Show 527 Friday 12 October

Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.

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

Time for some more Canadian English today.

This is called a tuque in Canada.
In NZ I’d call it a beanie.

Another word I learnt recently is faculty.
Well I already knew that word, but not its North American meaning.

This is of those words that, the first time I heard it, I thought that the person must be just using it in a strange way, but then after I heard several people using it in the same way I started to think hmm hang on, maybe I’m the one who is using it incorrectly, or maybe it has a different meaning in Canada. And so I looked it up and yes, sure enough, it does.

Faculty. Chiefly British. A group of university departments concerned with a major division of knowledge.

And that’s how the word is used at New Zealand universities.
For example, the Faculty of Arts, which includes many departments like the Department of English Literature or French.

And the North American meaning is: the teaching or research staff of a university or college.

So there are different kinds of staff members here at Acadia, there are people who teach, and they are part of what is called faculty, and then there are other people who do administration or cleaning or whatever and they are not part of faculty.

The reason why I’ve heard that word a lot recently is because now there are negotiations happening between faculty and administration.

I’m not exactly sure what it’s about, but basically something about their working conditions and how much they get paid.

And there’s also a possibility that they could strike on Monday. But they haven’t decided that yet and they’ll probably keep negotiating and decide on Sunday night.

STICK NEWS

Kia Ora this is Stick News. A New Zealand man who has previously been jailed in three countries started a new jail term in his home country today. Over the last four years he has conned 3.4 million dollars out of the New Zealand government.

Wayne Thomas Patterson is a 47-year-old New Zealander. He has been in jail in Australia, New Zealand and America.
In Australia he conned $A500,000 in benefits using 43 false identities. In America he defrauding authorities of $US2 million.
He was last released from prison in 2003 and within a month, he was offending again.
Over the last four years he has used 123 false identities to con more than $3.4 million out of the Ministry of Social Development.
The New Zealand Press Association reported the fraud was New Zealand's largest benefit fraud. The previous biggest benefit fraud was for $250,912.
Police said when they raided Patterson's modest rented flat in west Auckland, they found nearly $700,000 in $50 notes buried in the garden, $184,333 cash in the flat and in his car, and gold bars worth $355,000, also hidden in the flat.
They also found 137 ATM cards and 102 forged birth certificates.
There was a sophisticated security camera, six computers, and a lavish garden with $50,000 worth of plants.
Patterson is now in jail again and will serve at least five years of an eight-year sentence.

And that was Stick News for Friday the 12th of October.
Kia Ora.

friday joke

Two ducks are staying in a hotel. They are about to make love and then they realize they don’t have any condoms. So one of the ducks rings room service to ask for some condoms.
The woman on the phone says, ''OK sir, would you like to put them on your bill?''
''No,'' he says, ''I'll suffocate!''

I found today's joke here. I changed it a little.

conversations with sarah
#327 What happens if there’s a strike?

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

Tane What happens if there’s a strike?

Sarah Not much, I don’t think, just most of the classes stop. But the English language classes continue.

Tane Why is that?

Sarah Because the English language instructors aren’t part of faculty.

Tane Why not?

Sarah I don’t know. I’m not quite sure how it works.

Tane How long will they strike for?

Sarah I don’t know. I doubt if it would be very long though. Probably just a couple of days.

Tane What’s the problem?

Sarah I think one of the problems is that the professors want to get paid more. Apparently they get less than people at other universities in Canada.

notes

Faculty of Arts
It depends on the university, what this is called.

For example, if you do a BA in English lit at Victoria, NZ, you would be studying with the School of English, Film, Theatre, & Media Studies, which is part of The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.

If you do a BA in English lit at Auckland, NZ, you would be studying with the Department of English, which is part of the Faculty of Arts.

If you do a BA in English lit at Acadia, Canada, you would be studying with the Department of English, which is part of the Faculty of Arts.

links

today's news
more here
today's STICK NEWS pictures

About the strike - ASU
Acadia University Faculty Association
The last time they had a strike it was in winter, check it out, the place looks so much different in winter, eh.

music

show start
artist: AdHoc
album: Toutes directions
track: La note en cage
from: Annecy, 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: San Sebastian
track: Happy Sad
artist site

qa start
artist: Manu Cornet
album: Distance & Temps
track: Silk Road
from: Paris, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

qa bgm
artist: Olga Scotland
album: Scotland Yard
track: L-Micro
from: Moscow, Russia
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 have 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 526 Thursday 11 October

Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.

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

This weekend is homecoming weekend at Acadia University.
So, what is homecoming?

I’d heard of it before and I always assumed that it meant when the students go home.
But no ...

In my dictionary there are two meanings for homecoming.
1. an instance of returning home
2. (N. Amer.) a reunion of former students of a college or high school

In New Zealand, we don’t use the word homecoming. But I think schools and universities do have reunions, but not very often, as far as I know.

But here homecoming is an annual event. So I guess some people, if they have a lot of free time, could go back to their (old) university every year.

And former students are called alumni. It says in my dictionary, especially American English. I’ve heard that word before, but I don’t think it’s used much in New Zealand.

There are various events over homecoming weekend mostly sports games, and there is also something called fall convocation. I don’t actually know what that is. I should probably ask someone.

I’ve never heard of convocation before and in Wikipedia it says there are about three different meanings. But anyway it’s some kind of ceremony.

And fall is a season, as you probably know. I still can’t really get used to it being called fall. Fall sounds like something you do when you trip over, it doesn’t really sound like a season to me.

And tomorrow night we’re going to a hockey game. Hockey as in ice hockey which they call hockey in Canada. It’s hard to get used to that too.
In New Zealand we say hockey and ice hockey. And in Canada, they say field hockey and hockey.
I’ve played both sports actually. At high school I played hockey for 4 years. And then when I was at university I played ice hockey for a year.
So I’m really looking forward to watching the game.

STICK NEWS

Kia Ora, in Stick News today the Nobel Prize for literature has been awarded to 87-year-old British writer, Doris Lessing.

On the 22nd of October 1919, a girl was born in a country called Persia.
Her parents were British and six years after Doris was born, they moved to Southern Rhodesia .
Doris went to a Catholic school and left when she was 13.
She was married twice and had three children.
In 1949, Doris Lessing moved to London and her first book was published.
The book was called The Grass is Singing.
It’s a novel which deals with racial politics in Southern Africa in the 1940s.
Lessing has now written more than 20 novels, as well as short stories, poetry, plays, two operas, non-fiction and two volumes of an autobiography.
Now she’s just been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
In a radio interview Lessing said about the prize: “They can't give a Nobel to someone who's dead, so I guess they were thinking they'd better give it to me now before I popped off.”

And that was Stick News for Thursday the 11th of October.
Kia Ora.

ASKING ACADIA
Why did you choose Acadia?

Cause it was the first place that accepted me.

Ah, it’s one of the only schools I got into.

Well, ah, it was one of the, it’s the closest school to my hometown with a program in theology, which is what I study. And they actually have, ah, better scholarships in theology than almost any other school in Canada right now, so a couple of really good reasons right there.

I wanted to go to a really small school. And most of the small schools are on the east coast. So then my dad and I came out and looked at them. And Acadia I guess was the one that just fit the best, so ...

Ah the lap top program’s pretty nice. And ah, being far away from home.

Um, I came here, because it had a really good kinesiology program. And I came for rugby as well.

conversations with sarah
#326　 How long did you play for?

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

Tommy You played ice hockey in New Zealand?

Sarah Yeah.

Tommy Is it popular in New Zealand?

Sarah No, not at all. I think there are only two ice skating rinks in the whole of New Zealand.

Tommy How long did you play for?

Sarah Just for one season.

Tommy Did you enjoy it?

Sarah Yeah, I loved it. I love ice skating and rollerblading and hockey ... so, yeah, it was really fun.

Tommy Did you win many games?

Sarah Yeah, actually my team won the championship.

Tommy What was your team called?

Sarah Ahh, I can’t remember.

links

today's news
Nobel Prize press release
today's STICK NEWS pictures

music

show start
artist: AdHoc
album: Toutes directions
track: La note en cage
from: Annecy, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

asking acadia start
artist: XL Ant
album: XL Ant
track: Levitation (Club Mix)
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

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

qa start
artist: Manu Cornet
album: Distance & Temps
track: Silk Road
from: Paris, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

qa bgm
artist: Olga Scotland
album: Scotland Yard
track: Ksan
from: Moscow, Russia
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 have 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 525 Wednesday 10 October

Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.

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

Today, I got an email from someone asking for help with their English.
So today is their lucky day. I’m going to point out some mistakes in their email.
While I’m reading this email, see if you can see what the mistakes are.

Hi how was youre day?
Hi, how was your day?

You’ve used the wrong your there. That’s a classic mistake.
And my day was great, thank you.

First Iwant to know how many times repeat one lesson?
First, I want to know how many times to repeat one lesson.

You shouldn’t use a question mark there because it’s not an actual question.
Also, I think this sounds a bit better:
Could you tell me many times I should repeat one lesson?

And my answer to that question is: until you get sick of it. I think repeating is really important and useful, but it’s important to choose something that you’re interested in to repeat. I would just watch a show once and then if you find it interesting, watch it again and again until you get sick of it.

Second what do I do to remind a word, that I don't know ?
Second, what do I do to remember a word that I don't know?

You should use remember there.
Well, there are many methods to remember words. And one is to use it. So, when you pick up a new word, try to use it as much as possible in conversation and use it when you’re writing, because the more often you use it the more likely you are to remember the word.

Third how can I underestand a word or sentences if I don't want look from dictionary , is it possible or not .
Third, how can I understand a word or sentences without looking them up in a dictionary? Is this possible?

You’ve spelled understand wrong there.

Yes, it’s definitely possible. You can try and guess what a word means from the context. And I think it’s a very useful and important skill.

And the email goes on from there.
And my final piece of advice today is this: use spell check. Spell check won’t solve all your problems, but it is very useful.

I use Word and I have that thing turned on where you can see a squiggly red line under a word that could be spelt wrong.
I think that’s a great way to improve my spelling. That line could be there because it’s a new word like blog, but it also could be there because I don’t know how to spell the word.
And when I see it, first I try and correct the mistake myself, and if I can’t work it out, then I look it up. And after I’ve made the same mistake a few times, then eventually I remember how to spell it.
It’s really useful to know how to spell, even if you are on a computer because it’s much faster if you spell everything correctly the first time.

STICK NEWS

Kia Ora this is Stick News. Today is the World Day Against the Death Penalty. Thousands of people across the globe are taking part in initiatives to protest capital punishment.

When a state agrees to kill a person as punishment for a crime, it’s called capital punishment or the death penalty.
Wikipedia says the death penalty used to be used by nearly all societies.
But now many countries and states have abolished the practice. Including almost all countries in Europe, the South Pacific and Latin America and Canada.
Places where the death penalty still exists include the United States, Guatemala, most of the Caribbean and the majority of democracies in Asia and Africa.
In 2003, the first World Day Against the Death Penalty took place. The event was launched by the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty.
The coalition says on their website that their ultimate objective is “to obtain the definitive abolition of death sentences and executions in those countries where the death penalty is in force.”

And that was Stick News for Wednesday the 10th of October.
Kia Ora.

ASKING ACADIA
What do you think of the death penalty?

Honestly, truthfully, um, I’m not exactly against it for one reason. I know that if it was me, and you leave me alone and you touch somebody that’s mine, I will kill you. So, let them get you before I do.
Well, it depends on the situation, because if it’s like, if someone’s murdered, like, death for death, I don’t find is right. So, it really depends on the situation, I guess, for now. And of course other countries believe different things too. So ... but, here, I don’t really believe that’s right.

I think it’s wrong because you don’t know ... what happens if someone’s innocent? You can’t exactly go back on it.

Um, I really don’t think that it should be up to us to decide who lives, who dies, um, it ... I don’t want that responsibility and I don’t feel like I can trust someone else with that either.

I think, um, I don’t necessarily agree with it completely. But I also don’t agree with um, guys, like someone committing a crime, like murder and then being let out of prison years later and then recommitting that crime. So either way, I don’t necessarily agree with it, but at the same time, I don’t agree with not having it.

conversations with sarah
#325　Do you agree with the death penalty?

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

Sarah Do you agree with the death penalty?

Jenny Yes.

Sarah Really? Why?

Jenny I think some crimes are so bad that they deserve it.

Sarah Like killing people?

Jenny Yes. And I think it helps the families of the victims.

Sarah Really? But from what I’ve read often the victims’ families don’t actually support the death penalty.

Jenny So you don’t support it?

Sarah No.

Jenny How about when a person kills a lot of people?

Sarah No matter what they do, I don’t agree. I don’t think we can really stop killing by killing more.

Jenny Well, how can we stop it?

Sarah Well, maybe we can’t. But if the death penalty doesn’t even help, then we shouldn’t do it.

Jenny But they need to be punished for their crime.

Sarah Yeah, maybe. But anyway, you can punish people without killing them. And what about all the wrongful convictions? There are a lot of them. And once someone is dead, that’s it.

links

today's news

today's STICK NEWS pictures

World Day Against the Death Penalty

Death Penalty at Wikipedia

music

show start
artist: AdHoc
album: Toutes directions
track: La note en cage
from: Annecy, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

asking acadia start
artist: XL Ant
album: XL Ant
track: Levitation (Club Mix)
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

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

qa start
artist: Manu Cornet
album: Distance & Temps
track: Silk Road
from: Paris, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

qa bgm
artist: Olga Scotland
album: Scotland Yard
track: Trust
from: Moscow, Russia
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 have 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 524 Tuesday 9 October

Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.

Hi, I’m Sarah. Welcome to The Daily English Show.
Today’s guest is Mike. He’s in his fourth year at Acadia and he’s studying history. He also writes for the student newspaper. And I asked him if it was difficult to find the time to write for the paper and study at the same time.

If I want to become the student that my mum wants me to become, yes, definitely.
But if I want to be the, ah, the journalist student that I’d like to become, it’s surprisingly easy. Once you just decide to go and do it.

STICK NEWS

Kia Ora in Stick News today, New Zealand is in a state of shock after their national rugby team, the All Blacks, were beaten in the quarterfinals of the World Cup.

New Zealand’s national sport is rugby union. The national rugby union team is called the All Blacks.
It says in Wikipedia that the All Blacks are a formidable power in international rugby and are the top-ranked team in the world.
The Rugby World Cup has been held every four years since 1987. The All Blacks were the first ever champions and they finished in the top four in the next three tournaments. But this year, they were eliminated in quarter-finals.
On Sunday, the All Blacks lost to France. The New Zealand Herald said: It was a case of gut-wrenching deja vu for the Kiwis with the French repeating the second-half comeback that saw them eliminate the All Blacks in the 1999 World Cup.
Since Sunday, thousands of people have commented under the question on the NZ Herald site: Why do you think the All Blacks lost?
Many blame the team’s arrogance or the ref. While other’s suggested people stop moaning.
It's a game, one person wrote, - nobody dropped bombs on innocent NZ families, Mt Ruapehu did not blow half the North Island away. New Zealand is a beautiful, lucky country with much more to be proud of than rugby - sad that so many Kiwis are still too All Black-blind to see past an oval ball.

And that was Stick News for Tuesday the 9th of October.
Kia Ora.

conversations with sarah
#324　Why are you studying history?

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

Sarah Why did you choose Acadia?

Mike I chose Acadia because I knew the area. It was familiar. I knew that it was an excellent school. And, ah, my parents went here, so, ah, there’s a history of it.

Sarah Why are you studying history?

Mike Ah, because I’m not good at science. I’m absolutely terrible with numbers. I don’t have the drive for business. Ah, but I read a lot of books and watch a lot of movies. Um, it was either history or ... work at a burger joint.

Sarah What do you want to do after you graduate?

Mike Ah, I intend on either becoming a journalist. Ah, hopefully an online journalist, like a professional blogger. Or hopefully just get published and be able to live off of just writing. You know, fiction, ah, scripts, comedy, whatever.

Sarah What do you do at the student newspaper?

Mike Ah, I’m the opinions editor there. I pretty much just write about student politics or national politics or sometimes international politics. Anything that is considered a hot button issue in any way.

Sarah What do you most enjoy writing about?

Mike I definitely enjoy writing about politics. Um, but, mostly I enjoy culture. Like writing about different culture, my own culture, ah, counter cultures, sub cultures. Ah, just the way that others express themselves. The way that ah, others express themselves, the way that I express myself. It’s just, it’s so interesting, so I definitely am a culture writer.

Sarah What would you like to write a book about?

Mike I would like to write a book ... I’ve, I’ve always answered time travel. Not in a scientific manner or a serious manner. But just because I don’t think people have had enough fun with the concept yet. You could definitely do a good 800 pages of completely ridiculous comedy about time travel.

notes

a burger joint = a fast food shop selling burgers

joint (noun, informal) an establishment of a particular kind

off of - this is North American grammar. In NZ we just say "off" - "... be able to live off just writing".

hot button (noun, North American) an issue that is highly charged emotionally or politically

links

today's news

today's STICK NEWS pictures

Rugby World Cup results

All Blacks - Wikipedia

ABs at the World Cup - Wikipedia

music

show start
artist: AdHoc
album: Toutes directions
track: La note en cage
from: Annecy, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

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

qa start
artist: Manu Cornet
album: Distance & Temps
track: Silk Road
from: Paris, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

qa bgm
artist: Olga Scotland
album: Scotland Yard
track: New Year Evening
from: Moscow, Russia
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 have 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 523 Monday 8 October

Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.

I’m thankful for my family. Having them around me and enjoying the outdoors with them and having a campfire and cooking over the fire on a beautiful day like this.

I would say I’m pretty thankful for my family. I have two older sisters that are my best friends. And one of them has two sons now. And so every single day I pretty much live for them now. So ... I love my family.

I’m thankful for my family and friends.

I’m thankful that I have people to spend time with on Thanksgiving.

I’m thankful to be living in such a beautiful community most of all and to have such natural beauty surrounding me, I guess.

I’m thankful for the world we live in. And I just think it’s wonderful, all the people we get to meet on a daily basis.

I’m thankful for my family, my husband, my children. I’m thankful for life in general.

I’m thankful for my health and a good, ah, a good source of friends and lots of good food.

Um, I’m very thankful for my friends and family. It’s definitely, definitely friends and family. Life is hard enough without having people to talk to and people to, to fall back on and people to love you. I’m thankful for that.

Oh, I’m thankful for having a wonderful son, being healthy and um, yeah, the sun shining. It’s always nice.

I’m thankful for community and family.

I’m thankful for the earth and all she gives.

links

Wolfville Farmers' Market

music

show start
artist: AdHoc
album: Toutes directions
track: La note en cage
from: Annecy, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

other music

artist: Olga Scotland

album: Scotland Yard
track: Unikum

from: Moscow, Russia

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 have 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 522 Sunday 7 October

Watch today's show at YouTube or BlipTV.

Sunday Kitchen #67 Carrot Cake

3 cups of grated carrots
1 cup of water
1/2 a cup of oil
1 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
2 teaspoons of all spice
1/2 a teaspoon of salt
1/2 a cup of raisins

Mix.

2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda

Mix.

Add to the carrot mixture.

Mix.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

links

I adapted a recipe I found here.

music

show start
artist: AdHoc
album: Toutes directions
track: La note en cage
from: Annecy, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

other music
artist: Fabio Basile
album: Mabbit
track: Trepverter Dance

from: Verona, Italy
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site
YouTube channel

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 have 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 521 Saturday 6 October

Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.

Yesterday we went to a corn maze. I'd never been inside a maze before so I was really looking forward to it.
The maze was at a place called Noggins Corner Farm. There were a lot of pumpkins and pumpkin people.

We did the maze in groups. It was a race to find the stamps at eight different locations inside the maze. This guy gave us maps and explained the rules.

Walking in the corn was cool ... for about 5 minutes. Then I was like, ahh get me out of this damn corn.

Our group finished last. By a few hours I think. Possibly because only one person
was making a real effort to find our way and the rest of us were just kind of wandering along chatting.

I really enjoyed the day. Not because of the maze but because of the opportunity to talk to the very cool people in my group.

links

Noggins Corner Farm Corn Maze
About Pumpkin People

music

show start
artist: AdHoc
album: Toutes directions
track: La note en cage
from: Annecy, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

other music
artist: Fabio Basile
album: Mabbit
track: Calypso Shtetl
from: Verona, Italy
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site
YouTube channel

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 have 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 520 Friday 5 October

Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.

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

Last night we went to the Axe to celebrate Keith’s birthday. And everyone was wearing these antlers because there’s a moose on the label of Keith’s beer.

I was wondering if they would actually do the pledge. And they did. I don’t think they did it at exactly 11pm though.
And they even sang happy birthday. Check this out.

Speaking of celebrations – this is a long weekend because Monday is Thanksgiving Day in Canada.

Thanksgiving is celebrated in the United States and Canada. And no, we don’t celebrate it in New Zealand. I’ve heard of it though – I’ve seen it quite often on American sitcoms. Usually there’s a lot of stress and drama organizing a big family get-together – and people burn the food or have an argument or something.

Anyway, it seems like it’s a pretty big deal in North America. And a lot of people get together with their families and have a special meal together.

It’s on different days in the US and Canada. Thanksgiving in the United States is next month.

And the history seems to be a bit different too. This is what I can gather from my quick research on Wikipedia.

I think in the US it’s about some people from England who went to what is now called the United States and a local guy helped them grow some food. And they were grateful.

In Canada, it’s about English guy who went to live in Canada and held a formal ceremony in 1578 to give thanks for surviving the long journey.

And this is what it says about the significance of Canadian thanksgiving:

A celebration of being thankful for what one has and the bounty of the previous year.

So what does bounty mean?

Well, it has a few meanings. I don’t think they’re talking about number one: a reward paid for killing or capturing someone.

This is the one: something given or occurring in generous amounts.

I thought we’d do a special show on Monday for Thanksgiving.
We’re going to go and ask a lot of different people what they’re thankful for. This isn’t an original idea, I’ve seen it on American TV shows and video blogs ... but I think it’s a nice idea, so I thought I’d do it. And that’ll be on Monday.

STICK NEWS

Kia Ora this is Stick News. A passenger on a flight in the United States was told to change his t-shirt by an employee. The airline now says it made a mistake.

A man from Florida got on a plane in Ohio wearing a T-shirt which said: "master baiter." CNN described it as a fictional fishing shop T-shirt.
An employee told him he had to change his T-shirt, turn it inside out, or get off the plane. The man said he protested that the airline was infringing on his right to free speech, but he changed his shirt anyway because he was afraid he would miss the flight and a day's work.
The airline now says the employee made a mistake because they don’t have a dress code. They said they will apologize to the passenger.

And that was Stick News for Friday the 5th of October.
Kia Ora.

friday joke

I found today's joke here.

conversations with sarah
#323　Really? No Halloween?

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

Lucy So you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in New Zealand?

Sarah No.

Lucy How about Halloween?

Sarah No.

Lucy Really? No Halloween?

Sarah No. Well, basically no. But some people kind of do. It’s pretty much the same as Japan. Like most people wouldn’t even know it’s Halloween – but some clubs might have a Halloween party or something.

Lucy What do you celebrate?

Sarah Um, Guy Fawkes.

Lucy Is that like thanksgiving?

Sarah No, not really. It’s, um, a celebration of the failure of an attempt to blow up parliament or something ... anyway, no one really cares about the history. It’s just a night to drink a lot and set off fireworks.

Lucy Sounds dangerous.

Sarah Yeah, it is. And when we were kids we used to make a dummy and then burn it on a bonfire which is pretty creepy really.

notes

a big family get-together = an event where many family members gather in the same place
get-together noun (informal) an informal meeting, a party

a pretty big deal = regarded as important

keep your pants on (this was in a STICK NEWS picture) = calm down

master baiter = this sounds like "masturbater"
masturbate = stimulate one's genitals with one's hand for sexual pleasure
I think "master baiter" sounds more like "masturbater" with an American accent.

links

today's news
today's STICK NEWS pictures

music

show start
artist: AdHoc
album: Toutes directions
track: La note en cage
from: Annecy, 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: San Sebastian
track: Happy Sad
artist site

qa start
artist: Manu Cornet
album: Distance & Temps
track: Silk Road
from: Paris, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

qa bgm
artist: Fabio Basile
album: Mabbit
track: The Carousel Beginning
from: Verona, Italy
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site
YouTube channel

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 have 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 519 Thursday 4 October

Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.

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

Today I’m going to talk about Halifax – which is the biggest city in Nova Scotia.

Before I came to Nova Scotia I was reading about this area on the internet. And I was getting really confused about the name of the city of Halifax. Because everybody seemed to call it Halifax – but when I looked it up in Wikipedia it says this:

Halifax Regional Municipality is the capital city of the province of Nova Scotia.
The municipality's name is commonly shortened using the acronym HRM and often simply, although incorrectly, as Halifax.

And then I thought, oh, well, is it wrong to call it Halifax?
But I think everyone just calls it Halifax – and then there’s also the official name.

And this morning I decided to listen to a CBC podcast as I was walking to school and there happened to be a story about the name of Halifax. Apparently the name Halifax Regional Municipality was made about 10 years ago after they joined a few cities together.

And now they’re thinking of changing the name again – to Halifax.
And so they had some people talking about whether or not they thought it was a good idea. Some people thought it was a bad idea. They said it would be a waste of money because they’d have to change all the signs.

And speaking of Halifax, or HRM, today’s news is about a brewery in Halifax.

STICK NEWS

Kia Ora in Stick News today the government of Nova Scotia is spending four and a half million dollars to help pay for an expansion of a brewery.

Alexander Keith was born in Scotland on the 5th of October 1795. He became a brewmaster in Scotland, then moved to Canada in 1817. Three years later, he founded the Alexander Keith’s brewing company.
Keith was the mayor of Halifax, Nova Scotia three times, and he was a member of the Legislative Assembly for 30 years.
Alexander Keith died in Halifax in 1873.
But the beer lives on.
Today Keith’s is still brewed in Halifax.
The brewery is planning a $45 million dollar expansion so that more beer can be brewed.
Today CBC reported the Nova Scotia government would be chipping in 10 percent of the cost.
In other Keith’s news, tomorrow is Keith’s birthday.
Tonight, people all over Canada will be celebrating Keith’s 212th birthday.
According to Keith’s website, at exactly 11pm, thousands of people will recite a pledge to Alexander Keith’s.

I do solemnly pledge
To be faithful
To Alexander Keith’s India Pale Ale
The ambrosia of ales
And the emissary of Nova Scotia good times
As long as I am able
To lift glass aloft
Slainte mhath

And that was Stick News for Thursday the 4th of October.
Kia Ora.

ASKING ACADIA
Do you know what this word means? (Ambrosia)

No.
No.
I have no idea.
Is it ... some kind of ... tree cutting ... ah, term?
My guess is that it would be a disease.

conversations with sarah
#322 What’s Halifax like?

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

Larry What’s Halifax like?

Sarah I don’t know, I haven’t been there yet.

Larry But, didn’t you fly into Halifax?

Sarah Yeah, the airport. But, you know, the airports aren’t usually right in the centre of town. The planes need a bit of space to land.

Larry True. So you didn’t go into the city before coming out here?

Sarah No, we came straight here.

Larry How far is it to Halifax?

Sarah About an hour.

Larry You should go and visit it at least once.

Sarah Yeah, definitely, we’re planning to go. We might hitchhike there. Don’t know how easy it would be to hitchhike back though. It’s kind of hard to hitchhike out of big cities.

Larry Aren’t there any buses?

Sarah Yeah, there are buses. That might be a better idea.

notes

ambrosia = (greek and roman mythology) food of the gods, something very pleasing to taste or smell

emissary = a person sent as a diplomatic representative on a special mission

Slainte Mhath = cheers (literally "good health") in Gaelic
Explination here.

links

today's news
today's STICK NEWS pictures

HRM
So many things called Halifax

Alexander Keith
Keith's pledge
Keith's birthday site (although you have to enter a birthday ... how annoying)

music

show start
artist: AdHoc
album: Toutes directions
track: La note en cage
from: Annecy, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

asking acadia start
artist: XL Ant
album: XL Ant
track: Levitation (Club Mix)
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

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

qa start
artist: Manu Cornet
album: Distance & Temps
track: Silk Road
from: Paris, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

qa bgm
artist: Fabio Basile
album: Mabbit
track: The Carousel Beginning
from: Verona, Italy
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site
YouTube channel

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 have 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 518 Wednesday 3 October

Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.

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

Today I’m going to talk about convenience and convenient.
This is a common mistake – people say it is very convenience when they should say it is very convenient.

Convenience is a noun and convenient is an adjective.

Here are some examples of how to use the adjective:
It’s more convenient to go by bicycle.
Online lessons are really convenient.

And here are some examples I found online using the noun convenience:
Convenience is not all it's cracked up to be.
Quote from here.

And this was someone talking about a hotel:
I highly recommend it for its convenience to public transport, its location and its cleanliness.
Quote from here. (Edited)

You probably more often want to use the adjective, which is convenient not convenience.

When you are describing what something is like, use the adjective:
I am happy not I am happiness.
Today is cold not today is coldness.
She is grumpy not she is grumpiness.

Today we had another workshop and Yuki came today and she took us to her residence, which is called the Tower. It was cool to have a look inside it and we walked around and tried to get people to answer a question for today’s Asking Acadia.
The people who were the most obliging were the RAs. RA stands for residence assistant and they are kind of like managers who are also students.
So thank you to everyone who answered a question – even one guy who had just got out of the shower and was half naked. He was like, “Do you want me to put some clothes on?” and I was like, “No, you’re fine”.

STICK NEWS

Kia Ora this is Stick News. Yesterday the opening ceremony for the 2007 Special Olympics was held in Shanghai, China.

Special Olympics is an international organization created to help people with intellectual disabilities develop self-confidence, social skills and a sense of personal accomplishment through sports training and competition.
Special Olympics World Games are held every four years.
This year the games are in China. The opening ceremony was held in Shanghai last night.
Around 7,500 athletes will compete in 25 events over the next nine days.

And that was Stick News for Wednesday the 3rd of October.
Kia Ora.

ASKING ACADIA
What do you think of the Tower?

Ah, well, the Tower, I was told that it was leaning, like The Leaning Tower of Pisa. But actually it’s not really that bad. My room is a lot bigger than I had expected it to me. And it’s well furnished. Not too many holes in the walls.

I love living in the Tower. It’s fantastic. Very homey.

Ah, actually this is my first year in Tower. And at first I find it kind of weird because this building haven’t been used for one year I guess. And then coming here for the first time it’s quite ... since I’m a RA I came back early and it’s quiet and there’s not a lot of people. But after frosh week and after the returning student came back. I find it quite it interesting. Especially the people on my floor and I guess it’s the same goes to the people on other floors too. And, I really like it. It’s more like not just a building, but it’s more of a family or community.

I love Tower. It is awesome.

conversations with sarah
#321 What’s it like in New Zealand?

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

Bobby How many residences are there at Acadia?

Sarah There are 11 in total – but one of them is closed at the moment. It’s being renovated.

Bobby Wow, quite a few.

Sarah Yeah, for a university of only about four thousand people – I think over a quarter live in the halls.

Bobby Is that a lot?

Sarah Yeah, it seems like a lot to me – but apparently there used to be even more than that living on campus.

Bobby What’s it like in New Zealand?

Sarah Usually the halls are only for first years. So people would think it’s a bit strange if you’re still living in the hall in your second year or third year.

Bobby Did you live on campus in your first year?

Sarah Yeah, well, it wasn’t actually at the university, but it was pretty close.

Bobby What was it like?

Sarah It was fun – but I got sick of it after a while. Having people knock on your door all the time or knock on the window and ... yeah, just having to try and be nice to people when you’re in a bad mood and you just want to go and brush your teeth or something.

notes

not all it's cracked up to be = not as good as its reputation

cracked up to be = asserted to be

eg. Acting is not as glamorous as it's cracked up to be.

links

today's news

today's STICK NEWS picture

Special Olympics

Special Olympics World Games

2007 Special Olympics

Halls of residences at Acadia
Residence Assistant at Wikipedia

music

show start
artist: AdHoc
album: Toutes directions
track: La note en cage
from: Annecy, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

asking acadia start
artist: XL Ant
album: XL Ant
track: Levitation (Club Mix)
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

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

qa start
artist: Manu Cornet
album: Distance & Temps
track: Silk Road
from: Paris, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

qa bgm
artist: Fabio Basile
album: Mabbit
track: The Carousel Beginning
from: Verona, Italy
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site
YouTube channel

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 have 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 517 Tuesday 2 October

Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.

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

Last Thursday we started doing The Daily English Show workshops here at Acadia. So we invited the English language students to come and work with us making The Daily English Show.
We thought it would be good for them to learn something new – and also to practice their English by working on something together.
And also good for us because we can learn something from them and get new ideas for the show.

So this afternoon, three people came to the workshop, and it was great. The five of us went and did Asking Acadia together. It was a lot of fun doing it together. So we went out and filmed it, then we came back and I showed them how you get the video from the camera to the computer. And they were really surprised at how easy it is, because they’ve never made video before. And it is really easy, all you have to do is, film something, then plug the camera in to the computer, press a button, cut it in a few places, and that’s it.

STICK NEWS

Kia Ora in Stick News today a 21-year-old Japanese actress is now famous after her grumpy performance at an event promoting her new film.

Sawajiri Erica was born in Nerima, Tokyo, in 1986. She is now an actress, model, and musician.
Erica is now starring in a movie called Closed Note.
The film’s premiere was on Friday night. After the movie, the stars walked on stage and were expected to introduce themselves and politely answer a few questions.
Erica, however, didn’t play by the rules. She looked extremely annoyed and gave short, testy answers to the questions.
The next day many TV programs discussed Erica’s performance at the event. Many people criticized her and said her attitude was unprofessional.

And that was Stick News for Tuesday the 2nd of October.
Kia Ora.

ASKING ACADIA
What are you studying and why?

Sociology.
Because I think it’s very useful, ah, and in China, ah, some ... have very many social problems, such as sexual discrimination and the child can’t, ah, study in school. So I think this problem need so many people to solute (solve) it. So I think I want to study sociology.

I’m studying engineering.
Ah, because you can, like, get a good job, like, back home. Especially if you studied abroad. They pay you good back home. And there’s a lot of working places.

Ah, business.
Not really sure, to be honest, I don’t know.

Computer science.
Well, I’m doing it because I was always stuck on the computers when I was ... a young kid, so I kind of grew up with that.

I’m studying nutrition.
Because I’m interested in food and seeing how it ... ah, is used and the helps the body.

conversations with sarah
#320 What was she so pissed off about?

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

Bobby What was she so pissed off about?

Sarah I don’t know. I don’t think anyone knows yet.

Bobby Is she always like that?

Sarah Yeah, apparently, some people said she has a reputation for being a bit of a diva.

Bobby What’s a diva?

Sarah Well the official meaning is a famous female singer. But informally, it’s used to refer to a person – usually like a famous female - who is self-centered and demanding.

Bobby Was she very famous before this?

Sarah No, I don’t think so. I hadn’t heard of her. Then again there are a lot of celebrities in Japan who I haven’t heard of.

Bobby So she might have done this on purpose.

Sarah Yeah, she might have. And some people were actually saying that on some of the TV clips I saw too.

Bobby It certainly made people talk about her.

Sarah Yeah, that’s for sure. It could be good for her career. But you never know - it could go either way.

transcript and translation
This is a trascript and translation for the questions the MC asked Sawajiri Erica (and the answers she gave) at the film premiere of Closed Note.
I wrote the translation myself. Don't agree with the translation? Please leave a comment.

MC: まずはですね、主役の堀井香恵（ほりいかえ）を演じられました、沢尻エリカさん。
映画をご覧になっていただいた皆様に、一言ご挨拶をまず、お願いします。
MC: First, Sawajiri Erica, who played the main character Hori Kae, can you please say something to the people who have just watched this film.

エリカ様: えー、皆さん今日はありがとうございました。
Erica: Well, thank you everyone.

MC: はい、じゃあね、後ほどまたゆっくりと、お話を伺っていきたいと思います。
MC: OK, well, I’ll come back to you later.

(later)

ＭＣ: えー、まず沢尻さん、お願いします。あのー、ね、片思いの女性を演じましたけれども、すごく、あのー、等身大の女性というか、普通の女子大生だったんですけれども、あのー、ね、走っているシーンとか、ウキウキしているシーンとか、あとミートボールをね、食べてもらえなくて、持って帰って泣いてしまうシーン、まあ色んなシーンがあったと思うんですが、一番、思い入れのあるシーンというのは、どのシーンでしょうか？
MC: You played a character who experienced unrequited love, she was a really normal girl. There were many scenes, like: the running scene, the happy scene, the scene when your character gave someone meatballs but they didn’t accept them and you had to take them back home ... but what was the scene that sticks with you the most?

エリカ様: 特にないです。
Erica: None of them, really.

MC: 無いですか？　無いですか？　あー、全部思い入れがあるって事ですかね、逆に言うと。　思い入れ。
MC: None? None? Oh, so they must have all had such an impact that you can’t chose, if you think about it that way.

(later)

ＭＣ: 沢尻さんは、その300ロールの時にどんな思いでクッキーを焼いたのかだけ、ちょっと教えていただいてもいいですか？
MC: Sawajiri-san, can you tell us what you were feeling when you made the cookies that time during the 300 roll?

エリカ様: 別に。
Erica: I didn’t really feel anything.

ＭＣ: 分かりました。　えへへ。　分かりました、ありがとうございます。ね、きっと、思いはあったんだと思うんですが、今ちょっとココではね、皆さんには披露したくないのかも知れない・・・心の中にちょっと秘めておきたいのかなと、はい、ありがとうございました。
MC: OK. Well, OK, thank you. Well, I think you must have felt something, but maybe you don’t want to tell everyone right now. Maybe you want to keep it to yourself right now. Thank you.

links

today's news
today's STICK NEWS pictures

Erica's site
Erica at Wikipedia
Closed Note (the movie)
Video of the film premiere
Video of Akko (Wada Akiko) telling off "Erica-sama"
About Wada Akiko
Story about this incident
Erica fan site
Another fan site

music

show start
artist: AdHoc
album: Toutes directions
track: La note en cage
from: Annecy, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

asking acadia start
artist: XL Ant
album: XL Ant
track: Levitation (Club Mix)
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

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

qa start
artist: Manu Cornet
album: Distance & Temps
track: Silk Road
from: Paris, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

qa bgm
artist: Fabio Basile
album: Mabbit
track: The Carousel Beginning
from: Verona, Italy
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site
YouTube channel

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 have 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 516 Monday 1 October

Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.

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

Today’s guest is Rick from China. Rick is studying English here at Acadia. And one of the things I asked him was why he chose to study in Canada.

At the beginning my parents decide to let me go abroad to study. The, the agent gave my parents three, three choice. One is British, Australia and Canada. And my parents think Canada may be good, better than the other two countries. So, prefer Canada, yeah.

STICK NEWS

Kia Ora this is Stick News. Today Japan began privatizing the postal service. The process will take ten years.

The postal service in Japan is called (日本郵政公社, Nippon Yūsei Kōsha) or Japan Post in English.
Japan Post offers postal and package delivery services, banking services, and life insurance.
Wikipedia says Japan Post runs the world's largest postal savings system, has over 400,000 employees and runs 24,700 post offices throughout Japan.
Japan Post is now being privatized. The privatization process began today with step one – reorganizing Japan Post into four businesses under a holding company. The four firms provide banking, insurance, mail delivery and over-the-counter services.
The government is still involved the group. It now owns a 100% stake in Japan Post Holdings Co but over the next ten years will be selling a portion of the shares to the public.

And that was Stick News for Monday the 1st of October.
Kia Ora.

conversations with sarah
#319 Whereabouts in China are you from?

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

Sarah Whereabouts in China are you from?

Rick My hometown is Nanjing. It’s a city near Shanghai.

Sarah How long have you been in Canada?

Rick I have been to China, Canada for about 4 weeks.

Sarah How long are you going to stay?

Rick It’s the first year I come to Acadia University. It’s a language program. And I wish I can pass it and continue my business maybe five or four years.

Sarah What do you think of Wolfville?

Rick Wolfvillle is not a big town. I think living here is very convenience and comfortable. Not so much air pollution. And the people here are very kind heart, friendly. I like here.

Sarah Why did you choose the name Rick?

Rick It’s a little funny story. That’s ah ... in China that my classmate called me a famous soccer player, Argentina, Román, Román Riquelme, so I prefer the Rick from Riquelme.

Sarah Where are you staying?

Rick I stay in a home stay family.

Sarah Is it near the university?

Rick Yes, ten minutes walking.

Sarah Do you think your English has improved since you’ve been here?

Rick Yes, absolutely, that I think my English improve.

Sarah What do you think is a good way to study English?

Rick Just never relax yourself. If you find, it’s relax, oh, I have so many leisure time to do so many things such as watching movie and so on, that you must missed something. Something important. And if you want to study English very well there is so many things waiting for you. Yeah, like recovery sentence, anything. Not only the teacher ask you to do. You need to find something by yourself.

links

today's news
today's STICK NEWS pictures

Japan Post at Wikipedia

Nanjing

music

show start
artist: AdHoc
album: Toutes directions
track: La note en cage
from: Annecy, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

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

qa start
artist: Manu Cornet
album: Distance & Temps
track: Silk Road
from: Paris, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

qa bgm
artist: Fabio Basile
album: Mabbit
track: The Carousel Beginning
from: Verona, Italy
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site
YouTube channel

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 have 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.