newsinslowenglish.com - September 28, 2017 Episode #3. Introduction Dialog Today is Thursday, September 28, 2017. Welcome to another weekly edition of News in Slow English! Hello, everyone. I m Emily. And I m Chris. I will be Emily s co-host for this episode. Hi, everybody! For the first half of our program, we will look at what s happening around the world this week. We ll begin with the challenges that Puerto Rico is facing in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Next, we ll talk about the kneeling controversy in the National Football League (NFL). Following that, we ll discuss the results of a poll conducted by the BBC which reveals that nearly 4 in 5 Internet users worry about the increase in fake news stories. Finally, we ll talk about the decision of an acclaimed French chef to renounce his Michelin stars. A French chef wants to renounce his Michelin stars? Really? That s like an Olympian throwing away his medal, or an Oscar winner returning the award, or like a shark saying no to easy prey, or like a... OK, OK, I see your point. I see how fascinated you are by this story. We ll have plenty of time to take a closer look at it. For now, let s finish up our introduction. As always, the second part of our show will be dedicated to American culture and the English language. In the grammar section of our program, we ll illustrate the use of today s topic: Units of quantity--some, no, not any. And we ll close this week s program with a new English expression: Don t judge a book by its cover. I can t wait to start! So what are we waiting for? Let the show begin! Hit it! Catastrophe worsens in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico last Wednesday, leaving the entire island without power and sending some 15,000 people to emergency shelters. At least 16 people were killed in the storm, the strongest to strike Puerto Rico since 1932. Maria was the third hurricane to hit the Caribbean islands within the past three weeks, following Hurricanes Irma and Jose. After striking Guadeloupe, the Virgin Islands, and Dominica, where 27 people died, Maria engulfed the entire island of Puerto Rico, bringing torrential rains and 155-mile-per-hour winds. On Tuesday, the mayor of San Juan, the capital city, said the island is in a humanitarian crisis. Nearly half of its 3.5 million residents were still without clean water, and hospitals were without diesel necessary for running life-saving equipment. Additionally, around 80 percent of the island s crop value was destroyed. President Donald Trump will visit the island territory next Tuesday, saying it s the earliest he could get there without disrupting relief efforts. Meanwhile, water, food, and supplies have been arriving steadily since San Juan s port reopened on Saturday. 1/7
Emily, it makes me sick to hear Trump saying that he s done such a great job, an A-plus job, in helping Puerto Rico. The truth is: He s doing a terrible job! It wasn t until Monday that he even acknowledged what was going on! I agree -- there s no excuse for not talking about the crisis sooner. At the same time, wouldn t you say that the actual response is more important? The actual response? From what I see, it s been much weaker than after Hurricane Harvey hit Texas and Louisiana last month Has it really been? As of yesterday morning, I read, FEMA had given out 4 million meals and 6 million liters of water, with 7 million more meals and more water on the way. OK but given the situation, it s not enough! If the administration really wanted to get help to Puerto Rico faster, why couldn t it waive the Jones Act -- and let the people access food and medicine less expensively? Also... Also what? Also, think about the message Trump sent when he finally started tweeting about Puerto Rico. Did he talk about the people suffering, or that it could take many months before things are back to normal? No! He talked about their debt, and their poor infrastructure! These are U.S. citizens! Chris... don t you think you re being just a little too critical? It seems to me that there s a strong commitment to providing aid -- no one can expect things to change overnight. I know you oppose Trump on most things, but... Emily, it doesn t matter at all whether or not I support Trump. Either way, as a citizen I have the right to express my opinion and in this case to criticize our president s response. To me, his lack of leadership is astounding. NFL players, coaches, team owners unify to protest Trump remarks Football players, coaches, and some team owners knelt or locked arms during the national anthem before games played last Sunday and Monday night. Their actions followed President Donald Trump s criticism of the league and players who do not stand for the anthem. Trump s remarks intensified a controversy that began last year, when several players began kneeling to protest racial inequality. Trump s comments came on Friday evening during a rally in Huntsville, Alabama. When a player disrespects the flag, he said, wouldn t you love to see one of these NFL owners... say, `Get that son of a bitch off the field right now! He s fired! On Saturday, National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell, issued a statement condemning the president s remarks; several teams issued statements as well. Three teams stayed in their locker rooms during the national anthem. Trump continued his criticism of football players earlier this week. On Tuesday, during a joint press conference with Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy, Trump said he felt ashamed by the disgraceful NFL protests. 2/7
Emily, this is a great example of why I m critical of President Trump s response to Hurricane Maria. All last weekend, instead of talking about the crisis in Puerto Rico, all he did was tweet about football players and whether they stand or kneel! Where are his priorities? I agree, Chris -- it was extremely poor judgment to not mention Puerto Rico even once while he was tweeting constantly about football players and the National Football League. At the same time -- is it all that surprising? You mean, because the national anthem issue is far more likely to matter to his supporters? Yes After all, this started at a rally that was filled with his supporters... Still! As of yesterday morning, he had tweeted about the NFL 25 times. Do you know how many times he tweeted about Puerto Rico? Tell me. 6!...and, one of those was a retweet! But, the point is, dwelling on this issue is only causing more division. It s unfortunate that things like the anthem and the flag -- which are supposed to symbolize unity -- are now used by our president to divide the country. How ironic Nearly 4 in 5 Internet users worry about fake news Seventy-nine percent of internet users worry about distinguishing real news from fake news online, according to a BBC World Service poll released last Friday. The survey of more than 16,000 adults in 18 countries also found that a growing share of internet users opposes government regulation. The poll comes at a time when reports of false news stories -- often in relation to political candidates or causes -- have grown. Worries about fake news were highest in Brazil, with 92 percent of respondents expressing concern; Indonesia, Nigeria, and Kenya closely followed. German was the only country surveyed where a slight majority (51 percent) said they were not worried about this issue. While respondents in most countries opposed government regulation of the internet, 67 percent of users in China and 53 percent in Great Britain said they supported it. I m not surprised that a majority of people are worried about fake news. But -- 79 percent? That is a very serious problem! I was surprised by the percentage too, Chris. This would have been impossible to imagine just four or five years ago. As someone who grew up reading a daily newspaper, it s especially disturbing... A few months ago, we talked about what Facebook was doing to stop fake news ads from spreading. Then, just last week, we found out that it had sold a bunch of ads to fake Russian accounts before the election last year! So I'm wondering... what has actually changed? I did see that Facebook now blocks ads from sites that are known to spread fake news. I also read last month that it is flagging more articles that might be false and sending them to fact checkers. 3/7
What good does that do? Apparently, it shows articles that have been verified by the fact checkers below the fake ones, so that readers have more information to help them decide what s true. But if people don t know whether they can trust what they re reading, why would they trust articles that Facebook says are true? Especially if Especially if what? Especially if their leaders are calling them fake. Well, I don t think anyone can expect Facebook--or any other site--to solve that problem Hmm. You know what, Emily? Some of the money that Facebook, and Twitter, and Google make should go toward education. Wouldn t you agree? I do! The more educated people are the better they can distinguish the truth from a lie. Acclaimed French chef renounces his Michelin stars One of France s most celebrated chefs stunned the culinary world last week by asking the prestigious Michelin dining guide to take back the three stars awarded to his restaurant. Sébastien Bras, owner of Le Suquet in southern France, said he wanted to be liberated from the pressure that comes with holding one of the industry s highest honors. In a video posted to Facebook last Wednesday, 46-year-old Bras said he wanted to give a new meaning to my life... and redefine what is essential. Le Suquet has held the perfect three-star rating since 1999, when Bras s father was the owner. Because Michelin inspectors visit unannounced, Bras explained, every one of his meals must be perfect to ensure he keeps his three stars. He indicated that being dropped from the guide would allow him to continue cooking without this worry. Bras s request was a first for the guide, though some three-star chefs have given up their stars by closing or radically changing their restaurants. Michelin s executive committee has not yet said whether it would honor Bras s request. What s the big deal, Emily? So he doesn t want three stars. Why not just ignore the Michelin inspectors and cook the way he wants to cook? Why make a big announcement? I don t think it s that simple, Chris. Being in the Michelin guide is a huge deal, especially in France. If the restaurant were to lose just one star, it could have an enormous impact on his business. That s why Bras would rather be removed from the guide altogether. So he gets to have less pressure and free publicity at the same time! I see how it works!... He doesn t have only himself to think about, Chris. His father worked hard to get those three stars. If the restaurant were to lose a star in the guide, it might hurt his father s legacy. I understand Sébastien Bras s decision. Ugh! The whole thing is ridiculous. What s the point of giving restaurants stars anyway? So that rich people can say they ate at some three-star restaurant? Aren t there more important things to worry about? 4/7
I think we re saying that we more or less agree. Bras is basically saying that by focusing on the Michelin stars, other things suffer. He wants to keep making high-quality food, but also to be able to enjoy his work. I still don t understand why he had to make this announcement. Why not just send the Michelin guide an email asking to be dropped? Units of Quantity - Part 1: Some, No, Not Any I have to admit I have no idea what the founding fathers had in mind when they created the Electoral College. You don t have any idea? Ok, maybe I have some idea, but so far, nobody has managed to fully explain to me the reasoning that some of the founding fathers had when they came up with such an elaborate concept. Tell you what, Chris, I can give you an idea, and I won t even charge you an arm and a leg for it! Haha, thanks. So, here s how I understand it: The President of the United States is elected by the Electoral College. A state s number of electors is the sum of its representatives and senators. Essentially, the popular vote in most states is winner-take-all and obliges the electors of that state to vote for the winner of the election. Technically, they actually do not have to, but as a practical matter, that s correct. There is no doubt in my mind that the founding fathers were some of the most brilliant, the most educated and the most genius people any country has seen in modern history. They literally reinvented democracy and made it a lasting and successful model for the rest of world. Why do I not see any brilliance in the Electoral College? You mean why not design a system with a straight up popular vote across the states? Yeah. Five times in our history now, the person who had the most votes across America did not become president. That is undemocratic, it s stupid and I do not see any fairness in that. Well... Well what? Ask yourself what would happen if there were no electoral college. Then the person with the most votes would actually be president. But campaigning for office would then only happen in large, urban population centers. No more Iowa straw poll, where politicians actually have to listen to some farmers, no more campaigning at New Hampshire Tea Party gatherings. Basically, the entire middle of the country would be expendable. The Electoral College is designed to give small states without any population to speak of some power? 5/7
Precisely, and that is a very smart thing to do. Some small states are already overrepresented for exactly that reason. The founding fathers designed a federal system by choice and wanted every corner to be heard to prevent a breakup and a second Europe. Why not force politicians to confront some of the regional and cultural differences of this country? But I have been to farm towns, and with all due respect, I would not actually let the inhabitants choose my breakfast cereal, let alone the president. The real question you have to answer is why a vote in California or New York should matter less than a vote in a swing state. Millions of voters feel they have no reason to vote because the state they live in is so traditionally Republican or Democratic that their vote simply does not matter. That is a good point. However, the brilliant founding fathers knew that no system is perfect. The electoral college was a compromise to begin with, between those who wanted the president to be elected by an educated congress and those who trusted the people with the popular vote. The majority agreed on the electoral college as an additional check in case the uneducated masses chose a demagogue. Most importantly, our Electoral College has withstood the test of time. Yeah, sorry, still doesn t make any sense to me. Don t judge a book by its cover Emily, I read an article this week about the ways students are choosing where to apply to college. The competition is fierce! It takes a lot of knowledge to be successful in today s America. Chris, you ve been out of college for years. Are you just thinking of this in abstract terms? Not entirely, Emily. A cousin of mine is in the 11th grade and she is already hard at work looking at many different colleges to continue her education. She asked for my advice, and that s what got me thinking about all of this. You know, what they say these days... a master s is the new bachelor s, and bachelor s is the new high school diploma. That definitely seems to be the case. Let s see Is she a good student? Oh yeah, she s a straight-a student. So, she might be thinking of applying to an Ivy League school. Schools like Harvard, Yale, Stanford, or Princeton? Stanford is not an Ivy League school. Really? I thought Stanford was one of the best schools in the country. Well, yes, it is. But it s not part of the Ivy League. This school was founded in the late 19th century in Stanford, California. All eight Ivy League universities are in the Northeastern United States. Seven of them were founded before the American Revolution. Well, she is looking at some of those but, one thing I have said to her is don t judge a book by its cover. One can get an excellent education elsewhere. Besides, Ivy League schools are so expensive! It s true. An education at one of these institutions can cost an arm and a leg. And, as far as I know, graduates with a Bachelor s degree from Ivy League schools don t always get the highest paid jobs compared to graduates from other schools. 6/7
This is also true. So, what s the point besides having an Ivy League school on your résumé... Like you said, Chris, don t judge a book by its cover. These schools have huge impacts on their communities and the world beyond. For example, of the forty-five men who have served as President of the United States, fifteen have graduated from an Ivy League university. Emily, I am not denying that these prestigious schools open a lot of doors. But the world is changing faster and faster every day. Some argue that graduating with a defined skill is more valuable than a well-rounded education. I agree with this, too. You do? Now I m completely confused! I think we are saying the same thing, Chris! Your cousin should not judge a book by its cover. An Ivy league school may not be the best choice for her in the end. The best advice you can give her is to keep doing the research, visit as many different universities as she can and meet students and professors before deciding where to apply. Yeah right, that s exactly what a 16-year-old wants to hear: do your homework! 7/7