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ON MONDAY
ESL Podcast 1128 – Store Promotions and Giveaways
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 “instant” and “to find a way around.”
In the “Culture Note,” learn about “Types of Store Promotions.”
“Stores offer many types of promotions to ‘attract’ (bring in) and ‘retain’ (encourage people to keep coming back)…” – READ MORE in the Learning Guide
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ON WEDNESDAY
English Cafe 515
Topics: Historically Black Colleges and Universities; Famous Americans – Mary Pickford; to infer versus to deduce versus to derive; to clean out versus to free up; civil disturbance versus civil unrest
In the Learning Guide: Get a full transcript (written version of every word you hear).
In “What Insiders Know,” you will read about “United States v. Virginia.”
“United States v. Virginia was an important legal case that determined whether schools could ‘exclude’…” – READ MORE in the Learning Guide
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ON FRIDAY
ESL Podcast 1129 – Experiencing Virtual Reality
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 “funny” and “a host of.”
In the “Culture Note,” learn about “Current Uses of Virtual Reality.”
“For many people, ‘virtual reality’ is simply a ‘gaming platform’ (a technology used to play video games)…” – READ MORE in the Learning Guide
As always, I am the first person to post my comment here and it is because I live in Brazil where the time is a little ahead from USA, something like 5 hours. Well, I suppose this will be a great week with new topics. And I am always open to learn new things. I thank my teachers about this.
Aecio
And I wait my fellows to post their comments. I love their words.
Aecio
Hello world ,
Refer to the last post , now that I come to think of it , what gives me the reall pleasure ,happiness if you will, is my guilty pleasures.
Honest , the associated guilt works like the elevating anticipation of wanting sth.
Honest ,I have a lot of guilty pleasures that I give into easily.
The top on the list is my occasional indulging in a tub of Ice cream. I literally go to town with a one litter tub of Ice cream. I eat it up in one sitting!
But my vice is not the ice-cream being-eating but Chips and chees balls.
I love cheese balls.
Off I go
Pete
Hi! Can you imagine? From Learn English Magazine (Warren Ediger’s America) we can access
The New York Times. But I received the message: “you are reading 2 of 10 free articles this month”.
It’s enough to me 10 free articles per month.
I have read about the American elections.
I now understand why Jeff’s first article is about “Super Tuesday”.
To understand better this period of elections.
Thank you.
Hi! I have read on “winning a primary debate” with Donald Trump.
I have seen it and on my TV.
An interesting article about “Incurable American Excess” including a parallel between America and Europe:
– Europe is more organized;
– America more alive.
And the question ” freedom without state interference” or “state guarantees that nobody is in need” ?
Hi! I have to recognize that I have never heard about David Mamet
Although I have seen some of his movies: The Postman Always Rings Twice, The Untouchables,
Black Widow, Ronin.
I remember of The Untouchables , but the TV series with the detective Eliot Ness.
Years ago, we saw the American movies after many years from their release.
I remember for many years I kept the poster of the detective Eliot Ness. I liked the actor and his fight.
Hi! But one of my favorite movie is “The Postman Always Rings Twice” based upon James M. Cain’s novel.
I have seen and the first version and the last (1981) starred Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange.
Fantastic actors Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange in their performance.
I have seen it twice just to see again their performance.
In fact, two criminals…but two criminals that love freedom and a normal family life.
Can you reach these goals without money?
I think that the writer wants to warn us against this phenomena.
Maybe the people are not so bad. They want to be happy. But with any price?
Maybe many of us are the victim of the society. Maybe.
Hi! I do not know the message of the title “the postman always rings twice”. Is it a saying?
Please I want to know it. Maybe a blog friend can explain it to me.
We have a saying “the pitcher goes often to the well but is broken at last”.
I mean that Frank and Cora wanted to be happy by murder.
They are punished by their destiny.
I here in most places thorough out the world college education is being offered for free. Well,sadly in not the case in North America. Here , in my part of world it costs you a pretty penny.
I ‘ll tell u one thing ,I don’t know about U.S. ,but up here in Canada ,there is no big difference in tuition fees between community colleges and universities. The difference is a measly amount of 1000 dollars annually give and take.
There reason I am intimately familiar with the pain in the ass you kids call ” student loan” these days is : I myself am a victim of the tragedy. 🙂
I studied both at a community college and a university. Around here , people graduate from community colleges and universities not with a triumphant smile but with a long face as they mentally carrying a big polka dot hanky tied around a stick containing the student loan and book cost debts.:)))
Just so u know , the student loan is never meant to cover the staggering cost of text books and stationary which ,in and of itself, is a huge set back.
The truth is ,A large portion of student loans go towards tuition fees and the remaining barely covers the monthly rent and groceries let alone transformation and cloths.
I m telling u ,going to university in North America, you are in for a world of pain.
Well, In all fairness you hear people land a merit-based grant ( learning guide 1127- what else does it mean section- title : grant ) Honest ,I was awarded the merit once in my junior year at York university here in Toronto. I was class valedictorian. I was given some money as a reward but the amount was so tiny compared to the student loan that I quit studying hard altogether. I m telling you the amount was laughable comparing.
Yup!
You guessed right!
I didn’t study my head off to be top of my class to kick asses and take names.
I studied so frigging hard to get the merit-based grant as a way of offsetting the cost of my education a little. U know ,lowering the pressure.
Well , between you and me ,I was dirt poor back then.
I quit studying hard and get a part time job at a local time Horton for 8 dollars per hour which helped me financially during my second year of university.I worked long hours on weekends and one day during the week depending on my school schedule. Later on I worked my way to university book store. I worked the last one year and a Half of my schooling at the book store for the wage of 11.5 dollars for the first few months and then it was bumped up to14 dollars.
In short ,
U know what they say :
There are two things people can get out of ,” death and taxes.”
Well , in North America , there are three things :
Death, taxes and student-loan monthly payments.
According to the binding contract ,students is supposed to start paying the loan back right 6 month after their graduation. They are setup a monthly instalment. The monthly payment must be made regardless your work status.
I my self finished schooling many many moons ago and still making monthly payment towards my student loan.
You dare miss the payment ,and they come after you like when a hawk swoops down once it spots a mice scurrying on the ground:)))
I m serious , they ring ur phone off and never let go till u start making the payment again.
Off I go
Pete
Hey Tania.
I have found this explanation for your question so that you owe me a favor.
“James M Cain suggested the term “postman” was not meant to be taken literally. Rather, the title refers to fate or justice eventually catching up with the perpetrator of a crime, even if they were not punished for the original offence.”
Over here we have a postwoman, and I do not like her because she’s a smoker.
Bye, Dan
Hi! Thank you very much, Dan. You are very kind and you read a lot.
I have seen images with the planet Pluto,too. If you have news, please tell us.
Hi! Very interesting your story, Peter. Thank you.
And at our banks there is the possibility for a student loan.
It is so expensive that I think nobody can afford a student loan.
In fact, reading the news from the U.S. , and there there is the same problem.
Hey Tania,
I just saw your questions
You know , Hollywood made two movie adoptions of the book! Beifly ,The plot of the book is about a woman and her lover plotting to kill her husband to collect insurance money. The first movie came on the scree in 1946 and the second one starring , I guess, Jack Nickelson was out 1981.
Technically speaking ,the lay term for “letter career” is “Postman” in North America.
A letter carrier is the person who delives letters and parcels at your door.
I don’t think the title of the book necessarily means anything. I mean , it is not some sort of slang or saying for that matter.
From what I can construed it means: no worries ,if you don’t answer the door first time a post man ring or knock on ur door because they always ring twice.
Interestingly enough ,They do rings twice.they always ring twice. Actually , It is their thing!:)
If u ask me ,there must me some protocol in place. It is a part of their policy or something. I m guessing , they are told to do so. They ring the bell door once ,then they wait a specific amount of time then ring again.then they wait the exact certain time. Then ,leave a note at your door instructing to pick up your parcel at a certain timeframe ,time line if you will.
All I m saying is ,they really ring twice!
It is part of their etiquette
I truly don’t think it means anything or referring to some certain folkloric stories or sth
It is my take on it though. You may see it differently
Regards
Pete
Hi! Many thanks, Peter. You are very kind.
Thank you for your detailed information.
I am waiting for you guys. Send some message with sweet words.
Aecio
I’ve really begun practicing English language together with my dearest friend whose name is Zahir. Both of us is a junior structural engineer.
Our practicing strategy is first to hear the the original conversation, then to write down the explanations of the black words as described by Dr. Jeff. After this, we start our own conversation as if we are the persons in the original dialog. By the time, each one explain the meaning of the black word coming in his turn of conversation and so on ..
after more than about a month of our practice, I assure that we have satisfied a reasonable progress even we still at the beginning.
Even you do not know anything about us, but we are so much grateful for your efforts and also for your characterized way in teaching English as a second language.
Very nice is to see you choosing one character’s name to be taken from our_Arabic language 🙂
Thank you very much Dr. Jiff
I am waiting for the tomorrow’s ESL podcast. Will it be cool? I don’t know. But I hope so. See you tomorrow.
Aecio