This woman is revolutionazing modern medicine

Mrs Pereira may solve one of the oldest problems in surgery.

Source: Time.com

European Day of Languages

Hi:
This video was made by the Official School of Languages in Pamplona.
Enjoy!

An Inspector calls

Hi,

Would you like to go to the theater in English? This is a show by "Madrid Players"

 

PRICES

Adults: 12 Euros

Groups/children: 10 Euros

Madrid Players members: 6 Euros

 

ticketsmadridplayers@gmail.com

www.madridplayers.org

 

Questions about the life of Junípero Serra

The canonization of 18th-century Spanish missionary Father Junípero Serra, who was made a saint by Pope Francis in Washington on Wednesday, represents a strategic move by the Catholic Church in the United States. During a conference in May, Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gómez called Serra the “first Mexican immigrant” because “he lived and worked more than a dozen years in Mexico before coming to California.”

The Mallorca-born missionary, who lived from 1713 to 1784, traveled with Spanish expeditions to help convert the Native American communities living in what is now California to Christianity. At age 56, he arrived in the unexplored Spanish territory and later set up nine missions between San Diego and San Francisco; these missions today are preserved as important historic sites. Although he is not well-known in Spain, Father Serra is a monumental figure in California history. His biography is studied in schools and the story of the American West cannot be told without mentioning Serra’s name.

European Day of Languages

To celebrate the European Day of Languages on Sept 26th, here is an infographic about the English Language.

In the Heart of New Orleans

You may like to train your ear by listening to this document about New Orleans and the 10th anniversary from Hurricane Katrina.
Listen and write T (true) or F (false) beside these statements.

New Orleans

1) The French Quarter is the oldest part of New Orleans.
2) New Orleans was founded in 1780.
3) The architecture of the French Quarter is typically French.
4) Most of the tourist spots are in the French Quarter.

5) Over a thousand people were killed when Hurricane Katrina struck ten years ago.
6) Only a few of the neighbourhoods have recovered from the disaster.

Here’s Proof That You Are Wired To Be Lazy

Trying to lose weight? Your nervous system may be working against you

When you have one free evening and two competing impulses—to work out and to binge watch—which do you usually follow?

You’ll be relieved to hear that choosing the couch is only human. Humans are inherently lazy, which may be a trait left over from our ancestors’ days of conserving energy for the next hunt. Unfortunately, a small new study published in the journal Current Biology finds that even when we do choose to move, our bodies naturally do it in the most economical way possible—which is bad news for anyone trying to lose weight.

 

Science has already proven that our bodies naturally choose the most efficient way to walk, at a speed and step length that limits the number of calories we expend. What’s not known is whether the nervous system—responsible for movements like walking—continuously optimizes movement, in real time, to use the least amount of energy possible. “If your nervous system is working against you you’re trying to keep your calories burned as low as possible,” says study co-author Max Donelan, professor of biomedical physiology and kinesiology at Simon Fraser University in Canada. “And that’s indeed what we found.”

 

In the new research, the researchers outfitted nine people in a sort of motorized leg brace designed to disrupt the normal way people walk by adding resistance to their knee joints. The people in the study then walked on a treadmill while the researchers measured how their gait adapted to the device.

In just minutes, they found that people changed the way that they walked in a way that conserved the most calories—even very small amounts. “The nervous system is capable of doing this energy optimization and does it below the level of your conscious awareness to such a fine degree,” says Donelan. “This is the first real strong evidence that the nervous system even has the ability to do that.”

Though they only studied walking, the researchers think that the nervous system’s tendency to hoard calories applies to many movements. “This is good news if you’re an athlete,” Donelan says. “You’d like your body to be helping you move as cheaply as possible if you’re trying to win a race so you have as many energy reserves as you possibly can.” But if you’re exercising to sweat off calories, it’s not great news, he says.

Source: Time.com

Desperate Crossing

IN THE CLOUDLESS EARLY HOURS OF JULY 27, two tiny fishing boats drifted across the Mediterranean Sea. Crammed aboard were 733 would-be migrants, including 59 children under the age of 5. Most were from the impoverished and despotically ruled northeast African nation of Eritrea.

Source: The New York Times

How to speak so that people want to listen

Have you ever felt like you're talking, but nobody is listening? Here's Julian Treasure to help you fix that. As the sound expert demonstrates some useful vocal exercises and shares tips on how to speak with empathy, he offers his vision for a sonorous world of listening and understanding.
Source: TED Julian Treasure

English is the queerest language

Hi,

I'd like to wish you all good luck tomorrow 9th at the exam. In the meantime, this poem will entertain you with some pronounciation reflections.

'Migrant' Or 'Refugee'? Why The Distinction Matters

As Europe debates how to deal with the influx of people landing on its shores, the language used to describe them is subject to its own dispute.
This is an example of how language can be misleading and used to manipulate voters and listeners.
Source: Newsy
Transcript