CAMBRIDGE SCHOOL BLOG

The Big Debate

2011-11-10T03:00:00.003+01:00

Monday night saw the long-awaited debate between the two main candidates for the Spanish premiership, Alfredo Rubalcaba and Mariano Rajoy. Although this debate is unlikely to change the result of the election, some debates in history have had a bigger impact.

In 1858 election for a new senator to represent the state of Illinois, a lawyer named Abraham Lincoln and his opponent Stephen A. Douglas held a series of seven debates which became famous worldwide. Douglas won the election, but Lincoln's reputation was made. Just two years later, in 1860, the two candidates ran against each other again, this time for the White House, and Lincoln became one of the greatest presidents in US history.

In the extremely close 1960 presidential, John Kennedy and Richard Nixon held another famous debate (see extract below). People who watched the debate on TV thought the telegenic Kennedy won but those who listened to it on the radio said Nixon performed better. Kennedy's final margin of victory was so narrow, there can be little doubt that his debate performance won him the election.

Ronald Reagan used humour to good effect in his 1980 debates with Jimmy Carter and in 1984 against Walter Mondale. In 1984, at 73 years of age, he was the oldest man ever to be a candidate for president. The moderator asked him about the issue of his age and you can see him very funny response below.

The only knock-out blow is recent debate history was in the 1988 vice-presidential debate between the inexperienced Republican candidate Dan Quayle and the veteran Democrat Lloyd Bentsen. The moderators challenged Quayle about his lack of experience and in his answer, he compared his length of service in public office to John Kennedy when he ran for president. This prompted the most devastation put-down in recent history from Bentsen. Watch for yourself below.

Cena Italiana e Film

2011-11-08T13:57:00.003+01:00

Lo scorso venerdì 4 novembre, gli studenti di italiano abbiamo cenato insieme in una pizzería molto centrale, a Granollers. Questa cena fa parte delle attività sociali organizzate dal reparto Lingua Italiana della scuola.

Prima, alle 19:00 ore, un bel gruppo di studenti di tutti i livelli siamo andati al Centre de La Caixa a vedere il film ‘La Prima Cosa Bella’, del regista livornese

Paolo Virzì. Questo film è stato scelto come candidato italiano all'Oscar 2011 per il miglior film straniero.

Grazie a tutti per la vostra partecipazione e agli ex-studenti che siete anche venuti, sia al cinema che alla cena.

Alla prossima volta!

Ecco algune fotografie della cena. Belle, vero? ;-)

ETA: An End To Violence

2011-10-25T00:46:00.004+02:00

The big story in Spain last week was the announcement by the Basque separatist group ETA of a permanent end to their fifty year terrorist campaign. The announcement was greeted with a mix of hope and scepticism and with a political initiative to try to bring the group's political supporters into the political mainstream.

The long process which saw the end of the IRA's campaign of violence in Northern Ireland has been cited by many as a potential model which the Basque Country could follow. Indeed, some of the protagonists of that process, Gerry Adams, the president of Sinn Fein, Tony Blair, the British primer minister at the time and George Mitchell, the former US senator who helped negotiate the peace have offered words of encouragement and advice.

Northern Ireland has been transformed since the 1998 Good Friday Agreement which ushered in the era of peace. Former enemies now work together in government and the province has an optimism and dynamism that could only have been dreamed of a generation ago. The process of building trust through compromise was long and involved many difficult decisions but with patience, imagination and good faith it was achieved. Let's all hope the politicians in Madrid and in the Basque Country have the same determination and vision to achieve the same.

Here's a CNN video about last week's announcement:

Training To Be An English Teacher

2011-10-18T21:07:00.004+02:00

Every year in Cambridge School we run five training courses for people who want to become English teachers. We are certified training centre for the University of Cambridge and their most popular teaching qualification, the CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults).

This week in our Granollers centre 15 trainees have started their CELTA course. The course offers a combination of training sessions on teaching methodology and the opportunity to put the ideas into practice with volunteer students. Once teachers qualify, they can use it to teach all over the world. Teachers who have passed the CELTA at Cambridge School at currently teaching in Asia, South America and all over Europe.

Here's an interview with Samantha Helps, who qualified on the CELTA course we ran in June-July 2011.

How Bad Is Street Crime in Barcelona?

2011-10-15T01:05:00.004+02:00

The UK-based Times newspaper published a polemic this week about the high level of mugging and pickpocketing in Barcelona (see it here). In one heading it described the city as being 'Heaven for Tourists and Thieves'. You can read a report in El Periodico about the article here. The article refers to a website called www.robbedinbarcelona.com which was created by a British man living in the city. The man, whose pseudonym is Rob Daily (robar diariament) says he set up his one-man campaign against the city's opportunistic thieves after his parents, who were visiting him, were robbed twice in one day.

The reaction to the Times article and the British-owed www.robbedinbarcelona.com has been mixed. Many of the comments which respond to the report on the El Periodico website are very critical. They retort that London has its problems with crime as well, as the shocking looting this summer demonstrates. British tourists often behave very badly too, they say; getting excessively drunk, behaving aggressively and disturbing the peace. What's more, the company which owns the Times, Rupert Murdoch's News International, has just been the centre of the phone-hacking scandal.

Although all of the points above are undoubtedly true, there's no doubt that in some parts of the Catalan capital, street crime is out of control. It's no excuse to say that other cities have similar problems and it isn't just British people who are unhappy about the situation - many Catalans feel the politicians, police force and judicial system need to do more. Tourists (and foreign residents who look like them) are very frequently the victims of these crimes, so maybe foreigners make more noise about the issue for this reason.

A policeman based in the Raval told me last year that the vast majority of the crimes committed in that area were carried about by 50-80 professional thieves. Unfortunately, he said that although these delinquents are frequently caught and arrested, they are almost never convicted because tourists won't return to Barcelona to appear as witnesses in their court cases, and even when convicted they only have to pay a fine or serve a short period in detention.

Quiz Night in English - Granollers

2011-10-11T20:29:00.000+02:00

You are invited to a Quiz Night in English on Thursday 27th October 21:00-22:30 at El Gra (Plaça Església 8, Granollers).

Come and play with other students and teachers. There will be prizes for the winning team!

R.I.P. Steve Jobs

2011-10-11T00:49:00.001+02:00

The death of Steve Jobs, the founder and driving force behind Apple, died at the age of 56 last week. Jobs, along with co-founder started the company in his garage in 1976. It is now the world's second most valuable company and has revolutionised the computer, music and telecommunications industry.

This video of his speech to graduating students at Stanford University in 2005 is interesting for two reasons: it's a good example of his remarkable communication skills and it also has some fascinating anecdotes from his own extraordinary life.

Spain gets angry: 'The people united will never be defeated'

2011-06-20T20:06:00.002+02:00

Thousands of people united by the M15 movement – which came together using social media tools – took to the streets of Madrid on Monday to voice their disgust at Spain's economic crisis. Here's a report from the British newspaper, The Guardian, about the protest.

Spain's anti-cuts protesters defy pre-election ban

2011-05-23T13:27:00.001+02:00

Demonstrations in Spain are banned the day before an election, in a period devoted to 'reflection'. But ahead of Sunday's vote, protesters remain in Madrid's main square in defiant mood.

Champions League Final 2011

2011-05-16T14:54:00.001+02:00

Saturday week will see the finale to the 2010 - 2011 European football season with a mouthwatering encounter between two footballing heavyweights. Wembley will play host to Barcelona Vs Man Utd in what is set to be a thrilling contest. Both teams won their respective domestic leagues quite comfortably. Although Barcelona have been widely acknowledged to have one of the greatest club sides' ever assembled the contest could be more even than people are anticipating. Man Utd haven't lost a Champions league away game all season and come to mention it, they haven't even conceded an away goal. The Catalans might fancy their chances with Busquets, Iniesta and Xavi providing the bullets for Pedro, Villa and Messi but the Red Devils are an excellent counter-attacking unit. This promises to be a great game. Here's some pre-match build up.

Royal Wedding

2011-05-02T13:27:00.001+02:00

Last Friday saw HRH Prince William and Kate Middleton tie the knot in Westminster Abbey, London. The ceremony was watched by an estimated two billion people worldwide and over a millon people transcended on to the streets of London to wish them well. The couple were given their new titles, the Duke and Dutchess of Cambridge. Here's a clip of the newlyweds at Buckingham Palace after returning from the abbey.

An Idiot Abroad

2011-04-04T13:40:00.000+02:00

Here's a clip from the hit TV series "An Idiot Abroad" produced by Riki Gervais and Steven Merchant. Their friend and fellow producer, Karl Pilkington travels the world and gives his opinions on different cultures. It's very funny so have a watch.

Spain Week in the Guardian

2011-03-31T23:08:00.000+02:00

Britain's respected left-wing daily newspaper, The Guardian, has been publishing a series of articles about Spain this week. The articles report on a range of issues including sport, politics, culture and the economy.

You can visit them by clicking here.

Here's a video report on Muslims in Spain from the paper

Comic Relief 2011

2011-03-25T19:57:00.000+01:00

Last week in the UK it was Comic Relief. James Corden, from the hit show Gavin and Stacy, did a very funny sketch with celebrities including George Michael, Gordon Brown and Sir Paul McCarteny, to name but a few. Here's the video below. It's about 13 mins but it's worth it if you have time. Enjoy!

Japan: Before and After

2011-03-13T10:39:00.003+01:00

Thousands of people have been killed by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. At this time, Japanese authorities are working to avert a third, nuclear disaster. Let's hope they succeed.

Here are links to a remarkable series of before and after images which illustrate the devastation from Australia's ABC News and the New York Times.

Below is some video which shows the unstoppable force of the tsunami. How could anyone survive this?

The Story of Cambridge School Castle

2011-03-10T14:16:00.001+01:00

by Mireia, Sandra, Alba and Martina (N4 in Cardedeu)

Many years ago Cambridge School was a scary castle.

There was one king and one Queen. The King was bad and the Queen was very good. The King’s name was Paul and the Queen’s name was Aneta.

One day the Knights of the other castle come to Cambridge School and the king was very angry. Julia was the Queen of the other castle and the King was Luis. The Kings had a fight. The winner could stay at the Cambridge School Castle.

The winners were Julia and Luis.

Julia and Luis stayed at Cambridge School Castle. Aneta and Paul became the slaves of Julia and Luis.

Casal Setmana Blanca Videos

2011-03-05T13:44:00.000+01:00

During Setmana Blanca Cambridge School organised a theatre day camp for children. Here are the plays they put on for their parents. Congratulations to all the actors and teachers!!!

Simon Moore Talks about the CELTA Course

2011-03-03T19:12:00.000+01:00

Simon Moore is currently doing the 5-week CELTA course at Cambridge School. In this interview he talks about his experiences on the course.

The King's Speech

2011-02-28T12:50:00.000+01:00

After cleaning up at both The Golden Globes and The Baftas, The Kings Speech took the Oscars by storm, landing 'Best Actor' - Colin Firth, 'Best Director' - Tom Hooper and 'Best Picture'. I've seen the film and it really is a moving, excellently casted story of how King George VI perseveres to overcome a stutter with the help of a speech therapist. I'd recommend you make the trip to the cinema rather than wait for the dvd. Here's a shot clip.

Spanish humour!

2011-02-21T12:52:00.002+01:00

Spain is never usually renowned for its comedy but this clip, sent to me by a friend, is very funny!

Baby Clark Chillman

2011-02-17T14:47:00.000+01:00

Congratulations to Cambridge School In-Company Director Jim Chillman and his wife Jane on the birth of their son Clark Daniel. He weighed in at 3.80kg and mother and baby are doing well!!

Valentines Day Competition Winner

2011-02-14T16:39:00.000+01:00

Alistair Jones announces the winner of the Cambridge School Valentines Day competition. Watch the video to see if you were the lucky winner of 4 hours of one-2-one classes!

Where the hell is Matt?

2011-02-07T20:17:00.001+01:00

One of my students showed me this video and I thought it was really good. Matt Harding went on a normal gap year with his girlfriend and instead of taking pictures of each place they made a video of Matt dancing (badly). When they returned home and showed it to friends, one of them suggested putting it on YouTube as a compilation. It got millions of hits and was seen by several multinational companies who contacted Matt and sponsored him to travel and make more videos. What a lucky guy!! The videos are really great, here's one of them. Enjoy!

Spain's Unemployment Problem

2011-02-04T09:21:00.000+01:00

Unemployment in Spain reached a record 4.23 million or 20.3% of the working population this week. Youth unemployment stands at 43.6%, easily the worst in the EU. According to El Pais, Spain has nearly a third of the unemployed people in Europe. Even Greece and Ireland, the two countries who have been bailed out by the IMF and the UE have lower unemployment than Spain. As the world unemployment map below shows, Spain has one of the highest rates in the world

Why is Spanish unemployment double the rate of the rest of the EU, even when we are not in a recession? Comments, please! Let's hope that before next year's election the political parties start asking themselves this question and hopefully, come up with some good answers!

Here is a story from the BBC about Spaniards trying to find work in Germany.

The Incredible Story of Power Balance

2011-01-24T10:57:00.000+01:00

One of the most popular presents for adults over the recent Christmas celebrations were Power Balance bands. If you haven't seen them (you probably have - they're everywhere!), they are a simple silicon wristband with a hologram on them. Power Balance has sold millions of these wristbands worldwide, for around 30€ each. They claim that the bands 'optimize the body's energy flow' although they recently admitted that they had no scientific evidence whatsoever to justify their claims.

The Power Balance phenomenon has to be one of the most extraordinary stories in modern marketing. A company produces silicon wristbands at the cost of a few cents each and thanks to clever marketing is able to sell them at an enormous profit. The company has been laughing all the way to the bank! There is a long history of people believing magical adornments or miracle remedies and Power Balance have taken brilliant advantage of people's credulity. Even the Spanish Minister of Health wore one before she was appointed to the post.

Maybe this is the New Economy we need to get Spain moving again - invent a 'miracle' product that costs virtually nothing to produce and sell it to the world!

Games Night in English

2011-01-24T10:33:00.001+01:00

On Friday 4th February at 21:30 students and teachers are invited to join us for a Games Night in English. The event will take place in Bar Caracas, Pl. Josep Folch i Torres, Granollers. There will be lots of fun team games and we will have prizes for the winners. Come and join in the fun!!!

Crazy Egyptian Panda

2011-01-19T12:58:00.000+01:00

These Egyptian adverts for Panda Cheese are very, very funny. Who knew the Egyptians had such a crazy sense of humour?

Win 4 Hours of Free One-to-One Classes

2011-01-19T12:54:00.000+01:00

To celebrate Saint Valentine's Day on 14th February, Cambridge School is holding a prize draw on our Facebook page. The winner gets four hours of free one-to-one classes in the centre and language of their choice! To take part click here to go to the Facebook event and click on 'I'm attending'. Lots of love and good luck!

Failed Streaker!

2011-01-17T21:27:00.000+01:00

Any fans of the movie "Old School" will recognise this line but even if you haven't seen it, it is very very funny! Enjoy

Pantomime Photos 2010 - Toy Story

2011-01-10T16:25:00.000+01:00

Here are some photos from the 2010 Cambridge School Christmas Pantomime - Toy Story!!

To see more photos visit our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/CambridgeSchoolPage

2010 Quiz - answers!

2011-01-10T15:02:00.000+01:00

The answers to the 2010 quiz questions are as follows:

Will Smith
Mark Zuckerberg
4 seats
5 goals
3 films
Deepwater Horizon
Tiger
Gandhi never won a Nobel Prize despite being nominated 5 times. Churchill won the Nobel Prize for Literature
The Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats
Eminen

Ashes Victory!!!

2011-01-10T14:36:00.000+01:00

Over the Christmas holidays the England cricket team recorded a famous victory down-under against Australia, retaining the Ashes, something no England team has done for 24 years! England won the series 3 - 1 and completely outclassed the Aussies in every department, inlcuding fan support. The travelling fans, nicknamed the "Barmy Army", gave the team an incredible boost by travlling to the other side if the world and being very vocal throughout. Here's a short clip of their signature song. Enjoy!

A Story - The Girl Who Saw Unicorns

2011-01-07T21:05:00.000+01:00

One night a girl was in her garden picking flowers. Her name was Sally and she was a little silly! She picking flowers at midnight; she couldn’t see because it was dark. She stepped on a garden hoe and it hit her in the face. She fell unconscious to the ground. It’s not a good idea to pick flowers at night!

Suddenly the girl was riding a flying unicorn in the sky. She could see clouds and in the distance a U.F.O. Her unicorn flew towards the alien ship, which was big, oval and white. Before she got to the U.F.O. a door opened and a short, black alien with an enormous head came out. The alien said ‘Wakaip! Wakeip! Wakup!’. The girl didn’t understand and said ‘Pardon! I don’t understand!’ The alien repeated ‘Wakaip! Wakeip! Wakup!’

Suddenly, the girl felt cold and wet. She opened her eyes and saw her Dad. He was looking at her and he had a garden hose in his hand. He was saying ‘Wake up! Wake up!’.

Unfortunately, the next day she went picking flowers at midnight again and had the same accident. What a silly girl!

By Josep Romero and Naiara Fernandez (Level K4)

2010 Quiz

2011-01-07T14:26:00.001+01:00

Happy New Year to all Cambridge School Blog readers!

Here's a brief quiz to test your memory of last year. Answers on Monday!

One of 2010’s most popular films was the remake of ‘The Karate Kid’. Who is the famous father of Jaden Smith, the child actor played the title role?
Last year’s Time Magazine Person of the Year is the founder of Facebook and the subject of the film ‘The Social Network’. What is his name?
In the Catalan elections, how many seats did the Joan Laporta’s Solidaritat Catalana party win?
Spain won the World Cup for the first time last year. David Villa was the top Spanish goal scorer. How many goals did he score?
Last year’s Cambridge School pantomime is Toy Story. How many Toy Story movies have there been?
The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was the worst in maritime history. What was the name of the rig that exploded?
2011 is the year of the Chinese Year of the Rabbit; what is 2010’s animal?
The winner of last year’s Nobel Peace Prize, Liu Xiaobo was prevented by the Chinese authorities from collecting the award. Which of these people have NOT won a Nobel Prize? Barack Obama, Henry Kissenger, Mahatma Gandhi,Winston Churchill or Yasser Arafat?
After Britain’s general election in May a Coalition government replaced Gordon Brown’s Labour administration. What are the two parties in the coalition?
The best-selling album on iTunes last year was Recovery. Who is the artist?

Cambridge School Pantomime 2010 - Toy Story

2010-12-03T14:49:00.000+01:00

Cambridge School students, their family and friends are cordially invited to this year's pantomime: Toy Story.

The show is in English with a narration in Catalan. Entry is free and we will be collecting money for an NGO. There will be 5 performances:

Tuesday 21st Dec - 17:45, 19:15 & 20:45

Wednesday 22nd Dec - 17:45 & 19:15

The address of the theatre is: Centre Cultural de Granollers, C/ Joan Camps 1, Granollers. Click here for a map.

Come and join in the Christmas fun with us!

Cold Mornings

2010-12-03T14:43:00.000+01:00

Getting out of bed in the morning is getting harder and harder as the temperature drops. Snow has fallen over northern Europe - let's hope people don't have the same problem as the man in this advert:

Wizards Of Waverly Place

2010-12-01T18:22:00.001+01:00

Alex, Justin and Max are wizards.They are also brothers and sister.They live in New York with their mum, Theresa, and their dad, Jerry. Alex and her brothers have magical powers. They are wizards in training.

Alex is fourteen years old. Her hair is black and her eyes are brown. She's pretty and she always puts her foot in it.Justin is Alex's older brother. He is seventeen and very clever. Max is Alex's younger brother. He's ten years old and a little silly.

This is my favourite T.V programme.

By Maria Palet López (N4, age 11)

Is Spain Next?

2010-11-30T13:49:00.001+01:00

British and American newspapers and magazines are debating how vulnerable Spain is to a financial crisis over the next month or two. Some are very pessimistic and are convinced that it's only a matter of time before the Spanish government is forced to accept a humiliating loan from the IMF and draconian new spending cuts and labour reforms.

Read a report from Britain's Daily Telegraph here.

Read a report from The Economist here.

Read a report from Bloomberg News here.

In this video, Sweden's Finance Minister explains that his country, which is not in the Euro, is happy to help Ireland, but may not be happy to help Portugal or Spain.

Quiz Night in English in Granollers

2010-11-27T11:28:00.000+01:00

Cambridge School is holding a quiz night in English for students and teachers!

Thursday 16th December at 21:00

El Gra, Plaça Església 8, Granollers

Come and play with other students and teachers.
Prizes for the winning team!

Hallowe'en In Cardedeu

2010-11-25T17:20:00.000+01:00

Hallowe'en was a very scary time this year in Cambridge School Cardedeu. There were witches, monsters, ghost and superheroes in the school! Here are some photos from the day!

The Luck Of The Irish Runs Out

2010-11-23T23:07:00.002+01:00

Everyone at Cambridge School is following recent developments in Ireland with great sadness. Europe's Celtic Tiger economy is on the brink of bankruptcy and many years of financial pain is sure to follow the last two very hard years. We hope that current and former Irish-born teachers and their friends and family in the Emerald Isle are not personally affected by the awful news of the past few days.

According to many economists, first Portugal and then possibly Spain may be at risk of financial turbulence next. Let's hope they are wrong.

If you'd like to follow the financial news in English click here to jump to El Pais' news in English section.

Prize-winning Compositions from Cardedeu

2010-11-22T18:19:00.006+01:00

The following compositions were the winning entries in a writing competition in Cambridge School Cardedeu last June. Congratulations to all the winners!

My Dream by Ona Solaní Balderas (N4)

Yesterday I had a dream, in my dream I had a big island, and there were twenty people, and in the sea there were three mermaids. I listened to the mermaids songs, and later went to the castle and I played with my best friend, Marta. Then I played, I saw a pink dolphin, its name was Momo. It was a very pretty dolphin.

The pink dolphin gave me a present, the present was a big cake.

My Superpower by Judith Cullell (K5)

If I could have a superpower, I would fly. If I could fly, I would travel around the world and I would arrive more than 9.000 km. If I could fly I would meet a lot of different type of birds in the sky. I would discover beautiful places in the sky and I would travel as fast as a plane.

If I could fly, my life would change immediately. I wouldn’t have to take the car, the plane or the train to travel somewhere. I would practise piruetes in the sky and If I fall off a high building I won’t die.

If I could have this superpower, I would use it for to help and rescue other people and for to help myself. I would rescue someone who is in danger on a higher place or in a a place that normal people can’t arrive. I would love this superpower.

My Grandmother by Jordi Serra Gascón (K6)

The person who has taught me the most about life is my grandmother. My parents worked a lot when I was a baby so I spent a lot of time with her. She is more than a grandmother, she is a very good friend, when you have a problem, she speaks with you and tries to help you.

She is always happy, and she never stops smiling. She has straight blonde hair, a small nose, and rosy cheeks. She isn’t very tall and she is always laughing.

She is a very good painter, she spends hours cooking for the family and sometimes makes a chocolate cake, it’s fantastic. My grandmother is very intelligent and makes gadgets for my little cousins.

There are many grandmothers in the world but none of them are like mine.

A Memorable Journey by Sílvia Benítez Bellús (INTERMEDIATE)

A nightmare journey I remember was ten years ago when I stayed in Saharawi refugee camp.

I stayed in a settlement and I had to go to another country with Halima, a little Saharawi girl and a Saharawian man for visiting one of the children that my family receive every summer.

I needed a car but I knew that the price was too much expensive so I decided to do auto stop and finally a family with a private car told us that they could take us a part of the way. There aren’t motorways in the desert, only sand and dunes, when the family changed their route, they dropped us off at control centre, a place in the middle of the desert with soldiers of the Frente Polisario. I was surprised that in the control centre there were a lot of men and I was the only white woman , everybody was looking at me and suddenly I felt afraid, I was in the middle of the desert and nobody knew that I was there. I didn’t remember how much time we waited for a car in this place, I only remember that the weather was hot and I started to feel bad.

Finally a taxi appeared at the control centre, I didn’t believe that my eyes were waiting, the man who accompanied us asked him how much it cost for the trip to the settlement and I accepted the price. The taxi driver was very charming and all the travel he told me a lot of things about Saharawi life and stories about his life. His name is Mohammed Ali, like the boxer. They like the music, but in contrast with the other Muslim he liked the wine. When we arrived to the house my fears had vanished. He told me that he loves the life in the desert, but he would like to see the sea. I don’t know if he has seen it.

Writing: Rejecting a design work for a school brochure by Jose Manuel Salido Gómez (PRE-CAE)

Dear Mr Evans,

I am writing to you about the design work you presented for the front cover of our Keys College of Languages new brochure.

Despite of the quality of your work, I regret to inform you that your design has not been chosen.

The School Committee has considered positively your original and modern design. The artistic picture of the key, our school symbol, is a magnificent proposal that pleased us. The symbol is a recognised branch into our market and your suggestion of highlighting our identity sign as a cover design has been well received by our committee. However, this brochure is aimed to potential costumers who still don’t know about our services and we are afraid that the design can be confused to this people, not showing that we are really a language school.

The use of blue and green in this picture, both corporate colours of the school, is an excellent idea, although we consider that the dark tone chosen is not most appropriate for this kind of advertising.

Your work also emphasises a poignant slogan ‘Let Keys College of Language open doors for you’, crossing our school logo in the centre of the cover. This is a brilliant motto; very appropriate for current costumers who really know us bit we believe that it is not clear enough to attract new students.

These are the reasons why your work hasn’t chosen but we would like you know we really appreciate your design and your ideas and we hope to collaborate with you in the future.

Yours faithfully,

Joseph Adams.

General Manager.

Keys College of Languages.

Story Time In Granollers

2010-11-22T17:09:00.000+01:00

Miriam Parmenter, the Cambridge School Storyteller will be in Can Pedrals Library in Granollers on Wednesday 24th 17:30-18:30 to tell a story called 'Where's Spot? to children. Children and their parents are welcome.

Reggae baby!

2010-11-22T14:11:00.002+01:00

Only one thing makes this little nipper calm down. Have a watch.

Ali Cutler Has Twins!

2010-11-19T12:39:00.000+01:00

Congratulations to ex-Cambridge School teacher Ali Cutler on the birth of her twin baby boys Daniel and Edward! Mother and babies are well.

Alternative To The AVE

2010-11-17T22:53:00.000+01:00

The construction work for the AVE, Spain's multi-billion euro high-speed rail network continues but is there a cheaper alternative? This new report from satirical channel The Onion News Network says Barack Obama has an idea:

Aung San Suu Kyi, released!

2010-11-15T14:42:00.000+01:00

After spending 15 years in prison and under house-arrest, the pro-democratic leader, Aung San Suu Kyi was finally released last week. See the story below.

Drive With Darth Vader

2010-11-12T22:50:00.000+01:00

If you have a TomTom satellite navigation system in your car you can now download the voices of Star Wars characters like Darth Vader or Yoda to give you directions. Here are a couple of clips of the characters in the recording studio.

The Queen is on Facebook!

2010-11-08T22:04:00.000+01:00

Get your friend requests in to QE2. This week has joined facebook. See the story below.

The End Of Blogging?

2010-11-05T01:05:00.000+01:00

The rise and rise of Facebook and Twitter may soon lead to end of the blogging phenomenon. More are more bloggers are abandoning their blogs and using social media to communicate with readers. At the same time, internet users increasingly exchange messages and links to video and news items through Facebook and Twitter, spending less time visiting individual blogs directly.

The genius of both Facebook and Twitter is that it makes sharing news, photos, video and comments with your social circle incredibly easy. They also allow you to follow celebrities, politicians, organisation and other things you like with the minimum of effort and friction. Rather than you having to visit the various blogs that interest you, their news appears directly on your social media homepage.

This trend is sure to accelerate over the next few years especially as more people access the internet on their smartphones.

Remember you read it here first!

Flashmob in Heathrow Airport

2010-11-05T00:42:00.000+01:00

I love flashmobs! This one was filmed recently in Heathrow Airport. Amazingly, no musical instruments were used - all the music is made by people!

Tom Talks About Travelling In Colombia and Venezuela

2010-10-26T14:18:00.000+02:00

Tom Woodhouse from Cambridge School Granollers talks about travelling through Colombia and Venezuela this summer.

New CELTA course

2010-10-25T14:26:00.000+02:00

Good luck to the trainees on the CELTA teacher training course that started in Cambridge School Granollers last week. Here's a photo of them with some of the practice students they are teaching!

Smoking Ban Starts in January

2010-10-21T12:56:00.000+02:00

Spain's bars, restaurants and nightclubs will be smoke-free as of January 2nd 2011 due to a law passed yesterday. Nearly all non-smokers, and some smokers, will welcome the ban. In other countries which have a similar law, the number of smokers has fallen since its introduction.

I think this is one of those cases when the politicians have been very timid and have been behind public opinion. The previous smoking legislation was very badly designed and a full ban would have been better and more popular with most people.

Here's an article from America's NPR about the story.

Evacuation drill

2010-10-20T15:18:00.000+02:00

This week we're doing evacuation drills in all Cambridge School centres. Ours will be safer and better organised than this one from 'The Office'....

Evenings in English - Granollers, Mollet and La Garriga

2010-10-19T18:47:00.004+02:00

Cambridge School would like to invite our students and teachers to three evenings in English, one in Granollers, one in Mollet and the other in La Garriga. Come and have a drink and a chat with us!!

Granollers
Thursday 28th October 21:00-23:00
El Gra, Plaça Esglèsia 8, Granollers

Mollet
Friday 29th October 21:00-23:00
Bar La Pera, AV Jaume I 57, Mollet del Vallès

La Garriga
Thursday 4th November 21:00-24:00
Teatre De La Garriga El Patronat, El Passeig 42, La Garriga

See you there!

Ahhaaaaaaa!

2010-10-16T12:16:00.000+02:00

Without doubt one of Britains best comedy shows of all time and the bench mark for uncomfortable comedy. Alan Partridge is the fictional failed TV chat show host / Radio Norwich presenter portrayed by Steve Coogan. Popular comedies such as "The Office" and "Peep Show" might not have existed had it not been for the influence of Partridge. There are now rumours that Coogan and Co-creator Armando Ianuncci are planning to make a movie, however Partridge fans will be sceptical as to how it could be better than or even as good as the TV series. My personal opinion is that it has to be good with Iannucci's involvement but whether it can be as good as the series, we'll have to wait and see. Here are some of the best bits from the original. Enjoy!

Chilean Mine Rescue

2010-10-15T01:12:00.001+02:00

The images of the trapped Chilean miners being rescued and reunited with their families has dominated today's news. The emotion on the faces of the freed miners and their loved ones was moving. However, I don't imagine I'm the only person who is a little uncomfortable about the media circus that has grown around the rescue. The fact that some miners have hired public relations experts to help them maximise the financial benefits of their fame says a lot about our society.

For the some exceptional photos of the day's events (like the one below of The son of Chilean miner Florencio Avalos, seven-year-old Bairon, shows a drawing depicting the rescue of his father, as he is examined by doctors after being brought to the surface) click here.

Armless Pianist Wins China's Got Talent

2010-10-13T00:45:00.000+02:00

This incredible video features Liu Wen a young Chinese man who lost both his arms in an accident as a child. He learned to play the piano with his feet and won the China's Got Talent programme this weekend. The audio is in Chinese with English subtitles.

OH NO...MY NAME IS JUSTIN BIEBER!!

2010-10-08T17:38:00.002+02:00

Who is Justin Bieber?
He is a very popular young singer adored by children and some teenagers. And he is also a 35-year-old man from Florida.
Facebook accused the older Justin Bieber of being a fake and they expelled him from the site.
He recives a lot of phone calls from screaming fans ande he also gets phone calls from famous singers asking him about a duet.

If you want to read the full article click here.

This post by Miriam and Carla Curto Mañosa

Story Time In La Garriga

2010-10-07T19:53:00.000+02:00

This year Cambridge School is providing local schools and libraries with 'Story Time' events in English. Our highly-experienced and successful storyteller, Miriam Parmenter, tells interactive stories to children from 3 to 12 years of age. On Wednesday 6th October she entertained a group of 25 families in La Garriga library and will be doing two more stories there before Christmas; one on 3rd November and the other on 1st December.

Here's a photo of Miriam in action:

Obama's Seal Falls

2010-10-07T00:51:00.002+02:00

The US Presidential Seal fell off Barack Obama's podium today. Maybe the accident is symbolic of his troubled presidency. Here's how he reacted:

Extreme Carrots!

2010-10-06T00:21:00.002+02:00

This new ad for baby carrots from the US uses the advertising techniques used to sell junk food to sell healthy food:

Two Door Cinema Club

2010-10-04T13:06:00.000+02:00

This Norther Irish trios' popularity is fast growing. Their electropop style is proving to be a big hit on the British music scene. They are fast being booked up for gigs, inlcuding our very own Razzmatazz in Barcelona on 10th December. Have a listen to one of their hits below. Enjoy!

Mollet Fair

2010-10-03T21:40:00.001+02:00

This weekend Cambridge School had a stand at the Mollet Fair. We met lots of current and hopefully future students and had a really nice time! Here's a photo of Lindsay Wood, Director of Cambridge School Mollet, and some other images from the stand.

2010-09-30T00:24:00.000+02:00

Today was general strike day in Spain. The strike was organised by the trade unions to protest against the governments' planned labour market reforms. My experience of the day was that public transport and industry was affected but much of the service sector worked as normal. The most debated issue of the day were the pickets who tried to deter people from going to work using persuasion and (in some cases) less democratic methods.

Here are some images of the day from Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper.

Here's a CNN report from Madrid:

Collapse

2010-09-27T15:42:00.001+02:00

What will happen when we run out of fossil fuels? This film/documentary interestingly shows all our options and also explains how all of this was predicted but was dimissed by governments. Here's the trailer but the real thing is definitely worth a watch.

Sorry, I Don't Speak .........

2010-09-24T13:53:00.001+02:00

According to a report in today's La Vanguardia, fewer people speak a foreign language than in any other EU country except for Portugal, Romania and Hungary. Even more British people say they speak a foreign language than Spanish people.

It looks like we have a lot of work to do at Cambridge School!

Read the article here.

The Price Of Love Is ... Losing Two Friends

2010-09-23T17:49:00.000+02:00

Every time you fall in love you lose two friends, say scientists. Men have on average four to five close pals, women five to six. One of these is sacrificed to make way for the new partner and the other disappears due to being ignored, an Oxford University study has concluded.

Study leader, anthropologist Prof Robin Dunbar, told the British Science Festival: "You're so wholly focused on the rom antic partner you just don't get to see the folks you held onto before."

Prof Dunbar also noted that women are better than men at using phones and media such as Facebook to network.

For the full story click here.

Limerick Competition

2010-09-21T15:09:00.001+02:00

The Cambridge School Facebook Page is running a limerick writing competition. A limerick is a humorous five-line poem written with one couplet and one triplet. The rhyme pattern is a a b b a with lines 1, 2 and 5 containing 3 beats and rhyming, and lines 3 and 4 having two beats and rhyming. Here are a some of example of limericks:

There was an old man from Peru,
who dreamed he was eating his shoe.
He awoke in the night
with a terrible fright,
and found out that it was quite true.

There once was a fellow named Tim
whose dad never taught him to swim.
He fell off a dock
and sunk like a rock.
And that was the end of him.

Here's the rhythm pattern to help you write one:

There was a young lady from Hyde,
da DUM da da DUM da da DUM (3 DUMS)
Who ate a green apple and died.
da DUM da da DUM da da DUM (3 DUMS)
While her lover lamented,
da DUM da da DUM (2 DUMS)
The apple fermented,
da da DUM da da DUM (2 DUMS)
And made cyder inside her inside
da DUM da da DUM da da DUM (3 DUMS)

To enter the competition, visit the Facebook page and post your limerick as a comment. The deadline is Friday 22nd October.

The author of the best limerick will win a book of Limericks!

Incredible rally!!

2010-09-20T17:38:00.000+02:00

Table tennis fan or not. Have a look at this fantastic rally in a recent competition between two Swedish professionals. Enjoy.

First Day Of Classes

2010-09-16T14:48:00.000+02:00

Yesterday was the first day of classes at Cambridge School for the 2010-11 academic year. Thanks to teachers for the days you've spent preparing and to students for your confidence in us!! Here's a photo of this year's team:

Baby Guim!!

2010-09-15T16:58:00.001+02:00

Congratulations to Cambridge School La Garriga teacher Amory Ceridwen and her partner Lluis on the birth of their baby boy Guim. Guim weighed 4.2kg and mother and baby are well.

Worst Speech Ever?

2010-09-10T23:29:00.000+02:00

There will be elections for all kinds of different offices in the United States in November. Candidates are busy campaigning and including the Republican candidate for Starr County (Ohio) Treasurer. Is this the worst speech ever? Let's hope he doesn't get elected!!!

Back to School

2010-09-08T01:07:00.000+02:00

Thousands of children and teenagers started back at school today. This academic year will be different to previous ones for a couple of reasons; first, there will be a week's holiday in late February/early March and second many schools will be using digital books for the first time.

The logic of the week's holiday in the term between Christmas and Easter is to give the children a break, in the hope that they come back re-energised. However, many parents will find it difficult to take a week's holiday at the same time. We'll see how it works out.

The introduction of digital textbooks will save money and lighten the load in students heavy school bags. In the long run all textbooks will be digital, the days of paper books are numbered. Some teachers worry that hardware, software and other technical difficulties may cause unexpected problems. Again, we'll see what happens this year.

New Zeeland Earthquake

2010-09-04T11:00:00.000+02:00

New Zealand suffered a 7.0 earthquake yesterday. Ex-Cambridge School teacher Denise Thompson who lives in Christchurh is safe and well. We hope everyone else out there is too.

Here's a BBC report about the event and below is a CNN video report (notice how the American presenter has difficulty understanding the New Zealander on the phone's accent):

Excellent Podcast for Students

2010-09-02T14:05:00.000+02:00

Any students interested in modern history who want extra listening practice should subscribe to the BBC World Service's Witness podcast. Each episode of Witness is about 10 minutes long and includes an interview with a person who lived through an important event in 20th century history.

Students need a minimum of B1 level to be able to follow the content. To subscirbe to the podcast seach for the programme on iTunes or click here.

New Director in Cambridge School La Garriga

2010-08-31T20:36:00.000+02:00

Marcela (left) and Philippa (right)

Philippa Cairncross, who has been Director of Cambridge School La Garriga since 2004 in moving to Cambridge School Granollers this academic year to become a teacher trainer on our CELTA courses. We'd like to say a big 'thank you' to Philippa for all her hard work in La Garriga and wish her a warm welcome to Granollers!

The new Director of Cambridge School La Garriga is Marcela Nievas who has been working as a teacher and teacher trainer in our Granollers centre. Marcela, who lives in L'Ametlla del Valles, was born and raised in Australia and studied at the University of Deakin at Melbourne. She has been working a primary school and English language teacher in Australia, England, Indonesia, China and Catalonia for more than 15 years. She has also worked as a community development project manager in Australia, China and Equador.

City Festival in Granollers

2010-08-26T17:57:00.000+02:00

This week Granollers is celebrating its city festival (Festa Major). The city is buzzing with events, concerts and competitions for all ages. Cambridge School is proud to be one of the festival's sponsors (we sponsored the Lluïment dels elements festius de la cercavila infantil event on Tuesday).

For more details of events over the next few days click here.

For photos click here.

To 'like' the Festa Major Facebook page click here.

World's Worst Traffic Jam?

2010-08-25T13:55:00.000+02:00

Getting stuck in a traffic jam is a very frustrating experience. Imagine being in a 100km traffic jam for nine days! That's the situation some lorry drivers are suffering on the main road between Beijing and Tibet right now. Click here for the full story and see the video below (in Mandarin Chinese) for images.

Silent Movie Star Wars

2010-08-23T18:18:00.001+02:00

We're back!! Cambridge School, Granollers is open from today and Cardedeu, Mollet, Caldes and La Garriga from next Monday. Here's a silent movie version of Star Wars I saw during the holidays:

Holiday!!!

2010-07-30T18:36:00.000+02:00

Cambridge School, and this blog, from now until the 23rd August. I'd like to wish all our students, staff and friends of the school a fantastic summer holiday. See you soon!!!

Improv Everywhere

2010-07-29T23:20:00.000+02:00

Improv Everywhere are a group of actors and singers in New York who unexpectedly perform scenes in public places. Here are two of their YouTube clips:

Bullfighting Ban

2010-07-29T00:10:00.000+02:00

The Parlament's decision to ban bullfighting in Catalonia is being reported by all the world's main newspapers and TV news channels. Here's a report from CNN..

Amazing Video of Whale Crushing Yacht

2010-07-28T00:04:00.000+02:00

This video is of a whale jumping onto a boat off the coast of South Africa at the weekend has been doing the rounds on the internet. Fortunately, the couple sailing the yacht were unhurt and made it safely to shore. The whale also swam away seemingly uninjured.

Colleague of the Year ... Enri Garcia!

2010-07-26T18:55:00.000+02:00

Every year at Cambridge School all members of staff get to nominate three of their peers for the Jack Cockell Prize which is awarded to the outstanding colleague of the year. The award is a chance for those of us who knew our late friend Jack to remember him and to say a big 'thank you' to someone who has been very professional and a pleasure to work with during the year.

This year the prize goes to Enri Garcia who works in reception in Granollers and who has many different responsibilities including everything to do with study trips abroad, summer camps and organising accommodation for CELTA trainees as well as looking after our Granollers clients. Congratulations Enri - you deserve it!

Helping Senegal With Intercanvi NGO

2010-07-22T15:22:00.000+02:00

At last December's Cambridge School pantomime, Beauty and the Beast, we collected money to help a local NGO, Intercanvi, which runs development projects in the Third World. Intercanvi used the money raised to help build an extension to a maternity hospital in Sandiara Senegal. Intercanvi have kindly sent us these photos of the project.

Discount If You Sign Up At Cambridge School By 30th July!

2010-07-21T14:36:00.000+02:00

Students who sign up for the 2010-11 course at Cambridge School before the end of July get a 25% discount on their enrollment fee. To take advantage of this offer, visit your nearest Cambridge School centre.

Jennifer Aniston Adopts 33-Year Old African Boyfriend

2010-07-21T14:29:00.000+02:00

This satirical video report from The Onion caught my eye:

Jennifer Aniston Adopts 33-Year-Old Boyfriend From Africa

Steve Norman Talks About The CELTA

2010-07-16T22:02:00.000+02:00

Cambridge School's Director of Teacher Training Steve Norman talks about the 5-week CELTA course. It's the ideal programme for English speakers interested in teaching the language to adults across the world.

Casal Cambridge School

2010-07-15T19:59:00.001+02:00

This summer Cambridge School is running day camps (casals) for children in Granollers, La Roca, Caldes de Montbui and La Garriga. During the day camps the children play games, sing songs, make posters, do theatre activities and go on excursions to local places of interest ... all in English!! Here are a selection of photos from this year's day camps:

David Craddock Talks About The Jose Carreras Leukemia Foundation

2010-07-13T17:14:00.000+02:00

David Craddock, a Cambridge School teacher who also works for the Jose Carreras Leukemia Foundation talks about the organisations objectives and activities.

Historic Weekend

2010-07-12T16:14:00.000+02:00

Visitors to Catalonia last weekend could be forgiven for thinking the country was going through an identity crisis! On Saturday more than a million people marched in Barcelona against the Spanish Supreme Court's decision to prevent aspects of the Estatut becoming law. Then, on Sunday a hundred thousand people gathered in Plaça Espanyà to celebrate Spain's victory in the World Cup. Click here for an article from Time magazine with talks about the conrtadiction or here for an article from the Financial Times.

Here are two videos the first from Euronews about the march and the second from CNN showing the post-match celebrations:

And Next ... The Final

2010-07-08T08:19:00.003+02:00

So the psychic octopus was right! People were out and about last night celebrating Spain's win in the World Cup semi-final over mighty Germany. The fact that Barça captain Carles Puyol scored the winning goal gave fans here and extra excuse to cheer. I'm not a football fan but I definitely be watching the final on Sunday! Here's a CNN report from Madrid about the celebrations there:

Good Reporter, Bad Car Thief

2010-07-04T20:53:00.000+02:00

These out-takes from a new report about how 'easy' it is to break into cars made me laugh...

Alistair Jones Talks about the Welsh Language

2010-07-02T16:02:00.000+02:00

Alistair Jones, the centre director of Cambridge School Granollers, who is bilingual in English and Welsh, talks about the Celtic language spoken in Wales.

World Cup: German Brother vs Ghanaian Brother

2010-07-01T21:00:00.000+02:00

Incredible but true: two brothers will be played in the Germany vs Ghana World Cup match - on opposite teams. This is a World Cup first. Watch the video, recorded before the match, to learn the details.

Bluefin Tuna Debate

2010-07-01T00:24:00.000+02:00

I have to confess that I had no idea that Catalonia plays a big part in the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna fishing industry. This short but interesting video from The Economist shows both sides of the debate around whether the stocks of these remarkable fish need time to recover or not.

Selectivitat Superstar!!

2010-06-29T20:20:00.000+02:00

Congratulations to Elena Laura Álvarez who got the equal highest mark in this year's Selectivitat exams (9.65). We also hope she has done well in the CAE exam she did with Cambridge School in June! Read an interview with her in today's El Periodico newspaper here.

Bikes + Choir Flashmob

2010-06-28T15:28:00.000+02:00

This flashmob took place in Brussles Central Station. Their English pronunciation is really good!