Will Obama have an impact on the ESL community?

[Torsten]

Do you have think that the fact that Obama has been elected the new US President has a positive influence on the number of people learning English as a second language? Also, do you think that now that Obama is President-elect and soon will be President of the United States, it will be easier for native English speakers to teach English abroad? I'm asking this question because I remember that when 8 years ago George W. Bush was elected a lot of my teacher colleagues from the US complained that their job had become more difficult. They said a lot of their German students gave them the feeling that they were to blame for the fact that Bush was elected instead of Al Gore.

I think it's a fact that the majority of people from outside the US are pretty much in favor of Obama. That's why it's quite possible that now even more people are signing up for English courses and start traveling to the US again.

What's your take on this?
Thanks,
Torsten
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Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Yankee]

[Foah]

Hi Torsten, I was going to think about your question when a previous one appeared to me. What´s the meaning of ESL? :? I always took it like an institution and never came to have a more special look at this abbreviation.

ESL = English as a second language?

EFL = English as a foreign language?

If you will try this http://www.esl.eu you might see why I came across my question.

Michael
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Just to remind me and who ever liked to be: today is the first day of the rest of life..................just live it

[NinaZara]

Well, last time I heard Bill Maher said that now Obama's moving in, the White House would again hear full sentences and good grammar. I know he doesn't believe in God but he's funny.

[Torsten]

[Foah]

Hi Torsten,
like your google recommendation shows: Obama has some impact on the mass of stuff, at least, the ESL community may read hence. In this sense I´d suggest he has some positive influence on my skills since each article I read will help me improve my command of the English. 8)

Hi Nina,
sorry, I didn´t get your point exactly but who do you expect not believing in God and being funny?

Regards
Michael
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Just to remind me and who ever liked to be: today is the first day of the rest of life..................just live it

[Yankee]

[Lost_Soul]

[NinaZara]

Hi Michael, long time no see! :)

Anyway, I was referring to Bill Maher. He's an atheist and to me he's really funny. He's a stand up comedian and he hosts talk shows. You can check him out on Youtube. Here's one clip of his talk show.

[Foah]

Hi Nina, yep long time! :)

Nonetheles, nice to see you didn´t retire from the site but had a small break only, hadn´t you? I started my break earlier than you and thus finished it earlier, too, I think. Have you, too, been lurking the site all the time although you didn´t write? Quite inquisitive, isn´t it?

However, you´re right. Bill Maher is a pretty funny comedian as much as I´ve got him from your link. I like that kind of comedy.

See you

Michael
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Just to remind me and who ever liked to be: today is the first day of the rest of life..................just live it

[Prezbucky]

Bush didn't steal the 2000 election. Here are a few main points I wrote in a Corporate Law paper written soon after the election was confirmed:

1) In 2000, Florida election law gave a firm deadline for counties to turn in their votes. States govern the counting of their votes and the reporting of those votes. Florida's laws -- passed by Florida's legislators long before the 2000 election -- said that unless an "act of God" (hurricane, tornado, fire, etc.) delayed a county from turning in its votes, those votes would go unreported. It was up to the counties to count the votes and report them in a timely fashion. It was Florida's right to pass that law and to enforce it. That is every state's right, every state's jurisdiction. One county did not meet the requirements set forth in that statute. Democrats whined and cried, so Gore took it to the Florida Supreme Court.

2) The Florida Supreme Court overturned a law that had already been passed and allowed that county to continue counting votes. The statute was not under review before being passed... it had already been passed by those who make Florida's laws, Florida's legislature. Florida's Sup Court decided to overturn a statute they hadn't seen fit to thwart when it was first passed. IE, they changed the rules in the middle of the game. I won't mention that most of the Fla Sup Court justices were Democrats naturally biased toward the Gore lock box. Oops, I guess I done just done it.

3) Even after the Fla law was illegally overturned by a biased activist court, even after all the ballots were counted again and again by a mostly Democrat vote-counting team, Bush still won that county and, hence, Florida and the election.

4) We had a standing state statute overturned by a lately aroused state supreme court, which was wrong in the first place, so the case went to the US Supreme Court. SCOTUS found rightly that the statute should not have been overturned and ordered that the official vote count must cease.

The fact is, Bush rightly won Florida and Gore tried to steal it. I got an A, and my lawyer professor was fairly Liberal (though not a left-wing animal/nut job).

The Prez made plenty of mistakes but he did not steal either of his elections. I had to give the point of view opposite that of our in-house brilliant female American teacher.

:)

As for the question posed by this topic, well, who knows? Hopefully we'll still be a solvent nation in a year's time. I hope he doesn't cut defense spending too much. You don't dissuade a nut-job's attack by taking the bullets out of your gun.

Bush tried to speak Spanish from time to time, but he doesn't have the ear for it. Maybe Obama can speak his father's tongue and bring Africa closer to the US.

This is Uncle Jesse, signin' off.
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Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee.

[Jan]

Everybody believe in his own version of history , it seems to be senseless to try to convince, "borned radicals" to come to their senses without good arguments ,I mean very solid iron bar.

What I found quite amusing is a fact that everybody is interested in politic but some of us just share their point of view very , very late.

Bush had lured voters with some promises of more isolation of USA , with a perpective to concentrate on Americans own businesses etc
And he had finished in almost total war all around and had been forced for acting as world policeman.
Obama probably would face even more deathly sort of challenges, what would be his reaction... ??
I guess ... exactly same as the rest of so called grassroot movement (he, Obama,as the President belongs to the grassroot society as well)
I wouldn't be too much surprise if under his time in White House we would have to face more wars or even finaly final war of all the wars on Earth.
I would say that Obama's victory would have any impact on English students (if at all) only in African countries.
And believe me Torsten you wouldn't like it after all.
I voted for Obama, and I only hope I will not regret it.

Regards Jan

[Prezbucky]

Jan, the first test will be our federal income taxes. Obama promised tax cuts to the middle class and that no household making $250,000 or less would see an increase.

The Republican in me wants him to raise our taxes because then he'll be gone in four years. Above all, we don't want Government in our wallets.

But the pragmatist (is that a word? If not heretofore, I dub it so now) in me hopes he does keep that promise.

To keep his promise he'll have to fight the more liberal Democrats in Congress, and unless he comes out with something to free up personal capital, the minority Republicans will fight it.

We need something our government can't give us, a new industry on which to capitalize. As always the economy of a Free Enterprise (Capitalist) country is led by its entrepreneurs.

They need credit (or equity, though equity is just another kind of credit, really -- money owed) to get their ideas off the ground. though.

Let the banks open up.

Let the angels once again spread their wings.

Let our business leaders, our entrepreneurs, create, innovate, market a bright new day for our economy.

And let Obama keep our taxes where they are, at least, so those who know where to invest it have as much to invest as our economy requires, as much as our brilliant entrepreneurs require.

To create jobs
To produce life-enhancing products
To keep prices low, thereby increasing value
To provide investment opportunities...

etc.

An MBA has spoken. Let it be so.
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Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee.

[NinaZara]

[Jamie (K)]