AMERICAN MOSAIC - A Report on Podcasting / Music By Bobby Sh

AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ - A Report on Podcasting / Music By Bobby Short / A Question About April Fool's Day
By Ed Stautberg and Nancy Steinbach

Broadcast: Friday, April 01, 2005

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HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC, in VOA Special English.

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I'm Doug Johnson. On our show this week: Music by Bobby ShorT...A question from a listener about April Fool's Day...And a report on something called podcasting.

Podcasting

HOST:

Here is something new: people are listening to the radio without using a radio. They are also producing radio shows to broadcast on the Internet. It is called podcasting. Phoebe Zimmermann explains.

ANNCR:

Podcasting is also called personal radio. A person who has a computer and a special microphone² can record a radio show about anything. This technology is new because listeners can put the recording⁴ onto portable⁵ electronic devices⁶ and listen to them away from the computer.

 
Apple iPod
The name podcasting came from one of these portable electronic devices, the iPod made by the Apple computer company. An iPod is small. It can copy, save and play music and written material. You do not have to have an iPod to listen to the broadcasts; many people also listen to them on a computer with Internet connection.

The new broadcasters enjoy sharing information with their listeners. Many say podcasting is a new form of the Internet Web log³ or blog. It is another way for a person to offer his or her ideas to anyone who is interested.

People broadcast about many subjects, including religion, their everyday lives or hobbies such as fishing or drinking wine. Right now, a very popular podcast is called "The Dawn and Drew Show". Dawn and Drew are a young wife and husband who live in the state of Wisconsin. Their show is meant to be funny. In it, they talk about their lives and whatever interests them at that moment. They bring guests to their show, including their parents and other family members.

Not much competition exists right now among the different podcasts. Many people speak on more than one. They are usually friendly. One Web site has a list of the ten most popular podcasts based on votes by listeners. It is called podcast alley⁷ dot com. It also lists interesting new podcasts.

Thousands of podcasts are being created all over the world. If you are interested in finding⁸ out about them, go to podcastalley.com. That is spelled p-o-d-c-a-s-t-a-l-l-e-y dot com. You can find a podcast that interests you. Or you might try to create your own.

April Fool's Day

HOST:

Our VOA listener question this week comes from Vietnam. Myle asks about the history of April Fool's Day on April first. Today is April Fool's Day in the United States. It is not an important American holiday like the Fourth of July or Labor⁹ Day. It is not observed by schools or the government. It is just a day when people play tricks on each other.

History experts say people have been doing this for a long time. They also say it is difficult to know how it began. Some believe the tradition comes from the ancient Romans more than two thousand years ago. Others say the day for fooling began in France in fifteen sixty-four when King Charles changed the yearly¹⁰ calendar. He moved New Year's Day from April first to January first.

Many people did not know about the change because of the communications problems in those days. Others knew about the change, but refused to accept it. So some people continued to celebrate New Year's Day on April first. Other people called them April Fools and played jokes on them.

The French called them "poissons d'avril" or "April Fish" because young fish are easily caught. This tradition later spread to other countries like Britain. The early settlers from Britain brought April fooling to the American colonies¹¹.

Americans today still play tricks on each other on April Fool's Day. Children might put signs on the backs of their friends that say "kick me" or "hit me." They might tell their friends that school has been cancelled. Or they might go to a house, ring the doorbell, run away, then yell¹² "April Fool's!" when the homeowner comes to the door.

We found a Web site that claims to list the top one hundred April Fool's Day jokes of all time. Maybe you remember this one. It took place on April first, nineteen ninety-six. The Taco Bell fast food company made an announcement in newspaper advertisements. It said it was buying the famous Liberty¹³ Bell from the federal¹⁴ government to help reduce the national debt.

The Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is one of America's most historic¹⁵ treasures. The company said it was re-naming it the "Taco Liberty Bell." Many people did not realize it was a joke. Hundreds of angry people called the National Historic Park in Philadelphia to protest¹⁶ the action. A few hours later, Taco Bell admitted its April Fool's joke!

Bobby Short

HOST:

American singer Bobby Short died last week in New York City of the blood disease¹⁷ leukemia. Bobby Short was eighty years old. Gwen Outen tells us about him.

ANNCR:

Bobby Short performed all over the world. He entertained American presidents and European royalty¹⁸. He was well known for singing the great American songs written by Cole Porter¹⁹, Duke Ellington and George Gershwin. He was nominated²⁰ for a Grammy Award in two thousand for his album "You're the Top: The Love Songs of Cole Porter." Listen as he sings the title song.

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Bobby Short dances with designer Gloria Vanderbilt in 1980 
Bobby Short was born in Danville, Illinois. He was the ninth of ten children. As a child, he sang and played the piano to earn money for his family during the great economic Depression in the nineteen thirties. Later, he performed around the United States and in Europe. For more than thirty-five years, Bobby Short performed six nights a week at the Carlyle Hotel in New York City. Here is a song from another Grammy-nominated album, "Late Night at the Cafe Carlyle."

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Bobby Short wrote two books about his life. He also performed his music and appeared in movies and on television. But he will always be remembered for his sweet, smooth voice. We leave you now with another song from Bobby Short – "Every Time We Say Goodbye."

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HOST:

I'm Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program.

Our show was written by Ed Stautberg and Nancy Steinbach. Caty Weaver²¹ was our producer. Join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC, VOA's radio magazine in Special English.

1 mosaic   

n./adj.镶嵌细工的，镶嵌工艺品的，嵌花式的

参考例句：

• The sky this morning is a mosaic of blue and white.今天早上的天空是幅蓝白相间的画面。
• The image mosaic is a troublesome work.图象镶嵌是个麻烦的工作。

2 microphone   

n.扩音器，麦克风，话筒

参考例句：

• He gave a tap at the microphone before speaking.他在讲话前先轻叩了一下扩音器。
• She behaved naturally before the microphone.她在话筒前表现自然。

3 log   

n.记录，圆木，日志；v.伐木，切，航行

参考例句：

• They log for a living.他们以伐木为生。
• And then what do you do with that log?然后你要拿那些记录做什么呢？

4 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

5 portable   

adj.轻便的，手提式的；n.便携的东西

参考例句：

• I have a portable typewriter.我有一个便携式打字机。
• There is a pretty portable pair of steps in one corner of the room.屋角放着一架小巧玲珑的折梯。

6 devices   

n.设备；装置( device的名词复数 )；花招；（为实现某种目的的）计划；手段

参考例句：

• electrical labour-saving devices around the home 节省劳力的各种家用电器
• modern labour-saving devices such as washing machines and dishwashers 诸如洗衣机和洗碗机之类的现代化省力设备

7 alley   

n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路

参考例句：

• We live in the same alley.我们住在同一条小巷里。
• The blind alley ended in a brick wall.这条死胡同的尽头是砖墙。

8 finding   

n.发现，发现物；调查的结果

参考例句：

• The finding makes some sense.该发现具有一定的意义。
• That's an encouraging finding.这是一个鼓舞人心的发现。

9 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

10 yearly   

adj.每年的，一年一度的；adv.一年一次地

参考例句：

• The flower show is a yearly event in our town.我们镇上的花展一年举行一次。
• The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。

11 colonies   

n.殖民地( colony的名词复数 )；（侨民等）聚居区；（动植物的）群体；（来自同一地方，职业或兴趣相同的）聚居人群

参考例句：

• They amassed huge wealth by plundering the colonies. 他们通过掠夺殖民地聚敛了大笔的财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• But throughout the colonies, people relied primarily on small farms and self-sufficiency. 但就整个殖民地来说，人们主要依靠小型农场，过着自给自足的生活。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

12 yell   

vi./n.号叫，叫喊

参考例句：

• This gave them a chance to yell.这给了他们大声喊叫的机会。
• When his schoolmate made the last goal,the boy gave out with an untrammeled yell.那个男孩在他的同学踢进最后一球时不禁纵声欢呼。

13 liberty   

n.自由，自由权；冒昧行为

参考例句：

• He stood for the cause of liberty and justice.他为自由和正义的事业而奋斗。
• You are at liberty to do as you please.你可以随意行事。

14 federal   

adj.联盟的；联邦的；(美国)联邦政府的

参考例句：

• Switzerland is a federal republic.瑞士是一个联邦共和国。
• The schools are screaming for federal aid.那些学校强烈要求联邦政府的援助。

15 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。

16 protest   

v.反对，抗议；宣称；n.抗议；宣称

参考例句：

• I can't pass the matter by without a protest.我不能对此事视而不见，我要提出抗议。
• We translated his silence as a protest.我们把他的沉默解释为抗议。

17 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

18 royalty   

n.皇家，皇族

参考例句：

• She claims to be descended from royalty.她声称她是皇室后裔。
• I waited on tables，and even catered to royalty at the Royal Albert Hall.我做过服务生， 甚至在皇家阿伯特大厅侍奉过皇室的人。

19 porter   

n.搬运工人；守门人，门房

参考例句：

• The hotel porter will help you.旅馆的门童可以帮你的忙。
• The porter and I looked at each other and smiled.我和脚夫微笑着你看着我，我看着你。

20 nominated   

adj.被提名的，被任命的 动词nominate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• She has been nominated for the presidency. 她已经获得了董事长职位的提名。
• The movie was nominated for an Oscar. 这部电影获奥斯卡金像奖提名。

21 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。