Tuesday, July 10, 2012

“Best job in the world!”

Many of you are possibly still in school, others in university, others working and others looking for work. Whatever your situation, however, we think this news item will interest you.




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The deadline has officially passed to apply for Australia’s six “Best Jobs in the World”, which includes such titles as “Chief Funster” and “Taste Master.” 

More than 40,000 people from nearly 200 countries have applied for the six-month positions that come with a 100,000 dollar (Australian dollar) salary. Interested applicants were asked to create a 30-second video explaining their qualifications and most were of high quality says Karen Halbert of Tourism Australia.

- They are all mad, we’re really excited it’s going to be a really tight contest but an amazing outcome when we pick the final six.

First officials have to choose 18 finalists among the 40,000 entries who will be flown to Australia for interviews and final selection. Other vacant dream job positions are Outback Adventurer, Wildlife Caretaker, Lifestyle Photographer and Park Ranger. The six winners will be announced on June 21.

Vocabulary 

Deadline - a date or time when something must be finished : the last day, hour, or minute that something will be accepted. 

Tight - close or equal in score, progress, or ability.

Outcome - something that happens as a result of an activity or process.

Vacant - not occupied by a person : available to be taken by someone.

Video


Saturday, July 7, 2012

Chicken at "Garden Mai" - Gà Vườn Mai

Guest Post by Huu Nghiem.

I realize that Vietnamese love chicken much more than beef or pork. Chicken is an unavoidable item for any traditional celebrations, this "bird gives birth every day" always has a special place on the altar during any of family anniversaries.
And whenever we talk about chicken - it should be "Vietnamese chicken" (gà ta) or "garden chicken" (gà thả vườn). These two phrases means a kind of chicken being kept freely in the farm, not in a huge industrial cage, they are not fed with special industrial bran, but anything they find in the garden, from human's leftovers, rice to the earthworms. Those "free" chicken are smaller in size, give less meat but their meat is far better, tastier than the"industrial chicken".


Gà hấp hành - steamed chicken with green onion, superb good, flavored with onion.

Last night I've been to a place - called "Gà Vườn Mai", an eatery - famous for their seven chicken dishes (only garden chicken!): steamed chicken with green onion (gà hấp hành), roasted chicken with garlic (gà rôti), chicken with Vietnamese mint (gà hấp rau răm), sour and sweet salad with chicken (gà bóp thấu), steamed chicken with fermented tofu (gà hấp chao), with salt (gà hấp muối)...


Head to toe chicken - costs you 230.000 VND (by Mar of 2013)

When they serve, not a plate of few pieces of chicken, but a whole chicken. So either you go there alone or with friends they always serve a full plate. Better be in company, if you don't want to end up with a lot of leftovers on the table.



Roasted chicken with a lot of garlic. Very tasty.


I really like small golden ground garlic, so garlicky, so tasty, crispy and flavored with fish sauce!


same as others chicken dishes, always in whole - from head to toe...


and from toe to buttock, by the way, chicken's buttock is a favorite part to many foodies.

We couldn't order all seven chicken dishes in their menu, I would love to try others, so I surely come back here one day. The only problem I have is how to get here! It's a real tricky, the place looks very spacious but located in small alley that we do need a guidance. But believe me, it's worth trying!


Chicken "Garden Mai"

Here's the address 958/10/13/18 Lac Long Quan, Tan Binh district, (one "/" means one alley, so we need to turn right or left at least three alleys to get there!)

Sunday, June 24, 2012

ESL Podcast : Talking About Movies




Download Podcast
Script by Dr. Lucy Tse


SCRIPT:


Martin: What did you think of that movie?

Joanna: It was okay, but I’m not really into big-budget movies with a lot of special effects and big-name stars.

Martin: Oh, you’re a film snob. I bet you only watch indie films made on a shoestring budget with low production values.

Joanna: No, that’s not true. I just don’t like crowd-pleasers that are predictable. I like movies that stretch the imagination and have some artistic value.

Martin: You mean you like those weird movies with no plot and a lot of strange characters. They’re artsy, but leave you totally confused.

Joanna: I don’t mind some ambiguity, if that’s what you mean.

Martin: Well, I’m going to see the new Spiderboy movie next week. I don’t suppose you want to come?

Joanna: Spiderboy? I’ve been looking forward to seeing that movie.

Martin: But it’s a big-budget blockbuster.

Joanna: I can’t watch artsy films all the time. Variety is the spice of life, don’t you think?


Reference

 Timeline of the most expensive productions:

YearProduction
1946Duel in the Sun
1947Forever Amber
1951Quo Vadis
1956The Ten Commandments
1959Ben-Hur
1962Mutiny on the Bounty
1963Cleopatra
1978Superman
1988Rambo III
1990Die Hard 2
1991Terminator 2: Judgment Day
1994True Lies
1995Waterworld
1997Titanic
2003The Matrix Reloaded
The Matrix Revolutions
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001–2003)
2005King Kong
2006X-Men: The Last Stand
Superman Returns
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
2007Spider-Man 3
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)

 snob  [snɑb /snɒ-]

n.  a person regarded as arrogant and annoying
 
 
blockbuster  n.
1.
a large bomb used to demolish extensive areas (as a city block)
2.
an unusually successful hit with widespread popularity and huge sales (especially a movie or play or recording or novel)


Sunday, June 17, 2012

Advertising Jobs on the Internet [ ESL Podcast ]

Listen Podcast Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Script:

Wendy: I just heard that you’re not going to use a recruitment agency to fill the new position.

Pedro: No, I’m not. There are so many Internet job boards out there that I think we can find good candidates without using headhunters.

Wendy: But headhunters do a good job of weeding out people who don’t have the right experience or qualifications.

Pedro: Yes, but they also charge a large commission. I’m going to post an ad on a few major job boards to see what happens. Most of them don’t charge a listing fee so there’s no harm in trying.

Wendy: I predict you’re going to be flooded with applications, and it’s going to take a lot of time to separate the good from the bad.

Pedro: That’s where you come in.

Wendy: What do you mean?

Pedro: You are my assistant, aren’t you?

Wendy: Yes.

Pedro: And your job is to assist me, right?

Wendy: Yes.

Pedro: Good. Roll up your sleeves and get ready for a busy week!

Friday, May 4, 2012

China’s Blind Lawyer May Come to the US

 

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Nghe Audio về Chen Guangcheng  , 1 luật sư mù có quan điểm bất đồng chính kiến với nhà cầm quyền Trung Quốc và đang tị nạn chính trị ở tòa đại sứ Mỹ

TEXT

 

Chen Guangcheng was born in a poor village in eastern China during the country’s ‘Cultural Revolution.’ He gained international recognition as a human rights lawyer. Now, the ‘blind barefoot lawyer,’ is involved in a diplomatic incident that has caught the attention of the world.

On April twenty-second, Chen Guangcheng escaped house arrest in his home village in Shandong Province. He fled to the United States Embassy in Beijing. He remained there for six days as diplomats discussed his case.

His escape came at a sensitive time. Officials from both countries were preparing for the two-day U.S.-China Strategic Economic Dialogue. The two sides use the yearly meeting to discuss security and economic issues. But, human rights suddenly became important. On Thursday, in her opening comments, American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton noted:

HILLARY CLINTON: "As part of our dialogue, the United States raises the importance of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Because we believe all governments have to answer to our citizens' aspirations for dignity and the rule of law and that no nation can or should deny those rights."

Chen Guangcheng had been returned to Chinese officials in Beijing the day before the Dialogue started. The move shocked activists and some American lawmakers. Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey held a Congressional hearing. He asked questions about the safety of the activist and people close to him.

CHRIS SMITH: “What happens if Chen or any member of his family suffers retaliation? Where is Chen's nephew, Chen Kegui? What happens now with He Peirong, the courageous young woman who drove Chen to safety?

On Friday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the activist could request permission to leave the country.

(SOUND)

Spokesperson Liu Weimin said Chen Guangcheng could seek a student visa “just like any other Chinese citizen.” At this time, it is unclear if his family would also be able to go with him. But at least one American university has offered him the opportunity to study.

Chen Guangcheng’s story is extraordinary. He became blind as a child. And he struggled to receive higher education. In the nineteen nineties, he became interested in legal issues after learning that he was being taxed illegally. He continued to study the law on his own.

Then he began helping others. A Chinese reporter said the activist helped about three thousand people. But his activities angered local officials. He would often carry cases to higher and higher authorities, even to the capital, Beijing. Increasingly he faced threats and beatings.

In two thousand six, Chen Guangcheng was tried in connection with exposing abuses of China’s one-child policy. He found women were being forced to end their pregnancies, often in violence ways. That same year, he was named to TIME magazine’s list of one hundred people who are changing the world.

After two trials, he was sentenced to four years in prison. Chen Guangcheng and his wife Yuan Weijing have two children, a son and a daughter.

 

Download :

http://www.fileduty.com/download/510/se-itn-chen-guangcheng-5may12.Mp3

 

Vocabulary

extraordinary

Adjective

  • extraordinary (beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable)

    "extraordinary authority"; "an extraordinary achievement"; "her extraordinary beauty"; "enjoyed extraordinary popularity"; "an extraordinary capacity for work"; "an extraordinary session of the legislature"

diplomatic

  • diplomatic (relating to or characteristic of diplomacy)

    "diplomatic immunity"

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