US elections explained

More ways to make us spend more

• Placing popular items at the back ─ Why, oh why do stores make parents with small children trek all the way to the back of the store for necessities like baby wipes and toilet paper? Because they’re hoping you and your kids will find plenty of irresistible items to pick up on your way. 
• 99 cents ─ When you look at a price and see $9.99, chances are your brain doesn’t automatically register $10, but that figure is closer to the truth. Typically, consumers will think of prices ending in 9 as a much lower price, and end up spending more money. In addition to the change in perception, making prices end in 9 makes calculating confusing. So for someone trying to see the difference between two smaller bags of an item at $1.99 versus a larger one at $4.99, it may be tricky to figure out exactly what the total cost would be for each.
• Coupons ─ Wait, coupons are supposed to save you money, right? Correct, but deal seekers often end up spending more than those that casually shop. First, coupons direct shoppers to the items retailers most want them to spend money on — and those items may not be bargains, even with coupons. 
• Limited time only ─ When deals are only available for a short period of time, it’s natural to want to get it before it’s gone. Combined with confusing discounts, like buy one, get the second 60% off, and you’ve got shoppers that are ravenous to get the great deal, even if they don’t know exactly what that deal is.
• Sales — It’s the traditional motivator. We go to the shopping centre. We see clothes on sale. We have plenty at home, but they were such a great deal, we buy one more pair. We can't help buying them because they are on sale, not because they are cheap or we need them.
• Store cards ─ You’ve seen the signs and have almost certainly been asked to sign up for one at the register — store cards exist to make sure you’ll spend lots of money right where retailers want you to.  With a discount as an incentive, shoppers with new store cards often overspend on their initial transaction, buying extra in order to maximize their sign-up discount.
• Return policies — The opposite of retail therapy is buyer’s remorse. The solution is to make returns easy for people who change their minds. According to the Washington Post, an estimated 25 to 30 percent of online purchases are sent back, about triple the rate for items bought in-store. Therefore, even if only one in 10 store buyers returns merchandise, they are more likely to make a more expensive purchase if they have the option.
• Aspirational buying — Many luxury goods firms never run sales. These expensive products make you feel you are entering a club or a higher category.
• Compliments — When shopping for clothing, telling a customer they look good in something sets the stage for the accessories they need to buy to complete the outfit. The more specific the compliment, the more effective.
• Handling the product — According to the Harvard Business Review, touching the product establishes a symbolic connection. Customers are willing to spend at least 40 percent more on certain products that are physically present vs. those described in photos or text.
• Extras you thought were standard — The main purchase might be a smart phone, but you need a screen protector, a memory card and a case.
• Paying by credit card — Purchases become abstract when you sign a receipt instead of actually counting out money. A study by Dun & Bradstreet shows people spend 12 to 18 percent more when paying by credit card.
• Loyalty programs —Customers often pay more attention to the benefits they might get from a loyalty programme than to the product they are purchasing.
• Extended warranties — When you buy an appliance or computer, you might think you are done. The store makes the case for continuing coverage in case something goes wrong.
• Automatic renewals — Your homeowner's or auto insurance are good examples. Once you become a client and pay on a monthly basis, the policy automatically renews at the end of the period. Often the price is higher. 
• Buying for another — Americans are generous people. We might watch our own spending, but we will splash out for another family member or friend. In the past, one of the extreme cases was funeral expenses after the death of a loved one.
• Celebrity endorsements – In 1934, Wheaties started putting athletes on cereal boxes. It’s grown and grown ever since. According to Forbes, celebrities inspire consumer confidence. People use the product to identify with the lifestyle of the celebrity.  
• Independent awards — People like impartial third-party evaluations. Lots of wine gets sold because scores are awarded by wine publications. These tags are called “shelf talkers.”
• Getting something free — Perfume companies often offer a free gift with a purchase over a specific threshold. You spend more to get the “free” gift.

Adapted from https://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/how-to/marketing/2017/10/18-ways-to-encourage-customers-to-spend-more-than.html  and http://www.youngupstarts.com/2011/08/17/20-hidden-marketing-techniques-that-make-consumers-spend-more/

Food in Britain

There are several aspects of food and eating in Britain that are shocking or at least surprising for a Spaniard:

• Meal times and names:

Marmite by Malcolm Farmer

• Large breakfasts. A proper traditional breakfast might include fried eggs, sausage, baked beans, bacon, toast, fried tomatoes, mushrooms, toast or fried bread ... and, of course, a cup of tea or coffee. However, nowadays, most people in Britain just have a simpler breakfast with cereal, toast, a cup of tea or coffee and some juice. A "nice cuppa" refers to a cup of tea.
• Many people will drink tea or coffee while having a meal, instead of drinking water. It might be difficult to imagine someone eating soup while drinking soup, but not from a Briton.
• Almost anything can be eaten on toast: beans, Marmite, egg, tomato, cheese...



Tea time at Lucy's by MrsWoman

• Tea is the national drink. It is drunk at all meals, any time of the day and any time of the year, not just for the meal called "tea".
•  There are also some foods that may seem strange to foreigners:
• haggis
• Scotch eggs
• Toad in the hole
• black pudding
• Welsh rarebit
• Fish and chips. If you don't know what to eat any time, you may pop into a fish and chips shop and buy your dinner there.

Penny Lane fish and chips shop by Loco Steve

Fish and chips by Richard Allaway

Traditional british food from comeniusnewclans

British food from Anthonny Garcia

QUIZZES:

• Proprofs: British Food
• Quizly

READ MORE:

• Project Britain
• 21 Things Everyone Should Know Before Visiting Britain
• British Etiquette for International Students
• British Habits That Confuse the Rest Of the World
• British Food Habits That Americans Will Never Understand
• Ten Strange British Foods
• Food Quirks That British People Don't Realise Are Weird

https://britainexplorer.com/ten-strange-british-foods/

https://www.buzzfeed.com/tabathaleggett/food-quirks-that-british-people-dont-realise-are-weird

Original hipster nativity scene

Gorilla Goodies is selling an original nativity set for this Christmas: the Hipster Nativity Set.
Can you describe the difference between this nativity set and the traditional one?

Have a look at this pictures from the Gorilla Goodies website:

British money: coins and banknotes

This presentation will tell you about British money:

British currency from Ludivina

Halloween classroom activity

Halloween trivia from Ana Arias Castro

Basic halloween trivia from Ana Arias Castro

How to make tea

1. Boil the water. Using a kettle, bring more than enough water to a boil. The better tasting your water, the better tasting your tea. The best water is filtered or bottled (but not distilled). If using tap water, let it run cold for 10 seconds before using it for tea. Make sure you only boil the water one time. If you boil the water more than once, the oxygen levels in the water will be reduced and make the tea taste flat.
2. Pre heat whatever you want to put the tea in. This will prevent the steeping water from dropping in temperature as soon as it is poured in. Add a little boiling water to a ceramic or porcelain teapot or the individual cups--wherever the tea will be steeped (ceramic and porcelain retain heat well). Cover the teapot with the lid and a cozy, if you have one. Let the water stand until the vessel is warm, then pour out the water and proceed immediately to the next step.
3. Put the tea in an infuser, strainer, or directly in the bottom of the teapot. Steeping without an infuser or strainer gives the tea more room to unfold and release additional flavor. Start with one heaped teaspoon per cup of tea to be made, unless you have instructions which say otherwise. The amount of loose tea you use will depend on the type and strength of the tea, as well as your individual taste, so a little experimentation may be in order.
4. Add hot water. Pour it over the tea. Use an amount in proportion to the quantity of tea you've added (eg. 5 cups of water for 5 teaspoons of tea). The ideal water temperature varies based on the type of tea being steeped. The more oxidized (fermented) the tea (e.g. black tea) the hotter the water should be, whereas less oxidized teas (white, green) should be steeped in water that isn't as hot.

• White or green teas (full leaf): Well below boiling (170-185 F or 76-85 C). When the water boils, turn off the heat and let the water cool for 30 seconds for white tea and 60 seconds for green tea before pouring it over the leaves.
• Oolongs (full leaf): 185-210 F or 85-98 C
• Black teas (full leaf): Water must be at a rolling boil (212 F or 100 C). The most common mistake is to steep black tea with water that is not hot enough, which can prevent the active substances in black tea from developing.
• Pu-erhs: Full rolling boil (212 F or 100 C).
• Tea bags: Never let the water boil. Since tea bags often include tea dust and fannings (the smallest tea particle grades) and so have more surface area, use slightly less hot water.
5. Let the tea steep. Cover with the cozy to retain warmth. Different teas require different steeping times. In general, whole-leaf tea should be steeped longer than broken-leaf tea.Check the box for guidance. If there are no instructions, steep for a minute or two, then taste frequently until it's flavorful but not bitter. If practicing gong-fu brewing to make multiple infusions, use shorter infusion times, typically 30 seconds to 1 minute. For normal (Western) brewing, the steeping times are longer. The following recommendations are guidelines:

• Oolong teas: 4-7 minutes
• Black teas: 3-5 minutes
• Green teas: 2-3 minutes
6. Remove the tea leaves. Get rid of the tea leaves in the pot (if you have a strainer or infuser) or pour the liquid into another vessel with a strainer to catch any tea leaves. Tuck the teapot back inside a tea cozy if there is tea remaining in the pot after serving everyone. This helps keep the tea hot longer.
7. Serve. Depending on your taste, you may want to serve black tea tea with milk, sugar, lemon or honey. Do not serve the tea with both lemon and milk or the milk will curdle. If you use milk, add the milk to the cup first and then add the tea; this prevents the hot tea from scalding the milk by heating it gradually.
8. Infuse again if you want to make more tea for a second serving. Many teas, especially whole-leaf green and oolong teas, can be infused multiple times, so repeat the above steps, increasing the steeping time with each infusion, to get the most out of your tea.
   
9. Finished.

Text from: 

Wikihow: How to Make Tea

Reading Comprehension Exercise: Galicia as part of the United Kingdom

Some months ago we could read a surprising petition by Antonio Formoso Cores (Vigo) at Change.org for Galicia to become part of the United Kingdom in case Scotland voted against staying as part of it. It is addressed at the British Prime Minister, Mr. James Cameron. Read the text and answer the following questions:

TEXT:

We Galicians are aware of the fact that Scotland may become independent in 2014 and that this issue is worrying you. You needn't think of a solution to this challenge because we have found an innovative proposal that you won't be able to refuse:

We propose you to accept Galiza as an integral part of the United Kingdom.

This may come as a surprise to you but Galiza is also a Celtic nation in the northwest of Spain. With us on board you won't miss the following: 

• Scottish pipes: we have our own.
• Celtic of Glasgow: we have Celta Vigo
• An amazing landscape, we have that too
• Scottish clans, we have plenty of them (caciques are included)
• Our people like their drinks as Scots do
• We have a vibrant cultural and music scene
• In Galiza it also rains a lot
• We have a strong identity like Scottish people do.
• We are also an Atlantic country
• Flags of both countries have similar colours
• We also have some stingy people.
• Santiago of Compostela is our Edinburgh

With Galicians as part of the UK, you will gain the following:

• Hard-working people
• Galician people accent (in English) is easier to understand than the Scottish accent
• If you leave us alone, we won't bother you
• Lovely food and drinks (e.g. cozido instead of haggies, licor cafe instead of whisky, etc.)
• We speak the most spoken Roman languages of the world: Portuguese (Galician) and Spanish (Galician). We are able to communicate with both Brazil and Mexico using our two languages.
• Milder weather than in Scotland
• We share a similar sense of humour with British people (“retranca” is the Galician irony)
• British economy will improve with our fishing industry, textile (e.g. Zara), cultural tourism (The Way of St James), best beach of the world (Praia de Rodas, Ilhas Cies ,Vigo).
• Our seafood is worldwide famous (mussels, oysters, lobsters, etc.)

We look forward to hearing from you

Kind Regards

QUESTIONS:

1. Is this text serious or ironic? Why?
2. Which of the reasons given is the most convicing?
3. If you had to write a reply telling why it is not a good idea to become part of the United Kingdom, which three reasons would you mention?

MORE:

If you want to read more about the topic, have a look at all the comments displayed.

British and American bills and coins

This presentation by Taylor shows the different coins and bills used in the USA:

Moneymaterials from Ana Arias Castro

And this other presentation will tell you about British money:

British currency from Ludivina