Auld Lang Syne (Learning by Singing)

Auld Lang Syne¹

Robert Burns, 1788

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

and never brought to mind ?

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

and days of auld lang syne?

[CHORUS]

For auld lang syne, my dear/jo (dear),

for auld lang syne,

we'll take a cup of kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

 

And surely you’ll be (buy) your pint-stoup!

And surely I’ll be (buy) mine!

And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

[CHORUS]

 

We twa (two) hae (have) run about² the braes (slopes),

and pu’d (pulled) the gowans (daisies) fine;

But we’ve wandered mony (many) a weary foot,

since auld lang syne.

[CHORUS]

 

We twa (two) hae (have) paidl’d (paddled) in the burn (stream),

Frae (from) morning sun till dine;

But seas between us braid (broad) hae (have) roared

since auld lang syne.

[CHORUS]

 

And there’s a hand, my trusty friend!

And give us a hand o’ thine³!

And we’ll take a right gude-willie (goodwill) waught (draught⁴),

for auld lang syne.

[CHORUS]

----------

 

1 auld lang syne

►old long since; days of long ago; the good old days.

2 about

►[British English]  in many different directions within a place or in different parts of a place [= around]

--People were rushing about, trying to find the driver.

3 thine

►[old use] yours

4 draught [British English]

=draft[American English]

►Beer that is on draught is served from a large container rather than a bottle.

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Old Glory (Learning by Singing)

Old Glory[1]

Lyrics and music by Phil Stacey

In the midnight hour I see her waving proudly thru the night.
The stars and stripes she bares are a glorious site.
They represent all the heroes who couldn't stand to see her fall.
They represent this great nation and remind us all.

There is still a land of freedom and a home for the brave,
A nation under God where justice reigns.
There's a country united however different we may be.
We can walk a little taller[2] when we see, Old Glory.

There is strength within her colors and a courage all can see
That brings hope and peace to some and others to their knees[3].
There is power in her presence and a calm within her wave
And if you listen closely you can hear her say.

There is still a land of freedom and a home for the brave,
A nation under God where justice reigns.
There's a country united however different we may be.
We can walk a little taller when we see, Old Glory.

She's been tattered. She's been turned, been abused and even burned.
But she hasn't lost a thread of dignity, because her strength can't be found in her colors or her bounds. Her strength is found in you and me.

So let us all remember the sacrifices made,
The battle we've won and the prayers we've prayed.

Let's make sure that our heroes didn't sacrifice in vain.
Let us join together and proudly proclaim.

There is still a land of freedom and a home for the brave,
A nation under God where justice reigns.
There's a country united however different we may be.
We can walk a little taller when we see, Old Glory.
So let's walk a little taller when we see, Old Glory, Old Glory.
--------

[1] Old Glory

►The national flag of the United States of America.

[2] walk tall

►Show pride and self-confidence.

-- The most important thing she taught us was to walk tall.

[3] bring someone / something to their knees

►Make someone submit; reduce to a position of subservience; to destroy or defeat someone or something.

--You've got to bring the battle to a final effort to bring the enemy to their knees.

--Ignored for decades, even centuries, China's environmental problems have the potential to bring the country to its knees economically.

--Out-of-control inflation brought the economy to its knees.

--------

Old Glory is the American flag’s name. Many American songs are titled “Old Glory”. This is a new one written by Phil Stacey, the finalist of American Idol 2007, while he was on active duty in the Navy. The song is not only patriotic but also inspiring.

Phil Stacey performed it in public for the first time in Wichita, Kansas to help the people of Greensburg rebuild their town after suffering massive damage from a tornado.

Let's listen to the song:

http://tw.youtube.com/watch?v=Lx0eJtdUakE

http://tw.youtube.com/watch?v=SDerz26VEYY

Chaos (Word of the Day, 2009/1/7)

chaos /ˋkeɑs/(noun)

►A state of extreme confusion and disorder

--The country was plunged into economic chaos.

--There was chaos in the town after the hurricane had struck.

--Without rules, people would live in a state of chaos

►The formless and disordered state of matter before the creation of the cosmos

--The Greeks explained in their history that the Universe was created out of chaos.

Chaos (noun)

--In Greek mythology, Chaos (Xάος) or Khaos is the original state of existence from which the first gods appeared.

chaos(physics/mathematics)

►A dynamical system that is extremely sensitive to its initial conditions

-- The "chaos theory" is named after the fact that the systems which the theory describes are apparently disordered, but the theory is really about finding the underlying order in apparently random data.

Phrases

complete/utter/absolute etc chaos

--There was total chaos on the road

in chaos

--The kitchen was in chaos.

--The global economy is in chaos because of the greed of a few on Wall Street.

descent into chaos

--They attempt to balance excessive change with stability to prevent descent into chaos.

throw into chaos

►to make people feel very confused and not certain about what they should do

--The transport industry has been thrown into chaos by the strike.

Verbs used with chaos

bring, cause, control, create, end, lead, plunge, result, throw

--Human beings have themselves been responsible for bringing chaos and pain back to a world of ordered beauty.

--Flooding and snow have caused chaos in much of the Central South area.

--What would that do except create chaos?

--Unprepared liberalization can lead to economic chaos.

--Wholesale chaos occasionally results in selective progress.

chaotic/keˋɑtɪk/(adjective)

►Lacking a visible order or organization

►Completely unordered and unpredictable and confusing

--The city traffic was chaotic.

--The chaotic social and economic conditions could lead to civil war.

►Of or relating to a sensitive dependence on initial conditions

--Everyday examples of chaotic systems include weather and climate.

Personal Observation : A Better Railway Service in England

A3 Speech, Rebecca Chou

Traveling by train probably is a common experience we all had before, and we all knew the origin of this transportation started from England because of the industrial revolution. As our railway company suffers from big losses, it would be a good idea to learn something from other countries. Since I have stayed in England for a while, I’d like to share my observation with you and hopefully provide another option to improve our service.

 

Besides the difference of territory and population, the Railway UK has three unique marketing strategies to attract customers.

 

First, they provide special offers to different groups of people. People aged over 60 are free to take any trains. For young people from 16 to 26 or full time students, there is a youth railcard for them. Once they spend 20 pounds for this card, they can buy tickets with only one third of the original price at anytime within a year. With a group of four people, the price will be paid for only two when you buy the round-way/return tickets. Traveling at off-peak time can save you money if you don’t belong to any of the above groups.

 

The best part is that if you buy tickets in advance, you can pay less. Early-bird discount is beyond your expectation. I decided to go to London last Christmas and the price of return ticket went up from 32 pounds to 59 pounds within one week. Of course I paid 59 so I learnt how to save money for following journeys. Normally the price is 24 pounds but when it’s bank or national holiday, the price will be higher because cheaper tickets are longer available. Because of this system, the railway company can make sure the capacity beforehand and make the best arrangement for all passengers especially when the number is increasing, more cars will be needed. This assures the efficiency of their service and reduces unnecessary cost, such as, ticket refund.

 

Second, they have online booking service accessible for everyone. You can book ticket at anytime you want. Our system is scheduled for two-week term and is opened only from 6am to 9pm everyday but they can buy tickets within six weeks from today at anytime, anywhere because the system will send the ticket to their houses. But we have to book the return ticket separately. They have to pay online but with one booking procedure, they can get return ticket. Let’s see the website now and I’ll show you how easy it works to book tickets online.

Choose your location and destination and then the preferred date and time. Don’t forget to book your ticket earlier to enjoy discount. Make sure the station names are correct otherwise you will go to somewhere you don’t want to go. For example, there are six zones in London so it’s better to find the closer one to save your time. After that, you will see different routes showing you can take direct train or take two or more than two transitions. It depends on your time allowance. Sometimes you will wait more than one hour for the next train. If you don’t want to be late, you need to check it very carefully.

 

Then, press a button “check fares” and it will show you the price. The more the transition stops, the less you have to pay. Press another one “go” and it leads you to the purchasing page. Log in your email address and password or register as a newcomer and give them your postcode and search for your address and it’s done. Just give them your credit card number then you can wait for your mail.

 

Third, they have strategic alliance with different industry offering a whole package of service. The Plusbus project gives you a chance to buy the railway tickets with an extra little money for the day pass bus ticket. If you go to London with a person, you can show the tickets and spend less for museum admission fee, delicious meal or theater ticket.

 

Taiwan Railway Company is facing strong competition with HSR and other public transportation; however, learning from other countries may be another solution. I don’t take trains very often in Taiwan but I definitely want to have more special offers as a customer. Therefore, it’s time for them to re-consider the pricing, booking system and promotional strategy.

Charity Shop: A New Shopping Paradise

A2 Speech, Rebecca Chou

Have you thought about shopping can help others? In Britain, there are different charity organizations opening its own shops to collect donations which are things people don’t need anymore and sell them to those who don’t want to spend that much money or to those who are willing to help others because most of the revenue goes to support their specific purposes but they all have the same motive, that is, to provide others a better life. I like shopping in charity shops because I will never know what I will get and I can help different people with my own little money.

Charity shops are a type of social enterprise. They usually sell mainly second-hand goods donated by the public, and are often staffed by volunteers. Because the items for sale are free, and business costs are low, the items can be sold at very low prices. After costs are paid, all remaining income from the sales is used for the organization's stated charitable purpose. Costs include maintenance, municipal service fees, water, electricity, telephone, limited advertising and the rent or mortgage.

Based on the time limit, I will focus on the benefits of charity shops and if you are interested in more details, you may take a look of the handout with the most popular charity shops. Below you will see some pictures of them.

......Charity shops can provide three benefits.

First, it is a good way of fundraising for social welfare organizations. They sell second hand things from books, clothing, CDs, to furniture, footwear, cookware, toys…Almost everything you need in daily life. So the shops do not have problem of cost and they can sell them in very low price to attract people who don’t want to spend too much. They have their target consumers and when it’s the credit crunch now, more and more people will be interested in used goods. According to an article of the Guardian on July 13, they said “charity shops benefit from crisis”. What I wear today is all from charity shops. And guess what? It’s just about 10 pounds only!! You can find good quality things with little money. We may find excuses for ourselves not donate money to the social welfare organizations but we can’t resist the stimulation of shopping. It’s human nature.

guardian.co.uk TheObserver Charity shops benefit from crisis Heather Stewart and Zoe Wood guardian.co.uk, Sunday July 13 2008 00.01 BST The Observer, Sunday July 13 2008 Article history Middle-class shoppers are pouncing on bargains in charity shops and searching for savings in value supermarkets as the credit crunch bites. Oxfam reports a sharp rise in browsers in its 729 stores. 'We have had an improvement in footfall and sales in the last quarter, if not a little bit longer,' said its deputy trading director, Barney Tallack. He said that just as in the 1991 recession, customer numbers are increasing - but it is sometimes hard to get the stock, as hard-pressed consumers hang on to their old clothes for a little longer. In another sign of tightening belts, Asda reports this weekend that a quarter of its sales growth in the past year has come from 'AB' shoppers - those in the top social classes. Chief executive Andy Bond said 'a tough economic climate means that more and more people are shopping for value'. Tesco corporate and legal affairs director Lucy Neville-Rolfe said rising energy and food prices were also leading customers to stock up on home insulation, composters and gardening equipment, while sales of energy-saving light bulbs have quadrupled, with over 10 million sold.

Second, they build up a specific social network for customers and their staffs. They recruit volunteers to be the shop assistants and most of them are elderly or unemployed people, students or housewives. They have plenty of time to decorate the shop, arrange the donations, and the most important is to socialize with people. It’s a great opportunity for them to talk to people, get in touch with others and get feedbacks from the customers to build up their confidence or release the emptiness. Sometimes they can also help customers who are normally disadvantaged families or elderly people because some of them will come to the shop buying nothing but be very happy to talk to them as they don’t have anyone to listen to them. All the volunteers are very friendly saying “Morning, sweet heart” and actually sometimes they do become friends of customers.

The last, it helps to reduce and recycle the waste. People used to throw away things they don’t need anymore; however, some may create different value of those unwanted things. If you want to donate old furniture, they can collect it for free. So why not give them away to charity shops? You can make profit for the charity and help others and make the garbage disappear at the same time. Take myself as an example. Before going back home, I brought a single quilt, a bed sheet and a pair of boots to the shops in Barnstaple and let others to re-use them with a very low price without any waste or I would be worried about how to empty the garbage bin in the shared house.

It’s probably not easy for us to have this kind of shops in Taiwan as we already have flea markets. But at least it’s another option for our government to improve the distribution of social resource and for all the social welfare organizations to attain their annual target with more ease. Moreover, being a volunteer is also a kind of citizenship education. With fundraising ability and an opportunity to help ourselves and others and to reduce garbage, charity shops are somewhere you can’t miss and have the potential to be a new shopping paradise.

Couchsurfing: Surfing Couches Around the World

A1 Speech, Rebecca Chou

Traveling is interesting but sometimes it costs quite a lot. If you want to go on vacation with very little money, Couchsurfing is the best choice for you. It’s a worldwide non-profit organization where you can meet new people with different culture and once you are a member, you may apply for free accommodation around the world.

I joined it before going to the UK because I know I wouldn’t have much money for traveling as we didn’t have much salary. So after my friend’s suggestion, I found the website and signed myself in.

The only thing you have to do is writing your personal profile, like, personal description, interest, philosophy, types of people you enjoy, favorite music, movies, or books, languages and etc as a self-introduction. Then you can enjoy surfing other members’ couches. You can send out your requests and wait for reply. Of course, not every time you can get positive answer but it’s always worth trying.

 

When you set your profile, you may decide to be a member with a couch, or just a cup of coffee/tea which means you can accommodate someone or you can just meet up with them. You may need to describe your couch or room and upload a picture for review. It’s totally up to you. If you are welcoming people to stay with you for a couple of days, you can show you have a couch to share. Or you can just be a local tour guide and tell others where to go or what to see when they come to your city or town. Or you will be traveling at the moment and is not available to host anyone like me at that time.

However, saving money is not the only purpose I join couchsurfing. Practicing languages, increasing life experiences and making friends with people who probably have the same interests or hobbies are the other advantages you can find if you’d to try it.

I start with introducing myself to other couchsurfers including my itinerary and planning and ask them for their available dates to host me. Even though we are absolutely strangers, they are still very friendly and nice. Most of the time, I need to use English and it helps me to understand the art of communication. As you know, I went to England to teach Mandarin but before going there, I have no idea about English people. Then I found the way they use English is different from the Americans. They are very conservative and polite and you need to be very indirect when you talk to them. For example, if you are asking for something, you may have to say “Is it possible for you to bring something to me?” Honestly, I am not used to speak English like this probably because I watch too many Hollywood movies. So I learnt how to talk to English people. Always start with the weather. Or greet people with “Are you alright?” And many couchsurfers I met during my journey are curious about Tibet when they saw the news on TV. They also like to ask me what different between China and Taiwan. Then I have to use my poor English to explain the political situations in Tibet and Taiwan. They also want to know about Kaohsiung or anything about Taiwan so I try to be their tour guide and find different pictures on google so that they can get to know my city as well.

 

Moreover, you may wonder couchsurfing is only for young people or is only for very active people but as a matter of fact, many middle-aged or retired people are couchsurfers and they are all from different background. I met a couchsurfer in Oxford who is already 67 and he teaches English to wealthy new comers. Another one in Oxford is a lady, 39, from Italy and she is a physicist in Oxford University and she plays Frisbee for Italian team. I also met a Taiwanese couchsurfer in Edinburgh and she studies bio-technology. A computer programmer who is a gay , a couple, one is a social volunteer and the other is a doctor in London, a town councilor in Swansea, a musician in Nottingham or another couple who are both nurses in Newcastle, a Californian housewife in Newport or a journalist-to-be and bride-to-be in Edinburgh. When I stay with them, sometimes we will cook together or share our opinions about global warming or other problems. I have made fried noodles, spring opinion pancakes and red bean tang yuan and since I am not good at cooking, they are not very tasty but still not too bad except tang yuan. At least, it’s a whole new experience for them and for me.

Some of them became friends of mine and I appreciate their help for offering me a free place to stay and welcome me as a family or a friend. You may say couchsurfers are people who love traveling and sharing and I am very happy to join this big family. At least it’s easier than Toastmasters. You don’t have to deliver speeches or take any assignments.

At last, we have local couchsurfers in three major cities from Taipei, Taichuang to Kaohsiung and other places. Probably you can find one in 屏東 and plan your 海角七號 day tour with a free local guide and free house to stay.

Not every time you will have wonderful experience. At least I had one unlucky chance when I went to Wales and I waited for a couchsurfer for over 3 hours till midnight. But I still believe Couchsurfing is a warming place for people who love traveling and sharing. I have been to Spain and the UK but hope to go to the United States, Italy or Japan in the future. Are you looking forward meeting someone in Taiwan or abroad? It’s time to join Couchsurfing and enjoy couchsurfing!

Slump (Word of the Day, 2008/10/1)

slump /slʌmp/ verb [intransitive]

►to fall or lean against something because you are not strong enough to stand

--She slumped with grief.

slump against/over/back/in/into/on/onto etc.

--She slumped against the wall.

--Carol slumped back in her chair, defeated.

--He slumped onto the couch.

--A witness stated that he had seen the driver slump over the wheel immediately before the accident.

►to suddenly go down in price, value, or number

--Sales slumped by 20% last year.

--Oil prices slump four dollars as greenback rises.

slump to

-- The currency slumped to a record low.

--The Dow Jones index slumped 180 to 10,098.2, its lowest since this year.

►(also be slumped) if your shoulders or head slump or are slumped, they bend forward because you are unhappy, tired, or unconscious:

--Her shoulders slumped and her eyes filled with tears.

slumped /slʌmpt/ adjective

-- For the last two years OPEC has reduced the production of oil to boost slumped prices.

slump noun [countable, usually singular]

►a sudden decrease in prices, sales, profits etc

slump in

--A drop in consumer confidence has caused a slump in house sales in 2008.

►a period when there is a reduction in business and many people lose their jobs

--The war was followed by an economic slump.

--Stocks in Taiwan continued to fall on Monday in the wake of a worldwide slump prompted by last week's market plunge in New York, causing Taiwan's economics minister to call for investors to hold their stocks.

►(especially American English) a period when a player or team does not play well

--The team went into a slump.

►landslide in which mass of rock moves as a coherent body

--Heavy rain caused a slump.

in a slump

--The US’ housing market has been in a slump for more than two years.

slumpflation /ˋslʌmpˏfleʃən/ noun

►bad financial period: an economic situation in which an economic depression is accompanied by increasing inflation

-- The Chairman of the Fed in the USA says the current situation is not like the 1970s and the slumpflation crisis at that time.