English Conversation Course

Analog photography Nowadays many people buy analog cameras, it's almost like a trend now. You can see instagram photos made with that kind of cameras with hashtag #35mm, but what’s so special about it? Some people say it's about the retro effect of these pictures. When you develop them, they have a grain texture, it looks foggy and has some kind of climate. http://24.media.tumblr.com/59a2a81461950dbace5b14f0ac95ab5c/tumblr_mk5eam9NdN1rjqcnpo1_500.jpg I think an interest in such photos may be due to the fact that today everything is going towards quality improvement, digital cameras take such good pictures that when we display them on 4k or even 8k TV screen they look like reality. People always wanted to  distinguish themselves so they want to take pictures different from the others and it works well when you have an analog camera at home. From my point of view analog photos have some magic in themselves, they are more like memories for me compa...

Most of my friends say that finding a soulmate in today' s world could be very hard or even impossible. There are many dating sites on the market, but are they helpful? The video below shows a woman who decided to support dating sites with statistics. 1. Do you think that finding the right person with an algorithm is appropriate? 2. What's your opinion about online dating, is it better than starting a conversation "on the street"?

Everyone knows about bees, right? They fly, collect pollen, produce honey and gather nectar to feed their younglings. At least that's what majority of them does in their work time. But in South America there are some, three to be exact, species of bees that really have extraordinary diet compared to their relatives. They are necrophages so in other words they prefer carrion but sometimes even fresh meat will suffice. The photo present the closest cousin to vulture bees I could find on the internet. They are scavengers, so most of their time they fly in search for other dead bugs like wasps. Bee pickers eat carrion and transport it within their stomach to then "vomit" it inside their hive where the worker creates edible substance that resembles honey we all know and love. But should we eat it the same way? I couldn't find information whether people breed those bees the same way honey bees are bred all around the world. So it is hard to know how many p...

People used  animals in wars for a long time. Everyone heard about pigeons that flew with letters during World War I. Uhlan riding horses to the battle or camels carrying wounded through the deserts. The best human friend, dogs where used to lay down telephone wires. But how many of you have heard the history about the soldier bear that was enlisted as polish soldier during World War II? Watch this short material about this brave individual. Some quick questions to the topic: Have you heard this story before? If no, did you like it? What do you think about using animals in war operations? Think about old times and technology people had in the past and if we should use them in nowadays conflicts. Apart from using dogs as guides or sniffers what other animal can be use in time of peace?

The origin of the Pavlova’s cake  Some love it, some hate it – Pavlova is surely a well-known dessert, with interesting history. This airly meringue-based cake is usually topped with fruit and whipped cream. This cake is  believed to have been created to honour Anna Pavlova – a Russian ballerina and her tour to Australia and New Zealand in the 1920’s. The origin of the desert still remains a reason of disagreement between these two countries.  Pavlova with pomegranate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavlova_(cake) Anna Pavlova was born on 12 February 1881 in St. Petersburg. Her mother worked as a laundress and the identity of Pavlova’s biological father is still unknown, though some speculate that her mother had an affair. Ever since Anna’s early age, she’s been blessed with active imagination and passion for ballet. Anna’s mother enthusiastically supported her dreams and despite being poor, Pavlova was accepted at the St. Petersburg Imperial Ballet School, in...

Cooking as alchemy Nowadays we are living in very fast rythm and it’s so easy to create and stick to daily routine. This gives us some stability, but it’s important to leave some space for creativity and unexpected situations. In this short video Homaro Cantu and Ben Roche from Moto – a Chicago restaurant, explain how they play with food and find new ways to bring cooking into the next level. https://www.ted.com/talks/homaro_cantu_ben_roche_cooking_as_alchemy?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare 1. Do you like experimenting with food or do you prefer traditional dishes? 2. What’s your opinion about modern c u isin e ? 3. Would you like to try any of the presented in the video food ideas?

With the development of transport and world in general, globalization became a real thing. For people in most parts of the world, especially among highly developed countries, things like access to goods, global market or travelling easily are common and considered normal. Globalization not only brings us goods but also can have some negative consequences. At first, when thinking about globalization, we consider all the positive phenomenons that it provides us with. Probably the most important one is access to markets of other countries or in general the global market. Without a doubt it makes our lives easier. If we want to buy something that is not produced in Poland, but for example China it is very easy. The invention of internet and online shopping simplified it like nothing ever before. Of course internet is not the only thing that provided people with access to other markets. Other important pro of globalization is transport and easy access to it. Common usage of cars, plan...

Our dreams are the topic of many researches but yet, they were not fully explained. Here are a couple of interesting theories that may be worth knowing or help you to understand certain things about dreaming. 1. Do you agree with Freud's theory mentioned in the video? Why or why not? 2. Do you get regular amount of sleep every day? If not, do you think your stress resilience and recovering abilities would be better if you did? 3. Why the scientist still haven't managed to fully explain what dreams are and what are they dependent on?

     In the past, moat was important and valuable asset. Defensive structures were often made in places that would allow making one, or where such natural fortification already existed. Nowadays it's something rather fancy and extraordinary. But what if we took it step further and made it our personal lava moat? It seems like something expensive and hard to do... but for a while you could feel like owner of Inferno from Heroes 3 :). 1. Would you like to posses such moat? Do you think it would be useful in any way or just something fancy to boast about? 2. Do you think, it could be popular fortification, if it wasn't so energy hungry? 3. Do you know xkcd comics, whose book was used to make this video?

source: https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego      With ongoing restrictions, people are getting more and more tired of staying at home. It's quite natural as staying 'closed' for a long time will bore probably everyone. In pursuit of new entertainment we can encounter new interesting things. But what we can also do is reaching out for inspirations to our childhood. One of things I used to enjoy a lot was Lego. I think I don't have to introduce it to anyone as it may be called the most famous toy ever made but just in case for those that never heard of it - in short it's a company making toy bricks which you can assemble into anything you wish, and a name of said bricks. source: https://www.lego.com/pl-pl/product/tree-house-21318      There are probably plenty of other toys, that we could take up from dusty attic or basement, but I doubt any of them have survived trial of time as good as Lego. The best proof of it is quite simple. Lego is still produ...

Nowadays science goes beyond our imagination. The development of technology lets scientists discover more of the universe, go deeper into the oceans, find organisms and creatures never seen before but it also let them make a new one.  Watch this short film about big new accomplishment of United States' researchers - Xenobots, which are living robots and learn about them on your own. Questions: 1. What do you think about this discovery? Do you think that making living creatures trough science is wrong or it should be pursued? 2. What is your idea of purpose for Xenobots? 3. Have you heard lately about any fascinating discovery?

HORSE RIDING Horse riding has been a sport since 1990. It is demanding sport recommended for people with passion and love for animals . Horseback riding is a great pleasure regardless of the season and weather. It doesn't matter if we choose a quiet walk or a gallop - any form of riding is an unforgettable experience. Horse riding improves the condition and strengthens the muscles of legs, buttocks, back, arms and stomach. This type of activity has a positive effect on circulatory system and reduces the risk of heart disease. Horse riding as a sport discipline There are seven Olympic disciplines supported by the International Equestrian Federation within horse riding: 1.      Dressage - Olympic equestrian competition where rider and horse perform, in modern dressage, a series of predetermined movements, called figures, on an arena, called the quadrangle. Both rider and a horse should represent harmony and elegance, fluency of movements, calm, balance...

    In the face of likely upcoming global crisis, it is more than necessary to understand the basics of economics well, in order not to be surprised by rapid market changes. A great starting point for that is to fully understand the term “inflation”. Everyone must have heard about this term, and most of us know that it makes prices go higher, but there is much more behind that. I consider this knowledge crucial to dive into deeper parts of economics, and that is why I want to invite you all to watch the video below, even if you are already fully familiar with the topic. It describes problem well in a very simple way. source:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMAELCrJxt0 Questions: 1. Were you aware what are the causes and effects of the inflation before? 2. Do you protect your savings from the inflation? If yes – how do you do that? 3. Are you interested in economics and its influence on our daily life?

    Majority of people love to travel, there is no doubt about that. Traveling most often means living for a short period of time in various locations in order to get to know the culture, cuisine, landscapes, architecture and history of the place so one could fully feel the atmosphere of being there.      This is how most people spend their travel time. There are many areas of life that are almost always neglected by regular tourists, one of which is local sport. There is, however, a branch of tourism that fully focuses on local sports events, it is called “groundhopping”.      The main purpose of groundhopping is to attend as many matches on different stadiums as possible. The term “match” mostly relates to football match, as groundhopping found its origin in football in the 70s in England, but any other sport discipline event can also count! A groundhopper – traveller, person who participate in groundhopping – visits various stadium...

Some time ago I heard that there is a possibility to eat a burger in Warsaw, but an unusual one - Beyond Burger. It looks and tastes like a traditional ground beef burger. Moreover, it’s prepared like a normal burger but there is no meat inside it, even if you feel the taste of meat. Unusual right? I ate it and I was surprised, I really thought I was eating meat. After that day I’ve started wondering if there are other dishes that can rip your mind. It turned out there are, have a look at the video about two guys who treat cooking as alchemy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttDM6ZtLUL4 1. Have you ever eaten untypical food? Did you like it? 2. Do you thing that kind of food could be our future?  3. Would you like to learn how to be an alchemist in the kitchen? Do you like to experiment in the kitchen?

S crabble - a word game that you have played more than once, considered one of the most popular board games in the world. One out of three American households and a half of British families have it. Do you know its history? Source: https://www.jimnolansblog.com/2011/08/scrabble-cartoon-by-isabella-bannerman.html It all began on Black Thursday. People who lost their jobs were looking for new sources of income. This way in 1933 an unemployed architect, Alfred Mosher Butts, invented the word game LEXIKO. The game had no board, players drew nine tiles and tried to construct words from them. The idea for the game was born after Alfred's reading through the book “The Gold Bug”. One of the characters decoded a message by comparing symbols to letters. The author presented the frequency of letters in English words (in order of decreasing likelihood): e, a, o, i, d, h, n, r, s, t, u, y, c, f, g, l, m, w, b, k, p, q, x, z. According to a legend, Butts determined the distrib...