This is the Let's Master English Podcast, and I'm your host, Coach Shane.
Hello everybody, welcome back to the Let's Master English Podcast, Episode 122.
I'm Coach Shane, publishing date May 26, 2025.
How are you doing in America today?
It is Memorial Day.
It is a holiday, and I'm busy today.
I'm taking my wife to the airport, and she's flying to Los Angeles on business.
And, about five, six hours later at the same airport, my brother from another mother, my buddy who's been with me through daily dictation for over 10 years Miguel coach Miguel is flying in from Spain and he's gonna spend a couple weeks at our house so this is really cool it's a very busy day gonna be crazy but hey at least we got the podcast and we got such great stuff news stories of serious news stories this time and to start us off, I'm just feeling it...
The Rolling Stones, start me up!
On May 23rd, a US Federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration's attempt to ban Harvard University from enrolling international students.
The policy had caused widespread concern among foreign students.
Heavy rainfall in New South Wales, Australia led to severe flooding.
Isolating nearly 50 ,000 people, the Manning River at Taree reached 1 in 500 -year flood levels prompting numerous rescues and evacuation orders.
And finally, at the BUILD 2025 conference, Microsoft showcased its commitment to artificial intelligence, introducing expansions to co -pilot AI in Windows 11 and Microsoft 365, along with new Surface devices and AI models aimed at practical applications like cancer treatment and weather prediction.
There you go, three stories, but they're all really kind of serious stories, right?
No fun stuff. I apologize about that, but it's good stuff, good news.
Let's go back to the first story.
Harvard University, obviously one of the world's most famous universities.
A lot of students go there, and a lot of students from other countries go there, right?
Maybe you know of someone who went to Harvard?
I know one guy from my high school.
He went to Harvard University and He dropped out of Harvard University after two years because he successfully started his own business I don't know what he's doing now.
Maybe he went back But anyway Harvard University the really smart people go there me No, no, no, no. I went to the University of Minnesota.
Yeah, I didn't go to Harvard. Anyway, a big news here.
And it's important news, especially for you, for some of you anyway, because I know that some of you, maybe many of you, study in the United States or want to or hope to.
So on May 23, a U .S. federal judge.
So federal judge means not a state judge but a United States judge.
A big judge. Temporarily, not permanently, blocked, stopped the Trump administration's attempt President Trump...what are they trying to do?
Attempt to ban Harvard University from enrolling international students.
That seems kind of crazy.
So, Harvard University obviously has students from the United States but all over the world and I don't know why.
But the Trump administration wanted to stop Harvard University from allowing new international students.
But a federal judge said, no, the Trump administration cannot block Harvard. That makes sense to me.
My understanding is Harvard University is a private university and if it is a private university, then they can do what they want, right?
So that seems to make sense.
I guess perhaps the problem might be when it comes to equal opportunity to students, or perhaps maybe they're discriminating against certain classes of students, or maybe they're misusing federal money that the government gives the university.
I don't know what the situation is, but I'm sure there was a reason but personally I think this is good news because if you or someone you know is smart enough to go to Harvard University And you're not from the United States.
I think you should be allowed right I think you would agree the policy the Trump administration's policy has caused Widespread concern many many many people are worried among foreign students of course So far no problem.
We will see what happens.
The second story. Australia.
Australia. Down on the mite.
G'day mite. I like me some icy dicey.
Sorry. My Australian accent is really bad.
Heavy rainfall. Lots and lots of rain.
We're in New South Wales, Australia.
And what did this cause?
It led to, it caused severe flooding.
Flooding. Flooding is when you know there's too much water and the water goes up onto the streets and into the buildings and homes and the farmlands.
That's not good. And it was severe, really really bad flooding, isolating nearly 50 ,000 people, meaning 50 ,000 people.
They couldn't leave their homes or their cities.
The roads were full of water.
The bridges were gone.
and Speaking of a river the Manning River at Taree.
This is a specific area specific river reached one in five hundred year flood levels So every river as you probably know every river can flood right?
They always have a flood every River has a flood but this one it Hasn't been this bad in over 500 years This is a, like once every 500 years, really horrible flood.
That's really bad. Prompting causing numerous, many, many rescues and evacuation orders.
You know what a rescue is going in and helping people who are in danger.
Evacuation orders are, that means telling people leave the area.
It is going to be dangerous.
Leave the area. So I know we have many students.
many listeners to the Let's Master English podcast in Australia.
If you're in New South Wales, I hope you are ok.
And finally, at the Build 2025 Conference, some sort of conference, I don't know where it was, I'm guessing Las Vegas in America, many of them take place in Las Vegas, Microsoft, everybody knows Microsoft, showcased its commitment to artificial intelligence.
Microsoft showed the world that it is 100 % investing in AI artificial intelligence.
You don't like chat GPT deep seek which AI do you like?
Personally I use four different AI services.
I use chat GPT and grok and deep seek and another one called Kimmy, I use them all.
They're all good, I like them.
But Microsoft, their AI is called Copilot.
And they said at this conference, they're expanding Copilot.
They're doing more with Copilot AI in Windows 11 and Microsoft 365.
That's really cool.
I have two desktop PCs, and both of them run Windows 10.
And they told me, you have to upgrade to Windows 11.
Unfortunately, my PC's, the hardware, doesn't allow me to upgrade to Windows 11, so I'm a little bit angry, because they're going to get rid of Windows 10.
So what does that mean for me?
I have to buy new computers, are you serious?
That's thousands of dollars.
I'm not happy with Microsoft. Anyway, along with new Surface devices, Surface devices I think those are the tablets, and AI models aimed at practical applications like cancer treatment and weather prediction.
That's pretty cool.
AI, very controversial.
I use AI all the time for everything.
I really do, for my health, for creating content, for helping me, even with this podcast, finding stories for me, and then I rewrite them, but I use AI all the time.
And it's amazing to think that AI is probably smarter than you and I, and eventually will be smarter than any human, but the amazing thing is it will continue to get smarter and smarter and smarter.
What does that mean?
AI will be able to solve so many problems, but my worry is what kind of problems will this superpower create?
It won't even need humans, right?
Wow, that's amazing.
Anyway, I think this is good news.
Using AI to research cancer, cancer treatment, and weather prediction.
Good gosh, where I live, the weatherman is always wrong.
They can do like one day, maybe two days, but like three days later, it's going to be sunny and beautiful and what happens three days later, it's rainy and cold weather prediction.
The only good weather, man.
I used to live in Las Vegas, Nevada, right?
It's the desert and there's no change in weather.
Everyday hot, sunny, hot, sunny, hot, sunny.
That's it. The only change would be windy, not windy, windy, not windy.
That's the only change.
So the weatherman in Las Vegas, he was always right.
But where I live now in Vermont, they're always wrong.
What about where you live?
All right, we got a couple songs coming up.
Today, everything is a request song.
Thank you guys so much for your request songs.
So I got Sinead O 'Connor's, Nothing Compares To You, and Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars with Die With A Smile.
That's what's coming up next.
If you're not a member, then you cannot hear the songs.
You need to be a member.
And it's really easy.
Just send an email contact at letsmasterenglish .com.
In the subject line just say, I want to be a member of the Let's Master English podcast. And we'll help you out.
Okay? All right. Let's listen to those three stories one more time.
On May 23rd, a US federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump Administration's attempt to ban Harvard University from enrolling international students.
The policy had caused widespread concern among foreign students.
Heavy rainfall in New South Wales, Australia led to severe flooding, isolating nearly 50 ,000 people.
the Manning River at Taree reached one in 500 year flood levels, prompting numerous rescues and evacuation orders.
At the Build 2025 conference, Microsoft showcased its commitment to artificial intelligence, introducing expansions to co -pilot AI in Windows 11 and Microsoft 365, along with new surface devices and AI models aimed at practical applications like cancer treatment and weather prediction.
How're you doing, everybody?
This is Country Shane, and I'm bringing you the facts.
Hey everybody, Country Shane here.
Harvard University was founded in 1636, making it the oldest institution of higher education in the United States.
1636? That is 140 years before the birth of the United States.
Oh, and I should say, although the sticker price is high, Harvard University is very expensive.
Over 55 % of students receive financial aid and if your family earns less than $85 ,000 a year and you go to Harvard you pay nothin' I didn't know that that's pretty cool you can go to Harvard for free if you make less than $85 ,000 a year the family I like that that's really cool by the way I told you about my college or my college my high school alum his name is Bob Herbst he went to Harvard University and dropped out because he started a successful business.
He's not alone. Some of the most successful people did not finish their degrees at Harvard like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Matt Damon. There you go.
It's time for his song, Toploaders dancing in the moon light.
Simple tips for mastering English.
You know, sometimes people just talk and talk and talk and you want to stop them from talking, right?
So today I have four expressions that will help you politely interrupt someone.
You know, interrupting can be rude unless you do it the right way.
So here are four nice ways to jump into a conversation.
Just say this, oh, sorry to interrupt but...
And then make your point.
Or you could say, can I jump in for a second?
Or you could say, oh, before I forget.
And one more. If I could just add something?
These are really excellent expressions.
You can use them in business situations, in personal situations.
And if you don't know these expressions, don't worry they're in our community.
So again, if you're not a member of our community, send an email, contact at letsmasterenglish .com All of this stuff is in the community, including the news, everything.
So I want you to try and use these great expressions when you're having a discussion, a meeting, or in a classroom.
and don't worry, you will sound respectful and just make sure you sound confident, all right?
You know what? You can even practice this when watching a video like a TED Talk or anything.
Just you're watching the video, stop the video and then use one of those lines and add something.
Have fun with it. Say it right.
I want you to say it right and so does Nelly Furtado.
Time for our Weekly Speaking Challenge.
Last week, it was my favorite meal, Hajime.
It's talking about edamame.
It's edamame. It goes well with beer.
It's a kind of seasonal food, so I have to enjoy it.
You know Hajime, I bought edamame a couple several weeks ago, and it just wasn't prepared right.
I need some seasoning, but yeah I really like edamame, but it needs to be flavored correctly.
The question, of course, was what is the meal, why do you like it, is there a special memory associated with it?
And Alex! I just love Alex's story, especially the special memory...
Omelettes for Alex!
I like omelettes, they are tasty and not heavy.
I remember when I was a kid, my grandma used to make them for me.
Thank you so much to everybody who put their recordings in our community.
You can do that. Just be a member of the community.
Contact let'smasterenglish .com and the subject lines say, I want to be a member of the Let's Master English community.
Okay. This week's speaking challenge theme, something that makes me laugh.
So I want you to, you know, share a story, a moment, or even maybe an internet meme or video that makes you laugh every time.
What is it? Why is it funny to you and how do you feel afterward?
And if you can, if it is a video or a meme, please include that in at when you upload your audio files.
OK, so I'll give you an example.
Have you guys seen the video?
There's a video out there in the Internet of a baby panda, the bear, you know, a baby panda sneezing.
Oh, my God. It's so cute.
So this is my example.
Every time I watch the baby panda sneezing video, I laugh out loud.
The mom panda jumps in shock!
It's so funny. It always makes my day better.
That's it. Keep it short.
No more than 20 seconds.
Keep it short. Learn how to speak concisely.
Members, record your answer on your phone and post it in our school community.
Let's spread some smiles.
Alright? That sounds kind of cool.
So going back to the food ...
we've got to have a Jimmy Buffett song.
Cheeseburger in Paradise!
It is May 26th, the 146th day of the year.
There are 219 days left in 2025.
Today is Memorial Day in the United States.
It is a day off and the unofficial start of summer.
By the way, Father's Day is coming up on June 15th.
Some other important dates.
Tomorrow, May 27th, National Sunscreen day.
Do you use sunscreen to protect yourself?
I try not to. May 28th is National Hamburger Day.
Oh, I love me some hamburgers.
May 29th is Mount Everest Day.
I have no desire to climb Mount Everest, but I'd like to see it.
May 30th is Water a Flower Day.
That's cool. May 31st is World Parrot Day.
I like this. You know, if you guys want to master your English, one thing that's really important that you really need to try and do is parrot somebody, talk exactly like somebody.
So for example, in the Friends sitcom, if you're a guy, when you hear Chandler speaking, try and talk exactly like Chandler, or Ross, or Joey.
Ladies, try and talk exactly like Monica, or Rachel, or Phoebe.
It's really powerful and beneficial to your English.
And finally, June 1st, gotta love this day!
It's global day of parents Yeah, it's mom and dad's day.
I like that another request song all request songs today This is a German song us, but I can see touch if you do It'll be easy to understand if you don't don't worry If you're a member, I include the music video with the English lyrics along with the German lyrics This is Roger Cicero with in descent moment Time for birthdays.
If it's your birthday, retirement day, special day, something coming up special for you, let me know.
Right now we got some celebrity birthdays.
May 26th. Lenny Kravitz.
Today is 61. Stevie Nicks from Fleetwood Mac.
She's 77. Jamie Oliver, the chef.
Right? That British chef.
He's 50 tomorrow. Oh my God.
He seems like he's just a kid.
He's 50. I can't believe it.
May 28th. Kylie Minogue, a singer that I grew up with 57 years old.
May 29th. Do you remember the Spice Girls?
Yeah, well Mel B is 50 That should make you feel old Noel Gallagher of Oasis is 58 on May 29th.
On May 30th CeeLo Green, another musician, singer is 50 years old, lots of 50s today.
May 31st, Clint Eastwood, actor, director, love the guy 95 years old.
Colin Farrell, another actor 49.
And Brooke Shields, another star that I grew up with.
She is 60 years old.
and on June 1st, Morgan Freeman, 88 years old and singer Alanis Morissette.
She will be 51. My goodness!
Bullet with butterfly wings.
Smashing pumpkins. Let's celebrate these birthdays.
And that, my friend, brings us to another end of the Let's Master English podcast. We would be nowhere without you.
Thank you so much for listening.
Please share it. Tell your friends.
Hey here's an English podcast you might enjoy.
Become a member! It's easy!
Contact at Let's Master English.
You can listen to the songs and get the script to the podcast which is wonderful.
And if you're serious about studying English with me I want you to study English with me and you can try it for free.
Go to let'smasterenglish .com there's a little button where you can sign up for a free lesson put your name and email that's all we don't ask for credit card or anything like that, and you can try a lesson for free.
Study with me, it's so much fun, and we promise to master your English.
Just work with us, do what we say, and we will help you.
Taking us out, of course, another request song, Eric Clapton's Layla.
And together, let's master English!
