Are machines making humans obsolete?

By OLIVER BURKEMAN

The Guardian, Friday 18th September 2015

Suppose that, unlike me, you’re a fresh-faced youngster, just out of education, not yet beaten down by the meaninglessness of human existence, and looking to choose a career. Preferably one that won’t be made obsolete by technology within decades. Factory jobs are out. So is taxi-driving, thanks to driverless cars. But things aren’t looking great for accountants, lawyers or journalists, either; computers already handle the simpler bits of those jobs. Software can mark certain essays with an accuracy approaching that of teachers, and make medical diagnoses more accurately than doctors.

Techno-optimists used to be confident that automation would always create more jobs than it replaced, but now some wonder if the luddites might have been right: when artificial intelligence gets good enough, could we all find ourselves replaced? History is full of people declaring this or that activity too complex for machines, only for machines to prove them wrong a few years later.

Most of this dispiriting picture is true, the author Geoff Colvin agrees in an intriguing new book, Humans Are Underrated, but there is hope. To thrive in the hi-tech future, he argues, we should stop asking what computers will never be able to do, since the answer is probably “nothing”. Instead, we should ask: “What are the activities that we humans, driven by our deepest nature, will simply insist be performed by other humans?”

The argument goes like this: over hundreds of thousands of years, our brains have evolved to excel at interacting with other humans, and we’re most fulfilled when we do. There are things we need humans to do, for reasons we can barely articulate. A computer might judge the evidence in a criminal case perfectly, but we still want a human judge to take responsibility for such a weighty decision. Emotion-recognition software might outsmart a therapist when it comes to reading your feelings – that technology is already advanced – but we want to be heard by a human. No matter how well a computer marks essays, school pupils have evolved to respond to inspiring human teachers. And even if a machine could finish writing the remaining Game Of Thrones novels, fans wouldn’t be happy: they need those words to come from one specific human’s head.

Not that the argument’s solely economic. It also helps explain, for example, why face-to-face interaction is so critical for wellbeing: it’s not that online communication’s bad, but that our brains are custom-designed for in-person exchanges, with their multitude of visual and physical cues. Computers, in short, can (and probably will) take over or transform every human job, except one: that of being human.If that’s correct, it means there’s a nub of truth in all that excruciating corporate-speak about training employees to be more empathic, or making brands “more human”. As technology colonises everything else, the most prized skills will be those we wouldn’t want machines to perform, even if they could. We’ll stop being “knowledge workers”, Colvin insists, and become “relationship workers”. It’s a cheesy phrase, but it gets at the point: humans need humanness, so that’s what will retain market value.

oliver.burkeman@theguardian.com

How To Teach English

Ibiza Timelapse

By José Antonio Hervás

Barça is not Catalonia

By JOHN CARLIN

“Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful.” Seneca.

There is a certain kind of Brit who loves Spain and is captivated by Spanish soccer. But having more than enough entertainment with the porcine predicaments of their prime minister and such like, they don’t normally demonstrate the least bit of interest in Spanish or Catalan politics. Suddenly, though, learning through the media that Catalonia is flirting with independence, and that the famous clásico match between Barcelona and Real Madrid could disappear, has left them disconcerted. They want to know more. So in an attempt to clear up doubts and encourage understanding between nations we here today offer a guide, in Q&A format, for those Britons and other foreigners perplexed about the current Spanish political scene.

Question. Sometimes before a match in Barcelona’s stadium an enormous banner appears proclaiming that “Catalonia is not Spain.” The funny thing is that after that you see the team line-up and it’s clear that “Barça is not Catalonia.” How do you explain that?

Answer. Simple. On the one hand, Barça is the closest thing Catalans have to a national army. On the other, its coach is from Asturias, its captain is from Castilla-La Mancha, its best player is Argentinean, other players in the starting XI were born in Brazil, Uruguay, Croatia, Germany and Chile, it has just signed a Turkish midfielder, and the person who has most influenced its style of play is Dutch.

Q. Sorry, but that doesn’t make sense. Or is that everyone who dresses in Barça’s colors automatically feels Catalan?

A. Not everyone, but it is true that some have made their own the custom prevalent among certain nationalist politicians of fiddling their taxes. Though, of course, people do that everywhere Spain, which you might interpret as a unifying rather than a dividing factor.

Q. In reality, we tourists who have traveled round Spain don’t see any differences between Catalans and the rest. Are we wrong?

A. Not much. All of them worship jamón ibérico, Rioja wine, lingering lunches, nocturnal knees-ups, the agreeable sense of self-satisfaction that provokes outrage. Another thing they share is that when it comes to adopting political positions their mental processes are guided more by faith that the facts.

Q. So, just like in soccer then. But if they’re crazy about jamón from Extremadura and Huelva, why don’t the Catalans want cities as beautiful as Trujillo, Córdoba, Seville, Granada and Segovia to remain part of their cultural heritage?

A. Because they don’t travel to these places. They don’t value them and they hate giving them money from their taxes. Nationalism obstructs the mental channels that reason flows along. That goes for Spanish nationalism, too.

Q. Is there Spanish nationalism?

A. Yes. Nationalism is competitive, paranoid and classifies the human beings of the rival identity as if they were insects. Which is why you hear people in Madrid or Cádiz say that “the Catalans” are all one way, and people in Barcelona or Girona say “the Madrileños” are all another. Nationalism is defined more by antagonism towards the other than the love that one feels for one’s homeland. One example: a fervent Barça fan is happier when Real Madrid loses than when their own team wins.

Q. Why do so many Catalans want independence now?

A. The rejection by a few Madrid judges of an agreement between Catalonia and the rest of Spain; the uncertainty and anxiety over solutions that the economic crisis has generated; the incompetence of the ruling Spanish party; José Mourinho.

Q. Mourinho?

A. There was never more hatred in the Madrid-Barça relationship — the most visible measure of the rivalry between Catalonia and the Spanish state — than when the Portuguese coach was there fanning the flames.

Q. If Catalonia breaks away, will catastrophe happen? Will we say adiós to the clásicos between Real and Barça?

A. According to the mood in the rest of Spain today, yes. They will say, “OK, if Catalonia is not Spain, Barça is not in the Spanish league.”

Q. But as we have already confirmed, Barça is not Catalonia. Leo Messi, Neymar, Luis Suárez and company will not want to play in a Catalan mini-league. They will go to Manchester United, Chelsea or… Real Madrid, no?

A. The risk is real. Let’s see how it influences the Catalan electorate.

El País in English, Sunday 27th September, 2015

Dímelo en inglés … si sabes.

Un reportaje de MARIA CRESPO 
El Mundo, 22 de mayo de 2015

Seguro que conocen esa anécdota según la cual Miguel de Unamuno mencionó a William Shakespeare durante una conferencia y pronunció el apellido inglés más famoso del mundo leyéndolo en español. Cuál fue su sorpresa cuando un oyente le corrigió -por ejemplo: "eso no se dice exactamente así, caballero"- y el genio de la literatura decidió, dicho y hecho (said and done), continuar la exposición en un perfecto, británico -y para la mayoría del público, incomprensible- inglés.

Aunque la exactitud de la anécdota no ha sido científicamente probada -entonces no existían mecanismos para grabarlo todo, incluso lo importante- sirve para explicar uno de los problemas de España con el inglés. Por un lado, el sentido del ridículo que se apodera de todo aquel que quiere expresarse en la lengua de Shakespeare pero teme hacerlo mal. Por otro, explica cómo, en la práctica, la mayor parte del público, es decir, de la población, es incapaz de seguir un discurso o una simple conversación en inglés. Según el CIS de 2014 (últimos datos disponibles), un 61,4% de los españoles ni habla, ni escribe, ni lee en inglés.

POLÍTICOS QUE ¿HABLAN? INGLÉS

Sin embargo, hay un grupo de población que, por su trabajo y por su papel ejemplarizante, debería poder desenvolverse en inglés fuera de España. Para algo nos representan. No me refiero a los candidatos eurovisivos, sino a los políticos españoles que, según la Unión Europea va ganando competencias a los estados miembros, gobiernan, cada vez más, desde una políglota Bruselas.

Pero, del 'it's very difficult todo esto' (Mariano Rajoy, 2012) al 'relaxing cup of café con leche in Plaza Mayor' (Ana Botella, 2013), el inglés de los políticos españoles es, prácticamente, un oxímoron. Sólo uno de los cinco presidentes que han gobernado España desde 1975 dominaba el inglés: Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo.

"Es un fiel reflejo del nivel de inglés de los españoles en general. Cuando critican a un político que está intentando hablar inglés es porque consuela ver que un político lo está pasando mal. Es muy importante que la futura clase política tenga un dominio del idioma porque es frustrante codearse con gente importante en la toma de decisiones y no poder influir en ellos usando matices y sin estar pendiente de un intérprete", considera Richard Vaughan.

Este tejano perfeccionista y sonriente llegó a España en 1972, su último año universitario. Empezó a dar clases de inglés por necesidad, en una academia madrileña, primero, y en una central nuclear, después, hasta que en 1977 fundó Vaughan Systems, el primer proveedor en España de formación del inglés para directivos. "Si el presidente dirige bien, lidera bien, le perdono la falta de inglés", bromea, algo sarcástico.

Pero, ¿son todos los representantes igual de 'torpes'? "Lo importante es que entienda a la persona que le está hablando. Que la comunicación fluya", opina Zac Tobias, profesor y autor del blog hablamejoringles y que, a petición de este periódico, va examinando el inglés de distintos políticos. "Les recomendaría que se fijasen en las palabras que tienen que ver con su campo, con la política o con la economía", dice Tobias. Además, hay excepciones: el Rey Felipe VI -"habla bien en cualquier contexto", Esperanza Aguirre - "domina el idioma"- o Artur Mas.

GEOGRAFÍA DEL INGLÉS EN EL MAPA MUNDIAL

La mayoría de las razones están en la Historia. También las que explican la diferencia del nivel de idiomas entre España y, por ejemplo, los países nórdicos. Según el ranking anual EF-EPI que mide el dominio del inglés en 63 países, España ocupa el puesto número 20. En los primeros puestos, Dinamarca, Holanda, Suecia, Finlandia, Noruega y Polonia.

Para Vaughan, uno de los motivos que explica que los países nórdicos tengan siempre mayor puntuación se debe a que éstos, "históricamente pequeños en extensión y población han tenido una dependencia muy fuerte del exterior para su riqueza", lo que ha facilitado que adquirieran "un código genético hacia el bilingüismo o el multilingüismo".

Sara de la Rica, catedrática de Economía que participó en el Estudio Europeo de Competencia Lingüística (2012), también apunta en esta dirección: "España ha estado tradicionalmente poco expuesta al sector exterior. Pero esto es lo que a partir de ahora cambia radicalmente. El sector exterior es el único que ha aguantado la crisis y en el mundo digitalizado actual el mercado al que vendes tu producto o servicio es el mundo. Y en este mundo el inglés domina".

Otro índice, esta vez de la Comisión Europea, secunda esta idea. Solo un 18% de la población española es capaz de mantener una conversación en dos o más lenguas, frente al 77% de Holanda o el 58% en Dinamarca. (Vea aquí los gráficos)

"España, Alemania, Rusia, Japón o Argentina son países con grandes mercados interiores que no han tenido la necesidad histórica de ser bilingües. Pero ahora todo gira en torno al inglés en todos los ámbitos, desde los más tecnológico a lo más cultural. Es conveniente que los sistemas educativos se vuelquen buscando cómo resolver este tema", continúa Vaughan. De nuevo, otro ranking lo refrenda. El BEI (Business English Index) mide el inglés que se habla entre no nativos en el mundo de los negocios. En una escala del 0 al 10, España, con una nota del 4,43, suspende. El nivel más alto lo tienen países como Noruega (7,06), Holanda(7,03), Bélgica (6,45) o Finlandia (6,39).

SABER INGLÉS TE BENEFICIA EN EL TRABAJO

El índice BEI antes citado, basado en encuestas a 212.000 trabajadores, llega a conclusiones como que, de media, el tiempo que se ahorra por tener un conocimiento alto del inglés es de dos horas o más por semana. Segundo, que son cada vez más las empresas que proporcionan formación en idiomas a sus empleados (de cualquier rango salarial). Tercero, el nivel de conocimiento de este idioma varía según la industria.(Vea aquí los gráficos) Así, el sector aeronáutico, tecnológico y financiero son aquellos en los que mejor inglés se habla. A la cola, los medios de comunicación, el sector inmobiliario y los funcionarios públicos y representantes gubernamentales. (¿Le suena de algo?)

Dominio del inglés(entre no nativos) por países. La nota media del mundo es un 4,75/10, que equivale a un nivel básico. Según este indicador los países que reiteradamente puntúan alto en inglés son: Filipinas, Noruega, Holanda, Reino Unido y Australia. Puntúan, sistemáticamente, bajo: Honduras, Colombia, Arabia Saudi, México, Salvador y Chile. España obtiene un 4,43. Respecto a ediciones anteriores, el porcentaje de trabajadores que tienen un nivel principiante baja de un 38% a un 30%.

Según un estudio realizado por ABA English (academia online) entre más de tres millones de alumnos, el 59% de los españoles que estudia inglés lo hace para buscar un nuevo trabajo o para promocionarse en el que tiene. Además, el 26% de los encuestados confiesa que el no saber inglés le ha cerrado puertas en el ámbito laboral. Otro estudio, realizado por 'The Economist' (en concreto, por 'Economist Intelligence Unit) subraya que el tener fluidez en, al menos, una lengua extranjera, es indispensable para el 39% de los directivos que deciden contratar a nuevos empleados.

"En el mundo de los negocios se interactúa con clientes internacionales. Las empresas son cada vez más globales y necesitan un idioma común que sepa enfrentarse a problemas cada vez más transversales", defiende Martin Boehm, decano de Programas de IE Business School, una de las escuelas de negocios más prestigiosas de España y de Europa. El 80% de sus programas de postgrado se imparten en inglés. Exactamente el doble que hace 10 años. Sus alumnos proceden de 106 países distintos.

Según la primera Encuesta sobre Movilidad Internacional de los Estudiantes (publicada hace algunos meses con datos de 2014), el principal país de destino de los estudiantes españoles -de los 18 a los 34 años- es Reino Unido (81,7% de los desplazamientos). "Hay una demanda innegable", explica Boehm, al tiempo que subraya que "un conocimiento muy técnico del idioma se queda obsoleto cada vez más rápido. Se impone una visión generalista del inglés".

¿CÓMO SE ENSEÑA INGLÉS EN ESPAÑA?

Si usted tiene unos 30 años recordará a aquel entrañable extraterrestre verde que se alimentaba de relojes. Nuestro amigo Muzzy. Desde aquella popular serie de la BBC al 'That's English', pasando por las clases de inglés que se limitaban a aprender la lista de los 'false friends' (que no son los amigos que te critican por la espalda, sino las palabras que, por escribirse de forma parecida en inglés y en español, a menudo empleamos mal), la metodología de la enseñanza del inglés ha cambiado mucho.

En términos muy generales, podría decirse que, de estar centrada en la gramática y la memorización ha evolucionado para enfocarse en la comunicación oral, o, simplemente y de forma más natural, en la exposición e inmersión en la lengua extranjera."La gramática es árida y provoca que a muchos chavales el inglés no les guste. Se debe comenzar por aprender a hablar y a entender. Aprovechar y enseñar con juegos y, por tanto, que los niños, desde muy pequeños, muestren actitudes positivas frente a una lengua que es fundamental dominar. No basta con conocerla más o menos, será preciso dominarla", ejemplifica De la Rica.

En el Estudio Europeo de Competencia Lingüística Sara de la Rica estudia las limitaciones en materia lingüística que existen en nuestro país. Para ello, compara los resultados de los alumnos de secundaria españoles y los suecos -uno de los países que mejor se desenvuelve con este idioma-.

Consejos para aprender inglés (por Guy Heath, teaching centre manager del Centro de Adultos del British Council)

• "Prefiero no hablar en inglés y callarme, antes que hacer el ridículo"" La única forma de mejorar tu fluidez es practicar, así que si te niegas a hablar en inglés es muy difícil que llegues a tener un buen nivel nunca.

• "Me cuesta hablar correctamente , cometo muchos fallos gramaticales": Lo importante es que te entiendan, no que hables perfectamente. Primero, ten en cuenta que muchas veces hablarás inglés con gente que no es angloparlante. Segundo, si quieres mejorar tu nivel de inglés, hay que pasar por dos fases: la primera, saber distinguir entre lo correcto y lo que no lo es y, la segunda, lograr subsanar tus errores a la hora de hablar. Y, sobre todo, no hay que desanimarse.

• "No tengo una buena pronunciación": No pasa nada si se te nota el acento, salvo que cueste mucho a la gente entenderte. Además, el inglés es más complicado fonéticamente que el español y la relación entre el idioma escrito y la pronunciación es mucho menos exacta. Consejos: exponer el oído al máximo al inglés hablado y tener metas realistas. Si estás obsesionado con una pronunciación perfecta, difícilmente apreciarás tus mejoras.

Observa que los alumnos suecos tienen menos deberes y horas de inglés a la semana que los españoles lo que, en contra de lo que cabría pensar, mejora sus competencias en el idioma. También, que los padres suecos tienen mejor nivel de inglés que los españoles, que no es otra cosa que decir que sus hijos hablan mejor que usted y los futuros hijos de sus hijos mejor todavía .(Cosas de la evolución)

Pero ¿qué se podría hacer mejor? Según De la Rica: "que los programas de televisión no se tradujeran al castellano. Cuanta mayor exposición de los niños al idioma mayor es el aprendizaje y su calidad. Es importante la actitud de los progenitores, ellos marcan claramente las prioridades y las pautas cuando los chicos son menores. El otro factor es la escuela: Y aquí sí creo que hay mucho en lo que mejorar. Es preciso hacer más uso de las TICS e insistir más en la comunicación que en la gramática al menos al principio".

Vaughan es mucho más drástico. Apuesta por oír, oír, oír. "Desde los 3 años hasta los 13 años no se vería la palabra escrita. Todo sería auditivo". Defiende que, puesto que el objetivo es que nuestro mejor inglés lo alcancemos cuando entramos en el mercado laboral (20-25 años), no hay que pretender ni obsesionarse con que "un niño de 11 años sepa inglés muy bien. En los primeros años, oído. Y en la pubertad, cuando la mente es más analitica, más juiciosa, entonces introducimos la palabra escrita y empezamos a estructurar el idioma".

All it takes is 10 mindful minutes

When is the last time you did absolutely nothing for 10 whole minutes? Not texting, talking or even thinking? Mindfulness expert Andy Puddicombe describes the transformative power of doing just that: Refreshing your mind for 10 minutes a day, simply by being mindful and experiencing the present moment. (No need for incense or sitting in uncomfortable positions.)

The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair_novel

A masterpiece I couldn't put down this summer! A must-read!

Dnt Txt N Drv

By OPRAH WINFREY

The New York Times, April 24, 2010

WHEN I started out as a TV reporter in Nashville in 1973, a death from drunken driving was big news. One person killed by a drunken driver would lead our local broadcast. Then, as the number of drunken driving deaths across the country continued to rise, the stakes for coverage got even higher. One death wasn’t good enough anymore. Two deaths — that would warrant a report. Then a whole family had to die before the news would merit mention at the top of the broadcast. The country, all of us, had gotten used to the idea of drunken driving. I just kept thinking: How many people have to die before we “get it”?

Fortunately, we did get it, and since 1980, the number of annual traffic fatalities due to drunken driving has decreased to under 15,500 from more than 30,000. But in recent years, another kind of tragic story has begun to emerge with ever greater frequency. This time, we are mourning the deaths of those killed by people talking or sending text messages on their cellphones while they drive.

Earlier this month, I visited Shelley and Daren Forney, a couple in Fort Collins, Colo., whose 9-year-old daughter, Erica, was on her bicycle, just 15 pedals from her front door, when she was struck and killed by a driver who was distracted by a cellphone. I think about Erica’s death and how senseless and stupid it was — caused by a driver distracted by a phone call that just couldn’t wait.

Sadly, there are far too many stories like hers. At least 6,000 people were killed by distracted drivers in 2008, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the number is rising. A lot of good work already is happening to try to change this. President Obama signed an executive order banning texting while driving on federal business. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is pushing for tougher laws and more enforcement. States are passing laws, too. Local groups are gaining strength, spurred by too many deaths close to home.

But we are hesitant to change. I saw this firsthand when I instituted a policy at my company that forbids employees from using their phones for company business while driving. I heard countless stories about how hard it was for people to stop talking and texting while driving. Everyone is busy. Everyone feels she needs to use time in the car to get things done. But what happened to just driving?

It was difficult for my employees to adjust, but they have. Life is more precious than taking a call or answering an e-mail message. Because even though we think we can handle using our cellphone in the car, the loss of thousands of lives has shown we can’t.

So many issues that we have to deal with seem beyond our control: natural disasters, child predators, traffic jams. Over the years, I’ve done shows on just about all of them. But this is a real problem we can do something about and get immediate results. All we have to do is hang up or switch off. It really is that simple. Once we do that, not another son or daughter will have to die because someone was on the phone and behind the wheel — and just not paying attention.

So starting from the moment you finish this article, and in the days, weeks and years that follow, give it up. Please. And to those who feel like this is asking too much, think about your own child just 15 pedals from your front door. Struck down.

Oprah Winfrey is the chairman of Harpo Studios and the host of “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”

The Lie We Live_video

The Moon crossing the Earth

This is another breathtaking image from NASA. The moon was crossing the Earth with the illumination of Sun.

A NASA camera aboard the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite captured a unique view of the moon as it moved in front of the sunlit side of Earth last month.

In the image we can see the fully illuminated  “dark side” of the moon which is never able to be seen on the Earth.

The Martian

I’m stranded on Mars.

I have no way to communicate with Earth.

I’m in a Habitat designed to last 31 days.

If the Oxygenator breaks down, I’ll suffocate. If the Water Reclaimer breaks down, I’ll die of thirst. If the Hab breaches, I’ll just kind of explode. If none of those things happen, I’ll eventually run out of food and starve to death.

So yeah. I’m screwed.

The Martian is one of the best thrillers I've read in a long time. The technology is beautifully researched and based on what is currently envisioned for a manned flight to Mars. It feels so real it could almost be non fiction, and yet it has the narrative drive and power of a rocket launch. This is Apollo 13 times ten. It's Robinson Crusoe on Mars, 21st century style. I simply couldn't put down this book. Engineers and scientifically-minded readers will love this suspenseful story of technological survival. Read the text before the film version is released later in the year.

Most of Ridley Scott’s film The Martian takes place on Mars, but don’t expect to see any xenomorphs during this space adventure. “Just geology,” the Alien director said to PEOPLE of his new film, which focuses on an astronaut named Mark Watney (played by Matt Damon), who gets stranded on the Red Planet following a mishap. “The last thing Mark’s thinking about is life on Mars. He’s thinking about how to save his life on Mars.”

Based on the book by Andy Weir (mentioned above), Scott’s The Martian features an all-star cast that includes Jessica Chastain, Kate Mara, Kristen Wiig, Sebastian Stan, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jeff Daniels, Sean Bean and Donald Glover. But it’s Damon who stands at the front, playing a man with only a finite amount of time to figure out how to survive after a storm leaves him behind on Mars and presumed dead by his crew.“He finds he has a problem, and instead of him collapsing into terror—because he’s got 28 days to live – and that’s if everything goes well for him – he knuckles down and actually starts to work it out,” Scott said.

The Martian is the second movie in a year to feature Damon lost in space, following Interstellar. Both of those movies share another connection, too: Chastain, who stayed earthbound in Christopher Nolan’s space drama but plays an astronaut in The Martian.“I need to do another film with Matt, because we have very little scenes together in this film, and he is a pleasure to work with,” Chastain said. “I have been a fan of his work for so long – everything from Good Will Hunting to The Informant. He is just brilliant, and I think his performance in The Martian is going to blow people away, to see him as they have never seen him. It is exciting for me to watch.” (Entertainment Weekly)

Put a Bench in Edinburgh

By CARLOS CARBAÑA

When you're walking around Edinburgh and decide to sit down on a bench for a rest, it's very likely that you'll find a commemorative plaque attached to it. Personal, like In Memory of René Laurener, who liked sitting down, or from a society, such as the Contemplative Pensioners' Association - In memory of our comrades, street seating tends to come with an inscription. It's a custom that the city council uses to finance these urban furnishings, indispensable in an ageing city such as the Scottish capital.

Depending on whether they're made of wood or steel, and in view of the seat's location, the cost of putting a bench in the city varies. In Princess Street Gardens, although it's impossible to find an empty spot, the estimated price would be around £3,000, while in other areas you could have a commemorative bench for just £850. For this amount, the generous donor pays for the object in itself, a plaque and engraving, transport and installation, as well as administrative fees. The city council is responsible for maintenance and the agreement lasts 20 years, unless the bench suffers terribly serious damage. When this time frame expires, the family or organisation that financed the bench are contacted and offered the chance to repeat the deal. This tradition is defined by journalist Stephen Emms in the Scottish newspaper, The Herald, as "a British institution." In his article, Emms argues that it's difficult to trace the origins of this custom as the city has no records of benches erected prior to the mid-twentieth century. His father, the historian Richard Emms, believes that the practice may date back to the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London or the open-air movement led by the National Trust in the late 19th century, with "Darwin, Huxley or Bernard Shaw adopting the outer memorial as a secular retreat from churches."

The stories behind some of these benches are moving, to say the least. In his article, Emms narrates that of Malcolm and Jessie. In the much sought-after Princes Street Gardens, there's a bench commemorating the love between this couple, who first met in Edinburgh at the turn of the 20th century. Shortly after marrying, they emigrated to the United States where they made a new life for themselves. When the couple died, their children brought their ashes to Scotland to be scattered in their hometown. On arriving to the city, they discovered this initiative and decided to create a permeant memorial to their parents in the shape of two wooden benches.

Surprisingly, this system doesn't only serve to fund park benches. Working through council departments, the funds can be used, for example, to finance a nursery school garden, furnish a new building, or provide a notice board. In Spain, when you achieve the impossible, you're said to have "put a pike in Flanders." The Scottish equivalent, then, must be to have a bench in Edinburgh.

Ling Magazine, July 2015

MADE IN THE USA, by El Roto

"SHOOT WITH MODERATION. National Rifle Association"

#LoveWins: Congratulations, America!

5 Techniques to Speak Any Language

Pedro Zerolo, in memoriam

Pedro Zerolo, a Socialist politician and gay rights activist who helped get same-sex marriage approved in Spain, died in his Madrid home on Tuesday morning after a year-and-a-half battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 55 years old.

Born in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas in 1960, Zerolo had been a Madrid city councilor since 2007 and went on to become head of the Madrid Socialist Party (PSM) in February of this year.

But his public reputation had been cemented earlier, as president of the Spanish Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Transsexuals and Bisexuals (FELGTB), an influential advocacy group that he headed between 1998 and 2003.

It was at this time that he worked to help get same-sex marriage passed in Spain’s parliament – a personal dream that came true in 2005, under the Socialist administration of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.

Revolutionary in Spain, the new law also had a great impact in Latin America. For the first time, a nation recognized the full equality of same-sex and heterosexual marriages. Before this, the Netherlands and Scandinavian countries had passed legislation recognizing some rights for same-sex couples.

Zerolo – a lawyer by trade who gave up his profession to enter politics – was one of the people in charge of reviewing Spain’s legislative system to change all mentions of “husband and wife” to “spouses.” The Spanish law also made no difference between heterosexual and same-sex couples for adoption purposes, forcing a change from “mother and father” to “parents.”

Pedro Zerolo (right) married Jesús Santos in 2005. / ULY MARTÍN

The same year it was passed, Zerolo made use of the legislation to marry his partner Jesús Santos, who was with him to the end. Soon after, he also contributed to the sexual identity law that recognized many rights for transsexual individuals.

Then-Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero convinced Zerolo to join the Socialist executive as head of non-profit groups and social movements, a topic with which he was very familiar.

A Madrid city councilor since 2003, he continued to fight for the gay community but became increasingly involved in politics. Zerolo tried to get himself appointed as the Socialist mayoral candidate for the 2007 elections, but failed to garner enough support within the party, which instead backed Miguel Sebastián – who ultimately lost to conservative Popular Party candidate Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón. Party sources said his open homosexuality played against him.

In January 2014, Pedro Zerolo announced that he had pancreatic cancer. That was the first year that he failed to take part in the Madrid Gay Pride march. It was one of his few signs of weakness. Always one to keep a high profile, he regularly updated the picture he used on social networking sites to reflect his changing appearance. Chemotherapy caused him to lose his trademark mop of curly hair, but his bald head became a new symbol of the man.

In the last interview he granted to EL PAÍS, Zerolo said that he was still feeling full of life despite his illness.“I am ill, you know that,” he said. “Illness has taught me that you reap what you sow. I have been surprised at all the sympathy I’ve been getting from strangers. I think that, in order to beat this, you cannot be afraid. Fear is defeated through calm, by being calm with yourself. Without fear, you feel that life is on your side…”

The attitude went down well with cancer patient groups, who, like the gay community, found in Zerolo a visible symbol. But the publicity also had its negative side. A Roman Catholic priest, Jesús Calvo, stated that his illness was punishment from God.

Zerolo spent his last months going to the movies in Madrid in the company of his husband, sister and friends, and taking strolls around Chueca, the city’s gay neighborhood. A self-declared atheist, republican, gay man, feminist and socialist, he decided to die at home. On Monday, his closest friends were called in to say goodbye one last time. Madrid City Hall will hold a wake on Tuesday afternoon. (El País in English)

This is the last image he posted on his Twitter @Perdo_Zerolo:

Ice Lake on Mars

On this day in 2003, Europe launched its first voyage to another planet, Mars. The European Space Agency’s Mars Express began its six-month journey from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan. To celebrate the 12th anniversary of the Mars Express mission, we have gathered together some of our favorite images of this fascinating planet taken by the Mars Express’ camera. You can enjoy all the images on the European Space Agency and German Aerospace Center Flickr pages.

The Mars Express is so called because of the speed with which it was built. The lander, called Beagle 2, was named after the ship in which Charles Darwin sailed when formulating his ideas about evolution. With the Mars Express mission, Europe hopes to gain knowledge about the Martian surface and search for life or hints about the evolutionary processes on Earth.