Podcasts This Week (January 20, 2014)

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………

ON MONDAY
ESL Podcast 966 – Converting to Another Religion

In the Learning Guide: Get a full transcript (written version of every word you hear), vocabulary list and sample sentences, and comprehension questions.
In “What Else Does it Mean,” learn the other meanings of “to convert” and “faith.”
In the “Culture Note,” learn about “New Religious Movements.”
“The term ‘new religious ‘movements’ (groups of people with similar beliefs and similar goals)’…” – READ MORE in the Learning Guide

ON WEDNESDAY
English Cafe 434

Topics: Famous Songs – “I Left My Heart in San Francisco”; Niagara Falls; assessment versus evaluation versus appraisal; sympathy versus empathy; to take (one’s) time and to take a load off

In the Learning Guide:  Get a full transcript (written version of every word you hear).
In “What Insiders Know,” you will read about “Hail to the Chief.”
“A piece of music is played when the president of the United States enters a room …” – READ MORE in the Learning Guide

ON FRIDAY
ESL Podcast 967 – Feeling Embarassed

In the Learning Guide: Get a full transcript (written version of every word you hear), vocabulary list and sample sentences, and comprehension questions.
In “What Else Does it Mean,” learn the other meanings of “to laugh (one’s) head off” and “not a chance.”
In the “Culture Note,” learn about “Types of Parties.”
“Most Americans love to go to parties where they can spend time with friends…” – READ MORE in the Learning Guide

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18 Responses to Podcasts This Week (January 20, 2014)

  1. emiliano says:

    My dear Cuca is reluctant with me telling her/our story and just now said to me that it is proof of love by her part as she doesn´t ever like to
    tell anything about her.

    What to do, I´ll continue with the story or not?

    That´s a good question, as I would like to continue and I have her agreement, but in fact I know she is really shy and she
    don´t like to be the protagonist of any story.

    What to think about that?. It is my first story written as by casuality following some nice request here, but……..

    Just light me as it is nice to remember some pieces of my life and sharing them here, the best place to do that without the
    safe sensation of the anonimity I have in the other site.

    It is good for me as Cuca said from the begining that please write it in English, not in Spanish, more anonymous as friends
    here can´t read it so well.

    That´s very good for me practising my English, not so well as Myo ko ko said, but he is not willing to make a good job
    of this not so short story.

    Go ahead dear friend, still waiting for you.

    emiliano

  2. Dan says:

    I am not sure what to say Emiliano.

    I f Cuca does not want to it is better not to push her.

    Try to ask your daughters’ opinion on that.

    Keep in mind that all you post on the Internet will remain there, maybe forever.

    Thank you

  3. Dan says:

    Hey guys,

    Do not believe it when her Exellency (Jeff) tells in Podcast 966 Converting to Another Religion.

    McQuillanism DOES exist and his the boss called her Exellency.

    It has to do with the Egyptian Pyramids and Cats. There is a big mystery behind it.

    Do not even try to listen to the podcast! There are special frequencies attached to it that are going to brainwashed you and take over your mind!

    If you do it, at least put on your head a hat made out of tinfoil.

    I made out three little hats for my cats and one for myself.

    I am warning you! that’s all I can do. Good luck.

  4. Dan says:

    You do not believe me, right?

    Just look at the signs! podcast n.966

    Flip the first 9 upside down! what do you get?

    I am telling you, I am S c A R e d I am seeing things.

    I thing they got my brain for e is too late.

    Myo save yourself…at least I am saving a soul..

  5. jens says:

    Hi Emiliano,

    as you wrote, you´ve been talking about your wife before you published your lovestory here.

    I think you should continue, because it shows in a way your deep love to her.

    Also you will remember some things, details, people related to your story. And then you will
    have also a possibilty to talk with her about these things, which you remembered. It will give
    you the chance of new topic´s in your communication.

    I guess you take also some old pictures to bring back your memories, this could be also inspire you two.

    Maybe for a trip to a place, where you´ve been a long time before, or to get in contact again to people
    ,you lost contact.

    anyway, I got the impression that you´re lucky husband, and your relationship will keep on going
    on well.

    But don´t stay in the past to long – I hope you will get also some ideas for activities which you can
    do with your wife together. a rebirth maybe of salsa dancing :))

    I hope, that I was not to private

    greetings from hamburg
    Jens

  6. emiliano says:

    Jens, it is late here, nearly 01,10 but reading you post I need to reply you
    and send you a big THANK YOU.

    Yes, you have taken the gist of my story that first is a lovestory and it
    is dedicated to my dear wife Cuca who stand by me every moment
    since the time we met each other.

    Now that I have read her your love nice messager, she said “YES, I do”, write
    it if there are persons like Jens from Hamburg that likes our story so much.
    Never I thought, she continued, that this piece of our life could be interested
    for any one, so go ahead and write more if you can.

    Wise message dear and wise advises too, I think you said just what incline
    the balace to the right point for her and for me.

    I do think you got her agreement, so thank you my friend you have done
    a very good job, thanks a lot.

    emiliano

  7. Dan says:

    Just read an interesting article on BBC News Magazine

    It is called The Minnesota starving Experiment.

    Unbelievable! when you think you have heard everything.

    Thanks

  8. emiliano says:

    So, dear friends, once again…..here we go:

    WORKING ….cuca/emiliano story

    With eighteen years old our dear girl was working inside the Banco Hispano Americano, at first she was not happy with the change.
    She was happy working in Deutz, the German Company, even she started to learn German as inside her mind was the posibility of
    going to Germany to work over there.

    She was young, she was less of tweenty years old, and her mother had the last word if she wanted to go out home or to another country.
    Yes, that was the real state of a woman, or a girl with less than 21 years, she was on charge of her parents, her mother, or her husband.
    A woman can not go to a country of Europe like Germany if she was less than 21 years and her mother, in the case of Cuca, said NO.

    Her mother instead thought it could be better that this girl get a job in the Banco Hispano Americano where his brother was working already.
    So, doing that Cuca´s thoughts will be out of the idea or going out and trying to work in Germany.

    Cuca wa a nice good daughter, and said “yes mom” and started to learn Bank´s business to get a seat in this Hispano Americano Bank.
    On the year 1964 being eighteen years old Cuca was working in the Bank instead of Deuth, her studies of German was over, and she
    began to study French instead.

    Inside the Bank´s offices there were hundred of young people working. Lots of young girls and some boys too with similar age of Cuca´s.
    By those years the Bank would be like a marriage agency, couples were formed very fast but years after the Bank should be like a divorce
    site where hundred of persons were divorced, life if so and nobody knows anything about future.
    Divorce was not allowed by these years in Spain, it has to come democracy and new laws to allow divorces, secular marriages, and other
    kind of free customs not so well. Drugs were ahead on the eighty years but even wors Sida should be a plague among the young people.

    But this is another story, just the story of a country that went from a dictator to a democracy in a SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.

    +++++

    Work was easy those years and there was the option of getting a job in several Banks in Madrid city, nearly every
    year, Banesto, Central, Hispano, Bilbao Vizcaya, Santander, were banks than usually have lot of places to these young that were
    living on the sixties years in this country called Spain.
    Not everything was bad living in this dictatorial society that was ruling everything in the nation. There was not political freedom,
    not freedom to opposit the Franco´s dictator regimen, not freedom to get a divorce, not sex freedom at all, not news freedom
    who said what was happening in the world, censure was making extra hours with the movies, the books, the newspaper and so forth, bue
    some good forms of easy way of living was up those years.
    Soon the May´s 1968 Paris Revolution was going to happen and everything will be changing soon, for good? for bad? Who knows?
    There are opinios of all kind as humans are quite complicated……sorry, again “this is other story”.

    Let us continue with our girl….

    Nothing was necessary to get the job, not any high studies, only make a hard exam and get the place.
    If a young have high studies it was better for her/him as the Company gave some points to add to their exam.

    Cuca was a good student, in fact she have liked to go to the university if that could have been possible, but without a father and
    with a widow mother without any penssion it was necessary that this girl works very soon.

    Working in a bank was good, nice people inside, a seat to be resting the full day while you work, not having to be up so
    many time as other kind of works, and lot of young people like you that make a fuss frequently, talking aloud in the dinner
    room when they spent the half an hour free time to lunch.

    Soon this girl make some friends inside the Bank Office, and started to have something similar like a club of girls and boys
    that goes to the mountains in winter or to the swiming pool in summer.

    Life was easy and funny for all these people of similar age and time enough when they get out from the Bank office.

    Madrid was a nice big city to live and to go every place without any danger.

    You could walk along the streets without not any problems, not thiefs or bad people, the dictator was strong and the
    police were looking to have peace on the streets.
    Tourists were coming to Spain those years and life seems beauty and very easy of living.

    Cuca with some money of her own bought a pair of skis, (long slender runners made of wood, plastic or
    metal used in gliding over the snow) and started to go to the mountains near Madrid.

    She wanted to learn how to ski and have fun every weekend of winter.

    To be continued….

    *******

    LIFE WAS EASY cuca / emiliano´s story

    Life was easy on those years for the young people in Spain, of course if they don´t go in trouble about
    political ideas.
    There wasn´t liberty to think or to have a public opinion about what was happening out the world or inside
    the country.
    Strikes were forbiden, political parties were not allowed and even manifestations on the street were also
    forbidden.
    The Regimen was always on the TV giving the people, bullfights, futbol, and music festivals, nothing about
    free spech or free opinion on the papers.

    Even so young people have work in several big companies that were growing up on the sixties and even Beatles have been in Madrid on
    the second of july 1965 and it was like a earthquake for the life of millions of young people.

    Why not going to learn how to ski on the week ends?.

    Just said and done. Cuca started to go to the mountains near the capital because she wanted to ski like other thousand
    of locals who went to Navacerrada and try to slide down the snow more harm than good.

    Yes, Cuca had a nice funny life as a young of 19 years old in the Spanish life of 1965, with a good work, leaving the Bank
    office at a good hour and going in winter weekends to ski the Madrid´s mountains close near the big city.
    By those time also emiliano was going to the mountains in winter, but he didn´t want lear how to ski at it seems difficult and dangerous for him.

    Yes, it was dangerous, poor Cuca broke a hip instead of learn to ski and everything changed for her.Her life started to be different
    as everything seems to go wrong with her broken hip, it needed a surgical operation delayed by a strong cold that complicated the surgical
    result of the operation.

    After some time of been operated she was bad, the poor girl have pain in her leg and she couldn´t walk properly and have to be in plaster
    for about a year, still without power out to the street, reading, listening to music, receiving many visits at the beginning and not so many
    after a few months.

    After all life continue for her friends that after going to see her frequently, started to recover their youth and they went
    again to dance and to the swiming pool in summer.

    Meanwhile cuca remained at home still hoping to recover from a very bad surgery.

    But not all her friends went to the swiming pool with the other, there was one whose name was José Luis that being in
    love with Cuca take this opportunity to visit her frequently.

    What happened after a year of entering the Cuca´s house, talk to the mother, the brother of the girl, these visits?. Well, it is easy
    to imagine, both ended up being boyfriends and later fiance…

    Cuca felt that their wings were cut for ever and she had a lot of time to think about.
    First goal for her was to be o.k., but this new situation was going to take a long time for this young girl.

    Day after day she received the visit of this young man who were in love with her.
    He was a boy with a past mind, old mind repect everything about relationship between girls and boys, wife and husband, the
    paper of a wife at home and the different paper of the husband.

    Soon this will be so evident that the the girl had to reconsider the situation which was doomed if continued relationship
    with this young man too old ideas about marriage and lot of subjects.

    It has to wait a some time yet to change everything in the life of our dear Cuca who knew nothing about her life in future.
    First she thought about her life together with this young man Jose Luis who was going every day to see her at home.

    After some months of coming to see her he requested her to be his girlfriend, what to say? what to do, being so grateful to him?.
    Evidently, yes, Cuca will be his girlfriend till the moment they will promised each other what could be a complete disaster for ever.

    After all this not happened as future keeps some surprises for this girl, either for Jose Luis and Emiliano, the boy who was out
    her life for the moment.

    This would be not for long, future has a paper for this boy who was outside of these events.

    To be continued……

    +++++++

    Thank you to all of you that are the force that are there day after day reading the blog, and are basic and fudamental
    for this ESL site, the best to read, learn, and listen to English and for this other emiliano young boy and his story.
    Thank you to our professors Jeff, Lucy and Warren that give us the best of they every day without relax, THANK YOU
    ENDEED.

    emiliano

  9. Betty says:

    Thanks Emiliano.

    I want to say thanks again for writing such a great story for us to read.

    You have written it with passion and I can feel it.

    Look forward to the next sequel.

    Your fan and admirer.

    Betty 🙂

  10. Myo ko ko says:

    Hi
    Dear emiliano,
    Good reading of your sequels!
    I suppose these two episodes are 6 and 7.
    I also notice that there are some important twists, unexpected turns, in them.
    First twist:
    Cuca broke her hip while giving a try to skiing. That brought Luis more closer to Cuca and as a result, Luis has had a good contact with her family and finally that situation led to a Luis’ “reasonably important” propose to Cuca.

    Second twist:
    Cuca’s mother’s thought.
    Her idea about Cuca to work in a bank was, say, an alert to Cupid to get ready to shoot his arrow into two persons’ hearts! 😉
    Who knows in advance, in a structure termed ‘bank’, an “odd” lad called emiliano will meet and get crush on a nice young lady named Cuca!?

    And, emiliano,
    Your brief stokes about your country in those years were very much look alike the situations in my nation in the last 20 years or so. You know we too “were” under the dictatorship in those years.So I know what that taste looked like quite pretty well! 😉

    Nice reading and waiting for another segments of your story, emiliano!

    And don’t get me wrong for I don’t rewrite your story.
    To put it in Betty’s words (Obama’s words?!! 😉 ), “it is not my intention to decline” your nice and kind offer, but my poor language proficiency that is getting in the way. I just don’t want to spoil your story! 😉

    Thanks
    Myo ko ko

  11. Parviz says:

    Dear emiliano

    excellent story.
    But what happened?
    Did you kill José Luis?
    what did you do to push him out of your way?

  12. lilian says:

    Thanks dear EMILIANO
    FOR putting time for us to write your great story and to share your beautiful old days with your friends.
    This is a great job you have done.i am sure that you still have got many memories of your glory days to write ,I mean the days that you conquered dear Cuca’s heart and won the competition over José Luis. I think Cuca was very lucky to meat you because if she didn’t she may never had this opportunity to find out how great mistake had been being engaged with José Luis. But like all the fairy tales you met and have been living happily ever after. Best wishes for both of you.
    again thank you.you are doing great so try to continue and don’t let go of the past.it worth to hark back and please share us in reliving it.
    I hope sun shines in your both hearts forever.
    Lilian

  13. emiliano says:

    Ja,ja, no, I didn´t kill him Parviz, I fact I have to do another thing just to be absolutely nice and kind
    with the girl who will be my half-orange for ever.

    It is so good this experience of remembering our story that my mind is full of English all day, inside
    it I am writing in advance another episode, yesterday night lying on the bed I was dreaming and thinking
    in English how to tap the following episodes, and I could say you that are more curious as everything
    was “like by chance” but I don´t think it was so, not by chance, impossible. I think it was written, and
    my thoughts about this life we humans have on the earth it is that “everything is written” some how.
    Who is the writer?
    Just something to think about. If we have faith we could think it is God?. Who knows?.

    In this our story everything seems it was happening by chance but so many chances I do think it
    is difficult?.

    Well, you have the words when it will be finished.

    Thank you Betty, Parviz and Myo ko ko, your give me energy to follow and it is really so nice a good to
    have my mind so active thinking in English nearly all day.
    Last night I was dreaming in English after so much time writing, now that I get up at 8 a.m., the first
    thing I am doing it is just writing in ESL blog and giving you my deep thank you.

    It is good, really good, and you are the let motive, thanks to all you dear readers of the ESL Blog.

    emiliano

  14. emiliano says:

    Myo ko ko, yes I knew something about the dictatorship in you country and also about Aung San Suu Kyi and her house arrest
    in Burma for almost 15 of the 21 years ( July 1989 until her recent release November 2010), even her strong will to be on her
    incredible mind and to announced that she wants to run for the presidency in Myanmar’s 2015 elections.

    Strong will and character of this incredible woman, like Nelson Mandela in other terms more hard for him as he was in prission
    more than 27 years. Good for her and for him, these persons change the world acting and thinking the way they have done.

    The history of your country Myanmar touch me directly on my heart as I have lived also in a dictatorship for more than the first thirty
    years of my life.

    My best dear, and thank you very much for your comments, do them always my friend from Myanmar, your sincerity it is to admire.

    emiliano

  15. lilian says:

    Sorry mistake
    I think my sentence should have been this:
    Because she(DEAR CUCA)would have never found out how great mistake had been being engaged with José Luis if she hadn’t met you dear Emiliano.
    Sorry my English has so many problems which need to be corrected. Whoever do it for me I will be very thankful to him/her . because I need someone here to learn me along the corrections. Thanks every body.

  16. Dan says:

    Thank you Emiliano and Cuca for sharing your story.

    I agree with the others that is a nice story. I want to see when Gatufo joins in the couple.

    I also enjoyed reading everyone’s comment.

    Thank you guys

  17. Dan says:

    Hey guys,

    May I ask you something?

    Do we really need this winter games in Russia?

    If you think at all the cement they poured there and the money spent (I am reading 50 billion dollars)

    With all that cement and money we can probably put up a little city to the Syrian refugees.

    I do not know you, but I am not watching a single second of those games.

    thanks

  18. emiliano says:

    The world is not to celebrate anything having in mind the sights
    that tomorrow we have seen, again horror is here among the
    humans, againg the are the sights of seventy years ago when
    the soldiers took pictures of what has been happening in German.

    We can´t avoid our responsability about what is happening
    and just look to other side.

    Don´t learn anything humans from the history?

    emiliano

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