Also, too.
She insisted on directing the play and on producing it as well.
My birthday is Jan 25th as well.
Monday, June 30, 2008
let (somebody) know
To tell someone something.
Let us know when you get there.
Let me know if you need any help.
Thank you for coming to the interview - we'll let you know (= tell you whether we are going to offer you a job) next week.
Let us know when you get there.
Let me know if you need any help.
Thank you for coming to the interview - we'll let you know (= tell you whether we are going to offer you a job) next week.
Foreign Policy: The World’s Top 20 Public Intellectuals
(From www.foreignpolicy.com)
July/August 2008
In our last issue, we named the world’s top 100 public intellectuals and asked readers to vote for those they deem most deserving of the top honors. Now, 500,000 votes later, we reveal the results of the reader poll. .
FETHULLAH GÜLEN Religious leader • Turkey
An Islamic scholar with a global network of millions of followers, Gülen is both revered and reviled in his native Turkey. To members of the Gülen movement, he is an inspirational leader who encourages a life guided by moderate Islamic principles. To his detractors, he represents a threat to Turkey’s secular order. He has kept a relatively low profile since settling in the United States in 1999, having fled Turkey after being accused of undermining secularism.
MUHAMMAD YUNUS Microfinancier, activist • Bangladesh
More than 30 years ago, Yunus loaned several dozen poor entrepreneurs in his native Bangladesh a total of $27. It was the beginning of a lifetime devoted to fighting poverty through microfinance, efforts that earned him a Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. Over the years, his Grameen Bank, now operating in more than 100 countries, has loaned nearly $7 billion in small sums to more than 7 million borrowers—97 percent of them women. Ninety-eight percent of the loans have been repaid.
YUSUF AL-QARADAWI Cleric • Egypt/Qatar
The host of the popular Sharia and Life TV program on Al Jazeera, Qaradawi issues w .eekly fatwas on everything from whether Islam forbids all consumption of alcohol (no) to whether fighting U.S. troops in Iraq is a legitimate form of resistance (yes). Considered the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Qaradawi condemned the September 11 attacks, but his pronouncements since, like his justification of suicide attacks, ensure his divisive reputation.
ORHAN PAMUK Novelist • Turkey
Part political pundit, part literary celebrity, Pamuk is the foremost chronicler of Turkey’s difficult dance between East and West. His skillfully crafted works lay bare his native country’s thorny relationship with religion, democracy, and modernity, earning him a Nobel Prize in literature in 2006. Three years ago, Pamuk was put on trial for “insulting Turkish identity” after mentioning the Armenian genocide and the plight of Turkey’s Kurds in an interview. The charges were later dropped. Today, Pamuk teaches literature at Columbia University.
AITZAZ AHSAN Lawyer, politician • Pakistan
President of Pakistan’s Supreme Court Bar Association, Ahsan has been a vocal opponent of President Pervez Musharraf’s rule. When Musharraf dismissed the head of the Supreme Court in March 2007, it was Ahsan who led the legal challenge to reinstate the chief justice and rallied thousands of lawyers who took to the streets in protest. He was arrested several times during the period of emergency rule last year. Today, he is a senior member of the Pakistan Peoples Party, formerly led by Benazir Bhutto, and one of the country’s most recognizable politicians.
AMR KHALED Muslim televangelist • Egypt
A former accountant turned rock-star evangelist, Khaled preaches a folksy interpretation of modern Islam to millions of loyal viewers around the world. With a charismatic oratory and casual style, Khaled blends messages of cultural integration and hard work with lessons on how to live a purpose-driven Islamic life. Although Khaled got his start in Egypt, he recently moved to Britain to counsel young, second-generation European Muslims.
ABDOLKARIM SOROUSH Religious theorist • Iran
Soroush, a former university professor in Tehran and specialist in chemistry, Sufi poetry, and history, is widely considered one of the world’s premier Islamic philosophers. Having fallen afoul of the mullahs thanks to his work with Iran’s democratic activists, he has lately decamped to Europe and the United States, where his essays and lectures on religious philosophy and human rights are followed closely by Iran’s reformist movement.
TARIQ RAMADAN Philosopher, scholar of Islam • Switzerland
One of the most well-known and controversial Muslim scholars today, Ramadan embodies the cultural and religious clash he claims to be trying to bridge. His supporters consider him a passionate advocate for Muslim integration in Europe. His critics accuse him of anti-Semitism and having links to terrorists. In 2004, Ramadan was denied a U.S. visa to teach at Notre Dame, after the State Department accused him of donating to Islamic charities linked to Hamas.
MAHMOOD MAMDANI Cultural anthropologist • Uganda
Born in Uganda to South Asian parents, Mamdani was expelled from the country by Idi Amin in 1972, eventually settling in the United States. His work explores the role of citizenship, identity, and the creation of historical narratives in postcolonial Africa. More recently, he has focused his attention on political Islam and U.S. foreign policy, arguing that modern Islamist terrorism is a byproduct of the privatization of violence in the final years of the Cold War. He teaches at Columbia University.
SHIRIN EBADI Lawyer, human rights activist • Iran
Iran’s first female judge under the shah, Ebadi founded a pioneering law practice after she was thrown off the bench by Iran’s clerical rulers. Having initially supported the Islamic Revolution, she cut her teeth defending political dissidents and campaigning for the rights of women and children. A fierce nationalist who sees no incompatibility between Islam and democracy, Ebadi became the first Iranian to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003.
NOAM CHOMSKY Linguist, activist • United States
Chomsky is perhaps best known for his scathing criticisms of U.S. foreign policy extending back to the Vietnam War. An outspoken activist, a lively debater, and an icon of the international left, Chomsky rarely shies away from assailing American power and venerating those he deems the world’s oppressed. The failures of American mass media and the greed of big business are also frequent targets of his critiques. Beyond his political provocations, Chomsky’s contributions to modern linguistics are immense, particularly his theory of generative grammar. The bestselling author of more than 30 books, Chomsky has taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for more than half a century.
AL GORE Climate change activist, politician • United States
From the dejection of losing the 2000 U.S. presidential election, Gore has come to define political renaissance—and vindication—in the years since. For his second act, Gore found his true voice in raising public awareness of the effects of global warming. His efforts have earned him an impressive list of titles—Oscar winner and Nobel Peace Prize recipient among them—and acclaim as perhaps today’s most influential environmental crusader.
BERNARD LEWIS Historian • Britain/United States
Professor emeritus at Princeton University and the author of dozens of books, Lewis is one of the foremost historians of the Middle East. He is also one of the most sought-after advisors on the region’s politics and on Islamic society. Lewis’s works have recently focused on the source of antagonism between Islam and the West, a conflict he attributes to Islam’s failure to adapt to modernity.
UMBERTO ECO Novelist, semiologist • Italy
Renowned for intricate, richly written novels that blend obscure historical events with complex plots and symbols, Eco is easily one of the world’s most scholarly writers of fiction. His day job, professor of semiotics at the University of Bologna, provides him ample material for his bestselling books, which have been described as encyclopedic in their historical breadth.
AYAAN HIRSI ALI Activist, politician • Somalia/Netherlands
A fierce critic of Islam’s treatment of women, the Somalia-born Hirsi Ali is known for her full-throated defense of the West, reason, and freedom. Her public rebellion against her Islamic upbringing has come with a steep cost: death threats and around-the-clock protection. She first received notoriety for penning Submission, a film renouncing the subjugation of Muslim women. (The film’s director, Theo van Gogh, was murdered by a Muslim fanatic in Amsterdam in 2004.) After being elected to the Dutch parliament in 2003, Hirsi Ali resigned her post three years later over a scandal involving false information on her citizenship application.
AMARTYA SEN Development economist • India
As a young boy, Sen witnessed the devastating 1943 Bengal famine, which killed nearly 3 million people. Decades later, Sen’s investigations of the political and economic underpinnings of famines established him as the premier welfare economist of the 20th century. In addition to his famous assertion that famines do not occur in democracies, Sen was one of the first economists to empirically examine gender disparities in Asia. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in economics in 1998.
FAREED ZAKARIA Journalist, author • United States
Editor of Newsweek International, Zakaria is one of the most influential and respected commentators on international affairs. His article “Why Do They Hate Us?” a Newsweek cover story in the weeks after the September 11 attacks, upended the conventional explanations of the day for a nuanced discussion of the economic, political, and social forces pulling Islamic societies apart.
GARRY KASPAROV Democracy activist, chess grandmaster • Russia
One of the greatest chess players of all time, Kasparov is today a leading opposition figure in Russia, critical of Vladimir Putin’s tenure and the election of his successor, Dmitry Medvedev. Agitating against what he calls a “police state,” Kasparov heads the anti-Kremlin coalition The Other Russia, which frequently stages pro-democracy protests. He recently launched an “alternative parliament” in a bid to unite the country’s opposition.
RICHARD DAWKINS Biologist, author • Britain
One of the world’s preeminent evolutionary biologists, Dawkins established an international reputation with his 1976 work, The Selfish Gene, which holds that genes compete to propagate. He possesses a renowned ability to synthesize and communicate complex scientific ideas to the wider public. He is perhaps best known today for his criticism of creationism and religion. An avowed atheist, his most recent bestselling work, The God Delusion, is a vigorous defense of science and reason.
MARIO VARGAS LLOSA Novelist, politician • Peru
A giant of Latin American literature, Vargas Llosa has written dozens of works of fiction, drama, and literary criticism in his decades-long career. He is a firm believer in literature’s power to expose the injustice and tyranny of dictatorships, while providing moving defenses of free speech and individual liberty. He writes frequently on political issues in widely published columns.
July/August 2008
In our last issue, we named the world’s top 100 public intellectuals and asked readers to vote for those they deem most deserving of the top honors. Now, 500,000 votes later, we reveal the results of the reader poll. .
FETHULLAH GÜLEN Religious leader • Turkey
An Islamic scholar with a global network of millions of followers, Gülen is both revered and reviled in his native Turkey. To members of the Gülen movement, he is an inspirational leader who encourages a life guided by moderate Islamic principles. To his detractors, he represents a threat to Turkey’s secular order. He has kept a relatively low profile since settling in the United States in 1999, having fled Turkey after being accused of undermining secularism.
MUHAMMAD YUNUS Microfinancier, activist • Bangladesh
More than 30 years ago, Yunus loaned several dozen poor entrepreneurs in his native Bangladesh a total of $27. It was the beginning of a lifetime devoted to fighting poverty through microfinance, efforts that earned him a Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. Over the years, his Grameen Bank, now operating in more than 100 countries, has loaned nearly $7 billion in small sums to more than 7 million borrowers—97 percent of them women. Ninety-eight percent of the loans have been repaid.
YUSUF AL-QARADAWI Cleric • Egypt/Qatar
The host of the popular Sharia and Life TV program on Al Jazeera, Qaradawi issues w .eekly fatwas on everything from whether Islam forbids all consumption of alcohol (no) to whether fighting U.S. troops in Iraq is a legitimate form of resistance (yes). Considered the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Qaradawi condemned the September 11 attacks, but his pronouncements since, like his justification of suicide attacks, ensure his divisive reputation.
ORHAN PAMUK Novelist • Turkey
Part political pundit, part literary celebrity, Pamuk is the foremost chronicler of Turkey’s difficult dance between East and West. His skillfully crafted works lay bare his native country’s thorny relationship with religion, democracy, and modernity, earning him a Nobel Prize in literature in 2006. Three years ago, Pamuk was put on trial for “insulting Turkish identity” after mentioning the Armenian genocide and the plight of Turkey’s Kurds in an interview. The charges were later dropped. Today, Pamuk teaches literature at Columbia University.
AITZAZ AHSAN Lawyer, politician • Pakistan
President of Pakistan’s Supreme Court Bar Association, Ahsan has been a vocal opponent of President Pervez Musharraf’s rule. When Musharraf dismissed the head of the Supreme Court in March 2007, it was Ahsan who led the legal challenge to reinstate the chief justice and rallied thousands of lawyers who took to the streets in protest. He was arrested several times during the period of emergency rule last year. Today, he is a senior member of the Pakistan Peoples Party, formerly led by Benazir Bhutto, and one of the country’s most recognizable politicians.
AMR KHALED Muslim televangelist • Egypt
A former accountant turned rock-star evangelist, Khaled preaches a folksy interpretation of modern Islam to millions of loyal viewers around the world. With a charismatic oratory and casual style, Khaled blends messages of cultural integration and hard work with lessons on how to live a purpose-driven Islamic life. Although Khaled got his start in Egypt, he recently moved to Britain to counsel young, second-generation European Muslims.
ABDOLKARIM SOROUSH Religious theorist • Iran
Soroush, a former university professor in Tehran and specialist in chemistry, Sufi poetry, and history, is widely considered one of the world’s premier Islamic philosophers. Having fallen afoul of the mullahs thanks to his work with Iran’s democratic activists, he has lately decamped to Europe and the United States, where his essays and lectures on religious philosophy and human rights are followed closely by Iran’s reformist movement.
TARIQ RAMADAN Philosopher, scholar of Islam • Switzerland
One of the most well-known and controversial Muslim scholars today, Ramadan embodies the cultural and religious clash he claims to be trying to bridge. His supporters consider him a passionate advocate for Muslim integration in Europe. His critics accuse him of anti-Semitism and having links to terrorists. In 2004, Ramadan was denied a U.S. visa to teach at Notre Dame, after the State Department accused him of donating to Islamic charities linked to Hamas.
MAHMOOD MAMDANI Cultural anthropologist • Uganda
Born in Uganda to South Asian parents, Mamdani was expelled from the country by Idi Amin in 1972, eventually settling in the United States. His work explores the role of citizenship, identity, and the creation of historical narratives in postcolonial Africa. More recently, he has focused his attention on political Islam and U.S. foreign policy, arguing that modern Islamist terrorism is a byproduct of the privatization of violence in the final years of the Cold War. He teaches at Columbia University.
SHIRIN EBADI Lawyer, human rights activist • Iran
Iran’s first female judge under the shah, Ebadi founded a pioneering law practice after she was thrown off the bench by Iran’s clerical rulers. Having initially supported the Islamic Revolution, she cut her teeth defending political dissidents and campaigning for the rights of women and children. A fierce nationalist who sees no incompatibility between Islam and democracy, Ebadi became the first Iranian to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003.
NOAM CHOMSKY Linguist, activist • United States
Chomsky is perhaps best known for his scathing criticisms of U.S. foreign policy extending back to the Vietnam War. An outspoken activist, a lively debater, and an icon of the international left, Chomsky rarely shies away from assailing American power and venerating those he deems the world’s oppressed. The failures of American mass media and the greed of big business are also frequent targets of his critiques. Beyond his political provocations, Chomsky’s contributions to modern linguistics are immense, particularly his theory of generative grammar. The bestselling author of more than 30 books, Chomsky has taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for more than half a century.
AL GORE Climate change activist, politician • United States
From the dejection of losing the 2000 U.S. presidential election, Gore has come to define political renaissance—and vindication—in the years since. For his second act, Gore found his true voice in raising public awareness of the effects of global warming. His efforts have earned him an impressive list of titles—Oscar winner and Nobel Peace Prize recipient among them—and acclaim as perhaps today’s most influential environmental crusader.
BERNARD LEWIS Historian • Britain/United States
Professor emeritus at Princeton University and the author of dozens of books, Lewis is one of the foremost historians of the Middle East. He is also one of the most sought-after advisors on the region’s politics and on Islamic society. Lewis’s works have recently focused on the source of antagonism between Islam and the West, a conflict he attributes to Islam’s failure to adapt to modernity.
UMBERTO ECO Novelist, semiologist • Italy
Renowned for intricate, richly written novels that blend obscure historical events with complex plots and symbols, Eco is easily one of the world’s most scholarly writers of fiction. His day job, professor of semiotics at the University of Bologna, provides him ample material for his bestselling books, which have been described as encyclopedic in their historical breadth.
AYAAN HIRSI ALI Activist, politician • Somalia/Netherlands
A fierce critic of Islam’s treatment of women, the Somalia-born Hirsi Ali is known for her full-throated defense of the West, reason, and freedom. Her public rebellion against her Islamic upbringing has come with a steep cost: death threats and around-the-clock protection. She first received notoriety for penning Submission, a film renouncing the subjugation of Muslim women. (The film’s director, Theo van Gogh, was murdered by a Muslim fanatic in Amsterdam in 2004.) After being elected to the Dutch parliament in 2003, Hirsi Ali resigned her post three years later over a scandal involving false information on her citizenship application.
AMARTYA SEN Development economist • India
As a young boy, Sen witnessed the devastating 1943 Bengal famine, which killed nearly 3 million people. Decades later, Sen’s investigations of the political and economic underpinnings of famines established him as the premier welfare economist of the 20th century. In addition to his famous assertion that famines do not occur in democracies, Sen was one of the first economists to empirically examine gender disparities in Asia. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in economics in 1998.
FAREED ZAKARIA Journalist, author • United States
Editor of Newsweek International, Zakaria is one of the most influential and respected commentators on international affairs. His article “Why Do They Hate Us?” a Newsweek cover story in the weeks after the September 11 attacks, upended the conventional explanations of the day for a nuanced discussion of the economic, political, and social forces pulling Islamic societies apart.
GARRY KASPAROV Democracy activist, chess grandmaster • Russia
One of the greatest chess players of all time, Kasparov is today a leading opposition figure in Russia, critical of Vladimir Putin’s tenure and the election of his successor, Dmitry Medvedev. Agitating against what he calls a “police state,” Kasparov heads the anti-Kremlin coalition The Other Russia, which frequently stages pro-democracy protests. He recently launched an “alternative parliament” in a bid to unite the country’s opposition.
RICHARD DAWKINS Biologist, author • Britain
One of the world’s preeminent evolutionary biologists, Dawkins established an international reputation with his 1976 work, The Selfish Gene, which holds that genes compete to propagate. He possesses a renowned ability to synthesize and communicate complex scientific ideas to the wider public. He is perhaps best known today for his criticism of creationism and religion. An avowed atheist, his most recent bestselling work, The God Delusion, is a vigorous defense of science and reason.
MARIO VARGAS LLOSA Novelist, politician • Peru
A giant of Latin American literature, Vargas Llosa has written dozens of works of fiction, drama, and literary criticism in his decades-long career. He is a firm believer in literature’s power to expose the injustice and tyranny of dictatorships, while providing moving defenses of free speech and individual liberty. He writes frequently on political issues in widely published columns.
Friday, June 27, 2008
write down
To write something on a piece of paper so that you do not forget it.
Did you write down Michael's phone number?
Did you write down Michael's phone number?
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Past tenses
Past simple. For finished past actions.
They got married last year.
What time did you wake up this morning?
I didn't have time to do my homework.
Past continuous. To describe an action in progress at a specific time in the past. was/were + verb (ing)
What were you doing at 6 o'clock last night?
I was watching TV. It was a cold night and it was raining.
Past perfect. When you're talking about the past and you want to talk about an earlier past action. had + past participle
When they turned on the TV, the match had finished.
I felt nervous because I hadn't flown before.
They got married last year.
What time did you wake up this morning?
I didn't have time to do my homework.
Past continuous. To describe an action in progress at a specific time in the past. was/were + verb (ing)
What were you doing at 6 o'clock last night?
I was watching TV. It was a cold night and it was raining.
Past perfect. When you're talking about the past and you want to talk about an earlier past action. had + past participle
When they turned on the TV, the match had finished.
I felt nervous because I hadn't flown before.
eye-candy
Informal. Someone or something that is visually attractive or pleasing to look at. Someone who is absolutely gorgeous, enjoyable to the eye.
Angelina Jolie is total eye-candy.
She's real eye-candy.
Angelina Jolie is total eye-candy.
She's real eye-candy.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
David Frost talks to Alejandro Toledo (May 2008)
Joining Sir David Frost to discuss the country and the region is Alejandro Toledo, the Peru's former persident between 2001 and 2006.
Charlie Rose interviews Sonia Braga
A conversation with Brazilian actress Sonia Braga about her international film career (May 1996).
***** IRREGULAR VERBS *****
Infinitive - Past simple - Past Participle
be - was - been
beat - beat - beaten
become - became - become
begin - began - begun
bite - bit - bitten
blow - blew - blown
break - broke - broken
bring - brought - brought
build - built - built
buy - bought - bought
____________________________
can - could - -----
catch - caught - caught
choose - chose - chosen
come - came - come
cost - cost - cost
cut - cut - cut
_____________________________
do - did - done
draw - drew - drawn
dream - dreamt - dreamt
drink - drank - drunk
drive - drove - driven
_____________________________
eat - ate - eaten
_____________________________
fall - fell - fallen
feel - felt - felt
fight - fought - fought
find - found - found
fly - flew - flown
forget - forgot - forgotten
_____________________________
get - got - got
give - gave - given
go - went - gone
grow - grew - grown
_____________________________
hang - hung - hung
have - had - had
hear - heard - heard
hide - hid - hidden
hit - hit - hit
hold - held - held
hurt - hurt - hurt
_____________________________
keep - kept - kept
know - knew - known
_____________________________
learn - learnt - learnt
leave - left - left
lend - lent - lent
let - let - let
lie - lay - lain
lose - lost - lost
_____________________________
make - made - made
mean - meant - meant
meet - met - met
_____________________________
pay - paid - paid
put - put - put
_____________________________
read - read - read
ride - rode - ridden
ring - rang - rung
run - ran - run
_____________________________
say - said - said
see - saw - seen
sell - sold - sold
send - sent - sent
set - set - set
shine - shone - shone
show - showed - shown
shut - shut - shut
sing - sang - sung
sit - sat - sat
sleep - slept - slept
speak - spoke - spoken
spend - spent - spent
stand - stood - stood
steal - stole - stolen
swim - swam - swum
______________________________
take - took - taken
teach - taught - taught
tell - told - told
think - thought - thought
throw - threw - thrown
____________________________________
understand - understood - understood
____________________________________
wake - woke - woken
wear - wore - worn
win - won - won
write - wrote - written
A conversation with Penélope Cruz & Pedro Almodóvar
A discussion with Spanish actress Penelope Cruz and director Pedro Almodovar about their many professional collaborations and their film "Volver".
(click twice on "play")
emergency drill / fire drill
A strict, methodical, repetitive, or mechanical training session, instruction, or exercise.
An emergency drill is usually conducted in case of an earthquake occurs.
In the army they concuct gun drills all the time.
Fire drill. The number of tasks you perform in order to leave a building (office, factory, school, etc) when it's on fire.
This morning the Loss Control team conducted the fire drill succesfully.
An emergency drill is usually conducted in case of an earthquake occurs.
In the army they concuct gun drills all the time.
Fire drill. The number of tasks you perform in order to leave a building (office, factory, school, etc) when it's on fire.
This morning the Loss Control team conducted the fire drill succesfully.
President of Shell John Hofmeister talks about oil price (March 2008)
Full Transcript
I was meeting in Los Angeles with mayor Villaraigosa...and I asked him a specific question because I lived there during the Rodney King civil disturbances…I said “how is the mood in the hood? “ based upon price of gasoline compared to the mood in the hood at the time of the Rodney King disturbances?…he said it’s threshold…in other words…the frustration of low-income Americans who see the price of gasoline going up and up and up and the price of food going up and up and up and now the housing crisis that infects many cities…there is a very very big issue in this country that our elected officials are not talking about…when it comes to the social and economic inequities of these high gasoline prices…for what purpose? …That we don’t need these high gasoline prices if we were allowed to produce another couple of million of barrels a day in this country...
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
It goes without saying
To be completely self-evident. To be understood.
It goes without saying that you are welcome to visit us at any time.
It goes without saying that you are welcome to visit us at any time.
all talk (and no action)
To say that someone talks about doing something but never does it.
She's all talk when it comes to doing something about the problem.
She's all talk when it comes to doing something about the problem.
bumper to bumper
When there are so many cars and they are so close that they are almost touching each other.
By eight o'clock the traffic was bumper to bumper.
By eight o'clock the traffic was bumper to bumper.
Future: will / shall
When you make an instant decision.
I'll have the steak.
When you make a promise.
I won't tell anybody where you are.
When you make an offer or suggestion.
I'll carry the bags for you.
Shall I help you with your homework?
Shall we eat out tonight?
When you make a prediction.
You'll love the film!
I'll have the steak.
When you make a promise.
I won't tell anybody where you are.
When you make an offer or suggestion.
I'll carry the bags for you.
Shall I help you with your homework?
Shall we eat out tonight?
When you make a prediction.
You'll love the film!
Future: present continuous
be + verb(ing): when you have already made the arrangements.
We're getting married in October.
They're meeting at 10:00
She's leaving on Friday.
We're getting married in October.
They're meeting at 10:00
She's leaving on Friday.
Future: going to
be + going to + infinitive: when you make a plan or make a decision.
My sister's going to adopt a child.
Are you going to buy a new car?
I'm not going to go to New York next week.
When you make a prediction.
I think they're going to win. (Because they're playing very well)
It's going to rain. (The sky's very dark)
My sister's going to adopt a child.
Are you going to buy a new car?
I'm not going to go to New York next week.
When you make a prediction.
I think they're going to win. (Because they're playing very well)
It's going to rain. (The sky's very dark)
Friday, June 20, 2008
City Driving & Chevy's New Hybrid SUV
Wall Street Journal's David Patton tells us about the pros and cons of Chevrolet's new hybrid SUV, the Tahoe, while cruising along the streets of Manhattan. (April 14, 2008)
Full Transcript
"This is dated back to the Wall Street Journal Online behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Tahoe, a large SUV built by GM and not necessarily the kind of vehicle you'd think to take into Manhattan where they have premium parking prices and premium gasoline prices but this is GM's first true full hybrid...it's a two mode hybrid that allows you to run only on electric power and it gets the same gas mileage city and highway...twenty miles per gallon."
"GM didn't just dropped in a hybrid engine...an electric engine...this is actually a fully engineered...to be much more fuel efficient than your typical... typical large vehicle...GM has put all kinds of different things: a lighter hood, lighter seats, a lot of removing of small bits...To make it the exact same weight as the regular non-hybrid Tahoe. With a hybrid and the gasoline engine, it has more than 330 horsepower so this is not an under powered vehicle because it's pickup truck based...it's not necessarily particularly efficient with space so...when you compare this to something say...a minivan which gets comparable fuel economy...this doesn't necessarily measure up in terms of pure space but it's a real large SUV it has a large towing capacity...ir has four wheel drive so...there are the trade offs in that case...It is kind of remarkable the electric engine, an electric motor can run the vehicle up to about thirty miles per hour...but in the inside there's a little gauge that says 'economy'...that encourages drivers to drive smoothly as possible that's...you know...light on the gas pedal and light on the brakes to get the maximum fuel economy...There's also...a setting that allows drivers to see the instant fuel economy."
"This also shows you there's some electronics in the engine that allow it to run as a four-cylinder eventhough it's a VA...it will turn on all four cylinders and run even more efficiently in the light roads and of course in the navigation system there's a display so that drivers can see...what the engine in the hybrid system is doing at any given time...whether the battery is charging or whether the engine is running... so there's definitely a lot of things GM is doing to focus on fuel economy in this particular hybrid."
"The hybrid system is...is almost transparent to the driver...you'll notice it a little bit in traffic when the engine is not running at all...But for the most part it is not something that drivers would notice all the time...that this is a hybrid...now...one...big...issue with this vehicle is the price... almost $53,000 dollars...Which is a lot of money for a pick up truck-based SUV...it does have a lot of content...leather, navigation, dvd for the kids in the back...Third row seats, four wheel drive which is an automatic four wheel drive to sort of set it and forget it... but when you're talking about the competition...I think a lot of luxury buyers wouldn't necessarily consider this similar to a Mercedes Benz ML or the GL which actually are roughly in the same price range...and are available as diesels...and actually get better fuel economy than this hybrid... thanks to their diesel engines...But here we are in New York City traffic and it's actually kind of the perfect thing because we're running just on electric...so despite the fact this is a large SUV...In some ways it could be the right vehicle for city driving...For the Wall Street Journal Online...I'm David Patten"
Thursday, June 19, 2008
chilly (unfriendly)
(adjective) Unfriendly. Distant.
I went to see the sales manager but got a chilly reception.
A chilly look.
I went to see the sales manager but got a chilly reception.
A chilly look.
chilly / nippy
Chilly (adjective) Cold. You can use "chilly" to talk about weather, conditions in a room, or parts of the body.
The bathroom gets chilly in the winter.
I felt a bit chilly so I put on a jacket.
A chilly October day
A chilly breeze.
Her hands were chilly.
Nippy (adjective) INFORMAL. You can use "nippy" to say that the weather or air is quite cold.
It's a bit nippy today - you might need a coat.
Chilly or cold. Morning air that feels a bit nippy.
A nippy fall day.
The bathroom gets chilly in the winter.
I felt a bit chilly so I put on a jacket.
A chilly October day
A chilly breeze.
Her hands were chilly.
Nippy (adjective) INFORMAL. You can use "nippy" to say that the weather or air is quite cold.
It's a bit nippy today - you might need a coat.
Chilly or cold. Morning air that feels a bit nippy.
A nippy fall day.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Mama Kia, Casa de Milagros
The Vision
Casa de Milagros (Home of Miracles) is a children's home in the Sacred Valley near historic Machu Picchu, Peru. It was founded by the Chandler Sky Foundation to heal the mind, body and spirit of many of the thousands of orphaned and abandoned children living in poverty on the streets of Cusco, Peru and surrounding towns.
The Issues
Over 3,500 children live on the streets of Cusco many abandoned by families that could not feed them. Malnutrition, infrequent bathing, and inadequate care cause widespread health problems including skin infections, bronchitis, tuberculosis, rickets, and chronic intestinal infections. But the loneliness and fear experienced by these children forced to live on the street alone are the most painful afflictions of all.
An eight year-old Peruvian boy spends afternoons in the parks of Cusco with other children playing soccer and shining the shoes of tourists. Laughing and running, he appears happy just like any other boy. But at night the boy is often found in the street gutter. With blue lips, body shivering and eyes blank, he does not respond to his name. Thousands of children just like Sergio exist in a world of poverty and misery foreign to many of us. But fortunately there is a way we can help.
The Solution
Casa de Milagros provides shelter, food, clothing, basic medical care, and education and arts programs that promote self-confidence and self-worth for children in need. This is done in a truly unique environment in which progressive programs are used to foster a healthy and positive consciousness. Based on the philosophy that we must start at the root of the problem, healing and educating children so that they can give back to their community, The Chandler Sky Foundation aims to provide positive long-term benefits to the region's social and environmental problems.
Casa de Milagros will act as a model for children's shelters in the future to be established in all parts of the world, providing a special environment in which children will prosper through education, cultural and performing arts, permaculture, spiritual development, and social and vocational programs, and most importantly, love. With its progressive methods of healing and teaching, the shelter is a model for self-sufficient children's shelters around the world.
The Chandler Sky Foundation aims not only to heal the street children, but to educate them so that they may be able to return to their communities equipped with the skills and the spirit to heal the area's economy. In addition to saving the lives of many needy children, the Chandler Sky Foundation helps to conserve one of the world's most biodiverse rainforests. Through teaching children methods of farming that allow the land to be used over and over again, there will be a decreased need for migration into the precious rainforest reserves that we, as a planet, need for survival. These programs, developed from a progressive global consciousness, place the Casa de Milagros in a category of its own.
cover your ass
US SLANG To do something to protect yourself from blame or criticism in the future.
He'd do anything to cover his ass, including lie, cheat and murder.
I kept copies of my expense receipts, just to cover myself.
He'd do anything to cover his ass, including lie, cheat and murder.
I kept copies of my expense receipts, just to cover myself.
long-term
(adjective) Continuing a long time into the future.
long-term unemployment
long-term care for the seriously ill
the long-term effects of the drug
long-term unemployment
long-term care for the seriously ill
the long-term effects of the drug
in the short run
At a time that is near in the future.
It's not a long term solution, but it will save money in the short run.
It's not a long term solution, but it will save money in the short run.
in the long run
At a time that is far away in the future.
It seems a lot of effort but I'm sure it's the best solution in the long run.
Retribution will come, in the long run.
It seems a lot of effort but I'm sure it's the best solution in the long run.
Retribution will come, in the long run.
five o'clock shadow
The slight darkness on a man's face, especially his chin, caused by the growth of hair during the day. Typically in the late afternoon if he shaved in the morning.
Kennedy was the picture of health, while the bright lights emphasized Nixon's five o'clock shadow and made him look pale and sinister.
Kennedy was the picture of health, while the bright lights emphasized Nixon's five o'clock shadow and made him look pale and sinister.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
tied up
When someone is tied up, they are busy, occupied or engaged.
I'm afraid we can't meet till Wednesday - I'm tied up on Monday and Tuesday.
Mrs Moran is tied up in a meeting at the moment, but I'll ask her to call you later.
The company's cash is tied up in operations.
She's tied up at the moment and can't see you.
The phone was tied up for almost an hour.
I'm afraid we can't meet till Wednesday - I'm tied up on Monday and Tuesday.
Mrs Moran is tied up in a meeting at the moment, but I'll ask her to call you later.
The company's cash is tied up in operations.
She's tied up at the moment and can't see you.
The phone was tied up for almost an hour.
I'm on a roll
(INFORMAL)
To be having a successful or lucky period. Having a continuing winning streak. Enjoying continuing good luck or success.
She's been on a roll since taking that course on sales techniques.
Federer won five games in a row and it was obvious he was on a roll.
To be having a successful or lucky period. Having a continuing winning streak. Enjoying continuing good luck or success.
She's been on a roll since taking that course on sales techniques.
Federer won five games in a row and it was obvious he was on a roll.
You catch more bees with honey than with vinager
You catch more bees with honey than with vinager.
(heard to Jane Fonda at a BBC interview)
(heard to Jane Fonda at a BBC interview)
Monday, June 16, 2008
pretty much
(adverb) Pretty much: almost.
I've pretty much finished here.
She knows pretty well everything there is to know on the subject.
I pretty much haven't had any life this week"
I pretty much stick to what I say
That's pretty much it.
There was pretty much nothing else to do.
That's pretty much confirmed right?
I've pretty much finished here.
She knows pretty well everything there is to know on the subject.
I pretty much haven't had any life this week"
I pretty much stick to what I say
That's pretty much it.
There was pretty much nothing else to do.
That's pretty much confirmed right?
pretty (quite)
(INFORMAL) You can use "pretty" the same way you use "quite". Meaning not extremely. Example: not really busy but pretty busy.
Pretty means fairly or moderately.
Her work was pretty good.
Pretty means quite or very:
The wind blew pretty hard.
More examples:
The house has four bedrooms, so it's pretty big.
I'm pretty sure it was her.
I've got a pretty good idea of how to get there.
Pretty means fairly or moderately.
Her work was pretty good.
Pretty means quite or very:
The wind blew pretty hard.
More examples:
The house has four bedrooms, so it's pretty big.
I'm pretty sure it was her.
I've got a pretty good idea of how to get there.
Friday, June 13, 2008
stuff
(INFORMAL) You use "stuff" when you talk about a group of things or ideas. Also when you refer to a substance, material, a product or any kind of matter. Or when you don't want to be specific about something.
There's sticky stuff all over the chair.
We'll have to carry all our camping stuff.
Can you bring your stuff (possessions) from the van?
All that stuff she has been saying about Charlie is bullshit.
I need some stuff to clean the floor.
I don't believe all that astrology stuff.
Can I leave my stuff here?
"Don't sweat the small stuff"
"That singer is hot stuff" (When somebody or something is very popular)
"That's cool stuff" (when you refer to something very popular or cool)
Ripley always has great stuff at very reasonable prices.
I went to Buenos Aires and brought great stuff with me. Let me show you.
We've heard all this stuff before. Don't you have anything new to offer.
There's sticky stuff all over the chair.
We'll have to carry all our camping stuff.
Can you bring your stuff (possessions) from the van?
All that stuff she has been saying about Charlie is bullshit.
I need some stuff to clean the floor.
I don't believe all that astrology stuff.
Can I leave my stuff here?
"Don't sweat the small stuff"
"That singer is hot stuff" (When somebody or something is very popular)
"That's cool stuff" (when you refer to something very popular or cool)
Ripley always has great stuff at very reasonable prices.
I went to Buenos Aires and brought great stuff with me. Let me show you.
We've heard all this stuff before. Don't you have anything new to offer.
look forward to
1. You say "I look forward to..." when you feel happy or excited about something that is going to happen.
Look forward to + (noun)
I'm really looking forward to my holiday.
I'm not looking forward to Christmas this year.
Look forward to + (verb + ing)
She was looking forward to seeing the grandchildren again.
2. (FORMAL) Used at the end of a formal letter to say you hope to hear from someone, when you hope to see someone soon, or when you expect something from them.
I look forward to hearing from you.
I look forward to seeing you next week.
I look forward to receiving your client's check for the sum of $570 within the next seven days.
Look forward to + (noun)
I'm really looking forward to my holiday.
I'm not looking forward to Christmas this year.
Look forward to + (verb + ing)
She was looking forward to seeing the grandchildren again.
2. (FORMAL) Used at the end of a formal letter to say you hope to hear from someone, when you hope to see someone soon, or when you expect something from them.
I look forward to hearing from you.
I look forward to seeing you next week.
I look forward to receiving your client's check for the sum of $570 within the next seven days.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
realize
To understand a situation, sometimes suddenly.
They didn't realize the danger they were in.
"Do you realize (that) this is the third time you've forgotten?" she said angrily.
I realize how difficult it's going to be, but we must try.
As he watched the TV drama, he suddenly realized (that) he'd seen it before.
"You're standing on my foot." "Sorry, I didn't realize."
"Does she realize how important this decision is?"
They didn't realize the danger they were in.
"Do you realize (that) this is the third time you've forgotten?" she said angrily.
I realize how difficult it's going to be, but we must try.
As he watched the TV drama, he suddenly realized (that) he'd seen it before.
"You're standing on my foot." "Sorry, I didn't realize."
"Does she realize how important this decision is?"
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
take care of
Take care of something. To dedicate time to resolve a situation.
If you can bring the drinks for the party, I'll take care of the food.
My secretary told me all the travel arrangements have been taken care of.
No, you paid for dinner last time, let me take care of (= pay for) it.
Take care of somebody/something. To look after someone or something.
I take care of my daughter on the weekends.
Don't worry about me, I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself (= I do not need anyone else to protect me).
If you can bring the drinks for the party, I'll take care of the food.
My secretary told me all the travel arrangements have been taken care of.
No, you paid for dinner last time, let me take care of (= pay for) it.
Take care of somebody/something. To look after someone or something.
I take care of my daughter on the weekends.
Don't worry about me, I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself (= I do not need anyone else to protect me).
each other
each other (pronoun)
Use "each other" when A does an action to B and B does the same action to A.
We love each other.
They kept looking at each other and smiling.
They're always wearing each other's clothes.
Why are you always arguing with each other?
They're so happy together - they were made for each other (= are perfectly matched).
After the argument they didn't speak to each other for a week.
We only see each other once a month.
They argue a lot. They don't understand each other.
Use "each other" when A does an action to B and B does the same action to A.
We love each other.
They kept looking at each other and smiling.
They're always wearing each other's clothes.
Why are you always arguing with each other?
They're so happy together - they were made for each other (= are perfectly matched).
After the argument they didn't speak to each other for a week.
We only see each other once a month.
They argue a lot. They don't understand each other.
at all / not at all
Used to make negatives and questions stronger in any way or of any type.
He's had no food at all.
I haven't been at all well recently
I'm afraid I've got nothing at all to say.
Is there any uncertainty at all about the way she died?
Why bother getting up at all when you don't have a job to go to?
He's had no food at all.
I haven't been at all well recently
I'm afraid I've got nothing at all to say.
Is there any uncertainty at all about the way she died?
Why bother getting up at all when you don't have a job to go to?
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Barrick Says Gold Industry Needs $700 an Ounce to Break Even
(From www.bloomberg.com)
By Stewart Bailey
June 3 (Bloomberg) -- Barrick Gold Corp., the world's largest gold producer, said the industry needs bullion at a minimum of $700 an ounce to sustain itself amid rising costs.
The ``break-even'' price for the industry is $700 to $800 an ounce, an average level that will cover production costs, administrative and exploration expenses and capital expenditure to maintain existing mines and dig new ones, Barrick Chief Financial Officer Jamie Sokalsky said today. Inflation and rising prices for labor and fuel will drive the industry's required price higher, he said.
Rising costs are ``going to provide a strong floor for the gold price,'' Sokalsky said in a presentation to analysts and investors broadcast on the Internet. ``It's also going to make some new projects that the industry has difficult to bring in and that's going to be very bullish for the gold price.''
Gold has gained for seven straight years and reached a record $1,033.90 an ounce in March, fueled by declining output in some of the world's biggest producing nations and by investor demand for a hedge against inflation. While prices have gained, profits have been eroded by record fuel prices and surging costs for equipment and skilled labor, which in turn have made new mines more expensive to develop.
The current average cash cost for the world's gold industry is $450 to $500 an ounce, before an array of other expenses are taken into account, including depreciation and development of ore reserves, Sokalsky said. Barrick reported total cash costs of $393 an ounce in the first quarter.
Gold futures for August delivery fell $11.50, or 1.3 percent, to $885.50 an ounce today on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. The price has jumped 31 percent in the past year.
By Stewart Bailey
June 3 (Bloomberg) -- Barrick Gold Corp., the world's largest gold producer, said the industry needs bullion at a minimum of $700 an ounce to sustain itself amid rising costs.
The ``break-even'' price for the industry is $700 to $800 an ounce, an average level that will cover production costs, administrative and exploration expenses and capital expenditure to maintain existing mines and dig new ones, Barrick Chief Financial Officer Jamie Sokalsky said today. Inflation and rising prices for labor and fuel will drive the industry's required price higher, he said.
Rising costs are ``going to provide a strong floor for the gold price,'' Sokalsky said in a presentation to analysts and investors broadcast on the Internet. ``It's also going to make some new projects that the industry has difficult to bring in and that's going to be very bullish for the gold price.''
Gold has gained for seven straight years and reached a record $1,033.90 an ounce in March, fueled by declining output in some of the world's biggest producing nations and by investor demand for a hedge against inflation. While prices have gained, profits have been eroded by record fuel prices and surging costs for equipment and skilled labor, which in turn have made new mines more expensive to develop.
The current average cash cost for the world's gold industry is $450 to $500 an ounce, before an array of other expenses are taken into account, including depreciation and development of ore reserves, Sokalsky said. Barrick reported total cash costs of $393 an ounce in the first quarter.
Gold futures for August delivery fell $11.50, or 1.3 percent, to $885.50 an ounce today on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. The price has jumped 31 percent in the past year.
The Union...
A dedicated Teamster union worker was attending a convention in Las Vegas and decided to check out the local brothels. When he got to the first one, he asked the Madam, "Is this a union house?"
"No," she replied, "I'm sorry it isn't."
"Well, if I pay you $100, what cut do the girls get?"
"The house gets $80 and the girls get $20," she answered
Offended at such unfair dealings, the union man stomped off down the street in search of a more equitable, hopefully unionized shop. His search continued until finally he reached a brothel where the Madam responded, "Why yes sir, this is a union house.
We observe all union rules."
The man asked, "And if I pay you $100, what cut do the girls get?" "The girls get $80 and the house gets $20."
"That's more like it!" the union man said .
He handed the Madam $100, looked around the room, and pointed to a stunningly attractive blonde.
"I'd like her," he said.
"I'm sure you would, sir," said the Madam.. Then she gestured to a 92-year old w oman in the corner, "but Ethel here has 67 years seniority and according to union rules, she's next."
"No," she replied, "I'm sorry it isn't."
"Well, if I pay you $100, what cut do the girls get?"
"The house gets $80 and the girls get $20," she answered
Offended at such unfair dealings, the union man stomped off down the street in search of a more equitable, hopefully unionized shop. His search continued until finally he reached a brothel where the Madam responded, "Why yes sir, this is a union house.
We observe all union rules."
The man asked, "And if I pay you $100, what cut do the girls get?" "The girls get $80 and the house gets $20."
"That's more like it!" the union man said .
He handed the Madam $100, looked around the room, and pointed to a stunningly attractive blonde.
"I'd like her," he said.
"I'm sure you would, sir," said the Madam.. Then she gestured to a 92-year old w oman in the corner, "but Ethel here has 67 years seniority and according to union rules, she's next."
At a bar in Lima
An Irishman is sitting at a bar in Lima and looks at his watch several times in the space of a few minutes.
The woman sitting nearby notices this and asks, 'Is your date running late?'
'No,' he replies, 'I have this state-of-the-art watch. I was just testing it.'
The intrigued woman says, 'A state-of-the-art watch? What's so special about it?'
The Irishman explains, 'It uses alpha waves to talk to me telepathically.'
The lady says, 'What's it telling you now?'
'Well, it says you're not wearing any panties.'
The woman giggles and replies, 'Well, it must be broken because I am wearing panties!'
The Irishman smirks, taps his watch and says, 'Bloody thing's running about an hour fast. Can I buy you a drink?
The woman sitting nearby notices this and asks, 'Is your date running late?'
'No,' he replies, 'I have this state-of-the-art watch. I was just testing it.'
The intrigued woman says, 'A state-of-the-art watch? What's so special about it?'
The Irishman explains, 'It uses alpha waves to talk to me telepathically.'
The lady says, 'What's it telling you now?'
'Well, it says you're not wearing any panties.'
The woman giggles and replies, 'Well, it must be broken because I am wearing panties!'
The Irishman smirks, taps his watch and says, 'Bloody thing's running about an hour fast. Can I buy you a drink?
The Food Chain: Food is Gold, So Billions Invested in Farming
(From www.nytimes.com)
By DIANA B. HENRIQUES
Published: June 5, 2008
Huge investment funds have already poured hundreds of billions of dollars into booming financial markets for commodities like wheat, corn and soybeans.
But a few big private investors are starting to make bolder and longer-term bets that the world’s need for food will greatly increase — by buying farmland, fertilizer, grain elevators and shipping equipment.
One has bought several ethanol plants, Canadian farmland and enough storage space in the Midwest to hold millions of bushels of grain.
Another is buying more than five dozen grain elevators, nearly that many fertilizer distribution outlets and a fleet of barges and ships.
And three institutional investors, including the giant BlackRock fund group in New York, are separately planning to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in agriculture, chiefly farmland, from sub-Saharan Africa to the English countryside.
“It’s going on big time,” said Brad Cole, president of Cole Partners Asset Management in Chicago, which runs a fund of hedge funds focused on natural resources. “There is considerable interest in what we call ‘owning structure’ — like United States farmland, Argentine farmland, English farmland — wherever the profit picture is improving.”
These new bets by big investors could bolster food production at a time when the world needs more of it.
The investors plan to consolidate small plots of land into more productive large ones, to introduce new technology and to provide capital to modernize and maintain grain elevators and fertilizer supply depots.
But the long-term implications are less clear. Some traditional players in the farm economy, and others who study and shape agriculture policy, say they are concerned these newcomers will focus on profits above all else, and not share the industry’s commitment to farming through good times and bad.
“Farmland can be a bubble just like Florida real estate,” said Jeffrey Hainline, president of Advance Trading, a 28-year-old commodity brokerage firm and consulting service in Bloomington, Ill. “The cycle of getting in and out would be very volatile and disruptive.”
By owning land and other parts of the agricultural business, these new investors are freed from rules aimed at curbing the number of speculative bets that they and other financial investors can make in commodity markets. “I just wonder if they need some sheep’s clothing to put on,” Mr. Hainline said.
Mark Lapolla, an adviser to institutional investors, is also a bit wary of the potential disruption this new money could cause. “It is important to ask whether these financial investors want to actually operate the means of production — or simply want to have a direct link into the physical supply of commodities and thereby reduce the risk of their speculation,” he said.
Grain elevators, especially, could give these investors new ways to make money, because they can buy or sell the actual bushels of corn or soybeans, rather than buying and selling financial derivatives that are linked to those commodities.
When crop prices are climbing, holding inventory for future sale can yield higher profits than selling to meet current demand, for example. Or if prices diverge in different parts of the world, inventory can be shipped to the more profitable market.
“It’s a huge disadvantage to not be able to trade the physical commodity,” said Andrew J. Redleaf, founder of Whitebox Advisors, a hedge fund management firm in Minneapolis.
Mr. Redleaf bought several large grain elevator complexes from ConAgra and Cargill last year for a long-term stake in what he sees as a high-growth business. The elevators can store 36 million bushels of grain.
“We discovered that our lease customers, major food company types, are really happy to see us, because they are apt to see Cargill and ConAgra as competitors,” he said.
The executives making such bets say that fears about their new role are unfounded, and that their investments will be a plus for farming and, ultimately, for consumers.
“The world is asking for more food, more energy. You see a huge demand,” said Axel Hinsch, chief executive of Calyx Agro, a division of the giant Louis Dreyfus Commodities, which is buying tens of thousands of acres of cropland in Brazil with the backing of big institutional investors, including AIG Investments.
“What this new investment will buy is more technology,” Mr. Hinsch said. “We will be helping to accelerate the development of infrastructure, and the consumer will benefit because there will be more supply.”
Financial investors also can provide grain elevator operators the money they need to weather today’s more volatile commodity markets. When wild swings in prices become common, as they are now, elevator operators have to put up more cash to lock in future prices. John Duryea, co-portfolio manager of the Ospraie Special Opportunity Fund, is buying 66 grain elevators with a total capacity of 110 million bushels from ConAgra for $2.1 billion. The deal, expected to close by the end of June, also will give Ospraie a stake in 57 fertilizer distribution centers and the barges and ships necessary to keep them supplied with low-cost imports.
Maintaining these essential services “helps bring costs down to the farmers,” Mr. Duryea said. “That has to help mitigate the price increases for crops.”
Mr. Duryea of the Ospraie fund dismissed the idea that financial investors, with obligations to suppliers and customers of their elevators and fertilizer services, would put their thumb on the supply-demand scale by holding back inventory to move prices artificially.
“It is not in our best interests for anyone to be negatively affected by what we do,” he said.
Perhaps the most ambitious plans are those of Susan Payne, founder and chief executive of Emergent Asset Management, based near London.
Emergent is raising $450 million to $750 million to invest in farmland in sub-Saharan Africa, where it plans to consolidate small plots into more productive holdings and introduce better equipment. Emergent also plans to provide clinics and schools for local labor.
One crop and a source of fuel for farming operations will be jatropha, an oil-seed plant useful for biofuels that is grown in sandy soil unsuitable for food production, Ms. Payne said.
“We are getting strong response from institutional investors — pensions, insurance companies, endowments, some sovereign wealth funds,” she said.
The fund chose Africa because “land values are very, very inexpensive, compared to other agriculture-based economies,” she said. “Its microclimates are enticing, allowing a range of different crops. There’s accessible labor. And there’s good logistics — wide open roads, good truck transport, sea transport.”
The Emergent fund is one of a growing roster of farmland investment funds based in Britain.
Last October, the London branch of BlackRock introduced the BlackRock Agriculture Fund, aiming to raise $200 million to invest in fertilizer production, timberland and biofuels. The fund currently stands at more than $450 million.
Braemar Group, near Manchester, is investing exclusively in Britain. “Britain is a nice, stable northwestern European economy with the same climate and quality of soil as northwestern Europe,” said Marc Duschenes, Braemar’s chief executive. “But our land is at a 50 percent discount to Ireland and Denmark. We just haven’t caught up yet.“
Europe, like the United States, is facing mandated increases in biofuel production, he said, and cropland near new ethanol facilities in the northeast of England will be the first source of supply. “No one is going to put a ton of grain on a boat in Latin America and ship it to the northeast of England to turn it into bioethanol,” he said.
For Gary R. Blumenthal, chief executive of World Perspectives, an agriculture consulting firm in Washington, the new investments by big financial players, if sustained, could be just what global agriculture needs — “where you can bring small, fragmented pieces together to boost the production side of agriculture.”
He added: “Investment funds are seeing that this consolidation brings value to them. But I’m saying this brings value to everyone.”
English Patient
An English guy was very ill and his son went to visit him in the hospital. Suddenly, the father began to breathe heavily and grabbed the pen and pad by the bed. With his last ounce of strength he wrote a note, dropped it, and died.
The son was so overcome with grief that he didn't remember slipping the note into his pocket. At the funeral, he reached into the pocket of his coat and immediately felt the note. He excitedly read it thinking it might be something he could recite during the service. It said:
YOU WANKER - GET OFF MY OXYGEN PIPE!!!
The son was so overcome with grief that he didn't remember slipping the note into his pocket. At the funeral, he reached into the pocket of his coat and immediately felt the note. He excitedly read it thinking it might be something he could recite during the service. It said:
YOU WANKER - GET OFF MY OXYGEN PIPE!!!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
issue
An important question that is in dispute and must be settled.
The issue could be settled by requiring public education for everyone.
Politicians never discuss the real issues.
A subject or problem which people are thinking and talking about:
At the meeting we discussed several issues: environmental, ethical and personal issues.
A point, matter, or dispute, the decision of which is of special or public importance: the political issues.
A point the decision of which determines a matter: The real issue in the strike was the salary increase.
To have issues with somebody/with something: To have difficulty or disagreement with someone or something.
All the people in the study had low self-esteem and had issues with their bodies.
Anna has major issues with her employer.
(Informal) A personal problem or emotional disorder:
The teacher discussed the child's issues with his parents.
Her boyfriend is a guy with a lot of issues: He's a drug addict and has been in prison.
NOTE: Go to "Inteviews" and watch the interview to the President of Shell John Hofmeister...see how he uses the word "issue"...
The issue could be settled by requiring public education for everyone.
Politicians never discuss the real issues.
A subject or problem which people are thinking and talking about:
At the meeting we discussed several issues: environmental, ethical and personal issues.
A point, matter, or dispute, the decision of which is of special or public importance: the political issues.
A point the decision of which determines a matter: The real issue in the strike was the salary increase.
To have issues with somebody/with something: To have difficulty or disagreement with someone or something.
All the people in the study had low self-esteem and had issues with their bodies.
Anna has major issues with her employer.
(Informal) A personal problem or emotional disorder:
The teacher discussed the child's issues with his parents.
Her boyfriend is a guy with a lot of issues: He's a drug addict and has been in prison.
NOTE: Go to "Inteviews" and watch the interview to the President of Shell John Hofmeister...see how he uses the word "issue"...
Monday, June 2, 2008
Seven Questions: How Countries Get Rich
(From www.foreignpolicy.com)
Posted May 2008
Why do some countries succeed when others struggle? That’s what Nobel laureate A. Michael Spence and the Commission on Growth and Development set out to discover in their landmark study of the world’s 13 fastest-growing economies.
Foreign Policy: You’ve obviously studied development topics in economics for a long time. Was there anything that surprised you as you did your research with the commission?
Michael Spence: I was surprised by two things. One, how important the global economy is for developing countries both in terms of demand, meaning the size of the market and your ability to expand it once you get a cost position, and also from the point of view of importing technology or knowledge. But the biggest surprise was how important political leadership is in looking at cases of sustained high growth in developing countries. There’s a whole lot of consensus building and picking the right model, getting everybody on board, making deals with stakeholders like labor and business, and a persistent kind of pragmatic approach with imperfect knowledge about how the economy is going to respond to policy. I started out thinking this was a subject that was mainly about economics, and I ended up thinking that was about half of it, but the other half is really political.
FP: Were you able to discover any secret to growth among the countries that you studied?
MS: I don’t think there’s any kind of secret. There are certainly common characteristics of the sustained high-growth cases, and they’re described in some detail in the report. I don’t view them as secrets. But we haven’t been able to find a case where, if you avoid the general approach that’s described there—engagement with the global economy; being careful to bring everybody on board; very high savings and investment levels; a stable macro environment and a pretty heavy reliance on the basic characteristics of market allocation, price signals, and stuff; and being willing to put up with rather chaotic microeconomic dynamics—you can sustain high growth.
FP: Some people have read your report as an implicit critique of the so-called Washington Consensus. Do your findings contradict the kinds of things that the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund were promoting, especially in the 1990s?
MS: No. At least that wasn’t the intent. Since the Washington Consensus in its various forms was developed and then experimented with in developing countries, there’s been a huge amount of experience and learning everywhere—in developing countries, in the academic community, in the international institutions. We never stop at a point where you know all the answers to questions, and there are a lot of things that are still highly debated. There is still a lot of merit in a good deal of the Washington Consensus. The open-economy orientation, even if it needs some modulation, is certainly right. The stable macroeconomic environment, however you achieve it, is surely right. What’s probably different about this report is there’s a somewhat different view about what government’s role is and how it evolves over the course of a long period of sustained growth than was probably envisaged in the Washington Consensus.
FP: What’s your view on corruption as a drag on development? Countries like India, China, Indonesia, and South Korea have major problems with corruption, and yet they’ve been able to grow fairly successfully.
MS: I think it depends on the kind of corruption. This is an active subject of research, so we’re learning all the time. I would say really small-scale corruption is not necessarily a good thing, but it’s a little bit like a tax. If it gets out of hand and turns into big delays in things like establishing businesses or getting approvals for investment projects, it can be a problem. The really destructive kind of corruption, I would describe as wholesale theft on a large scale, where governments are really living on taking the national resources and using them to buy votes and stay in power. That seems to be completely destructive of the sustained growth and policies that are needed to support it.
FP: You mentioned national resources. What about commodity prices? A lot of countries in places like sub-Saharan Africa are growing in large measure because of this run-up in commodity prices that we’re seeing.
MS: That’s true. There’s a growth acceleration on a rather broad base in Africa and parts of Latin America. Some of it, maybe even a fairly large amount of it, is based on commodity price run-ups. There’s also better control of inflation, better macroeconomic management, more effective leadership in government to throw into the mix depending on which case you’re talking about. Other than the current food emergency, the run-up in commodity prices is a huge opportunity for many African countries and for the continent as a whole. And the trick is to turn the increased wealth and resource rent into a pattern of investment in things like education and infrastructure and other things that support economic diversification and productive-employment creation and growth that sustains. The jury’s out, but people are hopeful that will happen.
FP: Are there any countries in particular that you see as not squandering the commodity price boom?
MS: Every country is a complex case study, but not every country just squanders the wealth. For a long period of time, Botswana has avoided squandering their resource wealth, which is diamonds. And South Africa does a pretty good job, but they still have high unemployment and need a broadening pattern of growth. There’s a lot of skill and expertise and knowing what you’re doing that goes into dealing with natural resource rents well. In some of the African countries, it’s going to take effective leadership and probably some international advice and expertise to make this all happen.
FP: This is different than your standard research report, because you’re actively going out and promoting it. You’re hoping that it’s going to have a real-world effect. What are you trying to do to get the lessons put into practice?
MS: This report is really more about a framework. How do the growth dynamics work, and what kind of policies tend to support it? When you get to the country level, it has to get very specific and depends entirely on history and the initial conditions and things like that. So, for a period of months, we’re going to go out and, having given people the chance to read the report, discuss it and debate it in various settings. And just do a good job of seeing it as an input rather than an output. It’s an occasion to have a discussion that may help focus the policy and priority-setting process in developing countries, and that would be a good thing.
A. Michael Spence is Philip H. Knight professor, emeritus, and former dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Business. A senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, he is the 2001 winner of the Nobel Prize in economics.
Posted May 2008Why do some countries succeed when others struggle? That’s what Nobel laureate A. Michael Spence and the Commission on Growth and Development set out to discover in their landmark study of the world’s 13 fastest-growing economies.
Foreign Policy: You’ve obviously studied development topics in economics for a long time. Was there anything that surprised you as you did your research with the commission?
Michael Spence: I was surprised by two things. One, how important the global economy is for developing countries both in terms of demand, meaning the size of the market and your ability to expand it once you get a cost position, and also from the point of view of importing technology or knowledge. But the biggest surprise was how important political leadership is in looking at cases of sustained high growth in developing countries. There’s a whole lot of consensus building and picking the right model, getting everybody on board, making deals with stakeholders like labor and business, and a persistent kind of pragmatic approach with imperfect knowledge about how the economy is going to respond to policy. I started out thinking this was a subject that was mainly about economics, and I ended up thinking that was about half of it, but the other half is really political.
FP: Were you able to discover any secret to growth among the countries that you studied?
MS: I don’t think there’s any kind of secret. There are certainly common characteristics of the sustained high-growth cases, and they’re described in some detail in the report. I don’t view them as secrets. But we haven’t been able to find a case where, if you avoid the general approach that’s described there—engagement with the global economy; being careful to bring everybody on board; very high savings and investment levels; a stable macro environment and a pretty heavy reliance on the basic characteristics of market allocation, price signals, and stuff; and being willing to put up with rather chaotic microeconomic dynamics—you can sustain high growth.
FP: Some people have read your report as an implicit critique of the so-called Washington Consensus. Do your findings contradict the kinds of things that the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund were promoting, especially in the 1990s?
MS: No. At least that wasn’t the intent. Since the Washington Consensus in its various forms was developed and then experimented with in developing countries, there’s been a huge amount of experience and learning everywhere—in developing countries, in the academic community, in the international institutions. We never stop at a point where you know all the answers to questions, and there are a lot of things that are still highly debated. There is still a lot of merit in a good deal of the Washington Consensus. The open-economy orientation, even if it needs some modulation, is certainly right. The stable macroeconomic environment, however you achieve it, is surely right. What’s probably different about this report is there’s a somewhat different view about what government’s role is and how it evolves over the course of a long period of sustained growth than was probably envisaged in the Washington Consensus.
FP: What’s your view on corruption as a drag on development? Countries like India, China, Indonesia, and South Korea have major problems with corruption, and yet they’ve been able to grow fairly successfully.
MS: I think it depends on the kind of corruption. This is an active subject of research, so we’re learning all the time. I would say really small-scale corruption is not necessarily a good thing, but it’s a little bit like a tax. If it gets out of hand and turns into big delays in things like establishing businesses or getting approvals for investment projects, it can be a problem. The really destructive kind of corruption, I would describe as wholesale theft on a large scale, where governments are really living on taking the national resources and using them to buy votes and stay in power. That seems to be completely destructive of the sustained growth and policies that are needed to support it.
FP: You mentioned national resources. What about commodity prices? A lot of countries in places like sub-Saharan Africa are growing in large measure because of this run-up in commodity prices that we’re seeing.
MS: That’s true. There’s a growth acceleration on a rather broad base in Africa and parts of Latin America. Some of it, maybe even a fairly large amount of it, is based on commodity price run-ups. There’s also better control of inflation, better macroeconomic management, more effective leadership in government to throw into the mix depending on which case you’re talking about. Other than the current food emergency, the run-up in commodity prices is a huge opportunity for many African countries and for the continent as a whole. And the trick is to turn the increased wealth and resource rent into a pattern of investment in things like education and infrastructure and other things that support economic diversification and productive-employment creation and growth that sustains. The jury’s out, but people are hopeful that will happen.
FP: Are there any countries in particular that you see as not squandering the commodity price boom?
MS: Every country is a complex case study, but not every country just squanders the wealth. For a long period of time, Botswana has avoided squandering their resource wealth, which is diamonds. And South Africa does a pretty good job, but they still have high unemployment and need a broadening pattern of growth. There’s a lot of skill and expertise and knowing what you’re doing that goes into dealing with natural resource rents well. In some of the African countries, it’s going to take effective leadership and probably some international advice and expertise to make this all happen.
FP: This is different than your standard research report, because you’re actively going out and promoting it. You’re hoping that it’s going to have a real-world effect. What are you trying to do to get the lessons put into practice?
MS: This report is really more about a framework. How do the growth dynamics work, and what kind of policies tend to support it? When you get to the country level, it has to get very specific and depends entirely on history and the initial conditions and things like that. So, for a period of months, we’re going to go out and, having given people the chance to read the report, discuss it and debate it in various settings. And just do a good job of seeing it as an input rather than an output. It’s an occasion to have a discussion that may help focus the policy and priority-setting process in developing countries, and that would be a good thing.
A. Michael Spence is Philip H. Knight professor, emeritus, and former dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Business. A senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, he is the 2001 winner of the Nobel Prize in economics.
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