Banning Minarets in Switzerland

Last week we discussed an article about Switzerland's move to ban minarets in mosques. Surprisingly enough, the result of the referendum is that 53% of the population back the minaret ban. Here is a link to a Guardian page showing the different reactions to the referendum:

http://browse.guardian.co.uk/search?search=minarets&sitesearch-radio=guardian&go-guardian=Search

And a video:

Swiss residents react to minaret ban

Thanksgiving and Books

Here is a fun quiz about Thanksgiving in books. Give it a try!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/quiz/2009/nov/25/thanksgiving-in-literature-quiz

Paul Auster's latest novel

For those of you who like Paul Auster, Invisible, his latest novel, is out.

Click on the link below for an excerpt of the novel and a review:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120141581

It will be available in Spanish as of December 1st.

Kindle Reader Drawbacks

Just in case you were thinking of getting one of your loved ones an e-book reader this Christmas, here is an article from the Observer which might make you change your mind. Just click on the link:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/nov/08/amazon-kindle-licence-orwell

New SdL Blog

There is a new blog called  'Centre d´Autoaprenentatge de Llengües' where you will find a collection of materials and links provided by SdL teachers which you can use to work on your English by yourself.
Check it out and tell me what you think!

'Torrons' and the like

Some words that have to do with 'cakes'  and 'torrons', for those of you who have a sweet tooth:

'torró' = a sweet rather like nougat which is eaten particularly around Christmas. It has Arabic origins and is made of honey, egg whites, almonds and hazelnuts.There are two traditional varieties: alicante which is hard and contains whole almonds, and, jijona, which is soft and made from crushed almonds.

So, we could translate it as nougat 

Bakery = 'forn', but you can also have cakes there
pastry shop = similar to 'forn' but more emphasis on cakes, pastry, etc.

Apart from the two above, we have other options for 'pastisseria' - concepts in English are not so 'clear-cut'. Follow the links and find out!

confectioner's or confectionery store
patissier
cake shop

Books

The week before last, we spent some time talking about reading and books and how we go about choosing a book to read. Here are some words and phrases that came up:

Word of mouth = boca a orella
There's no accounting for taste = sobre gustos no hay nada escrito

blurb = a short summary or some words of praise accompanying a creative work, usually referring to the words on the back of the book but also commonly seen on DVD and video cases and web portals.
 
paperback = tapa blanda

hardcover = tapa dura
spine = lomo

Interesting pronunciation link

Here is a direct link with the BBC pronunciation page which I think can be very useful for those of you who want further pronunciation practice:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/pron/

E-Books

I have added a few things to our blog. There is now a direct link to the BBC Learning page (on the left-hand column), which I'm sure will prove very useful. To start using it, I would like you to click on e-books and listen to the conversation before next class.

Would you feel comfortable using an e-book? Maybe you already have an ebook reader, do you? Think about the implications of this 'new' technology and watch this other video! It's only a bit of humour...

In Spite Of and Despite

In spite of is used as a preposition; it means more or less the same as although +  clause:

We went out in spite of the rain = ... although it was raining
We understood him in spite of his accent = ... although he had a strong accent

In spite of is the opposite of because of. Compare:

She passed her exams in spite of her teacher. (She had a bad teacher)
She passed her exams because of her teacher. (She had a good teacher)

In spite of can be followed by an -ing form:

In spite of having a headache I enjoyed the film.
She failed the exam in spite of having worked very hard

In more formal English, despite can be used in the same way as in spite of.

Here is a link to a quiz about using despite and other related conjunctions. Feel free to do it!

Although, Though, Despite and However

Evolution and Creationism: Listen to the Scientists

And, last but not least, a bunch of scientists discussing why creationist theories have no validity. This is really an interesting video!

Biochemistry proves the existence of God

Here is a video with some arguments in favour of creationism. To be honest, it was quite difficult to find something credible, but there are lots of videos out there defending intelligent design... Have fun!

A Creationist Museum

Last week we had a discussion about  religion and read a text about the growing importance of creationism and intelligent design in the UK. Here is a BBC report about a Creationist Museum in Kentucky, US.

If It's Hard To Say, It Must Be Risky

If It's Hard To Say, It Must Be Risky