This cartoon by Matt from The Daily Telegraph relates to the fuel crisis which has been dominating headlines in the UK this week.
BACKGROUND Fears of a fuel shortage were triggered last month when union officials announced that tanker drivers would be balloted on a strike. However, the real drama began this week, when policitians waded into the battle and long queues began to form at the petrol pumps. Read more >>
THE CARTOON An estate agent is showing a couple a picture of a house. He tells them, "It's not close to a school, but there are three very good petrol stations in the area." The joke is that many people's main concern when buying a house (in the UK, at least) is the proximity of good schools. However, with the fuel crisis a good supply of petrol stations seems more important.
VOCABULARY In British English an estate agent is someone who works for a company that sells houses and land for people. Americans use the words realtor or real estate agent.
The children's entertainment brand Moshi Monsters is moving in a musical direction with the launch of a new album called Moshi Monster Music Rox. Hayley Platt reports.
TRANSCRIPT REPORTER: Moshi Mania hits London as fans of the kid's social gaming community Moshi Monsters attend a launch party at London's Hard Rock Cafe to hear songs sung by oversize plush toys. Sony Music has joined forces with Mind Candy, the company behind Moshi Monsters to release a 12 track album called Moshi Monsters Music Rox. Michael Acton Smith is the British entrepreneur behind the brand. MICHAEL ACTON-SMITH, CEO OF MIND CANDY: "I may never become a rock star playing at Wembley but the next best thing is creating a Moshi music album and enjoying the fun we're having here tonight." REPORTER: Started as an online game in 2008, Moshi Monsters is increasingly looking to extend its reach into physical goods such as books, magazines and soft toys. In a recent story in the UK edition of Wired Magazine, investor Saul Klein likened Acton-Smith to Walt Disney, saying "I call him Walt 2.0 He has the passion to build a Disney for the 21st century." MICHAEL ACTON-SMITH: "The way entertainment was created in the past, so for many decades was a film or a TV show at the heart and everything flows from that and we think the big bet we're making at Mind Candy is that a future massive franchises entertainment brands will start with a digital heart, as a mobile game like Angry Birds and an online world like Moshi Monsters and then once you've got tens of millions of fans, then you expand into other areas." REPORTER: With songs like Moptop TweenyBop and Sweet tooth stomp, Moshi Monsters' foray into music is clearly aimed at a certain demographic. But with nearly 60 million users already signed up to the Moshi Monster online community, Acton Smith is betting there'll still be enough interest to turn the album into a monster hit. Hayley Platt, Reuters.
COMMENT Good example of brand extension, a marketing strategy in which a firm marketing a product with a well-developed image uses the same brand name in a different product category.
The Daily Telegraph says ministers are under pressure to give priority to emergency service vehicles at petrol stations after panic buying left ambulance drivers struggling to get fuel. Full story >>
VOCABULARY An emergency is a situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property or environment. • A state of emergency is being considered in Fiji after severe flooding cut off towns and forced the evacuation of thousands of people.
This cartoon by Matt from The Daily Telegraph makes a connection between two big news stories in the UK at the moment: the water shortage and the petrol shortage. A severe drought has led to fears of a hosepipe ban in some areas, while the threatened strike by fuel tanker drivers has provoked panic buying of petrol.
In the cartoon a man with a hose explains to a policeman that he is not watering his garden (which would be against the law) but siphoning petrol, i.e., using a hose to remove petrol from a car (see here for instructions on how to do this). Of course, this is stealing, unless you own the car or have the owner's permission. But that's the joke!
This videographic introduction to the French presidential election comes from The Economist's new French presidential-election blog, Elysée (named after the official residence of the French president).
Five years after electing him, many people in France have had enough of Nicolas Sarkozy. Can François Hollande topple him?
COMMENT I'm surprised there's no mention of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the left-wing firebrand whose soaring poll ratings have taken many people by surprise. You can read about him here.
David Cameron has been accused of presiding over a “shambles” as petrol stations throughout the country ran out of fuel after government attempts to allay panic buying backfired. Full story >>
VOCABULARY If a place, event, or situation is a shambles, or is in a shambles, everything is in disorder. • The woman found the house in shambles and her brother's body in the garage. Despite the final 's' shambles is a singular word like 'news' (read an article about this).
This cartoon by Mac from The Daily Mail relates to the threatened strike by fuel tanker drivers, which has provoked panic buying of petrol across the UK. Read more >>
An old lady has hi-jacked a petrol tanker (you can see the driver tied up on the right) and is driving away at top speed. Her husband tells her, "I don't know why you're panicking so much. We've only got a mower!" The joke, of course, is that you don't need a tankerful of petrol to fill up a lawnmower.
VOCABULARY Mower is a shortened version of lawnmower, a machine for cutting grass on lawns.
Britain's historic state-owned postal service Royal Mail finally paves the way for privatization by raising the price of its stamps to a record high. Hayley Platt reports.
TRANSCRIPT REPORTER: The UK's Royal Mail was once revered around the globe for its speed and reliability. It's also the world's oldest postal service dating back 500 years. But that's the problem - it failed to modernise. A series of management changes and industrial action have compounded the difficulties . And Royal Mail's Chief Executive Moya Greene says privatisation is the way forward. MOYA GREENE: "The financials of the Royal Mail have been in peril for a lot of years and I think this puts the company on the stable footing that we must have in order for that service to continue in Britain." REPORTER: The first steps have just been taken - for the first time Royal Mail has been allowed to set it's own prices. First class postage will go up by 10 times the rate of inflation - to 60 pence . It's still cheaper than many other European countries but businesses say the 30 percent increase could be devastating. Jonathan Bellamy runs a garden centre and sends seeds to customers without charging postage. JONATHAN BELLAMY, DANDY'S TOPSOIL: "At the moment everyone is struggling and it is going to deter people from sending this first class or even by Royal Mail." REPORTER: Royal Mail's postal service has lost almost £1 billion pounds over the past four years. And volumes have dropped by 25 percent since 2006, as many switch to emails and texts. Earlier this month the EU approved government plans to take on Royal Mail's hefty pension fund. That may make it more attractive to buyers but analysts fear privitisation won't be good for customers. DAVID STUBBS, MAIL INDUSTRY ANALYST: "Royal Mail faces costs in providing the universal service that other operators don't face. It goes to rural areas that they would find too expensive to serve and it collects much more frequently then they would do, so clearly when it's a private company in a competitive situation it will start to look at those costs and make more commercial judgements." REPORTER: The government aims to start selling or floating part of the business by next autumn. But Royal Mail will have to work hard to stamp out its debts in the meantime if it wants to seal a deal with a private buyer. Hayley Platt, Reuters.
Petrol sales have soared by 45 per cent as motorists queued to fill up at forecourts after the coalition government was accused of sparking “panic buying” amid concern of a strike by fuel tanker delivery drivers. Full story >>
VOCABULARY Petrol is a liquid which is used as a fuel for motor vehicles. Americans use the word 'gas' (or 'gasoline'). • Motorists and commuters across the city suffered from a shortage of petrol on Wednesday.
This cartoon by Steve Bell from The Guardian relates to news that the price of first-class stamps is to rise from 46p to 60p while second-class stamps will go up from 36p to 50p on 30 April. Read more >>
COMMENTARY The stamp in Steve Bell's cartoon features the diamond-encrusted head of Queen Elizabeth II in profile, reminiscent of artist Damien Hirst's famous skull sculpture (currently on view at Hirst's Tate Modern retrospective).The Queen is saying "Nothing cheap about one now!", probably a reference to Her Majesty's reputation for being a very frugal person, who wears out-of-date clothes, sensible shoes, and keeps the heat down at Buckingham Palace. The use of the personal pronoun 'one' is a very formal way of referring to oneself. Monarchs, and today particularly Queen Elizabeth II, are often depicted as using "one" in this way (see also Majestic plural). In colloquial speech, the pronoun "one" is usually avoided in favour of the second person 'you' (e.g., "Giving up smoking is like giving yourself an increase in salary.").
TRIVIA NOTE Since the "penny black" went on sale in 1840, every British stamp has borne the profile of the reigning monarch. However, there is no guarantee that the tradition will continue if the Royal Mail is sold.
"The Hunger Games" breaks box office records, as the highest domestic opening of a non-sequel film and for the biggest debut outside the summer blockbuster season. Lindsay Claiborn reports.
TRANSCRIPT REPORTER: Post-apocalyptic action movie "The Hunger Games" opened with a staggering $155 million at U.S. and Canadian box offices, beating Hollywood's lofty expectations and making history as the third-highest domestic film opening. Internationally, the Lions Gate Entertainment drama about an oppressive society's teen death match added $59.3 million from 67 markets for a global haul of $214.3 million. The massive U.S. and Canadian debut for the film ranked behind only last summer's "Harry Potter" finale and 2008 Batman movie "The Dark Knight." Reuters Hollywood business reporter, Lisa Richwine, said that "The Hunger Games'" success is a notable milestone. LISA RICHWINE: "With a sequel you expect a lot of people to turn out if they liked the last movie, but with a brand new movie that's never been made before, a new concept, you never know if people are going to turn out or not. And for this movie they did." REPORTER: "The Hunger Games" set the record for highest domestic opening of a non-sequel film and for the biggest debut outside the summer blockbuster season. The movie's success brings the first blockbuster franchise to Lions Gate, a smaller Hollywood studio best known previously for the "Saw" horror series and comedian Tyler Perry's films. LISA RICHWINE: "Lions Gate is very happy. They will make a lot of money on this. It's their biggest movie ever, not just biggest opening weekend but it's already grossed more than any movie they've put out before." REPORTER: The "Hunger Games" blew past the domestic debuts for each of the first four "Twilight" films, which Lions Gate now owns after buying Summit Entertainment in January. Lions Gate has already announced that the film version of the second book in the series, "Catching Fire," is scheduled for a November 2013 release. Lindsay Claiborn, Reuters.
The Daily Mail says motorists have started to panic buy fuel as they prepare for possible strike action by tanker drivers. Full story >>
VOCABULARY 1. To fuel a situation means to make it become worse or more intense. • The economic boom was fueled by easy credit. There's a play on words, because fuel is also what you put in your car to make it go. 2. No.10 is an abbreviation for Number 10 (Downing Street). Here, No.10 is used as shorthand for the UK government. This is an example of metonymy, a figure of speech used in rhetoric in which a thing or concept is not called by its own name, but by the name of something intimately associated with that thing or concept. Other examples include "Westminster" (for the UK parliament), and "Hollywood" (for the US cinema industry).
This cartoon by Mac from The Daily Mail relates to David Cameron's admission that he had wined and diners wealthy individuals - who had between them donated millions of pounds to the Conservative Party - at Downing Street and Chequers. Read more >>
A wealthy donor is seen leaving Number 10 Downing Street (the prime minister's residence). David Cameron, who is portrayed as a waiter discreetly angling for a tip, tells him, "That £250,000 was just for the meal, sir. Service wasn't included." If you look closely, you'll see on the menu that 'pudding is extra'.
VOCABULARY 1. You often cough (pronounced 'coff') when you want to attract someone's attention. 2. A donor is a person who gives money to a charity, organization, or country that needs it.
CONTEXT This latest "cash for access" scandal (Donorgate?) has renewed the political debate about reforming the party funding system, a project that has been repeatedly thwarted by the failure of Conservative and Labour leaders to accept curbs on donations from their own traditional backers.
UK low cost airline, Easyjet says losses for the first six months will be better than expected, thanks to savvy cost management and a mild winter. Joanne Nicholson reports.
REPORTER: It would be an exaggeration to say that business is taking off for Europe's second largest low-cost carrier. But in a climate where oil prices are soaring and competition is high, Easyjet says losses for the first half of the year will be lower than they'd predicted. Carolyn McCall is the CEO. CAROLYN MCCALL, CEO, EASYJET: "We are managing our costs very well. We have a revenue growth of ten percent and in addition to that we had very benign weather so the winter was extremely easy compared to the winter last year or the year before that." REPORTER: On the day Easyjet launched new services from the UK's Southend airport, shares were up by 7 percent - a two-year high for the firm. They say they're now expecting losses of between 110 and 120 million pounds instead of between 140 and 160 million. Unlike long-haul operators, Easyjet won't be adversley affected by the European Union's controversial new carbon emissions tax either because it operates smaller planes. CAROLYN MCCALL: "We think it encourages airlines to be more fuel efficient and it encourages airlines to look at their fleet in terms of engines etcetera." REPORTER: The 17 year old company has recently been embroiled in a row with its main shareholder and founder, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, over executive pay and returning money to shareholders. But if Sir Stelios gets a proposed new airline off the ground, the long-haul plan wouldn't be competition for Easyjet's short-haul model. Competition is high in Europe. The Spanish airline, Iberia, has added some other destinations to its domestic arm. Iberia Express will now fly to other routes outside of Spain. In terms of Easyjet's own expansion plans - it has two new bases in France, with one in Portugal and Germany to come too. Joanne Nicholson, Reuters.
The decision by tanker drivers to go on strike leads the Daily Express. It says nine out of 10 petrol forecourts could close during the walkout. Full story >>
VOCABULARY To cripple a machine, organization, or system means to damage something badly so that it no longer works or is no longer effective. • Industry is being crippled by high interest rates.
