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ON MONDAY
ESL Podcast 1148 – Distinctive Facial Features
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 “commission” and “to be true to.”
In the “Culture Note,” learn about “Retouching Photos.”
“Most people want to ‘look their best’ (show their best, most attractive appearance)…” – READ MORE in the Learning Guide
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ON WEDNESDAY
English Cafe 525
Topics: Famous Americans – W.C. Fields; The Video Game Pong; trim, quarter-round, and carpenter; to condemn and conscious; transliteration
In the Learning Guide: Get a full transcript (written version of every word you hear).
In “What Insiders Know,” you will read about “Video Games as Successful Films.”
“In recent years, several popular video games have been made into movies….” – READ MORE in the Learning Guide
…
ON FRIDAY
ESL Podcast 1149 – Delaying Making a Decision
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 “positive” and “stripes.”
In the “Culture Note,” learn about “Paint-by-Number Kits.”
“People who want to be artists, but feel they ‘lack’ (do not have) artistic ‘talents’…” – READ MORE in the Learning Guide
Yesterday ,there was a sudden spell of cold. Fist I thought , it was gonna be a short one as it is fall not winter. But , the cold snap lingered through the night. I can still the howl of wind echoing in the garret. And the wood floor under my feet is crackling cold.
I just looked out the window. It still frosty and gloomy. Scattered leaves in the back yard are dancing to the tune of wind.
Man , I need to find some fun activities around the house that I don’t dare go outside today.
Well , I better curl up with a comforter to my recliner and have a marathon of movies or sth.
But ,first thing first
I m off to make myself a big jar of scolding coffee: enough to keep me till night.
I m dreading to go to work tomorrow.besides the regular crappy Mondays , I have to brave the element.
Man , I dread to think about tomorrow
let’s cease one crappy day at a time.
Crap , I m out of milk
I gotta run guys.
I need to go out and buy some milk. I don’t like my coffee black.
So much for staying home
Catch u later
ESL Podcast 1148 is awesome. Never better.
Aecio
I was going through the blog past.
Man ealpod is a dispensable source of English materials for English language enthusiast
Thanks Eslpod people for magaing together such an amazing collection !
The best money can buy.
Oh , wait !
I ll be damned ,It is for free !!!
Just amazing !!!!!!
A long standing student ;a staunched Eslpod ,and recently Learn English magazine follower ; and Always in Eslpod debt
Pete
Hello, people. Come on. Show up for a talk.
Aecio
Hey, Hi!
Have you ever heard of a genius that ended up in the trush?
He could be on one of the Famous Americans segments.
I would like to remember him in my own small way.
His name was Hugh Everett and he is considered by many to be a genius.
He was a mathematician working in the field of physic.
There is an interesting doc. on YouTube about him called: Parallel Worlds
Parallel Lives.
Basically what he did was to develop a theory in the field of quantum mechanics in order to solve some problems about it.
I am not even going to try to explain it to you because is complicate stuff.
Nothing to do with our ordinary life.
But it is real science.
Thanks to these people we have lasers, MRI machine
computer chips, superconductors..and so on.
Unfortunately at the time he came up with his theory, at 24 I believe, he wasn’t taken seriously.
At his death his last whish was to be tossed in the trash after being cremated.
I just wanted to remember him.
All right, Dan. This story is indeed weird. The thing I don’t like about science is that it is trush.
Aecio
Hi there Aecio.
Could you please elaborate more on that.
Why do you go as far as to say Science is trash?
I want to understand what makes you say that.
Hi,
The Science is the best thing happens for mankind.
We desperately need of a new planet where to live. Only the scientists and spacemen can do that.
I appreciate your thoughts, Dan.
Hello, Dan. I have my own idea about science. What have we got from science for our own good? Have you? Have we? This world is divided into two parts: a money world and a non-money world. What part do you belong to? If you say the non-money world, you are nothing but a useless thing, but if you belong to the money world you have everything you want, for money can do and buy almost everything. I have a friend who says that the only thing money is not able to do is to open the heaven door. I agree with him. What has the world got from science? Computers? Spaceships? Banks? What about the poor people who live in misery? How about the people in the line of a hospital waiting for an appointment with a doctor? Do I have to mention more? Or it is enough? I am sorry for those people who believe in science.
Aecio
Anybody could help me? In the Cafè 524 there is a phrase “Arthur went back to being a lawer..” Why not say …”to be a Lawer ” ? Thank you.
Hi,
I have “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe in my own book-case and I did not know.
I read it yesterday. Tom Wolfe mentions this story in “The Bonfire of the Vanities” , and his detailed explanation
seems to be very interesting.
May I share it with you thinking about the actual context ?
“…with the madness of prophetic vision, Edgar Allan Poe wrote a story that tells all we need to know
about the moment we live in now…”The Masque of the Red Death”…A mysterious plague, the red death, is ravaging
the land. Prince Prospero assembles all the best people in his castle and lays in two years’provision of food
and drink, and shuts the gates against the outside world, against the virulence of all lesser souls,
and commences a masked ball that is to last until the plague has burnt itself out beyond the wals.
The party is endless and seamless, and it takes place in seven grand salons, and in each the revel becomes more intense than in the one before, and the revelers are drawn on, on, on toward the seventh room, which is appointed entirely in black.
One night, in this last room, appears a guest shrouded in the most clever and most hideously beautiful costume this company of luminous masquer-aders has ever seen.
This guest is dressed as Death, but so convincingly that Prospero is offend and orders him ejected.
But none dares touch him, so that the task is left to the Prince himself, and the moment he touches the
ghastly shroud, he falls down dead , for the Red Death has entered the house of Prospero…
Now, the exquisite part of the story is that somehow the guests have known all along what awaits them in this room,
and yet they are drawn irresistibly toward it , because the excitement is so intense and the pleasure is so unbridled
and the gowns and the food and the drink and the flesh are so sumptuous – and that is all they have.
Families, homes, children, the great chain of being, the eternal tide of chromosomes mean nothing to them any longer.
They are bound together, and they whirl about one another…and what else could the Red Death be but some sort
of final stimulation?
So Poe was kind enough to write the ending for us more than a hundred years ago.”
Hi,
Dear Jeff, thank you that you convinced me to read The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe.
I have seen this kind of “masked ball” in some movies and I did not know to understand the message sent.
Thank you.
Canadians head to polls today.
It is all down the wire thoug
All the candidates are the front runners
The Maine parties are conservative and liberals
The turn out is expected to be bigger than last election in 2012.
The polling stations are conveniently located so everybody can find a newrby polling station to third place of residence.
The polling stations nationally opened to the public at 9:30
I revived my ballot cards in mail two weeks ago. Presumably all Canadians revived one in mail.?
There is a three digit number on the ballot cards which is the number of ballot box in which u can cast ur vote.
It means that peole can’t just pop in willynilly at any polling station appears on their ways. In fact ,we are assigned to a specific station closed to our places.
So ,I have to go over there after getting off work.
It is gonna be a big line up ,i bet
I was gonna do it early in the morning and done with it.
But the station close to my place wasn’t open yet !!!
Well ,I see it as my duty to cash my ballot
They say , one vote can make a difference
Well ,what if there are some hanging chads. The hanging chads can easily tip the scale from one candidate to another.
So one vote doesn’t really make a difference.
U know know hanging chads go uncounted.
Don’t kid itself guys. Hanging chad happen
So the whole fair of a nation can change over a silly mistake
I don’t know
I vote for the liberal party though
I like the head of the liberal party
He is a very charming guy
And he appears to have the most promising agenda for the 4 year term to come.
I hope he takes the office
His name is Justin Trudeau
You know , his father was the most popular and famous prime minister in 70s and 80s
He is still very popular
I belive , His son can perfectly fill in his father’s shoes.
Well , I was it supposed to diveldge whom I m gonna vote to but I m pretty open. I got nothing to hide.
Besides it is a free country
Well back to the salt mines
I will cast my ballot in his favour tonight
Hope he wins
Pete
Hey Aecio.
Just to recap if I got everything right.
There are these evil entities that control the world, and they are the industry
and capitalism.
Besides that the World is divided by haves and have not.
I am learning. Please go ahead. Anything else. I am all ears.
Hi giosoc
In the Cafè 524 there is a phrase “Arthur went back to being a lawer..” Why not say …”to be a Lawer ” ?
************
If you say went back to be a lawyer, you mean he went back home, for example, in order to become a lawyer.
Jeff meant to say Arthur went back to the his old situation, the situation of being a lawyer.
Young Arthur went to college and then studied law. In 1854, he joined a law firm, a group of lawyers, in New York City.
*Note: this is the first time he started being a lawyer
…… “in 1861, just two years later, the American Civil War began, where the North and the South fought over, among other things, the issue of slavery. Now, Arthur himself did not fight in any battles, but he became one of the leaders of the New York troops, the group of soldiers.
*Note: Now he stopped being a lawyer
He left the military – he retired from the military – in 1863 and went back to being a lawyer in New York.
*Note: this is his second time being a lawyer
After the Civil War, in the late 1860s, Chester Arthur became friends with a very powerful New York politician by the name of Conkling.
The powerful politician in New York, Conkling, gave him the job of collecting taxes for items that were imported into the country.
*Note: this is his second time stopped being a lawyer
Chester Arthur was asked in 1877 by the then president of the United States, Hayes, to quit his job (as customs collector).
Arthur went back to being a lawyer and helping his old friend Conkling in politics.
*Note: this is his third time being a lawyer
************
Please let me give you another example:
Amy was very poor, she won the lottery and became very rich. She started gambling until she lost all her money, she went back to being poor.
************
Hope it makes sense.
lili:)
Dan, if you have any other question please ask. But let me to say that I give my opinion, nevertheless you must have yours. I lead my life and you lead yours.
Aecio
Lili, it is a perfect explanation, it seems to me your are an English teacher already.
My best to you dear friend. emiliano
Hello world,
A lot is happening in Cavada
The liberal party won the election with a big landslide
Power to them.
Prime minster Justin treasure ,a charming ,43 man and his campaign did sth that seemed improbable a mere 10 days ago. He broughtt the vote home.
He will take the office in near future.
U know they need to go through all the administrative procedures and transport process.bureaucracy rather paper works is a killer around here folks. No one even in hight offices is able to cut through the red tape. It is always a long an arduous process in particularly at high government offices.
It is a pain.but the pain we gladly pull through to see the changes in a new Canada.
A fresh ,Yong ,energetic face.
Let’s just pray he is as good as his words.
The new vision will bring about an optimistic force of change.
Today the entire cast nation thrived to the break of the great news.
Let’s not loose sight of the fact that our ex prime minister “Stephan Harper” is a great man who served the office for 10 years. Let’s just say Canada thrived under
his 10 years tenure at the office.i like the man.harper was a great leader.
I take my leave
Pete
I’m leaving but I’ll be back.
Aecio
I said that I would be back. Here am I.
Aecio