Show 688 Monday 31 March

Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.

Hi, I’m Sarah, welcome to The Daily English Show. I have a few announcements to make today.

Firstly, the snow here in Niseko is almost gone so during April we’re just going to have The Snow Report once a week. And I’ll show you what snow looks like ... melting.

I’d like to thank the Loaf Lounge for their support of The Daily English Show this winter. We filmed the Snow Report at Loaf Lounge on Fridays and we really appreciate their support. Check them out if you’re in Niseko.

From today we have the Word Of The Day. I’m going to pick a word from something that I’ve been reading or watching or just a random word that I feel like talking about.

If you have a suggestion for a word to be featured on Word Of The Day, then please leave a comment, or email me: thedailyenglishshow at gmail dot com

STICK NEWS

Kia Ora, in Stick News today, Japan is going to launch a paper plane from space to learn about future spacecraft design.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has announced they will spend up to 90 million yen on studies in the next three years.
Four space experiments were approved last week, including the paper plane project.
The Agency is planning to launch a paper plane from the International Space Station to Earth.
A spokesperson said: “The paper plane’s return from space will give us tips about designing new spacecrafts.”
“In its initial flight, we may write on the paper of the plane in different languages, ‘please let us know when you find this.’”

And that was Stick News for Monday the 31st of March.
Kia Ora

Word Of The Day

Today’s word is bamboozle. I heard this word in a video recently and I really like the sound of it. Bamboozle.

According to the Concise Oxford Learner’s Dictionary (I mean: Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary), bamboozle is an informal verb which means: to confuse sb, especially by tricking them.

I searched for bamboozle online and I discovered that there’s a festival in New Jersey in the United States called The Bamboozle. And there’s a kind of quiz game on TV in the UK called Bamboozle. And a satirical film released in the year 2000 called Bamboozled.

conversations with sarah
#419 Has the snow all gone?

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

Timmy Has the snow all gone?

Sarah Yeah, pretty much. Well, there’s still piles of snow everywhere, but it’s melting.

Timmy Is the mountain closed?

Sarah No, not yet.

Timmy When does it close?

Sarah At the start of May, I think. After golden week. But it depends on how much snow there is.

Timmy Are people still skiing?

Sarah Yeah. The snow is all slushy and icy, but you can still ski on it.

links

today's news
today's STICK NEWS pictures

music

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

WOD start
artist: DJ iPep's
album: Home Mix 2007
track: Game Toy
from: EVREUX, France
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: JCL
album: Journeys Thru Samsara
track: A Slow Walk
from: Watford, United Kingdom
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

Did you notice a mistake in this script? Please leave us a comment and tell us! We really appreciate people pointing out our mistakes.Thank you.

Have you translated this script - or part of it - into your language for English practice and published it on your blog? Please leave a comment and a link so other people can read your translation. Thank you.

#687 Rosemary Vegetables

Watch today's show at YouTube or BlipTV.

Sunday Kitchen #88 Rosemary Vegetables

Today we have 1 onion, two small carrots, 1 negi and one eggplant.
Let’s see what we can do with it.
First cut up the vegetables.
Put some olive oil into a frying pan.
Add the onions, some soy sauce, some rosemary and some pepper.
Cook that for about five minutes.
Then add the carrot, negi and eggplant.
And 2 cups of water.
Then put a lid on and cook it for about 10 minutes and see what happens.
Mmmm pretty tasty.

notes

Wikipedia says negi = welsh onion

My dictionary says negi = a leek, a spring onion, a welsh onion, a scallion, chives

music

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

other music

artist: JCL

album: Journeys Thru Samsara

track: Reflections In Blue

from: Watford, United Kingdom

album at Jamendo

artist at Jamendo

artist site

Did you notice a mistake in this script? Please leave us a comment and tell us! We really appreciate people pointing out our mistakes.Thank you.

Have you translated this script - or part of it - into your language for English practice and published it on your blog? Please leave a comment and a link so other people can read your translation. Thank you.

Show 686 Saturday 29 March

Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.

I saw you in the park yesterday. You were sitting on the grass and reading a book.

Nouns

Park
Grass
Book

Verbs

See
Sit
Read

Pronouns

I
You

Tense

Past simple
Past continuous

Prepositions

In
On

Articles

The
A

Adverb

Yesterday

Conjunction

and

I saw you in the park yesterday.

You were sitting on the grass and reading a book.

links

I found these sentences on page 12 of my favourite grammar book: English Grammar In Use by Raymond Murphy (I have the second edition, the latest version is the third edition )

music

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

other music

artist: JCL

album: Journeys Thru Samsara

track: A Slow Walk

from: Watford, United Kingdom

album at Jamendo

artist at Jamendo

artist site

Did you notice a mistake in this script? Please leave us a comment and tell us! We really appreciate people pointing out our mistakes.Thank you.

Have you translated this script - or part of it - into your language for English practice and published it on your blog? Please leave a comment and a link so other people can read your translation. Thank you.

Show 685 Friday 28 March

Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.

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

I thought I’d talk about a song by Bad Religion today. Bad Religion is a band from California in the United States. And Wikipedia lists their genres as: punk rock, hardcore punk and melodic hardcore.

They started in 1980 and I first heard about them from a friend when I was at university. He kept telling me about how interesting their lyrics were. And apparently this is true:

They are particularly known for their sophisticated use of style, metaphor, vocabulary, imagery, and vocal harmonies, whether reflective on matters of personal feelings or of personal or social responsibility.

I listened to a few songs and I chose a song called Struck a Nerve to talk about, because I liked it and because I think the lyrics are quite interesting and not too difficult to understand.

The song goes like this:

There's an old man on a city bus holding a candy cane and it isn't even Christmas.
He sees a note in the obituary that his last friend has died.
There's an infant clinging to his overweight mother in the cold as they go to shop for cigarettes.
And she spends her last dollar on a bottle of vodka for tonight.

So it’s a story about the singer seeing all these sad things and how he reacts to them.
I think it’s something that we can all relate to, we see or read about so much sad stuff going on in the world and we’re quite not sure what to do about it and part of us just wants to shut our eyes and hope it will go away. But it will never go away.

I think that’s what it’s about.

And here’s some of that imagery they’re talking about:

Like a barren winter day
Or a patch of unburned green
Like a tragic real dream
I guess it struck a nerve

To strike a nerve is an idiom.

In my dictionary it says:

hit/touch a (raw/sensitive) nerve
To mention a subject that makes sb feel angry, upset, embarrassed, etc.

For example: You touched a raw nerve when you mentioned his first wife.

So, for the guy singing this song, he sees these things and it strikes a nerve, it makes him feel upset and maybe helpless.

And a wave of overwhelming doubt turns me to stone.
So check out the song and read the lyrics and tell me what you think.

STICK NEWS

Kia Ora, in Stick News today, a new English language textbook in Japan is using Superman and Anpanman to teach cultural differences.

Anpanman is a superhero from Japan. Superman is a superhero from America.
The two characters are being used in a new high school English textbook to explain what the authors say are the similarities and differences in Japanese and American cultures.
The textbook says the superheroes have some interesting differences.
"When Superman battles against bad people, he does it by himself. On the other hand, Anpanman has (many) friends who are heroes too. They fight against Baikinman together. We think it is because of the idea of cooperation in Japan, and of individualism in America. "

And that was Stick News for Friday 28th of March.
Kia Ora

THE SNOW REPORT
at Loaf Lounge

So, this is how to get to Loaf Lounge 2.0. Now you can see what the streets look like during the daytime and without snow.
Starting off opposite Takiguchi Sports, turn left and walk down the street away from the station.
When you get to this corner, which is opposite the old Daiei, turn left. And walk straight ahead until you get to a green building.
That’s Loaf Lounge.

friday joke

Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Boo.
Boo, who?
Stop crying and open the door.

conversations with sarah
#418 How’s it going?

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

Bobby How’s it going?

Sarah Mmm alright. I’m a bit sad.

Bobby Why?

Sarah My flatmate moved out today.

Bobby Really? Why?

Sarah Because it’s pretty much the end of the season, so he went back to Tokyo.

Bobby Oh, he was just here for the season?

Sarah Yeah.

Struck A Nerve
by Bad Religion

Watch the video here.
There's an old man on a city bus
Holding a candy cane
And it isn't even Christmas
He sees a note in the obituary that
His last friend has died
There's an infant clinging to
His overweight mother in the cold
As they go to shop for cigarettes
And she spends her last dollar
On a bottle of vodka for tonight

And I guess it struck a nerve
Like I had to squint my eyes
You can never get out of the line of sight
Like a barren winter day
Or a patch of unburned green
Like a tragic real dream
I guess it struck a nerve

Every day I wander in negative disposition
As I'm bombarded by superlatives
Realizing very well that I am not alone
Introverted I look to tomorrow for salvation
But I'm thinking altruistically
And a wave of overwhelming doubt
Turns me to stone

And I guess it struck a nerve
Sent a murmur through my heart
We just haven't got time to crack the maze
Like a magic speeding clock
Or a cancer in our cells
A collision in the dark
I guess it struck a nerve

I try to close my eyes
But I cannot ignore the stimuli
If there's a purpose for us all
It remains a secret to me
Don't ask me to justify my life

Cause I guess it struck a nerve
Like I had to squint my eyes
You can never get out of the line of sight
Like a magic speeding clock
Or a cancer in our cells
A collision in the dark
I guess it struck a nerve

links

today's news
today's STICK NEWS pictures

Bad Religion MySpace page
Epitaph Records YouTube channel (Bad Religion's label)

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

friday joke start
artist: AdHoc
album: Toutes directions
track: Sumbala
from: Annecy, France
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/sr bgm
artist: Antony Raijekov
album: Jazz U
track: Deep blue 2005
from: Sofia, Bulgaria
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

Did you notice a mistake in this script? Please leave us a comment and tell us! We really appreciate people pointing out our mistakes.Thank you.

Have you translated this script - or part of it - into your language for English practice and published it on your blog? Please leave a comment and a link so other people can read your translation. Thank you.

Show 684 Thursday 27 March

Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.

Hi I’m Sarah, welcome to The Daily English Show. Today I recommend a video by The Onion. The Onion is an American parody newspaper.

They started in 1988 and last year they started doing videos which I had no idea until I saw one featured on YouTube the other day. And I think they’re really well done. Very funny.

The one that was featured on YouTube is about the queen waving. And the style and the acting is so well done that it looks like an actual normal American TV news story – like off CNN or something. And if you read the comments under the video you can see that a lot of people don’t actually get that it’s a joke.

The conversation that we’re going to do today is from that interview.

STICK NEWS

Kia Ora, in Stick News today, according to an online survey, Jack and Lucy are the luckiest names in Britain.

Richard Wiseman is a psychology professor at a University in Britain. Wiseman previously surveyed people to find the world’s funniest joke.
This time, his survey was about names. 6686 people in Britain voted in the survey.
James and Richard were voted as the names most likely to bring success for males and Elizabeth and Caroline for females.
The names voted as the least successful were Ryan and Brian for men and Lucy and Lisa for women.
The luckiest names were Lucy and Kate for females and Jack and Chris for males.
The unluckiest were Thomas and John for males and Elisabeth and Helen for females.
The most attractive title went to Ryan and James for males and Sophie and Rachel for females.
And the least attractive names were Jane and Ann for females and Thomas and George for males.

And that was Stick News for Thursday 27th of March.
Kia Ora

THE SNOW REPORT
by the Hirafu gondola

This is some random footage from two months ago that I just came across. This is the Hirafu gondola. And this is in front of the gondola.

* Filmed on 22 January 2008

conversations with sarah

#421 What exactly did you mean by that?

Watch this conversation here from 1:00

Step 1: Repeat the woman’s lines.
Step 2: Read the woman’s lines and talk to the man.

Woman Now, in your book you said that Queen Elizabeth the second brought waving to the modern age. What exactly did you mean by that?

Man Well, she was the first queen to have her wave televised and the first to have a wave stream on the internet.

Woman Now, this concept is so foreign to all of us here in the US. Can you, can you trace it back to its origins for me?

Man Well it started in, ah, 939 AD by Edmund the First. He was the first man ever to wave at the people. They believe that he’d been divinely chosen to wave. And that, um, god directly communicated what kind of wave to give. I mean the royals all really have such beautiful hands.

Woman Lately, Prince Charles has been taking over a lot of waving duties from the queen. How are Britons feeling about that?

Man Well, it’s no secret they're not too thrilled about it.

links

today's news
today's STICK NEWS pictures

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

the snow report bgm
artist: DJ iPep's
album: Home Mix 2007
track: Scratch intro
from: EVREUX, France
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: Antony Raijekov
album: Jazz U
track: Deep blue 2005
from: Sofia, Bulgaria
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

Did you notice a mistake in this script? Please leave us a comment and tell us! We really appreciate people pointing out our mistakes.Thank you.

Have you translated this script - or part of it - into your language for English practice and published it on your blog? Please leave a comment and a link so other people can read your translation. Thank you.

Show 683 Wednesday 26 March

Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.

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

Today’s mistake is: I play snowboarding.

You can’t say: I play snowboarding. Instead you can say: I go snowboarding or I snowboard.

Why is this a mistake? Why is it OK to say: I play tennis, but not OK to say: I play snowboarding?

Well, different sports take different verbs, such as: play, do or go.

Here are some examples:

play hockey
play baseball

do aerobics
do karate

go surfing
go skateboarding

I’m going to link to a few quizzes that you can go to practice this if you think you need it.

Using English quiz
about.com quiz

* For teachers: play/go/do printable handout

By the way, remember to go and check out the scripts for the show ... there are always links there to more information as well as links to the news and all the music.
This is the site for the English scripts and this is the site for the Japanese scripts.

STICK NEWS

Kia Ora, in Stick News today, Hillary Clinton has said her recent story about dodging bullets in Bosnia was a misstatement.

Hillary Clinton wants to be the next president of the United States of America.
Last week she gave a speech and talked about her experience visiting Bosnia in 1996.
She said: "I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base."
It turns out the story is not true.
Clinton has now acknowledged this. She says she misspoke and it was a minor blip.
“If I said something that, you know, I say a lot of things - millions of words a day - so if I misspoke it was just a misstatement."

And that was Stick News for Wednesday 26th of March.
Kia Ora

THE SNOW REPORT
from King #4

This is footage from last month. Check out all these people. This is at the top of all the lifts in Hirafu and all these people are climbing up to the peak.

conversations with sarah

#420 What kind of show was it?

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

Sarah Did you see the show with Britney Spears in it?

Tony No, what show?

Sarah She guest starred in a TV show called How I Met Your Mother.

Tony Oh, so she’s an actor now?

Sarah Mmm, I don’t know, maybe it was just a one off thing.

Tony What kind of show was it?

Sarah Just like a typical American sitcom.

Tony Like Friends or something?

Sarah Yeah, like that.

Tony How was her acting?

Sarah I thought she was pretty good – for that kind of acting. She was just playing, like, a ditzy girl ... so it’s probably not that hard.

links

today's news

today's STICK NEWS pictures

Britney Spears on How I Met Your Mother

Hillary Clinton Bosnia Trip

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

the snow report bgm
artist: DJ iPep's
album: Home Mix 2007
track: Scratch intro
from: EVREUX, France
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: Antony Raijekov
album: Jazz U
track: Deep blue 2005
from: Sofia, Bulgaria
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

Did you notice a mistake in this script? Please leave us a comment and tell us! We really appreciate people pointing out our mistakes.Thank you.

Have you translated this script - or part of it - into your language for English practice and published it on your blog? Please leave a comment and a link so other people can read your translation. Thank you.

Show 682 Tuesday 25 March

Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.

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

The movie I recommend today is called Before Sunrise. I think it’s a great movie. It’s very romantic.

Not much happens in the movie. Basically just two people are on a train and they meet and then they spend one night together just walking and talking. So it’s perfect for studying English conversation.

The conversation we’re going to do today is from near the start of the movie when they first meet and they’re making small talk.

STICK NEWS

Kia Ora, this is Stick News. Last night Britney Spears guest-starred on an American TV show.

Britney Spears is famous for her pop music. She’s also an actress.
Last night, she guest-starred on a sitcom called How I Met Your Mother. Britney played a receptionist at a dermatologist’s office who develops a crush on a patient.
Thanks to her appearance, the show scored its highest rating ever.

And that was Stick News for Tuesday 25 of March.
Kia Ora

THE SNOW REPORT
in Hanazono

This is Quentin from New Zealand riding in the Hanazono park a couple of weeks ago. Check it out - there’s a bus in the park.

conversations with sarah
#419 Are you coming from Budapest?

Step 1: Repeat Jesse’s lines.
Step 2: Read Jesse’s lines and talk to Céline.

Watch today's conversation here from 6:40

Jesse Are you coming from Budapest?

Céline Yeah, I was visiting my grandmother.

Jesse Oh. How's she?

Céline She's okay.

Jesse She's alright?

Céline She's fine, yeah. How about you? Where are you going?

Jesse Uh, I'm going to Vienna.

Céline Vienna? What's there?

Jesse Uh, I have no idea. I'm flying out of there tomorrow.

Céline Ah. You’re on holiday?

Jesse Uh, I don't really know what I'm on.

notes

small talk n. polite conversation about uncontroversial matters

links

today's news
today's STICK NEWS pictures

Before Sunrise script

-logy

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

the snow report bgm
artist: DJ iPep's
album: Home Mix 2007
track: Scratch intro
from: EVREUX, France
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: Antony Raijekov
album: Jazz U
track: Deep blue 2005
from: Sofia, Bulgaria
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

Did you notice a mistake in this script? Please leave us a comment and tell us! We really appreciate people pointing out our mistakes.Thank you.

Have you translated this script - or part of it - into your language for English practice and published it on your blog? Please leave a comment and a link so other people can read your translation. Thank you.

Show 681 Monday 24 March

Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.

Hi, I’m Sarah, welcome to The Daily English Show. Today’s guest is Neesha. She’s from Australia and she’s been staying here in Niseko this winter where she did snowboarding and doing homeschooling. She said she’s been snowboarding for two years.

We mainly did powder two years ago. We only started doing jumps mainly this year, and a little bit at the end of last year.

STICK NEWS

Kia Ora, in Stick News today, the winners of the 2007 video awards have been announced and The Daily English Show narrowly missed out on the prize for the best instructional video.

The winners of the second annual YouTube video awards were announced last week.
According to YouTube the twelve winners took home bragging rights, a trophy and the promise of an invitation to a special event later this year.
Sadly, The Daily English Show was robbed of the best instructional video title by some boring video about a Rubik’s cube.

And that was Stick News for Monday the 24th of March.
Kia Ora

conversations with sarah
#418 What’s your dream for the future?

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

Sarah What’s your favourite thing to do on a snowboard?

Neesha With tricks, I like doing method grabs, which is where you grab the back of the board in between your feet.

Sarah How was the Namara Ippatsu competition?

Neesha Yeah, it was good, but the jumps were pretty big, so ... It was our first competition, so it was pretty scary.

Sarah Do you think you’ll go in it again next year?

Neesha Um yeah, I’d like to, because we’ll probably have a bit more confidence and know a bit more tricks.

Sarah Is there anything you miss about Australia?

Neesha No, maybe, um, when, um ... It’s pretty cold here sometimes so I like the warmth in Australia. And I can’t skateboard here.

Sarah How long have you been skateboarding?

Neesha Um, maybe two years.

Sarah What kind of tricks do you like to do on a skateboard?

Neesha Um, ollies and 50-50 grinds.

Sarah How long have you been learning Japanese?

Neesha We learnt a little bit last year, but we’ve mainly learnt, um, it this year. Just phrases like what is your name and how old are you and how are you and things like that.

Sarah What do you think is the best way to study Japanese?

Neesha Well, it’s good talking to people and it’s good when the Japanese people speak lots of English and they speak Japanese so you can ask them how to pronounce something properly. And we’ve got little books, just little, um, Japanese study books, so, yeah, reading them, it’s good.

Sarah Do you enjoy doing homeschooling?

Neesha Yeah, it’s really fun, because you can do half day of school work, half day of, um, snowboarding. So things like that, yeah, it’s good in that way.

Sarah What do you most enjoy studying?

Neesha Well, cause I’m in year five, I don’t study Japanese as my schoolwork. Um, I like doing algebra, even though that’s year seven work. But I’ve just started learning, um, harder times tables, like nines and eight times tables, things like that.

Sarah What’s your dream for the future?

Neesha I’d like to be a professional snowboarder or skateboarder.

links

today's STICK NEWS pictures

music

show start
artist: BrunoXe
album: aprendiendo desde 2004
track: Mandrake
from: Jerez, Spain
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: Antony Raijekov
album: Jazz U
track: Deep blue 2005
from: Sofia, Bulgaria
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

Did you notice a mistake in this script? Please leave us a comment and tell us! We really appreciate people pointing out our mistakes.Thank you.

Have you translated this script - or part of it - into your language for English practice and published it on your blog? Please leave a comment and a link so other people can read your translation. Thank you.

Show 680 Sunday 23 March

Watch today's show at YouTube or BlipTV.

Sunday Kitchen #87 Anko Pancake 2.0

I decided to try last week’s recipe with different fillings.
I halved the recipe this time because I didn’t want to make so much.

1/4 cup of flour
1/4 cup of oats
A teaspoon of sugar
1/4 of a teaspoon of baking powder
Mix
A teaspoon of oil
Half a cup of soymilk
Mix

Put a bit of oil in the frying pan.
Spoon some mixture in.
Then put the fillings on top.
Chocolate. Banana. Jam.
Put some more mixture on top.
And flip them over.
Not bad.

Show 679 Saturday 22 March

Watch today's show at YouTube or BlipTV.

A couple of weeks ago there was a jump competition in Hirafu called なまら一発　(Namara Ippatsu).

It was supposed to be last month, but that day it was really stormy, so it was postponed.

The day it was held was a beautiful day and we got some great footage against the blue sky.

There were both skiers and snowboarders in the competition. Some people came into the jump facing forwards and some people came into it facing backwards.

There were lots of jumping styles.

Some people landed on their feet.
And some people didn’t.

These were the judges. I don’t know who won because I had to leave before the end.

But out of the footage that I have, I’d give this the prize for the most stylish jump. This gets the prize for the best arm movements and this is the best crash.

Show 678 Friday 21 March

Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.

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

Someone asked me to introduce a Metallica song. So, sure, why not.

Metallica is an American heavy metal band that formed in 1981 in Los Angeles, California.

I’ve never really been a fan of Metallica, but I just had a listen to some of their songs again and they’re not too bad. They brought back a lot of memories of growing up and of my friends who really liked Metallica.

I just read their Wikipedia page too, and it’s so sad what happened in Sweden. They were on tour and their bus crashed and one of the members died. That was in 1986.

Anyway, I’m going to talk about the song Nothing Else Matters.

The song starts like this:

So close no matter how far

Couldn’t be much more from the heart

Forever trusting who we are

And nothing else matters

So what is the song about?

Well, it was written by James Hetfield to a former girlfriend. And ... some say it meant that "no matter how far" he was (since Metallica spent most of their time on tours), he was still "so close" with the heart.

So, it’s basically a love song.

To matter is a verb which means to be significant or important.

The phrase, it doesn’t matter, is very common. For example, if you say something to someone and they don’t hear you and they say, “What did you say?” and then you decide that it really wasn’t that important, you can say, “It doesn’t matter”.
Or, if in that instant after you’ve asked someone and they’ve asked you what you said, you figure out the answer for yourself, then you can say, “It doesn’t matter”.

And another example is if somebody apologises for something that you think isn’t important, you can say, “It doesn’t matter”.

And how about the phrase, nothing else matters, when can you use that?

Well, I searched on the internet and I found an example on a site about lung disease:

If you can’t breathe, nothing else matters.



STICK NEWS

Kia Ora, in Stick News today, according to a new poll 86 percent of New Zealanders think that using a mobile phone while driving should be illegal.

In New Zealand, it’s legal to use a mobile phone while driving.
But a study by Research New Zealand shows most people would support a ban.
The New Zealand Herald reported the Government has so far rejected an outright ban, and the Transport Safety Minister has said cellphone use was a factor in only a small percentage of crashes.

And that was Stick News for Friday 21 of March.
Kia Ora.

THE SNOW REPORT
at Loaf Lounge

This is a guy called Quentin from New Zealand. He’s been coming to Niseko for more than ten years.
And this is Josh, also from New Zealand. He’s sponsored by a shop in New Zealand called Cheapskates.



friday joke

Why did the chicken cross the road?
To get to the other side.



conversations with sarah
#417 How about this font?

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

Tim Do you think I should print it on white or yellow paper?

Sarah I think either is fine - I don’t think the colour really matters that much.

Tim How about this font?

Sarah Yeah, that’s fine. Yeah, I think the most important thing is the actual text. So, the presentation is kind of important too – but it doesn’t matter as much as what you actually write.



links

today's news
today's STICK NEWS pictures

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

friday joke start
artist: AdHoc
album: Toutes directions
track: Sumbala
from: Annecy, France
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: Antony Raijekov
album: Jazz U
track: Deep blue 2005
from: Sofia, Bulgaria
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

Did you notice a mistake in this script? Please leave us a comment and tell us! We really appreciate people pointing out our mistakes.Thank you.

Have you translated this script - or part of it - into your language for English practice and published it on your blog? Please leave a comment and a link so other people can read your translation. Thank you.

Show 677 Thursday 20 March

Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.

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

Today I recommend a clip from the Late Show with David Letterman which is a popular American TV show.

On part of his show he reads a top ten list. And the other day, the list was: The top ten messages left on Eliot Spitzer’s answering machine.

This was just after the New York governor prostitution scandal – this is one of the great things about scandals like that ... is all the parodies and jokes that you get afterwards, especially American scandals. That’s one of things that I really like about America, actually ... is that they seem to be really good at laughing at themselves. Which I think is pretty cool.

Number seven was: Hi, I’m calling from the New York post would you rather be known as disgraced governor perv or humiliated whore fiend?

Number 4: This is Senator Larry Craig, do you ever go through the Minneapolis airport?

And number 2: Paris Hilton here, I would have done it for free.

To get those last two you have to have to be following the American media.

Larry Craig is an American politician who did something inappropriate in the men's bathrooms in the Minneapolis Airport in June last year.

And Paris Hilton is a girl who is famous for being famous and her career was launched after the release of her homemade sex video.

I think Letterman is pretty funny – and I enjoy it now that I actually read American websites and kind of keep up with American news. I remember watching Letterman back in my first year of university when I was living in a hostel, because they had TVs there, and I really didn’t get it at all.

I still don’t get a lot of it now, but I get more of it than I did before. That’s the thing with a lot of comedy you really have to understand a lot of the background to get it – but anyway go to his website and check out a few of his videos and see what you think.

STICK NEWS

Kia Ora, in Stick News today, according to the co-founder of YouTube, TV is not dead, yet.

Television is a telecommunication system which has been commercially available since the late 1930s.
Since the internet was invented people have spent less time watching the box.
Research released this week shows Australians now spend more time online than they do watching TV.
But YouTube co-founder Steve Chen, who visited Sydney this week, says TV is not dead.
“You're never going to have the family hover around on a Sunday night and watch this 320-by-240 screen on the computer monitor," he said.
"I don't think the technology, and the ergonomics, is quite there yet to watch all this content and consume it online, rather than sitting back."

And that was Stick News for Thursday 20th of March.
Kia Ora

conversations with sarah

#416 How did you like being in jail?

Watch this conversation here from :37

Step 1: Repeat Dave’s lines.
Step 2: Read Dave’s lines and talk to Paris.

David How have you been? Are you all right?

Paris Good. Good to be back in New York.

David Yeah, good to have you. How much time do you spend in New York City? A lot?

Paris Not as often as I’d like.

David Which do you prefer, New York City or Los Angeles?

Paris I like both. I like the weather in LA better, but I love New York City.

David New York City’s exciting though, isn’t it?

Paris I was born here, yeah.

David Yeah? Good for you. How did you like being in jail?

Paris Not too much.

links

today's news

today's STICK NEWS

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: Antony Raijekov
album: Jazz U
track: Deep blue 2005
from: Sofia, Bulgaria
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

Did you notice a mistake in this script? Please leave us a comment and tell us! We really appreciate people pointing out our mistakes.Thank you.

Have you translated this script - or part of it - into your language for English practice and published it on your blog? Please leave a comment and a link so other people can read your translation. Thank you.

Show 676 Wednesday 19 March

Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.

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

Today I’d like to talk about two words: heater and stove.

In English, I would call this a heater and I would call this a stove.
But in Japanese, they call this a stove （ストーブ） and this a gas range　（ガスレンジ）, which is kind of confusing. When a Japanese person talks about a stove, I’m usually not sure if they’re talking about a heater or a stove. They’re usually talking about a heater.

At first, I just thought this was a case of loan words coming from English and randomly jumping to different objects.
But I looked up heater and stove in my dictionary and apparently stove is also called range in American English. And another meaning for stove is a piece of equipment that can burn various fuels and is used for heating rooms.

So, it seems like the loan words haven’t really jumped to different objects after all.

So now I’m curious. What do you call these in your dialect of English?

Let’s call this item A and this item B. Please leave a comment. Thank you.

STICK NEWS

Kia Ora, in Stick News today, the US Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case about inadvertent indecent language.

The Federal Communications Commission wants the high court to restore its power to penalize networks which air indecent or vulgar language.
They said: "Given the core meaning of the 'F-Word,' any use of that word or a variation, in any context, inherently has a sexual connotation. The 'F-Word' is one of the most vulgar, graphic and explicit descriptions of sexual activity in the English language. Its use invariably invokes a coarse sexual image."
According to CNN, television networks say their scripted shows no longer have expletives but they are worried about the unplanned use of an indecent word at live events, such as awards shows and sporting events. They say some indecent words can slip through and they want to be protected from heavy government fines.
One example cited is U2 singer Bono's 2003 Golden Globes acceptance speech in which he uttered the phrase, "Really, really, f---ing brilliant."

And that was Stick News for Wednesday the 19th of March.
Kia Ora

THE SNOW REPORT
in Hirafu

This is Josh and Jimbo from New Zealand playing on a rail outside their house last week.

conversations with sarah
#415 What kind of heater is that?

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

Paula What kind of heater is that?

Sarah It uses kerosene.

Paula Is it cheaper than an electric heater?

Sarah Yeah, I think so. It still uses electricity though.

Paula Oh really? What for?

Sarah For the fan.

Paula So it uses electricity and kerosene.

Sarah Yeah. We pay so much to heat this place because it’s about 30 years old and the walls are so thin. There’s like no insulation.

Paula And the price of kerosene keeps going up, doesn’t it?

Sarah Yeah, it sucks. I want to live in a house with thick walls.

links

today's news
today's STICK NEWS pictures

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/sr bgm
artist: Antony Raijekov
album: Jazz U
track: Deep blue 2005
from: Sofia, Bulgaria
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

Did you notice a mistake in this script? Please leave us a comment and tell us! We really appreciate people pointing out our mistakes.Thank you.

Have you translated this script - or part of it - into your language for English practice and published it on your blog? Please leave a comment and a link so other people can read your translation. Thank you.

Show 675 Tuesday 18 March

Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.

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

Today’s movie is The Karate Kid. It came out in 1984 and it’s a classic movie – you have to watch it if you haven’t already.

Wikipedia says: It is a martial arts movie and an underdog story.

What’s an underdog?
A person, team, country, etc. that is thought to be in a weaker position than others and therefore not likely to be successful, win a competition etc.

The main characters in the movie are Mr Miyagi and Daniel-san. Mr Miyagi was played by an American guy called Pat Morita. I was just reading his Wikipedia entry and his childhood was so sad – he spent most of it in hospital and when he finally learnt how to walk when he was 11, he got out of hospital and had to go straight to an internment camp because it was during the war and his parents were from Japan.

Anyway back to the film, one of the most famous phrases from the movie is: wax on, wax off. That’s from a lesson when Mr Miyagi is teaching Daniel-san karate.

The conversation we’re going to do today is from the part when Mr Miyagi and Daniel-san first meet.
Daniel has just moved to California with his mum. And they move into an apartment block. And the tap doesn’t work, so Daniel goes to find the maintenance guy to tell him ... and that’s when they meet. Daniel finds Mr Miyagi sitting there catching flies with chopsticks. It’s pretty funny.

By the way, he says faucet, which is tap in American English.
A device that controls the flow of water from a pipe

STICK NEWS

Kia Ora, in Stick News today. For the first time since the 1960s bars in Nova Scotia will be able to open on Good Friday.

Since the 1960s a regulation in the Nova Scotian Liquor Control Act preventing bars from opening on Good Friday and Christmas Day.
The regulation has now been dropped and this Friday people in Nova Scotia can drink in bars.
The manager of a bar in Halifax called Economy Shoe Shop, said “I think it’s about time, it’s a sign of the times in a positive way.”

And that was Stick News for Tuesday the 18th of March.
Kia Ora

THE SNOW REPORT
in Kutchan

This is a random dog wandering the streets of Kutchan.

conversations with sarah

#414 When are you going to fix the faucet?

Step 1: Repeat Daniel’s lines.
Step 2: Read Daniel’s lines and talk to Miyagi.

Watch this scene here at 8:00

Daniel Hello? Hey, are you the maintenance man?

Miyagi Hai.

Daniel Yeah, we're the new people in apartment 20. Yeah, our faucet's really leaking there. Well, could you come fix it?

Miyagi Hai.

Daniel Well, can I tell my mom when?

Miyagi When what?

Daniel When are you going to fix the faucet?

Miyagi After.

Daniel After what?

Miyagi After after!

links

today's news
today's STICK NEWS pictures

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: Antony Raijekov
album: Jazz U
track: Deep blue 2005
from: Sofia, Bulgaria
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

Did you notice a mistake in this script? Please leave us a comment and tell us! We really appreciate people pointing out our mistakes.Thank you.

Have you translated this script - or part of it - into your language for English practice and published it on your blog? Please leave a comment and a link so other people can read your translation. Thank you.