Latest Practiceenglish Podcast Episodes
AM radio goes missing in electric cars (Have something going)
Plain English - February 26, 2024 17:00 - 23 minutes ★★★★★ - 62 ratings" AM radio has been around for over a hundred years and one of the most popular places to listen is in the car. Now, though, some carmakers have decided not to include AM antennas in their new electric cars. The electric components in the car interfere with the AM signal. But some people are w...
British Post Office scandal: a 'miscarriage of justice' (Drop off)
Plain English - February 22, 2024 17:00 - 19 minutes ★★★★★ - 62 ratings" Thousands of post office workers in the U.K. were falsely accused of accounting fraud--all because of a faulty computer system. Hundreds were falsely convicted, while many more lost their savings. Four committed suicide. Now, a new drama on the British channel ITV exposed the scandal and pro...
Correcting bias in academic research (Give in)
Plain English - February 19, 2024 17:00 - 21 minutes ★★★★★ - 62 ratings" The world of academic publishing has been shaken by a series of scandals of late. But one idea aims to correct the biases in research. A ""registered report"" brings greater transparency and controls to the research process. And some journals pledge to publish any research finding, whether a...
The dark side of 'publish or perish' (Cross a line)
Plain English - February 15, 2024 17:00 - 22 minutes ★★★★★ - 62 ratings" Academic researchers are under intense career pressure to publish their findings, a pressure known as ""publish or perish."" While that pressure means that researchers stay productive, it can also lead to unethical research practices or data manipulation. Data from several recent studies, in...
More problems for Boeing's 737-MAX (Turn around)
Plain English - February 12, 2024 17:00 - 18 minutes ★★★★★ - 62 ratings" A key part blew off the body of a Boeing 737-MAX plane shortly after takeoff, ripping the shirt of a passenger and causing a drop in cabin air pressure. The plane landed safely, but America's FAA has opened an investigation into the plane's safety. It was the latest setback for Boeing, one o...
Should London's pedicabs be regulated? (Draw the line)
Plain English - February 08, 2024 17:00 - 19 minutes ★★★★★ - 62 ratings" Pedicabs -- bicycles with fancy carriages on the back -- are popular in London's West End and SoHo. Due to a quirk in London's taxi law, they operate without any type of regulation. But they're widely seen as a rip-off for tourists and a nuisance for those who live nearby. But should they be...
Ecuador is living a drug-fueled nightmare (Fill a vacuum)
Plain English - February 05, 2024 17:00 - 20 minutes ★★★★★ - 62 ratings" Ecuador, nestled between Peru and Colombia on South America's Pacific coast, was once one of the safest countries in the Americas. But now, the it's suffering a spiral of violence, fueled by foreign drug gangs. -- At Plain English, we make English lessons for the modern world. -- Today...
The new six-figure job: prompt engineer (Scratch the surface)
Plain English - February 01, 2024 17:00 - 21 minutes ★★★★★ - 62 ratings" If you have a knack for writing the perfect prompt in ChatGPT, then you might want to become a ""prompt engineer."" That's the new job title for people who help companies use GPT and other AI models to achieve their goals. But it's a lot more than just typing into a chat window. -- At Pl...
Meet the new neighbor: he's a grizzly bear (Pass down)
Plain English - January 29, 2024 17:00 - 19 minutes ★★★★★ - 62 ratings" The grizzly bear population has grown in the western United States, after successful conservation efforts. But that means the bears, which can weigh 400 kilograms, are coming into conflict with humans who live in the area. Here's how the people are coping with their new neighbors. -- At ...
Ikea is heading to the city center (Pick out)
Plain English - January 25, 2024 17:00 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 62 ratings" Ikea stores are known for being very big and far from the city center. For many shoppers, a trip to Ikea is a full-day event. But now the Swedish furniture store is opening smaller stores in city centers, hoping to appeal to apartment-dwellers who can't make it to the huge stores far away. ...
The southern accent is fading away (Fade away)
Plain English - January 22, 2024 17:00 - 21 minutes ★★★★★ - 62 ratings" One of the most distinctive English accents is the ""southern accent,"" popular in American states from Texas to Virginia. But younger people are losing the accent. Researchers suspect it's due to internal migration within the U.S. -- At Plain English, we make English lessons for the mod...
'Golden Bachelor' shows a new kind of reality: dating over 60 (Angle for)
Plain English - January 18, 2024 17:00 - 20 minutes ★★★★★ - 62 ratings" ""The Golden Bachelor"" is a spinoff of the popular ""Bachelor"" reality dating franchise. The show features 72-year-old Gerry Turner and 22 women over 60 looking for love. It became a surprising hit among all generations, and sparked conversations about love and aging. -- At Plain Engli...
The backlash against too much tipping (Once in a while)
Plain English - January 15, 2024 17:00 - 21 minutes ★★★★★ - 62 ratings" It can be hard to know when to tip in any culture. But tipping has increased in the United States since the pandemic. New touch-screen payment systems often encourage a minimum tip of 20%. But now, consumers are increasingly frustrated with requests to leave tips and are starting to cut back...
Theft at the British Museum (Go missing)
Plain English - January 11, 2024 17:00 - 20 minutes ★★★★★ - 62 ratings" When a private dealer of gems and jewels noticed a great bargain on eBay, he had no idea that it would eventually lead him to uncover a major scandal at the British Museum, one of the world's pre-eminent cultural institutions. But that's exactly what happened. -- At Plain English, we mak...
New York gets serious about its trash (Get rid of)
Plain English - January 08, 2024 17:00 - 20 minutes ★★★★★ - 62 ratings" It's an all-too-common sight on the streets of New York City: piles of black garbage bags on the sidewalks, waiting to be collected. America's largest city has no alleys, so its apartments and businesses leave trash in heaps right on the street. But the mayor has plans to eliminate this 'all...
McDonald's is making changes to its burgers (Fall behind)
Plain English - January 04, 2024 17:00 - 20 minutes ★★★★★ - 62 ratings" McDonald's is preparing to roll out big changes to its number-one menu item: burgers. The world's biggest burger chain says it will adjust how its patties are grilled and how its burgers are assembled in a bid to make them more palatable to consumers. The changes will apply to the Big Mac an...
The hard work after a snowstorm (Buy in bulk)
Plain English - January 01, 2024 17:00 - 21 minutes ★★★★★ - 62 ratings" A few inches of snow can be beautiful. But for local governments, it's hard work to clear it and keep everyone moving. Today, we look at everything that has to get done to get back to normal after a snowstorm. -- At Plain English, we make English lessons for the modern world. -- Today’...
Six ways to fail (Root cause)
Plain English - December 21, 2023 17:00 - 21 minutes ★★★★★ - 62 ratings" Failure is part of life. But not everything that goes wrong is the same. Sometimes, we should assign blame. Other times, failure is a good thing. A Harvard professor put failure into six categories. Knowing them can help you understand the things that go wrong in your own life. -- At Pla...
Drought in Panama complicates canal traffic (In place)
Plain English - December 18, 2023 17:00 - 19 minutes ★★★★★ - 62 ratings" The Panama Canal connects Asia and the east coasts of North and South America. Manufactured goods, energy, food, cars, and more all pass through the canal. On a normal day, 38 to 40 ships can cross. But drought in Panama means the canal can accommodate many fewer ships. That means higher cos...
Iceland braces for a volcanic eruption (Up close)
Plain English - December 14, 2023 17:00 - 21 minutes ★★★★★ - 62 ratings" A 15-kilometer-long corridor of magma (melted rock) has accumulated just below the Earth's surface in the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland. The accumulation has caused thousands of earthquakes in just a few days. It may cause a large eruption or it may break to the surface in unexpected places...
Battle for sunken treasure off Colombia's coast (Destined for)
Plain English - December 11, 2023 17:00 - 21 minutes ★★★★★ - 62 ratingsThe San José, a Spanish treasure ship carrying gold, silver, and valuable jewelry, sank off the coast of Colombia in 1708. The shipwreck, and its treasure, have been untouched for over 300 years. Now, the government of Colombia is working to bring the tr Mentioned in this episode: Try out the ...
The new attraction in Las Vegas is a giant ball (Get going)
Plain English - December 07, 2023 17:00 - 18 minutes ★★★★★ - 62 ratings" The 'Sphere' is the newest entertainment complex in Las Vegas. It boasts an immersive, wraparound 16K LED screen, haptic seating, and thousands of speakers. But the most striking part is this: the exterior is covered in screens, so it can look like a basketball or the surface of Mars to onlo...
Can’t sleep 8 hours? There’s still hope (Catch up)
Plain English - December 04, 2023 17:00 - 20 minutes ★★★★★ - 62 ratings" Most sleep advice focuses on how much sleep you get. And while that's important, a new study also shows that consistency is also important. People who get irregular sleep perform worse in tests and suffer physically. Today, learn what ""regular sleep"" means and what its benefits are. -- ...
SBF: Villain or a careless founder in over his head? | Learn English expression 'in tatters'
Plain English - November 30, 2023 17:00 - 23 minutes ★★★★★ - 62 ratings" The trial of Sam Bankman-Fried lasted over a month. During that time, the prosecution called several witnesses that detailed fraud against customers and lenders of Bankman-Fried's businesses. But the defense argued that this was a terrible mistake, but not a fraud. The jury found him guilty....
The sad story of Sam Bankman-Fried | Learn English phrasal verb 'pay off'
Plain English - November 27, 2023 17:00 - 22 minutes ★★★★★ - 62 ratings" After making a fortune trading cryptocurrencies, Sam Bankman-Fried started an exchange called FTX. That, he promised, would be the safest place to trade crypto assets. But just a few years after he started it, it all collapsed. Here is part one of the story. -- At Plain English, we make ...
Celine Dion is keeping New Zealanders up all night | Learn English expression 'rig together'
Plain English - November 23, 2023 17:00 - 21 minutes ★★★★★ - 62 ratings" A subculture of Pasifika people in New Zealand has a strange tradition: playing music through megaphones and loudspeakers. They try to play music as loud and as clearly as possible. And because their speakers don't produce bass, they play songs from artists like Celine Dion. Not everyone in ...
Why are movies getting longer? | Learn English expression 'upper hand'
Plain English - November 20, 2023 17:00 - 22 minutes ★★★★★ - 62 ratings" Oppenheimer. Killers of the Flower Moon. Babylon. What do they have in common? They're all box office hits. And they're all over three hours long. Consumers, producers, and theaters all like short movies. But hit movies are getting longer. Today, we take a look at why. -- At Plain Englis...
The Twinkie refuses to die | Learn English expression 'try your hand at'
Plain English - November 16, 2023 17:00 - 20 minutes ★★★★★ - 62 ratings" The Twinkie is a submarine-shaped yellow cake with a vanilla filling. Invented in 1930, it became one of America's favorite indulgences. After losing money for years, its parent company shut down and stopped making Twinkies. But then, a group of investors revived the classic cake--and now th...
Super-shoes help propel runners to marathon records | Learn English phrasal verb 'lace up'
Plain English - November 13, 2023 17:00 - 22 minutes ★★★★★ - 62 ratings" Kelvin Kiptum and Tigst Assefa, respectively, set records for the men’s and women’s marathon this year. But Nike and adidas are also winners. The runners were wearing a new generation of their shoes, aimed at helping marathoners go faster. -- At Plain English, we make English lessons for...
American football is smitten with Taylor Swift | Learn English expression 'lean into'
Plain English - November 09, 2023 17:00 - 21 minutes ★★★★★ - 62 ratings" Just when you thought nothing could make American football more popular, Taylor Swift comes onto the scene. She is reportedly dating a football star, Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs. The union brings together separate worlds of fandom, as Swifties tune in to football games for the fir...
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