Transcript of Premium Bonus Ep 073- Transcript

Charlie:
Hello and welcome to the British English Podcast. Today's episode is going to be all about news, but not just news. Positive news, good news and maybe some funny and silly news. And don't worry, I'm not going to be your only anchor of this episode. We have a co-anchor with us today called Stephen Devincenzi, and he does a podcast called Send Seven or Simple English News Daily. Stephen has already been on the podcast before. He's he's back. Um, after. Yeah. Just needing an insane amount of good news back in my life. So, Stephen, how are you today? Are you doing alright?

Stephen:
I am very well, thank you Charlie. It's great to be back here on your podcast. I think it's been more than a year since we last spoke, and. Uh, yeah, got lots of good and, uh, funny news to to talk about today.

Charlie:
Excellent. Excellent stuff. Yeah. Thank you very much for coming back on. Um, since we spoke, I think you said that you went full time podcast. How's that life treating you? I know it well. How's it going?

Stephen:
Yeah. That's right. Yeah, yeah. So last July, I finished my job in the primary school that I was working at, and I've just been full time podcasting since then, and it's been great. Yeah, it's, a really enjoyable life. It's difficult. Of course. Um, there's so many things to do that people don't see, which I'm sure you know about. Um, but it's it's been really good.

Charlie:
Lots of hats. You've got to wear lots of hats in this role, haven't you?

Stephen:
Absolutely. Yeah. There's the, uh, thinking about what to, uh, what to say, and then the recording and the editing and the producing and the internet side of things, and then publicity side of things, and talking to a million people and sending lots of emails. There's lots of things involved in podcasting that people don't see.

Charlie:
Absolutely. Yeah. And with yours, you've got to do a lot of research around the news, obviously. Um is that a big portion or do you have like a good network of people to help you know what news you want to be reporting on?

Stephen:
Yeah. Well, so just in case there is anybody who doesn't know Simple English News Daily. So it's a daily show which is just seven minutes long. And it talks about everything which is happening all around the world. So at least some stories from Europe, at least some stories from Europe or Asia, at least some stories from Africa, at least some stories from the Americas. Every day. Um. And the person whose voice you hear. So most of the time it's me. But sometimes it's my co-host Juliet or my co-host Ben. Uh, the person whose voice you hear is the person who has written everything for that episode. So most of the production time of an episode is just doing the research of what's been happening in the world in the last 12, 24 hours and shortening it, turning it into simple English, and then, uh, and then finally recording it and putting it onto all of the podcast apps. So most of it is, is reading and writing, uh, the new stories. Yeah.

Charlie:
Yeah, yeah. I highly recommend it, guys. Um, it's a very balanced approach, I think, of getting your worldly news or your global news, basically. Um, so yeah, it's a really good one. And I think the last time we we spoke, I said, oh, I just put it on my Alexa. Hopefully that doesn't activate anyone's. Apologies. Um, and and I get all the news in seven minutes really nicely, even though it's kind of, um, delivered for non-natives who are learning English, I still really enjoy it.

Stephen:
Yeah. Yeah, totally. Yeah. I've, I've heard some some native English speakers say that they like, speed it up. They put it on like 1.5 times the speed so they would get it in like four minutes or five or something.

Charlie:
Yeah yeah.

Stephen:
Yeah yeah. That's right.

Charlie:
I quite like the slowness of it. I don't know what that says about me, but, um, we'll leave it there.

Stephen:
Relaxing.

Charlie:
Yeah. It's relaxing. Exactly. Um, so we've got some good news. Some fun news. Funny and some silly news. Um, should we start with some good news?

Stephen:
Yeah. Let's start with the good news.

Charlie:
Yeah. What, uh, what one would you like to go for first? I can see a list here, but I want you to choose the first one.

Stephen:
Okay. Um, well, let's talk about, um, energy. So energy is extremely important. We're using it all the time, aren't we?

Charlie:
Yeah we are.

Stephen:
Um, and last year. So during the whole of 2023, for the very first time, the European Union produced more electricity from renewable energy from renewable sources than from fossil fuels. So this is a real mountain point that we've that we've crossed over here. So within the European Union, more energy was produced from renewable sources last year than from, uh, fossil fuels. And it should be continuing in that trajectory forever.

Charlie:
Yeah. Oh that's fantastic. Sorry. BP and Shell and all of you big fossil fuel burners. But the day has come to bow down to green energy. Renewable energy. Nice. That's that's really cool. Is there a is there a particular format that is paving the way. Is it wind?

Stephen:
Yeah, yeah. It is wind. Wind is the biggest one. So wind is the the biggest. And then after that, do you want to guess?

Charlie:
After that it is, um, what's it, when it's, um, a dam and then there's water pressure?

Stephen:
Yeah. Very good. Yeah. It is that. It's hydro hydroelectricity. Yeah. That's right. That second.

Charlie:
Hydro electricity.

Stephen:
Yeah. And what's after that? Can you go for the, can you guess the third one as well?

Charlie:
Um um um um um um. What about the waves one? I don't know. I don't know if this is big. I don't think this is big. The one where it's like catching the energy of a wave.

Stephen:
Yeah, yeah. I'm not sure. That's not in the reporting that I was looking at, but it's possible that that might be included in the hydroelectricity.

Charlie:
Oh, I see.

Stephen:
Yeah, I'm not sure about that, Charlie. I'll have to check. But yeah, I have heard about the...

Charlie:
Solar!

Stephen:
It is solar. Yes, of course it's solar.

Charlie:
Yeah, because I've got loads of ads on Instagram popping up saying, uh, what's their main line? It's like, you know, that everyone's got solar on their roofs in the UK, right? No they don't. And do you know why they don't? Because they don't know they can! Or something like there's a government policy that will get you it for free. It's like right. Okay. Right. Okay. Yeah.

Stephen:
Yeah. I get the same Instagram ads as you do then, because I'm constantly being tried to try. They're constantly trying to sell me solar panels for my roof as well, but I haven't got them yet. Maybe soon. But yeah that's right. So in third place for the renewable energies it is solar and other other sources only make up a small amount. So it's wind and then hydroelectricity and then solar energy. And altogether those things are now creating more than the whole of the fossil fuel industry. So that is really fantastic.

Charlie:
Incredible. I remember in my geography class, they laughed at the idea of renewable energy, I think. I think they were like, um, oil is going to run out by 2024. Weirdly. I think they said 2024! Or 25 maybe. And they were like, so we really need an option, a new option. But wind is just pathetic. We won't get anywhere with wind, so we need to find another way. But here we are!

Stephen:
Here we are, here we are. And and it looks like it's just going to grow and grow and grow. I think the UK, the new UK government, is planning to triple the amount of wind energy produced in in the UK in the next during this parliament, so that's going to be massive. Um, and yeah, it's constantly going up.

Charlie:
Right. I wonder if, um, the more extreme weather that we're all experiencing now, um, do you think that the optimal wind turbine sort of speed of wind... It needs to be at a threshold? Or is it the faster the better? Like if there's loads of wind, is that just great for it or is it like well chill out. Come on.

Stephen:
I thought that it was just the more the better, but I'm not sure. You're making me doubt myself here because I believe even on pretty slow wind days, they can still make a little bit of electricity. If you're seeing them going around a tiny bit, they're still generating a little bit, which is. Which is good.

Charlie:
Yeah. Um, I do see a lot of them still, which upsets me. They're stationary. The blades.

Stephen:
Do they have any other ones near them which are moving?

Charlie:
Yes.

Stephen:
Yeah. I think that's because they're on slightly different angles. So some of them are picking up the wind when other ones are not, so that there will always be some that are getting it.

Charlie:
Ah that's fascinating. Right. Okay. So they they create the farm in a way that it always captures a, an angle of the wind?

Stephen:
I believe so, but also there will also be, um, which directions they think is most likely to get the most wind, of course, as well.

Charlie:
Yes. Because most of them are pointing in what I would say the same direction, but they're probably slightly off.

Stephen:
That's it. Yeah. And also another little thing that I read about in the newspaper yesterday is, um, that there's been some a funny kind of tourism which has been starting in from Brighton in the south of England and from, uh, from Ramsgate in the east of, of, of England, um, where people are paying to go on boat trips to go to these wind farms, just out of curiosity, like because they were out in the ocean and, you know, from Brighton Beach, you can see you can just about see them in the distance. And like, they look kind of amazing. Like they look they're quite curious things like on the horizon. And these, these boat companies have set up tours just to drive out to them, to sail out to them and to explore them.

Charlie:
Wow, wow. That's that's I don't think I will be going on one of those, but that's great that they've created an opportunity for those who do want to see them. I mean, train spotting is a big hobby.

Stephen:
Yeah, yeah, exactly, exactly.

Charlie:
So why not wind farms?

Stephen:
Yeah. Yeah. But they are quite amazing. Right? And they the I saw that the current size is about the size of, of, uh, Big Ben or the Elizabeth Tower, as we should say, because that's the actual name of the tower. So that's the current size of most of them, right. Of these of the wind farms.

Charlie:
You've just blown my mind. I did not know it was called that. The what? Big Ben is only the clock. And then the tower is the Elizabeth Tower.

Stephen:
Oh my gosh, we're on. This is the British English podcast, right?

Charlie:
I know, I know.

Stephen:
Wow. Come on Charlie. Yeah yeah yeah. Okay. No. Well, you only need to learn this once because it will stick with you forever. And all of the listeners. Yeah. The name of the the clock is Big Ben. The name of the tower that it's in, which is wrongly called Big Ben all the time. That is the Elizabeth Tower.

Charlie:
The Elizabeth tower.

Stephen:
Yeah, yeah. Named after Queen Elizabeth the second. Uh.

Charlie:
But why? Why the second? Was it built in her era?

Stephen:
Actually, it was, um, it was built in the. I think it was built in the middle of the 19th century. So, like the 1850s or 60s or something.

Charlie:
So why did she get it to claim?

Stephen:
Because before it didn't have a name. It was just called the Clock Tower. And then during the, uh, Elizabeth II's reign, so relatively recently, it was for one of the Jubilees. I think. They changed the name from just Clock Tower to the Elizabeth Tower.

Charlie:
Right. Okay. The Elizabeth tower.

Stephen:
Anyway, the reason that I said this was to say that, um, the, uh, the current size of the wind turbines is about the same size as the Elizabeth Tower. Um, Big Ben, aka Big Ben. Um, and the new ones that they're going to be constructing are going to be taller than the Eiffel Tower.

Charlie:
Oh!

Stephen:
Yeah. So that is absolutely huge. I mean.

Charlie:
I might sound like a hypocrite, but get me on that boat tour. That that's impressive,

Stephen:
Right? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. So when they're only as tall as, uh, as the Elizabeth Tower. Nah. But if you to go out and see some as tall as the Eiffel Tower. Okay, sign me up.

Charlie:
Yeah, sign me up. Okay. That is very tall. Yeah. And so, bigger blades, more wind or more energy from the wind. Right?

Stephen:
Yeah. I suppose the only reason that they can be going bigger and bigger is just to get more electricity.

Charlie:
I suppose bigger and better, baby. Okay, so that is EU renewable energy. Is there anything else that we should be adding to this impressive good news?

Stephen:
Uh, I just think keep it up. It's working. Yeah. Yeah.

Charlie:
Keep it up, guys. Keep it up. Go on Europe. But yeah, Europe is only one continent. We need the others to join in. Are they looking a bit bleak or.

Stephen:
Yeah, I think it's different in different parts of the world, but I think in most places it's going in the right direction. But probably not as fast as. As in, in Europe.

Charlie:
Yeah. Team Europe leading the way. Come on, guys, catch up.

Stephen:
Go on, choose another one, Charlie.

Charlie:
Next one. I've got to go to it. Elephant and rhino populations are up.

Stephen:
Yeah, that is right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, um, essentially the total number of elephants and rhinos in the world throughout the 20th century was just going down and down and down and down and down. Through. Not good, not good. Through. I mean, largely through poaching. So the animals being killed for their ivory, that's their tusks and teeth. Um, and that was it's mostly been made illegal in most parts of the world, but it's kind of continued in some ways with poaching. So people, uh, killing these animals illegally and and taking their tusks and teeth and, and selling them and things like that.

Charlie:
Yeah mental. To us, it's mental. I find it weird to think that maybe a couple of generations ago, you would buy the ivory quite comfortably. I don't know if that was connected to the poaching. It probably wasn't really. Like people didn't really think. Oh, yeah, this was poached and killed and then served to me in this way. But, um, yeah, pretty mental for us. Like, if I, if I got my hands on something that was made of ivory, I would feel like I'm holding a blood diamond kind of thing.

Stephen:
Yeah, yeah. Like, I suppose the same thing has happened with fur coats.

Charlie:
Yes.

Stephen:
This was something which was a real luxury, you know, a hundred years ago or less. Um, you know, a woman wearing something that came from a fox or a or some other animal. And today, I mean, imagine a woman going into a cocktail party wearing a fur coat. Yeah. I mean, people would look at that and.

Charlie:
Bold statement.

Stephen:
More than bold. It's quite brave. Quite brave. You know, it would, uh, people wouldn't like it. So this is it's changed quite, quite rapidly. But anyway, the good news about this is that, uh, in the last ten years or so, the populations have stabilised and even increased of both elephants and rhinos. And that is mostly from these big conservation efforts of really controlling the populations, uh, putting these national parks where you say nobody can go in and controlling the poaching, making sure that they have what they need and that they're not interfered with by the human population.

Charlie:
That's right.

Stephen:
Yeah. And and some and some help with reproduction and things like that.

Charlie:
I was going to say, because that's a dangerous game to get into for a human. Like we're quite small compared to these mammals.

Stephen:
Yes we are.

Charlie:
So I'm thinking of Ace Ventura right now. Um, was it Ace Ventura where he went into a rhino?

Stephen:
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I think so.

Charlie:
Oh, no. He pretended to be a rhino, didn't he?

Stephen:
Yeah. Yeah, I think I've watched this film when I was ten or something.

Charlie:
And then a rhino thought the robot rhino was real and that. Yeah, yeah yeah yeah.

Stephen:
Yeah.

Charlie:
So it's a dangerous sport to to help elephants and rhinos procreate. But it's an essential one, I guess, that humans have gotten better at.

Stephen:
Yeah.

Charlie:
I guess that's what you're saying.

Stephen:
Yeah, I think so.

Charlie:
So we're getting better at not poaching or banning the poaching or penalising the poaching and or shooting them? No and then. And then also helping them have some fun together.

Stephen:
Yeah, I think that's mostly it, but but more than anything, I think it is just from having these designated areas where they're just able to live their normal lives.

Charlie:
Okay. Yes.

Stephen:
Like real conservation.

Charlie:
Yeah. Guys, here's a big park. Have at it.

Stephen:
Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Yeah. That's it. Um, and so over the. So for elephants, there's about 400,000 in Africa, which sounds like a lot. But it was many, many millions before humans started making cities and things like that 100 years ago. So, so. But 400,000.

Charlie:
Many millions. Do you know how many millions?

Stephen:
I don't know how many millions, unfortunately. But I know that it was a number in the maybe tens of millions or something like that.

Charlie:
I mean, imagine the, the, the, the aim of trying to count that without the technology that we have today. 100 years ago. Go out and count all the elephants in Africa.

Stephen:
Yeah. Would take a while. Yeah, yeah.

Charlie:
So lots of millions.

Stephen:
That's right. Yeah.

Charlie:
Almost under half a million now.

Stephen:
Right. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. But the number has come up in the last ten years, so that's the important thing. Um, and in Asia, there's about 50,000 elephants. And that population is also slightly up over the last ten years as well.

Charlie:
Do we know how many they had before?

Stephen:
Oh, gosh, Charlie, you.

Charlie:
Know I don't mean.

Stephen:
Very difficult questions!

Charlie:
I don't mean like.

Stephen:
They. They. Yeah.

Charlie:
As in, as in Asia, were the elephants as plentiful in Asia as they were in Africa?

Stephen:
I don't think so. I don't think there was no but oh, gosh.

Charlie:
No, no, no.

Stephen:
Shall I Google? Shall I Google? No I'm not going to Google. Okay.

Charlie:
No it's fine. But okay. So Asia and Africa are both on the up with the elephants.

Stephen:
Right, right. And rhinos. There's only 27,000, which doesn't sound like a massive amount, and spread out around mostly, mostly in Africa, some in Asia as well.

Charlie:
27000?

Stephen:
Yeah.

Charlie:
That is a small amount.

Stephen:
It is a small amount. However, this is also higher than it was ten years ago as well. So again it's going in the right direction.

Charlie:
We need to keep helping them though. Do you know what hippos are saying? Like are they.

Stephen:
I haven't I haven't heard from the from the hippopotami department recently. So I'm afraid can't help out there. Yeah. Next, next week we'll find out about the hippos.

Charlie:
Well, I hope the hippos are not going hungry. And they are happy hippos. As well as the elephants and the rhinos.

Stephen:
Yeah, totally. Should we stay? Should we stay in Africa for this one and go to something which is really, really important, which is the malaria vaccine?

Charlie:
I was going to say yes.

Stephen:
Do you know what? This is the one which. Last time I was on your podcast, I did actually mention.

Charlie:
I remember this, I remember this. Yes.

Stephen:
Right. And it's got even better since then. So I think in the last time I spoke to you about the malaria vaccine, it was I mean, it was the first time that there was about to be a rollout of an actual malaria vaccine, not just for studies, but actually being given to mass numbers of people in Africa.

Charlie:
Right.

Stephen:
And last year, the the one which was being given out was only about 30% effective or something like that, which is better than nothing. But it's not very, not very high. And now this year, there's a second malaria vaccine called R 21. And that is 75% effective against against preventing malaria itself.

Charlie:
75% effective against preventing?

Stephen:
Yeah. Preventing somebody from getting the disease in the first place.

Charlie:
Wow!

Stephen:
Yeah. So that in, that is a really a real game changer. Like this could be, it could be absolutely massive. So just to give some numbers to people. At the moment, about 600,000 people a year die from malaria and millions are have other big problems from it. Yeah. Um, and uh, so 600,000 is already much less than it has than it was 20 years ago or 50 years ago. Um, but it's been 600,000 for a while. Um, and with this, with this vaccine, which has already been given out in Cote d'Ivoire, um, I'm not sure how many have already been given out, but they've started giving it out properly. This R 21 vaccine in Cote d'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, and they are hoping that once this is fully rolled out, this R 21 vaccine, it will go down from 600,000 deaths a year to only 200,000 deaths a year within this decade. So that so by 2030. So that's within six years. That's that's absolutely massive. And some of the scientists which are behind it are saying that they that they would like to completely eradicate malaria by the following decade. So by 2040, which is.

Charlie:
Wow, wow, wow.

Stephen:
Absolutely amazing.

Charlie:
So we'd be saving as many lives as there are elephants in Africa.

Stephen:
Right? Yeah, exactly.

Charlie:
Just in Ivory Coast.

Stephen:
Yes. Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah. Uh. Every year. No, no, sorry. Not just in Ivory Coast. No no no. Okay. In total. In total. Yeah. Yeah. So like, if it goes down from 600,000 to 200,000 per year. Uh, by 2030 then? Yeah, that would be a saving 400,000 lives per year. Right. Which is the same number as same as the number of elephants in Africa. That's right.

Charlie:
Yes, yes. That's right. Okay. Yeah. That would from from what I said, that would mean that Ivory Coast had like what, 90% population with malaria.

Stephen:
Yeah. Yeah. No no no the population isn't so big. Um, but it's been given out. It started to be given out to babies in, in the Ivory Coast, Cote d'Ivoire and also in South Sudan and Ghana has approved it. So they'll probably be giving it out soon as well. And um, and the Serum Institute of India, which is one of these massive, massive factories, is producing um, millions and millions of doses of this vaccine. So it's it really is possible that malaria will be eradicated or almost eradicated within the next 15, 20 years or something. And this is a problem which is just through the whole of the 21st century. Excuse me. Throughout the whole of the 20th century, this was just killing millions and millions and millions of people all the time. So to eradicate malaria would be an incredibly significant event. Wow.

Charlie:
So it's the mosquitoes that share it. So I wonder what that means for the mosquitoes. Like, if they're not giving it to us? Yeah. Do they. But they would continue to have it right? Do they die from malaria? The mosquitoes?

Stephen:
I don't think so. Do you know what? I remember looking this up about a year ago. I think that they don't suffer from malaria. They just pass it.

Charlie:
Pass it on.

Stephen:
I believe. Yeah. And the the way that this vaccine works is by, um, stopping the parasite of malaria from, uh, from developing in humans.

Charlie:
In humans?

Stephen:
Yeah. Yeah.

Charlie:
And can animals get malaria? Do you think?

Stephen:
I don't know, actually. Good question.

Charlie:
Yeah.

Stephen:
I'll avoid avoid googling that which I always have that temptation to do when talking to you.

Charlie:
No, that's. Yeah. So that's incredible. It really is. Um, so the first one that you said, the first malaria drug.

Stephen:
Yeah.

Charlie:
Are they being bumped off the shelves now?

Stephen:
I'm not sure, actually, because they they gave out, uh, quite a few doses, maybe a few million doses of that between last year and this year. I think it's still going. I think it's still being produced. Um, of course, having a 75% vaccine is much better than having a 30% effective vaccine. But if there's not enough of the new one to go around, then it's probably still worth people taking the old one. And people are always being told to take other measures against malaria anyway. So just number one, just to try to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. So by having the bed nets and, um, there's some other drugs as well which people can take to to avoid the problems.

Charlie:
Yes, yes, yes. And for a tourist going to a malaria, um, is it right to say ridden, malaria ridden region or malaria zone? Um, the same pills would be, it would be still the same medication that you would take?

Stephen:
I guess I haven't heard of, uh, tourists or, you know, foreigners, um, being offered a malaria vaccine, I would.

Charlie:
That seems quite extreme, I guess if you're just.

Stephen:
Yeah. It does.

Charlie:
A short period of time.

Stephen:
Yeah. I remember taking Lariam, uh, when, uh, when I went somewhere, I think. Was it. I think it was in Asia that I was given that.

Charlie:
Right. Okay. Yeah.

Stephen:
Very funny.

Charlie:
It was very funny for you?

Stephen:
Yeah. It's a really it's a really weird, uh, drug to take because it gives you really vivid dreams. So I remember having, like, the first couple of weeks that I was taking Lariam that whenever I was falling asleep, I would have these really vivid, vivid dreams. You know, sometimes related to the situations I was in. I remember being on a bus once where I was like, dozing off and feeling and like all of the there was like people walking around on the bus and things like that, and it just wasn't real. And that was how...

Charlie:
Ohh you imagined?

Stephen:
I was just imagining it.

Charlie:
So like an augmented dream.

Stephen:
Yeah, something like that. Yeah, yeah. But, uh, anyway, yeah, I think people will probably still be taking drugs like Lariam at the moment.

Charlie:
I still. I still blame it on that drug that I blacked out on a plane. I was flying from London to Africa to, I think, Uganda, Kampala. That was the city, and on the flight. I blacked out on the way to the toilet and I woke up with a cut on my nose because I just, like, face planted the floor.

Stephen:
Wow.

Charlie:
And I was going with a stranger at the time who ended up being my girlfriend after a month or so. So I was. I was obviously like, aware that the person that I was with, I was wanting to impress in some way. And I woke up to like four air stewards wafting like a flannel in my face, saying, Mr, Mr, are you okay? Are you okay, sir?

Stephen:
Wow.

Charlie:
And they were like, is he with anybody? And they're like, they're like, yeah, I think he's with that girl. So we'll go get her. And I was like, no, no, don't get her, don't get her. And she was like, Charlie, what are you doing on the floor in the kitchen? Of like the canteen bit of the aircraft.

Stephen:
Gosh. Wow. I just in case anybody's heard both of our stories, there about Lariam. It's still important to take. Yeah, it's still important to take drugs to stop the effects of malaria. Malaria is much worse.

Charlie:
So malaria much worse. And maybe take a cricket helmet or something on your flight. And then what could you do to prevent weird dreams? Just don't sleep. Don't sleep. Yeah, yeah yeah, yeah. Um, okay, so that is malaria vaccine. That's amazing news. So we've got elephants, rhinos and humans being saved left, right and centre in Africa and elephants in Asia.

Stephen:
That's it. Yeah, yeah.

Charlie:
Really good. EU renewable energy is on the up. I'm feeling very, very positive.

Charlie:
We have come to the end of part one, so feel free to take a break from your listening practice. But if you're happy to keep going then we're now moving on to part two of this episode. Thanks so much for being a premium or academy member and enjoy the rest of the show.

Charlie:
Stephen, I feel like we're ready for a silly or fun kind of news.

Stephen:
Go on then. I gave you some random words to choose from. Do you want to choose one?

Charlie:
Um. Smoking marathon?

Stephen:
Uh, yes. Okay, so there was this, um, this Chinese man who is obviously very addicted to smoking, and he, uh, just he was I think he had a bit of a name for himself for running marathons while chain smoking. So he was just smoking the whole time. He's running these, these marathons. Um, and he became quite famous for himself. I'd already heard his, uh, his name through seeing these stories about him before, but then, uh, earlier this year, one marathon after he'd already completed it in less than. I think it was less than 3.5 hours. It was a pretty good time, chain smoking, and they actually disqualified him and said, no, you can't, you can't smoke on the track. What you doing?

Charlie:
Oh, no. That's gutting for him.

Stephen:
So he was disqualified. Yeah.

Charlie:
He was disqualified! But that's surely a hindrance, not a help.

Stephen:
Yeah, I kind of thought it's like, uh. It's like choosing to play life on on hard mode, isn't it? Like, you know, I'm not just going to do a marathon, but I'm going to smoke the whole way through. That's crazy. Choosing the difficulty setting at its highest.

Charlie:
Um, so that that's the story. He used to run marathons, smoking, chain smoking, and then he was disqualified.

Stephen:
Yeah, I'm not sure. I'm not sure if he's going to be back on the marathons anytime soon.

Charlie:
A long time to go without a cigarette if you are a constant chain smoker.

Stephen:
Yeah, I suppose it is.

Charlie:
You would have to. Have to take smoking breaks.

Stephen:
Yeah, I suppose he would. Yeah, yeah, I guess so.

Charlie:
Slows time down. And maybe he's only so quick because he likes the sort of feeling of the smoke in his lungs.

Stephen:
It could be. Yeah. Yeah, it could be. Yeah. Sticking with silly stories from China, there's another one. Um, so a man was stopped by the border guards. This was between Hong Kong and China China. So a guy going across the border, and they. He seemed to have something going on in his trousers.

Charlie:
Oh.

Stephen:
And they stopped him.

Charlie:
Are you happy to see me, sir?

Stephen:
And they felt in his trousers. And he had over a hundred live snakes. He was a snake snake smuggler, and he was smuggling over a hundred live snakes in his trousers.

Charlie:
Wow.

Stephen:
Yeah.

Charlie:
Wow.

Stephen:
Impressive, huh?

Charlie:
A hundred as well. I assume they're babies.

Stephen:
I saw some pictures of them in their plastic bags. And they're not. They're not small. You know, like, they're obviously they're not, uh, you know, metres long, but they're. But they're small to medium sized snakes, let's say. And he had them in six plastic bags that were, like, tied into his, his trousers.

Charlie:
Goodness me. If I was a snake smuggler, I would choose for them to be babies.

Stephen:
Yeah.

Charlie:
I mean, that's more effective, right?

Stephen:
Yeah. Yeah. Maybe they were babies. And I don't know enough about snakes to be able to tell the difference, but they didn't look tiny. You know, they weren't centimetres long. These things.

Charlie:
Goodness, that is alarming and alarming for the, um, the control. What are they called? The security?

Stephen:
Yeah. Yeah.

Charlie:
To feel these and then discover them.

Stephen:
Yeah.

Charlie:
Like. Oh, what is in your trousers? And then they find out. Oh my goodness me.

Stephen:
Yeah. Yeah. Disgusting.

Charlie:
That would probably be the worst that that security guard has felt.

Stephen:
I expect so. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Something, uh, something would have to beat that, wouldn't it?

Charlie:
Yeah. Yeah. Pretty intense. Um, talking of snakes, I saw my first snake ever in the UK last week.

Stephen:
Oh, right. You've never seen one before.

Charlie:
In the UK.

Stephen:
In the UK? Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Have you? Yeah, I have, yeah. Have you grown up in cities? Is that.

Charlie:
No, no, I've grown up with sheep in fields.

Stephen:
Okay. Yeah. No I mean I haven't seen loads, but I've definitely seen a few adders.

Charlie:
That's what I saw. I saw a little adder.

Stephen:
Yeah.

Charlie:
And it hissed at me for about a minute.

Stephen:
No way. Wow.

Charlie:
Yeah, I mean, I was antagonising it. I was like poking it. No, I wasn't poking it. I was like two metres away, like afraid of going past it, but also really intrigued by the whole thing.

Stephen:
Yeah.

Charlie:
So it was like Cobra style kind of.

Stephen:
Yeah. For sure.

Charlie:
Yeah. This is the UK. I can't believe this. Yeah I know we've got grass snakes and adders right?

Stephen:
Yeah. That's it. Yeah I don't know if there's any more, but I mean, I guess from being in Australia, you must have seen some, uh, some pretty massive ones.

Charlie:
I have seen some, um, especially on the road. My wife saw an eastern brown snake pretty soon after landing, and it was big, and it was near the dog that we were walking. So.

Stephen:
That's dangerous, right?

Charlie:
Really yeah. Deadly. Yeah.

Stephen:
Yeah. I think the adder could actually hurt a dog.

Charlie:
We would. Apparently, I learned this. We would get the shits.

Stephen:
Oh, right. Okay. Well, you know, that's better than, uh, being bitten by an Australian snake.

Charlie:
Yes, yes.

Stephen:
Yeah, yeah.

Charlie:
But yeah. Um, okay, so that's, um. That's some silly news. I like that. Um, yeah. Pretty random, pretty random. Okay. Considering we've only got one more good news. Let's let's do one more silly news. I'd say.

Stephen:
Go on then.

Charlie:
Um, chimpanzees sign language.

Stephen:
Yeah. Actually, yeah, this isn't really silly. This is just, uh, just interesting.

Charlie:
This is good. I'd say this is good news.

Stephen:
Yeah, I guess so. So the scientists that have been studying chimpanzees say that they are essentially having conversations with their hands. So it's basically like a sign language, right. They have, um, a few hundred different things that they do with their hands, and they take it in turns to do a sign, and then the other one does a sign, and then the other one does a sign. So it's a real conversation, like going backwards and forwards. I think they said that the, the most, uh, turns that they found was seven, which is quite a lot, you know, like one doing one and one doing another thing. Yeah. Bum bum bum bum bum bum. Um. So. Yeah. Amazing. So for for things like, um, uh, I'm going this way. Do you want to follow me or. I'm going this way, but I want to go alone. Um, uh, let's go and find some food. Uh, I'm going to clean you. Or can you clean me? Um, I can't remember some some other things.

Charlie:
Those are the actual translations that humans think that they are saying?

Stephen:
Yeah, yeah, that's right. But always with their hands. So not vocally, but just by doing gestures.

Charlie:
Not in British English.

Stephen:
Not in English. No, no. It's your turn to clean me now. No, um.

Charlie:
Do it better, darling.

Stephen:
Yeah, yeah. That's it. Yeah.

Charlie:
So Planet of the Apes is coming.

Stephen:
It is coming. Yeah. Planet of the Apes is coming. Yeah.

Charlie:
Um, but I suppose other animals have learned to use tools. I think it might be some chimpanzees or some form of ape that has, since we've understood their level of quote unquote, civilisation. I think they've learned to use some tools more in a more advanced way, like they're using sticks. I think a bit better now.

Stephen:
Yeah. Yeah.

Charlie:
But it's interesting, like I would have I think I used to have this opinion that humans are the most evolved species, and we're what they're all trying to get to.

Stephen:
Yeah.

Charlie:
But everyone, every species is just as evolved as they are, and they're on their own journey. And survival is the only thing that really matters to the genes. Right? So I think I heard from a Ricky Gervais podcast that a a maggot. No, not a maggot. An evolved version of it. A moth is as evolved as a human.

Stephen:
Yeah.

Charlie:
In its journey.

Stephen:
Yeah.

Charlie:
But we have seen some chimpanzees learn to use tools and now language.

Stephen:
Yeah, yeah.

Charlie:
Sign language.

Stephen:
Yeah. I mean, maybe they've been doing this for hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of years, but it's just the first time that humans have been able to, uh, realise it. Yeah. Discover it.

Charlie:
And this is this is in the fields. Or is this in laboratories where we're like, you try and say something and then we'll give you a banana.

Stephen:
No, this is in the wild. Wow. So this is them being studied when they're in the wild, just with each other, with no input from humans.

Charlie:
Au natural. Very nice. Yeah.

Charlie:
Cool. Okay. That is. That is great. Um. So. Yeah. You said the sign language. Yeah. Yeah. I'm going this way. You go that way. You look after baby. No, you look after baby. No, you look after. But maybe that's the seven. Back and forth.

Stephen:
No you. No you. No you.

Charlie:
Shotgun not me!

Stephen:
Yeah.

Charlie:
Nice. Okay. Alright, let's see. We've got time for two more. So let's do, um, one more good news and then one more silly one. So the last one on that good news list is a four day workweek. That is some good news. Who is getting this four day workweek? Let me guess actually, um, either Canada or a Nordic, a Scandi country.

Stephen:
Wow. Do you know what? That. That would make so much sense, Charlie. Um. And I'm afraid I can't say that it's somebody who's gone, right, everybody's going to be working four days from now on. That's not what it is, okay. It is, it is. Um, although there's been loads of studies, particularly in Nordic countries, of working four days a week that have generally been quite successful, um, for example, showing the same or sometimes even more productivity from having a four day week, uh, at the same time as having better levels of happiness, work satisfaction and health in general. Things like that. The country, which has actually been recently encouraging people to work for days instead, is a country that you would just not expect. A country which is known for being obsessed with work.

Charlie:
Oh, I did hear about this. China.

Stephen:
Oh, it's not China, it's Japan. No. It's Japan. Yeah. Close, though, because they both have that worth... Work ethic, uh, thing. But maybe maybe you have heard something about China wanting to do that as well. But, um, for what I was reading, it was the Japanese government trying to encourage more companies to go for a four day workweek instead.

Charlie:
Wow. Yeah. That is very against the stereotype we know of of Japan or Japanese people. Goodness. Four days. That's really, really good.

Stephen:
Yeah. And the UK is also putting in some plans. They're not, uh, they're not all made yet because, as we know, the government is still quite new. Um, but they are wanting to give people more options to work more flexibly. So, for example, having the same number of hours that you work. So say, for example, you work 40 hours a week instead of doing five eight hour days. If you wanted to, you could work four, ten hour days. Um, that something like that. Giving more plans to give people the ability to choose things like that. What would you prefer, Charlie?

Charlie:
It's a good question. I was just mulling it over. I think I would. I do this naturally. I do some days where I do like... Stacey might laugh at this if if she was to hear, but I would sometimes do 12 hours or maybe even more. Like a really long day, because I've just got into it and I'm obsessed with the project that I'm doing. And then another day I might take off. So it varies like that kind of thing. So I would probably choose for the four intense days.

Stephen:
Yeah. Yeah, totally. I suppose this is what happens when you have, like, us, uh, jobs that involve you being at home most of the time. Right? That you kind of have to, uh, invent the amount of hours that you're going to going to work. But, um, yeah, I think that if people have the option to to choose their hours, it's quite nice.

Charlie:
Yes, yes. Oh, yeah. Independent kind of autonomy that is definitely going to improve happiness. And I would expect it to improve productivity. It just depends on the personality type I guess.

Charlie:
We have come to the end of part two now. So again, feel free to pause the episode to take a break from your listening practice and come back to the last part when you're ready. Alright, so moving on to part three now. Enjoy.

Charlie:
Um, going away from that, I wanted to ask you, how do you feel now that you've been over a year of like, completely self-employed with the podcast? Um, do you look at your workweek very much like, okay, I've got to work Monday, 9 to 5, Monday to Friday 9 to 5. Or are you completely flexible when you're fine with that, with your own internal sort of thoughts?

Stephen:
Um, I, uh, half and half. I there's for the podcast. Like to run Send Seven in a normal week, there are definitely some kind of hours that I pretty much need to do. Generally it's at night. Um, so that's pretty much fixed. But then all of the other times I've, I guess I've got like a big to do list of, of things and I'll be like, okay, unless there's something major going on, I'm doing those things now. Um, but then if, uh, you know, there's some family reunion or something in the middle of the week, and I have to go, then. Yeah, I'll just go and I'll put everything off for a day. That's fine. Um, yeah. So I guess a bit of a mix. Is that something similar to you?

Charlie:
Yes, yes. Um, I feel like if... I get a lot of happiness from good weather. So if the sun is out, I feel like I should be making the most of it. At times I don't. If I'm into a project and and I slightly regret it. But yeah, mostly I'll be like, right, it's sunny, I'm enjoying that. And then I'll come back and I'll work on the weekend or something. Yeah. Also actually.

Stephen:
Or socially. Yeah that I do that as well.

Charlie:
That's a nice benefit of like you can choose to go to a place on a non-busy time.

Stephen:
Yeah, definitely. Absolutely. Yeah, yeah. I took my, uh, my all of my nephews to Thorpe Park last year, and I was very happy to be able to do that on a, uh, you know, choose the. I was like, right, what's the... Going to be the the least busy day at this theme park of the year? Okay. Uh, it looks like maybe, I don't know, October the 5th on a Thursday. Okay, fine. Yeah. Let's go then. Um.

Charlie:
Nice. Yeah. How was that day? How many nephews do you have?

Stephen:
I have five nephews and a niece, so I took four of them.

Charlie:
You took all of them?

Stephen:
No, I think only four.

Charlie:
Still you took four?

Stephen:
Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

Charlie:
Yourself and your partner. Or just you, or?

Stephen:
No. Just me. But they're they're they're not that young. They're all like, you know, teenagers. And so, you know, not having to, you know, run after them. And...

Charlie:
I was going to say.

Stephen:
I, I'm the one that's the most excited by the rollercoasters and things. So they have to calm me down.

Charlie:
Calm down, Stephen, you're not tall enough.

Stephen:
Yeah. Yeah.

Charlie:
That's funny. Thorpe Park. Yeah. Good theme park in the UK. Um, right. So that's four day work week. And let's end on a silly one. Um, Japan motorised suitcases.

Stephen:
Yeah. Good choice, Charlie. That is a great place to finish. Okay, so this this is really funny. Actually, there's, um, these, uh, I guess it's one company. Unless it's more than one company. Who has started to make these motorised suitcases so they look more or less like a suitcase. Just like quite a big suitcase. A place for you to put all of your clothes. But they have the. The handle comes up like this, and you can sit on the suitcase and drive it around. Right. Which, uh, sounds like fun.

Charlie:
Like an electric one?

Stephen:
It is electric.

Charlie:
Yeah, but a motor, a motor doesn't mean that it's like petrol, does it?

Stephen:
No, no, no, no, no.

Charlie:
You can get an electric motor. Of course, of course. Yeah, yeah. Silly Charlie.

Stephen:
It's electric. It's electric. Yeah, yeah, it's an electric. It's essentially like a combination between a suitcase and an electric scooter, but you actually sit on it. So I've seen these people sitting on these suitcases and, um, some airports, two airports in Japan, I'm not sure about any others, have, like, banned these suitcases because they say, no, you can't just drive around in the airport. Um, and they are vehicles and, uh, and some authorities in Japan have said no, if you if you're actually driving these things, you need to have a driving license because it's, it really is a motorised vehicle. Yeah. Rather than just a suitcase.

Charlie:
So, so a lot of these, um, like, e-scooters are getting quite a lot of heat even in the UK. Like, I think a lot of people over 70 are really angered by them, I think because I would guess they don't dare go on them. But there's lots of teenagers that are nearly going to knock them to their feet. Yeah, like my dad particularly, he's like probably one of those people that would be outraged if he sees people going up and down the pavements with these e-scooters at like over ten miles an hour. Um, so I can see the logic of it probably causing a bit of chaos, especially in a busy populated terminal building. Um, I do want to try one, but, uh, yeah, that's sad that I won't be able to do it any more in certain airports around Japan.

Stephen:
Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you can find some airports to go to that haven't, uh, made a ban yet.

Charlie:
Yeah.

Charlie:
Would you like to use one? I can't imagine there would be much space for the luggage if there's a motor inside it.

Stephen:
Yeah, I don't know, I don't know. I think I might use one for the novelty, just like you. But I can't see myself driving around airports in on my motorised suitcase. No, I don't think so.

Charlie:
I think I just saw an image of one and somebody doing a wheelie. Great. Cool. Good. Cool. Doing tricks. Doing tricks. Yeah.

Stephen:
Hope he hasn't got anything important in his suitcase, which is getting thrown around.

Charlie:
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, I don't think I would be able to handle that because I like to pack quite a lot of stuff now. I'm really. I'm really bad at packing light nowadays. I don't know about you.

Stephen:
Yeah, I, I it depends. You know, I've got used to the, um, you know, having to pay extra to take a bag onto your flight as you have to do for most airlines in Europe these days. So I've definitely got used to, you know, going away with nothing but a toothbrush for, for a while. But, uh, Yeah. As I get older and my creature comforts are coming back. Yeah.

Charlie:
Well, I'm glad that you've kept the the oral hygiene up. You know, you're like, I still need the toothbrush. You might not need the swimming trunks, but I need the toothbrush.

Stephen:
That's right. Maybe if I go to this country. Maybe they don't have toothbrushes in this country that I'm going to. Yeah. Yeah.

Charlie:
Probably one of the things that you can definitely buy anywhere.

Stephen:
Absolutely. Yeah.

Charlie:
Yeah. Um, but, yeah, that's that's impressive that you're.

Stephen:
Actually. I wasn't planning on, uh, talking about this, but it's just popped into my head. Um, talking about airports. Another good thing. Oh, yeah. Although I've heard this for a couple of years, so I don't want to put a date on it just in case I'm wrong. But, um, you can't take liquids through basically any flights, right, at the moment. And that's been a ban for, I don't know, 20 years or something. Uh, in your hand luggage?

Charlie:
International ones.

Stephen:
In your hand luggage. Yeah. International in your in your hand luggage. Um, but there should be these new scanners which come in, which will mean that people are able to take liquids again. I don't again, I don't want to put a date, but maybe next year or something like that. So, you know, the time in which we are able to, you know, take a bottle of wine in our hand luggage or, you know, uh, a bigger pot of, I don't know, shampoo or something. Yeah. Um, and and be worrying about the size of it. Hopefully those days are close to being over.

Charlie:
Close to being over. Well, if you're wrong, Steven, you will probably see those bins get more and more filled with those massive Tresemme bottles. Just stockpile.

Stephen:
That's it.

Charlie:
Um. So. Yeah. Um, you've got great responsibility saying that, but I am looking forward to that being true. Yeah.

Stephen:
Me too.

Charlie:
Yeah. And also, laptops are no longer always needed to take out. Hallelujah.

Stephen:
Yeah, yeah. I noticed that recently. Yeah.

Charlie:
Good. Yeah. Thank you very much for that. I'd like to do a quick recap. So we've got EU renewable energy is on the up. It's beaten fossil fuels this year.

Stephen:
Yeah that's right.

Charlie:
Correct me if I'm wrong.

Stephen:
Last year actually 2023.

Charlie:
Last year. Last year. Fantastic. Then we had elephants in Africa and Asia on the up in terms of population and rhinos.

Stephen:
Yeah.

Charlie:
Yeah. Then malaria is on the on the down. Can we say that? Is, is um, no longer potentially going to be so deadly?

Stephen:
I don't want to say. Um, again, we don't have the data yet because the vaccines are just being given out now. But I mean, the way that it, uh, should be going is that in one year or two years, we should start to see the effects. So again, fingers crossed.

Charlie:
Okay. I can imagine that some people who are anti-vaxxers are like, oh no, it's going to create all sorts of problems, but hopefully they've had time to test this one.

Stephen:
Um, they've been trying to make malaria vaccines for 100 years. So there you go. Yeah.

Charlie:
Got long term data. Um, and then the. Oh, no, let's do the silly one. So smoking marathon. So a man ran a marathon. Multiple marathons, smoking constantly in China.

Stephen:
That's it. Yeah.

Charlie:
And then got disqualified. He was disqualified. Yeah. Um, somebody also in China was smuggling over 100 snakes in his pants.

Stephen:
Yeah. That's right. Yeah, yeah.

Charlie:
And chimpanzees have learned to sign language.

Stephen:
Yeah. Not necessarily learned. Just. We've realised that they. That they can.

Charlie:
Yeah. Good. Correction. Yes. Uh, a four day workweek is happening in Japan.

Stephen:
Or being encouraged. Being encouraged. Yeah, yeah. And data from all around the world seems to suggest that it's a good idea.

Charlie:
I can imagine, though, some of the bosses in the higher up positions in Japan being like, I didn't get a four day work week and there'll be a bit bitter and they'll be like to their employees, do you want to try this four day workweek or not? And they're like, this is a trick, sir. Yeah.

Stephen:
They say, I tell you what, you do it first, sir, and then we'll copy you. Yeah.

Charlie:
Yeah, yeah. Or madam or madam. Um. So four day work week. And then the last one was Japan has banned some motorised suitcases. Boohoo.

Stephen:
Yeah. That's right. Yeah. Unless you've got a license and you're driving it on a road.

Charlie:
Oh my God. So you could actually have a license and use it in the airport?

Stephen:
No, I don't think you can drive it in the airport because the airports have got their own bans.

Charlie:
Right.

Stephen:
They say you can't drive this in the airport. You can use it like a normal suitcase, which defeats the point. But.

Charlie:
I can imagine that like a whole family going along on these suitcases and then, you know, those utility vehicles that are driven in the airport with a little siren, it, like, flags them down. It's like new, new, new, new.

Stephen:
Everybody going four miles an hour. Yeah, yeah.

Charlie:
Show us your papers, madam. Wind down your window. Show us your papers.

Stephen:
Yeah.

Charlie:
Do you realise how fast you were going? Okay. Amazing. Thank you so much for that good news. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Thank you very much, Stephen. Um, so Send Seven. The acronym. Acronym? Initialism? Acronym, acronym. Yeah. Um, I didn't realise this, so Stephen enlightened me. It means Simple English News Daily. And it's seven minutes of that.

Stephen:
Exactly. Right.

Charlie:
Yeah. Perfect. Simple English News Daily, guys. Go and enjoy it. Um, I will continue to do so. Thank you very much, Stephen. And I look forward to maybe another six months, 12 months from now, we get another dosage of positive news from you.

Stephen:
I would love to come back and give you some more positive news, silly news, funny news, whenever you like. Charlie. Thank you.

Charlie:
Beautiful. Beautiful stuff. Alright. Thank you very much. All the best and well done, guys, for listening to the end of this. Bye bye.

Stephen:
Bye.

Charlie:
There we go. The end of part three. Meaning the end of the episode. Well done for getting through the entirety of it. Make sure you use all of the resources available to you in your membership. Thanks once again for supporting the show and I look forward to seeing you next time on the British English Podcast.