domingo, 23 de janeiro de 2011

Words and Their Stories: State Nicknames, Part 4



Source: www.voanews.com
Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.
Today, we finish telling about the interesting nicknames that have been given to the fifty American states.
The state of Ohio is in the midwest. It is named the Buckeye State after a tree that produces nuts similar to chestnuts.
The Great Plains state of Oklahoma is called the Sooner State. That is because of a sale of land in eighteen eighty-nine. Some people arrived in the territory to claim their land earlier than they were supposed to. They cheated and got there "sooner."
Pennsylvania's nickname is the Keystone State. Just as a keystone holds together a stone arch, Pennsylvania was seen as holding together the young American republic. Pennsylvania is also sometimes called the Quaker State. Its founder, William Penn, and most of his followers, were members of the Protestant Quaker religion.
Rhode Island's nickname is Little Rhody because of its size. The state is smaller than the area around Los Angeles, California.
Tennessee got its nickname -- the Volunteer State -- because of the bravery of its citizens. They volunteered to join Tennessean Andrew Jackson to defend the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, against the British army in the War of Eighteen Twelve.
Texas is called the Lone Star State. It gets its nickname from the single star on its flag. This represents the short time Texas was an independent nation battling Mexico for self-rule.
The Beehive State of Utah has no more beehives than any other state. The nickname is from the Mormon Church's symbol for hard work.
The eastern state of Vermont is proud of its beautiful Green Mountains so it calls itself the Green Mountain State. The southern state of Virginia is called the Old Dominion.
Long ago, King Charles the Second of England added the colony's coat of arms to his shield. It joined his other dominions of England, Ireland, and Scotland.
West Virginia broke away from Virginia in the eighteen sixties. It is called simply the Mountain State for the ancient Appalachian mountains.
And we have saved perhaps the most American nickname for last. The western state of Wyoming was once an area where cattle were transported east. And where there are cattle, there are men -- and now women -- to move them. So Wyoming is the Cowboy State.
(MUSIC)
This VOA Special English program was written by Ted Landphair. I'm Barbara Klein. We hope you enjoyed these programs about states and their nicknames. You can find more WORDS AND THEIR STORIES at 

Thank you Dear Readers

First of all, I have no words to express how much I’m glad, firstly because of you, dear readers, without you, my blog doesn’t make sense, secondly because I recognize my blog have been accessed for Students, Teachers, and readers worldwide. English Tips it turning 1 year and since then over 152 countries have been visited.

Of course, I want to thank you for those partners sprung around the world, that linked my blog. I am also happy with “Living and Learning” project which I develop since last year, I’m sure, to be volunteer is not easy, you may think I’m a dreamer, and I’m sure you are right, because if we have more volunteer in the world available to help someone, not only Teaching English, but donating a little to help someone, this world where we live can be much better. Once, Michael Jackson sung “Heal the world” I dedicate this song for those Teachers and friends who take part of English Tips blog. Promote this blog, if you liked twitting for friends.

Source: www.englishexercises.org

*Michael Jackson*
 
               
 
 
There's a place
in your 
and I know that it is 
and this place
could be much brighter than 
and if you
really try
you'll find there's no need to 
in this place
you'll feel there's no hurt or sorrow

There are ways to get there
if you care enough
for the living
make a little space
make a better place...

Heal the world
make it a better place
for you and for me
and the entire human race
there are people dying
if you care enough
for the living
make a better place
for you and for me

If you 
to know why
there's a love that cannot 
love is strong
it only cares for joyful giving
if we 
we shall see
in this bliss we cannot 
fear or dread
we stop existing and start living

Then it
feels that always
love's enough for us growing
make a better world
make a better world...
 
Heal the world
make it a better 
for you and for 
and the entire human race
there are  dying
if you care enough
for the 
make a better place
for  and for me
 
 
And the dream we were conceived in
will reveal a joyful 
and the world we once believed in
will shine again in 
then why do we keep strangling life
wound this earth crucify its 
though it's plain to see
this world is heavenly
be God's glow

We could 
so high
let our spirits  die
in my heart
I feel you are all my 
create a world
with no fear
together we'll cry  tears
see the nations
turn their swords into plowshares

We could really get there
if you cared enough
for the living
make a little space
to make a better place...

 the world
make it a  place
for you and for me
and the entire  race
there are people dying
if you  enough
for the living
 a better place
for you and for me
 (x 3)
 
 
There are people dying
if you care enough
for the living
make a better place
for you and for me (x 2)
 
you and for me / make a better place
you and for me / make a better place
you and for me / make a better place
you and for me / heal the world we live in
you and for me / save it for our children
you and for me / heal the world we live in
you and for me / save it for our children
you and for me / heal the world we live in
you and for me / save it for our children
you and for me / heal the world we live in
you and for me / save it for our children
 
 
 

Britain's Debt problem

Language level: Advanced
Source: Speak Up
Standard: British accent

 Stock Photo - businesswoman 
holding credit 
card while talking 
on the phone. 
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stock photos, 
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MONEY

Britain’s Debt proble

The British are the biggest borrowers in Europe. Total UK personal debt stands at £ 1.3 trillion and is rising by £ 1 million every four minutes. Average household debt is now over £50.000. Francesca Hopwood Road, who works for the London-based charity Citizens Advice, says that it represents a growing problem.

Francesca Hopwood Road

(Standard: British accent)

Yes, I mean over the last eight years the number of consumer credit debt enquires have doubled. So it’s certainly a growing issue and of growing concern, not just for our bureau, but I think that’s probably reflected more broadly amongst the general population. Debt is increasing. The number of personal bankruptcies is increasing in the general population. So I think she figures that we see are replicated as a trend across the country as whole.

BANKRUPTCY

In the past eight years. Citizens Advice has seen the number of consumer debt enquires double to 1.25 million. Almost two million people owe more than £10.000 on credit cards, overdrafts or other unsecured loans. Around one million households face problems with debt repayments. Bankruptcies rose to a record 26.000 in the second quarter of 2006 – up 66 per cent on the previous year –and mortgage repossessions are at a 13-year high.

It’s not all bad news –some experts say that personal borrowing is simply that personal borrowing is simply the result of an efficient financial market and helps to drive Britain’s economic growth. Interest rates are low and most people meet their repayments without problems. Nevertheless, a new generation is growing up with debt. There are special credit cards for teenagers, students pay fees of up to £3.000 per year to attend university, and more than 200.000 18 to 24-year-olds already owe at least £10.000:

Francesca Hopwood Road:

There’s probably less of a stigma attached to having debt that there was, certainly, for our grandparents’ generation. Now, obviously, student debt is a fact of life for most young people who graduate from university. It’s not unheard of to come out with £30.000-worth of debt. So I think the notion of having debt and that being a part of one’s life is becoming a notion that most people are most at ease with. I think maybe that’s then transferring into having…taking out credit and taking out loans to buy cars or whatever. But I think the notion of having debt is…people are more at ease with, potentially, than they were, say, maybe a couple of generations before.

The British love their plastic: there are now more credit and store cards than people in the UK. Almost one third of Britain’s unsecured debt is on credit cards, compared to just 1.6 per cent in France. Yet credit cards are usually the most expensive way to borrow money. Lack of financial understanding is a major problem for people in debt. One recent survey found that a quarter of British people have no idea how much they spend in a week. Only half know the balance on their credit cards, or what interested rates they receive or pay on savings or debts. The British government is so concerned that in 2003 it began a programme of financial literacy, targeting schools, workplaces, young adults and new parents. Citizens Advice helps to provide training and education as part of the scheme.

BUY NOW, PAY LATER…

In actual fact the British currently spend just 60 minutes or less per week reviewing their finances, the lowest in Europe. They spend twice as long texting or on the phone and six times as long watching TV! So is Britain’s “buy now, pay later” culture ever likely to change?

Francesca Hopwood Road:

I think that’s a very hard question to answer. I can’t see how necessarily we were to switch overnight form that culture to a culture, for example, in some countries in a mainland Europe, where there is very much a…not necessarily an anti-credit culture, but credit culture’s not so pervasive as it is here. Personally, I can’t see it changing, but I think there does have to be a shift in mentality around the way use credit and why we use credit.

Cases Studies

GRAHAM, 45, a carpenter and builder, fell behind with his income tax payments. He borrowed money against his house to settle his tax bills. An injury left him unable to work for tour months, and a bad debtor left him with business debts. He now owes nearly £100.000. Source: PrincewaterhouseCoopers

Max X, 22, built up debts totaling £15.000 on five different credit cards. She got into difficulties after losing her job and could no longer keep up the repayments. Source: Citizens Advices

MARK MACDONALD killed himself in January 2005. Afterwards, he was found to owe a total of £120.000 on loans, two credit cards and a re-mortgage with the bank. He had kept the debt secret from his wife. Source: BBC News

RACHEL, 24, a graduate, left college and travelled with friends, putting the cost on her two credit cards. She got a job and a bank overdraft. After she started work, she was offered a further credit card, and also took out two store cards. She ended up with debts of £35.000, owing monthly interested of more than £450. Source: PrincewaterhouseCoopers

sábado, 22 de janeiro de 2011

Elllo: Broke in the Big Apple


image
349 Broke in the Big Apple
Kevin talks about being very young, poor, and struggling to live in NYC.
Source: www.elllo.org




Todd: So Kevin, I thought we would 












So, Kelvintalk I thought we would talk about money today, and you have many interesting stories about being broke

.
Kevin: Yes. I have been broke a number of times. Anything in particular that you would like to hear? I've got quite a bunch

.
Todd: So tell me when was the first time you were really broke?
Kevin: The first time I was really broke was, I was 19, and I moved to New York City. I followed a girl that I met in Glacier National Park, I was working out there as a singing waiter.
Went out to New York, followed her, and I ended up

 living in an apartment with three other people and the share of my rent was $500 a month. Now that was 20 years ago, and $500 a month 20 years ago to a 19 year old kid with no education, no experience... that was a lot.
So I worked three jobs. I worked from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the George Washington Street Bus Terminal and subway stationhanding out flyers

, American Express Moneygram flyers, then I would take the subway to Midtown, to FAO Schwartz, you know the big toy store...
Todd: Oh yeah, right.
Kevin: ...from the movie, "Big"...
Todd: Yeah, it's really famous.
Kevin: ...where he dances on the piano. Yeah, and I was... I would wrap presents there. And then I would work there from 11 to 4, and then I would take the subway back down to The Village

 where I was living, and I would work from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. as a waiter and bus boy.

. That's pretty harsh.
Kevin: Yeah, it's really brutal. Well, how I ended up being broke was, the restaurant was a New Orleans style restaurant, and I got fired for talking to the customers too much. Truth is

, the customers were interested in the fact that I was from New Orleans and it was a New Orleans style restaurant. And for... I lasted two more months. And I only had enough money everyday to buy a slice of cheese pizza and a pack of cigarettes. And...
Todd: That's it?
Kevin: That's it.
Todd: One slice of pizza and a pack of cigarettes.
Kevin: Well, and a Hostess Fruit Pie lunch. But one time, during lunchtime at FAO Schwartz, I went down to the vending machine and I got my Hostess Fruit Pie and I took a bite in it and it was hollow. There was no fruit in it and I really had a small panic attack

, and I called the toll free number

 on it, and I complained, "You just don't understand how much of my daily nutritional intake

 that pie represented", and all he did was apologize and I was hoping they would send me a case of pies, but they didn't.
Todd: No such luck.
Kevin: That's right. When I went home, I was probably about 30 pounds lighter than before I left. And I was really poor. So that's the first time I was really broke.

Family Album part 34




Source: Family Album USA

Michael O'Leary: The low-cost man


Source: Speak Up
Standard: British Accent
Language level: Basic

Michael O’Leary


Michael O’Leary started a revolution in Europe’s travel business. He is the eccentric Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ryanair, the incredibly successful low-cost airline. There are people who hate him; others call him a genius. He doesn’t really care, as long as Ryanair continues its meteoric rise. Ryanair was founded by Tony Ryan in 1985. That year his airline had 51 employees, two planes and carried 5.000 passengers between Ireland and Britain. Michael O’Leary joined the company in 1988 and became CEO in 1994. He completely transformed it: today Ryanair has 2.600 employees, and uses over 100 planes on 233 routes throughout Europe.

THE MAGIC FORMULA

What is the secret of Ryanair’s success? O’Leary cut costs dramatically: he stripped planes to the minimum, removing even the pocket behind seats; he makes employees pay for their own training and uniforms; he has reduced the time between flights to 25 minutes. Why does Ryanair sell some seats for as little as one cent? Because this guarantees full planes for all flights, and increase the sale of refreshments. O’Leary’s policies are successful: profits for 2006 were over 350 millions. O’Leary has a reputation as a difficult man. He meets Europe’s top bankers wearing jeans and a shirt; he called the European Commissioners “morons,” British Airways “expensive bastards” and said that travel agents should be “taken out and shot.” In order to use taxi lanes in Dublin, he bought a taxi licence for his car and installed a meter.

RICH KID

Is O’Leary the poor man’s champion? No, he’s a businessman. He comes from an affluent farmer’s family, attended Ireland’s top private school, Clongowes Wood, and studied business at Dublin’s prestigious Trinity College .Today he is a multi-millionaire and lives on a cattle ranch, where he also breeds race horses.

Ironically, he doesn’t like planes, and never wanted to be a pilot he does however, dream of millions of people flying in his planes. He wants to offer all passengers free tickets. He says revenue will come from selling services and advertising. This year Ryanair will offer mobile phone services, and has plans to offer in flight gambling.

O’Leary and the Environment (no audio)

International Airlines, such as British Airways and Virgin Airways, recently formed a “sustainable aviation group” which plans to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, experiment with alternative energy sources and reduce noise pollution.

O’Leary says airlines will reduce their emissions when they go bankrupt. He also points out that cars cause 27 per cent of emissions, whereas airlines cause only 2 per cent. His advice to environmentalists was short and simple: “Sell your cars and walk.” Finally, he suggests other airlines follow Ryanair’s example, by replacing their fleets with modern planes with reduces emissions by 50 per cent, burn 45 per cent less fuel, and reduce noise pollution by 45 per cent.

Ryanair and Complaints

A British documentary criticized Ryanair’s training courses, security protocols and treatment of employees and customers. It suggested that Ryanair is protected by the Irish government and the Irish Aviation Authorities. Ryanair answers that its fleet of planes is the newest in Europe, and its services comply with oil safety regulations, while Ireland’s former Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy says that Ryanair has been one of the top factors in the country’s incredible economic transformation.