Matador Network's Blog, page 2062
August 27, 2015
Places in France you must visit
Enough with the Seine quays-strolling, the macaron-eating, and Eiffel Tower-climbing. I invite you to step into the rest of France (where 55 million of us live). Here are some of my favorite spots, from a Breton island to the peaks of Haute-Savoie.
1. Les falaises d’Etretat
There are spectacular chalk cliffs in Etretat; the best way to explore is walking the beach at low tide. This way you can really check out Manneporte and the Porte d’Aval. Another option is following the path from above (and scaring yourself half to death by looking down.)
2. D-Day Beaches
It might not be the most cheerful places to visit, but the beaches of the Nomandy landings have incredible historical and educational value. Sword Beach, Omaha Beach, Utah Beach, Juno Beach, and Gold Beach were where the Allied forces landed, shifting the outcome of WWII. There is still a hallowed, powerful feeling to this entire area.
3. Strasbourg’s Christmas market
It’s not called the “Christmas capital of Europe” for nothing. Cathedral Notre Dame de Strasbourg is illuminated and decorated in one of the most beautiful displays anywhere. And it’s worth it just to go walking from artisan chalet to artisan chalet downing cups of mulled wine and stuffing your face with chocolate-covered pretzels.
4. La Dune du Pilat
In my opinion, there’s only one perfect way to check out the highest dune in Europe: set out before sunset with a pack filled with a good bottle of wine and a jambon beurre, hit the steep path to the top, and enjoy the view of the Atlantic Ocean, the Bay of Arcachon, and the massive pine forest while eating the most French of all meals.
5. Les Gorges du Verdon
Perhaps Europe’s most beautiful canyon, this place is popular and draws the crowds, but you can still find secluded spots along the 25 kilometre gorge to swim, kayak, rock climb, or hike in peace and tranquility.
6. The old city of Dinan
My favourite thing to do when in Dinan is to walk the narrow cobblestone streets, stopping in art galleries and craft shops, until my stomach begs for a crêpe filled with confiture de lait.
7. Chamonix
Because you deserve to wake up early (after a night filled with tartiflette) surrounded by the beauty of the French Alps at least once in your life.
8. Bonifacio, Corsica
If Red Bull chose Bonifacio to host the French leg of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, it’s not by accident. The place is beautiful, the water is hot, the sun shines a lot more there than anywhere else in France, and there’s great adventure potential.
9. L’Ile de Sein
Bonus point if there’s a nasty storm during your visit; there’s nothing like looking at the ocean getting angry from the shore of a tiny island to get to know Brittany. I’m ready to bet big money that after spending a few days cycling around Sein you’ll want to take sailing lessons, move into a quaint little house by the harbour/a boat/a lighthouse, and settle for good.
10. Natural regional park of Camargue
You may come to see the Camargue horses roaming free in the wetlands, but you’ll stay for the pink flamingoes and the French cowboys.
11. Carcassonne
Although the historic city of Carcassonne is a busy spot crammed with tourists in the high season, it is still very much a place worth visiting. Just make sure you explore the narrow streets and the ramparts of this fortified medieval town later in the evening when illuminated, or very early in the morning, and you might just have the whole place to yourself.
13 Dilemmas only New Yorkers understand
Photo: Guian Bolisay
1. As a packed train goes by with one car completely empty: wondering if you can stomach what just happened in there for an empty seat, or just cramming into one of the other cars.
Did someone projectile vomit down the whole aisle? Was there a dance troupe that got out of hand? Is there a dead guy in there? Oh god this better be worth it…
2. Deciding to follow the career of your dreams and feel overwhelmed by the cost of the city, or work in the finance sector and give 90+ hours a week of your life to Morgan Stanley.
In NYC, the life of an artist is a struggle. So is the life of a writer, the bartender, the actor, the nurse, the teacher, the real estate agent, the public servant and pretty much anything that doesn’t involve coming from money and pretending to do something of any real value on Wall Street.
3. “
True to its reputation, one of New York’s most common games to play on residents is giving them the chance to save money on rent by forgoing basic things like a private bathroom, high ceilings, a closet or natural light. But hey, when it comes to the Big Apple, every penny counts, right?
4. Choosing where to get groceries: hoof it to your nearest Trader Joes (3 neighborhoods over), or go to the bodega down the block.
One means riding the train with your grocery bags during rush hour (read: pretty much the worst thing ever), while the other means you live off of eggs, PB&J and cereal for the rest of the week (thrifty and perfect if you want to feel like you’re in undergrad for the rest of your adult life).
5. While riding the subway: choosing whether to ignore Jimmy Fallon hanging out the right side of the car, or choosing to ignore Fred Armisen on the left.
Because freaking out over former SNL cast members is the first thing you do to prove you’re a transplant. Here, have an “I Heart NY” hoodie to go with your fangirling.
6. Go out to support one of the countless parades, important protests or significant events that happen in the city *every* week, or spend your day off aggressively binging on Netflix.
One of the great things about New York is that it is an epicenter of political activism and internationally renowned performances. Unfortunately, most of these events happen on the weekends — when you are trying to recover from a hard week at work and a hard night of drinking to cope with the workweek.
7. Choosing between ridiculing the traffic in LA, or the techies in San Francisco, to explain why you refuse to move to the West Coast.
No matter how you cut it, New York just isn’t the kind of city where you can just “live a simple, easy life in peace,” so to stay here you must constantly be coming up with excuses as to why everywhere else in the country sucks even more. Chicago? Too cold. DC? Too many politicians. Houston? Very funny.
8. Choosing between stepping off the sidewalk into a (hopefully) shallow puddle of garbage water, or punching through a block of tourists capturing “New York culture” by taking pictures of a Dunkin Donuts.
Also known as the “ruin these shoes forever, or ruin the sparkly-yet-fragile image of New York in a tourist’s heart forever” dilemma. This is a tough decision made by thousands of New Yorkers every day, *especially* if we decide to venture into Midtown. And frankly, a few years and a couple dozen pairs of shoes later, it’s getting easier and easier to make.
9. Re-swiping your metrocard and look like an idiot for a second in front of all the people waiting for you, or hop the turnstile and risk the $500 fine.
While most people are afraid of normal things like “public speaking,” “getting mugged,” or “the dark,” most New Yorkers are afraid of looking like an incompetent no-nothing on the subway.
10. Insisting on getting half-melted ice cream sandwiches from a guy with a cooler in the park, or admit that you actually kind of like froyo and go to the Pinkberry (that used to be your favorite ma and pop diner).
It seems that every New Yorker is in constant mourning over the loss of “the way things were” (conveniently overlooking all the murders and the crack the city was super into a few decades ago). Still, it does hurt to see the one American city that never wanted to be a strip mall get overtaken by vague corporate entities that sling even vaguer interpretations of classic NYC cultural dishes, like pizza and bagels with lox. So it feels good to risk illness and just go for that $1 slice at some unbranded spot every once in a while.
11. Drop $200 to see the hit Broadway musical you have wanted to see since you were a child, or spend $20 to get into an underground orgy, the theme of which is said musical.
Hey man, being a deviant of greater America’s sexual puritanism is practically a civic duty in New York. Think of it as a story to terrify your grandkids with someday.
12. Explaining to people how you spent $300 on Saturday when you were in bed before 8pm.
New Yorkers treat weekend brunch as an all day activity (that starts after 11 AM, of course), even though last night’s leftovers are twice as delicious and eight times less expensive. Chalk it up to the insane number of hours in a New York work-week, combined with a fierce desire to show off the fruits of ones’ labors by spending $6 on a boiled egg with hollandaise.
13. Let yourself be skinned alive by the rent increase your landlord demands, or push forward your relationship with that person you’ve been dating for two months so you can split the rent with them.
In New York, the difference between spending $1500 on your own room and splitting a $3000 room with someone else is basically the difference between being able to rent a studio in BedStuy and landing a dream apartment in the West Village — so we’ll find just about any excuse to move out of our shoebox of an apartment and into a better quality of life. Plus, even if it doesn’t work out… it’s not like sharing a room with a “friend of a friend of a college roommate that you hooked up with a few times” is all that different. Or so I tell myself, anyway. 
Why you should travel in your 20s
Photo: Ignacio Bernal
[Editor’s note: This piece is a response to the article 11 reasons NOT to travel in your your 20s, published last week at Matador. Read an article recently you totally disagree with and feel the need to respond? Submit your response to editors@matadornetwork.com.]
1. You’re an idiot, and traveling will make you less of an idiot.
In your 20s, you really don’t know anything. You’ve seen nothing. You’ve experienced nothing. This is to be expected: everyone who has ever grown into an adult has had to go through a period of time in which they were complete and utter ignoramuses. But travel will help you get away from this ignorance more quickly than you would have otherwise. Traveling will confront you with ideas and realities that you are not comfortable with, and it is this discomfort that makes room for growth.
Last week, The Atlantic published an article about how American colleges have become a place for protecting students from ideas that are offensive or uncomfortable in the name of emotional well-being. The antidote to this kind coddling? In-depth travel.
2. You need to learn there are things outside of yourself.
Everyone everywhere lives in their own little bubble. Bubbles vary in size and internal contents, but they exist everywhere. If you never leave your bubble, the only context in which you’ll ever be able to understand the world is your own. This will make you a self-centered, narrow-minded jackass. Travel is essential for leaving your bubble.
3. You need the opportunity to make huge mistakes.
I got robbed, scammed, or pickpocketed 7 times while traveling in my early 20s. A friend of mine got involved in a sketchy drug deal and was nearly stabbed. Another had to bribe her way out of a potential arrest in Cambodia. Obviously, some mistakes are better to make than others, but making mistakes is an inevitable and important part of human existence. Travel is chaos, and chaos means you’re going to make mistakes. Make them while you’re young and in a foreign country and you’ll be able to learn from them without being followed by them forever.
4. You need to be embarrassed more often.
Like that time I was yelled at in England for saying America “saved you guys in WWII.” Or that time in China where I was shouted at by a stranger for taking up too much space on a train. All of this was essential in forming me into a slightly more humble person. Because when you’re 24, you are fucking terrible. You need to be brought down a peg or two.
5. It will make you dissatisfied.
Everyone will tell you that life is about making compromises and coming to terms with reality. Bullshit. Compromises are overrated, and travel will convince you that reality is pliable, and that you can get reality to come to terms with you. Dissatisfaction will keep you alive, and it will give you something to fight for.
6. You’ll have MUCH better stories at your 10 year high school reunion.
When people talk about their classmates, they tend to speak of life as if it’s a race. “Oh, so-and-so got married, so-and-so had a baby, so-and-so got a great job,” as if they’re somehow ahead of the pack. You know what those so-and-so’s did to get there? They skipped the best part of the race. They took some shitty shortcut that zips through to life’s next stage without taking the meandering, detouring, awesome trail that goes through your 20s.
Are they further ahead in the game of life? Sure. But your life is a hell of a lot more interesting than theirs.
7. You’ve got the time.
In your 20s, you (hopefully) won’t be tied to a marriage or kids. Sure, you may not make much money, but as any seasoned, smart traveler will tell you, an income of $20,000 a year can easily be stretched to cover costs of living and travel expenses. In your 30s, you’ll likely buckle down on a family or career, and while these may include travel, the travel will likely be a means to an end, and you probably won’t have as much say over where you’re going (“Oh yay, a business trip! Oh no, it’s in Omaha!”). Travel now.
8. If you start moving now, you won’t stop moving.
I started traveling when I was 20. I spent a solid 5 years traveling almost nonstop until I pulled back a little bit and slowed down. Now, I’m settling down and about to get married, but I still don’t go more than a month without going on some small trip or another. People who tell you “Wait till you have money to travel,” or “Travel while you’re young,” totally misunderstand the nature of travel: it’s a ball that, once it’s started rolling, is probably never going to stop. 
Children's museums for vacation
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1. The Boston Children’s Museum, Boston, MA
Photo: Paul Specht/Boston Children’s Museum
In many ways, the Boston Children’s Museum is very traditional, but that doesn’t make it any less awesome. Three floors of exhibits will keep your kids busy for hours. Arrive in the early morning and head straight to the climbing zone in the lobby before the crowds arrive. After that, head to the construction zone where kids channel their inner Bob the Builder by taking on construction projects, balancing on a steal beam and riding a real tractor. Expect to spend at least half a day here on Boston’s Children’s Wharf and then head outside for fresh ice cream from the 40-foot tall Hood Milk Bottle.
2. The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, IN
Photo: Intiaz Rahim
Hands down the best Children’s Museum in America, the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis has regular dinosaur and art exhibits, along with rotating cultural features like last summer’s awesome Terracotta Warrior’s display. The permanent displays go way beyond normal expectations and tackle hard issues like discrimination through sharing kids’ stories like Anne Frank, Ruby Bridges and Ryan White. And it’s all done in a way that children can understand.
3. The Strong Museum of Play, Rochester, NY
Courtesy of The Strong, Rochester, New York
Have Sesame Street loving kids? At the Strong Museum of Play your kids can actually sit on the 123 Sesame Street stoop and call their favorite characters on a pay phone. After you’ve spent at least ten minutes explaining what a pay phone is, there will still be plenty to explore, including a life-sized doll house ready for a family tea party. Before you leave, head outside to walk the 9,000-square foot Discovery Garden and relax with your kids in the gorgeous gazebo.
4. The Miami Children’s Museum, Miami, FL 
Photo: Smart Destinations
The Miami Children’s Museum is fun, whimsical and very Florida. Your little ones will love the Castle of Dreams, a two floor sandcastle complete with a slide and music. Next, you can head for the large cruise ship where you’ll learn to pilot and you can host your own limbo contest. A recent addition to this museum is a virtual aquarium where kids draw fish and other sea creatures that then come to life in the aquarium.
5. The Children’s Museum of Houston, TX
Photo courtesy of Children’s Museum of Houston
Located in the Museum District of Houston, the Children’s Museum of Houston wins points for interactive exhibits both indoors and outdoors. Kids can spend hours hanging out in Kidtropolis, a manufactured city where kids take on different jobs to earn money, manage paychecks and debit cards and try out daily life as an adult.
Next, you can head for PowerPlay, an interactive zone where kids can climb a 40-foot tower, have a dance party and make their way across a bouldering wall. Once you’ve all explored the 90,000 square feet of exhibits, you can go outside to experience Flow Works — a huge outdoor water exhibit. This one might be educational but you can still expect to have some very wet and exhausted children by the time you leave.
6. The City Museum of St. Louis, MO
Photo: Thomas Hawk
Designed by a group of artists, the City Museum of St. Louis is great for all aged visitors. Kids love the eclectic design and ability to touch and explore without limitations. The museum is full of unconventional things like the world’s largest pencil and a bus that hangs off the roof. Your kids will get worn out climbing up a ton of stairs to slide down the 10-story slide, plus they’ll also be climbing through MonstroCity, an outdoor playground made of wire tunnels, cranes, bridges and 2 planes.
7. Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium, New Orleans, LA
Photo: Ed Bierman
Don’t let its small size fool you, the Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium is an awesome place to spend a few hours with your kids. Enter the world of bugs and insects and let your kids check out the earth’s smallest and sometimes grossest creatures. They’ll love Bug Appétit — a kitchen where samples of cricket cookies and other creations are served up to tiny guests and unfortunately their parents. And don’t miss out on the Butterfly Garden, it’s huge. Pro tip: dress your kids in bright colors and watch their faces light up as butterflies come to rest on their shoulders.
8. The Children’s Museum of Memphis, TN
Photo: Hank Word
After taking your kids to Graceland, the Children’s Museum of Memphis is the perfect place to explore. Although it is a smaller and more local museum, it’s a definite must-see for kids with an interest in aviation and planes.
FedEx is based in Memphis, Tennessee and its commitment to the Children’s Museum is really obvious. Your kids will love the FedEx Going Places exhibit where they can play with a real flight simulator, load packages onto an airplane (with a full-sized cockpit) and deliver the goods across America through the magic of their imagination.
This article was originally published on April 9, 2015 
Family on the open road
WHEN ADAM AND EMILY HARTEAU LEFT THEIR HOME in California in October 2012, they only expected to be gone a year. The plan was to drive in their tricked-out VW Westfalia with their daughter Colette from California all the way to Tierra Del Fuego at the tip of the South American continent and back over the course of the year. But 5 months in, they realized that they didn’t want to stop. And they haven’t. In 2014, their family grew from 3 to 4 with the birth of their second daughter Sierra (born in Florianopolis, Brazil), and they’re still going to this day. They document their travels on their blog, Our Open Road.
The Harteau Family in Argentina. All photos via Our Open Road.
Their VW Westfalia is how they get from place to place. They’ve fitted it with bunk beds, solar panels, a fridge, a two-burner stove, and a small sink. They’ve secured it with steel bars that can be placed onto the front windshield and windows during stays in cities, and they padlock every door.
Driving the iconic Ruta 40 in #Argentina #Patagonia
A photo posted by @ouropenroad on May 17, 2015 at 8:41am PDT
They funded their trip by selling pretty much everything they own in garage sales, by running a Kickstarter, and by holding occasional fundraisers as well.
A photo posted by @ouropenroad on May 10, 2015 at 3:19pm PDT
Adam is an artist who specializes in photography, and Emily is a fashion designer and a chef, who is in the process of writing a cookbook.
Chile, we love you. Hello again #Argentina!
A photo posted by @ouropenroad on May 10, 2015 at 5:40pm PDT
They practice the art of “slow travel,” which allows them to take their time while traveling cheaply and inexpensively through South America.
A photo posted by @ouropenroad on Jun 13, 2015 at 4:19pm PDT
When they decided to extend the trip from 5 months to an indefinite amount of time, they realized they needed more money to keep going. So they invented the 24-hour bazaar, which are flash sales at the side of the road.
A photo posted by @ouropenroad on May 5, 2015 at 4:15pm PDT
Colette is getting her education on the road — she loves singing and drawing, and her parents packed a plastic tub as her own portable pool.
Colette in Chile. Via Our Open Road
You can follow the family’s adventures at their blog, Our Open Road, or at their Facebook or Instagram pages. 
The family in Peru. Via Our Open Road.
Cruising through a #Patagonia paradise! #TorresDelPaine
A photo posted by @ouropenroad on Apr 16, 2015 at 7:33pm PDT
August 26, 2015
30+ amazing resources for reading (and learning!) Spanish
Photo: CollegeDegrees360
With Spanish as your target language, you know how important it is to learn lots of Spanish words and pick up basic grammar.
One of the best ways (besides speaking) to learn Spanish words and grammar is to read Spanish. The problem? Textbooks are too basic (or too boring!), while novels are difficult for beginners.
With that in mind, I’ve put together a collection of reading resources that are perfect for beginner and intermediate Spanish learners. They’re easy to read, and just as important, they’re fun to read.
As long as you know a few basic Spanish phrases, then you’re ready to dig in.
THE BREAKDOWN OF READING RESOURCES
This article includes Spanish reading resources in several categories:
Reading Resources for the Beginner Spanish Learner
Amazing Children’s Books to Build Your Skills
Spanish Reading Resources with Video and Audio
News, Information and Current Events in Spanish
Apps for Spanish Reading Practise
Paid Resources to Help You Build Your Spanish Reading Skills
I’ve included over 30 resources, most of which contain dozens of articles and stories to read.
READING RESOURCES FOR BEGINNER SPANISH LEARNERS
These resources are perfect to help you master the basics of Spanish and build essential vocabulary.
Reading Passages with Vocabulary Lists
Each passage on topics from Bancos (Banks) to Viajes (Travels) includes a helpful list of related vocabulary.
Reading Comprehension for Teachers and Students
This list of a dozen reading resources is designed to help beginners with reading comprehension.
200+ Passages with Quizzes
This massive collection of over 200 Spanish passages includes integrated quizzes so you can check you’ve fully understood what you’ve read.
Spanish Stories and Much More
This website features a selection of Spanish stories. It also includes a variety of other Spanish reading materials, such as poems, riddles and more!
Cultural Readings for Various Levels
These texts deal with cultural topics in Latin America and Spain, and are broken up by level. Start at A1 if you’re a beginner.
AMAZING CHILDREN’S BOOKS TO BUILD YOUR SKILLS
These children’s books are aimed at beginner Spanish readers, and are much more entertaining than dry essays or reports.
International Children’s Digital Library
The ICDL has a massive collection of children’s books from around the world, including many in Spanish. This website is a treasure trove for language learners.
Children’s Books Forever
These cute downloadable Spanish books feature charming illustrations.
Grimm Stories in Spanish
The Brothers Grimm are known for collecting classic stories including Hansel y Gretel (Hansel and Gretel). What makes this website extra special is that each story is available in many different languages. You can compare, side by side, the Spanish version with one in your native language.
Hans Christian Andersen Stories in Spanish
As with the Grimm stories mentioned above, here’s the same service for the stories of Hans Christian Andersen.
Childrens Books Online
This is another brilliant selection of children’s books, many in Spanish. It includes classics like Jack and the Beanstalk and The Golden Goose.
Spanish Comic Strips
Comic strips are great fun for all ages. This website includes several popular comic strips such as Garfield and Calvin and Hobbes in Spanish translations.
SPANISH READING RESOURCES WITH VIDEO AND AUDIO
Reading is a great way to discover new Spanish words. It’s even better when you can listen to the audio of what you’re reading or watch the stories acted out.
20 Readings with Audio
This website provides over 20 readings for beginners, together with audio recordings.
Listen and Read Spanish — With a Quiz
These readings with audio have a built-in quiz system, so you can double check what you’ve learned.
University of Texas Austin Spanish Proficiency Exercises
This amazing resource features videos of native Spanish speakers from many different regions. It focuses on 15 main language skills such as describing basic objects, counting, and talking about your family.
NEWS, INFORMATION AND CURRENT EVENTS IN SPANISH
I love reading newspapers and magazines to learn Spanish. I find out what’s going on in the world and improve my reading skills!
Spanish News Bites
This website provides small, bite-sized chunks of news in Spanish. Perfect for a beginner Spanish learner.
CNN in Spanish
Not just for beginners, this is CNN’s Spanish-language website, providing all the latest headlines.
Online Newspapers in Spanish
M.I.T. has put together this comprehensive list of Spanish language newspapers. You’re sure to find a newspaper you like.
Even More Online Newspapers in Spanish
Another list of online newspapers for Spanish readers.
Wikipedia in Spanish
Believe it or not, you can get Spanish reading practice from Wikipedia. Search for any topic in your native language, and then click on the left column link for Spanish to be taken to the Spanish language version of that article. This is a great way to build topic-specific vocabulary.
APPS FOR SPANISH READING PRACTICE
There are lots of apps that can help you practice your Spanish reading skills. Here are a few of the best..
Duolingo
Duolingo is a fun language learning app for iOS and Android. It provides a guided, gentle introduction to Spanish, with quizzes and reading exercises.
FluentU Spanish
FluentU curates the best Spanish videos on the web and provides reading tools to help you study them effectively.
Cat Academy
This free app combines the appeal of cats with the language learning power of SRS (Spaced Repetition Systems, more on these in a moment).
PAID RESOURCES TO HELP YOU BUILD YOUR SPANISH READING SKILLS
All the resources I’ve shared so far have been free. But if you want results fast, you might consider investing in paid products.
Spanish Pod 101
I’m a big fan of Innovative Language podcasts. What you might not realise is that all their materials include downloadable transcripts so you can practice your reading right along with your listening.
Amazon’s Spanish Children’s Books
This selection of the best selling Spanish language children’s books is ideal for beginner Spanish learners.
Teach Yourself Spanish
Teach Yourself Spanish includes plenty of opportunities for reading practice.
Yabla Spanish
I love Yabla. They’ve curated the best video content they can find online over a range of fun topics, and they host the videos on their site with precisely timed subtitles in both English and Spanish. A great way to practise your reading!
Coffee Break Spanish
This programme by the Radio Lingua Network provides audio-focused lesson. You can also get downloadable transcripts to help with your reading comprehension.
4 HACKS TO HELP YOU SPEED UP YOUR SPANISH READING PROGRESS
Here are my top tips to help you cut hours off your study time, so you can become a Spanish reader faster than you ever thought possible.
Improve Your Recall with Spaced Repetition Systems
SRS is the best way I know to quickly learn new words. SRS prompts you to recall new words when you’re on the verge of forgetting them. This makes them stick in your long-term memory. My favourite SRS tool is the Anki flashcard app.
Use Mnemonics for Better Memory Retention
Mnemonics provide “hooks” for your brain to attach information, which makes them harder to forget. One of the best (and free) apps for setting up mnemonic devices is Memrise.
Increase Your Reading Speed Using Learning With Texts
This open-source, cloud-based foreign language reading app will help you absorb Spanish vocabulary at an accelerated rate. Best of all, it’s free!
Pomodoro Your Productivity
The Pomodoro Technique is a way of breaking up your study sessions into short segments, followed by even shorter breaks. This helps you study faster and smarter.
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? GET READING SPANISH!
Reading in Spanish is important. However, the best way to learn Spanish fast is to speak from day one. I always recommend a study programme focused on speaking.
Reading isn’t an end unto itself. It’s a tool to help you learn new words. It also exposes you to grammar and culture.
With this list of reading resources for beginner Spanish learners, you can level up your Spanish language faster than ever!
This article originally appeared on Fluent in 3 Months and is republished here with permission.
16 funniest expressions Brazilians use
Photo: Daniel M Viero
1. D rown the goose ( Afogar o ganso ) | Get laid. Get it on. Have some sex.
If you’re drowning the goose, you’re having a good time.
2. Giving soft ( Dando mole ) | Someone’s hitting on you.
In Brazil, we don’t hit, we give the soft.
3. Suck this mango. (Chupa essa manga ) | Our version of “In your face!”
“HA! I’ve got an A+ in math! Chupa essa manga, summer school! I will not be attending you!”
4. To pay the duck ( Pagar o pato ) | Injustice is being served.
We use “pagar o pato” when somebody is paying for something she shouldn’t be — like when one person gets stuck with the final bar tab. That’s ‘paying the duck.’
5. Saint of the hollow wood ( Santo do pau oco ) | This person is only pretending to be good.
This is for the people who behave like someone they’re not. From girls pretending to be “good Christians” all the way to guys swearing they’re “trustworthy.”
The expression comes from the hollow saints who used to smuggle drugs or other illegal things back in the day.
6. The potato is baking. ( A batata ta assando. ) | A disaster’s on the way.
Brazilians use this expression when we know something bad is going to happen and we’re trying to warn everybody involved.
7. T o cry the pitangas (C horando as pitangas ) | You’re whining.
When you’re crying about something to someone, you’re crying your pitangas. Totally unrelated: Pitangas are a very tasty Brazilian fruit. If you have the opportunity, try one!
8. Mother Joan’s house ( Casa da mãe Joana ) | This is a Brazilian mother’s idea of a place with no rules.
It’s every Brazilian mother’s nightmare, used when we’re referring to a place where you could do everything and anything that involves bad manners.
“Get your dirty shoes out of my sofa now! where do you think you are? Casa da mãe Joana?”
9. Last cookie of the package ( A ultima bolacha do pacote ) | You’re so special.
We think you’re just great.
10. Block the sun with the sieve . ( Tapar o sol com a peneira. ) | That’s just a quick fix and it’s not going to work.
We use this one when you’re trying to fix a huge problem with a bandaid, you know? At least you tried to do something about it.
11. Bring down the painful one . ( Descer a dolorida ) | Bring me the bill.
So I can pay the duck.
12. I’m with all the rope today. (Estou com a corda) | I’m pumped and I’ll do anything right now.
This one is my favorite, it means you’re full of energy.
13. Where Judas lost his boots ( Onde judas perdeu as botas ) | That place that’s really REALLY far away.
You can’t go farther than where Judas lost his boots.
14. Upside down shovel ( Pá Virada ) | Someone’s really angry.
Yup, they’ve got the shovel upside down.
15. Crocodile tears ( Lágrimas de crocodilo ) | This is just fake drama.
If you’re participating in unnecessary drama — you’re just crying and nobody’s believing you anymore — it’s probably because everyone’s aware of your crocodile tears. (They’re worth nothing.)
16. Jerico’s idea ( Ideia de Jerico ) | That’s a really bad idea.
It’s quite possibly the worst idea you could have.
things Tennessee has given us
Crossville, Tennessee is home to The Minister’s Treehouse, which is unofficially listed by the Guinness World Records as the world’s largest treehouse. Inspired by divine intervention as most crazy southern structures are, Horace Burgess began building the 97-foot-tall treehouse in 1993, which would go on to have 80 rooms, porch decks on every storey, a church that doubles as a basketball court, and a bell tower, all fastened together by 258,000 nails. However, in 2012, it was closed to the public for fire code violations, which in turn violated and mercilessly crushed a huge chunk of our childhood dreams.
2. The fastest internet in the country
Believe it or not, Tennessee is actually pretty progressive in the technology department. (I’m looking at you, Iron Man 3.) And in fact, Gig City is home to the Electric Power Board, which provides Chattanooga with power needs in cases of outages as well as super speedy fiber-optic internet to everyone in the city, 200 times faster than the national average.
3. The oldest hippie commune in North America
Founded in 1971 with the commitment to leading a spiritual and self-reliant lifestyle, the oldest still-active intentional community in North America, known as The Farm, came on caravans from California to Summertown, Tennessee for cheaper land, nicer people, and better winters than Michigan.
The Farm practices spiritual midwifery, permaculture, sustainable technology, as well as organic gardening and strawbale construction. Not to mention they’re a part of numerous organizations such as Plenty International, which helps indigenous populations and the environment; Kids To The Country, which brings at-risk children to The Farm; and the Swan Conservation Trust, which restores and preserves natural resources and wildlife habitat.
4. The most visited national park in the United States
In addition to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park being the first national park that was partially paid for with federal funds, it’s also the most visited national park in the United States. GSMNP has sick spots: Cade’s Cove, Chimney Tops, Rocky Top, Clingman’s Dome, Abram Falls, and has the most biodiversity of any similar-sized temperate zone in the world.
5. Bottled Coke
Sure, Atlanta, you gave the world Coke, but Tennessee leveled up and gave the world bottled Coke. In 1899, two attorneys from Chattanooga had the genius idea that consumers would rather drink their sugary, carbonated beverage from a frosty, glass bottle than from the fountain. And who would’ve guessed — they were right.
By 1909, close to 400 Coca-Cola bottling plants were operating around the United States, and by 1920, that number was higher than 1,000, later exceeding fountain sales by a long shot. And without Tennessee, how else would people have figured out to throw a sleeve of salty peanuts in a cold, sweet bottle of Coke? They wouldn’t have, and life wouldn’t be as great.
6. Music, music, music, and more music
Memphis is home to some of the most influential musicians in Blues and early Rock N’ Roll history. There’s W.C. Handy who is thought to have written the first commercially-successful blues song in a Beale Street Bar. Plus Bessie Smith, B.B. King, Elvis Presley, Muddy Waters, Ike Turner, Jerry Lee Lewis, Aretha Franklin, and Charlie Rich. And that’s just naming a few.
Then there’s Nashville, which is home to the largest vinyl pressing plant in the United States and the birthplace of legendary performers such as Duane and Gregg Allman, Johnny Cash, Martina McBride, Kitty Wells, and bands like Kings of Leon, Paramore, and The Black Keys. There’s Studio B, Jack White’s Third Man Records, Blackbird Studio, the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum, as well as the Fisk Jubilee Singers, an African-American a cappella ensemble who gave Nashville its title of “Music City” when they performed for Queen Victoria in 1873.
And, of course, there’s WSM The Legend, which is one of only two AM clear channel stations in eastern North America that still broadcasts music and is home to The Grand Ole Opry, the world’s longest running radio program. Founded in 1925, its slogan is ‘The Show that Made Country Music Famous’, and has hosted regular performers including Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, the Carter Family, Bill Monroe, Kitty Wells, Minnie Pearl, and Dolly Parton.
7. The first self-service grocery store
Did you know that at one point, shoppers had to give their orders to clerks who then gathered everything from the store shelves? Tennessee called bullshit on this inconvenient way to shop and opened a Piggly Wiggly in Memphis in 1916. It was the first to provide checkout stands and price marks on every item in the store, making your late night runs for Honey Buns a much easier endeavor.
8. MoonPies, Little Debbies, and Goo Goo Clusters
Two graham cracker cookies stuck together by a marshmallow filling and dipped in chocolate? Sticky Honey Buns and gooey Fudge Rounds? A chunky concoction of marshmallow nougat, caramel, and roasted peanuts coated in milk chocolate?
9. Peyton Manning’s football career
Don’t forget where he got his start, Broncos.
10. TVA
In 1962, Walter Cronkite labeled Chattanooga as the “Dirtiest City in America.” Now, the Tennessee Valley Authority provides flood control and electricity to the majority of Tennessee as well as parts of Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia at prices below the national average, aiming to be one of the nation’s leading providers of low-cost, clean energy by 2020.
11. Hot chicken
This one is only great if you like your tongue to be repeatedly stabbed by Satan’s scorching pitch fork and your eyes to bleed tears of regret. But for those who don’t like their meals to be accompanied by searing pain, you can opt out of the Shut the Cluck Up and order some milder seasoned poultry accompanied by heat-numbing pimento mac n’ cheese.
Either way, it’s damn good and damn hot.
12. Jack Daniel’s
It’s only the highest selling American whiskey on the planet. Not everyone around the world may know where Tennessee is, but everyone knows Jack.
13. Krystal’s, White Castle’s southern cousin
In 1932, during the Great Depression, Rody Davenport Jr. and J. Glenn Sherrill opened up the first Krystal restaurant in downtown Chattanooga with the intent to serve cheap food in a clean and courteous atmosphere. And thus those soggy, little square burgers were tossed in the steamer and thrown in sacks for your drunken 3 AM pleasure.
14. Overnight shipping of Memphis-style barbecue
There’s Carolina barbecue, Kansas City barbecue, and Texas barbecue. And then there’s Memphis-style barbecue, which Tennesseans hail as the best. Don’t believe us? Come to The World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest in Memphis, named by the Guinness World Records as the largest pork barbecue contest in the world. But if you can’t wait for a plate of slow cooked ribs covered in a dry rub of salt and various spices and lathered in barbecue sauce if you like it wet, you can always order overnight shipping from anywhere in the country through FedEx’s Memphis SuperHub.
And two bad things:
The Atomic Bomb
Today, Oak Ridge is home to two of the most advanced neutron science research centers in the world, but the little town 18 miles west of Knoxville wasn’t always a place of positive scientific research. Oak Ridge was chosen in 1942 as a site for developing materials for the Manhattan Project by the federal government since it had a low population to keep the project a secret, easy access by highway and rail, and affordable land.
The United States Army Corps of Engineers began to carve out 60,000 acres, nailing eviction notices on many residents’ doors. Workers assigned to the project were told they were working on uranium, but many had no idea what uranium even was. That is, until August 6, 1945 when radio broadcasts announced The Atomic Bomb being dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, making the United States the first and only nation to use atomic weapons during wartime and killing 80,000 people plus tens of thousands more from radiation poisoning. Three days later, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing an additional 40,000 people.
And the KKK
Founded in 1866 in Pulaski, Tennessee, the Ku Klux Klan began to instantly infest almost every state in the South, encouraging white southern resistance to policies moving in the direction of equality through intimidation and violence. And even today, the hate group is still actively fueled by white supremacy in cities such as Woodbury, Nashville, Shady Valley, Memphis, and Johnson City. It may not be as bad as in Alabama, but it’s one Klan member way too many.
Tennessee, you really fucked up on that one.
Photo: Kathleen Tyler Conklins
Giant CO2 sucking machine
Photo: Carbon Engineering
A SIGNIFICANT FACTOR IN THE EARTH’S ONGOING climate change is the human emissions of carbon dioxide. Not only do humans themselves emit carbon dioxide when they breathe out, but our vehicles and many of our energy sources emit carbon dioxide as well. The result of this increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has been global climate change, which this writer is experiencing right now by sweating profusely in his un-air conditioned, sauna of an apartment. But it’s not just me: last month (July 2015) was the world’s hottest month ever recorded.
There are a lot of possible policy fixes to climate change — decreased use of fossil fuels, better stewardship of the environment, decreased total emissions, etc. — but some scientists are coming up with scientific fixes as well. Like the people at the Canada-based Carbon Engineering. They have created a system that captures carbon dioxide from ambient air and then turns it into sources of carbon-neutral energy.
Carbon capture technology is not necessarily new. Factories that are sources of carbon dioxide may be fitted with carbon capture technology which then stores the carbon in the ground, rather than releasing it through smokestacks into the atmosphere. But a large portion of carbon dioxide isn’t released through fixed places like factories — it’s released through vehicles like cars and planes. This carbon could only be removed using either trees or a system like the one designed by Carbon Engineering. Carbon Engineering’s system, though, would require far less space than trees, and could be placed virtually anywhere, and not just in certain environments.
Their system basically takes in air, which is then pushed through a system that contains a solution which converts the carbon dioxide into liquid form, and then removes it from the air. The system absorbs around 80% of the total carbon dioxide that goes through it. The carbon that is captured could later be turned into fuels, which would re-release the carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, but which could also then be reabsorbed by the system, creating a more sustainable system.
While the creators of the system say that the technology still has ways to go before it can deployed all over the place, it’s a promising start: while it’s not going to solve climate change, it’s a step towards a more sustainable world.
h/t: Upworthy
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