US elections explained

More ways to make us spend more

• Placing popular items at the back ─ Why, oh why do stores make parents with small children trek all the way to the back of the store for necessities like baby wipes and toilet paper? Because they’re hoping you and your kids will find plenty of irresistible items to pick up on your way. 
• 99 cents ─ When you look at a price and see $9.99, chances are your brain doesn’t automatically register $10, but that figure is closer to the truth. Typically, consumers will think of prices ending in 9 as a much lower price, and end up spending more money. In addition to the change in perception, making prices end in 9 makes calculating confusing. So for someone trying to see the difference between two smaller bags of an item at $1.99 versus a larger one at $4.99, it may be tricky to figure out exactly what the total cost would be for each.
• Coupons ─ Wait, coupons are supposed to save you money, right? Correct, but deal seekers often end up spending more than those that casually shop. First, coupons direct shoppers to the items retailers most want them to spend money on — and those items may not be bargains, even with coupons. 
• Limited time only ─ When deals are only available for a short period of time, it’s natural to want to get it before it’s gone. Combined with confusing discounts, like buy one, get the second 60% off, and you’ve got shoppers that are ravenous to get the great deal, even if they don’t know exactly what that deal is.
• Sales — It’s the traditional motivator. We go to the shopping centre. We see clothes on sale. We have plenty at home, but they were such a great deal, we buy one more pair. We can't help buying them because they are on sale, not because they are cheap or we need them.
• Store cards ─ You’ve seen the signs and have almost certainly been asked to sign up for one at the register — store cards exist to make sure you’ll spend lots of money right where retailers want you to.  With a discount as an incentive, shoppers with new store cards often overspend on their initial transaction, buying extra in order to maximize their sign-up discount.
• Return policies — The opposite of retail therapy is buyer’s remorse. The solution is to make returns easy for people who change their minds. According to the Washington Post, an estimated 25 to 30 percent of online purchases are sent back, about triple the rate for items bought in-store. Therefore, even if only one in 10 store buyers returns merchandise, they are more likely to make a more expensive purchase if they have the option.
• Aspirational buying — Many luxury goods firms never run sales. These expensive products make you feel you are entering a club or a higher category.
• Compliments — When shopping for clothing, telling a customer they look good in something sets the stage for the accessories they need to buy to complete the outfit. The more specific the compliment, the more effective.
• Handling the product — According to the Harvard Business Review, touching the product establishes a symbolic connection. Customers are willing to spend at least 40 percent more on certain products that are physically present vs. those described in photos or text.
• Extras you thought were standard — The main purchase might be a smart phone, but you need a screen protector, a memory card and a case.
• Paying by credit card — Purchases become abstract when you sign a receipt instead of actually counting out money. A study by Dun & Bradstreet shows people spend 12 to 18 percent more when paying by credit card.
• Loyalty programs —Customers often pay more attention to the benefits they might get from a loyalty programme than to the product they are purchasing.
• Extended warranties — When you buy an appliance or computer, you might think you are done. The store makes the case for continuing coverage in case something goes wrong.
• Automatic renewals — Your homeowner's or auto insurance are good examples. Once you become a client and pay on a monthly basis, the policy automatically renews at the end of the period. Often the price is higher. 
• Buying for another — Americans are generous people. We might watch our own spending, but we will splash out for another family member or friend. In the past, one of the extreme cases was funeral expenses after the death of a loved one.
• Celebrity endorsements – In 1934, Wheaties started putting athletes on cereal boxes. It’s grown and grown ever since. According to Forbes, celebrities inspire consumer confidence. People use the product to identify with the lifestyle of the celebrity.  
• Independent awards — People like impartial third-party evaluations. Lots of wine gets sold because scores are awarded by wine publications. These tags are called “shelf talkers.”
• Getting something free — Perfume companies often offer a free gift with a purchase over a specific threshold. You spend more to get the “free” gift.

Adapted from https://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/how-to/marketing/2017/10/18-ways-to-encourage-customers-to-spend-more-than.html  and http://www.youngupstarts.com/2011/08/17/20-hidden-marketing-techniques-that-make-consumers-spend-more/

Food in Britain

There are several aspects of food and eating in Britain that are shocking or at least surprising for a Spaniard:

• Meal times and names:

Marmite by Malcolm Farmer

• Large breakfasts. A proper traditional breakfast might include fried eggs, sausage, baked beans, bacon, toast, fried tomatoes, mushrooms, toast or fried bread ... and, of course, a cup of tea or coffee. However, nowadays, most people in Britain just have a simpler breakfast with cereal, toast, a cup of tea or coffee and some juice. A "nice cuppa" refers to a cup of tea.
• Many people will drink tea or coffee while having a meal, instead of drinking water. It might be difficult to imagine someone eating soup while drinking soup, but not from a Briton.
• Almost anything can be eaten on toast: beans, Marmite, egg, tomato, cheese...



Tea time at Lucy's by MrsWoman

• Tea is the national drink. It is drunk at all meals, any time of the day and any time of the year, not just for the meal called "tea".
•  There are also some foods that may seem strange to foreigners:
• haggis
• Scotch eggs
• Toad in the hole
• black pudding
• Welsh rarebit
• Fish and chips. If you don't know what to eat any time, you may pop into a fish and chips shop and buy your dinner there.

Penny Lane fish and chips shop by Loco Steve

Fish and chips by Richard Allaway

Traditional british food from comeniusnewclans

British food from Anthonny Garcia

QUIZZES:

• Proprofs: British Food
• Quizly

READ MORE:

• Project Britain
• 21 Things Everyone Should Know Before Visiting Britain
• British Etiquette for International Students
• British Habits That Confuse the Rest Of the World
• British Food Habits That Americans Will Never Understand
• Ten Strange British Foods
• Food Quirks That British People Don't Realise Are Weird

https://britainexplorer.com/ten-strange-british-foods/

https://www.buzzfeed.com/tabathaleggett/food-quirks-that-british-people-dont-realise-are-weird

The New Year all over the world

Halloween classroom activities

Halloween trivia from Ana Arias Castro

Basic halloween trivia from Ana Arias Castro

The USA vs. Spain

How Americans See Europe

Bilingualism in the USA

Reading Comprehension: What's life like in Australia's poorest town?

Delungra- Wikipedia

1. Read the BBC article about Delungra.
2. You can use:
1. Wordreference to check words you dond't know
3. Answer these three questions:
1. Mention three positive aspects of the town.
2. What do volunteers do?
3. What services or facilities do local people miss?
4. You can write your answers in a separate sheet of paper or post them as comments to this blog.

Blue Monday

What is it?

Blue Monday is a name given to a day in January (typically the third Monday of the month) reported to be the most depressing day of the year. The concept was first publicised as part of a 2005 press release from holiday company Sky Travel which claimed to have calculated the date using an equation.

The idea is considered pseudoscience, with its formula derided by scientists as nonsensical.

Who invented it?

This date was calculated by Cliff Arnall, a tutor at Cardiff University, and it takes into account many factors, including: weather conditions, debt level (the difference between debt accumulated and our ability to pay), time since Christmas, time since failing our new year’s resolutions, low motivational levels and feeling of a need to take action. 

The happiest day

On the contrary, the happiest day of the year usually falls in the summer, at the end of June.

Presentation about Toronto

This is Carla Fernández's presentation about Toronto:

New presentation about Chicago

This is Josefina Feito's presentation about Chicago:

St Patrick's Day

This week, on the 17th of March, st. Patrick's day will be celebrated. Here you are some information and activities about this date.

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated every 17th of March by the Irish and Irish origin people all over the world, particularly in the USA. People usually celebrate it wearing something green, eating green food, drinking green drinks or using Irish symbols such as clover, Leprechauns, etc.

1) ESL activity video- Reading comprehension activity

2) Riverdance (video)

3) Gaelic football rules

4)How to celebrate St. Patrick like and Irishman.

• What do you think of these traditions?

5) And so, what are these (pictures from wikipedia):

And these are some of the cities where St. Patrick's day is celebrated: (These pictures have been taken from Wikipedia)

DUBLIN (IRELAND)

Dublin-picture from Wikipedia

SYDNEY (AUSTRALIA)

Sydney-picture from Wikipedia

WASHINGTON  D.C. (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA)

Washington D.C. - picture from Wikipedia

LONDON (UNITED KINGDOM)

London-picture from Wikipedia

 CHICAGO (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA) 

  

picture by Sabela Arias 

picture by Sabela Arias 

picture by Sabela Arias 

picture by Sabela Arias 

Template for our project about English-speaking cities

This is the template for our etwinning project about English-cities:

City project from Ana Arias Castro

This is a Word 2010 version. If you need a Word 2003 template try this other link.

And this is an example about New York City. However, your presentation can be completely different:

New York City from Ana Arias Castro

The most important historical events in 2014

44th American President Barack Obama

Jan 28th - DNA analysis confirms that the 6th C Plague of Justinian was caused by a variant of Yersinia pestis (the same bacteria for the Black Death)
Jan 29th - Archaeologists discover the oldest Roman Temple (6th C BC) at Sant’Omobono
Feb 5th - Archaeologists decrypt the 13th C Viking jötunvillur runic code
Feb 14th - Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta resigns after less than a year in office
Feb 15th - Tammam Salam is elected Prime Minister of Lebanon after a 10 month gridlock
Feb 21st - US President Barack Obama meets with the Dalai Lama
Feb 21st - 10 words from the 15th C Voynich manuscript have been decoded
Feb 22nd - Matteo Renzi becomes Prime Minister of Italy
Feb 22nd - Ukrainian parliament votes to remove President Viktor Yanukovych from his position
Feb 24th - Pope Francis creates a second Secretariat with the power to audit any Vatican agency at any time
Feb 27th - Republic of Crimea announces a referendum & ousts its regional government
Feb 27th - Arseniy Yatsenyuk appointed Prime Minister of the Ukraine
Feb 28th - Russia moves troops into the Crimea to protect its interests against Ukraine
Mar 17th - The Republic of Crimea is declared

Mar 18th - Russia and Crimea sign an accession treaty
Mar 21st - Russia formally annexes Crimea amid international condemenation
Mar 22nd - Guinea confirms Ebola outbreak has already killed 59 people
Mar 24th - Ukraine withdraws its forces from the Crimea
Mar 26th - Taavi Rõivas becomes Prime Minister of Estonia
Mar 27th - UN General Assembly condemns Russia's annexation of Crimea
Mar 29th - Andrej Kiska is elected President of Slovakia
Apr 3rd - Marie Louise Coleiro Preca is elected President of Malta
Apr 6th - Viktor Orbán's Fidesz is re-elected Prime Minister of Hungary
Apr 17th - Abdelaziz Bouteflika wins a fourth term as President of Algeria
May 4th - Juan Carlos Varela is elected President of Panama
May 10th - The African National Congress wins the 2014 South African General Election
May 13th - Christopher Columbus's flagship, the Santa Maria, is discovered north off the coast of Haiti

Christopher Columbus

May 21st - José Mário Vaz is elected President of Guinea-Bissau
May 22nd - Royal Thai Armed Forces launch a coup d'état against the caretaker government of Thailand
May 25th - Petro Poroshenk is elected President of the Ukraine
May 25th - Dalia Grybauskaitė is re-elected President of Lithuania
May 26th - Narendra Modi becomes President of India
May 26th - The World Health Organization (WHO) confirms that Ebola has reached Sierra Leone
May 28th - Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is elected President of Egypt

Jun 14th - Alexander Stubb becomes Prime Minister of Finland
Jun 15th - Juan Manuel Santos is reelected President of Colombia
Jun 23rd - Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz is re-elected President of Mauritania
Jul 1st - Martin Schulz is re-elected President of the European Parliament
Jul 7th - Israel launches a "counter-terrorist operation" dubbed Operation Protective Edge against Hamas in the West Bank
Jul 9th - Joko Widodo is elected president of Indonesia
Jul 14th - The Church of England votes in favor of allowing women to become bishops
Jul 14th - The death toll from the West African Ebola outbreak passes 500
Jul 16th - Israel intensify strikes on Gaza
Jul 16th - Bashar Assad is sworn in for a third term as President of Syria
Jul 24th - Fuad Masum is elected as the President of Iraq
Jul 24th - Reuven Rivlin is sworn in as the President of Israel
Jul 28th - UN Security Council hold emergency meeting calling for an immediate and indefinite humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and Hamas
Jul 30th - Death toll in Gaza reaches 1,346, while 56 Israeli soldiers and 3 civilians have been killed
Jul 31st - The US agree to resupply arms to Israel - including rocket launchers, mortar rounds, grenades - despite condemnation of civilian casualties in Gaza
Aug 12th - Ebola outbreak death toll exceeds 1000
Sep 4th - Aracheological remains of a Viking fortress from the 900s CE, the Vallø Borgring, is discovered in Denmark
Sep 15th - Ewa Kopacz becomes Prime Minister of Poland
Sep 15th - US President Obama will send 3000 troops to help combat spread of the Ebola virus, it is announced today
Sep 22nd - NASA's MAVEN space probe successfully arrives in orbit over Mars
Sep 26th - World Health Organisations estimates that Ebola death toll has reached 3,091 - with Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone hit hardest
Sep 27th - 57 people are killed after Mount Ontake erupts in Japan
Sep 29th - Ashraf Ghani becomes President of Afghanistan
Sep 30th - A case of Ebola Virus reaches Dallas, Texas
Oct 7th - Spanish nurse diagnosed with Ebola, the first case outside west Africa
Oct 9th - Patrick Modiano wins the 2014 Nobel Prize in Literature
Oct 12th - Evo Morales is re-elected President of Bolivia
Oct 20th - Joko Widodo becomes President of Indonesia
Nov 3rd - One World Trade Center officially opens 13 years after the September 11 attacks
Nov 4th - The US votes in mid-term elections: Republicans retain the house & regain the Senate
Nov 4th - Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko orderes army reinforcements to key southern and eastern cities to combat potential rebel offensive
Nov 9th - Celebrations held in Germany to mark the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall; white balloons marking a stretch of the wall symbolize its disappearance
Nov 11th - The people of Catalonia in north-eastern Spain vote in a disputed and non-binding poll on independence
Nov 15th - World leaders gather in Brisbane for G20 Summit, which will focus on economic growth
Nov 15th - The parents of 43 Mexican students who disappeared start a nationwide bus tour in protest at the government's handling of the case
Nov 16th - Klaus Iohannis wins the Romanian Presidential election
Nov 17th - The Church of England adopts legislation enabling the appointment of female bishops
Nov 25th - Protest erupt across US after a decision by Missouri grand jury not to bring charges against a white policeman who shot dead a black teenager
Nov 30th - Tabaré Vázquez is re-elected President of Uruguay
Dec 2nd - The World Food Programme suspends critical food aid to more than 1.7 million Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt because of a lack of funds
Dec 3rd - Darren Wilson, the police officer who shot dead unarmed black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, resigns
Dec 12th - UN climate change talks in Peru continue past scheduled time as negotiations continue to stall
Dec 14th - Shinzō Abe and his ruling Liberal Democratic Party win re-election in Japan, retaining their two-thirds majority with coalition partner New Kōmeitō Party

Excerpted from http://www.historyorb.com/events/date/2014

Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Everything About Black Friday - Facts & Stats from Maps of World

Typical British and American houses

BRITISH HOUSES

Did you know that British houses are usually very small? If you want to know about British houses click on these links:

terraced houses

detached house

• Erik's house
• Typical houses
• Information about British houses

semi-detached houses

blocks of flats - picture from Wikipedia

cottage -picture from wikipedia

AMERICAN HOUSES

A typical American house

Types of American houses

What is Poppy Day?

Poppy - Wikipedia

Poppy Day or Remembrance Day (in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom) is a day to remember people who fought and died in wars. It is on November 11th to remember the end of World War I on that day with Armistice with Germany in 1918.

Remembrance Day was started in 1919 by King George V from the United Kingdom. On the same day, other countries also have days to remember war and soldiers. There is Veteran's Day in the United States, and Armistice Day in France, Belgium, New Zealand and other countries.

Traditions

Poppies are often worn on Remembrance Day, and a few days before

There are some things that people do on Remembrance Day. One is having two minutes of silence at 11:00 AM. It is at 11:00 AM because that is when World War I ended. At a ceremony for Remembrance Day, before the two minutes of silence, a song called "The Last Post" is played on a bugle (or sometimes a trumpet). At the end of the silence, the bugle plays a song called "Reveille."

People often bring wreaths made of poppies to Remembrance Day ceremonies. The wreaths honor people who have died in wars.

In many countries, many people wear a fake poppy on Remembrance Day, and for a few days before. The poppy is a symbol to show that they remember the wars, and the soldiers who fought in them. Poppies were chosen to be a symbol because they often grew in battlefields, after the soldiers stopped fighting there.

Adapted from Simple Wikipedia