New York: Garibaldi in America

                        Garibadi-Meucci Museum

Language Level: Advanced

Standard: American Accent

Source: Speak Up

Garibald in America

Giuseppe Garibaldi, who was Born 200 years ago, fought for the Farroupilha Republic in The South of Brazil, where He also met his wife Anita. Later he became the hero of Italian Unification. A distinguished British Historian, A.J.P. Tailor, once described him as “the only wholly admirable figure in modern history” and the great patriot is remembered fondly the world over . Along with fighting several campaigns in South America, he also spent time in North America, where he even offered to lend his support to Abraham Lincoln’s Union troops during the Civil War. Prior to that Garibaldi had briefly lived in New York, as the guest of Antonio Meucci, who many people believe, was the “real” inventor of the telephone. Meucci’s house was on Staten Island. Today it is known as the “Garibaldi Meucci Museum.” Speak Up asked the museum’s publicity coordinator Nicole Fenton to explain how Garibaldi had come to live there:

Nicole Fenton

(Standard American Accent)

The house was built in 1840 and Antonio Meucci and his wife came here in 1850 and learned of its availability and began renting it. Within the same year, Garibaldi came to New York. He had just lost a battle in Italy and just lost his wife Anita, who died in Italy. So he came to New York, really seeking a place to recover and to…I think he was really depressed when he came to America, to New York. He landed in Lower Manhattan, and there was a very strong Italian community there, a lot of expatriates, political refugees there, but there was so much attention for him in Lower Manhattan, and he did not wanted more quiet, so he was connected with Antonio Meucci and Garibaldi came here, to the house on Staten Island. It was not located in this location, it was located across the street, originally. So he lived with Antonio Meucci and his wife Ester and began making candles, in Meucci’s candle factory. So he was here with Antonio and make candles and hunted and fished for probably about six months. And then Garibaldi began…I think he left, maybe went to China or to Chile or the Philippines –he was very antsy! So he left and then came back, I think over the course of two years, he came… you know, he was back and forth. And then when he finally left, I think it was 1854… or maybe I guess it was longer, so in 1854 is when he finally left Staten Island and went back to Italy and that’s when he led his famous one thousand red shirts brigade through Sicily and up the Southern part of Italy, to unify Italy, as we know it today.

THE RED SHIRT

Legend has it that those red shirts were originally designed to be worn in an Argentinean slaughterhouse: The museum in fact owns Garibaldi’s red shirt, as well as his cap and walking stick, not to mention a large amount of historical documents. The museum also runs an educational program which helps explain the significance of Garibaldi to young Americans:

Nicole Fenton:

It’s important to know that what he did was similar to what George Washington did in America, so, you know, for people to draw those Parallels, or the similarities with that, for at least Americans to know the importance of him. He was a real symbol of democracy, so this is really for Americans to know, or I guess for people just to know and honor him. He was a symbol for democracy. He believed in multiculturalism and had altruistic goals, so it wasn’t about him, it was about the people, like him conquering the southern part of Italy, he could have easily ruled that part and I think people probably wanted him to, but that wasn’t his vision, he wanted it to be united as one, so he gave it over to the king. I mean, I think that shows what kind of man he was. I think he was a very important figure in history.

A House of Staten Island (no sound)

The Italian revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807-1882) was a guest of the inventor Antonio Meucci (1808-1889) and his wife at their house on Staten Island in the 1850s. Today the house is a museum dedicated to both men. It contains many of their personal artifacts, including Garibaldi’s pistol. The museum also runs an educational program designed to increase awareness of Garibaldi historical relevance.

The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, 429 Tompkins Avenue, Staten Island, New York 10305, or for more info visit http://www.garibaldimeucci.org

U.S. jury system - Part I

U.S. jury system - Part I       source: www.ingvip.com

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1. Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember. And I'm Barbara Klein. This week on our program, we take a look at the jury systemin the United States.

2. A listener in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Batmunkh Buyantogtokh, wants to learn more about American juries. For that, we visit a courtroom that looks much like the ones in movies and TV shows like "Law & Order."

3. We are in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The D.C. Superior Court is the general trial court for the city of Washington.

4. This is the fourth day in the case of a man accused of assault with a deadly weapon. We could not bring in a recorder, but the courtroom is mostly quiet except for the lawyers, witnesses and judge talking.

5. To the judge's right, along the side of the courtroom, is an area where twelve people are seated. In the front row is a man with glasses who looks old enough to be retired. A woman dressed like a young professional sits behind him, listening as a witness is questioned.

6. A man also in his twenties or thirties rocks back in his seat. His hair is cut on both sides of his head; down the middle stands a mohawk. These three and the other nine people are the members of the jury.

7. Each day, thousands of Americans are called to serve on jury duty. The idea of citizens hearing legal arguments might date back to the ancient Greeks and Egyptians. But the modern trial by jury is a British tradition that colonists brought to North America centuries ago.

8. Laws on jury trials differ from state to state. But the United States Constitution guarantees the right to trial by jury. The Sixth Amendment establishes the right in all federal criminal cases. The Seventh Amendment gives the same right in civil cases that involve more than a small amount of money.

9. The American system has three kinds of juries. The most common one is the petit jury. "Petit" -- p-e-t-i-t – comes from the French word for small. Petit juries can have as few as five or six members or as many as twelve. Twelve is traditionally the number in a criminal case.

10. Often a jury trial will last only a day or two. But some go for weeks or even months. During a trial, lawyers for the opposing sides question the witnesses who testify. The lawyers also make opening andclosing statements to the jury. At the end, the judge makes a final statement to the jury. The judge explains the laws that govern the decision the jury is asked to make.

11. The jury then deliberates. The members meet in private, choose a leader and try to agree on a judgment. Most states require all the jurors in a criminal case to agree on the verdict.

12. Sometimes a jury is unable to reach a verdict. This is called a “hung” jury. The judge declares a “mistrial”. Prosecutors then have to decide whether to try the case again.

13. Juries decide questions of fact; judges decide questions of law. A judge may overrule a jury's decision in some situations, but that is unusual. Decisions by judges and juries can be appealed to higher courts.

14. Juries rarely decide sentences. An exception is when a jury is asked to recommend either execution or life in prison in murder cases punishable by death.

15. Under American law, a person is considered innocent until proven guilty. Also, there is constitutional protection against double jeopardy -- being put on trial twice for the same crime. In mistrials, though, prosecutors may retry a case until a jury reaches a verdict.

16. The verdict is either "guilty" or "not guilty." Jurors must find a defendant not guilty even if they are not completely sure the person is innocent of any crime. Jurors only need to have a "reasonable doubt" -- a reasonable question in their mind -- that the person is guilty as charged. This is true for criminal cases, but civil cases are different.

17. Individuals and organizations can bring a lawsuit in court if they believe they have suffered a civil wrong. Many lawsuits are settled without a trial. But if a trial is held, jurors are not required to decide "beyond a reasonable doubt." They must decide only that there is enough evidence to support the accusations.

18. The jury might also award damages. The money could be the amount requested by the plaintiff, the one bringing the action. Or it could be less. Or it could be more, if the jury wants to punish the losing party and set an example for others.

The World's smallest Pub

Language Ll: Basic

Source: Speak Up

Standard: British Accent and American 

The Nutshell in Bury St. Edmund in England claims to be the "smallest pub in the world." it measures just 9,7 square metres. Sam's in Colorado Springs, in the USA, is 10,12 square metres, but that's the one that you'll find in Guinness World Records. Now an even smaller pub, The signal Box Inn, only 5,95 square metres, has opened in Cleethorpes, England, and its owners have contracted Guinness to claim the title. The pub, which was once a railway signal box, has room for only six customers. Can the pub survive? Well, The Nutshell has survived as a popular tourist attraction since 1873, but it can accommodate 15 customers: 104 people crowded into the pub to set a record for charity in 1984. The Nutshell is also home to a dried black cat (it was discovered in one the walls) and the world's smallest dartboard and pool table.

INTELLECTUAL DRINKERS 

The Eagle in Benet Street, in the university town of Cambridge, appear to be just another English Pub: that is until you look up in the main bar. The entire ceiling is covered in hundred of signatures: during the Second World War it was popular with British and Americans airmen who burnt their signatures up on the ceiling with candles and lighters. Yet the pub is most famous as the place where the scientists Francis Crick and James Watson announced their discovery of the "double helix" structure of DNA in 1953.

From Scratch

Source: Sozo Exchange 

This is a phrase which means from the beginning or zero.

This expression is derived from the line scratched or drawn in the ground that people used as the starting line of a race. The phrase also means starting from raw ingredients.

For example, you can say, “My sister baked a cake from scratch for my birthday; she didn’t use any of those pre-mixed ingredients.”

Studying English, Pod English Lesson 77

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Words and Their Stories: Let's do business

Source: www.voanews.com

Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.

There are many special terms in the world of business.

The following story is about a sweetheart deal which I made last week. I made the deal with a friend, and we both made a profit.

I had started a small company several years ago. I worked hard to make it successful. It was a sign-making business. It was a small company, not ablue chip company. It was not known nationally for the quality of its signs. It did not make millions of dollars in profits. And it was private. It was not a public company with shares traded on the stock market.

Still, I worked hard building up my business. I did not work only a few hours each day -- no banker’s hours for me. Instead I spent many hours each day, seven days a week, trying to grow the company. I never cut corners or tried to save on expenses. I made many cold calls. I called on possible buyers from a list of people I had never seen. Such calls were often hard sells. I had to be very firm.

Sometimes I sold my signs at a loss. I did not make money on my product. When this happened, there were cut backs. I had to use fewer supplies and reduce the number of workers. But after several years, the company broke even. Profits were equal to expenses. And soon after, I began to gain ground. My signs were selling very quickly. They were selling like hotcakes.

I was happy. The company was moving forward and making real progress. It was in the black, not in the red. The company was making money, not losing it.

My friend knew about my business. He is a leader in the sign-making industry – a real big gun, if you know what I mean. He offered to buy my company. My friend wanted to take it public. He wanted to sell shares in the company to the general public.

My friend believed it was best to strike while the iron is hot. He wanted to take action at the best time possible and not wait. He offered me a ball park estimate of the amount he would pay to buy my company. But I knew his uneducated guess was low. My company was worth much more. He asked his bean-counter to crunch the numbers. That is, he asked his accountant to take a close look at the finances of my company and decide how much it was worth. Then my friend increased his offer.

My friend’s official offer was finally given to me in black and white. It was written on paper and more than I ever dreamed. I was finally able to get a break. I made a huge profit on my company, and my friend also got a bang for the buck. He got a successful business for the money he spent.

(MUSIC)

This VOA Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES, was written by Jill Moss. I’m Faith Lapidus.

TRAVEL HIKING IN THE UK

LANGUAGE LEVEL: BASIC

STANDARD: BRITISH ACCENT

RAMBLERS ASSOCIATION

SOURCE: SPEAK UP

TRAVEL HIKING IN THE UK

Hiking, humbling or trekking both means...going for a walking it is a popular activity in UK surrounding by extremely beauty. It is a good suggestion for alternative Holydays. Rigorously by foot.

The Rambles Association (RA) has a reputation as a club for middle aged people, dressed in shorts and hiking boots, who spend their time walking through Rural England. Imagine an athletic version of Mr. Bean, with naked hairy legs and a huge rucksack, walking vigorously up a mountain path. In fact the Ramblers Associations in a registered charity with 140.000 members; and today rumbling or walking for pleasure, is one of Britain’s most popular leisure activities. Clubs throughout the country organise walks and festivals, while working to protect the countryside and to keep its pathways open to the public.

LOCAL HERO

April 24^th is the 750^th anniversary of “ The Battle of Kinder Scout.” In 1932 a young idealist called Benny Goodman led a group of 400 protesters along a path in the heart of northwest England’s Peak District. The local Landowner refused to allow the public on his land, and send his men to stop the trespassers. Goodman and five others where sent to prison in a case that became a national scandal, and marks the beginning of the long fight for open footpaths throughout Britain. This month thousands of ramblers will return to the nine-mile path, which passes through some of England’s finest scenery. The area is now a National Park and part of the country’s oldest long-distance footpath: the 429 –kilometre Pennine Way.

DRESS SENSE

Why is walking so popular?

It’s a low-cost way to a healthy lifestyle: it helps reduce stress, lose weight and offers the chance to meet new people. The RA is working to break down barriers everywhere, even launching new clubs in cities London’s recent Get Walking programme encouraged ethnic minorities to take part. Rambler Caroline Watson says: “Some of my group haven’t been to the River Thames before; they didn’t know you could walk there.”

Rezwana Choudhury, one of the new ramblers, says: It’s great. We get good exercise without wearing one of those embarrassing leotards

Romantic Trails

1)  Rambling in the New Forest is the perfect way to spend a spring day; walk quietly though the trees and there’s a good chance you will see deer.

2)St. Cuthbert’s Way in Northumberland is a beautiful walk which follows the pilgrims’ path to Holy Island (Lindsfarne). When the tide is out, visitors can cross over to visit the Island and its castle.

2)  Another popular choice is the Ridgeway, a national trail across the Chiltern Hill. The trail lakes your through lovely countryside to Wallington Hill, where visitors can appreciate the incredible view across the Cotswolds, Berkshire Downs and Oxford.

3)  Finally, there’s the South West Coast Path; here yo’ll find the famous Smugglers Coast. Walk the paths that coastguards created many years ago in their attemps to catch smugglers at work.

Rambling Holidays

Ramblers Holidays which is run by volunteers, offers organised group holidays throughout the world. You can join the RA (membership cost 24,00 pounds) and find out more about in services on their website www.ramblers.org.uk Adress: 2^nd Floor Camelford House, 87 -90 Albert Embankment London SE1 7TW, UK Tel +44 (0) 20 7339 8500 e-mail: ramblers@ramblers.org.uk