, and it contained a video, a video of Alison Yang, the Alison Yang, speaking directly to her!

After introducing herself (as if anyone didn't know who Alison Yang was!), Alison said: "I am here to offer you an opportunity to make all your travel dreams come true. For one year, I will accompany you as you travel to destinations of your choosing, anywhere in the world, all expenses paid. You will decide on the itinerary, where we go, what we do..."

Katya paused the video, trembling with emotion. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.  She visualised her subscriber numbers exploding from 10,000+ to millions, to tens of millions.

Was it possible to visit every country in the world, almost two hundred countries in a year? She thought it was, using Alison's money and resources. She could become the first person to do it, as millions watched!

She unpaused the video.

"However..." Alison said.

"Oh-oh," thought Katya. "Here comes the catch."

"There is one caveat. You won't be permitted to document your travels, in video, photography or writing. And you certainly won't be permitted to post about them online. Ever. You will have to sign a very rigorous contract to this effect.

Alison explained that this was a personal experiment, based on her conviction that social media was warping the perspective of new generations. She was convinced that young people today valued only the perception and response of others to their experiences, and not the actual experiences. She wanted to be proven wrong.

"Will you prove me wrong?" she asked at the end of her video. "I hope you will."

Katya stared at her laptop in shock and confusion. She could travel the world but not post about it, not take a single photo or video. What was the point of that?  But then, how could she refuse this incredible opportunity? Her dream really was to travel the world, but also to post about it, to become a famous travel influencer.

It was a terrible dilemma. She convinced herself to accept, then refuse, then accept... Part of her desperately wanted to accept. But if she traveled for a year, she'd have to abandon her vlog. She'd lose the 10,000+ subscribers she'd worked so hard to get.

It was nine months later. Katya had almost forgotten all about Alison's video. She'd been to five more national parks and her subscriber numbers were now over 14,000.

She went online to research her next destination and saw a repost from a famous travel influencer she followed, of a vlog by Wendy's World. Wendy's World? How was that possible? Wendy had stopped posting videos months ago.

She clicked on the video and saw, to her horror, that it was of Wendy and Alison Yang. "We've been travelling the world for six months," said Wendy, beaming "I had to agree not to post about it, as part of an experiment by Alison. But now I've convinced Alison to participate in my experiment, so she can experience life as a travel influencer and understand why we do what we do. Our plan is to visit every country in the world in one year..."

VOCABULARY

-browser: navegador  /  -vlog: video blog  /  -accurate: preciso  /  -to cringe: sentir vergüenza ajena  /  -wannabe: quiero y no puedo  /  -to unpause: volver a reproducir  /  -the catch: el truco  /  -caveat: advertencia  /  -ever: nunca jamás.  /  -to warp: deformar, distorsionar  /  

A TOXIC RELATIONSHIP - A SHORT STORY by Talitha Linehan

Hi my dear friends. Today we are going to read "A short story" whose title is "A toxic relationship" but read it until the end because "nothing is what  it looks like".

Hola mis queridos amigos. Hoy vamos a leer un relato corto cuyo título es "Una relación tóxica" pero leedlo hasta el final porque "nada es lo que parece"

Info: from Speak-Up magazine.

Photos: RTVE.es (2)   /  cocina.paso.a.paso

A TOXIC RELATIONSHIP

Mmmm, these croissants are delicious, said Tess, "I wish I knew the recipe."

She and her new neighbour, Bethany, were having brunch at a local café

"Well, you know," said Bethany, a beautiful woman in her early thirties, "I used to bake all the time for my old neighbours, and I have a fantastic recipe for chocolate croissants. Actually, I'd been meaning to ask...

"Go on", said Tess, encouragingly.

"Well, would it be okay if I used your kitchen to bake sometimes? I know it's a strange request but Kevin doesn't like it when I make a mess in the kitchen -even if I clean up afterwards."

"Of course you can use my kitchen, just as long as I get to sample your bakes," she joked. "But why doesn't Kevin want you to use your kitchen? That's what it's for!"

Tess had never met Kevin, but Bethany's comments didn't leave her with a very good impression of him.

Bethany gasped: "Oh God! What time is it? I have to go." She grabbed her coat and headed for the door. "It's just after 1" said Tess. "Why, what's so urgent?"

"I told Kevin I'd be home by 1 and he'll probably call out home phone to check. I really do have to go."

Before Tess had a chance to respond, her new friend was gone.

"It's so strange", she told her husband Daniel that evening. "Kevin is so controlling. He calls to check that she's home, and he doesn't even want her to bake in her own kitchen. And it's HER kitchen, her house, her money".

Tess didn't know much about Bethany but she knew she came from a rich family and that her money had paid for their new home, a luxury flat in Notting Hill.

"He probably married her for the money", she said, "just so he can pursue his career as an actor, and "career" is being generous. He's only had small parts in a few plays. I hope he's not taking out his career frustrations on Bethany. What if he beats her? Men that controlling often do".

"Oh, you don't know that," said Daniel. "No, but you could find out. You could run his name, check if he has any priors, she said, using the polige lingo she'd learned from her husband, a police officer. "A history of domestic violence perhaps." "I'm not using police time for that," said Daniel. "You really shouldn't get involved in other people's relationships."

Tess continued her friendship with Bethany, and continued to see proof of Kevin's controlling nature. When they went grocery shopping, together, Bethany asked Tess to pay for the ingredients she'd need  to bake the croissants. "In turn, I'll pay for some of your groceries," said Bethany. When she saw Tess's confusion, she explained, "It's just that the credit card is in Kevin's name and he insists I keep receipts for every purchase, and sometimes he checks the receipts. If he sees the ingredients for croissants, he'll know I've been hiding something."

"That you are baking croissants at a friends' house?"

"That's the thing, he doesn't exactly know we're friends. He didn't want me becoming friends with the neighbours...I'ts a long story.

"Those croissants smell delicious," said Tess, when Bethany had finished baking. "Tha'ts because I added a special ingredient," she said mysteriously. "Now I have to go, but do enjoy them. Just don't mention them to Kevin if you see him. Or me. Don't mention me." "what?... Erm, ok, aren't you going to eat any? "Nope, watching my figure Kevin likes me to be slim." "Of course, he does." Tess didn't even try to hide her disgust.

She ate a croissant and then another, before finishing all six of them. The next morning, she woke up with a terrible stomach ache. "Oh, I ate way too many of those croissants," she told Bethany. "My stomach hurts. They were TOO delicious."

"Well, you know, ginger snap biscuits are great to settle the stomach. I can use the same ingredients, and I see you had ginger and cinnamon, so..." "You've convinced me," said Tess, laughing.

Tess was about to bite into a ginger snap biscuit when there was a knock at the door. Outside was a handsome young man.

"Is Bethany here?" he asked.

"And you are?"

"I'm Kevin," He saw the ginger snap biscuit in her hand. "Did she bake that?" He grabbed the biscuit and stormed inside. "I can't believe you're doing this again, Bethany."

Bethany emerged from the kitchen, red-faced. "How did you... You tracked my iPhone again,"

"And it's a good thing I did."

Ignoring Tess's threats to call her husband, Kevin grabbed the other biscuits and left with his wife.

Tess cried calling Bethany but received no response, and a few days later, she saw moving vans at her house. She called Daniel to tell him the couple had left. And that evening, her husband arrived home with a grim expression. "He beat her, didn't her?" said Tess interpreting his expression to mean Kevin had a history of domestic violence.

"Nope, it's not him, it's her. She was suspected of poisoning three of her neighbours with her bakes at her last address. One of them almost died as a result. They just couldn't prove anything." 

VOCABULARY

-TO BAKE: hornear  /  TO MEAN TO: tener la intención de  /  TO SAMPLE: probar  /  TO GASP: gritar  /  TO GRAB: agarrar  /  TO TAKE OUT ON; pagarlo con  /  TO BEAT: pegar  /  RUN HIS NAME: indagar sobre  él  /  PRIORS: antecedentes  /  LINGO: argot  /  TO SETTLE: calmar  /  TO STORM: entrar corriendo  /  GRIM: sombría  /  TO POISON: envenenar

 

NEW YORK CITY - THE GANGSTER MOB TOUR

Hi my dear friends. Today we are going to know a bit more about gangsters, New York and the Mafia.

Hola mis queridos amigos. Hoy vamos a conocer un poco más sobre gangsters, Nueva York y la Mafia.

Info: Speak Up magazine.

Photos: NuevaYork.es  /  nycgangstermobtour.com  /  nycgangstersandghosts.com  /  freetours.by.foot/  untapped.new.york.

THE GANGSTER MOB TOUR - NEW YORK

If you want to find more about the dark side of New York history, then you should try the "NYC Gangster Mob Tour".  It concentrates on an organization that still fascinates people:  the Mafia.

Italians had been moving to New York since the 1880s, but this story begins during the Prohibition era. 1928 was the start of the Castellammarese War, between rival Sicilian-born gangsters: Giuseppe "Joe" Massaria and Salvatore Maranzano (from Castellammare del Golfo).  The conflict also involved two Jewish gangsters, "Bugsy" Siegel and Meyer Lansky, and another Sicilian, Charlie "Lucky" Luciano.  Massaria and Maranzano were both killed in 1931. At this point Luciano emerged as the most powerful mafioso and decided to divide control of New York among five families.  Unlike most Sicilian mafiosi at that time, he worked with crime families from other Italian regions and with Jewish and Irish gangsters. In this way he effectively created "organized crime".

NOLITA

Much of the violence of the Castellammare War took place around Mulberry Street. Today New Yorkers refer to this area as "Nolita" or "North of Little Italy".  This is now one of Manhattan's most chic neighbourhoods and is full of fashionable shops and bars, but back in the Prohibition era it was home to speakeasies.  It was also the favourite haunt of gangsters. Their memory lives on in the many movies that have been filmed around here, like "The Godfather, Goodfellas, Donnie Brasco and American Gangster.

MEET THE MAFIA

The Mafia may be a sensitive issue for Italian Americans, but in New York City it's also a form of tourism thanks to the NYC Gangster Mob Tours.  Lucky Luciano who was born in Sicily in 1897 and who died in Naples in 1962, features prominently in the tours. 

When the Italians came over New York, some of the immigrants snuck in and they weren't the better people of the Italians that immigrated there. They were known as the Black Hand. They were a group of extortionists that used to extort money from all the Italian storekeepers that were in New York city, with threats of killing them or bombing them if they wouldn't give them what they asked for.

Charlie Luciano was a gentleman who was a big-time mobster and he was also the founder of the Five Families in New York and the creator of what is known as "organized crime". He used to hang out in this neighbourhood, he lived on the Lower East Side, made lots of money during this time of Prohibition and eventually in gambling and other things. On the block of Mulberry Street, was the Gambino crime family territory, and if we walk up the block, you will be able to see what was the Ravenite Club which was the social club run by the Gambino crime family where John Gotti, the head of the family, was caught by the FBI.

ON LOCATION

Italian Americans tend to hate the many fims and TV shows that portray them as mafiosi and, not surprisingly, there are plenty of film locations in the Gangster Mob Tours. Mulberry Street is full of restaurants. These ones were fronts for all the mob families, especially the Colombo and the Genovese families. They would use the restaurants to hold their meetings, either in the back room, the basement or upstairs.  A famous Tour is called Mulberry Street Bar, and it is where the movie "Donnie Brasco" was filmed, the very opening scene at the bar inside and also the TV show from HBO, "Sopranos". Mulberry Street Bar was used as the Averna Social Club in the series.  Further down the block there was a shooting in 1972 of a gentleman named Joe Gallo who was a capo in the Colombo crime family and was accused of killing Joe Colombo the year before.

VOCABULARY

UNLIKE: a diferencia de  /  SPEAKEASY: bar clandestino  /  HAUNT: lugar frecuentado  /  TO SNEAK IN: entrar furtivamente  /  STOREKEEPER: tendero  /  THREAT: amenaza  /  MOBSTER: gangster, mafioso  /  EVENTUALLY: finalmente  /  GAMBLING: juego  /  BLOCK: manzana de calles  /  TO PORTRAY: RETRATAR  /  FRONT: tapadera  /  THE MOB: la Mafia.

THE BAILEYS STORY - THE CREAM OF IRELAND / LA HISTORIA DE BAILEYS - LA CREMA DE IRLANDA.

Hi my dear friends. Today we will know a bit more about a beverage that, for sure, we have tasted, or not but that it is worldwide famous: BAILEYS and that it is "The Cream of Ireland".

Hola mis queridos amigos. Hoy conoceremos un poco más sobre una bebida que seguro hemos probado, o no pero que es mundialmente conocida: el BAILEYS y que es "La Crema de Irlanda".

Photos: www.theorchardcentre.com  /  Info: Speak-up magazine.

Baileys Irish Cream was invented, for the international market, in 1974. There is no Mr or Mrs Bailey: the name was used purely for branding.  Before 1974, attempts to blend and stabilise alcohol and cream had failed. Today, Baileys is the world's top-selling liqueur brand. Every minute, more than  2,300 glasses of Baileys are drunk across 180 countries.

THAT SWEET TASTE

So how is Baileys made? The basic ingredient is cream. The milk is produced on 1400 Irish farms and is transported to a facility in County Cavan where the cream is separated. The cream, alcohol, and whiskey are then homogenized to form an emulsion, to prevent the separation of the whiskey and cream. The 17 per cent alcohol content preserves the cream. The final product is made in Belfast. Today, the brand is the property of the drinks giant Diageo, the owner of Guinness. There are different flavours: coffee, crème caramel, mint chocolate, and hazelnut.

ON THE FARM

Baileys opened one of its dairy farms to the public in 2002: this is the Orchard Centre at Hayden Farm in County Wicklow.  The Hayden Family has been farming for four generations.  The 140 Frisian cows grazing happily outdoors are called "Baileys Ladies". You need to book in advance.  Businesses even send their employees here for some original team-building exercises.

MEET THE LADIES

You could be forgiven for thinking that the delicious drink, Baileys Irish Cream, has been around for a long time. In actual fact and as it has been commented above,  it was invented in 1974. The cows that provide the cream live on 1400 different farms in Ireland. You can, however, visit one farm in County Wicklow, and enjoy the "Baileys Experience". The Orchard Centre at Hayden Farm is home to 140 Frisian cows that are also known as the "Baileys Ladies".  John Hayden explains that when groups come to visit the farm and the focus of their visit is the whole Baileys Experience, as well as meeting the Baileys Ladies themselves, the cows that produce over a million litres from the farm every year, they are also introduced to Baileys: they are shown how Baileys is made, the different ingredients, the different flavours...

The visitors are shown some very really new and exciting ways of drinking Baileys, like the frappé Baileys, which is great for summertime barbecues, and it's a real fun, interactive experience. 

And after having met the Baileys Ladies, and visiting the farm, to see the very natural way the cream is produced and after tasting Baileys, they realize what is the spiritual home of Baileys.

In order to meet the "Baileys Ladies" you must book in advance but as Joe Hayden thinks, it's worth the wait because you can find there some wonderful activity-based and team-building programmes that are focused on the whole Bailey's concept.

The most popular one is the "Build a Baileys Cow" event that lasts about an hour and a half where your group are broken down into teams of maybe 12 or 14 people per team.  They are taken out to the pasture where they can see what is called the "Parade of Champions".  That is where they take the five top cows from their dairy herd and give a commentary on the characteristics that make the perfect Baileys cow: how she looks, how she walks, the beaufitul legs, and other vital statistics that are essential to having the perfect Baileys cow.

The teams are then invited, using a sketchboard, to design their own perfect Baileys cow. They are then provided with about 300 black-and white latex balloons, balloon pumps, tape, art material, cane posts, timber and they have to physically build their own Baileys cow. It's so funny!  When the cow is finished, they must then build a transportation system for the cow, using Guinness barrels and pallets and other materials from around the farm. And finally, they have the "Baileys Grand Prix". This is where they line up all these beautiful ladies on their transport systems and... all the teams have a Grand Prix Race to the milking shed.

VOCABULARY

FOR BRANDING: para la designación de la marca  /  ATTEMPT: intento  /  TO BLEND: mezclar  /  TO FAIL: fracasar  /  TO GRAZE: pastar  /  SHORT GLASS: copita  /  ORCHARD: huerto  /  TO FORGIVE: perdonar  /  TO BREAK DOWN:  dividir  /  PASTURE: prado  /  DAIRY HERD: ganado lechero  /  CANE: caña  /  MILKING SHED: cobertizo donde se ordeñan las vacas. 

MORE INFO

For more information on the drink's history, ingredients, etc  visit: www.baileys.com. If you can get 10 Baileys fans, you can visit The Orchard Centre www.theorchardcentre.ie  at the Hayden FArm in Co. Wicklow, a 90-minute drive south of Dublin.  The nearest train or bus station is Gorey.

NASA - 65 YEARS IN SPACE / NASA - 65 AÑOS EN EL ESPACIO.

Hi my dear friends. Today we are going to look at the stars. NASA celebrates 65 years in Space. It is very strange the out space world!  It has always fascinated me! And what is more, I think it's impossible to understand it!

Hola mis queridos amigos. Hoy vamos a mirar a las estrellas. La NASA celebra 65 años en el Espacio. Es muy extraño el mundo del espacio exterior. Siempre me ha fascinado. ¡Y lo que es más, creo que es imposible de entender!

Info from: Speak Up magazine.

Photos: www.lanasa.net  /  www.national.geoghrapic  /  RTVE.es  /  hoy.com.do  /  descargas.intef.es  /  mas.laopiniondemalaga.es

For millennia, people observed space and wondered what was up there. It's only the second half of the 20th century, though, that travelling into space began, an extraordinary feat made possible by organisations like the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

SPACE RACE

In fact, the founding of NASA had much to do with pride.  Less than a year before, the USSR launched Sputnik, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth.  It was not all about getting ahead of the Soviets, though.  NASA's achievements had consequences that expanded into all the scientific fields, contributing hugely to the understanding of the cosmos and our own planet.

THE UNIVERSE

Thanks to NASA's manned missions, but also to its telecopes and probes, scientists have been able to study the evolution and expansion of the universe, from the Big Bang to the present.  We have learned, for example, that the universe is 13.77 billion years old and that only 4.6 per cent of it is made up of atoms -with the rest being dark matter and dark energy.

LIFE IN SPACE

In november 2013, scientists used data from the Kepler space observatory to conclude that there could be up to forty billion Earth-like planets orbiting stars at a distance that could make life possible.  So if anyone finally does discover life out there in space, the odds are it will be NASA.

VOCABULARY

FEAT: hito  /  PRIDE: orgullo  /  GETTING AHEAD: avanzarse  /  ACHIEVEMENTS: logros  /  

HUGELY: enormemente  /  MANNED MISSIONS: misiones tripuladas  /  THE ODDS ARE:  lo más probable es.

THE MOON

"I'm gonna step off the LM now. That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind" 

These are the famous words astronaut Neil Armstrong said before becoming the first human to set foot on the Moon. It was July 20th 1969 and the mission was called Apollo 11.

Five other Apollo missions would land on Earth's satellite afterwards. Along with the research data they brought home, the astronauts carried back some four hundred kilograms of Moon rocks,sand, dust and other celestial materials for us to study. 

Study of rock and soil samples from the Moon provide useful information about the early history of the Moon, the Earth, and the Solar System. Although they may not seem that interesting at first sight.

NASA's research indicates that the Moon could have been formed from the debris resulting from the Earth being struck by a celestial body the size of Mars. This theory is backed by the chemical composition of the lunar rocks and the meteorite remains that have been found on its surface.

It has been forty-five years since the last human walked on the Moon and NASA is indeed planning to go back up there.  NASA is refocusing on the Moon and they want to send people back there and there was some talk about robotic missions, too, both to do in situ science on the surface, but also to hopefully bring back some samples. 

VOCABULARY

LM: módulo lunar  /  LEAP: SALTO  /  set foot: PISAR  /  samples: MUESTRAS  /  DEBRIS: detritos  /  REMAINS: restos 

LE MYSTÈRE DE L'ÎLE DE PÂQUES / EL MISTERIO DE LA ISLA DE PASCUA

 Salut mes amis. Aujourd'hui un peu de Français. Nous allons lire à propos de l'Île de Pâques. 

¡Hola amigos! Hoy un poco de Francés. Vamos a leer sobre la Isla de Pascua.

Photos: Abc.es  /  amazon.es  /  autofacil.es  /  rtve.es  /  wikipedia.es

LE MYSTÈRE DE LÎLE DE PÂQUES, EST-IL PERCÉ?

L'Île de Pâques est située à 3.700 km à l'Ouest de l'Amérique du Sud dans l'Océan Pacifique.  L'Île habitée la plus proche est l'Île Pitcairn à plus de 2.000 km à l'Ouest.  De forme triangulaire et d'environ 23 km dans sa plus grande dimension, l'Île couvre 166 km carrés, et sa population comptait plus de 2.200 habitants en 2002.  Elle fut visitée par le premier européen le navigateur Jakob Roggeven le jour de Pâques, le 6 avril 1722, et comptait alors près de 4.000 habitants.

L'Île de Pâques fut annexée par l'Espagne en 1770 sous le nom d'Isla San Carlos, mais l'Espagne s'en désintéressa par la suite alors des Français s'y installèrent après 1864 et l'Île est devenue une possession chilienne en 1888.

Sur cette île se trouvent près de 890 têtes de statues monumentales appelées Moaïs.  Celles-ci sont sculptées dans la pierre et disposées sur l'Île de Rapa Nui protégée par l'UNESCO.  Les statues proviennent d'une carrière située sur les flancs et dans le cratère du volcan nommé Rano Raraku.  On peut y voir un très grand nombre de moaïs, certains terminés et dressés au pieds de la pente, d'autres inachevés, à divers stades entre l'ébauche et la finition.  Le plus grand qui ait été érigé mesure 10 m de haut et pèse 75 t.

L'un des inachevés fait 21 m de hauteur pour une masse estimé à 270 t.

Environ 400 statues ont été dressés sur l'Île et un nombre équivalent est resté inachevé dans la carrière principale. Le mystère de leur contstruction n'est plus.  L'Île avait été boisée et la théorie communément admise est que les statues auraient été déplacées debout depuis le site Rano Raraku où elles étaient taillées en position horizontale dans la roche volcanique jusqu'à leur destination finale, par un mouvement de balancier régulé par des tireurs de cordes.

Mais le mystère autour de la raison d'être de ces statues reste pour une grande partie entier. Ce qu'on sait de l'Île de Pâques, c'est que les premiers habitants, ils sont arrivés dès le IVème siècle, et que ces statues, elles ont été sculptées entre le X et le  XVème siècle. 

Certaine d'entre elles, portent des sortes de chapeaux, et leurs orbites, ont certainement acritées, à l'origine, du corail. Mais, pourquoi ces statues ont-elles été réalisées et disposées ainsi sur cette île?  Les hypothèses sont nombreuses, et aucune n'est pour leur certaine. Pour certains  spécialistes, ils s'agissait d'honorer des chefs de guerre importants,car il a été trouvé sous certaines d'entre elles des tombes.  Pour d'autres, il s'agissait d'offrir une protection aux habitants de l'Île, car il a été démontré que les statues regardent toutes en direction du village à l'heure présent. Mais ce qui rend impossible la confirmation de ces hyptohèses, est que les habitants même de l'Île, étaient déjà divisés lorsque les premiers  explorateurs hollandais arrivèrent en 1722.  En effet, à leur arrivée, l'Île ne ressemblait à ce qu'elle était dans le passé puisque une bonne partie des milliers de personnes qu'elle abritait, avaient péri au XVIIème siècle en raison d'une grande sécheresse.

L'Île semble alors avoir subit un effondrement écologique et culturel. À la suite des pénuries de ressources naturelles, et notamment de bois, les conflits éclatèrent entre les tribus, laissant place à la guerre at au cannibalisme. Un état de délicat sens de la société et parachevé par le esclavagisme du XIXème siècle.

QUESTIONS.

1 À quel pays appartient actuellement l'Île de Pâques?   

2 Comment construisaient-ils les Moaïs?

3 Quelles sont les théories qui expliquent l'existence des statues?

4 Quelle a été la cause des luttes entre les tribus de l'Île de Pâques?

5 Comment est la description des Moaïs?

6 En Français: "En las antípodas de estas noticias tecnológicas que permiten informarse con un clic, yo os recomiendo el libro "magazine man and food" de la editorial 180 grados."

VOCABULAIRE

Percer: descubrir  /  -carrière: cantera   /  -boisée: poblada de árboles  /  -sécheresse: sequía   /  --effondrement: desmoronamiento, hundimiento  /  pénuries: problemas, penurias  /  éclater: estallar  /  -parachevé: rematar.

RÉPONSES.

1 L'Île de Pâques appartient à Chili.

2 Les Moaïs ont été sculptés dans la pierre qui provient d'une carrière près du volcan Rano Raraku.

3 Il y a plusieurs théories. Protection pour les habitants de l'Île, honorer les chefs de guerre importants, mais on ne sait pas bien.

4 La cause des luttes entre les tribus pourraient être  la sécheresse, les pénuries de ressources naturelles et l'esclavagisme aussi.

5 Les Moaïs sont des statues énormes construites en pierre qui sont debout et disposées sur l'Île de Rapa Nui.

6 Aux antipodes de ces nouvelles tecnologiques´qui permettent de s'informer avec un clic, je vous recommend le livre"magazine man and food" de l'éditorial 180 degrés.