Humor4u

Halloween is right there, so if you are planning to go to a party and you want some ideas to dress up, you can't miss this Cosmopolitan link:  50 Cheap Halloween Costumes That You Can Easily DIY  . This article is suitable for C1 students. Halloween is an old tradition, whose origin can be traced to Roman and Celtic times, but it is deeply rooted in the Catholic tradition too, as Mary Reed Newland points out in her article, All Hallow's Eve  (for C2 level) . Halloween marks the beginning of winter, the season of cold and darkness, where misty figures stir people's imagination to inspire spooky tales of terror. You can find lots of Halloween folk stories, for example, on  American Folklore  there is a long list of creepy short stories that can be read in class to swop stories and do an information gap task. I have chosen  Jack and the Devil  and  The Lady in the Veil   , while other stories can be just played for fun, to listen to the sound ef...

Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebrates 70 years of service to the United Kingdom. Many stories are being written about the longest reigning monarch in the history of the U.K., but this fashion article from BBC News, "Power dressing: The Queen`s unique style" , is particularly interesting, as it analyses the role of the current queen as a fashion influencer in the 20th and 21st centuries.  The article contains many technical terms for clothes and fashion, so, it is suitable for C1 students and above. Some of the most interesting words you are going to find in the text are: trendsetting, daring, iconic, brightly coloured [dresses], to pair with [a matching hat], to be accessorised, a signature [square handbang], to be honed, to be steeped, legacy, dazzling, intricate, full-skirted dresses, a nipped in waist, couture, a [fur] stole, a [diamond] tiara, to dazzle [her way through state banquets], a royal tour, tull and satin gowns, to be embelished, seed pearls, crys...

Pedro Almodóvar released a short (30') film in English, " The Human Voice " in 2020 which was acclaimed by critics all over the world.  It is a free and personal adaptation of Jean Cocteau's classic " La Voix Humaine ", where a barroque Almodóvar is interested in showing the boundaries of artifice and the connection between cinema and theatre, deceit and sincerity, lies and truth.  The movie is, basically, a monologue, where Scottish actress Tilda Swinton , in a riveting performance, displays her vocal versatility to disclose all the feelings of a woman who has been abandoned by her ex-lover and receives a last telephone call to sort out the last mundane details of their separation: she pretends to be cool and casual at the beginning of the call, until she can't stand her own lies any longer, loses controls and admits to her ex-lover -who is a "dweeb", in Tilda's words, ("an idiot", in Spanish "un memo, un baboso"), that...

Display Copy is a new fashion magazine that just features vintage and thrifted items from second hand and charity shops like eBay, Etsy or the Salvation Army, but pictured by top-notch models and photographers. "The idea was to make used clothes desirable", says Brian Hemingway, editor of the magazine.  The New York Times reports that "upcycling" is gaining momentum in the fashion industry, and well-established brand names like Miu-Miu, Levi's, Maison Margiela, Patagonia, Gucci, Stella McCartney or Burberry have launched collections of recycled clothes and have set up second life stores.   This article is suitable for C1 students. You will come across words like: disposablility, chic, a host of big brands, joy, upcycling, the cover [of a magazine], to feature, to debut, newsstands, a plus-size model, inclusivity, glossy shoots, vintage, secondhand, thrifted, pre-loved, for resale, a stream of [mostly] on-line shoppable [content], collectible, sustainable, [upc...

Padma Lakshmi is an international model, the host and executive producer of the TV show " Top Chef " in USA, and now she is the host of the new food and travel programme, " Taste the Nation " on Hulu, a leading Disney video service, where she visits chefs in immigrant communities who have contributed to the American culinary heritage. Ms. Lakshmi talks to Terry Gross on Fresh Air  (NPR) about her childhood as an immigrant from India in the USA; the cooking tradition she learnt from and how her mother transformed it to create new dishes by mixing ingredients from other cuisines; her first steps into the modelling world in Madrid and in Italy; a car accident she had; the sexual abuse she suffered twice in her life; her awareness-raising work as co-founder of the Endometriosis Foundation of America and about her family in India. The interview lasts 41 minutes, so it can be used by C2 students and experts as background listening while you are doing something else, like ...

Coronavirus is also changing fashion. This BBC article talks about how the fashion industry is turning face masks into the trendy accessory of the season:  Angel Obassi's wedding outfit, with a matching face mask, received more than 100,000 "likes" on Instagram and when Tiziana Scaramuzzo posted the images of a trikini as a joke on Elexia Beachwear, she started to receive thousands of orders.  You can also watch a short video where South-Korean designer Paul Parks shows how he sews his new washable and re-usable cotton masks. Read this article if you are ready to fight COVID-19 in style! This report is suitable for B2 students.

Mother's day is celebrated on May 10th in USA, India and Australia, on March 22nd in the UK and Ireland and on May 3rd in Spain. Here you can read three stories related to the topic. The first story is Kate Middleton's virtual visit to a new mother in a hospital in South-West London, where she has a friendly conversation with the astonished new mother, who describes the experience as "surreal".  Kate's goal was to raise awareness about the mental health issues that can affect new mothers.  The story comes from "The Daily Mail", a royalist tabloid in the UK, and it is suitable for B2 students. The second story comes from The New York Times, and it reports on how florists are preparing to deliver bouquets of flowers for Mother's Day in the USA during confinement.  The language in the article is very descriptive -precise nouns and adjectives- which can be challenging, so the text is suitable for C1 students, but the pictures, of course, can be enjoyed b...

Jonna Jinton is a Swedish artist who decided to move from the city to a remote little village in the North of Sweden with "no plan, no money and no job", to follow her dream and live close to nature.  In the middle of the forest, she became a photographer, an artist, a blogger, and, finally, an influencer.  In this beautiful video, she tells the story of her life in her slow, crystal clear English, which is subtitled, so the document can be accessible to B1 students and above. Thanks to my student Cristina L., who sent me this link. I f you want to see an example of her ephemeral nature art, you can click here and watch another of her YouTube videos "The Art of Balancing Stones",  She says that it is "still and quiet, in a world that is constantly moving. "

This is a link to a picture gallery of the best and worst dressed celebrities on the red carpet of the Oscars 2019.  You may agree or disagree with the opinion of Los Angeles Times . And here you can find the full list of Oscar winners from The New York Times .

This short Beauty article from The Irish Times , gives you some tips about how to make-up quickly when you have overslept in the morning, or you are already sitting on public transport on your way to school, which is not that uncommon in the British Isles.  A quick glance at it and you may find some practical ideas for tomorrow's rush!