Family Album, part XV

Source: Family Album USA


Improve your English through Family Album's episodes available for free on youtube.

Ireland: The Cost of Celtic Tiger

 

Language Level: Advanced

Source: Speak Up

Standard: British accent

The Cost of the Celtic Tiger

Only a generation ago the Republic of Ireland was considered a poor and relatively backward country, in the grasp of the Catholic Church. It lived in the shadow of its former colonial master, Great Britain, and it was losing its young people to immigration.

That all changed in the mid-1990s, with the advent of the “Celtic Tiger” economic boom. Today Ireland is one of the most dynamic, flexible and globalised economies in the world. It seems the Irish have never had it so good. According to a recent OECD (Organisation for Economic/ Cooperation and Development) report, Ireland is now the second richest country in the EU. Dublin is said to be the world’s sixteenth most expensive capital while, according to The Economist, it is – as a  place to live – the best city on our planet.

NEW MONEY

Ireland now has new immigration, mainly from Eastern Europe – some 8 per cent of the population are foreign-born. In his book The Pope’s Children –Ireland’s New Elite, David Mc Williams claims that the Irish middle-class has grown by an incredible 25 per cent in the past 10 years. Ireland’s young and highly qualified workforce work hard in the IT, (Information Technology) telecoms and service sectors, achieving the highest productivity in Europe. And yet, if they work hard, then they party even harder. So is this a success story with no sting in the tail? Perhaps not. Some people argue that Ireland is losing its soul, that the traditional values of Irish society – friendliness,   a laid-back attitude, a sense of community and charity – are threatened by this rush, for money and success. In order to find out more, Speak Up asked people in Dublin what they thought. The first to speak is Thomas Saunders, who works as a Senior Porter for a college:

Thomas Saunders:

(Irish accent)

It depends on yourself, how you’re going to…how you should act, how morally you should act, with money or money. The way it is…the way it is with, I think, money shouldn’t change people, really, their morals, but it does, unfortunately, you know, I think anyway. But in my case, probably no, I’m still the same person I was probably when I had no money.

SOCIAL PROBLEMS

Alan Markey is the owner of a menswear shop down the road. He feels that money has definitely changed the country’s values and that crime is now a major problem:

Alan Markey

(Irish accent):

Years ago everybody used to have the key in the door and neighbours would walk in and everything was the way it was, but now, you could never do that, you’d have to have on alarm on now or you’d be robbed.

Is the rise in crime, personal debt, obesity, drug-taking and suicides part of the price to pay? More mothers work than ever before: the second income is needed for a new Irish lifestyle, which features expensive restaurants, fancy holidays and second homes abroad. Ireland’s wealth is built on property – in the past decade, house prices have risen faster than in any other OECD country – and this bubble could burst. Poverty is still a real issue, while the health system system is struggling Ann Hart. For example, works ata n alternative health centre:

Ann Harty

(Irish accent)

I’ve just been here for the Celtic Tiger roaring its way through, and its been good, and it’s been, you know, bad. It has great positive things, I mean, the country has grown, the youth have a lot offered to them now, they have lots of courses they can do, there’s an awful lot happening. But, from my perspective, I would be dealing with health issues, and there’s a lot of stress.

DON’T WORRY, BE HAPPY

Nevertheless the Irish still consider themselves to be among the happiest people in Europe. In the 2006 Euro-barometer survey, 82 per cent of the Irish interviewees said they were happy either “all” or “most of the time.” The Irish are second only to the Dutch, while the European average for “population happiness” is only 56 per cent. Maeve McLoughlin, a pharmacy manager in here early 30s, thinks that there’s more to life than money:

Maeve McLoughlin

(Irish accent):

I don’t think money is the be all and end all ether, as long as you’re happy and health, and for me, that’s what’s important so.

Fiacre Forde is retired, but volunteers at a local football club across the road from the pharmacy. He feels that things in the country have charged for the worse:

Fiacre Forde:

(Irish accent)

We’re losing all sorts of things, like our charitable concern for others, and I have to say we’re still very good that way, but it has to be a big deal, like it’s no longer a case of if Mrs. Matoney next door falls that we worry. We don’t, generally speaking, except among the older people: the younger people would probably step over her body!

 The Celtic Tiger:  

The Cost of the Celtic Tiger

Only a generation ago the Republic of Ireland was considered a poor and relatively backward country, in the grasp of the Catholic Church. It lived in the shadow of its former colonial master, Great Britain, and it was losing its young people to immigration.

That all changed in the mid-1990s, with the advent of the “Celtic Tiger” economic boom. Today Ireland is one of the most dynamic, flexible and globalised economies in the world. It seems the Irish have never had it so good. According to a recent OECD (Organisation for Economic/ Cooperation and Development) report, Ireland is now the second richest country in the EU. Dublin is said to be the world’s sixteenth most expensive capital while, according to The Economist, it is – as a  place to live – the best city on our planet.

NEW MONEY

Ireland now has new immigration, mainly from Eastern Europe – some 8 per cent of the population are foreign-born. In his book The Pope’s Children –Ireland’s New Elite, David Mc Williams claims that the Irish middle-class has grown by an incredible 25 per cent in the past 10 years. Ireland’s young and highly qualified workforce work hard in the IT, (Information Technology) telecoms and service sectors, achieving the highest productivity in Europe. And yet, if they work hard, then they party even harder. So is this a success story with no sting in the tail? Perhaps not. Some people argue that Ireland is losing its soul, that the traditional values of Irish society – friendliness,   a laid-back attitude, a sense of community and charity – are threatened by this rush, for money and success. In order to find out more, Speak Up asked people in Dublin what they thought. The first to speak is Thomas Saunders, who works as a Senior Porter for a college:

Thomas Saunders:

(Irish accent)

It depends on yourself, how you’re going to…how you should act, how morally you should act, with money or money. The way it is…the way it is with, I think, money shouldn’t change people, really, their morals, but it does, unfortunately, you know, I think anyway. But in my case, probably no, I’m still the same person I was probably when I had no money.

SOCIAL PROBLEMS

Alan Markey is the owner of a menswear shop down the road. He feels that money has definitely changed the country’s values and that crime is now a major problem:

Alan Markey

(Irish accent):

Years ago everybody used to have the key in the door and neighbours would walk in and everything was the way it was, but now, you could never do that, you’d have to have on alarm on now or you’d be robbed.

Is the rise in crime, personal debt, obesity, drug-taking and suicides part of the price to pay? More mothers work than ever before: the second income is needed for a new Irish lifestyle, which features expensive restaurants, fancy holidays and second homes abroad. Ireland’s wealth is built on property – in the past decade, house prices have risen faster than in any other OECD country – and this bubble could burst. Poverty is still a real issue, while the health system system is struggling Ann Hart. For example, works ata n alternative health centre:

Ann Harty

(Irish accent)

I’ve just been here for the Celtic Tiger roaring its way through, and its been good, and it’s been, you know, bad. It has great positive things, I mean, the country has grown, the youth have a lot offered to them now, they have lots of courses they can do, there’s an awful lot happening. But, from my perspective, I would be dealing with health issues, and there’s a lot of stress.

DON’T WORRY, BE HAPPY

Nevertheless the Irish still consider themselves to be among the happiest people in Europe. In the 2006 Euro-barometer survey, 82 per cent of the Irish interviewees said they were happy either “all” or “most of the time.” The Irish are second only to the Dutch, while the European average for “population happiness” is only 56 per cent. Maeve McLoughlin, a pharmacy manager in here early 30s, thinks that there’s more to life than money:

Maeve McLoughlin

(Irish accent):

I don’t think money is the be all and end all ether, as long as you’re happy and health, and for me, that’s what’s important so.

Fiacre Forde is retired, but volunteers at a local football club across the road from the pharmacy. He feels that things in the country have charged for the worse:

Fiacre Forde:

(Irish accent)

We’re losing all sorts of things, like our charitable concern for others, and I have to say we’re still very good that way, but it has to be a big deal, like it’s no longer a case of if Mrs. Matoney next door falls that we worry. We don’t, generally speaking, except among the older people: the younger people would probably step over her body!

 Celtic Tiger is a term used to describe the economy of Ireland during a period of rapid economic growth between 1995–2007, which underwent a dramatic reversal by 2008, with a GDPcontraction of 14%^[1] and unemployment levels at 14% by 2010.

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After Harding Dies, President Coolidge Tries to Rebuild Trust in the Government

Source: www.voanews.com I recommend you  visit this site, excellent for beginners.

Photo: loc,gov

Calvin Coolidge making speech at his inauguration in 1925

BOB DOUGHTY: Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION – American history in VOA Special English.

This week in our series, Steve Ember and Shirley Griffith talk about Calvin Coolidge and how he became president of the United States.

STEVE EMBER: The early nineteen twenties were a troubled time for the United States. Congress and the public began to discover crimes by several officials in the administration of President Warren Harding. Harding himself became seriously sick during a trip to Alaska and western states. He died in a hotel room in California in August, nineteen twenty-three.

Harding's vice president, Calvin Coolidge, became the new president. Both men were Republicans. Their policies on issues were much the same. Coolidge, however, was a very different man. He was completely honest. He was the kind of president the country needed to rebuild public trust in the government.

loc.gov

Calvin Coolidge, around 1919

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Calvin Coolidge was quiet and plain-looking. He was the son of a farmer and political leader from the small northeastern state of Vermont.

Young Calvin worked at different jobs to pay for his college education. He became a lawyer. He moved to another northeastern state -- Massachusetts -- where he became active in Republican Party politics. First he was elected mayor of a town. Then he was elected to the state legislature. Finally, he was elected governor of Massachusetts.

It was as governor that Coolidge first became known throughout the United States.

STEVE EMBER: In nineteen-nineteen, a group of policemen in the city of Boston tried to start a labor union. This violated the rules of the police department. So the commissioner of police suspended nineteen of the union's leaders. The next day, almost seventy-five percent of Boston's policemen went on strike.

Criminals walked freely through the city for two nights. They robbed stores and threatened public safety. Frightened Americans all across the country waited to see what Governor Coolidge would do.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: He took strong action. He called on state troops to end the strike. He said: "There is no right to strike against the public safety by anybody, anywhere, any time."

Most Americans approved of what Coolidge did. The people of Massachusetts supported him, too. They re-elected him governor by a large number of votes. Then, in nineteen twenty, Republicans nominated Warren Harding for president. They nominated Calvin Coolidge for vice president. When President Harding died in California, Coolidge, his wife, and two sons moved to the White House.

STEVE EMBER: America's thirtieth president was, in some ways, an unusual kind of person to lead the country. He said little. He showed few feelings. Coolidge's policies as president were not active. He tried to start as few new programs as possible. He was a conservative Republican who believed deeply that government should be small.

Coolidge expressed his belief this way: "If the federal government should go out of existence, most people would not note the difference." And once he said: "Four-fifths of our troubles in this life would disappear if we would only sit down and keep still."

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Coolidge believed that private business -- not the federal government -- should lead the country to greater wealth and happiness. He continued President Harding's policy of supporting American business both inside the United States and in other countries. The government under President Coolidge continued high taxes on imports in an effort to help American companies.

STEVE EMBER: Many Americans shared Coolidge's ideas about small government and big business. In the early nineteen twenties, many of them were living better than ever before.

At that time, companies were growing larger. The prices of their stocks rose higher and higher. There were lots of jobs. And the wages of many workers increased. Americans agreed with their president that there was little need for government spending and government programs, when private industry seemed so strong.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: The American economy grew in the nineteen twenties for several reasons. The world war had destroyed many factories and businesses in Europe. The United States did not suffer the same destruction. It was still a young country. It had great natural resources, trained workers, and a huge market within its own borders. When peace came, Americans found their economy stronger than any other in the world.

STEVE EMBER: Changes in the American market also helped economic growth. "Installment buying" became popular. In this system, people could buy a product and pay for it over a period of several weeks or months.

The total cost was higher, because they had to pay interest. But the system made it possible for more people to buy more goods. It also made the idea of borrowing money more acceptable to many Americans.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: The growing importance of the New York stock markets also helped economic growth in the nineteen twenties. Millions of Americans bought shares of stock in companies that seemed to grow bigger every month.

Such investment almost became a national game. People would buy shares of stock, then sell them when the stock rose in value. There were many stories of poor people who became rich overnight by buying the right stocks.

The American Congress also helped the economy by lowering income taxes. People had more money to spend on new goods. Another important reason for economic growth was a change in the way American companies were operated.

STEVE EMBER: During the nineteen twenties, the idea of manufacturing goods in the most scientific way became very popular. The father of this idea of "scientific management" was an engineer, Frederick Taylor.

Mister Taylor developed a system to study manufacturing. He studied each machine involved in the process. He studied how much work each person did. He studied how goods moved from one part of a factory to another. Then he offered ideas to business owners about ways to produce goods faster and for less cost.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Taylor's ideas of scientific management appealed to business owners. Automobile manufacturer Henry Ford proved that the ideas could work in his new car factory in the state of Michigan. Ford used the assembly line system of production. In this system, each worker did one thing to a product as it moved through the factory. This helped cut prices and increase wages.

STEVE EMBER: Ford and other businessmen learned a great deal about how to control costs, set prices, and decide how much to produce. All these changes in production and marketing helped Ford and other American companies grow larger and stronger.

Henry Ford's Model-T car became popular throughout the country. So did other new products. Radios. Refrigerators for cooling food. Vacuums to clean carpets. Ready-made cigarettes. Beauty products.

Americans in the nineteen twenties began to buy all kinds of new products they had never used before.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Calvin Coolidge was in the White House. However, business led the nation. Times were good. Americans trusted business and its leaders. It became an honor to call someone a businessman. Colleges organized business classes. Middle-class citizens in almost every city and town gathered to discuss business ideas.

President Coolidge spoke for millions of Americans when he said: "The chief business of the American people is business."

STEVE EMBER: Coolidge represented traditional values and a simple way of life. He knew exactly how every dollar he earned was saved or spent. And he spent no more money than was necessary.

The strange thing was that Coolidge was extremely popular with a public that was spending large amounts of money. Some economic experts warned that the country's quick economic growth would end in economic depression. Most Americans, however, believed that the good times had come to stay. They enjoyed the good things in life that work and success in business could bring.

On our next program, we will see how the economic growth of the nineteen twenties brought exciting changes to the day-to-day life of millions of Americans.

(MUSIC)

BOB DOUGHTY: Our program was written by Nancy Steinbach. The narrators were Steve Ember and Shirley Griffith. You can find our series online with transcripts, MP3s, podcasts and historical images at voaspecialenglish.com. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter at VOA Learning English. Join us again next week for THE MAKING OF A NATION -- an American history series in VOA Special English.

___

This is program #168

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Family Album USA part XIV

Improve your English listening with the Family's Album.

Christina Aguilera

Language level: Advanced

Source: Speak Up

Standard: British accent

CHRISTINA AGUILERA

My life as a Sex Goddess

Christina Aguilera is currently one of the music industry’s hottest stars. Although she is probably best known for her sexy blonde image, she is actually a genuinely talented singer who knows and appreciates the history of popular music. This was evident in her nostalgic album, Back to Basics. As she explains in this interview, music for her was always a form of escape:

Christina Aguilera

Standard: American accent

Ever since I was little…actually, I will say that I did use…you know, music as on escape. You know, I didn’t have the best environment growing up, you know there was a lot of abuse and whatnot in my household as a child, and so music was my ultimate escape, you know, I would go up to my room and shut my door and get lost in my music. And I think it’s true to this day that it’s almost therapeutic for me to write and to record my music.

MY HUSBAND AND I…

Christina Aguilera has certainly helped promote her sex goddess image by posting naked for magazines like GQ. Rumour has it that her husband, music industry executive Jordan Bratman, is not tohappy about this:

Christina Aguilera:

But no, the great thing about Jordi is, you, whenever I do shoots like that or whenever I’m a little more provocative in maybe a photo shoot or a picture, he just stands back and has the biggest smile on his face, because he knows that, at the end of the day, it’s him that I go home to and nobody else and he actually likes the fact, he always laughs it off whenever people ask if he has a problem with me or whatnot. He’s saying: “why would I? You know, it’s great having a sexy wife!” so he always makes me smile when it comes to things like that, but, you know, he’s my number one fan.

NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS

In actual fact Christina Aguilera believes she is mellowing with age.

Christina Aguilera:

There have been a lot of, you know, emotional changes over the years, and I think, as you grow older, you get smarter and wiser and stronger, and that’s kind of what I’ve been going through over the last few years, it’s been a crazy thing, you know, being in this business at quite a young age, you know, you learn the hard way a lot by having kind of…success at an early age, you get a lot of people around you for the wrong reasons and you kind of sift through the bad ones, and, at this place, I’m just one the happiest I’ve ever been, really. I’m at a place where I feel my…my instincts have sharpened quite a bit, and I have really great people around me, so I’m very content.

A star is Born…(no audio available) 

Christina Maria Aguilera was born on Staten Island, New York in 1980. Her father was an Ecuatorian-born U.S. Army sergeant who is said to have been “physically and emotionally abusive,” while her mother was Canatian.

“The couple divorced when Christina was seven and she moved (with her mother and  younger sister, Rachel) to her grandmother’s house in Rochester, Pennsylvania (as suburb of Pittsburgh).

It was her grandmother’s who recognized her musical ability and she soon became a local phenomenon, swimming talent contests and singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” before matches involving Pittsburgh teams. She made her recording debut in 1999. In 2001 she sang a cover of “Lady Marmalade”” (with Lil’ Kim, Maya and Pink) for the movie Moulin Rouge.

PRINCESS' DIANA BIOGRAPHY

Source: www.englishexercises.org
Author: Aarhus

Listen to the following video and answer the questions:

1. What was Princess Diana's surname?

.

2. When was she born?

She was born in July 13th 1971July 3rd 1961July 1st 1961

3. When did her parents divorce?

They divorced when she was  years old.

4. Who won the custody?

.

5. With whom did she play as a child?

She played with Prince Edward and Prince AndrewPrince Edward and Prince CharlesPrince Charles and Prince Andrew.

6. In 1975 her father earned a title. Which one?

BaronDukeEarl.

7. Where did she study?

In SwedenSwitzerlandSwiss.

8. What job did she have in London?

She was a  teacher.

9. When did she start dating Prince Charles?

She started dating him in .

10. Prince Charles was  years her senior.

11. When did they marry?

They married in .

12. When was Prince William born?

He was born in .

13. On which side did the rumours talk about infidelity?

.

14. What kind of problems did Diana have, according to the press?

Bulimia and anorexiaAnorexia and depressionBulimia and depression.

15. What British Prime Minister confirmed their separation?

.

16. When did they officially divorce?

They divorced in .

17. How was she called while she was a member of the Royal family?

.

18. How was she called afterwards?

She was called .

19. What did she raise awareness about?

About the dangers of anti-personnel .

20. What illness did the people she visited have?

They had .

21. In which city did she die?

She died in .

22.What nationality was Dodi Al Fayed?

He was.

23. What happened to both Dodi and Diana?

They had a .

24. Where did the funeral procession take place?

It took place at .

Word master, Finding Comfort in Euphemisms When Words Make Us Feel Uneasy

Or download MP3 (Right-click or option-click and save link) 

Credits VOA Special English: www.voanews.com

AA: I'm Avi Arditti with Rosanne Skirble, and this week on WORDMASTER: There's a new book called "Euphemania: Our Love Affair With Euphemisms."

RS: Author Ralph Keyes defines euphemisms as comfort words that we use in place of words that make us feel uncomfortable.

RALPH KEYES: "Today we no longer feel any strong need to say 'gad' or 'golly' instead of God. And yet euphemisms reflect changing values. We're much more likely today to make euphemisms out of words for money or money-related matters, for war, for death.

"If we aren't comfortable saying we 'slaughter' meat, we 'butcher' meat, we can always say we 'process it.' I was recently at a park in California and at the entrance to the park it said 'Feral pig depredation in process.'"

AA: "Huh?"

RALPH KEYES: "Depredation. Yeah, huh, exactly."

AA: "Feral pig -- oh, I get it."

RALPH KEYES: "A lot of pigs are going to die. But we're not comfortable saying 'die.' If you walk through old graveyards, and I've done this, sometimes even the old, old tombstones would talk about 'Worms are eating his corpse' and 'Soon, you shall be like me.' Nowadays we wouldn't dream of using words like those. You know, people 'pass,' they 'pass on,' they 'went over,' you know, they were 'called home.'"

AA: Well, interestingly, one thing I learned from your book is what 'consumption' is. I'd been hearing that word all my life and never really knew what it was. Why don't you tell us what consumption is?"

RALPH KEYES: "Well, this one is personal to me because my great-grandmother, Myrtie Lacey, died of consumption. And it was only quite a few years later that I learned that consumption is an old-time euphemism for tuberculosis. Tuberculosis used to be the biggest killer, and so we came up with lots of euphemisms for that disease, the most common one being 'consumption' because tuberculosis 'consumed' the body."

RS: "Do euphemisms change over time? In your research did you find that?"

RALPH KEYES: "Oh, yes.  We're always clever about finding new ways to express ourselves. One thing I saw and included in the book was the word 'canoe.' [It] showed up as an old-time euphemism for sex. Well, I've since learned that 'going canoeing' is the full euphemism.

"Now, why is that a euphemism? Well, because in a time when couples were supposed to be chaperoned when they were out together, they quickly discovered that if they went out in a canoe, there wasn't room for a third person. And today we say 'hook up.'"

AA: "Well, you know, and on a somewhat related topic, lately there was all this controversy about the new increased security measures at the airports in the US, and this new phrase 'Don't touch my junk' has become -- "

RALPH KEYES: "Isn't that amazing? Where did 'junk' come from?"

AA: "And, of course, we're talking about 'privates' Laughter

RALPH KEYES: "Privates, exactly. Thank you, Avi."

RS "'Private parts.'"

AA: "'Private parts,' to use the technical term."

RALPH KEYES: "Right."

RS: "You talk about how our values are changing. How do you see through euphemisms that our lives are changing?"

RALPH KEYES: "Well, you can tell what issues we're concerned about most. The oldest known euphemism is bear. 'Bear' is a derivation of 'bruin,' which means 'the brown one.' And some of our earliest ancestors in northern Europe were so afraid of this large, ferocious animal that they wouldn't even say its actual name. Bear has now become, of course, the standard word for this animal. We no longer know what the original word was."

AA: Today's euphemisms suggest to Ralph Keyes that people are likely to more afraid of bear markets than actual bears.

RALPH KEYES: "You don't even use the word money. You say 'assets,' 'liquid assets.' You don't 'borrow' money, you 'leverage.' You don't 'pay off' loans, you 'deleverage.' You know, markets don't 'fall,' there's an 'equity retreat' or a 'market correction.'"

AA: "'Equity' itself -- these home equity loans, the way that people were borrowing against their homes. They used to be called second mortgages."

RALPH KEYES: "Exactly. Which is a much more clear and ominous term -- a 'second mortgage.' It's like a second ball and chain, which is why it got changed to 'home equity loans' by the lending industry."

RS: "Just one last question, is focused on our audience of speakers of English as a foreign language. What would you recommend, what advice would you give for them studying euphemisms?"

RALPH KEYES: "Well, I'd listen very carefully for the ways people use euphemisms, because they do all the time, and you can get in trouble by either not understanding the euphemisms that are being used or using the wrong ones.

"And incidentally, this can happen even among English speakers. In the US, for example, 'top-shelf' refers to first rate [best quality]. In the UK, 'top-shelf' refers to pornography, because it's kept on a top shelf."

RS: Ralph Keyes is an author, speaker and teacher.  His newest book is called "Euphemania: Our Love Affair With Euphemisms." And that's WORDMASTER for this week.

AA: Archives are at voanews.com/wordmaster. With Rosanne Skirble, I'm Avi Arditti.