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ON MONDAY
ESL Podcast 896 – Preparing a Speech
In the Learning Guide: Get a full transcript (written version of every word you hear), vocabulary list and sample sentences, and comprehension questions.
In “What Else Does it Mean,” learn the other meanings of “to plan out” and “to stand in for.”
In the “Culture Note,” learn about “Types of Speeches.”
“People are expected to make many different kinds of speeches, both “professionally” (at work) and “personally” (in daily life). One of the most…” – READ MORE in the Learning Guide
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ON WEDNESDAY
English Cafe 399
Topics: Famous Playwrights – David Henry Hwang; patent medicines; to get to versus to have got to; weird versus strange; to thumb a ride
In the Learning Guide: Get a full transcript (written version of every word you hear).
In “What Insiders Know,” you will read about “Snake Oil.”
“The term “snake oil” today is used to refer to any type of medicine or cure that is…” – READ MORE in the Learning Guide
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ON FRIDAY
ESL Podcast 897 – Cooking a Meal
In the Learning Guide: Get a full transcript (written version of every word you hear), vocabulary list and sample sentences, and comprehension questions.
In “What Else Does it Mean,” learn the other meanings of “pan” and “to chop.”
In the “Culture Note,” learn about “Easy-to-Make Meals.”
“In the United States, there are many popular “easy-to-make” (not requiring very much time or effort) meals. Many of the meals are…” – READ MORE in the Learning Guide
Good morning dear friends of the Blog.
Congratulations to Denmark by the first prize in the Eurovisión Contest of last night. The song was beautiful and
the beautiful young woman did the song wonderfully.
We watched all the Festival and it was amusing and very good singers. The Spanish team was a disaster, the girl
didn´t do a good work, her voice was trembling at first esither the song wasn´t good. So it was right to be nearly
the last place only before the boy of Ireland, that I think he did not so bad perforance. The Spanish was worst by
all means. Poor Spanish girl, it seems she was really nerves.
As usual it is possible that gatufo has something to tell us.
We are going to see if he wants to tell us somenthing……(it seems he has something).
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“First day with humans at home
I’m a cat, they call me Gatufo and I don´tknow the reason.
We cats do not put names to anything because everything has its unique and unrepeatable essence.
I’m not an ordinary cat, I can tell you things and even I could remember some things about my first life and it’s just what I am doing now and although it is not exactly me who does it, it is emiliano, for the case it is the same as I put in his mind what I want to say.
Yes I alwas do that and emiliano writes accordingly with my ideas.
What can I say about the begining of gatufo?. Here it is:
“I was born in Madrid, in the month of December 2010, more or less, at least that is what I have listened several times, but I have not clear wich place I was born, Madrid?….I don´t know what such a Word means but I think there is some place after all, therefore hardly I could remember anything of that time. Gatufo was very small and I had not spent two months with my mother when I was left in a very large space full of trees called “Casa de Campo”, there were thousands of abandoned cats and dogs of all ages and sizes, many of them were sick and very sad because they did not understand why they were in such a place and even they whay they never saw their loved humans.
Humans?. More or less I know what are they, but when I was such a large place I can´t understand these poor animals that were claiming all day with great pain.
So many of them died, yes that´s true, of hunger, or cold and sadness.
I almost died too, as I was very tiny and I was also very afraid of all that herd of hapless report. Then, after some time, I found out we were in the midst of “crisis” don´t know not exactly what is it or even the consequences of that thing over the poor people of Casa de Campo left over there by humans.
One consequence that thing, “crisis” was that cats, dogs and other species were out of the homes of humans because they can not, or do not have humor, to keep them at home.
As I said I almost died of hunger and specially of cold, yes it was really very cold.
Shivering, even shrunk I found no way to get warm, so I climbed a tree and started to meow, as hard as I could but I realized right away I would miss the voice to keep doing it for long….miau…miauuuu was my only Word.
It did not lost the forces after all as after a while it passed a human and looked startled by my meows upward and saw me perched on a branch of the tree.
Luckily it was not very high, my strength did not allow me to climb more, so easily he grabbed, stroked me and I felt very hot after a while.
Then I found myself in other enclosed and warm place, in a smaller enclosure still call box. There was a soft, pleasant heat that gave me, and so I could rest and eat for much.
Cats do not have time to measure, that does not exist for us. Never in a hurry for anything, try to sleep and eat whenever we want and if we are awake to enjoy, hunt and play. Always ready to have fun and live memory even taking the present moment intensely.
I do not know how but I had something very good to eat and water to drink, how good it was to be there. I felt happy, a warm, affection around me.
Unfortunately it was for a short time, it had been two days and I again felt caught, moved and moved to another new site that I found most enjoyable yet.
But it take a long trip inside something that moves a make noise.
I found a place that there was not so much noise, the two humans that had brought me there not long before leave the place and I was alone, with two new humans, no other cat or dogs nearby, but with the two humans with a very pleasant smell that tried to calmed me down.
Of course once I started to explore the new site that was going to be my home, I could know I was not going to be moved or abandoned anymore.
Yes at least I was home.
New bugs large endowments, new humans, showed me lot of love and attention, they caught me, I did not understand sounds engaged, and I put a meal rich again and all the wáter I wanted.
I ended up on a large site, fluffy, very similar to the smell and touch to what was in the box. I had no qualms about pissing there, which human then checked and the one called emiliano was not amused. I scolded and I did not know why.
He took another box filled with sand and told me that this was the place to piss and other functions. Great, so I could hide all my tracks and leave no residues or odors to any other creature that could appeared there, difficult but posible. I always do that as my mother told me to do.
When emiliano called the another human Cuca, and she was equally affective and loving with me.
Although cuca don´t put me food or crouch to catch me, and caress me little time. You will note that she was not used to dealing with cats, but she will be changing soon, I thought them.
With cuca something different happens tan with Emilian, gives me the feeling that she is not good at all, she is slow very slow, spends a lot of time sitting and emiliano is the one who cares her, like he does with me, brings us the food and assists her when pussy Cuca can not get up by herself.
They both say things to me at the moment I can not understand, but a it is a matter of time and patience with them.
How it is posible they use such a lot of words to be understanded by each other. We cats don´t need to speak as we could feel everything without words.
They are big bugs and some more bizarre than some others listed, but I was suddenly in the place they call home and felt myself as a happy cat with that big humans, immense creatures that show me love.
Yes, I memory and I remember well my first day with pussy Cuca and emiliano, it was a happy day, and the beginning of a friendship that takes time to be strong.
I will continue later, as I look around, listen to everything they say and I’m finding a lot of things that happens around me.
It is so easy to live with these two big half silly humans, they are slow, clumsy but they love me. It is enough for me “gatufo”….gatufo?.
Yes they called me so immediately and I don´t know why, I am a Cat.”
That´s all my friends, another day.
I could tell you more things about what is the life of a cat here at home with the two humans.
Some how they are so odd, humans are odd in general but I love these two who give me so much care.
gatufo.
———
So, gatufo has called us his first day “at home” I think the cat is crazy, but I love him and like all what he has inside
his little head.
Nex sunday another story.
emiliano
A new study demonstrate that moving to U.S. does not improve every aspect of life. It may improve your wage rate and offer more comfortable life style ,but It deteriorates health.
The study shows the longer you live in U.S. the higher risk of heart problems and diabetes. And,Although the American children have an improved life over their immigrant parents ,but they live shorter than their parents.
You know , The immigrant in U.S. have a 3 years shorter life expectancy of their counterparts in their native land.
One question comes to mind here. Why does live in one of the most advanced country in the world with all its sophisticated health system has got a momentum against the general health?
The research showing the primary rather main reason is the change that occurs in immigrant’s life style as they adopt to the paternal behavior of new land which is smoking ,drinking ,poor nutrition food with high calories and sugar contain. And ,what make it all worse is the epidemical growth of sedentary life styles.
It is all happening imperceptibly. The growth of fast food restaurants in every city and small towns in U.S. over the past few decades could be credited to the crazy busy life style of most Americans.
As it seems , Their jam pack schedule leaves them with a little time for food preparation ,and that is where fast food restraints come in.they offer economical , fast ,and tasty combos.
As long as it is fast ,right? 🙂
People it is time to do sth about it .the life style is taking its toll.
Just check the obesity rate in U.S.
And ,Canada does exactly the same
Yours
Pete
Hi! Dear Jeff, talking about Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC)…
We call him Aristotel. I have no idea that until the end of the 17th century , Western culture was Aristotelian.
In 335 BC Aristotle founded his own school the Lyceum in Athens.
I now realize that our high school is called “liceu” and we have a publishing house named “Lyceum”.
One of his critics said about him: “His enemies, who were numerous, made him out to be arrogant and overbearing…
As a man he was, I suspect , admirable rather than amiable.”
Hi! May I write some Aristotle’s quotations?
“That which we must learn to do, we learn by doing.”
“Education is the best provision for old age.”
“The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.”
“What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies.”
Hi Everybody,
Thanks a lot to all posts.
They are worth reading.
sutisha