A quick news update to let you know about our new Advanced podcast, Notes in Spanish Conversations. Sign up for the new podcast feed at notesinspanish.com

Ben and Marina talk about how superstitious the Spanish are, and some of Spain’s favourite superstitions. Get the worksheets at www.notesinspanish.com

Ben and Marina look at the reading habits of the Spanish, and what it tells us about the Spanish today. Get the worksheets at www.notesinspanish.com

Ben and Marina try to live a no-impact week, and discover that rubbish is one of the biggest problems in their lives! Get the worksheets at www.notesinspanish.com

Ben and Marina discuss the reasons for, and attitudes towards, the new speed reduction on Spanish highways, and how it doesn’t fit in with the speed increase on Madrid’s pavements! Get the worksheets at www.notesinspanish.com

Ben and Marina discuss the life of Cristóbal Colón (Columbus), and look at whether the tyrannical side of him portrayed in the film ‘Tambien la lluvia’ is really accurate or not. Get the worksheets at www.notesinspanish.com

Ben and Marina discuss life after Peak Oil, and the fascinating Transition Town initiative that is sweeping through the UK and beyond, promising to help us thrive in an oil-reduced future. Get the worksheets at www.notesinspanish.com

Ben and Marina discuss Guernica – the fascinating story of a Picasso’s involvement in the Spanish civil war, and the birth of his great symbolic painting. Get the worksheets at www.notesinspanish.com

Ben and Marina discuss the Moorish reign in Spain, and the clear influences we can see in Spanish life and culture today. Get the worksheets at www.notesinspanish.com

Ben and Marina look at the strange world of coincidences and discuss whether it is all down to probability and statistics, or whether there is something else going on… Get the worksheets at www.notesinspanish.com

Ben and Marina discuss ways of saving ourselves from information overload on the internet, and in life in general. Get the worksheets at www.notesinspanish.com

Ben and Marina discuss the little-known Spanish painter Joaquin Sorrolla, his wonderful museum-house in Madrid, and his luminous life and work. Get the worksheets at www.notesinspanish.com

Ben and Marina talk about cooking, the typical Spanish dish Cocido (made with garbanzos – chickpeas), and its historical origins.  Get the worksheets at www.notesinspanish.com

Ben and Marina look at why Unesco is choosing to bring Flamenco and Catalonia’s human castles under its umbrella, as well as other Spanish cultural treasures such as Mallorca’s El Canto de la Sibila. Get the worksheets at www.notesinspanish.com

Ben and Marina discuss the changes brought about by the new full smoking ban in Spanish bars, restaurants, and other public places, and what it means for Spanish culture and respect for authority! Get the worksheets at www.notesinspanish.com

Ben and Marina talk Spanish cinema, looking back at some of the great films and directors of the last few years… which films would you add to our list? Get the worksheets at www.notesinspanish.com

Ben and Marina discuss a recent trip to a ‘centro comercial’ (and the horror awaiting in the toilets!), and examine the rise and fall of the shopping mall in Spain. Get the worksheets at www.notesinspanish.com

Ben and Marina look at a major breakdown in Spanish air traffic control in December, and how it lead to measures not seen since Franco’s times… Get the worksheets at www.notesinspanish.com

Ben and Marina look at the unlikely mix of Japanese Zen meditation and Catholicism in Spain, and examine the fascinating life of Santa Teresa de Avila. Get the worksheets at www.notesinspanish.com

Ben and Marina discuss emmigration from Spain over the last century, how it affected Marina’s family directly, and whether it is really about to happen again now. Get the worksheets at www.notesinspanish.com

Ben and Marina look at how the press manipulates us, with a real-world example from Madrid. Get the worksheets at www.notesinspanish.com

Marina talks to Flor about her home country Chile, covering everything from geography, to gastronomy, how recent tragedies changed the country’s attitude to faith, the lives of her 30-something friends, and typical Chilean expressions. Get the worksheets at www.notesinspanish.com

The ‘Real Academia’ has changed the Spanish language (a little bit…), and some people are up in arms about it! Get the worksheets at www.notesinspanish.com

Today, Ben and Marina look at how the nature/nurture debate actually begins in the womb, and how it can have a bearing on our health in later life. Get the worksheets at www.notesinspanish.com