Tuesday, December 22, 2009

#1133 Goodbye 2009


Show 1133 Tuesday 22 December
Watch today's show at YouTube or BlipTV.

Hi I'm Sarah, welcome to The Daily English Show. This is the last show of 2009 because we're having a Christmas and New Year break.

I'm heading down to Taupo for Christmas and then I’m going to an island in New Zealand called Great Barrier Island - which I'm really looking forward to. And you’ll probably see some footage of that next year.

So today’s show is very short – it’s almost over. I just wanted to say thank you very much for all your support in 2009. And I'm really looking forward to seeing you again in 2010. We'll be back on Monday the 11th of January.

Have a merry Christmas and a happy new year and that was The Daily English Show for 2009. I’ll see you next year. Bye!

music

artist: Kevin MacLeod
tracks: Future Cha Cha, We Wish You A Merry Christmas
from: Brooklyn, NY, United States
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.

Monday, December 21, 2009

#1132 Haya-san From Niseko, Japan, Christmas Divorce Vouchers Sold In UK


Show 1132 Monday 21 December
Watch today's show at YouTube or BlipTV.

Hi I'm Sarah. Welcome to The Daily English Show.
Today’s guest is Haya-san.
He is originally from a place called Iwamizawa in Hokkaido in Japan and he moved to Niseko 16 years ago.

Haya-san is a big fan of The Daily English Show and he is the last guest on show for 2009 and he was also the last person to be interviewed on the yellow couch in Japan.

The first question I asked him was: What do you do?

I work for Sapporo TOYOPET. I’m a car salesperson.
I sell … is … something. New car, old car, ah, used car … New car, used car and insurance, car check and, ah, fix.



STICK NEWS


Lloyd Platt and Company is a family and divorce law firm in the UK.
Reuters reported they were selling Christmas gift vouchers for a half-hour session with a divorce lawyer.
According to the founder of the law firm, Christmas tends to be a particularly stressful time for families, with a huge rise in people seeking advice each January.

And that was Stick News for Monday the 21st of December.
Kia ora.



conversations with sarah
#719 What car do you drive?

Step 1: Read Sarah’s lines.
Step 2: Repeat Sarah's lines and talk to Haya-san.


Sarah How long have you been working for Toyota?

Haya-san 23 years.

Sarah Why did you choose that job?

Haya-san I like, ah, human and conversation and the car which is, ah … very … very, need, ah, thing.

Sarah What do you think is the secret of being a good salesperson?

Haya-san Conversation to partner. (Ano .. ) Speak, talk conversation. And hear, hear … partner’s word.

Sarah What car do you drive?

Haya-san I have, ah, two cars. One car is, ah, big car, Ipsum … and next car is a Ractis. Five … one hundred, ah … ah, one thousand five hundred cc.

Sarah What do you like about Niseko?

Haya-san Many nature and good person. (De…) I like, ah, foreigner. Many foreigner, ah, a lot of foreigner come from this town.

Sarah Has Niseko changed much in the 16 years you’ve been here?

Haya-san I think, ah, change, drastic, ah, drastic change, a few years ago.
A lot of foreigners, ah, come from this town and … native people and foreigner people, ah, good mixing, ah, job and live.

Sarah Which season do you like best?

Haya-san I love all seasons but I love summer. Summer is … ah, nature is beautiful.

Sarah What do you usually do on your days off?

Haya-san Ah, recently, I like, ah, jogging, I run, ah, day off, 5 or 6 kilometers running. For diet.

Sarah How many children do you have?

Haya-san I have, ah, children, ah, two. Ah, older sister is, ah, 16 years old, younger sister is, ah, seven years old.

Sarah How long have you been learning English?

Haya-san I started to learn English about two years ago. Almost self education, but, ah, but, ah, not spend money. For example, ah, I like overseas TV drama. I look, ah, I watched drama twice. First time is with subtitles. Second time, without subtitles. It’s very, ah, nice.

Sarah What do you like watching?

Haya-san Ah, now I watch drama is Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles. And Lost.

Sarah How did you find out about The Daily English Show?

Haya-san In my job, I visited Daily English Show’s, ah, office. (De..) I know, I knew it. I watched internet. But I … started to fan of The Daily English Show.

Sarah Which parts of The Daily English Show do you like most?

Haya-san Monday Guest and Stick News and Sunday Kitchen. And Sunday Kitchen is, ah, Sunday Kitchen is ah, like my family. We… make, ah, same menu.



links



music

show start
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: Future Cha Cha
from: Brooklyn, NY, United States
artist site

cws start
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: The Jazz Woman
from: Brooklyn, NY, United States
artist site

qa start
artist: ioeo
album: triptracks
track: triptrack2
from: Saint Raphael, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

qa bgm
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: We Wish You A Merry Christmas
from: Brooklyn, NY, United States
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.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

#1131 Jingle Balls


Show 1131 Sunday 20 December 2009
Watch today's show at YouTube or BlipTV.

Sunday Kitchen #149 Jingle Balls

The other day I took some date balls to a Christmas party. I renamed them Jingle Balls for the occasion. Everyone seemed to like them, so I thought I'd share the recipe with you.

They’re really easy.

First open a 400 gram packet of dates and chop them all up.
Put them in a pot with half a cup of water and cook them until they’re all mushy. This takes about seven or eight minutes.
Then add a teaspoon of vanilla, half a cup of cocoa, two tablespoons of ground flax seed and half a cup of sliced almonds.

Mix well.

Put some coconut onto a plate.
Put a spoonful of the mixture onto the coconut. Cover it with coconut and then roll it into a ball.

You should be able to make about 35 to 40 balls – depending on how big your balls are of course.

And you can keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to eat them.

Jingle balls. Delicious.



* I made these after reading this recipe (and the comments from people who had made variations):


music

artist: Kevin MacLeod
tracks: Future Cha Cha, We Wish You A Merry Christmas
from: Brooklyn, NY, United States
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.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

#1130 Relay Swimming Race In Lake Biwa, Japan


Show 1130 Saturday 19 December
Watch today's show at YouTube or BlipTV.

In August this year, The Daily English Show went to Honshu to watch a swimming race.


Then we took the bus to Kyoto.

The next morning we drove to Shiga Prefecture.
The team we came to film was called Little Mermaid, Big LongFeng.
They were the defending champions.
In the car on the way we asked the athletes how they were feeling about the race.

The event was held in a lake called Biwa, the largest lake in Japan.

The teams gathered at Hikone port.
And that was where we met the remaining members of Little Mermaid, Big LongFeng.

We also talked to a member of a rival team.

Little Mermaid, Big LongFeng tied some fish to poles to help the team members recognise their boat.

This year was the 14th time the Biwako Cross Swim had been held.
There were nine teams.

And then there were some announcements.

They said there was a chance that the race might have to be cancelled because the conditions might be too bad out on the lake.

The teams all briefly introduced themselves.
Little Mermaid Big LongFeng handed back the trophy they won last year.
Each team boarded a separate boat and the organizers reminded everyone again that they might not be able to go ahead with the race.

music

show start
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: Future Cha Cha
from: Brooklyn, NY, United States
artist site

bgm
artist: Ensono
album: Night Culture
track: Alien Groove
from: Vigo, Spain
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo

artist: JCL
album: Journeys Thru Samsara
track: Clouds
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.

Friday, December 18, 2009

#1129 Christmas Songs, Christmas Billboard, Exempt


Show 1129 Friday 18 December
Watch today's show at YouTube or BlipTV.

Hi I'm Sarah. Welcome to The Daily English Show.

Today we’re studying a Christmas song called White Wine In The Sun. It’s by Tim Minchin.

I really like it and it reflects some of my thoughts about Christmas. And it’s very funny. Well, it’s funny and cynical at the start and it’s quite moving at the end.

He’s saying that even though he’s not religious, he enjoys Christmas because it’s a time when family get together.

I'll be seeing my dad
My brother and sisters
My gran and my mum
They'll be drinking white wine in the sun

You might not like this song if you’re a Christian. But it could be worth a listen if you’re interested in how some non-Christians feel about Christmas and Christianity.

He says:

I don't go in for ancient wisdom
I don't believe just 'cos ideas are tenacious it means that they are worthy

Tenacious means: continuing to exist, have influence, etc. for longer than you might expect.

So I think he’s saying: just because some ideas have been around for a long time, it doesn’t mean they are good ideas.

I get freaked out by churches
Some of the hymns that they sing have nice chords but the lyrics are dodgy




STICK NEWS


St Matthew-in-the-City is a church in Auckland, New Zealand.
On Thursday they put up a new billboard in front of the church.
They said they erected the billboard to inspire people to talk about the Christmas story.
But according to news reports, Christians from other groups are outraged.
About six hours after the billboard was erected, it was defaced with brown paint.

And that was Stick News for Friday the 18th of December.
Kia ora.



Word of the Day

Today’s word is exempt.

If you’re exempt from something it means that you have official permission to not do something or to not pay something.

This is from the song:

And yes, I have all of the usual objections to the miseducation
Of children who, in tax-exempt institutions, are taught to externalize blame.

Tax-exempt institutions – he’s talking about churches or religious organizations who are tax-exempt – which means they don’t have to pay tax.



friday joke

Why does Santa have three gardens?
So he can hoe, hoe, hoe.



conversations with sarah
#718 When did that come out?

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


Jane Is that your favourite Christmas song this year?

Sarah Yeah, probably. Although I also love Lady Gaga’s Christmas song.

Jane When did that come out?

Sarah It came out last year actually but I only just found it.

Jane What’s it called?

Sarah Christmas Tree. I’ll send you the link.

Jane OK, thanks, I’ll check it out.

Sarah Yeah, you should probably wait until your kids have gone to bed too. It’s not exactly kid-friendly.





White Wine In The Sun by Tim Minchin - LYRICS

I really like Christmas
It's sentimental, I know, but I just really like it
I am hardly religious
I'd rather break bread with Dawkins than Desmond Tutu, to be honest

And yes, I have all of the usual objections to consumerism
The commercialization of an ancient religion
To the westernization of a dead Palestinian
Press-ganged into selling Playstations and beer
But I still really like it

I, I really like Christmas
Though I'm not expecting a visit from Jesus

I'll be seeing my dad
My brother and sisters, my gran and my mum
They'll be drinking white wine in the sun
I'll be seeing my dad
My brother and sisters, my gran and my mum
They'll be drinking white wine in the sun

I don't go in for ancient wisdom
I don't believe just 'cos ideas are tenacious it means that they are worthy
I get freaked out by churches
Some of the hymns that they sing have nice chords but the lyrics are dodgy

And yes I have all of the usual objections to the miseducation
Of children who in tax-exempt institutions are taught to externalize blame
And to feel ashamed and to judge things as plain right and wrong
But I quite like the songs

I'm not expecting big presents
The old combination of socks, jocks and chocolates is just fine by me

Cos I'll be seeing my dad
My brother and sisters
My gran and my mum
They'll be drinking white wine in the sun
I'll be seeing my dad
My brother and sisters
My gran and my mum
They'll be drinking white wine in the sun

And you, my baby girl
My jetlagged infant daughter
You'll be handed round the room
Like a puppy at a primary school
And you won't understand
But you will learn yourself one day
That wherever you are and whatever you face
These are the people who'll make you feel safe in this world
My sweet blue-eyed girl

And if, my baby girl
When you're twenty-one or thirty-one
And Christmas comes around
And you find yourself nine thousand miles from home
You'll know what ever comes
Your brother and sister and me and your mum
Will be waiting for you in the sun
Whenever you come
Your brothers and sisters
Your aunts and your uncles
Your grandparents, cousins and me and your mum
We'll be waiting for you in the sun
Drinking white wine in the sun
Darling when Christmas comes
We'll be waiting for you in the sun
Drinking white wine in the sun
Waiting for you in the sun
Drinking white wine in the sun
Waiting for you
Waiting

I really like Christmas
It's sentimental, I know





Christmas Tree by Lady Gaga - LYRICS

Ra pa pam pam (whoa) (4x)

Light me up put me on top lets falalalala lalalala
Light me up put me on top lets falalalala lalalala

The only place you'll wanna be is underneath my Christmas tree
The only place you'll wanna be is underneath my Christmas tree

Light me up put me on top lets falalalala lalalala
Light me up put me on top lets falalalala lalalala

Ho ho ho (Ra pa pam pam) under the mistletoe (Ra pa pam pam)
Yes everybody knows (Ra pa pam pam)
We will take off our clothes (Ra pa pam pam)
Yes if you want us to we will you

Oh oh Christmas, My Christmas tree's delicious
Oh oh Christmas, My Christmas tree's delicious

Light you up put you on top let's falalalala lalalala (let's go)
Light you up put you on top let's falalalala lalalala (let's go)

Ho ho ho (Ra pa pam pam) under the mistletoe (Ra pa pam pam)
Yes everybody knows (Ra pa pam pam)
We will take off our clothes (Ra pa pam pam)
Yes if you want us to we will, you

Oh oh Christmas, My Christmas tree's delicious
Oh oh Christmas, My Christmas tree's delicious

Here here here (Ra pa pam pam)
The best time of the year (Ra pa pam pam)
Take off my stockings where
I’m spreading Christmas cheer
And if you want us to we will, you

Oh oh Christmas, My Christmas tree's delicious
Oh oh Christmas, My Christmas tree's delicious

Space Cowboy, Lady Gaga, Lady Gaga and she goes
Space Cowboy, Lady Gaga, Lady Gaga
Here we go
Cherry cherry boom boom!

links




music

show start
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: Future Cha Cha
from: Brooklyn, NY, United States
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

friday joke start
artist: AdHoc
album: Toutes directions
track: Sumbala
from: Annecy, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

cws start
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: The Jazz Woman
from: Brooklyn, NY, United States
artist site

qa start
artist: ioeo
album: triptracks
track: triptrack2
from: Saint Raphael, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

qa bgm
artist: ioeo
album: triptracks
track: triptrack1
from: Saint Raphael, France
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.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

#1128 Hanukkah, Decoy scheme, Transgender Act Fails, Stall, Christmas Plans


Show 1128 Thursday 17 December
Watch today's show at YouTube or BlipTV.

Hi I'm Sarah. Welcome to The Daily English Show.

Today we’re studying a video about Hanukkah.
If you’re from North America you will have heard of Hanukkah – and maybe you know a lot about it.

But it’s not something you hear a lot about in New Zealand and I don’t know much about it, so I found this video interesting.

It’s about the history of this festival or holiday. And it’s an animation for kids, so the language is aimed at kids. And I have no idea about how accurate the history is … but it’s interesting anyway.

The story in this video involves a game called Dreidel which you play with a special spinning top.

The boy talks about playing this game when the Greeks invaded Israel. He says the Greeks would go on house raids to find Jewish stuff that they didn’t like. And he says they had a decoy scheme.

Do you know what a decoy is?

a thing or a person that is used to trick sb into doing what you want them to do; going where you want them to go, etc.

This was their decoy scheme:

We would wait outside and play games and when the Greek soldiers came by, we just took our time explaining the rules. Everyone inside would hear stalling, so they had time to hide everything.




STICK NEWS

Kia ora, in Stick News today, a man in Japan pretended to be transgender in an attempt to avoid getting in trouble for driving without a licence.

Last week a 31-year-old man went for a drive.
He was stopped at a police checkpoint but he couldn’t produce his licence.
Police said despite appearing like an ordinary man he tried to speak and act like a woman and claimed he was woman.
Police suspected he was lying and took him to the police station where an hour later he confessed that he was a man.
The man had lost his licence two years previously and was using his wife’s name to try and get away with driving without a licence.

And that was Stick News for Thursday the 17th of December. Kia ora.



Word of the Day

Today’s word is stall.
Here are a couple of definitions for stall:

to try to avoid doing sth or answering a question so that you have more time
to make sb wait so that you have more time to do sth

The stalling the boy talks about in the video is when would slowly explain the rules of the spinning top game to the Greeks, so that the people inside the house would have time to hide stuff.

And an example from a video we studied a couple of weeks ago. The police officer was talking to a guy who they thought was the guy they were looking for, but they needed to wait until this other police officer came so they could confirm it was actually him and arrest him. So to stall him, the police officer said lots of random things like: Always blow on the pie.



conversations with sarah
#717 That’s early!

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


Bob What are your plans for Christmas?

Sarah Well, we’ve already had our family Christmas celebration actually.

Bob That’s early!

Sarah Yeah, well, my aunty and uncle and cousin were going away for Christmas, so we had it early before they left.

Bob So what are you doing on Christmas day?

Sarah Going down to Taupo actually – someone invited me to spend Christmas Day down there, so …

Bob Are you from there?

Sarah No, I’m not. I, ah, grew up the Coromandel – but some of the whanau moved down to Taupo a while back.





TRANSCRIPT:

I was the Dreidel spinning champion of the universe. Of course, we didn’t call it Dreidel back then.
No one in ? could beat me. My spinny little toy landed on Gimel every time!
I didn’t think anyone alive could touch my game. Until the Greeks showed up. Nobody knew they were coming. At first I thought the Greeks were just after me. But soon it was clear - they were out to take over the whole city - the whole country! We were cool with them doing their things, but they wanted us to change and fit in. So, they started destroying everything that was different.
The Greek’s rules didn’t sound so harsh. Forget about worshiping only one God. Don’t do anything Jewish. But it was pretty scary. Anyone caught praying could get beaten. Wearing something Jewish – you might get thrown into jail. You could disappear forever, just because you refused to eat pork. And the weirdest part? Some of our neighbours went along with it. They started dressing like the Greeks, playing Greek sports and worshiping idols and hanging out at the wrestling matches.

Most people went along with the new rules, even though they weren’t happy about it. A few people did exactly what they did before, only they did it in secret. And then there were the people who wanted to fight. As for me, there was too much drama going on. I just wanted to play Dreidel. But we couldn’t even do that in peace. Every time I sat down, the Greek’s would hassle me. They wanted to know if it was some sort of secret Jewish ritual or magical way to talk to God or … mystical kung jew. Of course it wasn’t any of that. At least, at first it wasn’t.

The Greeks would go on house raids, searching for toras or shebat candles or other stuff they didn’t like. So, here was our decoy scheme. We would wait outside and play games and when the Greek soldiers came by, we just took our time explaining the rules.
If it lands on gimel you get all the coins. If it’s hei you get half. If it lands on nun you get nothing. And if it lands on shin, you have to put one in.
Everyone inside would hear stalling, so they had time to hide everything. Now that’s what I call mystical kung jew.

The Greek army spread throughout the country. They reached the temple in Jerusalem, which they trashed of course. In secret, we studied and we trained. Even though it seemed like everyone thought the Greeks were the coolest thing since sliced lodkas only a few people actually thought that. Most of us were faking, some of us were hiding. And when we were ready, we stopped hiding.
A war was fought, and lots of people died. And despite the odds, miraculously, we actually won. We took back our towns and our country and our way of life.

We hitched up to Jerusalem, to the temple. It was wrecked. Our holy temple, it was completely polluted and trashed! But we all helped clean it up. It looked pretty good again, until somebody pointed out – the menorah! It wasn’t lit anymore. This lamp was supposed to burn 24/7. Making the oil took a long time. And it had to be super pure 200% holy temple certified olive oil. And the whole supply was wrecked. And somehow, I’m not saying that I did it, but I’m not saying that I didn’t … we found one jar that wasn’t broken. And that wasn’t even the biggest miracle. Cool, sure, we found a jar of oil, but those jars usually only lasted for a day. And this one? It burned for eight days and nights. That was long enough that we had time to brew up a whole new batch to keep the fire burning forever. Throughout hundreds of years, thousands of prayers in the temple. And about a mazillion dreidal rolls. Make that a mazzillion and one.



links



music

show start
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: Future Cha Cha
from: Brooklyn, NY, United States
artist site

cws start
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: The Jazz Woman
from: Brooklyn, NY, United States
artist site

qa start
artist: ioeo
album: triptracks
track: triptrack2
from: Saint Raphael, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

qa bgm
artist: ioeo
album: triptracks
track: triptrack1
from: Saint Raphael, France
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.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

#1127 Avocado, BrainPOP, Top Twitter Topics 2009, Major Intersection, Nouns


Show 1127 Wednesday 16 December
Watch today's show at YouTube or BlipTV.

Hi I'm Sarah. Welcome to The Daily English Show.

Today's mistake comes from a receipt that I got from a supermarket the other day.
I bought some avocados. And they spelt avocado wrong ... it should be a-v-o-c-a-d-o.



click here

The site I recommend today is called BrainPOP. It's an American educational site for kids. And you have to pay to access a lot of the stuff - but I only looked at the free stuff and there was some cool stuff there.

One thing I recommend is a movie explaining what nouns are. It’s very cool and you can choose to watch with the subtitles on or off. And after you've watched it there are some exercises you can do to check your comprehension.

That movie is on BrainPOP Jr, actually.
And there's also BrainPOP ESL for stuff that's specifically aimed at English learners.
So go and check it out, you might find it especially useful if you're a beginner - or if you're teaching children.



STICK NEWS

The most popular topics this year included Micheal Jackson, Susan Boyle.and Harry Potter.

The chief scientist at Twitter has just written a blog entry about the top topics of 2009 on Twitter.
Harry Potter was top of the movie category.
In the people category, Michael Jackson came in at number one, Susan Boyle number two. And Tiger Woods was number 8.

And that was Stick News for Wednesday the 16th of December.
Kia ora.



Word of the Day

Today's word is major. This is a sign I saw on the way back from Taupo.

REDUCE SPEED MAJOR INTERSECTION AHEAD

Major means very large. So the sign is warning you to slow down because there's a big intersection coming up.
But when we saw those signs when we were kids we used to say: Salute to major intersection!



conversations with sarah
#716 When did you join Twitter?

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

Tim How many times did you tweet this year?

Sarah I don't know.

Tim Doesn't it say on your profile?

Sarah Ah, it says your total number of tweets.

Tim And when did you join Twitter?

Sarah I can' t remember. And I don't think it tells you on your profile.



links



music

show start
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: Future Cha Cha
from: Brooklyn, NY, United States
artist site

click here start
artist: #NarNaoud#
album: Green Vision
track: Oriental Standing
from: Gironde, France
artist at Jamendo
album at Jamendo
artist site

cws start
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: The Jazz Woman
from: Brooklyn, NY, United States
artist site

qa start
artist: ioeo
album: triptracks
track: triptrack2
from: Saint Raphael, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

qa bgm
artist: ioeo
album: triptracks
track: triptrack1
from: Saint Raphael, France
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.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

#1126 Yes Man, Christmas Cheer, Bitching And Back-stabbing


Show 1126 Tuesday 15 December
Watch today's show at YouTube or BlipTV.

Hi I'm Sarah. Welcome to The Daily English Show.

Today we're studying a scene from the movie Yes Man. I haven't actually seen this movie yet, but I really want to see it after seeing some clips on the internet.

Yes Man is an American comedy which came out in 2008.

In the scene we're studying, a guy called Carl, played by Jim Carrey, is in a video store and he's talking on the phone to another guy - maybe his boss - and his boss is outside looking in so he can see that Carl's in the video store.

But Carl is obviously not supposed to be there and so he denies that he's even there.
He says: What? What are you talking about? I'm not at the video store. I'm in my apartment.

And his boss says: I can see you, Carl. I'm outside the video store.
And Carl says: That's not me.
And then he says something ridiculous about it being a guy who looks like him.

And then his boss says: Wow, that's amazing because his mouth is moving in exact sync with what you're saying.

In sync is an idiom which means: moving or working at exactly the same time and speed as sb/sth else.

There's nothing more annoying than watching a movie or a video where the audio is not in sync with the picture.



STICK NEWS


Reuters reported a young woman in Germany who was caught speeding burst into tears at the police station.
Another woman at the station, who was caught for the same offense, was so moved the tears that she paid the young woman's fine.
She was quoted as saying: "It is Christmas soon after all."

And that was Stick News for Tuesday the 15th of December.
Kia ora.



Word of the Day

Today's word is back-stabbing.

On Sunday afternoon I went to a bar near my apartment because they have a market inside the bar every Sunday which I think is an interesting idea. And I saw a funny sign on the wall.

Back before smoking in restaurants was illegal you might have seen signs saying smoking area or non-smoking area ... but this sign said: No bitching or back-stabbing area.

Bitching means complaining.
And back-stabbing, that's an interesting word.

This is what the dictionary says: the act of criticising someone while feigning friendship.

So if you were to back-stab me ... when you saw me in the street you might say: Hi Sarah, great to see you! I love The Daily English Show, it's awesome. We should go for coffee sometime. Here's my number. Give me a call.
And then as soon as I walk away, you turn to your friend and say: I can't stand Sarah, she's such a loser. And The Daily English Show is lame.

So it's like when someone turns around you pull a knife out and stab them in the back.



conversations with sarah
#715 That's not me.

Step 1: Read Peter's lines.
Step 2: Repeat Peter's lines and talk to Carl.

* Watch this scene here.

Peter You know, I don't think there's anything written down on your fake calender.

Carl No, it says specific things.

Peter Specific things like get in line at a video store?

Carl What? What are you talking about? I'm not at the video store. I'm in my apartment.

Peter I can see you Carl. I'm outside the video store.

Carl That's not me.

Peter It's not?

Carl Oh, I know what's happening. There is this guy, who looks just like me, who, ah, goes to a lot of the same video stores that I do. That's probably who you're seeing right now.

Peter Wow, that's amazing because his mouth is moving in exact sync with what you're saying.
Carl, I know you're not saying anything.
Carl, get outside. I know you're not talking.

Carl What?

Peter Carl!

Carl Alright.



links



music

show start
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: Future Cha Cha
from: Brooklyn, NY, United States
artist site

cws start
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: The Jazz Woman
from: Brooklyn, NY, United States
artist site

qa start
artist: ioeo
album: triptracks
track: triptrack2
from: Saint Raphael, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

qa bgm
artist: ioeo
album: triptracks
track: triptrack1
from: Saint Raphael, France
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.

Monday, December 14, 2009

#1125 Liam And Ben From Disqo.org, Merry Christmas Arrested


Show 1125 Monday 14 December
Watch today's show at YouTube or BlipTV.

Hi I'm Sarah. Welcome to The Daily English Show.

Today we have two guests on the show - Liam and Ben. They've actually both been guests on the show before. But today they're back to talk about their new website which is called Disqo. This interview was filmed before we left Japan - obviously, because you can see they're sitting on a yellow couch.

The first thing I asked about was the name of the site.

Well Disqo it's an acronym. It stands for Database of Internet Qualifying and Schooling Organisations. Have I got that the wrong way around?
Yeah, you missed out ...
Sorry, Database of Internet Schooling and Qualifying Organisations.
But it actually came from, we were looking up a, a name that we thought was a bit different and we wanted to, we wanted to make a new word, didn't we?
Yeah.
And we, we found a thing in Latin, the word disco actually means ... is it to learn?
Yeah.
Yeah, so, D-i-s-c-o. But we couldn't fit the acronym into something that made sense. So we, we ah, used it as an opportunity to make a new word basically, yeah.



STICK NEWS

Kia ora in Stick News today, Merry Christmas has been arrested.

On Sunday night police were called to a disturbance in Florida in the United States.
Wpbf.com reported police were questioning a woman when 44-year-old Merry Christmas started yelling and refused the officer's commands to go inside.
Police then arrested Merry Christmas and she was later released with a notice to appear in court. Apparently Merry Christmas was born three days after Christmas.

And that was Stick News for Monday the 14th of December.
Kia ora.



conversations with sarah
#714 How many people are involved?

Step 1: Read Sarah's lines.
Step 2: Repeat Sarah's lines and talk to Liam and Ben.


How long have you been planning this site?

Wow, a long, a long time. Like, ah, it's, it's developed from lots of different ideas. And obviously technology has, has been changing all the time in the last, you know, five years alone. So the original idea has morphed into, into what it is today.
Ah, but I guess the original concept of creating, ah, curriculums for schools in developing areas, probably started about ten years ago.
And I've been working on different ways to, to do that since then.

How many people are involved?

It's really just myself and Ben. There's another guy, Nathan, who's part of, um, our web design company, Mountain Design Lab.
Ah, and he's been helping with the more difficult coding stuff. So really it's just the three of us.

How did you get involved, Ben?

It was one day on the internet. I was, I'd just got back from a, a previous job and was looking for something interesting, like an interesting project to do.
And, ah, I think it was on Facebook chat.
Yeah, I think you were, you were still in Alaska.
Yeah, I hadn't, I hadn't spoken to Liam for about six years, the odd email maybe. And (he was) telling me about this new idea that he's got. And I was like, sounds interesting,
I could, I could get involved with that. And we sort of got talking and, yeah, I ended up moving to Japan and sort of took it on, yeah.

It must be a lot of work.

Well, yeah, I've been here, what? Eight? Nine months? Yeah, nine months. Nine months and we should be finished very soon. But yeah, the whole thing's been a massive learning process anyway.

Have you made sites like this before?

Nothing like this, no. Nothing open source which is I think the, the sort of best thing about this site is that, um, teachers can take the best things from other teachers and, and compile it together so that in the end you have the best, sort of, route of lessons and courses to make the best curriculum. And that was the hardest thing, being able to make every type of lesson selectable, um, by a different teacher so they can pick the best and being able to have a system where the best ones rise to the top so that they're seen more. So, yeah, that, that was the hardest thing about it and no, I've never done anything like that before.

How is it being funded?

Ah, at the moment it's being funded out of my pocket. Just from ... yeah, basically from Captain, so, the little bed and breakfast that I run. So basically all of the guests that stay at Captain have been funding it.

How about in the future?

Um, we're not entirely sure yet. We've, we've spoken to other people that've done similar things in terms of, you know, a non-profit or, or a charity or whatever. And it seems like if you
can make something that works and that, um, that people use, then sponsors will, will naturally come on board and want to, want to be involved.
So we're hoping to create something that's useful, and, um ... first and then sort of see what comes our way.

What kinds of challenges have you faced?

How long have you got?
What kind of challenges? Ah ... what kind of challenges have we faced?
Programming challenges probably our biggest, biggest one, isn't it?
Yeah, every, every day .. I've got to work something out that we haven't been able to do before.
But that's just the nature of building any sort of software, isn't it?
Yeah, and I mean, you've, you've constantly got to prioritize about what's really the most important.
Um, so, I mean, we could have the dream site, but it would take 15 years to build.
So you've got to unfortunately ...you know, and obviously we've got a very limited budget, so ...
You want to get something functional out as quick as possible as well.
Yeah.

Tell me about the logo.

How did we come to whale?
I don't know. I can't remember.
It wasn't ...
Just brainstorming.
...it wasn't initially because ... we found out it had the biggest brain after.
I can't remember. Just one of those ...
Everyone likes whales, don't they?
Were we drunk? No, I don't think we were drunk.

Why did you choose to build the site with Drupal?

I ask myself that about twice a day.
Ah ... it's super powerful and Drupal itself is a massive open souce community. So if you've got any issues, or problems or questions you
post it up and other programmers give you their insight. And I think it's really good for that.
Um, there were other options we could have gone with. Or we could have tried to build it totally from scratch. I think in hindsight (it's) probably been the best tool to start with.

How is Disqo different to other educational sites?

The biggest thing is the ... I haven't been able to find any other, any other site really yet, that, ah, allows, um, teachers to, ah, use those, other people's lessons as, as direct building blocks in the same way that, that Disqo, Disqo can. Um, certainly nothing that, nothing that's free and source.

Have you been inspired by other sites?

A whole bunch, yeah.
Yeah, um, I mean, Wikipedia is the biggest one. What it's managed to do is ... is phenomenal. And, um, it's inspirational because, well to me, because
there's just obviously so many people that are out there willing to give their time, and their knowledge for, for nothing, just for, just for kicks. And that's the same on Drupal and lots of different, you know, community websites out there. People want to give something and um ... Disqo sort of facilitates that for teachers.

Is Disqo only in English?

For now it's just in English, but we really hope to obviously broaden that out to, to other languages as soon as possible.
But again, that'll have to be something that's volunteer. Like, the whole site will be basically run by a volunteer, um, community.
We've basically set up the, the superstructure, and ... or the scaffolding. And we're hoping that other people will fill up the, the meat of it.



links






music

show start
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: Future Cha Cha
from: Brooklyn, NY, United States
artist site

cws start
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: The Jazz Woman
from: Brooklyn, NY, United States
artist site

qa start
artist: ioeo
album: triptracks
track: triptrack2
from: Saint Raphael, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

qa bgm
artist: Improject
album: Beta Release
track: Improject Two
from: Barcelona, 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.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

#1124 Kamokamo Couscous


Show 1124 Sunday 13 December 2009
Watch today's show at YouTube or BlipTV.

Sunday Kitchen #148 Kamokamo Couscous

The other day I saw a vegetable in the supermarket that I don't remember seeing before.
So I bought it.
It's called kamokamo.
I decided to try roasting it.
I cut it up and then put the slices in a dish.
Then I decided to add some red pepper.
I roasted them with olive oil, salt and pepper.
And I cut up a garlic clove and sprinkled it over the top.
I turned on the oven to 200 degrees and I cooked them for 20 minutes.
After about 10 minutes I took them out and gave them a bit of a stir.
I put some couscous on a plate and put the kamokamo and red pepper on top.
The kamokamo tasted like a lot like zucchini.
It was delicious.



music

show start
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: Future Cha Cha
from: Brooklyn, NY, United States
artist site

bgm
artist: Ensono
album: Night Culture
track: Alien Groove
from: Vigo, Spain
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo


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.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

#1123 My Christmas Tree


Show 1123 Saturday 12 December
Watch today's show at YouTube or BlipTV.

This year I decided to get into the Christmas spirit and buy a christmas tree.
My tree's name is Dwarf Albertiana Spruce.
It cost 11.99.
I also bought some potting mix from the supermarket.
I poured the potting mix into a pot on my balcony.
Then I took the tree out of its little plastic pot and loosened the roots and and I planted it.
Then it was time to decorate the tree.
My decorations were all too big for the tree ... so I decided to pin them around
the pot instead. And then I leaned Santa against the tree.
He's almost as tall as the tree.
The Christmas madness didn't stop there. I also hung up
some string to display the Christmas card I got from New Zealand post.
And I even hung up some Christmas lights.
Later on I went to an event where they had a massive Christmas tree.
It was all right. Not as cool as mine though.



music

artist: Kevin MacLeod
tracks: Future Cha Cha, We Wish You A Merry Christmas
from: Brooklyn, NY, United States
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.

Friday, December 11, 2009

#1122 Midnight Youth, Reverie, Florist Edits Google Maps "With Ill Intent", Planet A Concert


Show 1122 Friday 11 December
Watch today's show at YouTube or BlipTV.

Hi I'm Sarah. Welcome to The Daily English Show.

The other day I went to a free concert which was in a park near here. I only went because Rhys Darby was the MC ... I'd never heard of any of the bands.
But I saw a band called Midnight Youth and I thought they were really good.

So I looked them up and apparantely they're a really popular band in New Zealand right now. And they're from Auckland and they formed in 2006.

So today we're studying a song of theirs called All On Our Own.

I like this song, it's very catchy. But I've read the lyrics and I'm not exactly sure what it means.

It starts like this:

All my life I've been caged in
Kept away from the storm
Silver spoons and crimson moons
Are all I have here to show

To be caged in means to be confined.

Kept away from the storm I think means to be protected from danger.

The expression silver spoons, as Wikipedia says, is synonymous with wealth, especially inherited wealth; someone born into a wealthy family is said to have "been born with a silver spoon in his mouth".

And crimson moons, I don't know what that means ... maybe they just needed a word to rhyme with spoons.

Later on the song goes:

Ninety days I have left here
In grass that's greener than gold
Fly with me in my reverie
You're all I have here to hold

A reverie is a daydream. So I guess the song is about someone having a daydream. And enjoying the freedom of daydreaming because his life is restricting in some way - maybe he's been bought up in a rich, strict household.




STICK NEWS


Kendra Drinkwater is a florist.
The Dominion Post reported she has been charged with using Google to dishonestly,
and without claim of right, cause loss to seven Hawke's Bay florists.
Apparently, she changed the details of her competitors on Google Maps.
Google says it is the first report of "editing with ill intent" in New Zealand.
Kendra faces a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.

And that was Stick News for Friday the 11th of December.
Kia ora.



Word of the Day

Today's word is leap.

leap verb to jump high or a long way

In today's song I think the guy is describing his dream world and inviting someone to come with him and he says:

This is a place that never sleeps, where your dreams are brought to life!
So just come with me, come with me, come
Take a leap of faith tonight

A leap of faith is an idiom which means:

The act or an instance of believing or trusting in something intangible or incapable of being proved.



friday joke

Saint Nicholas is the main Clause.
His wife is a relative Clause.
His children are dependent Clauses.
Santa’s elves are subordinate Clauses.



conversations with sarah
#713 What was the concert for?

Step 1: Read Mana's lines.
Step 2: Repeat Mana's lines and talk to Sarah.

Mana What was the concert for?

Sarah Ah, It was something about climate change.

Mana What about it?


Mana No.

Sarah Yeah, well, I think it was big news until Tiger crashed his car ... but anyway, there's a meeting about climate change in Denmark.
And the people organizing that concert wanted the New Zealand government to promise to reduce our emissions by 40% by 2020.

Mana What do you mean by emissions?

Sarah Greenhouse gas emissions - you know the stuff that's caused by driving a car or whatever. Burning fossil fuel.

Mana How can they calculate the percentages?

Sarah Um, I have no idea.





Midnight Youth - All On Our Own

All my life I've been caged in
Kept away from the storm
Silver spoons and crimson moons
Are all I have here to show

But breezing, through my Spanish springtime, the keys to freedom, they fall to me, they're making me believe

That if we run
Mama wouldn't let us fall
And if we go
Won't you take me down the river lay me on your shore, tell me dreams my love, oh

Ninety days I have left here
In grass that's greener than gold
Fly with me in my reverie
You're all I have here to hold

And breezing, through my Spanish springtime, the keys to freedom, they set me free, they're making me believe

That if we run
Mama wouldn't let us fall
And if we go
Won't you take me down the river lay me on your shore, tell me dreams my love, oh

And I can see the world, from a view that never stops
And if we hold hands, we can do this, be a dream that life forgot
This is a place that never sleeps, where your dreams are brought to life!
So just come with me, come with me, come!
Take a leap of faith tonight!

Close your eyes, don't look down, don't let go...

And if we run
Mama wouldn't let us fall
And if we go
Won't you take me down the river lay me on your shore, We've made it to the finish, we're making it all on our own,
We're all on our own



links




music

show start
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: Future Cha Cha
from: Brooklyn, NY, United States
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

friday joke start
artist: AdHoc
album: Toutes directions
track: Sumbala
from: Annecy, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

cws start
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: The Jazz Woman
from: Brooklyn, NY, United States
artist site

qa start
artist: ioeo
album: triptracks
track: triptrack2
from: Saint Raphael, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

qa bgm
artist: Improject
album: Beta Release
track: Improject One
from: Barcelona, 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.