MICROCREDITS

According to one expert in innovative government, the micro-credit program "is the single most important development in the third world in the last 100 years, and I don't think any two people will disagree."

You will be wondering what this enthusiasm is about. Micro-credits are programmes to extend small loans to very poor people for self-employment projects that generate income, allowing them to care for themselves and their families. This financial innovation is generally considered to have originated with the Grameen (=village) Bank in Bangladesh.Today, Grameen has 1,084 branches, with 12,500 staff serving 2.1 million borrowers in 37,000 villages. On any working day Grameen collects an average of $1.5 million in weekly installments. Of the borrowers, 94% are women and over 98% of the loans are paid back, a recovery rate higher than any other banking system. Grameen methods are applied in projects in 58 countries, including the US, Canada, France, The Netherlands and Norway.

Grameen Bank was founded by Muhammad Yunus in 1983. In 1976, the Bangladeshi economics professor tried an experiment. From his pocket, he lent the equivalent of $26 to a group of 42 workers. With that 62 cents per person, they bought the materials for a day's work weaving chairs or making pots. At the end of their first day as independent business owners, they sold their work and soon paid back the loan.


'You can't leave people poor and live happily thereafter.'

Now almost all its borrowers are women, who tend to be poorer than men, have fewer opportunities and are much more likely to spend new earnings on their children. Grameen requires its borrowers to organize themselves into groups of five. All are cut off if one borrower defaults.

They meet every week to make loan payments at commercial interest rates and critique one another's business plans. They also pledge to boil their water, keep their families small and carry out other good health practices. People who repay small loans on time can take bigger ones. Grameen, which now makes a profit, claims a higher repayment rate than traditional banks. One-third of its two million borrowers have crossed the poverty line and another third are close.

Click on the image to see the 16 pledges

Grameen Bank and Mohammad Yunus were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. The Nobel Organization prepared this 10 minute video portrait which you can watch if you click here.

On a related note, visit this lovely site where microfinancing is explained to children.

CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR

'Charlie Wilson's War' (2007) is a movie about a congressman who was behind a covert operation to supply the Afghans with weapons so that they could fight the Soviet invaders in the 1980's. The Soviets finally had to leave and it was the beginning of the end for the Soviet Union. The film is very entertaining and has excellent acting by Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, who was nominated to the Oscar. Here's the trailer.



The story exemplifies the saying 'Truth is stranger than fiction.' Charlie Wilson served 24 years in Congress but he seemed more interested in women and Scotch whisky than in politics. However, he managed to secretly channel as much as $750 million a year in weapons to the Afghan rebels. The movie also reflects on the causes of today's problems with Afghanistan, and leaves you wondering what goes on without us citizens knowing. The following clip sums up the story and includes an interview with Mr Wilson.



Read this article in the New York Times about the book on which the movie is based. Also, you can visit this page in biography.com, featuring a video of an interview with the author of the book.

A STAR IS BORN

'A 47-year-old charity worker who says she has never been kissed is now a YouTube sensation after a singing performance that wowed the notoriously harsh talent judge Simon Cowell.' This is the beginning of a CNN article on Susan Boyle, the new Internet sensation. By now you have probably heard about her overnight stardom. Watch this YouTube clip, which has received more than 25 million hits.

As an example of the widespread media coverage, follow this link to CNN, which in turn has threads to other videos and articles (including the one quoted at the beginning).

I find this a very touching story and I wonder how fame is going to affect her. The song is beautiful, too. Read the lyrics here.

FRANK ABAGNALE

You may have seen the film 'Catch Me If You Can' (2002), based on the real story con artist Frank Abagnale. Between the ages of 16 and 21, he successfully posed as an airline pilot, an attorney, a college professor and a pediatrician, in addition to cashing $2.5 million in fraudulent checks in every state and 26 foreign countries. Apprehended by the French police when he was 21 years old, he served time in the French, Swedish and U. S. prison systems. After five years he was released on the condition that he would help the federal government, without remuneration, by teaching and assisting federal law enforcement agencies. After five years he was released on the condition that he would help the federal government, without remuneration, by teaching and assisting federal law enforcement agencies. Here's the movie trailer:



Mr. Abagnale has been associated with the FBI for over 30 years. He lectures extensively at the FBI Academy and for the field offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He is a very entertaining speaker, as this clip shows:


Mr. Abagnale felt the need to make a few clarifications when the film was released. You can read them here.

Frank W. Abagnale is one of the world's most respected authorities on the subjects of forgery, embezzlement and secure documents. Surely it's a good idea to take his advice seriously. Read this piece about cheques and credit cards.

SAINT PATRICK'S DAY

17 March, St Patrick's Day, is Ireland's national holiday, celebrated all over the world. The Irish wear green, go to parades and party. What do you know about Ireland, apart from Guinness and U2? Here are some facts:

• There are no snakes in the island. According to tradition, St Patrick banished them all.
• The shamrock is the national symbol. Is was a sacred plant for the Celts.
• Leprechauns are little people who keep a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. If you trick them, your might get rich.
• Guinness is good for you. Seriously.
  
• Ireland is a beautiful country and the people are lovely.
  

To learn about St Patrick's Day and Irish culture click on the shamrock.

Catch a glimpse of Irish dancing in this video.



Let me say goodbye with this Irish blessing:

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Slainte!

DARWIN / EVOLUTIONISM versus CREATIONISM

February 12 marked the 200 anniversay of Charles Darwin's birth. The event was widely commemorated in the media. The BBC has loads of programmes and articles devoted to his figure, but I'll just recommend this short, funny video from history.com. Those who are really, really interested will be happy to know you can find his complete work online, even with audio you can download and listen to on your way to work.

Since Darwin's time there has been a controversy between Evolutionism as a theory to explain the origin of man and the world in general, and Creationism, the idea that a supreme being created the universe. Nowadays it is specially strong in the United States. Basically, creationists want the theory of Intelligent Design to be taught at school, in Biology class. Evolutionists argue that that is religion, not science. For a quick overview, visit this Wikipedia page. The whole thing is explained in this video (90 minutes).



On a lighter tone, the controversy had a curious moment with the appearance of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Pastafarians, as they call themselves, claim that their views should also be taught at school. You can learn about them by clicking on the image (don't miss the hate mail section).

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

February is Black History Month in the United States (October in Britain). Kids study African-American history and culture at school and special events are celebrated. You can find plenty of information in history.com or biography.com

The most prominent figure is probably Dr Martin Luther King Jr, winner of the Nobel Peace Price in 1964 and assassinated in 1968. You can learn about him and the Civil Rights Movement in the pages I mentioned; visit this one as a sample.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

These words are part of his most famous speech, which you can see, listen to and read in this page.

SAINT VALENTINE'S DAY

It's mid-February, the days are longer, storks are back and winter starts to fade away (at least in clothes shops). Any time is good for romance, but this week we have an official occasion: Feb 14, St Valentine's Day. Everybody knows you should give your partner a little something (or else!): a card, chocolates, flowers, a dinner out... But what do you know about the history? Who was Saint Valentine? History.com has a wealth of information. Read this article and see this short video; there are plenty more.

Maybe you're wondering: Is this for me? Am I truly romantic? If you want to know for sure, do this short quiz.

Love not only affects our soul, but also our body: our brain does some funny things (no wonder some people are addicted to love). Find out how we lose our mind in this article about the chemistry of love.

If you don't have a partner and you're sick of consumerist rituals, you can still celebrate Singles Awareness Day, or SAD. Learn more here.

GRAMMAR POINTS 3

Here's information about gradable and non-gradable adjectives, and adverbs you can use with them:

• adjective modification

GROUNDHOG DAY

One more year, this morning in the town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, thousands gathered to watch Phil the groundhog make his prediction about how long winter will last.

Hear Ye Hear Ye

On Gobbler's Knob this glorious Groundhog Day, February 2nd, 2009

Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of all Prognosticators

Awoke to the call of President Bill Cooper

And greeted his handlers, Ben Hughes and John Griffiths

After casting a joyful eye towards thousands of his faithful followers,

Phil proclaimed that his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers were World Champions one more time

And a bright sky above me

Showed my shadow beside me.

So 6 more weeks of winter it will be.

For a brief history of this curious tradition, which officially started in 1887, click here. For much wider information, visit the official site of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club.

The tradition is internationally known and proof of it is this article in The Guardian. It probably owes its fame to Groundhog Day, a very funny movie starring Bill Murray and Andy MacDowell. Click here if you want to see the trailer.

PHOBIAS

A phobia is a constant, extreme or irrational fear of an animal, object, place or situation that would not normally worry the majority of people.

Visit this website where a specialist explains the difference between a fear and a phobia. By clicking on the icons under the screen you can pull down the transcript of watch the video with subtitles. There's also a lot of information about the subject.

You have probably heard of agoraphobia, clautrophobia or arachnophobia. There are dozens of terms to designate some curious phobias which are not so widely known. I hope you don't suffer from xenoglossophobia (fear of foreign languages) or scolionophobia (fear of school) as these would make it hard for you to attend my classes. Other examples:

• caligynephobia: fear of beautiful women
• chorophobia: fear of dancing
  
• epistemophobia: fear of knowledge
• ergophobia: fear of work
• gamophobia: fear of marriage
• hippopotomonstroesquippedaliophobia: fear of long words
• mageirocophobia: fear of cooking
• oenophobia: fear of wine
• pentheraphobia: fear of mother-in-law

I found these in phobialist.com, which has a list of more than 500. You won't find an explanation of the phobias, though, as it is simply a list of names compiled by the webmaster.

One common phobia in the UK, affecting at least four million Britons, is toilet phobia. Click on the image to read a related article.

For some listening practice you can follow this link to a segment of a radio programme discussing driving phobia (sorry, no transcript). [You will probably need RealPlayer.]

GRAMMAR POINT 2

This is additional information for users of Platform 3:

• Student's book - Review 1: answer key
• Reference guide page 12: comparative and superlative structures

CHANGELING

Changeling, Clint Eastwood's next-to-latest movie, opens in Spain this week. We'll have to wait until February to see his latest one, Gran Torino. Two movies in one year, not bad for a 78 year old. Both movies have had mostly great reviews in the USA.


Starring Angelina Jolie and John Malkovich, and set in 1920's Los Angeles, it tells the story of a woman whose son disappears and is later returned by the police. There's one problem, though: the boy is not her son. In order to save face, the police will discredit the mother and she'll be thrown into a mental institution. It could be a novel, but it is actually based on a true story: reality is stranger than fiction.

The title comes from European folklore; a "changeling" was the offspring of a fairy or troll secretly swapped for a human child. The ending -ling appears in several words with a diminutive meaning, indicating origin or the young of animals, such as duckling or earthling.

You can see the trailer and other film clips by visiting the official webpage.

Watch this video review by Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times.



You can also read his review by clicking here.

The story was published in the Los Angeles Times, which as part of the promotional campaign set up a webpage with clippings of the original articles, like this one. Click on the image to visit the page.


From a journalistic point of view, they also published this article on the story. Be careful, though, it contains spoilers (that is, details about the plot).

If you're really a film buff, you'll enjoy this other material from The Guardian with a more cynical perspective. You will find another video review, two written reviews, video interviews and a curious blog posting entitled 'Hollywood and the myth of mother courage'.

Finally, here's a funny slide show starring Angelina Jolie's lips:

TASTELESS MARKETING?

Do you like fast food? Burgers? Do you prefer McDonalds or Burger King? These are the big two in the USA, but there are more: Carl's Jr, In'N'Out, Jack in the Box, Wendy's, Red Robin, etc.

Burger King recently launched a new campaign called 'Whopper Virgins' . Here's one of the ads:



This kind of ad is called a teaser: it's short and leaves you wanting more information. As you can see, the idea is to have people from remote places, who haven't a clue what a burger is, to taste-test a Whopper versus a Big Mac, as explained in this promotional video:



Smart? Well, the campaign has stirred a lot of controversy. Many people have criticised Burger King for making fun of developing countries . Others think this is precisely what Burger King wants: controversy. Check out these articles:

• A taste of controversy over 'Whopper Virgins (Miami Herald)
• Controversy is just what BK's 'Whopper Virgins' is after (Advertising Age)
  

Also, watch this segment from Fox News, which comes with a transcript:


It seems burgers have a history of tasteless marketing. Paris Hilton's ad for Carl's Jr reached new heights:



Or maybe not. As far as taste goes, 'It takes all sorts (to make a world)'.

Finally, if you're addicted to burgers, you'll be happy to learn about the world's biggest, unhealthiest one:


The Quad Burger is available in Australia at Hungry Jack's restaurants, and your taste buds will start watering once you see what's included in this thousand calorie monster.

• 4 beef patties
• 4 slices of cheese
  
• 8 strips of bacon
  
• A swath of sweet, sassy BBQ sauce

AIDS DAY

World Aids Day is celebrated on December 1. Here are some videos and links about the syndrome.

Click on the banner to visit this excellent webpage. The link takes you to a game to test your knowledge but you can also find loads of information, videos and quizzes.

Watch this video from Worldvision, a humanitarian organization.

You might like to visit this magazine which covers HIV and AIDS. POZ is an abbreviation of pozitive, which means HIV positive. The guide will take you to a practical guide for HIV rookies.

You can also visit this very interesting webpage on The Age of Aids, a 2006 special of TV program FRONTLINE. Everything's good about it, especially the opportunity to watch the whole program online in very good quality - you can even download the transcript. (The program is 240 minutes long, but you can watch it in 10-minute segments)

There is so much more material on the web. The one I included can keep you busy for weeks. I hope you enjoy the selection.

ANIMAL CRACKERS

People love their pets. After all, they are part of the family: they grow with you and, when they are gone, it feels like a part of you is missing (well, not fish or hamsters, perhaps; I'm thinking about cats and dogs, mainly). Pets are good for your health: they lower your blood pressure, cholesterol and trygliceride levels; they keep you company and can increase your opportunities to go out, exercise and socialise. According to studies, pet owners have better health than non pet owners. Pet is even a term of affection, just like honey, or darling.

It's no wonder, then, that people pamper their pets and try to give them the best they can afford. Sometimes this pampering is excessive, though. You have probably heard about Leona Helmsley, who left $12 million to her dog when she died... and nothing to two of her grandchildren . According to an article in Business Week, Americans spend $41 billion a year on their pets —more than the gross domestic product of all but 64 countries in the world. That's more than what they spend on the movies ($10.8 billion), playing video games ($11.6 billion), and listening to recorded music ($10.6 billion) combined. I don't have information about other countries in the first world, but I have the impression that it's not just Americans who spend so much.

Click on the dog to see a slide show with sound, giving you the main facts of the article; read the whole article (only for the bravest! - advanced level); or download this associated mp3 file (self-extracting zip file, 9 MB, 16 minutes long).

There's a wide range of services available to pet owners, apart from food. Veterinary care can be very expensive, so why not take out an insurance policy? It can save you lots of money. If you want your pet to look extra cool or give them a special present, click on the pooch to find plenty of ideas, including classical music.

Is your pet misbehaving? You might need a pet psychologist, or rather, a 'companion animal behaviour counsellor' (not to be confused with just a pet trainer: you need a university degree to become one). Click on the picture to learn about Dr Mugford's job.

Sadly, your pet has passed away. You can ease your loss with a virtual memorial to honor the memory of your pet, complete with tributes, pictures and condolences from other owners. Immortal pets is a good example, and it happens to host a celebrity.

Finally, an example of why people love their pets. Click on Fergus and discover his unique skill.

ELECTORAL HIGHLIGHTS

The USA elections are now over. We all know who won, we got to know the contenders, but what about third parties? The media don't care much about them, but they exist: the Constitution Party, the Green Party, the Libertarian Party are the biggest and they also had presidential candidates, but there are also such parties as the Prohibition Party or the US Marijuana Party. You can learn more here, and take a look at the candidates here.

There are also non-partisan, independent candidates who just decided to run for President. Even Paris Hilton presented her (fake) candidacy! A MacCain campaign ad critisiced Obama's leadership by comparing him to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton: "He's the biggest celebrity in the world. But is he ready to lead?" (were they calling him an airhead?). Paris responded with another ad: "Hey America, I'm Paris Hilton and I'm a celebrity too. Only I'm not from the olden days and I'm not promising change like that other guy. I'm just hot!"



Is she dull or is it my imagination?

Both candidates were endorsed by politicians and celebrities. One endorsement in particular made The Obama Girl famous. She caused a sensation by singing 'I got a crush... on Obama' (actually, she lip-synched). Obama's daughters found the video disturbing.




A star was born when MacCain picked his Vice-Presidential candidate: Sarah Palin. Comedians had a field day with her. Here are some samples:

• "Political experts are saying that to succeed in the vice presidential debate, Sarah Palin needs to show that she has the same concerns as everyday Americans. For instance, Palin planned to start the debate by saying she's really troubled by John McCain's choice for vice president."-Conan O'Brien

• "Have you been watching the Sarah Palin interview with Katie Couric on the 'CBS Evening News'? Pretty interesting. Sarah Palin could not remember the name of a newspaper or a magazine that she reads. And I was thinking, wow, we could possibly have a leader of the country who doesn't read. And then I thought, well, hell it's worked pretty good for George Bush."--David Letterman

• "Earlier today, Governor Sarah Palin held a meeting with several leaders from other countries to showcase her foreign policy expertise. That's right, yeah. Experts say the meeting took 90 seconds." --Conan O'Brien

Finally, see this celebrity-packed ad promoting... absentism!?

GRAMMAR POINTS

I have grouped together several grammar points in this post. Click on them to open the document (you will need Adobe Reader).

• whom
• whether
• so that (purpose)
• what clauses (emphasis)
• both, either, neither

Download Adobe Reader

HALLOWEEN

Halloween is coming! Surely you know something about this festival: carved pumpkins, costumes, trick or treating... If you want to know more, visit this very interesting Wikipedia page. These are the basic facts:

• It has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, the celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture. Irish immigrants took the tradition to the USA.
  
• The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31 the boundary between the alive and the deceased dissolved, and the dead became dangerous for the living.
• Costumes and masks were worn in order to placate the evil spirits.
• The term Halloween derives from All Hallows' Even, as it is the eve of All Hallows Day (All Saints Day).
• The carved pumpkin is commonly called a jack-o'-lantern (see why in the Wikepedia article).

Some carvings are truly artistic. Check out this curious photo gallery.









You know which is the hottest mask this year? Forget about monsters: it's Sarah Palin, the vice-presidential candidate. They are selling like hot pancakes.

JFK

Specially for my intermediate students, more information on the death of President Kennedy.

Check out this BBC webpage, where you'll find audio and video. Don't miss 'Kennedy memories: Where you were when the president died'.

The webpage allows you to find out what happened on any date of the year (for example, your birthday).

WRONGLY CONVICTED

This man spent 19 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. He later became a millionaire. Read his story here.