jueves, 31 de octubre de 2019

Last Orderrrrs! Speaker John Bercow's career in numbers


John Bercow



John Bercow is standing down as Commons Speaker on Thursday after 10 years in the job.
His idiosyncratic turn of phrase and distinctive bellow - as he tries to silence the wall of sound emanating from MPs - has made him something of a cult figure on social media.
His catchphrase, in fact the traditional cry of Commons speakers through the centuries, is "Order!", often elongated and twisted into an extraordinary sound that is all his own.
To mark his retirement, the BBC has analysed 100 years of Hansard - the official Parliamentary record - to discover just how different he was to any previous occupant of the chair.
The first thing we discovered is that he has said "Order!" nearly 14,000 times. But that is just the beginning of the Bercow story in statistics.

He's not called the Speaker for nothing

We know John Bercow enjoys a rhetorical flourish, and often intervenes in rowdy Commons debates to deliver withering put-downs to backbench barrackers.
But measuring the number of words spoken by the Speaker compared with all words spoken in Commons debates shows an extraordinary willingness to enter the Parliamentary fray compared with his predecessors.
It is hard to know for sure whether this is because he has presided over more debates, taking - and providing detailed responses to - more points of order, or because he has a particularly unruly gaggle of MPs to keep in check, or whether he simply likes to talk, but the difference is striking.
Chart showing proportion of words spoken by Commons Speaker

'Chuntering from a sedentary position'

Not only does Mr Bercow speak more than previous Commons Speakers, his choice of words often stands out.
One MP, quoted by the New York Times, said: "It's as if he goes to bed every night, reads a thesaurus, inwardly digests it and then spews it out the next day."
There are many words the Speaker used that have not been uttered by any of his predecessors, certainly since 1916 - the earliest date that transcripts of debates are available on the House of Commons website. Excluding words that make up the names of people or government departments, these are the ones he said most frequently.
Chart showing unusual words chosen by Mr Bercow, including 'chuntering'
Other words Mr Bercow has used that other MPs have said extremely rarely, or never, include: "Demosthenian", "Einsteinian", "Flaubert", "Heidegger", "irascibility", "jackanapes", "rhapsodise", "susurrations" and "testicle".

Brexit, Brexit, Brexit

In policy terms, Mr Bercow's time in office was defined by one issue.
Counting the number of times particular words are used in Commons debates shows how this is true.His interventions on procedure during Brexit debates were both controversial and pivotal, and are likely to be the most important part of his legacy.
Allowing backbench MPs to take control of debate, in order to pass Labour MP Hillary Benn's bill to take no-deal off the table, was just one example.

A big hand

It might seem like a small thing, but a noticeable shift in tone occurred under Mr Bercow's watch.
Applauding other MPs in Commons debates used to be strictly forbidden, and there are no recorded instances of applause in the Commons until the then-Speaker Betty (later Baroness) Boothroyd announced her decision to stand down in 2000.
Even as recently as 2015, Mr Bercow told SNP MPs, many of whom were new to the Commons, to "show some respect" for the convention forbidding applause.
A year later, he said: "If, spontaneously, a large group of Members bursts into applause, sometimes the most prudent approach is to let it take its course. However, I would much prefer it if it did not happen."
MPs took note of the first part of the ruling, at least.

'Köpskam', a new Swedish 'shame of buying' trend, could spread to threaten the world's fashion market

It may seem as though the climate crisis is only changing how we think on a small scale but, elsewhere, it's entirely reshaping consumer behavior.
One of the places where trends in consumerism are seeing dramatic shifts is in Sweden — and there's a new movement closing in on the irresponsible nature of consumerism, according to an Aftonbladet report.
To add to the growing list of neologisms in Swedish used to refer to environmental issues, such as flygskam or "flight-shaming" — or for those who still travel by plane anyway, but who feel too uncomfortable to admit it, "smygflyga" meaning "flying on the sly" — there's now "köpskam too", which roughly translates to "the shame associated with shopping or consuming".
According to CEO of HUI Research Jonas Arnberg, it's likely only a matter of time before the term becomes a widespread concept.
The term, which originates in the same country as 16-year-old school striker and activist Greta Thunberg herself, is mostly used to refer to the fashion sector.
It's used primarily to refer to the lack of ecological responsibility taken when people buy excessive quantities of clothes.
According to the United Nations, the fashion industry produces more carbon emissions than all international flights and sea shipments.
As awareness of this spreads, change is taking place both in shopping and in social networks — not just in more environmentally-conscious places like Sweden but across the globe.
The shame of shopping, at least where it concerns consuming products that aren't necessary or buying more than one of something, is now a growing trend in the Scandinavian country.
Alongside this emerging "shame" trend, there has also been an increase in the purchase of second-hand clothing, both for consumers' own use as well as that of others.
Second-hand garments are no longer being considered inappropriate items to give as gifts.
In fact, many like the idea that clothing is being given a second lease of life — for many, there's also an added value associated with going to the effort of seeking out an item of clothing based on an individual's personal style, rather than conforming to the latest fashions.
While the extent to which Greta Thunberg's activism has impacted the behavior of younger people — who are thought to be predominantly responsible for the trend — is unclear, it's evident that awareness about how various industries are impacting the environment is altering the way younger consumers behave.
Even more clear is the fact that Sweden is shifting towards new patterns of behavior that are more environmentally responsible and that could completely transform the fashion, food, and transport industries.


jueves, 24 de octubre de 2019

miércoles, 23 de octubre de 2019

Consumerism

Watch first the video we saw in the class, and then the other one to help you with the vocabulary.







martes, 22 de octubre de 2019

The race to build a flying electric taxi

For any commuter the prospect of being whisked to and from work in a fraction of the time it usually takes is pretty irresistible.
No traffic jams, no train delays and no cold platforms - what's not to love?
This is the promise of more than a hundred companies developing electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
Like helicopters they don't need a runway, but unlike helicopters they promise to be quiet and cheap.
Yet the dream seems to be some way off. Industry experts say that taxi services using such aircraft won't be a mass-market phenomenon until the 2030s.
So what is the hold up?

Can they fly far enough?

There are good reasons why the eVTOL industry is focussing on short hops in and out of cities.
Firstly, there are plenty of potential customers in cities; secondly, eVTOL aircraft can't fly very far.
Most have batteries that can allow them to fly for around half an hour. In the case of Germany's Volocopter this amounts to a range of about 22 miles (35km) with a maximum speed of around 68mph (110km/h).
On Tuesday it made its first test flight in Singapore, its base in South East Asia.

The future is already here! Read this really interesting article clicking here:

jueves, 10 de octubre de 2019