EnglishisEasy/Elinglésesfácil

"Ok, that is a big weapon..." Captain Phillips (2013) is one of those stories that make you think: "Why did they have to make a movie out of this?" Based on real facts, the premise could not be simpler- the captain of a cargo ship saw his vessel being invaded by a group of Somali pirates in 2009. His determination helped preserve his ship and the crew but not himself. As a result of his brave defense he got kidnapped by the pirates who threatened to kill him unless they were paid a ransom. Really the production was done with great care, seeing to every detail so it looks quite realistic in some points. Mostly the action is based on the interaction between Captain Phillips (Tom Hanks) and the pirates, especially their leader called Muse (Barkhad Abdi), and it goes that way to the very end. One of the high points is how the pirates are depicted. They are cruel, even merciless, but not without reason. They are actually fishermen who are forced by local gangst...

"Only a smile they said..." Halloween is indeed not a holiday and it has never been.  We could say that is a tradition that belonged to the Celts, the people that originally populated most of Europe. This tradition or group of traditions were then inherited by the nations that descended from the Celts like for example the Anglo-Saxons. If the name itself does not ring any bell, the Anglo-Saxons were the ones who occupied the British Isles and later on formed the British Empire and eventually the United States when they came to America. Unlike what many people claim Halloween is not a Devil-worshipping event. The Celts were actually non-Christians so then they had no interest in worshipping a a renegade angel - demon who in turn was the antagonist of mankind. So don't celebrate it but don't hate it either, just have fun.

In a different reality, things happened differently. The term MANDE (short for MANDE USTED) is not that common in Latin America and only the citizens of Ecuador and a few other countries use it regularly. Translated literally is COMMAND ME, but that meaning has been lost. It probably came from the time when Spain ruled what was to be Latin America long ago and enslaved and abused of most of the indigenous people (our true ancestors). One of the things Indians were obliged to do was to respond "¡Mande!" every time their Spaniard masters called them. For some reason this expression of servitude derived into a sign of respect to elders and in general to those in a superior rank and eventually into what is these days: just a way to respond when someone calls you by name.  "Juan..." "Mande..." This dialog is not unlikely and is in fact a cultural signal that helps recognize an Ecuadorian when you hear him / her saying that. MANDE as such woul...

"Hey, join our a party! More a fiesta than a party!" The most obvious answer is FIESTA, but that's the problem precisely: is the most obvious but not the only one. PARTY can also refer to a PARTIDO as in Partido Político. If other people and you gather together for a special purpose then that is also a PARTY as in a Hunting Party for example which in Spansih would only be un Grupo de Caza. Then again  a PARTY is not exactly a FIESTA. A social gathering with friends and family to have snacks and refreshments along some music, and alcohol perhaps, is a what in the United States they call a PARTY, but our FIESTAS are much more fun than that especially because we can turn up the music and dance all night long. Also a FIESTA can have a sacred meaning as in Christmas which in Spanish es una FIESTA religiosa but in English is a Religious Holiday.                    

If you want to say AGUAFIESTAS in English the word is PARTY POOPER, or POOP.  True, it is not an elegant word but quite faithful to describe the kind of person it refers to. By definition a PARTY POOPER is somebody who ruins other people's fun by saying or doing things that are not fun at all. Someone who has little or no interest in participating in a celebration or is the first one to leave. In general if you stop somebody's fun you're a PARTY POOPER.

Surely one of the bloodiest crimes I know of is that of Madame L'Espanaye and her daughter. The circumstances in which they were killed and how they were killed indicate a brutality that goes beyond any human instinct. Also the crime itself is a mystery because both women lived in the fourth floor of a building in the Rue Morgue, and we know that the murderer entered through the window but that is almost impossible. The outside characteristics of the building make accessing the apartment from that point only possible if you could fly perhaps. From outside the apartment is virtually inaccessible. The neighbors' testimonies are not of great help due to the contradictory, and quite often, confusing information they provide. The Police are working to find clues that solve such bizarre crime but they are making little or no progress at all. The murderer is himself the greatest mystery. Why did he want to kill these two women who meant harm to no one? Why did he kill them they wa...

Blue pins: "We got you surrounded, Red. Yield!" What we know in Spanish as FECHA LIMITE or ULTIMO PLAZO in English is a DEADLINE. Simply put a DEADLINE is a time limit given to any activity. Let's say for example that you have to turn in an assignment and your tutor tells you that he will not see it after the end of the month. Then the end of the month is the DEADLINE for your assignment thus meaning your work will not be accepted after that date.