This cartoon by Mac from The Daily Mail relates to the row over Work and Pensions secretary Ian Duncan Smith's idea that well-off pensioners should hand back bus passes, winter fuel payments and TV licences. By law all those over 62 get a free bus pass for off-peak travel. Read more >>
In the cartoon Mac imagines what would happen if wealthy pensioners actually used their bus passes. A rich pensioner accompanied by his wife in a fur coat asks the bus driver: "Would you direct us to the first class compartment and bar?" Obviously, they've never taken the bus in their life, and are used to travelling by train, where you find such amenities.
COMMENT As always in Mac cartoons, there are some lovely details: the man tapping on the bus driver's window with his umbrella, or the old lady with her shopping bags.
LANGUAGE "Would you direct us to..." is a very formal way of saying "Would you tell us the way to...".
Over 200 bakers use old-fashioned craftsmanship to win the title of Paris' best traditional baguette. Elly Park reports.
TRANSCRIPT REPORTER: With official rules for its dough content and length, finding the best baguette is serious business in Paris. Now 42-year-old baker Ridha Khadher's golden loaf is officially the city's best baguette for 2013. Khader won the coveted title after competing against 202 other bakers who each had to enter two loafs that underwent critical inspection by a panel of judges for taste, quality of dough, smell and appearance. Paris-based American food blogger Meg Zimbeck is a judge. MEG ZIMBECK: "I like to crack a baguette on the outside and hear a crunch and have the crust on the outside be very well developed, but when you open it up you want to have really well developed holes, which this (SHOWS SLICE OF BAGUETTE) does not have for example." REPORTER: In the end Khadher's loaf came out on top. In his bakery he shared the key to his success. RIDHA KHADER: "We knead the dough the day before, 24 hours in advance. We moisten it to 70 percent, we make them by hand, we put less yeast in it. It's a bread that's well rested and well crafted in the old-fashioned style." REPORTER: Besides bragging rights the title also comes with a cash prize of 4000 euros… and the responsibility of providing French President Francois Hollande with freshly-baked baguettes for a year.
COMMENT The sight of all those baguettes is making my mouth water. If you're in Paris and want to try the best baguette, Ridha Khader's bakery is situated at 156, rue Raymond Losserand, in the 14th 'arrondissement'.
The Daily Mail says prisoners will be denied perks such as Sky Sports and instead be forced to work in a drive to end the culture of "holiday camp" jails. Full story >>
VOCABULARY A cushy job or situation is pleasant because it does not involve much work or effort. • The same Gucci suit that helps you land a cushy job in a corporate firm could attract derision as hoity-toity when worn in a dive bar.
The White House has released a video of Barack Obama pretending to be method actorDaniel Day-Lewis portraying the president. A skit for the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, Obama speaks, as Day-Lewis, about the difficulty in impersonating the presidential voice, as well as the time it takes to create the fake Obama ears. Steven Speilberg, who introduces the video, says he chose method actor Day Lewis as he would 'dive in and really become Barack Obama'.
COMMENT I suppose you could argue that Obama should be spending his time fixing the economy or addressing the Syrian problem rather than making spoof videos, but I thought that was pretty funny.
THE CONTEXT Work and Pensions secretary Ian Duncan Smith has called for better-off pensioners to hand back benefits they don't need, such as winter fuel allowance and free bus passes. He said it was an "anomaly" that all pensioners receive universal benefits, no matter how wealthy they are. Read more >>
THE CARTOON The cartoon by Dave Brown from The Independent portrays Duncan Smith as a crazed bus driver swerving off the road and mounting the pavement in order to knock down a horrified pensioner waiting at the bus stop. The OAP is holding a free bus pass and using a walking frame. The cartoon is a clear metaphor for Duncan Smith's attack on pensioners' benefits. There are some nice touches such as the number of the bus 666 (the biblical number of the beast), the desination Purley Gates (a play on Pearly Gates, an informal name for the gateway to heaven), and the bus route: Benefits Halt, Sickroom, Elder's End.
VOCABULARY This type of bus with two levels is known as a double-decker.
NOTE The red double-decker buses in London have become a national symbol of England and British Isles. A particularly iconic example was the Routemaster bus (shown in the cartoon), which had been a staple of the public transport network in London for nearly half a century following its introduction in 1956. Because of cited difficulties accommodating disabled passengers, the last remaining examples in use finally retired in 2005, although two heritage routes retain Routemaster operation in central London. [Source: Wikipedia]
TRANSCRIPT
REPORTER: The three young royals, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, aka William and Kate, along with William's brother Prince Harry visited Warner Bros studios in Leavesden on Friday. For once, it was a chance to let their hair down on a royal visit with William assuming the role of Batman by mounting the Batpod. It seemed that William outed himself as a huge fan of the Dark Knight series directed by Christopher Nolan, taking great pleasure in playing around with the special effects and also making a plea to Warner Bros with this speech. PRINCE HARRY: Please, make another of the Dark Knight series. And another. And another. REPORTER: And he got further into the movie making spirit with the use of a clapper board... PRINCE HARRY: Warner Brothers studios, Leavesden, Act One, Take One. REPORTER: After the speeches, it was time for the trio to enter Harry Potter's world - more specifically the Great Hall of Hogwarts. And while Harry checked out the detailed sets, William and Kate were given a lesson in fighting with the franchise's magic wands. But if the pair were to meet in a clash of spells, who would be the winner?
The Express reports on a new study which shows that seven-point plan to combat cancer can add years to your life. Full story >>
VOCABULARY A golden rule is a principle you should remember because it will help you to be successful. • Hanson's golden rule is to add value to whatever business he buys.
According to the New York Times, "The $250 million library, on the campus of Southern Methodist University, reframes many elements of the Bush presidency, domestic, economic and foreign, as part of his 'freedom agenda,' linking together sometimes disparate policies in a single narrative thread."
However, the words Iraq and Afghanistan (the two wars started by Bush, which have cost the lives of over 6,000 American soliders) "never passed Mr. Bush’s lips, or those of the four other presidents who spoke".
THE CARTOON An Iraq war veteran in a wheelchair is visiting the library with his wife and son. HIs wife shows him a big empty space and tells him, "The was supposed to be the WMD wing", a reference to the fact that no WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) were ever found in Iraq even though their presence was the original justification for the war.
VOCABULARY A wing of a building is a part of it which sticks out from the main part. • We were given an office in the empty west wing.
Representatives from aircraft manufacturer Boeing say the Dreamliner 787s are flight ready after being grounded for months due to overheating batteries. Jessica Gray reports.
TRANSCRIPT REPORTER: The Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The aircraft had been grounded since January following two separate cases of batteries overheating, calling into question the safety of the plane. But Boeing says the aircraft is safe and ready to return to the air after getting U.S. approval for its lithium-ion battery fix. Company representatives say the reinforced batteries have solved the problem, even though the root cause of the overheating issue wasn't discovered. BOEING CHIEF ENGINEER AND 787 PROJECT LEADER MICHAEL SINNETT: "Because we know that the enclosure can protect the plane from the worst case battery failure, in some ways it almost doesn't matter what the root cause was." REPORTER: Japan has already approved Dreamliner flights to resume operations, as long as the planes boast the new reinforced batteries. BOEING CHIEF ENGINEER AND 787 PROJECT LEADER MICHAEL SINNETT: "And while we deeply regret the impact this has had to our customers and to the flying public, especially here in Japan where so many of these airplanes are operated, we believe our solution is comprehensive and we know that our airplane is safe." REPORTER: Japanese airlines own almost half of the 787s delivered so far. According to Boeing, the forced grounding has not affected the company's production goals or plans to boost its manufacturing schedule for the aircraft by the end of the year.
Cancer patients can’t get life-saving treatment due to chaos caused by NHS reforms, say doctors. Full story >>
VOCABULARY A reform is a change or improvement to a law, social system, or institution. • Rallies have been held by teaching unions in the north west ahead of planned strike action over government school reforms.
BACKGROUND President Barack Obama warned the Syrian regime on Friday that proof it had used chemical weapons on its civilian population would be a "game-changer", but cautioned that more evidence was required.
Speaking at the White House, Obama said that confirmation Bashar al-Assad had deployed chemical agents in the protracted Syrian civil war would alter his administration's "calculus", but stopped short of declaring that a "red line" had been crossed.
Obama's cautious comments reflected the lack of a consensus in Washington over how to respond to claims that Syria has used sarin gas in recent incidents. [Source: The Guardian]
THE CARTOON Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, armed with chemical weapons and wearing a gas mask, is shown crossing a series of red lines which carry increasingly stern warnings. Meanwhile Obama and an American general look on without intervening.
COMMENTARY The cartoonist uses a graphic representation of the idiom 'cross a red line' (see definition below) to highlight Obama's reluctance to take action over Syria. Apparently, Obama has threatened Syria a total of seven times now using the "red line" metaphor, a fact pointed out by Bob Englehart in the commentary on his cartoon, which also uses the red line idea. As does this cartoon by Marian Kamensky. And this one by Schrank from The Independent.
IDIOM A red line is an issue or a demand that one person or group refuses to change their opinion about during a disagreement or negotiations. • The issue of sovereignty is a red line that cannot be crossed.
Demand for retail property in London's most expensive street reaches an all time high. Ivor Bennett reports that despite low rental yields, competition is as fierce as ever for a coveted Bond Street shopfront.
TRANSCRIPT REPORTER: It's the most expensive street in London. Home to the top-end brands with clients - and cars to match. Shops on Bond Street sell for up to 100 million pounds, and demand right now couldn't be higher. Mike Tremayne's head of West End Investment at property consultants Cushman and Wakefield. MIKE TREMAYNE: "Everyone around the world has heard of Bond Street. You know, on a Monopoly board it's got the biggest wealth of all the streets. it catches the essence of the overseas investor. And a lot of these guys are trophy hunting but also wanting to park their cash in a safe place. And Bond Street sums all of those attributes up." REPORTER: All the shops on the street scream luxury. You've got Tiffany behind me, Mikimoto next door, Cartier too. Further down this end there's Louis Vuitton. But buying property here doesn't come cheap. Prices are now in excess of 8 thousand pounds per square foot. Such high demand has driven rental returns down to record lows. Yields on the street are now just 2.75 percent, the first time they've been below 3. It's barely higher than even the safest government gilts - making this Bond by name, and nature. Despite the paltry returns when it comes to property, there's no safer place. The market's so strong here that for every shop that becomes free, there's 10 retailers vying to move in. Savills' Investment Director Paul Cockburn says some will even pay for the privilege. PAUL COCKBURN: "It's really just a Bond Street phenomenon. There may be parts of Oxford Street and occasional units there but such is the level of demand between retailers that they'll pay multiples of the existing rent just to get in and that can over, you know, that can be seven figures or more." REPORTER: French luxury brand Chanel recently paid 6 million pounds to a previous occupant, on top of a premium to the landlord. Individual demand is mostly coming from China and Singapore. It's so strong that British and Irish ownership on the street has dropped from over 90 percent ten years ago to less than 30 now. And it's not just London. Upmarket streets in Vienna and Paris are seeing similar floods of overseas investment, as buyers hunt for safe havens. And it won't be long before the hunt pays off. Rents on Bond street have tripled in the last decade to 1000 pounds per square foot. Projections are they'll only increase.
The Daily Mail reports a man who doused himself in petrol turned into a human fireball when police shot him with a Taser. Full story >>
VOCABULARY A taser is a weapon that fires electrical probes that give an electric shock, causing temporary paralysis. Taser is actually an acronym meaning Tom A. Swift's Electric Rifle, named after the book Tom Swift's Electric Rifle.
You wait ages for a Winnie-the-Pooh cartoon to come along, and then two turn up at once ... Following yesterday's cartoon from the Express featuring Winnie-the-Spy, we now have one by Dave Brown from The Independent with Pooh and Piglet—or rather UK PM David Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne in the roles of AA Milne's famous characters.
COMMENTARY The cartoon relates to news that the UK economy grew by 0.3% in the first quarter of the year, avoiding a triple-dip recession. The scene is based on an episode from Chapter Three of the first Winnie-the-Pooh book, In Which Pooh and Piglet Go Hunting and Nearly Catch a Woozle, which you can read here. The orginal text is as follows:
"Tracks," said Piglet. "Paw-marks." He gave a little squeak of excitement. "Oh, Pooh! Do you think it's a—a—a Woozle?"
In Dave Brown's version, the Woozle (a fictional creature) has been replaced by the Recovery (which some would say is also a fictional creature!). The joke is that Pooh and Piglet (read Cameron and Osborne) have been following their own tracks and going round in circles, a metaphor for the government's failure to escape from the economic crisis.
IDIOMS 1. If you are on the right track, you are following a course of action that will eventually lead to success. The irony is that Osborne has been saying that Britain is on the right track for some time now and things have only got worse. There's also a play on the word track, which is a mark that a person, animal, or vehicle leaves on the ground (or in the snow). 2. If you go round in circles, you do something for a long time without achieving any results because you always return to the same problem that you cannot solve. • We're just going round in circles discussing the problem. We need to consult someone else to get a new point of view.
Britain's economy dodged a return to recession in the first quarter of the year, providing some relief for Finance Minister George Osborne, who's come under pressure from the IMF to slow the pace of austerity. Joanna Partridge asks if the UK is doing enough to rebalance its economy.
TRANSCRIPT REPORTER: A spring bounce, as the British economy blooms back to life. The UK grew by 0.3% in the first quarter of the year, avoiding a triple dip recession. The GDP figures were better than expected, says Joe Grice from the Office for National Statistics. JOE GRICE: "It does look as if we have been on a plateau, a plateau with a gentle upward trend, and quite a bumpy one. So there is some growth since the trough of the recession, but it's been quite shallow and quite bumpy from one quarter to the next." REPORTER: The figures will come as a relief to British Finance Minister George Osborne, who was meeting with UK entrepreneurs. He's renewed his commitment to getting rid of Britain's budget deficit in 5 years. Osborne's debt-reduction plans were previously supported by the IMF, but it recently said the UK might need to slow the pace of austerity. In addition, ratings agency Fitch recently stripped the UK of its triple A credit rating. The GDP figures may help Osborne to convince the IMF Britain's recovery is on track. GEORGE OSBORNE: "Our economy is growing, jobs are being created, this is the right long-term course for the United Kingdom and we will not shift from the entrepreneurial path we have chosen." REPORTER: East London's the centre of the UK tech scene and is home to many new start-ups. Analysts say the fact that many traditional sectors like construction are still shrinking shows there's still work to be done to rebalance the British economy. Joanna Shields is CEO of the UK's Tech City Investment Organisation. Along with Osborne, she unveiled the Future Fifty programme - designed to help 50 UK firms grow faster. She believes the UK should focus more on entrepreneurship, to boost the technology sector. JOANNA SHIELDS: "We need to make entrepreneurship cool, we need to make it a credible career path. We need to teach more entrepreneurship in schools, we need to fill that skills gap with the right information and then of course the right role models." REPORTER: Britain's GDP data is only a preliminary estimate and could still be revised. But it may make it less likely that the Bank of England will expand its quantitative easing programme in May. The UK government will now hope the ride to recovery continues more smoothly, before the next election in May 2015.
VOCABULARY A triple-dip recession is defined as the third time there are two consecutive quarters of negative growth, the textbook definition of a recession.
