Howth and Malahide

Ireland is a relatively small country and as Dublin is quite close to the cost taking a train is a great way to enjoy the rest of the island. With the DART (the Irish equivalent of the metro), you can head north to Howth, a beautiful port city, to walk alone the cliffs, and hopefully see some sea horses. If you're brave enough to go for a swim, Malahide has a lovely beach with beautiful clear water. It's even more gorgeous when lit up the sun, which, admittedly, is not very often.

Toothbrush hat

This top hat brushes your teeth as you walk. It won a 10,000 pounds (12,000€) prize in a bizarre invention competition, and will soon be produced as a real gadget!

Crustace art

A chef form Taiwan transforms lobster shells into art. Huang Mingo made these motorbikes for a food art seminar in China. Each motorbike has amazing details like wings mirrors and number plates. So, If you ever eat lobster, recycle...build a motorcycle.

Boris Johnson. The next prime minister?

The hair, the gaffes, the humour... London's mayor is one of Britain's most colourful and popular politicians. And perhaps its most ambitious. Meet the high-flying Boris Johnson!

Over the course of a varied career, he has been fired from almost every job he's had or been forced to resign in disgrace. His biographer describes him as "the most ruthless, ambitious person I have ever met". One interviewer recently accused him of being "a nasty piece of work" live on TV.
Welcome to the extraordinary world of London's mayor, Boris , Who many think will one day become prime minister, although the man himself denies this. Indeed, he say:"My chances of beeing PM are about as good as the finding Elvis on Mars, or my being reincarnated as an olive".

The clue to his success lies in that quote: Boris Johnson does not talk like a normal politician. Johnson is more like a stand-up comedian than a politician, with his own, inimitable way of expressing things. For years, he has been a favourite guest on TV comedy shows because he is a fast with a joke as professional comedians. But behind the humour hides an incredibly ambitious man.

As a child, his often-repeated objective was to become "world king". Growing up, he decided on a more modest project: he would be content with just becoming either Britain's prime minister or president of the USA. Ultimately, however, the former seemed more realistic- and now every day it seems to become more probable.
There's one problem: Britain already has a prime minister, David Cameron. And not only are Boris and David  members of the same party, but they have known one another since childhood because both went to Eton, the most elite and expensive of England's private schools. Founded in 1440, Eton has already produced 19 British prime ministers. Prince William and Prince Harry also studied here.

But bizarrely, while Etonian origins mark Cameron as a member of the upper classes in the eyes of the people, Boris is seen as a man of the people. Despite his habit of quoting in Latin, people can imagine having a pint of beer with Boris in a pub.
 

Parking bandits

Keene, New Hampshire

 A group of good Samaritans have saved motorists thousands of dollars in fines by adding money to parking meters. Calling themselves the Robin Hood of Keene, they follow the town's parking attendants, and put money in expired meters before they can write a ticket. While Keene's residents are happy, locals officials have sued the "outlaws", saying they intimidate the attendants

Cronuts

The latest sweet trend among New Yorkers, cronuts are half donut and half croissant. Delicious!

The Queen's Birthday Parade

The Queen's birthday is on 21 April, but the public celebration is in June... when the weather is good! The birthday parade* for the Queen is called Trooping the Colour. The military gives a royal salute and the Queen inspects her troops*. Military bands playmusic too... but not "Happy Birthday!"


Vocabulary:
Parade: desfilada

 Troops: tropes

Changing guards

A Sikh soldier has made history. Last year, Jatinderpal Singh Bhullar became the firs Sikh to wear a turban instead of a bearskin hat while guarding Buckingham Palace. Other Sikhs have guardered the Queen's palace, but thay always wore the traditional bearskin hat. Bhullar said: "Conducting public duties while being a practising Sikh and wearing my turban is a great honour for me.

Botox for poker players

A doctor from New York's East Side is offering to help to  card players get the perfect "poker face" with botox. "Very few people can mantain a real poker face. They have some expression that gives away that they have a goog hand or a bad hand to an opponent," says Dr Jack Berdy. The doctor wants to ask players what signals reveal their emotions and then use botox to freeze these areas. Professional poker players are sceptical, however. They say the modern game is more about statistics than reading players' expressions.

The Oscars

This month is the 85th Academy Awards, or Oscars. The Oscars are the most famous film awards in the world. Last year a French silent film, The Artist, won five awards including best film, best director and best actor for Jean Dujardin. Who win at the Oscars this year?

Good month for...

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Queen Elizabeth II, who is now more popular with the British public than ever, with 90 per cent of people approving of her.

Mad marriage

Some people do crazy things when they are in love. This coupledecided to get married underwater on Valentin's Day. The person who conducted the ceremony was not in the aquarium: he was behind the glass. But that wasn't a problem. The real problem was how to kiss the bride.

Queen Elizabth II and Kate Middleton

She may not really have jumped out of a helicopter with James Bond at the Olympics, but 2012 has been the Queen's best year yet. Her Diamond Jubilee was feted with thousands of street parties, while a poll showed that 87 per cent of Britons sopport the monarchy, a record high.
Kate has helped, of course. Her beauty, style and natural ease with the public have impressed people at home and abroad. Indeed, Time magazine named her one of 2012's "100 Most Influential People in the World".

British republicans may have hoped to gain more support for their cause when the Queen dies, but with Kate it seems the monarchy is in safe hands.

Grease

One of the most famous American musicals is back in cinemas to celebrate its 35th anniversary. It's the story of two teenagers, Sandy and Danny, who fall in love during the summer holidays. They soon discover they are at the same High School. But how can a cool guy like Danny date a nice, sensible girl like Sandy?

Bling bling car

It took three artisans about four months to transform this 1970s Beetle. The exterior is made of wrought iron and real gold. It's perfect car... but what do they do if it rains?

A TV message from the Queen

At 3 pm on Christmas day, more than 10 million British people enjoy an old tradition: the Queen's Christmas message on TV. The Queen talks about recent news, her family and shares her thoughts on Christmas. This year will be Elizabeth's 60th Christmas message...she'll have lots to say!

Shoes or socks

If you like walking in your socks at home, now you can walk in socks outside too! These  protective socks are like gloves and you can also go rock climbing in there. Crazy!

Strange cat

Venus the cat is an internet sensation... one side of her head is black! She also has one green eye and one blue eye. You can watch Venus on:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDoOWN0EA1Y

Prince of walls

Royals aren't normally known for their climbing abilities. But Prince Charles, age 63, was happy to show off his skills on a recent visit to a school in Jersey. The prince demostrated determination and strength... the perfect attributes for a future king!

Electronic art

Cuban artist Steven Rodrig makes ecological art. He recycles millions of computer circuit boards, which are not biodegradable. This is his circuit board toilet. Don't use it, of course!