Languages - Coffee Break Spanish

UPDATE ! (See Below.)

Coffee Break Spanish           http://radiolingua.com/shows/spanish/coffee-break-spanish/

For a while now I have been attempting to learn some functional Spanish. I have tried lessons on CD, tapes in the car, even primers, all to differing degrees of success. So when I began exploring the podcast jungle, it seemed logical to check out some of the options available for download.

Well, with the first one I picked, I got very lucky and found a winner. Coffee Break Spanish, a production of Radio Lingua, has really helped me make some progress. The program’s design is simple, just enough language so you can listen to an episode on your coffee break. The podcasts I have heard usually run over twenty minutes, which is longer than any break I get during my work day, so I just pick up where I left off the time before.




Coffee Break Spanish is hosted by Mark, who adopts the role of the professor, and Cara, who is the student. In the earlier sections of the lessons, they cover the natural groundwork of some basic phrases and vocabulary. But they quickly get you up to speed in an engaging, interactive manner.

As the lessons with your latte (they love to say latte) continue, the focus shifts to breaking down actual conversations with native speakers. These conversations are then reviewed for what is being said. Any points of grammar are discussed and the conversations are then replayed for reinforcement. Para mi, esto trabaja muy bien.

Interestingly, the topics they cover are not your standard “Where is the hotel” formats other programs slavishly follow. This departure from the norm gives a practical, value added benefit to the podcast.

Some other points of note…..Mark and Cara are Scottish and I find it refreshing to hear their conversational accents with each other. Mark is quite a linguist and Cara, while endearing, is either a very quick study or a ringer because she doesn’t struggle too much after the first ten or so episodes. If she had a couple of stumbles here and there it would be more encouraging to plodders like me.

If you are so inclined you can participate in Radio Lingua’s Premium program, which promises more in depth, extended opportunities to learn the language of your choice. It’s not free so I have not tried it (limited budget here). In addition, the award winning worldwide success of Coffee Break Spanish has created a lot of spin-off programming. Each episode usually concludes with some cross promotional material for these additional Radio Lingua endeavors. There is so much going on that there is also a “newscast” which brings the listener up to date on all things Coffee Break.

I am glad to see that they are doing well. The show delivers its information with some zip and I can attest that it works. Hasta luego mi amigos.

UPDATE: Well, I have now listened to all eighty episodes of this podcast several times and I must say that it did not disappoint. Things really picked up in the later episodes where verb tenses were explored. There was also an emphasis on expanding one's ability to follow conversations. I still highly recommend it.

I have moved on to the next Radio Lingua production - Show Time Spanish. So far it is a little daunting and I will report back on this podcast at a later date. I would also like to revise my comments about Cara. She put in a lot of hard work on Coffee Break Spanish. Cara has not been in the episodes of Show Time Spanish I have listened to and I miss her contributions and perspective.

Comics - I Read Comics

UPDATE ! (See Below.)

I Read Comics         http://ireadcomics.blogspot.com/


I recently had a conversation at a party about a topic I had not thought about in a while….comics. That got me thinking that I ought to see what was out there in podcast land about the subject. And sure enough there was an embarrassment of riches as far as what to choose from. I picked out a few and unfortunately some of them were not so good. More on those at a later date.

One I did find and like very much is called Ireadcomics, and it starts out with the hook “Yes, it’s another comics podcast. And the big difference is that I’m doing it. And I’m a girl. That’s right, a girl that reads comics”. I believe that, for me as a listener, there is something about Lene Taylor’s unique woman’s perspective that really brings fresh air onto her show. The “I Read Comics” podcast usually runs at least thirty minutes long and has several segments divided by some soothing interstitial music. While I liked the music, and it does provide a transition point, I would rather hear more from Taylor. She adroitly covers all sorts of subjects and displays a depth of knowledge that does not limit her to discussing only narrow segments of the comics world. She speaks clearly, extemporaneously and has a nice voice. She also is not afraid to let it rip if some saltier language is called for.

For me, coming back after a long time away from comics, I am hearing about so many new things that I had to start writing down the names of the titles and websites Taylor discusses during her podcasts so I can surf for them later. It seems like for every discussion of things I am familiar with (like a funny take on the Legion of Substitute Heroes) there are new treats she exposes me to (like “alienlovespredator” or "Dave's Long Box", which unfortunately has closed).

“I Read Comics” is usually a monologue, often with a cogent rant if Taylor has a bone to pick (watch out Fanboys). But sometimes there are friends and colleagues on the podcast who add their voices and opinions while talking about conventions or reviewing movies. The Hulk, Iron Man, Speed Racer! (FYI, the movie reviews are as in depth as the comics discussions but they are chock full of spoilers). One extra feature I definitely appreciate is that every episode is accurately titled on iTunes. Even though I would recommend listening to every episode, this topic information can help subscribers or casual listeners focus in on areas they would like to sample.

Finally, "I Read Comics" is the reason "Podcast Review Blog" is on Blogger. I figured if someone as smart and cool as Lene Taylor uses their forum, that's good enough for me

This one is definitely a keeper, folks. It’s an adult look at a subject we first came to love as kids.

UPDATE: Lene is back. After taking a breather (which I am now in complete understanding of), she has returned with several new podcasts full of the content and context I love. Whether she is talking about Silver Age classics, new movies or the sexist drawing of super heroines, it's all here. I continue to sample other podcasts which purport to cover all aspects of comics, but this one is still the best. And I have resisted the temptation to end all these sentences in exclamation points !!