The Cassowary

The cassowary has caught people's imagination since the Dreamtimes. Its formidable size and shape, its elusive crepuscular behaviour, the ferocious might of its beak and claws, its frenzied glare when frightened, its long drooping red wattles and amber eyes have gained this rare rainforest fowl, a rap for being the most dangerous bird species in the world. But is the mystery true, or is it just another scary story in the social media?

To read the truth about the cassowary you can check the article "Amid efforts to save Australia's cassowaries, their numbers remain unknown", written by Cooper Williams for Mongabay. This text is recommended for B2 students, who can pick up expressions like: a cassowary, elusive, to shrink, to breed, striking, jet black, plumage, drooping, wattles, razor-sharp, a claw, to track, rugged [terrain], a scat, to roam, to rear, to range, a gully, to clear [the rainforest], the turning point, logging, [community] advocacy, reforestation, a [logging] track, ongoing [recovery], to breed, to lay [a clutch of 3- 5 eggs], to rebound, [to raise] a chick, a flightless [bird], a helping hand, to revegetate, a [road] strike, to limp [back into the forest], to strip [trees of fruit], unheard of, to hint [at a cautious return of the cassowary], wattled, mounting [pressures].

If you want to learn about the ancient connection between the Aboriginal groups in Far North Queensland (Australia) and the cassowary or "gunduy" in Djiru language, you can try the link The Indigenous Cultural Significance of the Southern Cassowary, published by the not-for-profit organisation Rainforest Rescue, where B2 students will find interesting expressions like: a settler, late [father], [to send] shivers [through my body], overwhelming, gunduy, the bush, a totem, a tray, a pot, to plant-out, a revegetation site ,the cassowary foot (jina-gundulu), the fire-wheel (oak), the flame-tree, a Girramay [dancer], the scrub, [elders and] kin, to pass down [knowledge], a feast, the [thickets] tangled [rainforest], a flightless [bird], to roam, frugivores, a wattle, a casque, droppings, ongoing [continuation], rainforest clearing, loss of habitat, [vehicle] strikes, pest [animals], revegetation, [cultural] tapestry. 

Numerous local conservation groups work in Daintree, Mission Beach and other areas in Far North Queensland, to study the cassowary and preserve their rainforest habitats, like Kuranda Conservation, Terrain NMR, Mission Beach Cassowaries Inc, the Gondwana Rainforest Trust, the Community for Coastal & Cassowary Conservation or the Girringun Aboriginal Corporation (GAP). Also, government agencies run programmes and maintain websites to raise awareness and protect this endangered species, for example, the Wet Tropics Management Authority: Southern Cassowary, or the Queensland Government with Southern Cassowary and Be Cass-o-wary safety tips, where advice is given in the unlikely case humans bump into a free cassowary in the wild. As for captive breeding plans for the cassowaries, you can take a look at the project Species Survival Plan (SSP) in San Diego Zoo: the Cassowary. 

Below, you can watch a short video, Cassowary Corridors (1':30"), by the Queensland Trust for Nature at Mission Beach, where some locals explain conservation efforts to restore fragmented habitats for the cassowary, and where you can actually watch some specimens of these birds roaming in the bush. A much longer documentary can be found at Cassowary: The Most Dangerous Bird Alive (49':53"), by Space and Science channel. Finally, you can also watch a cute video for kids, Keeping Cassowaries connected (11':24") by Terrain NMR and follow Peanut, a young cassowary, on the day his father leaves him alone for the first time. These videos are recommended for B2+ or C1 students.

Stop the Wedding! by Ashe

Pop singer Ashe has become one of the most widely heard artists on Spotify, on TikTok and in the UK singles chart this week. Her hit "Stop the Wedding!" tells the story of second thoughts, just before her first wedding to an "emotionally manipulative and psychologically abusive" husband. Her album The Girl of Your Dreams is coming out on October 16th, and it includes, as its final track, Funeral, which definitely buries the insecure girl in Stop the Wedding! Ashe is now happily married to musician John Clark Canada.

On the link, you can find a listening comprehension task and its key, with the lyrics of Stop the Wedding!, for B2 students who may pick up words like: [a feeling] to sink in, cold feet, fireworks, velvet [smooth], to fall for [the act], a crack, to wear out, to flash, to set the table, satin, heels, to dread.

Mark Savage explains Ashe's personal voyage in the BBC article "Ash was too scared to cancel her wedding -the story came a hit song", where B2 students can find interesting expressions and collocations like: off duty, to tie the knot, gorgeous, a hilltop [ceremony], [inspiration] to strike, to gather, to flash back, a stark [contrast], [psychologically] abusive, a beachfront [wedding], the run-up [to the wedding], to call [the wedding] off, to stand up for [herself], a healthy [relationship], to put a halt to [the whole thing], her veil, [to walk down] the aisle, to file [a feeling away], [a song] to spill out, to unfold, to plead with [her younger self], [to stutter] to a halt, to pledge, to ruin [the wedding dress], to break into, to quit [music], to score [an early credit], overnight, a handful, to plunge into [a solo career], a breakthrough [hit], the moral [of the story], a venue, an overdose, to stomach, a [nervous] breakdown, to step away [from showbusiness], to rekindle [her passion for writing], to team up with, to be swept [up], an update [on your phone], groundedness, to be [deliriously] over the top, abrupt [tempo changes], [inner] turmoil, whimsical, to set out, an outlandish [requirement], villainous, lush [orchestrations], a nod, to scratch an itch, ebullient [sound].

Below, you can find the official video of Stop the Wedding! Enjoy!

The Solar Power Boom in Pakistan and the Philippines

High electricity bills, in the current global energy crisis, are driving countries like Pakistan and the Philippines to install solar panels on rooftops massively. 

BBC World Service journalist Jordan Dunbar discusses this trend with climate journalist Jhesset Enano in Manila and renewable energy analyst Zeeshan Ashfaq in Islamabad in the podcast The Solar Power Boom in Pakistan and the Philippines. The latest episode of The Climate Question is quite long (22':58") and has no subtitles, so it is recommended for C2 students as a self-study activity, who can use the following list of words as a listening guide: a rooftop, to pay attention, a power station, a boom, a think-tank, a solar panel, a megawatt, a transshipment [country], a fleet, a [power] rate, to outrank, to outpace, a thorn in the neck, [exorbitant] prices, to grumble about, [monthly] income, soaring [prices], a [Filipino] household, a gut punch, to allocate, to be reliant on [fossil fuels], the [power] grid, to pass on to [the consumers], an appliance, peak hours, LNG, the [solar] rush, a viable [option], to charge [a mobile phone], unreliable [electricity], a peer, diesel [prices], [to feel] the crunch [of electricity bills], a shortage, a blackout, [temperatures] to soar, retrofitted, my takeaway, an [eco-]conscious [decision], the closure [of the Straight of Hormuz], an inquiry, the uptick, a mix, [different] walks of life, the shift, a [solar] loan, a mortgage, the lower-income [Filipinos], to range, to plummet, to pop up, to be shunned, to weather this crisis, [the investment is] out-of-pocket, to miss out, a disruption, from the get-go, to come up with [policy mechanisms], regulations, assets, to overtake, to call on [Congress], [battery] storage, to follow through, to embrace [this solar boom], in the pipeline, to set up. 

Below, you can watch the same The Climate Question podcast, now on the BBC World Service YouTube Channel, under the title The Philippines and Pakistan: Solar power leaders (19':55"). Here, subtitles are available to facilitate comprehension:

A shorter, easier summary the podcast can be found in Jay Hilotin's article Solar boom: Pakistan and Philippines turn to rooftops as power costs soar, recently published in the Gulf News. Here, C1 students can pick up expressons like: a [solar] boom, a rooftop, [power costs] to soar, grid [anxiety], to reshape, [supply chain] disruptions, amid [the Middle East war], a household, a power station, mains [electricity], a [key] trigger, a [rapid] shift, grid [dependence], to account for [80% of global solar-panel production], to rank as [the top two destinations], a [transshipment] hub, a driver, a [power] disruption, an inquiry, to highlight, to surge, LNG [supplies], [climate] concerns, an [energy] security, a tipping point, an [international] shock, [fossil fuel] reliance, to be [heavily] reliant on [imported fossil fuels], an archipelago, to bear the cost [of losses], to arrange [solar panels], highlights, an [electricity-generating] asset, the [fossil-fuel power-plant] fleet, income, a concern over [fuel shortages], a blackout, [to push rooftop solar into] the mainstream, [80%] the share [of global solar-panel production].

Finally, you can find below a shorter YouTube video (2':24") of the Philippines side of the story, High bills, cheap panels drive solar surge in the Philippines. This TRT World video could easily be viewed in class to complement a reading task with the Gulf News story above and a follow-up speaking task, so that C1 students can practise interesting expressions like: to roar, to fuel, volatility, to pursue [a practical edge], to switch to [solar], a power cut, a solar panel, to target a [mix of renewable energy], a bottom-up [phenomenon], [to be] dependent on [oil], a [nationwide] blackout, a scenario, a think-tank, solar adaptation, a trend, to make the switch, the upfront cost, out of reach, to install [the systems], red tape, a strenuous [process], to tap into [solar energy].

The Odyssey (2026): a Classic Epic Movie... and More Books & Films

The Odyssey by Christopher Nolan (2026), is already a classic epic movie, just like Homer's Odyssey is a classic epic book which can only be compared to a handful of books at the very summit of the History of Literature: One Thousand and One Nights, Don Quixote, Hamlet, War and Peace, Moby-Dick, In Search of Lost Time, One Hundred Years of Solitude or Ulysses. 

But, problably, Homer's Odyssey is unique in the influence it has wielded over three millennia on Western writers like Virgil in his Aeneid, Dante in Chant XXVI of his Inferno, James Joyce's in the above mentioned Ulysses, Margaret Atwood in her novella The Penelopiad, Madeline Miller in her feminist view on Circe, Derek Walcott in his Caribbean poem Omeros (you can find a short video of Lit With Charles which explains The Odyssey's influence on Omeros, Xenophon's Anabais and the Penelopiad) and in the Fine Arts, on painters like J.M.W. Turner in his masterpiece Ulysses Deriding Polyphemus, or John W. Waterhouse in Circe Offering the Cup to Odysseus and on sculptors like Auguste Rodin in The Sirens.

If you love music, one of your favourite singers or bands might have written a song inspired by Odyssey, just check this Songfacts list of Songs that reference The Odyssey and you will find Suzanne Vega's Calypso, REM's Lotus, Franz Ferdinand's Ulysses or Loreena MacKeneath's Penelope's Song, among others. But this list is incomplete, for example, singer songwriter Joan Manuel Serrat also wrote a song called Penélope, which can be added to this endless list, for the weight of Homer's Odyssey in Western Art, Music & Literature is, problably, only second to the influx of the Bible,

Back to the movie, Christopher Nolan has managed to tell the complex story of king Odysseus's return to Ithaca with the visual language of modern Hollywood superhero blockbusters, and, at the same time, he has managed to give a 3-hour-lesson in classical Greek literature to teenagers and seniors alike. No small feat! 

The Odissey, has become both a box office and a critic's success. Nicholas Barber and Caryn James rank the movie at No. 2 in the BBC Culture article "The Invite to the Odyssey: 12 of the best films of 2026 so far". This article is recommended for C2 students for its rich and dense language, which includes expressions like: a highlight [of the year], a blockbuster, a farcical [sex comedy], to aim at [grown-ups], to feature, loved-up, to drop in [for dinner], to bicker, a laidback [guest], hilarious, a moving [screenplay], [to lay] bare, pacing, a contender [to the Oscars], hype, beguiling, stunning, a [natural, modern] delivery, a relatable [king], cramped, to intertwine, an enthralling and layered [film], ludicrously [inventive], [to shoot] footage, [two] buffoonish, would-be [superstars], a daft [film], wit, a flock, to steep in [detective story], to set out [to track the clues], a cast, deft, game, a bumbling [police officer], a high-powered [lawyer], childlike [qualities], tender, a standout, a battle-scarred [veteran], a ram, a [comic] romp, cosy, a sequel, gore, a buddy-comedy, a hulking [cannibal], cheeky, eccentric, pitch-perfect [intimacy], the backdrop [of the presidential election], to nullify, loosely, stunningly, to capture, bold [colours], [heartbreaking] coda, fizzily [energetic], conceit, to hop [into a beaver], furry [friends], plotted, an exhilarating [take on the book], artistry, daring, fiery, caustic, to overlook, prettified [period scenes], an enticing [kaleidoscope of colour], to drop in [some comic moments], to be over the top, enduring [passion], class-bound [time], action-packed [set piece], painstaking [research], touching, inspiring, a bleak [narrative], fast-paced, cheerful, goofball [charm], a bracing [drama], a purge, wilfully [to echo], creeping [authoritarianism], [the film] to unfold, eerie [calm], a low-boil [thriller], to circumvent, a harrowing [story], the grip [of a dictatorship], a stranger-than-fiction [true story], to kidnap, a mortgage [broker], [financial] woes, to wield [a shotgun], pathos, a nerve-racking [situation], a romcom, wilfully, dramedy, a sharp [detour], a high-wire [act of a film], a deft [star], jumpy [nerves], a backlash, sheer [Hollywood star power], a thought-provoking [comment], a hot-button [issue].

Next, you can find a conversation class for B2 students and above, entitled "Conversation Questions,  The Odyssey: Classic Books & Movies", which can be added to complete & enhance the reading of the BBC Culture review above or the listening of the short video below 3 Great Books if you loved The Odyssey, by Lit With Charles:

C2 students and experts can watch the video What Three Artists Thought The Odyssey Meant Will Surprise You?!  (12:54) from an Art History YouTube channel called Unframed, which describes three artworks in history, and three different readings of Homer's Odyssey by the unknown ancient Greek "Siren Painter", and the above mentioned painters Waterhouse and Turner.

Finally, for further information about the movie, you can watch the BBC Radio 1 programme The Secret of The Odyssey, where film critic Ali Plumb interviews the director of the film, Sir Christopher Nolan, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Samantha Morton, Benny Safdie, John Leguizano and Himesh Patel. This long video below (41':42") is recommended for C2 students and experts. 

The Odissey is fun. Don't miss it!

Slime Matters

 

Scientists at the Max Plank Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Germany are studying snail slime to understand its various nature, which may lead to medical applications in the future. A short All Things Considered (NPR) story "Sticky or slippery? Snails can change their slime to meet the moment" (3':30") by Ari Daniel gives all the details about this scientific endeavour. The NPR report can be recommended for B2 students with the script or C1 learners without script, who can pick up expressions like: slime, to splatter, tubeworms, hagfish, a bucket, a colloid, an interface, to mesmerize, a brown-lipped snail, to tune, mucus, to seal [a wound], to deliver [a drug], a many hued [wonder], a nuance [of yellow], an array [of mucuses], sticky, slippery, to adhere, to glide, a foam, a pest, a [sticky] glue, a shell, to cling to [everything], the versatility, lichen, to coax, [twin] tweezers, to secrete, to trick, to tickle, stiff, to tweak, a catheter, to synthesize.

If you want to learn more about snail beauty products, you can't miss the Business Insider video report below "Why Snail Slime is a $500 Million Industry" (8':47"), which talks about the industrial expansion of snail farming at the International Institute of Heliciculture in Cherasco, Northern Italy. This video in English and Italian with subtitles, is recommended for C1 students and above. You can also read the article "Top 5 Snail-Inspired Skincare Products" from Character Media Magazine, an English Language Magazine for the Asian American community. This story is recommended for C1 students and above too.

Spain Wins the 2026 World Cup

Spain has won the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a long, hard-fought match against Argentina, the previous World Champion, Emma Smith reports for BBC Sport in her article "Victory for football? Spain beat Argentina to win World Cup", where B2 students can pick up interesting expressions like: trite, cliche, to slam, extra-time, [to slam in/ to score] a winner, endurance, to derserve [the trophy], a [goals] tally, a goalkeeper, a clean sheet, to concede [one goal], metrics, to stumble, out of the gate, the opener, a squad, a spoiler, [commander] in chief, to be booked, to wilt, [Torres'] strike, a save, to somersault,[involved in] scraps, [to throw] a punch, a [BBC] pundit, to outplay, to get in their face, to wind up, to be wronged. [to be] on your back.

Becky Sullivan writes a less critical report of Argentina's performance for NPR in "Spain is the 2026 World Champion, defeating Argentina for its second title", with contributions by Jasmine Garsd and Russell Lewis, where B2 students can encounter expressions, some of them American, like: to defeat, extra time, a squad, to mark, a run, to concede [a goal], [to be] ecstatic, flabbergasted, [Argentina's magic] to run out, back-to-back, [Spain's penalty] box, to hold firm, [Spain's] crosses, [Spain's] attempts, to break up, a shin, a clean, seemingly, a save, to seal [a victory], stoppage time, a tackle [on a player], a midfielder, to flip [into the air], [to earn] a yellow card, dissent, to break through, to knock [the ball] in, nothing short of [unbelievable], an assist, a heart-stopping [semifinal], sencond only to [Kylian Mbappé], to shrug, [to be] ranked [number 1], to be draped [in Spain flags], a bagel, the get-in [price], five figures, to pile [into] the stands, [to be] treated [to a halftime show], a nod [to American audiences].

Finally, you can watch the BBC News report of the match plus the subsequent celebration of Spain's victory in the streets of Madrid in the video "Spain beat Argentina to win 2026 World Cup" (5':42") which can be recommended for C1 students and above:

Chart Watch: Three Upcoming Artists Can Lead the Summer Charts

Three young musicians are coming up the summer charts, according to Stephen Thompson, on the NPR's story "These Three Artists Are Poised to Invade the Top of the Pop Charts": country singer-songwriter Stella Lefty with Boston, rapper Yung Miami with Spend Dat, and singer-songwriter Malcolm Todd with Earrings.  This article is recommended for B2 students and above, who can pick up expressions like: to be poised, to hold [at No 1], K-pop [band], to land, atop, to crash [the chart's] uppermost, reaches, to wait in the wings, to pounce, room [to grow], a sleeper, [to hit] a peak, a hook, a [summery] mood-lifter, word-of-mouth [country hits], to stick around, a rapper, to score, a viral [hit], to float around, solo, duo, [to have] proven, by a mile, a [TikTok] phenomenon, [to hit] a [career] peak, a [chart] mainstay, to debut, to rank [among K-pop's kings of quantity], to dwarf, streaming [numbers], vinyl, a short-timer, [to give] bragging [rights], trivia, prolificacy, [no easy] feat, [to sit] motionless, to slide [to No. 2], a [chart] champ, the [summer] doldrums, a breakout [star], mainstay, to swap [places], a [chart] bump.

Other full-blown artists like Ella Langley with her recurrent number 1 hit "Choosin' Texas", K-pop boy band ATEEZ with their latest album Golden Hour: Part 5, singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo with her album "You Seem Pretty Sad, for a Girl so in Love" or Taylor Swift's "I Knew It, I Knew You" are also mentioned in Stephen Thompson's story. 

Below, you can watch the official video of "Choosin' Texas" the current No. 1 song at the Billboard Hot 100: July 11th, 2026 by the country artist Ella Langley, and a link to the lyrics of this song from LyricFind:

And finally, below you can watch the Boston Live Video by the budding country-pop artitst Stella Lefty. You can also find a fill-in-the gap exercise with the lyrics of Boston and its key on this link. This task is recommended for B2 students and above, who will come across expressions like: to jump the gun, what's up, to be along with [the ride], to head [back to where you come from]. You can also find some facts and an explanation of the meaning of the lyrics of Boston on this link from the Holler platform, which specializes in Country, Americana and Roots music. Enjoy!