Podcasts about Catalonia

Fluent Fiction - Catalan: Finding Connection Amidst Montserrat's Majestic Serenity Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/ca/episode/2026-03-12-07-38-19-ca Story Transcript:Ca: Amb el primer raig de sol de primavera, Montserrat es desperta amb un aire de serenitat i majestuositat.En: With the first ray of spring sun, Montserrat wakes up with an air of serenity and majesty.Ca: El monestir es troba al cim de la muntanya, amb les pedres antigues que s'escalfen sota la llum brillant.En: The monastery is located at the top of the mountain, with the ancient stones warming under the bright light.Ca: Oriol, amb ganes de sentir aquesta tranquil·litat, es va unir a un grup de turistes per explorar el lloc.En: Oriol, eager to feel this tranquility, joined a group of tourists to explore the place.Ca: Oriol, un home reflexiu de Barcelona, es va trobar fascinat per la història del monestir.En: Oriol, a thoughtful man from Barcelona, found himself fascinated by the history of the monastery.Ca: El turisme era intens, però per a ell, el lloc oferia una escapada de la ciutat bulliciosa.En: The tourism was intense, but for him, the place offered an escape from the bustling city.Ca: Amb ell hi havia el seu millor amic, Mateo, sempre disposat a empènyer-lo a sortir de la seva zona de confort.En: With him was his best friend, Mateo, always ready to push him out of his comfort zone.Ca: A prop, Carla mirava amb ulls curiosos.En: Nearby, Carla watched with curious eyes.Ca: Aquesta noia, aventurera de naturalesa, havia viatjat recentment des d'una altra part d'Espanya.En: This girl, adventurous by nature, had recently traveled from another part of Spain.Ca: Estava encantada amb Barcelona, però Montserrat li havia captat l'atenció amb les seves llegendes i paisatges imponents.En: She was delighted with Barcelona, but Montserrat had captured her attention with its legends and imposing landscapes.Ca: Amb el guia explicant la història del lloc, Oriol va sentir la veu suau i entusiasta de Carla.En: With the guide explaining the history of the place, Oriol heard the gentle and enthusiastic voice of Carla.Ca: Parlava sobre l'art i la cultura de Catalunya amb tal entusiasme que Oriol es va acostar a escoltar-la millor.En: She spoke about the art and culture of Catalonia with such enthusiasm that Oriol drew closer to listen better.Ca: Mateo, sense perdre l'oportunitat, va empènyer Oriol perquè li parlés.En: Mateo, not missing the opportunity, nudged Oriol to talk to her.Ca: "Hola, em dic Oriol," va dir ell, en un impuls valent.En: "Hello, my name is Oriol," he said, in a brave impulse.Ca: Carla va somriure, "Encantada, sóc la Carla.En: Carla smiled, "Pleased to meet you, I'm Carla."Ca: "A mesura que avançava el dia, Oriol i Carla van descobrir una connexió.En: As the day went on, Oriol and Carla discovered a connection.Ca: Van compartir històries sobre llocs visitats i experiències viscudes.En: They shared stories about places visited and experiences lived.Ca: Carla va parlar dels seus somnis de viatjar pel món i Oriol va compartir el seu amor per la història i la cultura catalana.En: Carla spoke of her dreams of traveling the world and Oriol shared his love for the history and culture of Catalonia.Ca: El punt àlgid va arribar quan el grup va arribar a un mirador impressionant.En: The highlight came when the group reached a breathtaking viewpoint.Ca: Les muntanyes verdes contrastaven amb el cel blau clar, i el vent suau portava l'aroma de les flors.En: The green mountains contrasted with the clear blue sky, and the gentle breeze carried the scent of flowers.Ca: En aquest escenari, Carla va confessar els seus propis desafiaments de trobar-se sola en un lloc nou, cosa que va apropar-los encara més.En: In this setting, Carla confessed her own challenges of finding herself alone in a new place, which brought them even closer.Ca: Aquest moment, sota el cel primaveral, va ser la porta perquè Oriol s'obrís a noves amistats.En: This moment, under the spring sky, was the gateway for Oriol to open up to new friendships.Ca: Van intercanviar números de telèfon mentre el sol començava a baixar darrere de les muntanyes.En: They exchanged phone numbers as the sun began to set behind the mountains.Ca: La promesa de noves aventures junts era a l'horitzó.En: The promise of new adventures together was on the horizon.Ca: Oriol, amb un somriure calmat, es va adonar que el món era més gran i més ric del que havia imaginat.En: Oriol, with a calm smile, realized that the world was bigger and richer than he had imagined.Ca: Havia descobert que la connexió amb altres persones podia aportar no només aventures, sinó també inspiració i noves perspectives.En: He had discovered that connecting with other people could bring not only adventures but also inspiration and new perspectives.Ca: Quan el dia a Montserrat va acabar, una nova porta d'oportunitats s'havia obert per a ell.En: When the day at Montserrat ended, a new door of opportunities had opened for him. Vocabulary Words:ray: el raigserenity: la serenitatmajesty: la majestuositatmonastery: el monestirtop: el cimancient: antic/antigastones: les pedrestranquility: la tranquil·litatthoughtful: reflexiu/reflexivatourism: el turismeescape: l'escapadacomfort zone: la zona de confortcurious: curiós/curiosaadventurous: aventurer/aventureranature: la naturalesalegends: les llegendeslandscapes: els paisatgesgentle: suauenthusiastic: entusiastadreams: els somnisbreathtaking: impressionantviewpoint: el miradorbreeze: el ventscent: l'aromachallenges: els desafiamentsopportunities: les oportunitatshorizon: l'horitzóperspectives: les perspectivesfriendships: les amistatsinspiration: la inspiració

Fluent Fiction - Catalan: Unearthing Catalunya's Timeless Vineyard Secrets Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/ca/episode/2026-03-08-22-34-01-ca Story Transcript:Ca: En unes ondulades vinyes de Catalunya, el sol lluitava per deixar-se veure al cel de finals d'hivern.En: In the rolling vineyards of Catalunya, the sun struggled to make an appearance in the late winter sky.Ca: Els primers brots verds emergien de la terra freda.En: The first green shoots were emerging from the cold earth.Ca: Allà treballava l'Oriol, sempre atent, amb un amor especial pels trencaclosques.En: There worked l'Oriol, always attentive, with a special love for puzzles.Ca: A la vora, n'entretenia l'ull una barrica antiga de roure, gairebé amagada per les fulles seques.En: Nearby, an ancient oak barrel, nearly hidden by dry leaves, caught his eye.Ca: En obrir-la, l'Oriol va trobar-hi una nota misteriosa, amb la tinta esvaïda pel temps: "En aquestes terres hi ha un secret, un tresor.En: Upon opening it, l'Oriol found a mysterious note, the ink faded by time: "In these lands, there is a secret, a treasure."Ca: "La Laia, propietària del celler, era més pràctica.En: La Laia, the owner of the cellar, was more practical.Ca: Valorava la tradició.En: She valued tradition.Ca: Quan l'Oriol li mostrà la nota, va sospirar.En: When l'Oriol showed her the note, she sighed.Ca: "Oriol, el vi és el nostre tresor.En: "Oriol, wine is our treasure.Ca: No ens distreguem.En: Let's not get distracted."Ca: "Però la curiositat de l'Oriol era insaciable.En: But l'Oriol's curiosity was insatiable.Ca: "Mira, Laia," va insistir, "això no és una distracció, podria ser part de la història de la nostra terra.En: "Look, Laia," he insisted, "this isn't a distraction; it could be part of our land's history.Ca: Podríem descobrir alguna cosa valuosa.En: We might discover something valuable."Ca: " Finalment, la Laia va acceptar, encara escèptica però intrigada.En: Finally, Laia agreed, still skeptical but intrigued.Ca: Junts van decidir investigar.En: Together, they decided to investigate.Ca: Confiant tan sols en la intuïció, van seguir les pistes del missatge.En: Relying solely on their intuition, they followed the clues from the message.Ca: Els passos els van portar a una vella parra, solitària però majestuosa, la seva escorça plena de nusos com la història mateixa.En: Their steps led them to an old vine, solitary yet majestic, its bark full of knots like history itself.Ca: Allà, just a sota, el sòl cedia i revelava una petita cavitat.En: There, just beneath it, the ground gave way and revealed a small cavity.Ca: Dins la cavitat hi havia un mapa antic de la vinya.En: Inside the cavity was an old map of the vineyard.Ca: Les marques destacaven llocs enigmàtics, temptadors coneixements amagats.En: The marks highlighted enigmatic places, tempting hidden knowledge.Ca: La Laia i l'Oriol van seguir les indicacions del mapa, duent-los a un llibret de cobertes gastades.En: Laia and l'Oriol followed the directions on the map, which led them to a notebook with worn covers.Ca: Aquest diari no contenia or ni joies, sinó receptes i anotacions sobre tècniques de vinificació antigues.En: This diary contained no gold or jewels, but rather recipes and notes on ancient winemaking techniques.Ca: Ulls brillant, la Laia va començar a llegir en veu alta.En: Eyes shining, Laia began to read aloud.Ca: "Això ja s'ha perdut amb el temps", va murmurar amb admiració.En: "This has already been lost to time," she murmured with admiration.Ca: La Laia, sorpresa, va sentir un nou respecte pel passat.En: Laia, surprised, felt a newfound respect for the past.Ca: Oriol, satisfet, havia descobert que el veritable tresor era la història de la vinya.En: Oriol, satisfied, had discovered that the true treasure was the history of the vineyard.Ca: Amb aquestes noves troballes, la Laia va decidir incorporar algunes d'aquestes tècniques oblidades a les futures collites.En: With these new finds, Laia decided to incorporate some of these forgotten techniques into future harvests.Ca: Així, la vinya es mantingué tranquil·la, però plena de vida i noves esperances.En: Thus, the vineyard remained quiet, yet full of life and new hopes.Ca: I així, el vent de primavera va començar a bufar, portant amb ell els secrets del passat cap al futur.En: And so, the spring wind began to blow, carrying with it the secrets of the past into the future. Vocabulary Words:the vineyard: la vinyathe shoot: el brotthe cellar: el cellerthe oak: el rourethe barrel: la barricathe note: la notathe ink: la tintathe treasure: el tresorthe history: la històriathe vine: la parrathe bark: l'escorçathe knot: el nusthe cavity: la cavitatthe map: el mapathe mark: la marcathe knowledge: el coneixementthe notebook: el llibretthe recipe: la receptathe technique: la tècnicathe harvest: la collitathe wind: el ventthe leaf: la fullathe clue: la pistathe land: la terrathe secret: el secretthe intuition: la intuïcióenigmatic: enigmàticmajestic: majestuóscuriosity: la curiositatthe diary: el diari

Claire chatted to Maria Guix from the University of Barcelona about combining electronics and biology to create robots that are more than the sum of their parts. Maria Guix is a chemist and nanotechnology researcher in the University of Barcelona's ChemInFlow lab, developing miniaturized living robots and integrating flexible sensors into microfluidic platforms to better understand biohybrid robotic platforms. Her PhD research at the Autonomous University of Barcelona focussed on nanomaterials for biosensing. She has held postdoctoral positions at IFW Dresden, Purdue University, and the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, advancing biocompatible micromotors, magnetic microrobot automation, and functional living robots. Join the Robot Talk community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher

Flautas y acordeones a las puertas de Babel Flutes and accordions at the gates of Babel Traemos soplos de flautas y fuelles de acordeones, entre otras mil músicas, para viajar entre Persia, Albania, Líbano, Cataluña, Portugal, Luisiana, Madagascar, Mesopotamia y muchas Francias, en un programa en el que contamos con Olivier Rey, director del Babel Music XP de Marsella, como invitado para darnos las claves principales de la próxima edición de esta imprescindible cita. We bring the breath of flutes and the bellows of accordions, among a thousand other musics, to travel between Persia, Albania, Lebanon, Catalonia, Portugal, Louisiana, Madagascar, Mesopotamia and many Frances, in a programme in which we welcome Olivier Rey, director of Babel Music XP in Marseille, as a guest to share with us the main keys to the upcoming edition of this essential event. - Jean-Luc Thomas - Wojciech's jig - Souffleur de rêves - L'Antidote - Na na na - L'Antidote - Cocanha, Los Sara Fontan, Tarta Relena - La charmantina - 4132314 - Grégory Dargent - Ni le soleil... - H - dois,pois - Celebrazione - Disaccordion pulse - Clifton Chenier - Zydeco et pas sale - King of Louisiana blues and zydeco - Remaniny, Retovony - Hararavo bilo - Madagascar: L'accordéon du pays masikoro / The accordion of the Masikoro country [V.A.] - Lakhdar Hanou Orchestra - Enti Nour - L'odyssée de Nour # Mundofonews: - Babel Music XP (FR) Voz invitada: Guest voice: - Olivier Rey (Babel Music XP) De la portada de: / From the cover of: Madagascar: L'accordéon du pays masikoro

Send a textBentornats! Com esteu?In this episode, you'll learn how to talk about the chores you do at home in natural, everyday Catalan. We'll explore key vocabulary for common household tasks, practise understanding simple sentences, and work through a short dialogue to see the language in context. You'll also have the chance to practise using different tenses, helping you move beyond the present and speak with more confidence about your routines... past, present, and future. Perfect for building practical vocabulary and improving your listening and speaking skills step by step!Let us know how you liked the episode! Please give our show a rating if you are enjoying it and it is helping you learn Catalan - we really appreciate it!Support the show Catalan for Beginners Course: Catalan for Beginners Course Details of group Lessons: Group Programmes Patreon (Bonus content for Season 2): The Lazy Linguist Buy us a coffee: Buy me a Coffee Instagram: @lazylinguistcatalan Facebook: The Lazy Linguist Podcast

On January 20, a fatal derailment in Catalonia, just two days after the high-speed rail disaster in Andalusia, led to unprecedented levels of disruption, with the entire Rodalies network suspended several times due to safety concerns.  But the problems with Catalonia's rail network stretch much further back. In this episode of Filling the Sink, Lorcan Doherty and Cillian Shields examine Catalonia's Rodalies commuter rail network: decades of underinvestment, the recent Gelida accident and subsequent strikes and shutdowns, and the planned transfer of management from Spanish to Catalan authorities. Francisco Cárdenas, UGT union representative for Renfe workers in Catalonia, explains how years of neglect and insufficient maintenance have created a network that train drivers no longer feel safe operating. Rail expert Joan Carles Salmerón, director of private research center Terminus, provides his diagnosis of the structural weaknesses in Catalonia's rail infrastructure, including a disproportionate focus on high-speed lines at the expense of local commuter services.

…ON TODAYS PROGRAM…   FERNANDO AND THE HONDA CURSE, LAWRENCE STROLL SELLS ASTON MARTIN NAMING RIGHTS FOR 50 MILLION POUNDS. FERRARI ON THE OTHER HAND SHOW OFF NEW SPINNING REAR WING AND, LOOK VERY COMPETITIVE ! MCLAREN AND MERCEDES ARE NOT FAR BEHIND… RED BULL IS STILL A QUESTION MARK?…AND FERNANDO WILL NEED HIS CAMPING CHAIR AS THE GP2 ENGINE THAT FAILED HIM AT MCLAREN, THAT WENT KABLAMO IN THE INDY 500 AND LOOKS TO HAUNT ALONSO FOR ANOTHER LONG SEASON!! STAY TUNED FOR SOME GREAT ONE LINERS FROM MACHISMO… THIS WEEK'S NASIR HAMEED CORNER…MORE VINTAGE BANTER BETWEEN THE HOST AND NASIR…THIS WEEKS SPECIAL GUEST: MARCUS ERICSSON, MARTIN BRUNDLE, AND MIKI MONRAS DE ESPANA…! Indianapolis 500 Veteran Hucul Dies at 79   INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, Feb. 20, 2026) – Canadian driver Cliff Hucul, a veteran of three Indianapolis 500 starts in the late 1970s, died Feb. 17 on his farm in his native Prince George, British Columbia. He was 79. Hucul made three consecutive starts in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” from 1977-79. His best finish came as a rookie in 1977, 22nd in the No. 29 Team Canada McLaren/Offenhauser that Hucul bought after Johnny Rutherford drove it to victory in the 1976 “500.” Hucul completed 72 laps before being sidelined by gearbox problems. He qualified on Bump Day for that race despite touching the wall in practice the previous day and suffering two engine failures during the Month of May, a significant pitfall for his low-budget team. Hucul's best qualifying spot was 18th in 1979, his final “500” start. The small-town driver from northern British Columbia learned his craft by racing stock cars and modified sprint cars at local tracks. He then began racing modifieds and supermodifieds in the Pacific Northwest against drivers that included eventual Indianapolis 500 winner and INDYCAR SERIES champion Tom Sneva and his brother Jerry Sneva. Hucul made 24 total USAC and CART starts between 1977-81, with eight top-10 finishes. Hucul's best finish in the standings was 11th in 1979, when he started the season by placing fifth at Ontario Motor Speedway and a career-best fourth at Texas World Speedway. In 1996, Hucul became a paraplegic after an automobile accident when crossing black ice on a highway in British Columbia. Despite being confined to a wheelchair, Hucul remained active, managing his farm and mentoring many drivers in the area. He was inducted into the Prince George Sports Hall of Fame for his lifetime contributions to auto racing. Hucul is survived by his son, Kelly, and daughter-in-law, Sylvie; daughter, Michele, and many grandchildren. 2026 BAHRAIN TESTING - WEEK 1, DAY 3 MAX VERSTAPPEN “Looking at the test overall, the Team got in a good number of laps on the first day so we were happy with that. We completed a lot of things that we wanted to test with the new Power Unit and the car in general. Today it was a continuation of that plus also trying to explore a little bit more with the car; you go through so many test items that it continues to change and evolve with everything that you are testing. In general, it is all so new that we are still learning a lot, but the car was good. We also have new tyres, so we spent some time looking at different sets and understanding what we need to improve and be better at. With the power unit, looking at the laps we got on the board, the start that we have had is good. That's exactly what we wanted to do and it was not a given. Whether it will be enough to win races, we don't know, we will just focus on ourselves and try to do the best we can, but there is still massive room for improvement. Finally, with the car, we learnt a lot about what worked and what didn't. Our runs also gave us even more ideas for the afternoon with Isack and then for next week, where we can continue to try new things and different set ups.” ISACK HADJAR “The first week here in Bahrain has gone well. Of course, I had to wait a little before getting in the car after Barcelona, but once I did, we were able to put it to the test and really work through what we need ahead of next week and Melbourne. There are so many things to look at, but we're staying on track with our programme so far. True performance and pace are always hard to judge in pre-season, but we can be happy with the reliability we've had from the power unit this week. There are still things to work on in terms of balance and tyre management, but that's completely normal for this time of year. We're working through it together as a Team to get where we want to be for Australia. I've known the people here for a while now, but it's great to be working with them again in an environment like this." ASTON MARTIN The Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team concluded its testing programme at the Bahrain International Circuit today, with Lance Stroll returning to the cockpit of the AMR26 for the final time before the Australian Grand Prix. Lance did not get on track until late in the morning session due to a battery-related issue that had impacted Fernando's running yesterday. Honda carried out simulations on the test bench at HRC Sakura before the car returned to the track. Due to a shortage of power unit parts, the run plan was very limited and consisted only of short stints. Lance Stroll “It's been a challenging couple of weeks here in Bahrain, and today's limited running wasn't the way we wanted to finish the second test. It's clear the car isn't where we want it to be performance-wise, and we know there's a lot of work ahead in the coming weeks and months. There's a long season ahead, and we'll keep pushing flat out to unlock more performance. I want to say a big thank you to everyone trackside and back at the AMRTC for the work that's gone in so far. It's not where we want to be right now, but I know how determined this team is. We'll stick together, rise to the challenge and keep working until we deliver the performance we are looking for.” WILLIAMS F1 2026 Bahrain pre-season testing – Day 3 James Vowles, Team Principal: Another solid day of running and mileage. It's great to see that across the last six days of testing, we've been predominantly tyre and time limited, and able to complete the full programme that we wanted. That's just a testament to the hard work of the teams, both here and in Grove, making sure that we made up for lost time. 
 No one truly knows where all the performance lies. That's what Melbourne is all about, so I can't wait to go there, to gain a further understanding of where we are. What I know for sure, though, is we have work to do. There's no doubt about it. We've put ourselves on the back foot. But my assurance to everyone is that we have an aggressive programme lining up in front of us in order to make sure that we extract as much performance in this car as possible over the forthcoming months. Carlos Sainz: The past six days of testing in Bahrain has been one of the most interesting and challenging tests that I've been part of, given the new regulations and number of things we had to learn. The progress from day one has been significant, although there are still going to be things to understand and solve at the start of the season. We go into the first half of the year with lower expectations than 2025 knowing that we'll be starting slightly on the back foot. However, I'm really looking forward to getting started and focusing on improving the cars through the year to become more competitive. Bring on Melbourne! Alex Albon: It's been a relatively smooth test here in Bahrain. We got some good mileage under our belts and tested everything we wanted to get out of the car, so I'm feeling more ready for Melbourne. There's still a lot we need to understand and plenty of performance left on the table that we need to extract, but I'm glad the tests went to plan. It's now all about maximising the next few days to prepare for the first race of the year! THIS WEEK'S INTERVIEW WITH MIKI MONRAS... Miki Monrás on battling Bottas and Ricciardo in the late 2000s and the rising cost of junior racing In the late 2000s, Miki Monrás was one of Spain's brightest prospects on the junior single-seater ladder, trading blows with the likes of Daniel Ricciardo, Valtteri Bottas and António Félix da Costa in Formula Renault and GP3. But while his rivals pushed on towards F1 or careers in GTs, the Spaniard's single-seater journey came to an abrupt halt in 2011. Feeder Series caught up with Monrás to reflect on the times he rubbed shoulders with greatness, the challenges of racing in the post–financial crisis era, and life beyond motorsport. By Anabelle Bremner Back in the noughties, the path from karting to Formula 1 looked nothing like it does today. There was no standardised Formula 4, no carefully managed ladder – just a patchwork of championships that rewarded those brave enough, and wealthy enough, to dive straight in. Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 was as deep as it got: 40-car grids stacked with future stars, the proving ground where Pierre Gasly, Nyck de Vries and Lando Norris would come to cut their teeth. But before all of them, it was Monrás in the thick of it. He made his single-seater debut in late 2007, the result of years spent chasing speed. His first taste of racing, in fact, came on two wheels – on a motocross bike, inspired by his father, who had raced professionally in Spain and Europe. At the age of eight, Monrás joined a motocross camp, and it wasn't long before karting came calling. “After the first race, I really enjoyed it,” he recalls. “I remember it was Christmastime and I asked for a motocross scooter and for a go-kart. So I finally got the go-kart, and that's the way I started. Then I started racing in Catalonia, and I just moved through Spain and Europe and all the world championships until formula.” Single-seater racing, however, would prove a unique beast. Shortly before turning 16, Monrás moved straight from karting into Formula Renault 2.0, in which the competition was fierce. “Normally at that age you'd go before to a category not straight to 2.0,” he said. “My first year I was racing with Bottas, I was racing with Ricciardo, I was racing with [Andrea] Caldarelli – really good drivers.… I was racing against people that were already racing for two years in single-seaters. That was a big difference.”His first Eurocup campaign, in 2008, proved a challenging one. He was scoreless for his first five rounds with the Hitech Junior Team (no relation to the current Hitech) before a switch to SG Formula brought him six points in the final two rounds. Valtteri Bottas, then of Motopark Academy, went on to claim that year's title after a close fight involving Ricciardo, Caldarelli and Roberto Merhi. The next year brought Monrás a decidedly better season and three podiums with SG Formula, owned by Mercedes Junior Team advisor Stéphane Guerin. He wound up fifth overall in a season dominated by a fierce three-way fight between Félix da Costa, Jean-Éric Vergne and Albert Costa – the last of whom ultimately took the title. Racing against so much talent at such a young age left Monrás with plenty of perspective on what might have been. “Ricciardo was my teammate. Jean-Éric Vergne was my teammate. I raced with Da Costa, Bottas, with Magnussen, so many people that have been racing each other and winning races,” he said. “[I] think if I changed something at that point, maybe I would be in Formula 1, but who knows. Maybe yes, maybe no. “But at that time, it was really difficult times because it was 2010, '11, '12, where there was also a big crisis in the world, especially in Europe. It was really difficult for Spanish drivers to get the sponsors and the money to race.” The financial squeeze triggered by the 2008 global financial crisis left Monrás and many of his peers in a precarious position. Several teams, such as SG Formula, shut their doors in the wake of the crisis amidst an already shifting landscape in junior racing. “It's been changing a lot from that time until now. When I was racing Eurocup 2.0, one time we were like 48 drivers, I remember. 2008 at Spa. It was a massive level and so many drivers wanted to go in,” he said. “Eurocup was really high level, I would say maybe [comparable] to Formula 4 about the car and the lap times. “Motorsport has changed a lot in the last few years. It's more expensive. At that time, Eurocup was also expensive, but I think Formula 4 is around €700,000 more or less, maybe more now. It's quite expensive. Back then, I think Eurocup was around €300,000 or €250,000, so there was a massive difference. A lot more people could race at that time.” After two and a half years competing in various Formula Renault series, Monrás stepped up to GP3 in 2010. The inaugural season, won by eventual F1 driver Esteban Gutiérrez, came with another steep learning curve. Monrás managed two podiums and a 10th-place finish in the standings, but the step up exposed the limits of what talent alone could achieve in a field packed with hungry, well-backed drivers. “When I raced GP3, that was the first year of the championship, so it was a new championship for all of the teams. I also raced with Arden, which was a new team in the category, so it made it a bit difficult,” he said. “During testing, I remember I was flying in GP3, and then suddenly in some races there was such a huge difference with some other cars and drivers. It was difficult sometimes. … I think this is always present in motorsport in all categories. You will find some kind of differences within cars and teams. It just will always be there.” Challenging as it was, that season had its highs for Monrás. A recovery drive in Spa's characteristic rain remains a fond memory for the Spaniard. “I had a really bad qualifying because there were some yellow flags,” he explained. “Because there were 30 cars, it was easy to find yellow flags if you're waiting for the last minutes in qualifying. I finished [ninth in] race one, and in race two it started raining really heavily after five laps. I went from P10 to P3, nearly fighting for the win in the last lap against Rossi and Tambay. That was a really good race.” After a season in GP3, Monrás moved up a rung on the ladder to Formula Two. At the time, the feeder series landscape was fragmented. GP2 and Formula Renault 3.5 offered established paths to Formula 1, while the MotorSport Vision's FIA Formula Two Championship, which first ran in 2009, aimed to do the same with a more affordable package. “Formula Two at that point was very competitive, economically speaking,” Monrás said. “It was a lot cheaper to race in Formula Two than race in GP2 at that moment or 3.5 because it was like all one team. All the cars were one team with different engineers, and that made it low cost for the time. “A lot of drivers went to it because of that. They were racing in the best tracks, same as World Series and similar to GP2, and the car was competitive. Maybe not as competitive as GP2 or 3.5 because it was a bit slower, but it was really competitive and really fast, on the straight especially.”  “In that time, what they were saying was it was very equal. You had one engineer for three cars, you were sharing data with these three cars, and it was all under the same team. You can always find differences in motorsport. Maybe not a difference to make one car win and one car P15, but you can still always find two-tenths difference in similar cars, and two tenths, sometimes it's a lot of time,” he said. “The cars were on the same team, but each engineer was doing the set-up for his driver. The set-up I was using and maybe the set-up Bortolotti was using, he had won the championship maybe from our different set-ups. Every race, you changed engineers. Every weekend, you were rotating engineers so at the end of the season, everybody worked with everyone.” By 2012, the funding had dried up. Monrás was left sponsorless and unable to compete in Formula Two. He sampled GT racing in the Blancpain Endurance Series and tested with both Audi Sport and Atech GP, but no program materialised. From there, Monrás transitioned into driver coaching and team management – mostly with the AV Formula team owned by his manager, Adrian Vallés – and eventually “moved on” from motorsport around 2017. “I was working also with McLaren Automotive, but it was not motorsport. It was automotive, developing road cars, really competitive cars. After that I decided to stop because I wanted to follow a new career professionally, and I moved onto real estate which I have always been [involved with] because of my family, so that's why I decided to move over,” he said. “I now work in a real estate company which I own with some partners, and that's my day-to-day nowadays.” After years climbing the ladder in lockstep with some of the sport's future stars, Monrás has found a new rhythm – one that's decidedly less fast, but no less his own. Yet his career remains a reminder of the talent that defined an era: a Spaniard who went wheel to wheel with the likes of Ricciardo, Bottas, and Vergne, racing in some of the deepest junior grids of the 2000s and 2010s. In the story of that generation, Monrás may no longer be on track, but he's never far from the memory of it all.

Send a textIn this one-off special episode, Christina is joined by Júlia, one of our Catalan tutors at The Lazy Linguist, for a relaxed, bilingual chat in English and Catalan.This episode is your chance to get to know Júlia a little bit - where she's from and her background, while also enjoying some real-life Catalan listening practice with a native speaker. Christina guides you through the conversation, explaining key phrases and helping you get the most out of the Catalan you hear.Júlia is currently teaching private students and will soon be running group Catalan programmes, making it easier for more learners to get personalised support with their Catalan.

In this NBN episode, host Hollay Ghadery interviews Michael Mirolla about his fascinating novel, How About This…? (At Bay Press, 2025). It's a little after the middle of the 21st century. Loving couple Elspeth and Marybeth are both shocked and excited when a stroller with identical twins is left on their back deck with a recorded message that warns them not to try to return the babies or they could face arrest for kidnapping. Using false starts, footnotes, direct approaches to the reader, lists, questions about who the author(s) might be, and even a dose of self-criticism, the story unwinds from that point as El and Mar work hard to create a family under the circumstances. This becomes even more difficult when they discover the babies come with unusual features that perhaps might explain why they were left in the first place. And it all takes place in a disintegrating world that may leave humans incapable of telling their own stories. Michael Mirolla's publications include a novella, The Last News Vendor, winner of the 2020 Hamilton Literary Award for fiction, as well as three Bressani Prizes: the novel Berlin (2010); the poetry collection The House on 14th Avenue (2014); and the short story collection Lessons in Relationship Dyads (2016). His latest poetry collection, At the End of the World, was short-listed for the 2022 Hamilton Literary Award. In the fall of 2019, Michael served a three- month writer's residency at Vancouver's Historic Joy Kogawa House, during which time he finished the first draft of a novel, The Second Law of Thermodynamics. A symposium on Michael's writing was held in Toronto on May 25, 2023. In September of 2023, Michael took part in a writers' residency in Olot, Catalonia where he completed the latest draft of his novella, How About This …? In the summer of 2024, Michael will take part in a one-month writers' residency in Barcelona where he hopes to tackle a new draft of The Second Law. When not busy writing, Michael helps run Guernica Editions, a Canadian independent literary publishing house. Born in Italy and raised in Montreal, Michael now makes his home outside the town of Gananoque in the Thousand Islands area of Ontario. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In this NBN episode, host Hollay Ghadery interviews Michael Mirolla about his fascinating novel, How About This…? (At Bay Press, 2025). It's a little after the middle of the 21st century. Loving couple Elspeth and Marybeth are both shocked and excited when a stroller with identical twins is left on their back deck with a recorded message that warns them not to try to return the babies or they could face arrest for kidnapping. Using false starts, footnotes, direct approaches to the reader, lists, questions about who the author(s) might be, and even a dose of self-criticism, the story unwinds from that point as El and Mar work hard to create a family under the circumstances. This becomes even more difficult when they discover the babies come with unusual features that perhaps might explain why they were left in the first place. And it all takes place in a disintegrating world that may leave humans incapable of telling their own stories. Michael Mirolla's publications include a novella, The Last News Vendor, winner of the 2020 Hamilton Literary Award for fiction, as well as three Bressani Prizes: the novel Berlin (2010); the poetry collection The House on 14th Avenue (2014); and the short story collection Lessons in Relationship Dyads (2016). His latest poetry collection, At the End of the World, was short-listed for the 2022 Hamilton Literary Award. In the fall of 2019, Michael served a three- month writer's residency at Vancouver's Historic Joy Kogawa House, during which time he finished the first draft of a novel, The Second Law of Thermodynamics. A symposium on Michael's writing was held in Toronto on May 25, 2023. In September of 2023, Michael took part in a writers' residency in Olot, Catalonia where he completed the latest draft of his novella, How About This …? In the summer of 2024, Michael will take part in a one-month writers' residency in Barcelona where he hopes to tackle a new draft of The Second Law. When not busy writing, Michael helps run Guernica Editions, a Canadian independent literary publishing house. Born in Italy and raised in Montreal, Michael now makes his home outside the town of Gananoque in the Thousand Islands area of Ontario. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature

Send us a textHola! Ready to put your Catalan to the test?In this review episode, you'll test your Catalan with a quiz covering the last four topics: the hair salon, buying tickets, the zoo, and job interviews.You'll translate 20 practical phrases to help you recycle key vocabulary and structures from all four lessons and see what's really stuck.Perfect if you want to:consolidate what you've learnedspot any gaps in your knowledgeand build confidence using Catalan in real-life situationsPause, think, and answer out loud - this is where your Catalan really starts to come together. Let us know what score you got in the comments or message us! What did you find the easiest/hardest part?

Oscar Castaño Linares is a professor at the University of Barcelona and a researcher at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia in the department of Biomaterials for Regenerative Therapies. Through his research, Oscar has been working with 3D printers to print scaffolds that enhance the growth of blood vessels. These are like homes for cells to inhabit, so they have to be porous, biodegradable, and non-toxic. Like a craftsman learning a trade, Oscar's research has taken him all over the world to learn new techniques, but with the goal of transferring that knowledge to his students and to other scientists. Oscar joins us to share how he can print these biomaterials while describing his path in science that led him to this research. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2026/02/episode-285-biomaterials/

Mini podcast of radical history on this date from the Working Class History team.Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

Escuchamos algunos de los discos seleccionados entre los mejores del año en la LIMúR, la Lista Ibérica de Músicas de Raíz, por su panel internacional de especialistas, dándole la enhorabuena a Radio Tarifa por situarse en el puesto número uno. Completamos el programa con más novedades ibéricas, viajando por el País Vasco, Cataluña, Portugal, el País Valenciano, Madrid, Murcia y las Baleares, con alguna que otra conexión itálica. We listen to some of the albums selected among the best of the year in LIMúR, the Iberian Roots Music Chart, as chosen by its international panel of specialists, and we congratulate Radio Tarifa for reaching the number one position. We complete the programme with more Iberian new releases, travelling through the Basque Country, Catalonia, Portugal, the Valencian Country, Madrid, Murcia and the Balearic Islands, with some Italian connections. - Besaide - Hernamuin - Hirusta - Libérica / Manel Fortià - El rossinyol - Alé: Iberian chants - Carminho - Eu vou morrer de amor ou resistir (fado súplica) - Eu vou morrer de amor ou resistir - Mara Aranda - Los kaveyos tuyos - Sefarad en el corazón de Bulgaria - Radio Tarifa - Quel sol che raggia - La noche - InTactvs - La manfredina - Ch'amor mi prese - Citra - Marineria antiga de Castelló - Música tradicional valenciana "sense aditius" - Malvariche - Peretas del Cabrera - Te canto las 40 - Ovella Negra - Cercaviles de Muro - Va de mescles! - Raül Refree - Mara l'acqua - San Paolo di Galatina - Raquel Tavares - A viela - Deles por mim e à antiga - (Besaide - Arroztaperrako kalejira - Hirusta)

Send us a textHola! Com va?Preparing for a job interview in Catalan? Or ever wondered how to talk about work? This episode is for you.In this episode, we focus on the language you need to talk about jobs and interviews, from talking about your experience and skills to answering some of the most common interview questions with confidence.You'll learn:Key vocabulary related to work and interviewsHow to talk about your job, experience and educationUseful phrases for describing your skills and strengthsHow to explain why you want the jobWe hope you enjoy! Let us know what you thought and if you're feeling generous, a 5* or review would be very much appreciated!Fins la propera

This week, Joe Way kicks off another “January Push for ISE” episode with a big announcement: a brand-new education-focused collaboration happening alongside ISE 2026, EdTech Congress Barcelona (Feb 4–5). Joined by Alicia Berlanga, Cluster Manager for the Spanish EdTech Cluster, the conversation explores the event, its partnership with Integrated Systems Europe, and the ways the event supports the education vertical.Alicia Berlanga — Cluster Manager, EdTech Cluster SpainFormerly spent ~15 years at the Technical University of Catalonia working on international e-learning/education technology projects (starting in 1999)Later led professional training schools in Madrid and Barcelona for ~7 yearsNow leads the EdTech Cluster, bringing together companies, universities, schools, foundations, and associations to advance technology's role across education and training1) What an “EdTech Cluster” is (and why it's a big deal)Alicia explains the European “cluster” model—built around industry innovation and shared mission (inspired by Michael Porter's work analyzing ecosystems like Silicon Valley). The cluster functions like an association, but with an innovation-first mandate that intentionally connects the ecosystem.EdTech Cluster Spain's five core tracks:Market / networking: grow the sector through member connectionsInnovation: collaborative projects (including interoperability challenges in education)Internationalization: global connection and partnership (hello, HETMA)Talent: building the pipeline into edtech rolesShared value: reinforcing the social impact of education + technology2) What EdTech Congress Barcelona is:Alicia breaks down the congress as Spain's flagship EdTech event—two days, ~2,000 attendees, and a full stakeholder mix: schools, universities, corporate learning, companies, and public administration.Congress structure highlights:Keynotes in a large auditorium + multiple parallel tracksTracks spanning K-12, universities, professional training, corporate, and public administrationA deliberate effort to bring public-sector education leaders into conversations about ethics, AI, and guidance frameworks3) The 2026 theme: AI, but more human—and more interdisciplinary:Rather than treating AI as “just software,” this year's program expands the lens with voices from outside the usual tech circuit, including:AI experts from industry and educationA philosopherA writer focused on the topicA paleoanthropologist (including work connected to the famous excavations)Plus mention of high-profile education leadership voices (including a former U.S. Department of Education deputy director)The goal: a holistic view of AI's impact on learning, culture, and the future of the human “digital brain.”4) Why aligning with ISE matters (and what changes in 2026 vs 2027):Alicia explains the timing shift (from April to February) and why it better matches the academic/commercial calendar in Europe. From there, the conversation turns to the bigger move: aligning with ISE to create a true “Week of EdTech.”Key integration points discussed:Reducing duplication (why run major education programming weeks apart?)Leveraging ISE's scale and global audience to grow the education communityBuilding toward a more embedded program in 2027 (including deeper integration, program embedding, hackathon, etc.), while 2026 acts as a “transition / introduction” yearHETMA @ ISE + EdTech Congress (what Joe previews):Joe outlines HETMA's plan to make the week feel curated and community-first:Two HETMA booths (one on the ISE show floor + one at EdTech Congress)Live podcast recordings happening at both locationsSwag of swag (and a teased “unique experience” at the booth)Happy hours and social connection pointsTours and guidance so first-timers don't get overwhelmed by ISE's scaleA strong invitation: don't wander ISE alone—find your people through HETMAMemorable moments / quotables:The big idea: “A week of education and technology”—for the first time at this scale in the regionJoe's mission for ISE: “Don't walk in and get lost. Walk in, find us, and let us help you.”Classic disclaimer energy: none of the opinions belong to anyone who might want to sue themConnect with Alicia Berlanga and the EdTech Congress Barcelona:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliciaberlangamanagertecnologiaeducativa/Email: aberlanga@edutechcluster.orgWebsite: https://EdTechCongressBCN.comFree Pass: https://registration.firabarcelona.com/?cod_prom=APOO7SDC#/es_ES/J202026/WEBFollow all the HETMA and Higher Ed AV coverage:Website: https://www.higheredav.com/ISE2026EdTech Congress: Booth T204ISE Show Floor: Booth 2W400Connect with Joe Way:Web: https://www.josiahway.comLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/josiahwayX (Formerly Twitter): https://www.x.com/josiahwayInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/josiahway

 Real Madrid academy graduate Gonzalo García steals the headlines with a perfect hat-trick as Madrid dismantle Real Betis. With García in red-hot form, can Xabi Alonso find a system that fits both him and Kylian Mbappé into the starting XI, and what does that mean for the increasingly out-of-favour Vinícius Jr? Over in Catalonia, Barcelona make it nine straight La Liga wins thanks to a stunning strike from Dani Olmo. Is anyone capable of stopping Barça's charge to the title? Plus, Gary & Alex break down the sacking of Rúben Amorim, and debate whether his post-match comments at the weekend suggested he was already looking for the exit. Join The Players Lounge: The official fantasy football club of The Rest Is Football. It's time to take on Gary, Alan and Micah for the chance to win monthly prizes and shoutouts on the pod. It's FREE to join and as a member, you'll get access to exclusive tips from Fantasy Football Hub including AI-powered team ratings, transfer tips, and expert team reveals to help you climb the table - plus access to our private Slack community. Sign up today at therestisfootball.com https://therestisfootball.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=episode_description&utm_content=link_cta For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Send us a textIn this episode, you'll learn zoo and animal vocabulary in Catalan while practising the near future tense - and discover why it's used differently from other languages like Spanish. A practical, dialogue-based episode to help you sound more natural in real-life situations.Support the showGroup Lessons starting January 2026 (register your interest): Group ProgrammesBeginners Course: Catalan for Beginners CoursePatreon: The Lazy Linguist Buy us a coffee: Buy me a Coffee Instagram: @lazylinguistcatalan Facebook: The Lazy Linguist Podcast

Holiday Oddities: Stolen Santa Bones, Pooping Logs, and the Strangest Christmas Traditions on Earth This holiday bonus episode of The Box of Oddities unwraps the weirdest, darkest, and most unexpectedly heartwarming Christmas stories from history. Kat and Jethro explore the true fate of Saint Nicholas's bones, including the medieval relic theft that scattered Santa's remains across Europe—and the unsettling legend of “Santa juice” still collected from his tomb. From there, the episode sleighs straight into bizarre holiday traditions from around the world: Catalonia's infamous pooping nativity figure, the gift-pooping Christmas log that children beat with sticks, Iceland's child-eating troll Grýla and her terrifying Yule Cat, and the unsettling folklore behind Santa once writing threatening letters to children instead of the other way around. Balancing the strange with the sincere, the episode also highlights true stories of compassion and humanity during wartime, including the Christmas Truce of 1914, enemies sheltering together on Christmas Eve during World War II, George Washington returning an enemy general's dog, and a Japanese pilot gifting his ancestral samurai sword to an American town decades after bombing it. It's a holiday episode filled with macabre history, unsettling folklore, absurd traditions, and genuine hope—a reminder that even in the darkest seasons, people can still surprise us. Listener discretion advised… and Merry Weird Christmas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vestea că instituția care supraveghează regulile de respectare a concurenței în România va face un studiu despre piața cărnii de porc a atras atenția. Consiliul Concurenței și-a consolidat imaginea unei instituții în care există expertiză și de multe ori reprezentanții unor companii, antreprenori sau experți au făcut apel la intervenția Consiliului pentru a regla unele distorsiuni dintr-un sector economic. Desigur, un studiu realizat pe filiera de produs a cărnii de porc nu are ce să strice, mai ales că instituția a anunțat că vrea să analizeze întregul lanț, de la fermă, la abator, la procesatori și până la retail. Sunt foarte curios, însă, dacă analiza Consiliului Concurenței va aduce mai mult decât știm în acest moment. Vom vedea. Deocamdată, câteva lucruri sunt clare. Prima constatare este că, dintre produsele alimentare, carnea de porc contribuie cel mai mult la deficitul balanței comerciale, respectiv cu aproape un miliard de euro. Sunt estimări care arată că din totalul consumului de carne de porc doar o treime mai provine din România. Recent, unul dintre acționarii unui mare procesator român, Cris Tim, declara că importă carne de porc în valoare de 100 milioane de euro anual, pentru că din țară nu poate cumpăra. Situația este logică dacă ne gândim că de la identificarea primului focar de pestă porcină africană (PPA) în România, în anul 2017, și până anul acesta, estimările arată că au fost sacrificați aproximativ 1,8 milioane de porci. Practic, cifrele ne spun că România nu a putut opri niciodată în ultimii opt ani răspândirea pestei porcine africane. Nu s-a putut reduce sau eradica acest virus din două motive: situația atipică față de alte state europene a creșterii porcinelor în România și populismul politicienilor. În România, se cresc mai mulți porci în gospodăriile individuale decât în exploatațiile industriale. Ceea ce este o tradiție și un motiv de mândrie pentru unii români, duce, în condițiile existenței pestei porcine africane, la mari riscuri de răspândire. Mai mult, sunt situații în care gospodăriile populației se transformă în adevărate mini-ferme în care sunt crescuți zeci de porci. Nerespectarea normelor de biosecuritate și sanitare, foarte sensibile în cazul pestei porcine africane, și transportul animalelor pentru vânzarea lor au fost principalele cauze pentru care virusul nu a putut fi stopat, ba, dimpotrivă, chiar s-a răspândit. În același timp, decidenții politici nu au avut curajul să ia măsuri care să împiedice extinderea focarelor de pestă porcină africană. Motivul este simplu: ar fi trebuit să le impună fie respectarea unor reguli de biosecuritate stricte, fie chiar în anumite zone să interzică creșterea porcilor. Au fost câteva încercări legislative care ar fi trebuit să reglementeze situația gospodăriilor individuale, dar niciun politician și niciun partid nu le-a dus până la capăt și astfel regulile stricte nu s-au aplicat. În aceste condiții, cu 1,8 milioane de porci sacrificați în opt ani, nu este de mirare că România importă multă carne de porc. Creșterea porcilor în gospodăriile populației este un subiect atât de sensibil electoral încât niciun ministru al agriculturii și niciun șef al ANSVSA nu au îndrăznit să ia măsuri eficiente. Este adevărat că s-au derulat mai multe programe de reproducție în sectorul suin, dar rezultatele sunt încă eclipsate de prezența virusului PPA. Spre deosebire de România, Spania, cel mai mare producător de carne de porc din Uniunea Europeană, a luat măsuri rapide și hotărâte atunci când în Catalonia a apărut virusul PPA la câțiva porci mistreți. Au fost mobilizați oameni pentru a vâna mistreții, iar efectivul acestora se va reduce la jumătate, au fost închise unele drumuri critice și instituțiile sau companiile au trecut la repararea împrejmuirilor care au rolul de a bloca apropierea porcilor mistreți de zonele locuite. Este o mobilizare pe care în România nu am văzut-o niciodată. De aceea, studiul Consiliului Concurenței nu strică, dar analizele industriei cărnii de porc ar trebui făcute de alte instituții, care apoi să ia și decizii.

In this episode of Voices, IHRB's Haley St Dennis and Ainara Fernandez discuss an emerging housing model in Catalonia, which is aligning decarbonisation efforts with solutions to address issues like affordability and extreme temperatures. Can Catalonia's housing model be a blueprint for just transitions in other housing markets around the world?

Despite the impact of avian flu, which has been devastating for some turkey farmers, the industry says there will not be a shortage this Christmas. Poultry farms were hit so badly in 2022 that many farmers brought in contingency plans to cope with the possibility of the disease striking them.Rural roads are significantly more dangerous than urban ones. The latest figures from the Department for Transport show that 956 people were killed in 2024, that's 72% more than on urban roads. The figures have been analysed by NFU Mutual insurance, and it's now calling for more specific training for driving on rural roads, especially for those who break the law.The Spanish region of Catalonia is still coping with the arrival of African swine fever, which was first diagnosed in wild boar on November 28th. There have now been 13 confirmed cases in wild boar, and 80,000 pigs are having to be slaughtered as a precaution. The authorities are looking into the possibility that the disease may have leaked from a research facility.Thousands of people are still not connected to the National Grid and rely on generators for power, according to the energy regulator. Ofgem estimates up to 2,000 properties in the UK are still off-grid. Some have been asked to pay hundreds of thousands of pounds if they want a connection. Now a charity in Northumberland says the government should do more to help.All week, we've been talking about rare breeds of livestock and at just 15 years of age, Sebastian Carr is quite the celebrity in the world of rare breed pigs. He's won awards for his herd of Saddlebacks. His passion for pigs began when he was just eight and he received four piglets as a Christmas present.Presenter = Caz Graham Producer = Rebecca Rooney

The population of wild boars in Catalonia has suddenly become newsworthy as a few cases of African swine fever outside Barcelona threaten the entire pork industry. Pork is big business in Spain, and if the virus isn't contained, we could have problems. Here's my report on the swine fever, more as usual on the web: https://expatmadrid.com/swine-fever/Support for this podcast comes from Walks Tours, with amazing walking tours of incredible locations, right here: ⁠https://expatmadrid.com/walks⁠Also Devour Tours, with food tours in Madrid, Barcelona, San Sebastian and more: ⁠https://expatmadrid.com/devour⁠And of course, my friend Raúl out at Bike Tour in Spain, who organizes cycling tours (everything booked for you, and he also provides the bicycle) in various Spanish regions, say hi if you talk to him: ⁠https://biketourinspain.com

The Spanish region of Catalonia is still coping with the arrival of African Swine Fever, which was first diagnosed in wild boar on November 28th. There have now been thirteen confirmed cases in wild boar, and 80,000 pigs are having to be slaughtered as a precaution. The authorities are looking into the possibility that the disease may have leaked from a research facility. Despite the impact of avian flu, which has been devastating for some turkey farmers, the industry says there will not be a shortage this Christmas. Poultry farms were hit so badly in 2022 that many farmers brought in contingency plans to cope with the possibility of the disease striking them. All this week we're talking to farmers with rare livestock breeds. Today, we're on the Isle of Lewis where passionate rare breed crofter Paul Rowlston has spent years collecting and preserving rare breeds of Scottish livestock, at the north end of the island. Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Sally Challoner.

Send us a textEver stood at a ticket desk in Catalonia not knowing what to say? In this episode, you'll learn all the Catalan you need to buy tickets confidently - from cinema and theatre tickets to train journeys. We'll walk you through the key words, help you understand seating and show you how real conversations sound.Be sure to rate the show if you enjoy it and let us know in the comments why you are learning Catalan and how you are getting on with it!Support the showGroup Lessons starting January 2026 (register your interest): Group ProgrammesBeginners Course: Catalan for Beginners CoursePatreon: The Lazy Linguist Buy us a coffee: Buy me a Coffee Instagram: @lazylinguistcatalan Facebook: The Lazy Linguist Podcast

Let's explore the Christmas season in Spain, a celebration shaped by faith, family, and a sense of continuity that feels both ancient and vibrant. While American Christmas traditions tend to revolve around a burst of excitement on December 25, the Spanish holiday season stretches across weeks, layered with rituals that wind through Advent, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Epiphany. In many ways, Spanish families see Christmas not as a single day but as a long path of reflection and joy, filled with moments that bring communities together and call back to centuries of tradition. For readers whose ancestors came from Spain, these customs offer a glimpse into the rhythms their families once lived by—rhythms that often endured even after crossing the Atlantic. Spain's Christmas roots run deep into its Catholic heritage. Churches glow with candlelight and echo with hymns that have carried through generations. Families gather for quiet meals on Christmas Eve, attend midnight services, and continue celebrating into January. Yet the season is not solemn from beginning to end. It bursts with color and festivity when the Three Kings arrive, turning Epiphany into a joyous event centered on children. The mix of devotion and delight creates a holiday that is uniquely Spanish, where the story of the Nativity shapes the season just as strongly as local customs and regional identity. Across Spain's diverse regions—from the rugged hills of Galicia to the coastal villages of Catalonia, from the plains of Castile to the streets of Andalusia—Christmas feels slightly different in each place. These local variations hold clues to ancestry. Everything from the foods served at Christmas Eve dinner to the style of Nativity scenes displayed in homes reflects regional history. When families emigrated from Spain, they often carried these traditions with them, adapting them gently to new cultures while quietly preserving the memory of their homeland. The Spanish Christmas season unfolds slowly, drawing people into its meaning step by step. Let's follow this path from Advent to Epiphany and see how faith, folklore, and family come together to shape a celebration that has endured for centuries. Podcast Notes: https://ancestralfindings.com/christmas-traditions-in-spain/ Ancestral Findings Podcast: https://ancestralfindings.com/podcast This Week's Free Genealogy Lookups: https://ancestralfindings.com/lookups Genealogy Giveaway: https://ancestralfindings.com/giveaway Genealogy eBooks: https://ancestralfindings.com/ebooks Follow Along: https://www.facebook.com/AncestralFindings https://www.instagram.com/ancestralfindings https://www.youtube.com/ancestralfindings Support Ancestral Findings: https://ancestralfindings.com/support https://ancestralfindings.com/paypal  #Genealogy #AncestralFindings #GenealogyClips

Fluent Fiction - Catalan: Christmas Magic in Montserrat: Tradition Meets Innovation Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/ca/episode/2025-12-07-08-38-20-ca Story Transcript:Ca: A Montserrat, el primer indici que el Nadal s'apropa és l'olor de castanyes torrades barrejada amb la frescor de l'aire de tardor.En: In Montserrat, the first sign that Christmas is approaching is the smell of roasted chestnuts mixed with the freshness of the autumn air.Ca: Les muntanyes rocoses embolcallen el monestir amb una majestuositat que sembla atemporal.En: The rocky mountains envelop the monastery with a majesty that seems timeless.Ca: En aquest entorn, Martí i Laia condueixen turistes curiosos, mostrant la riquesa del lloc i les seves històries antigues.En: In this setting, Martí and Laia guide curious tourists, showing the richness of the place and its ancient stories.Ca: Martí és un apassionat.En: Martí is passionate.Ca: Sempre parla amb entusiasme de la història del monestir, de les llegendes i de les tradicions catalanes.En: He always speaks enthusiastically about the history of the monastery, the legends, and the Catalan traditions.Ca: A mesura que s'acosta el Nadal, sent una forta necessitat de compartir aquesta màgia amb els seus visitants.En: As Christmas approaches, he feels a strong need to share this magic with his visitors.Ca: —Què et sembla si incorporem alguna cosa especial per Nadal, Laia? —proposa Martí amb ulls brillants.En: "What do you think about incorporating something special for Christmas, Laia?" proposes Martí with bright eyes.Ca: Laia, que preferia mantenir-se fidel al guió de les visites, aixeca una cella.En: Laia, who preferred to stick to the script of the tours, raises an eyebrow.Ca: —Martí, la nostra feina és respectar el cronograma. No tenim temps per a floritures.En: "Martí, our job is to respect the schedule. We don't have time for embellishments."Ca: Però Martí pensa en el caga tió, en la música alegre dels villancicos que ressonen pels passadissos del monestir, i en els trossos dolços de torró que transporten records d'infància.En: But Martí thinks of the caga tió, the cheerful music of the villancicos echoing through the monastery halls, and the sweet pieces of turrón that bring back childhood memories.Ca: Amb decisió, decideix afegir aquests elements atrevitament a les visites.En: With determination, he decides to boldly add these elements to the tours.Ca: Durant una visita, Martí ofereix als turistes petits trossos de torró.En: During one tour, Martí offers the tourists small pieces of turrón.Ca: Els seus ulls s'il·luminen amb eufòria, i es fa un silenci positiu mentre assaboreixen aquesta delícia catalana.En: Their eyes light up with euphoria, and a positive silence falls as they savor this Catalan delight.Ca: —Què és això? —pregunta un visitant amb interès genuí.En: "What is this?" a visitor asks with genuine interest.Ca: —És torró. Una tradició dolça de Nadal a Catalunya —explica Martí, sense poder contenir el seu somriure.En: "It's turrón. A sweet Christmas tradition in Catalonia," explains Martí, unable to contain his smile.Ca: La visita continua, i tornant a través de les sales, la llum dels pessebres fa que els turistes s'aturin a admirar-los amb oohs i aahs d'admiració.En: The visit continues, and as they return through the halls, the light from the pessebres makes the tourists stop to admire them with oohs and aahs of admiration.Ca: Quan el tour acaba, les seves cares mostren emoció i gratitud.En: When the tour ends, their faces show excitement and gratitude.Ca: —Ha estat increïble! Gràcies per fer-ho especial! —diu una dona del grup.En: "That was incredible! Thank you for making it special!" says a woman from the group.Ca: En escoltar aquestes paraules, Laia, que ha observat discretament, accepta que Martí tenia raó.En: Hearing these words, Laia, who has been observing discreetly, acknowledges that Martí was right.Ca: La seva creativitat havia aportat un valor inesperat i apreciat.En: His creativity had brought unexpected and appreciated value.Ca: —Bé, potser una mica de màgia nadalenca no fa mal a ningú —admet Laia, somrient finalment.En: "Well, maybe a little Christmas magic doesn't hurt anyone," admits Laia, finally smiling.Ca: La parella d'amics decideix incorporar permanentment aquests tocs nadalencs a les visites durant les festes.En: The pair of friends decides to permanently incorporate these Christmas touches into the tours during the holidays.Ca: Martí, ara més segur de les seves idees, somia amb altres formes de fer brillar la cultura mentre Laia aprèn a valorar el poder dels detalls que fan somriure a la gent.En: Martí, now more confident in his ideas, dreams of other ways to make the culture shine, while Laia learns to appreciate the power of details that make people smile.Ca: I així, amb el monestir vestit de festes, Martí i Laia descobreixen el perfecte equilibri entre tradició i innovació, creant records que perduren en els cors dels seus visitants molt després que hagin marxat de Montserrat.En: And so, with the monastery dressed for the holidays, Martí and Laia discover the perfect balance between tradition and innovation, creating memories that linger in the hearts of their visitors long after they have left Montserrat. Vocabulary Words:the monastery: el monestirthe chestnuts: les castanyesthe freshness: la frescorthe tourists: els turistesthe richness: la riquesathe legends: les llegendesthe schedule: el cronogramathe embellishments: les florituresthe halls: els passadissosthe determination: la decisióthe laughter: la riallathe euphoria: l'eufòriathe delight: la delíciathe tradition: la tradicióthe admiration: l'admiracióthe gratitude: la gratitudthe creativity: la creativitatthe magic: la màgiathe power: el poderthe details: els detallsthe balance: l'equilibrithe innovation: la innovacióthe memories: els recordsthe childhood: la infànciathe need: la necessitatto incorporate: incorporarto envelop: embolcallarto appreciate: valorarto acknowledge: acceptarto contain: contenir

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit andrewsullivan.substack.comGeorge is a journalist and novelist. He was a long-time staff writer at The New Yorker, now a staff writer at The Atlantic. He's the author of 10 books, including The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America — which won the National Book Award — and Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century. His new novel is called The Emergency. It's a parable of our polarized times — and a deeply unsettling one. We had this conversation the afternoon after I finished the book, and, as you'll see, it really affected me emotionally. For two clips of our convo — on the clarity of Orwell's writing, and the savior complex of the woke — head to our YouTube page.Other topics: raised by two Stanford professors; his dad accused of fascism by his leftist students and red-baited by the right; his dad's stroke and subsequent suicide at a young age; George's time in the Peace Corps; how Orwell's Homage to Catalonia “saved me”; entering journalism at 40; reporting in Iraq; Orwell's contempt for elites; Auden and Spender; the ideologies of intellectuals; the young turning on their elders; the summer of 2020; Camus' La Peste; January 6; Orwell's bigotries; his love for the countryside and common decency; Animal Farm; Nineteen Eighty-Four; Hitchens; utopianism; Nietzsche and slave morality; Fukuyama and boredom; the collapse of religion; intra-elite competition; Mamdani; the Gaza protests; virtue signaling; struggle sessions; mobs on social media; the loss of gatekeepers; the queer takeover of the gay rights movement; the brutality of meritocracy; Nick Fuentes; Trump's multi-racial win; his Cabinet picks as trolling; the utter capitulation of Vance; Haidt and smartphones; and our post-literate democracy.Browse the Dishcast archive for an episode you might enjoy. Coming up: Shadi Hamid in defense of US interventionism, Simon Rogoff on the narcissism of pols, Arthur Brooks on the science of happiness, Vivek Ramaswamy on the right, and Jason Willick on trade and conservatism. Please send any guest recs, dissents, and other comments to dish@andrewsullivan.com.

Before the launch of the new season of our daily podcast, we invite you to listen again to the best content produced in 2025.Wildfires have once again swept across the Mediterranean this summer. Catalonia saw entire towns forced into lockdown, fires crept dangerously close to Marseille, and evacuations have been underway in Greece. It's becoming an all-too-familiar summer routine. But as the flames grow stronger and more frequent, are we doing enough to stop Europe from burning every summer?Join us on our journey through the events that shape the European continent and the European Union.Production: By Europod, in co-production with Sphera Network.Follow us on:LinkedInInstagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, the Spiders chat about Homage to Catalonia, Orwell's journalistic account of the Spanish Civil War. This memoir may in fact be his best work.

The Catalonian Anti-Doping Laboratory was established in 1985, and this year marks their 40th anniversary of operations. Dr. Rosa Ventura Alemany is Director of the laboratory, which is within the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) in Barcelona, Spain. In this episode, she discusses how the laboratory and the field of anti-doping have evolved over the years, some of the lab's major contributions to anti-doping science, and current research projects spanning investigations of the use of sulfate metabolites as markers to detect anabolic steroids, glucocorticoids and how to differentiate between permitted versus prohibited administration, and the analysis of doping agents in dried blood spot (DBS) samples.

In episode 39, I explain the origins of Catalonia, the end of the Carolingian Empire, and the independence of the counties of the Spanish March. We explore figures such as Count Ramon of Ribagorza and Pallars, Sunyer II of Empúries, and Delà of Girona, and Wifred the Hairy himself, a much-mythologized figure. Here, I attempt to separate fact from fiction. I discuss the succession of Wifred the Hairy without the intervention of the Frankish king. SUPPORT NEW HISTORY OF SPAIN: Patreon: https://patreon.com/newhistoryspain  Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/newhistoryspain PayPal: https://paypal.me/lahistoriaespana Bitcoin donation: bc1q64qs58s5c5kp5amhw5hn7vp9fvtekeq96sf4au Ethereum donation: 0xE3C423625953eCDAA8e57D34f5Ce027dd1902374 Join the DISCORD: https://discord.gg/jUvtdRKxUC Follow the show for updates on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/newhistoryspain.com Or Twitter/X: https://x.com/newhistoryspain YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/@newhistoryspain Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-history-of-spain/id1749528700 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7hstfgSYFfFPXhjps08IYi Spotify (video version): https://open.spotify.com/show/2OFZ00DSgMAEle9vngg537 Spanish show 'La Historia de España-Memorias Hispánicas': https://www.youtube.com/@lahistoriaespana TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Hook 00:31 When Was Catalonia Born? 04:07 The End of the Carolingian Empire 08:45 The Last Appointed Counts of the Spanish March 11:40 The lesser-known counts: Delà of Girona and Sunyer II of Empúries 14:42 The Independence of the Counties of Ribagorza and Pallars 17:29 The Ecclesiastical Conflict of Esclua 20:27 Wifred the Hairy: Between Myth and History 25:32 The Deeds of Wifred the Hairy's Rule 29:54 The Hereditary Succession of Wifred the Hairy 34:19 The Verdict: The Gray Scale of Independence and Sovereignty 35:56 Outro

Cillian Shields joins Lorcan Doherty to look back at life in Catalonia under the Franco dictatorship, the transition to democracy that followed, and the challenges that remain today, including uncovering mass graves, ongoing legal battles, and a resurgent far right among young people. Andrew Dowling, Reader in Contemporary Spanish History at Cardiff University, explains how repression was felt in Catalonia during the dictatorship, and how that evolved over the decades of the regime. Catalan photographer Pilar Aymerich, who not only lived through the historic transition to democracy of the late 70s but actively documented it, reflects on that pivotal moment in history. The episode concludes by looking at the challenges that remain today, including ongoing efforts to uncover mass graves, stalled legal cases seeking justice, and the resurgence of the far right among young people.

Little is known about the African women who came to Europe from the 1870s onwards, nor do we dare to imagine them as wealthy, elegantly dressed individuals with refined tastes and fluent in several languages. The Krio Fernandino represented a multisited, multilocal, transnational, transcontinental and Afropolitan community that lived between Africa and Europe from the late 19th century onwards. African Women's Histories in European Narratives: The Afropolitan Krio Fernandino Diaspora (1850-1996) (Leuven University Press, 2025) explains how the Krio Fernandino, and particularly their women, transcended the barriers of race and gender in colonial Africa and in Spain. Aixelà-Cabré highlights a fascinating journey across cultures and continents, unearthing a compelling narrative of African women's empowerment in their home continent and in Catalonia. This research highlights a women's history that resonates on regional, national and transcontinental levels; a genuine Euro-African and Afro-European legacy to be preserved for future generations. This book will be made open access within three years of publication thanks to JSTOR's Path to Open pilot. Yolanda Aixelà-Cabré is Senior Researcher in Anthropology at the IMF center of the Spanish Council for Scientific Research-CSIC. Caleb Zakarin is editor of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Little is known about the African women who came to Europe from the 1870s onwards, nor do we dare to imagine them as wealthy, elegantly dressed individuals with refined tastes and fluent in several languages. The Krio Fernandino represented a multisited, multilocal, transnational, transcontinental and Afropolitan community that lived between Africa and Europe from the late 19th century onwards. African Women's Histories in European Narratives: The Afropolitan Krio Fernandino Diaspora (1850-1996) (Leuven University Press, 2025) explains how the Krio Fernandino, and particularly their women, transcended the barriers of race and gender in colonial Africa and in Spain. Aixelà-Cabré highlights a fascinating journey across cultures and continents, unearthing a compelling narrative of African women's empowerment in their home continent and in Catalonia. This research highlights a women's history that resonates on regional, national and transcontinental levels; a genuine Euro-African and Afro-European legacy to be preserved for future generations. This book will be made open access within three years of publication thanks to JSTOR's Path to Open pilot. Yolanda Aixelà-Cabré is Senior Researcher in Anthropology at the IMF center of the Spanish Council for Scientific Research-CSIC. Caleb Zakarin is editor of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-studies

Little is known about the African women who came to Europe from the 1870s onwards, nor do we dare to imagine them as wealthy, elegantly dressed individuals with refined tastes and fluent in several languages. The Krio Fernandino represented a multisited, multilocal, transnational, transcontinental and Afropolitan community that lived between Africa and Europe from the late 19th century onwards. African Women's Histories in European Narratives: The Afropolitan Krio Fernandino Diaspora (1850-1996) (Leuven University Press, 2025) explains how the Krio Fernandino, and particularly their women, transcended the barriers of race and gender in colonial Africa and in Spain. Aixelà-Cabré highlights a fascinating journey across cultures and continents, unearthing a compelling narrative of African women's empowerment in their home continent and in Catalonia. This research highlights a women's history that resonates on regional, national and transcontinental levels; a genuine Euro-African and Afro-European legacy to be preserved for future generations. This book will be made open access within three years of publication thanks to JSTOR's Path to Open pilot. Yolanda Aixelà-Cabré is Senior Researcher in Anthropology at the IMF center of the Spanish Council for Scientific Research-CSIC. Caleb Zakarin is editor of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this essay, Jason Garner, looks at the debate between anarchists in countries on both side of the Atlantic about the need, or not, to revise anarchist tactics in the light of the end of the postwar revolutionary wave in 1923. This is part of an overall project on “Reformism and Cooperation in interwar anarchism. National and transnational debates in a context of decline”. Jason Garner, former lecturer and teacher in Contemporary and Argentine history though presently freelance historian relocatied to Europe. External member of Gesraiot, Grupo de Estudios sobre Representaciones y Acciones de las Izquierdas y Organizaciones de Trabajadores, IIDyPCa, Rio Negro National University (Argentina). Recent publications: Goals and Means: anarchism, syndicalism and internationalism in the origins of the Federacion Anarquista Iberica, AK Press, 2016. ‘The Revue International Anarchiste's World Survey (1924-1925) A transnational attempt at reappraising, revising, and reinvigorating the anarchist movement', Journal for the Study of Radicalism, Spring 2023, Vol.27, no.1, 1-25 ‘“Too many cooperatives and too few cooperativists”: The Consumer Cooperative movement in Catalonia 1898-1939.' Journal of Iberian and Latin American Studies, July 2022 ‘Left to die – The fate of the Catalan Consumer Cooperative Movement during the Primer Franquismo (1939-1959', European Review of History: Revue européenne d'histoire, April 2022 ‘A failure of Praxis? European revolutionary anarchism in revolutionary situations 1917-1923'. Left History. An interdisciplinary journal of historical inquiry and debate, (24) 1, 2021, 10-44. Anarchist Essays is brought to you by Loughborough University's Anarchism Research Group and the journal Anarchist Studies. Follow us on Bluesky @anarchismresgroup.bsky.social Our music comes from Them'uns (featuring Yous'uns). Artwork by Sam G.  

Little is known about the African women who came to Europe from the 1870s onwards, nor do we dare to imagine them as wealthy, elegantly dressed individuals with refined tastes and fluent in several languages. The Krio Fernandino represented a multisited, multilocal, transnational, transcontinental and Afropolitan community that lived between Africa and Europe from the late 19th century onwards. African Women's Histories in European Narratives: The Afropolitan Krio Fernandino Diaspora (1850-1996) (Leuven University Press, 2025) explains how the Krio Fernandino, and particularly their women, transcended the barriers of race and gender in colonial Africa and in Spain. Aixelà-Cabré highlights a fascinating journey across cultures and continents, unearthing a compelling narrative of African women's empowerment in their home continent and in Catalonia. This research highlights a women's history that resonates on regional, national and transcontinental levels; a genuine Euro-African and Afro-European legacy to be preserved for future generations. This book will be made open access within three years of publication thanks to JSTOR's Path to Open pilot. Yolanda Aixelà-Cabré is Senior Researcher in Anthropology at the IMF center of the Spanish Council for Scientific Research-CSIC. Caleb Zakarin is editor of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Johnny Mac shares five uplifting Christmas-themed stories. Firstly, Brooke and her rescue dog Dray overcame obstacles with help from Chewy Claus, enabling them to enjoy walks together again. Chewy Claus also made a charitable donation and continues to fulfill wishes and support pets in need. In Beaver, Ohio, Dogwood Pass transforms into a Wild West Christmas village. Country Living released a list of the 25 best Christmas books of 2025, highlighting festive tales perfect for the season. Unique Christmas traditions from around the world include Catalonia's Tio de Nadal, Iceland's Yule cat myth, and Italy's Befana. Finally, several new holiday movies, including 'Merry Christmas, the Wright Brothers' and 'Mistletoe Mix-Up,' are recommended for festive viewing.Unlock an ad-free podcast experience with Caloroga Shark Media! Get all our shows on any player you love, hassle free! For Apple users, hit the banner on your Apple podcasts app. For Spotify or other players, visit caloroga.com/plus. No plug-ins needed!Subscribe now for exclusive shows like 'Palace Intrigue,' and get bonus content from Deep Crown (our exclusive Palace Insider!) Or get 'Daily Comedy News,' and '5 Good News Stories' with no commercials! Plans start at $4.99 per month, or save 20% with a yearly plan at $49.99. Join today and help support the show!We now have Merch!  FREE SHIPPING! Check out all the products like T-shirts, mugs, bags, jackets and more with logos and slogans from your favorite shows! Did we mention there's free shipping? Get 10% off with code NewMerch10 Go to Caloroga.comGet more info from Caloroga Shark Media and if you have any comments, suggestions, or just want to get in touch our email is info@caloroga.com

Send us a textNeed a trim, a new hairstyle, or just want to understand what your hairdresser in Catalonia is saying? In this episode, we dive into all the essential Catalan vocabulary and phrases you'll need for a trip to la perruqueria. From el xampú and les tisores to reflexive verbs like tallar-se els cabells, you'll learn how to describe your perfect haircut — and follow along with a natural dialogue between client and hairdresser.Perfect for anyone who wants to feel confident speaking Catalan in real-life situations — even at the salon!We hope you enjoy the episode.Remember we cover some new language along with practising the language in the episode more in the bonus episode — you can find it over on our Patreon page, along with lesson notes and vocab summaries.Support the showGroup Lessons starting January 2026 (register your interest): Group ProgrammesBeginners Course: Catalan for Beginners CoursePatreon: The Lazy Linguist Buy us a coffee: Buy me a Coffee Instagram: @lazylinguistcatalan Facebook: The Lazy Linguist Podcast

This week, join Janina for an unforgettable journey through Porto, Vila Nova de Gaia, and deep into the Douro Valley - the world's first demarcated wine region. Over four days, she shares tips, tricks, where to stay, what to sip, and the must-do moments that make Portugal's most iconic wine region so special. From wandering the tiled streets of Porto and exploring the buzzing Mercado do Bolhão, to taking the scenic train to Pinhão, this episode is your insider guide to soaking up the Douro at its very best. Shownotes 02:00 Douro – the first demarcated wine region in the worlds and it's they history 04:00 Why visit Porto 5:00 Where to day in Porto 05:30 Mercado do Bolhão 06:00 Travelling from airport on the metro 06:30 Day 1 Itinerary – River walks and a visit to Grahams Port Lodge 08:30 The importance of Coopers to repair the oak casks and what happens to the wine in barrels and casks 9:00 The Style of Tawny port and the new 80 year old category 11:45 The different style of Tawny and ageing requirements 14:30 The ten first families of wine starting with The Symington Family 15:30 Difference in temperature and rainfall from Porto, the Cima Corgo (The heart of Douro) and the Douro Superior 17:00 Antinori from Tuscany 17:30 Baron Philippe de Rothchild - Chateau Mouton Rothchild 18:00 Familia Torres, based in Catalonia, Spain 18:30 E & J Gallo Winery, California 18:50 Joseph Drouhin, Burgundy 19:10 Famille Perrin, Rhône 19:30 Jackson Family Wines, California 20:00 Tenuta San Guido, Italy 20:15 Vega Sicilia, Spain   21:00 Eating at Matriarca in Porto 23:30] Day 2 Itineray - Take the train to Pinhão, Douro (Cima Corgo) from São Bento railway station (another MUST see in Porto) 24:30 The Solcalcos (Terraces) that gave Douro it's UNESCO World Heritage status. 25:00 The more modern Patamares 25:30 Soil erosion in the Douro and now laser guided technology to help 27:00] Vinha ao alto for the less steep slopes 27:30 Eat and stay at The Vintage House, Pinhão 29:30 Stay at The Manor House, Celeirós and visit Quinta do Portal next door 31:00 Quinta da Roêda - Croft Port 33:00 Quinta do Bonfim 33:30 Day 3 Itinerary – Enjoy the Old Town of Porto 35:00 Day 4 Itinerary – Taylors Port Lodge 37:45 The Yeatman Hotel 39:30 The WOW museum 43:00 Tasting at The Wine School including Azores Wine Company Terrantez do Pico 43:30 Quanta Terra, Phenomena Rose

Johnny Mac presents five uplifting and interesting Halloween stories. In Mansfield, Ohio, the reformatory's Blood Prison event transitions to Christmas Incarceration in December. Catalonia, Spain temporarily halts black cat adoptions to prevent Halloween-related harm. Minnesota's Olmsted County History Center showcases a new creepy doll exhibit. The University of Montana deals with a 30-year tradition of a pumpkin being placed on a spire, with students racing professional climbers. Lastly, a simple trick involving white vinegar is shared to keep carved pumpkins lasting for months.Unlock an ad-free podcast experience with Caloroga Shark Media! Get all our shows on any player you love, hassle free! For Apple users, hit the banner on your Apple podcasts app. For Spotify or other players, visit caloroga.com/plus. No plug-ins needed!Subscribe now for exclusive shows like 'Palace Intrigue,' and get bonus content from Deep Crown (our exclusive Palace Insider!) Or get 'Daily Comedy News,' and '5 Good News Stories' with no commercials! Plans start at $4.99 per month, or save 20% with a yearly plan at $49.99. Join today and help support the show!We now have Merch!  FREE SHIPPING! Check out all the products like T-shirts, mugs, bags, jackets and more with logos and slogans from your favorite shows! Did we mention there's free shipping? Get 10% off with code NewMerch10 Go to Caloroga.comGet more info from Caloroga Shark Media and if you have any comments, suggestions, or just want to get in touch our email is info@caloroga.com

#929 | Ed and Tom unpack a busy few days on and off the pitch. From Manchester United's dramatic late win over Liverpool, it's been a rare stretch of joy in the Unitedverse. The discussion turns to Saturday's trip to Brighton, a fixture that's brought more pain than pleasure in recent years. The hosts assess how United can approach the game tactically, and what's needed to avoid another defeat to the Seagulls. There's analysis of potential new midfield arrivals - and their suitability for Amorim's system, before focusing on the promising rise of JJ Gabriel, training with the first team this week. What does his inclusion signal about United's renewed commitment to the academy pathway? The conversation also celebrates Bruno Fernandes' 300th appearance for the club - reflecting on his influence, leadership, and what his longevity says about the standards he's set. And from Manchester to Catalonia, Ed and Tom check in on Marcus Rashford's resurgence at Barcelona and what it reveals about his turbulent final years at United. Chapters00:00 Intro and Banter01:20 Liverpool Game Recap03:15 Tactical Discussion22:00 Bruno Fernandes' 300th Appearance34:00 Midfield Links - Anderson & Wharton41:00 Academy Pathways and JJ Gabriel50:00 Marcus Rashford's Revival at Barcelona61:05 Premier League Competitiveness61:16 Closing Thoughts If you are interested in supporting the show and accessing a weekly exclusive bonus episode, check out our Patreon page or subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Supporter funded episodes are ad-free. NQAT is available on all podcast apps and in video on YouTube. Hit that subscribe button, leave a rating and write a review on Apple or Spotify. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's a familiar scene across Catalonia: someone sitting outside a café, enjoying a coffee and smoking a cigarette. But it could soon be consigned to the history books, if Spain pushes ahead with a new bill banning smoking and vaping on terraces. On this episode of Filling the Sink, Gerard Escaich Folch joins Lorcan Doherty to talk about Spain's proposed smoking law. Catalonia's Secretary of Public Health, Esteve Fernández, and the head of the Association Against Cancer in Barcelona, Dr Laureano Molins, explain why the law on smoking needs to be changed, and what measures they would like to see included in the final version.   Joaquim Boadas, the secretary general of both FECASARM (Catalan Federation of Hospitality, Restaurants, and Nightclubs) and Spain Nightlife, outlines the hospitality sector's concerns over one of the most talked-about aspects of the legislation – a smoking ban for cafe, bar and restaurant terraces. Plus, we hit the streets of Barcelona to find out what smokers and non-smokers alike think of the proposed legislation. 

42 Watch ye therefore, because ye know not what hour your Lord will come.Vigilate ergo, quia nescitis qua hora Dominus vester venturus sit. 43 But know this ye, that if the goodman of the house knew at what hour the thief would come, he would certainly watch, and would not suffer his house to be broken open.Illud autem scitote, quoniam si sciret paterfamilias qua hora fur venturus esset, vigilaret utique, et non sineret perfodi domum suam. 44 Wherefore be you also ready, because at what hour you know not the Son of man will come.Ideo et vos estote parati : quia qua nescitis hora Filius hominis venturus est. 45 Who, thinkest thou, is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath appointed over his family, to give them meat in season.Quis, putas, est fidelis servus, et prudens, quem constituit dominus suus super familiam suam ut det illis cibum in tempore? 46 Blessed is that servant, whom when his lord shall come he shall find so doing.Beatus ille servus, quem cum venerit dominus ejus, invenerit sic facientem. 47 Amen I say to you, he shall place him over all his goods.Amen dico vobis, quoniam super omnia bona sua constituet eum.Anthony Mary Claret founded the Missionary Sons of the Heart of Mary, the Teaching Sisters of Mary Immaculate, and other communities of nuns. For many years he labored in Catalonia, for six years in Cuba as Archbishop of Santiago, and finally in Madrid. He died in exile in France in 1870.

Send us a textWelcome back! This is a long one - packed full of learning!In this episode we're recapping everything from our recent episodes on art, books and entertainment. You'll review how to talk about what you're watching, reading and listening to, and test yourself with a quiz to see how much you remember!(Remember there's also a bonus episode for Patrons with a short dialogue to help you put the language into context.)Enjoy!Support the showGroup Lessons starting December 2026 (register your interest): Group ProgrammesBeginners Course: Catalan for Beginners CoursePatreon: The Lazy Linguist Buy us a coffee: Buy me a Coffee Instagram: @lazylinguistcatalan Facebook: The Lazy Linguist Podcast

Send us a textCameras love a finish line. Real peace rarely offers one. We open with a bold victory lap and press on the brakes, examining what a signed deal in Gaza can and can't do while weapons remain, hostages return in tears and coffins, and leaders pull in opposite directions. I walk through Netanyahu's conspicuous absence, Abbas's calculated presence, and Trump's push to scale the Abraham Accords into something bigger—maybe even stretching toward Tehran—then ground it in the only things that count: disarmament that sticks, institutions that work, and neighborhoods that can rebuild a normal day.The conversation then crosses oceans to our own streets, where Texas aims to scrub “ideology” from roadways and rainbow crosswalks become the test case. We parse safety claims, content neutrality, and the risk of censorship by funding threat. If neutrality is real, it must be even-handed; if it is selective, it's control dressed as policy. From there, Congress and the courts take the stage: a grinding shutdown tied to ACA subsidies and hard-nosed vote math, followed by the Supreme Court's refusal to hear Alex Jones's appeal, affirming that defamation has consequences even in a loud media age.To widen the lens, we demystify socialism—definitions, variants, and outcomes—separating democratic, libertarian, and social approaches from the caricatures of authoritarianism. We look at where social democracy thrives, how communities like Catalonia and the Zapatistas built alternative models, and why the metrics that matter are health, mobility, and shared security. The closing poem, “I Apologize,” brings the themes home: dignity, visibility, and the cost of erasure. If there's a single thread tying geopolitics, civic space, and political economy together, it's this: declarations make headlines; delivery changes lives. Subscribe, share with a friend who cares about results over rhetoric, and leave a review to help more people find the show. Where should we press next? Support the show

The Museum of Modern Art, also known as the MoMA, in New York City, is one of the most worthwhile museums to visit while in the city. With 5+ floors and hundreds of thousands of pieces, including works by Jackson Pollock, Pablo Picasso, and Paul Cézanne, there is something for everyone at this world-class museum.Before you go, listen to this episode covering some of the most famous art, tour options, ticket prices, and must-know tips for your museum visit.

Send us a textIn this episode, we dive into the world of l'art i els museus! You'll learn key Catalan vocabulary and phrases to talk about paintings, sculptures, exhibitions and your artistic preferences. By the end, you'll be able to describe different kinds of art, share your opinions, and sound like a true art lover in Catalan.We hope you enjoy it! As we said, let us know if you did/are enjoying the Podcast in general and where you are learning from - we love getting to know our listeners!Support the showGroup Lessons starting December 2026 (register your interest): Group ProgrammesBeginners Course: Catalan for Beginners CoursePatreon: The Lazy Linguist Buy us a coffee: Buy me a Coffee Instagram: @lazylinguistcatalan Facebook: The Lazy Linguist Podcast

Super-Listeners >>> https://www.patreon.com/c/Footballforkids From futsal in Catalonia to the Premier League, Marc Cucurella's story proves passion and resilience make champions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices