Show 844 Friday 3 October
Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.
Hi, I’m Sarah, welcome to The Daily English Show.
The song we’re going to study today is called Little Boxes. It was written in 1962 by Malvina Reynolds, who was an American folk and blues singer-songwriter and political activist.
I’d never heard of the song until I watched Weeds. The song is used in the opening of that TV series.
I like the song – and I think it’s a great one to study. The grammar is pretty simple.
It starts like this:
Little boxes on the hillside Little boxes made of ticky-tacky Little boxes on the hillside Little boxes all the same
I’d never heard the word ticky-tacky before I heard this song.
n. (informal) (chiefly N. Amer.)
inferior or cheap material, especially as used in suburban building
The song is criticizing suburbia – how all the houses look the same and the people are all the same.
And the people in the houses All went to the university Where they were put in boxes And they came out all the same
STICK NEWS
Kia Ora this is Stick News. Tomorrow is eDay in New Zealand. The event aims to increase community awareness of the hazardous nature of electronic equipment.
According to the eDay website, e-waste is the fastest growing type of waste in the world and is more toxic than normal household rubbish.
On eDay, drop-off points are organized for people to get rid of computer equipment and mobile phones that are no longer being used.
The equipment is then recycled in an environmentally sustainable manner.
The event was launched in Wellington, New Zealand in 2006. Last year, more than 26,000 computer items were collected.
EDay 2008 will be held in more than 30 centres in New Zealand.
And that was Stick News for Friday the 3rd of October.
Kia Ora.
Word of the Day
Today’s word is tacky.
Tacky is similar to ticky-tacky. But ticky-tacky is about bad materials – especially building materials. But tacky is an adjective meaning: cheap, badly made and/or lacking in taste.
I would usually use the word tacky to describe décor in a shop or a restaurant.
I looked online for an example using the word tacky and I found a post in a gardening forum from someone who was having trouble deciding what material to use for a wall they were building. They were thinking of using wood – as opposed to concrete or some other material – but they were really worried about what people would think.
The title of the post is: Are landscaping timbers tacky?
The person asks: Are timber walls outdated or tacky or otherwise undesirable?
The person goes into detail about their proposed wall. And the post ends like this:
In general, do timber retaining walls scream out CHEAP! or anything? I despise concrete unit walls, especially with an older home, but I need to feel secure that everyone else doesn't feel that way about timber. Thanks!
friday joke
I found this joke here.
A man rings the FBI and says: "I'm calling to report my neighbour Tom! He’s hiding marijuana inside his firewood. "
"Thank you very much for the call, sir."
The next day, FBI agents descend upon Tom’s house and search the shed where the firewood is kept. Using axes, they bust open every piece of wood, but find no marijuana. They swear at Tom and leave.
That evening the phone rings at Tom’s house.
"Hey, Tom! Did the FBI come?"
"Yeah!"
"Did they chop your firewood?"
"Yeah, they did … "
"Happy Birthday, Buddy!"
conversations with sarah
#522 It’s a comedy-drama
Step 1: Repeat Marvin’s lines.
Step 2: Read Marvin’s lines and talk to Sarah.
Marvin So you recommend Weeds?
Sarah Yeah, it’s pretty good.
Marvin Is it a comedy?
Sarah It’s a comedy-drama.
Marvin So it’s funny and serious?
Sarah Yeah. Sometimes funny, sometimes serious. The product placement on Weeds can get a bit annoying.
Marvin What do they have product placement for?
Sarah Oh, everything – cars, computers, coffee … actually most of it is fine. I just think it’s weird how she’s always walking around holding a drink, and sucking on a straw when she’s talking. And whenever she walks into a room she goes straight to the fridge and takes out a can and opens the can.
Marvin Of beer?
Sarah No, of a soft drink, like coke. Probably diet coke because the characters are always mentioning diet coke. But I mean, that’s just weird … who keeps cans of coke in their fridge?
links
today's news
today's STICK NEWS pictures
music
show start
artist: Boom Tschak
album: Indietronic CCBit.
track: More Chocolate, Please
from: Former Yugoslavia
MySpace
WOD start
artist: DJ iPep's
album: Home Mix 2007
track: Game Toy
from: EVREUX, France
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: Wolfgang S.
album: Indietronic CCBit.
track: Dynamite
from: Belgrade, Serbia, Former Yugoslavia
artist site
MySpace
qa start
artist: ioeo
album: triptracks
track: triptrack2
from: Saint Raphael, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site
qa bgm
artist: Ensono
album: Night Culture
track: Wild Mind
from: Vigo, Spain
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
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