Show 65 Tuesday 6 June

Watch today's show at grouper or or BlipTV.

Introduction

It’s Tuesday the 6th of June and the weather is getting warmer in Japan.
So it’s time to take of your jacket and tie. Cool.
Today’s news is about cool biz in Japan.

STICK NEWS

Kia Ora. In Stick News today the cool biz campaign kicked off at the start of June. For the second year in a row, Japan’s prime minister is urging office workers all over the country to take off their ties and jackets.

All over the world there is concern about the environmental state of the planet. Climate change is one major concern. The world is getting hotter and most scientists think it’s because of greenhouse gas emissions.
Now many countries are trying to reduce these emissions.
One of Japan’s contributions is cool biz.
The cool biz campaign started in 2005.
The idea is to save energy by limiting air-conditioning.
Government ministries set their air conditioners to 28 degrees and workers are encouraged to wear short sleeved shirts with no Jackets or ties.

According to the Ministry of the Environment, thanks to cool biz, last year C02 emissions were reduced by approximately 460 thousand tons. Cool.
And that was Stick News for Tuesday the 6th of June.
Kia Ora.

conversations with sarah
# 42 What does that stand for?

Jen asks Sarah about Japanese politics.
Step 1: Repeat Jen’s lines.
Step 2: Read Jen’s lines on the screen and talk to Sarah.

Jen 　Who’s the prime minister of Japan?

Sarah Koizumi.

Jen 　What party is he in?

Sarah Jiminto. It’s called LDP in English.

Jen 　LDP. What does that stand for?

Sarah Liberal Democratic Party.

Jen 　Is Koizumi popular?

Sarah Um ... well he was when he first became prime minister, but I think his popularity has gone down since then.

Jen 　What has he done since he’s been prime minister?

Sarah Um. I’m not exactly sure ... but he has talked about economic reforms a lot. And privatizing the post office.

Jen 　Has it been privatized yet?

Sarah No, not yet. But I think it’s going to happen this year.

Notes:

Read about cool biz, greenhouses gases, and Koizumi in Wikipedia.

Music by Kenji Williams.
It was the first track from the album EPIC.
You can listen to it or buy it here.
Used with permission from magnatune.com