Show 628 Thursday 31 January

Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.

Hi, I’m Sarah, welcome to The Daily English Show.

Today I recommend watching a video by Barack Obama.
If you don’t know already, Barack Obama is an American politician who wants to be the next president.
I still don’t quite understand how it works, but something like, first he has to win the race to be the Democratic candidate and then he has to win against the Republican candidate in the main election.

And he has a YouTube channel and I’ve watched quite a few of his videos. And I’m so impressed by the way he talks. He sounds really intelligent and genuine. Which shouldn’t be surprising I guess, you’d hope that leaders could speak well, but that’s not always the case.

There are a lot of interesting Obama videos – but I wanted to choose one that was quite short to study. So I found one that was quite short and funny, when he’s speaking to a high school.

One of his points, I think, is that he wants to change the style of politics of people just attacking each other and lying and it being too much about just playing the game of politics rather than focusing on the issues.

He says in the video: This is part of what we have to change. You know, folks just willing to say anything just to get elected. That’s how Washington works.

One interesting point is the way he says folks to mean people in general. His wife says that too. In New Zealand, the word folks isn’t usually used like that. I would say people in that sentence: You know, people just willing to say anything just to get elected.

I think that’s an American thing. It says in my dictionary: especially in American English.

Anyway, Obama tells an example of the political game, in a light hearted way. He tells the story of a debate a couple of days ago when the candidates were asked a question: What’s your biggest weakness?
And Obama answered: I don’t handle paper that well. My desk is a mess. I need someone to help me file stuff all the time.
Then the other candidates, one of them said: I’m just too passionate about helping poor people. And the other person said: I’m just too impatient to bring about change in America.
Then Obama says: If I had gone last, I would have known what the game was. And then I could have said: “Well, you know, I like to help old ladies across the street. But sometimes they don’t want to be helped, it’s terrible.”

So I’ve written a transcript for that video. Please check it out.

STICK NEWS

Kia Ora, this is Stick News. A Nova Scotia couple had a double set of twins last week, beating odds of one in 70 million.

Last week a woman in Nova Scotia, Canada, gave birth to four babies – a set of twin girls and a set of twin boys.
The quadruplets were delivered by caesarean section and each weighed about three pounds.
The chance of having a double set of twins born at the same time is one in 70 million.
After the birth, the father said: “It has been described as hitting a hole in one on a Par 5 in a thunderstorm while getting hit by lightning three times while the draw of your [Lotto] numbers are winning."

And that was Stick News for Thursday the 31st of January.
Kia Ora.

THE SNOW REPORT
at Annupuri

This is in Annupuri a few days ago. These are the machines they use to press the snow and make it flat and smooth.
I think this is a kind of snow groomer called a Pisten Bully.

conversations with sarah
#382 But don’t you want Hillary Clinton to win?

Step 1: Repeat Mari’s lines.
Step 2: Read Mari’s lines and talk to Sarah.

Mari But don’t you want Hillary Clinton to win?

Sarah No.

Mari It would be good to have a female president don’t you think?

Sarah Yeah, maybe, but I like Obama much better. And Hilary seems kind of dodgy.

Mari How do you mean?

Sarah I don’t know ... she seems fake. And her husband is definitely dodgy. Did you see that clip of him talking about Jesse Jackson the other day?

Mari No. What happened?

Sarah A reporter asked him a question and he didn’t even answer the question, he just started talking about Jesse Jackson.

Mari Why?

Sarah Exactly, why? Maybe he’s trying to make people think that all Obama has going for him is that he’s African-American and he’s not competent enough to be president.

TRANSCRIPT FOR OBAMA VIDEO
Watch the video here.

You know when I was twenty points down, everybody loved me. Now, now, now that, now that, ah, we’re tied, suddenly there’s all kinds of stuff going on out here. But, but this is part of what we have to change. You know, folks just willing to say anything just to get elected. That’s how Washington works.
I was laughing when we had the debate a couple of days ago. You remember. Ah, and people were asked, what, ah, what’s your, what’s your biggest weakness? So I thought, you know, cause I’m like a ordinary person, I thought they meant what’s your biggest weakness.
So I said, well, you know, I don’t handle paper that well, you know, my desk is a mess, I need somebody to help me file the stuff all the time. So the other two, they say, ah, they say well my biggest weakness is, I’m just too passionate about helping poor people. I am, I am just too impatient to bring about change in America.
If I had gone last, you know, you see, if I had gone last, I would have known what the game was. And then I, I could have said well, you know, I like to help old ladies across the street. But sometimes they don’t want to be helped, it’s terrible.

links

today's news
today's STICK NEWS pictures

Bill Clinton, Jesse Jackson video
Obama responds to Jesse Jackson comment

Jesse Jackson at Wikipedia

music

show start
artist: BrunoXe
album: aprendiendo desde 2004
track: Mandrake
from: Jerez, Spain
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

the snow report start
artist: Olga Scotland
album: Scotland Yard
track: Absolute
from: Moscow, Russia
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

cws start
artist: San Sebastian
track: Happy Sad
artist site

qa start
artist: ioeo
album: Groovetracks
tracks: groovetracks ending
from: Saint Raphael, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

qa bgm
artist: NarNaoud
album: Green Vision
track: Dubbing Rules
from: Gironde, France
artist at Jamendo
album at Jamendo
artist site

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