Ucz się angielskiego (mp3)

WRITTEN ON A SUNNY SUNDAY…..

What wonderful weather we're having! It's lovely and warm and there's nothing but clear blue skies. The thing that makes me happiest, though, is that I have seen two dragonflies (dragynflajz, dragonfly = ważka) today. For me, their colours, sleek (slik, = gładki, lśniący) design and grace (grejs, = wdzięk) make them the most wonderful insects there are

RIGHTS IN RUSSIA

Once again, there are good reasons to worry about the state of human rights in Russia. Today, gay rights organisations held a protest in Moscow to demand that their rights to peacefully assemble (ysembyl, = zgromadzić sie) be respected. They were joined by a number of people from the European parliament. Some of the protesters were beaten up (to beat someone up = pobić) by thugs (fagz, = zbiry, bandyty) who definitely seemed to have the police's approval (ypruwyl, = aprobata), others were taken away by the police and both of these things happened to several people. Curiously (kjurijesli, = strangely), an anti-gay protest has been allowed to go on for two days without a murmur (mermer, to murmur = wypowiedzić półgłosem) from the police. A correspondent reporting on the incident has commented that respect for the right to freely assemble in Russia seems to be fairly (ferli, = quite) one-sided (= niesprawiedliwy). People who the government likes can, people who it doesn't like can't.

A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

I suggest you take a look at Riverbend's blog for an Iraqi point of view on the situation in her country. She is a young woman who doesn't mince her words (= says things very directly). In a recent entry (to make an entry = to write something in your diary, etc), she accuses (ykjuzyz, to accuse = oskarżyć) the Americans of wanting to control the county by 'divide (dywajd, to divide = dzielić) and rule (ról, = rządzić)': creating divisions (dywyżynz) among Iraqi people so that they cannot work together against the occupying (okjupajiń) forces (= siły). She also feels that the people in the Iraqi government are collaborators and compares them to the Vichy government in France that worked together with the Nazis in the Second World War.

A week or two ago, she wrote the following words about her decision to leave her country with her family:
'It's difficult to decide which is more frightening: car bombs and militias, or having to leave everything you know and love, to go to some unspecified (anspesyfajd, = nieokreślony) place for a future where nothing is certain'.

Go to www.riverbendblog.blogspot.com to read her thoughts.

SOUTH KOREA

Well, it seems this summer's going to be pretty eventful (= urozmaicony) for me. At the end of July, I'll be off to South Korea for five weeks to teach young Koreans aged eight to fourteen at a summer camp. There'll be lessons from Monday to Saturday, so it won't be a holiday for me or them. August isn't exactly the best month to be there either: they get nine inches (an inch = cal) of rain then, the average temperature is 31 degrees centigrade and there are typhoons. Oh, and there's typhus (tajfys) and malaria (mylerjye). And the good stuff? The chance to experience a totally new culture, to meet new people and to walk in the country's mountains. I can't wait!

'Even the future was better in the past!' (a German comic whose name I can't remember)