Reading might be dead, but the classics are alive and well — on the screen!

In today’s article, The Economist ponders why so many adaptations of literary classics are flooding the silver screen just as we seem to be entering a post-literate age 👀

A few words from the article worth picking up:

🤎listings
= published lists of films or TV programmes showing what’s on and when

🤎highbrow
= intellectually sophisticated, associated with serious art, literature and culture

🤎pastoral idyll
= an idealized picture of peaceful, beautiful life in the countryside

🤎a bigwig (informal)
= an important or influential person, especially in an organization

🤎elemental themes
= fundamental, universal aspects of human experience, such as love, fear, family or survival

🤎to cut through
= to capture people’s attention and stand out, especially amid competing messages or distractions

Anyway, enjoy!

#chillread

друзья, коллеги, происходит невероятное — обеденная группа Chill Hour по четвергам 12:00-13:30 мск 😏

Что такое Chill Hour: (поп)культура, книги, кино

It's my baby and I am so proud 🥹 Курс для людей, которые хотят не просто учить английский, а жить в нём 🐸

Это не обычный speaking club: мы обсуждаем англоязычную повестку, (поп)культуру, книги, фильмы и феномены интернет-культуры — и параллельно учимся:

❤звучать естественно
❤уверенно участвовать в беседах на сложные темы
❤точнее формулировать мысли
❤понимать живой аутентичный английский

За один цикл из четырёх занятий мы:
❤ обсуждаем две актуальные темы из англоязычных медиа
📚 читаем и обсуждаем non-fiction book summary
🌟 смотрим фильм и обсуждаем его

6600 ₽ / 4 недели
Курс продлится до 20х чисел декабря!
Уровень: C1–C2
До 6 человек в группе 💋

Подробное описание курса здесь или в вк.
Записаться или задать вопросы — @wowvelta 🥐

To fight AI labs or to cooperate with them? That is the question!

...and different players in the music industry have very different answers 👀

Some juicy expressions from the article:

🤎to be in a spin over sth
to feel anxious, confused or agitated about something

🤎to make sb’s presence felt
to have a noticeable impact or influence on a situation

🤎to cut one’s teeth (on sth)
to gain your first practical experience of doing something

🤎to double down (on sth)
to become even more committed to a particular course of action, especially in the face of criticism or setbacks

🤎to reinforce the status quo
to strengthen or preserve the existing state of affairs

#chillread

chat, the event is organized by a non-profit organization whose events one of our very own chillers regularly attends! she says it’s a very warm and friendly community that makes mastering public speaking way less scary 😏 maybe some of you would be interested!

The autumn chill that wakes me up… 🍂🦊🦊

Figured it’s time I brought you some handy autumnal vocabulary!

🍂 crisp autumn air
pleasantly cool, fresh, and invigorating air.

I stepped outside into the crisp autumn air, my scarf pulled up to my ears

🍁 the leaves are turning
the leaves are changing color as autumn sets in.

The leaves are turning, painting the park in shades of amber, copper, and gold 🧡🤎💛

🕯 the days are drawing in (BrE) / the days are getting shorter
the amount of daylight is decreasing as winter approaches.

The days are drawing in, and by the time my evening classes start, the world outside is shrouded in darkness.

🌟 to bundle up
to put on warm clothes, especially several layers, to protect yourself from the cold.

I bundle up in a wool coat and scarf before heading out into the chilly October morning.

📚 to hunker down
to settle in somewhere cozy and sheltered, especially to wait out bad weather.

There's something about hunkering down with coffee and candles and books as the rain lashes against the windows...

🌳🌳 to be ablaze with color
to be covered in strikingly bright, vivid colors.

By mid-October, the maple trees in our park are ablaze with color, their leaves glowing scarlet and gold.

#chillvocab

Hey, are you in the market for some nostalgia? 🩷

As millennials are nearing the peak of their spending power, pop culture is becoming increasingly nostalgic for the 1990s and 2000s, the decades that shaped skinny jeans lovers 👀
And big companies are ready to cash in on it!

Don't believe me? Then believe The Economist: "Streaming services like Disney+ and HBO Max use original shows to attract new subscribers, but more than 90% of viewing on their platforms is of older “catalogue” shows".

A few expressions from the article:

💛spending power
the amount of money people have available to spend.

💛to call the shots
to be in control and make the important decisions.

💛a fashion bible
a publication regarded as an authoritative guide to fashion and style.

💛pinched economics
financial pressures or constraints that leave little money to spare.

💛to fall back on
to turn to something reliable when other options fail or prove difficult.

💛kidults
adults who enjoy toys, games, and activities traditionally associated with children.

Get it while it's hot 🤩

#chillread

You know how, when you’ve been through a bad patch, it’s really hard not to lose faith in yourself and succumb to learned helplessness?

I’ve been reading a book I’m planning to bring to Chill Hour in November (Determined by Robert M. Sapolsky), and I’ve stumbled upon a podcast (!) episode featuring the author himself, a Stanford neuroscientist and primatologist who studies the biology of stress and human behavior!

Give it a listen to learn how the chronic stress of living in poverty can impair cognitive function, making it even harder to escape poverty 💔

#chillwatch

осталось одно место в Chill Hour по четвергам 12:00-13:30 мск! может мы ждём тебя? 👀
записаться/задать вопросы @wowvelta 😏

There’s this idea that critics are these detached people whose taste is so sophisticated us, simpoletons, just don’t get it.

WELL, in “The good and the (not) great: Are film critics as snooty and out of touch as people think?”, The Economist suggests that this stereotype might not hold up 👀

But I have a different bone to pick with critics (especially music critics but any will do): the hell are they doing, getting their opinions from social media echo chambers or, worse, snark subreddits? Aren’t they supposed to exercise discernment and use their own mental faculties?

Just some thoughts 👻

#chillread