Friday, January 11, 2008

Show 608 Friday 11 January


Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.

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

The song I recommend today is called Escape (The Piña Colada Song) by Rupert Holmes.
I like this song and I think it’s a great one to study because there’s a story to it and the lyrics are fairly simple and it’s easy to follow.

There’s a couple of lines I’d like to talk about.

I didn't think about my lady, I know that sounds kind of mean.

The word mean in this line ... a lot of students I’ve met don’t know this meaning of the word mean.

Mean has several meanings. I think people are most familiar with mean as in: What do you mean?

But mean is also an adjective which means unkind.
So you can say to someone: Don’t be mean!
Kids often use this word, like: Muuuum she’s being mean!

Later on in the song it says:

I'm not much into health food, I am into champagne.

Into here means: taking a lively and active interest in

So, I’m not much into health food means: I don’t really like it, I’m not interested in it, I don’t really eat it ... that kind of thing.



STICK NEWS

Kia Ora, this is Stick News. This morning in Auckland New Zealand Sir Edmund Hillary died at the age of 88.

Edmund Hillary was born in Auckland, New Zealand on the 20th of July 1919.
Thirty three years later, on the 29th of May 1953 at the age of 33, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers known to have reached the summit of Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world.
After the climb, Hillary was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
Sir Ed kept climbing mountains and collecting more badges like the Order of New Zealand in 1987 and the Order of the Garter in 1995.
Wikipedia says: following his ascent of Everest, Hillary devoted much of his life to helping the Sherpa people of Nepal through the Himalayan Trust, which he founded. Through his efforts many schools and hospitals were built in this remote region of the Himalayas.
Various streets, schools and organisations around New Zealand and abroad are named after Sir Ed. Such as Hillary College in Otara, Edmund Hillary Primary School in Papakura.
In 1992 Hillary appeared on the new $5 note in New Zealand. He was the only New Zealander to appear on a banknote during his or her lifetime.
On the 50th anniversary of the first successful ascent of Everest the Nepalese Government made Hillary an honorary citizen of Nepal. He was the first foreign national to receive such an honour from the Nepalese government.
This morning at around 9am Sir Edmund Hillary died of heart failure at the Auckland City Hospital. His death was announced by Prime Minister Helen Clark at around 11:20 am. She said that his passing was a "profound loss to New Zealand".
A state funeral has been planned for the 22nd of January.


And that was Stick News for Friday the 11th of January.
Kia Ora.




friday joke

I got the joke from here.

A man walks into a bar and sees a man with a tiny head about the size of an orange. He asks the bartender what happened to the man. The bartender says, "Well, he was on a beach and saw a beautiful mermaid." "The mermaid swam up to him and offered him a single wish." Unfortunately, the man replied "How about a little head?"



conversations with sarah
#368 Did you hear that Edmund Hilary died?

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

Tom Did you hear that Edmund Hillary died?

Sarah Yeah, I feel really sad about that. I was crying this morning. I feel kind of like a friend died.

Tom Did you know him?

Sarah No. But I kind of felt like I did. He seemed like such a cool guy.

Tom How old was he?

Sarah 88. I saw him actually when I went back to New Zealand.

Tom Really? Where?

Sarah I was walking along the waterfront in Auckland and there was some kind of event on, raising money for firefighting or something, and he was there. There weren’t many people there. And I just remember thinking, wow, that’s Edmund Hillary. And I wanted to go over and say hello ... but I didn’t.



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

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: athush
album: overload
track: Hidden Movement
from: Barcelona, Spain
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo

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: BrunoXe
album: aprendiendo desde 2004
track: Chill Out
from: Jerez, Spain
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.

* Update: Thanks to Joon for pointing out a mistake in this script!

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 607 Thursday 10 January


Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.

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

The video I recommend today is one off the list of YouTube’s top ten videos of 2007.
It’s called: "I Got a Crush...On Obama" By Obama Girl

I think the video and the song are pretty well done.
So let’s talk about some vocab from the song.

First of all, what does crush mean?
It says in this dictionary: A strong feeling of love, that usually does not last very long, that a young person has for sb older.

Hmm ... I don’t agree with that last bit – it doesn’t have to be someone older than you, it can be younger or the same age as you.

But I think it’s the kind of word that is usually used about young people. Or about yourself when you were younger. Like I can still remember some of the guys that I had big crushes on when I was at high school. Nothing usually happened of course I’d just talk about it with my friends but be too shy to actually talk to them - which I think is a typical crush.

So that’s what crush means. Some more words:
The Oval Office is the office of the President of the United States of America. And it’s in an oval shape, hence the name.

Border security is mentioned in the song and that seems to be a big political issue in the United States. I think that’s about trying to stop foreigners they don’t want in the US from coming into the country.

Another issue mentioned in the song is: universal health care reform.

That is something about changing the health care system.
Universal means: done by or involving all the people in the world or in a particular group

This is what it says about universal health care in Wikipedia:

Universal health care refers to government programs intended to ensure that all citizens, and sometimes permanent residents, of a governmental region have access to most types of health care. Patients may pay for some portion of their care directly, but most care is subsidized by taxpayers and/or by compulsory health insurance.

The United States is the only wealthy, industrialized nation that does not provide universal health care.

I don’t know if that’s true though.



STICK NEWS

Kia Ora, in Stick News today a woman in Nova Scotia, Canada was given a car by a secret santa and she says it has made a huge difference in her life.

This woman is the manager of a coffee shop in Nova Scotia. She is a single mother with a three-year-old daughter.
Last year in March her daughter was diagnosed with kidney failure. She didn’t have car so she had to rely on family and friends to get to the children's hospital in Halifax every three to four weeks.
But just before Christmas a guy from a used car dealership arrived at the coffee shop and gave her a set of keys and an envelope.
Inside the envelope was a card which said: "Hope this helps with your struggles and your trips back and forth to Halifax." It was signed by: "someone who cares."
The woman said she was in shock for about four days.


And that was Stick News for Thursday 10th of January.
Kia Ora.




THE SNOW REPORT
on Hanazono #3

thanks to Ryan

Where are you from?
Ah, from Perth in Australia.

How long have you been staying in Niseko?
Ah, this is the fifth, the fifth day. So se, ah, six days total. So one more day tomorrow, then we go home.

How many times have you been to Niseko?
This is the first time I’ve come but I think I’d like to come again. Yeah, the snow’s awesome, so, for sure.

Which mountain do you usually go to in Australia?
Ah, I’ve only been to a couple of mountains, Mount Hothem and Mount Buller, but only a couple of times, so, not so, not so good in Australia. But, ah, yeah, much better to come to Japan, I think.

What’s your job in Australia?
Ah, I actually live in Malaysia. I work in ah, sports management, event management.

How would you describe today’s conditions?
Ah, it’s, it’s good. Um, not, I mean, there’s lots of snow in the trees and stuff. A lot of the runs are getting tracked out. But, ah, it’s nice, getting a bit windy, but, ah, still lots of powder out there, so, yeah, get into it.



conversations with sarah
#367 What a nice story.

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

Bob Wow, what a nice story.

Sarah Yeah, that is nice.

Bob Would you do that?

Sarah Buy someone a car?

Bob Yeah, or do something nice anonymously like that.

Sarah Yeah, if I had the money I would buy someone a car, I guess.

Bob It doesn’t have to be expensive though.

Sarah Yeah. I remember something nice I did once ...

Bob Only once?

Sarah Ha ha, I’m nice sometimes ...

Bob Just kidding. Go ahead.

Sarah Well I was walking home from work and I saw this guy lying on the ground and these other guys were kicking him ...

Bob What?!

Sarah Yeah, it’s kind of common in New Zealand. And it was the middle of the night, I was a bartender, walking home from work. Anyway, as I walked up those guys walked away. And the guy on the ground was alright, he didn’t seem injured, he was just really drunk so he could hardly talk. And I happened to have some money on me because I’d got about 10 or 20 dollars tips. So I found a taxi nearby and I pulled the guy off the ground and half carried him into the taxi and gave all my tip money to the taxi driver and sent him home.

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: BrunoXe
album: aprendiendo desde 2004
track: Chill Out
from: Jerez, Spain
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.