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

Show 64 Monday 5 June

Watch today's show at grouper or YouTube.


Introduction

Hi, I’m Sarah. Welcome to The Daily English Show.
It’s Monday the 4th (oops! Mistake) of June and this is show number 64.
I was attempting to clean out my wardrobe and I came across this old, rather battered mask.
This is an oni mask. Oni means devil.
And it’s used for setsubun which is on the 3rd of February.
Setsubun is one of my favorite Japanese festivals. I love the simplicity. What could be more fun than chucking beans at somebody and yelling “devil get out!”
You should definitely try it at home.

STICK NEWS

Kia Ora. This is Stick News.
It is four days before the start of the football World Cup in Germany and this morning the 2002 winners Brazil, played New Zealand.

In New Zealand, when people say: “Did you watch the game? “, there is a 99% chance they are talking about a rugby game.
The country is rugby mad.
However, apparently, some people also play soccer.
There is even a national team, called the All Whites.
The All Whites went to the World Cup once, in 1982. They lost every game.
Most people have no idea who is in the team. Even if a team member started whacking people with handbags, it is unlikely it would make the front page.
The news that they were playing Brazil did make the papers though. The team was pretty excited about playing the superstars of soccer.

Unsurprisingly, New Zealand lost. The score was 4-0.
And that was Stick News for Monday the 5th of June.
Kia Ora.

conversations with sarah
# 41 When does the World Cup start?

Bob and Sarah are talking about the World Cup.
Step 1: Repeat Bob’s lines.
Step 2: Read Bob’s lines on the screen and talk to Sarah.

Bob 　When does the World Cup start?

Sarah On Friday, I think.

Bob 　Who's playing the first game?

Sarah I don’t know. Just a minute. Yeah, it starts on Friday. And the first game is Germany vs Costa Rica.

Bob 　How long does it last?

Sarah Ah, the final is on the 9th of July – so, one month.

Bob 　What group is Japan in?

Sarah Japan’s in group F.

Bob 　Who else is in that group?

Sarah Brazil, Croatia and Australia.

Bob 　Who are they playing first?

Sarah Australia.

Links:

World Cup information.

The All Whites.

Today's news.