Hello My Name Is … Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris

Hello My Name Is … Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris

Over the fifty years I spent as a designer, architect, writer and urban planner, I was influential in the development of what is today called modern architecture. I was born in Switzerland, in a small town in the Jura mountains in 1887. Since I was interested in art from a very early age, I soon started travelling the length and breadth of Europe, meeting influential artists of my day, including Gustav Klimt, Peter Behrens and Josef Hoffmann. We spent many hours discussing the future of design, and how to make beautiful but useful…Czytaj dalej …
Travel Through Music

Travel Through Music

  It is always fun to travel. The opportunity to meet new cultures, and experience different customs is always a good way not only to learn new things, but also to rediscover the things we already know. Today we will go on a musical journey through some of the remotest regions of the world and see (or rather “hear”) the musical traditions of various cultures. Inuit Throat Singing Inuits are an indigenous peoples inhabiting some of the coldest places on Earth: the Arctic regions of Greenland, Canada, and the US. The gender roles…Czytaj dalej …
Ice Bucket Challenge

Ice Bucket Challenge

The internet has been ablaze the last couple of weeks with people throwing buckets of icy water over their heads. Why are they doing it? It turns out that these cold showers are to draw attention to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a degenerative disease characterised by gradual loss of muscle control, leading to problems in speaking, swallowing and breathing. Now thousands of people around the world have taken it upon themselves to bring ALS in teh spotlight by throwing buckets of extremely cold water on their heads. Among the people who have already…Czytaj dalej …
My Blackberry Is Not Working

My Blackberry Is Not Working

Here's a funny sketch by British comedian Ronnie Corbett, who walks into a greengrocer to complain about something. Do you understand this humour? Script: I bought something from you last week, and I'm very disappointed. Oh yeah? What's the problem? Yeah, well, my blackberry is not working. What's the matter, it run out of juice? No, no, it's completely frozen! Oh, yeah, I can see that. I tell you what: let's try it on orange. That's got a few black spots, you see... Oh, dear, yes. Sorry about that. Well, is there anything…Czytaj dalej …
Weird Wedding Traditions

Weird Wedding Traditions

I just came back from a Polish wedding this weekend, and while the hangover has passed (partly thanks to a healthy helping of Żurek soup, made with sour rye), I got thinking about the strange traditions of weddings around the world. In Poland, the wedding celebrations traditionally last all night, and a second party is held at around noon the following day! Just after the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom are met by their respective parents, who hold a loaf of bread and salt. The newlyweds eat some of the bread dipped…Czytaj dalej …
Would you wear that?

Would you wear that?

Arachnophobes beware: some chilling reading awaits! Man has been making fabrics since time immemorial. The word “textile” comes from the Latin for “weave,” and the oldest textiles ever found come for the area which is now modern-day Georgia and date back to around 35,000 BC (Before Christ). Over history fabrics have been made from a whole palette of materials: cotton, sheep's wool, camel hair, and hemp, to name but a few. Until recently, however, no-one had been able to produce cloth made from one of nature's strongest materials – spider silk. This was…Czytaj dalej …
Test Your IQ

Test Your IQ

The latest edition of English Matters magazine has a fantastic article about IQ tests and why they are important. Many companies give their employees an IQ test to see if they are fit for the job. There are also groups whose members are people with high IQ scores. One such group is MENSA, which was founded in 1946. Here is a little IQ score for you to try today. It doesn't look like much, and the first questions are easy, but keep at it, and they will get very hard indeed! Good luck!…Czytaj dalej …
When I’m 64 – The Beatles

When I’m 64 – The Beatles

“When I'm 64,” written by Paul McCartney is one of the band's most iconic songs. It was first released in 1967 in their “Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band” album. The song is like a letter written by a young man to his lover, asking if she will still love him when he gets older. It was one of the first songs McCartney ever wrote, and was in the band's repertoire from the very beginning. Lyrics: "When I'm Sixty Four" When I get older losing my hair Many years from now Will you…Czytaj dalej …
Would You Live in 1946?

Would You Live in 1946?

The BBC news website has a fascinating little article about a 36-year-old man going to work in 2014. When he gets home, however, he lives in 1946. His house is a living museum of post-war England, and includes several amenities which most people today would find uncomfortable to use, such as an outdoor toilet! Watch the video, and answer the questions below: Video is courtesy of BBC news agency Questions: 1) What is the heart of the house (in the kitchen)? 2) What is the man's day job? 3) How is the master…Czytaj dalej …
Grammar is Important

Grammar is Important

Have you ever wondered about what is the most important element when learning a language? Well, vocabulary is important, because without words, we cannot express ourselves. But so is comprehension, meaning you can understand things that you hear and read. But perhaps the most important (and the least heeded) is GRAMMAR. The advent of SMSs and internet writing (Twitter, Facebook and others) have reduced many people's ability to write grammatically. This notion has grabbed the attention of noted singer Weird Al Yankovic who released a song about why grammar is so important. What do…Czytaj dalej …
← Newer Posts
Older Posts →