The Vault Coffee Shop

Watch this short Fox news item about a different approach to business.

Self-study activity:
Watch the video and say whether the statements below are true or false.

The activity is suitable for intermediate students.



1 The only thing you can have in The Vault is coffee.
2 The Vault is different from all other coffee shops.
3 David and Kimberly have already recovered the money they invested in the business.
4 The losses due to thieving amount to15% of the business.
5 The only things customers can do in The Vault are drinking coffee and chatting.
6 The Vault has been in business for three and a half years now.

The Vault is like any other coffee shop and then it has coffee, tea and pastries. The one thing is missing, staff.
At the time I didn’t realize how unique that was. I thought it just made sense and I found out later by Googling, really isn’t anything else like it.
When David Brekke and his wife Kimberly opened the shop in October, they decided it was fitting to allow people to serve themselves and pay on the honor system. They haven’t broke even yet, but it’s not because people are stealing.
The thing that’s amazing us is that people are extremely honest. When I add up how much has been taken and how much is in the till at the end of the day, people are 15% more generous than thieving.
The process couldn’t be simpler, you just grab your coffee, pay and sit down and have a chat.
It’s really very convenient to use, I hope that they financially make it, but most people in town I think are pretty honest.
And there is plenty else to draw people in: two pianos, art work for sale and a whole lot of books.
It’s a great place to sit with a quiet read and little by little there are more and more people coming in all the time.
Brekke spent three and a half years renovating the former bank, turning it from this to this. A true for the people coffee shop that this community is embracing whole heartedly.
From Valley City, Aaron Boerner, Fox News.

Key:
1F 2T 3F 4F 5F 6F

Disney ad

This Disney ad is  good practice for English learners at elementary and pre-intermediate level. The pace of delivery is slow, with frequent pauses to think about what we have just heard. If you are in the mood, you can even discuss the values Disney is trying to convey with the ad.

Self-study activity:
Watch the ad and complete the blanks in the transcript with the missing words.



I am a princess.
I am brave sometimes.
I am (1) ... sometimes.
Sometimes, I am brave even when I am (1) ... .
I believe in loyalty and (2) ... .
I believe loyalty is built on (2) ... .
I try to be kind.
I try to be (3) ... .
I am kind even when others are not so (3) ... .
I am a princess.
I think (4) ...   ...  for myself is important.
I think (4) ...   ...  for others is more important.
But standing with others is most important.
I am a princess.
I believe (5) ... makes me strong.
(6) ...  is power.
And family is the (7) ... bond of all.
I have heard I am beautiful.
I know I am strong.
I promise.
And when I promise something, I never ever (8) ... that promise.
I am a princess.
Long may I reign.

Key:
1 scared 2 trust 3 generous 4 standing up 5 compassion 6 Kindness 7 tightest 8 break 

Talking point: Are you an optimist?

Apparently people have a significantly lower death rate over 30 years if they maintained an optimistic attitude. This is the shocking information The New York Times Learning Network published late in May under the title How full is your glass? to introduce the topic of the importance of a positive outlook in life for our health. I think the topic is interesting enough for discussion in our conversation group.

In your talking session, you can use the questions below, already taken from The New York Times Learning Network, and you can gain more insight into the topic by reading The New York Times article A Richer Life by Seeing the Glass Half Full, by Jane E Brody.

Are you an optimist or a pessimist?
What do you think is healthy about being an optimist or a pessimist?
What might be some benefits to viewing life from the opposite perspective?
Do you ever try to be more optimistic? 
What do you do to get a more positive feeling?
What advice would you give to someone trying to be more positive?
Do you think a person’s proclivity for optimism or pessimism is because of genetics, life experience or a combination of both?
Can optimism be a bad thing? If so, in what situations?
Do you agree that at times it’s better to “fake it until you make it” regarding optimism?
Have you ever used such a strategy? Did it work?

Yvetta Fedorova

Aimee Mullins, athlete, actress and fashion model

Aimee Mullins is an American athlete, actress, and fashion model best known for her collegiate-level athletic accomplishments, despite a medical condition that resulted in the amputation of both of her legs (source: Wikipedia). Aimee has become a L'Oreal ambassador in 2012.

In this talk created for Ads Worth Spreading, she explains why L'Oreal's "Because you're worth it" slogan has always had great meaning for her.

Self-study activity:
Watch the Ad and fill in the blanks in the transcript with the missing words.



Hi, I'm Aimee Mullins. I'm the new (1) ... ambassador for L'Oreal Paris.
Things that I'm celebrated for (2) ... it's from sports or you know, fashion, having been, (3) ..., even because of, what I've learned and have experienced as a woman living with two prosthetic legs.
We don't need to (4) ...  to someone else's idea of what beauty is. Decide for yourself and invent the version of yourself that you want to see on that day.
And for me, it's like it's in a very literal way, could be changing my (5) ... . Changing the kinds of legs I wear actually changes the way I feel. The slogan of "Because you're worth it." had a (6) ... that connected women to something bigger than themselves.
For me anyway, it provoked something totally unexpected, which was giving myself the (7) ... on the back. Being my own (8) ... I'd say, "Yes, you are enough!"
When I filmed my first commercial, it was a great experience. For a lot of it, it was just, I was actually taking my voice down to a (9) ... . We wanted to create this mood of intimacy, you know, like I was (10) ... something. For me "Because I'm worth it.", it's an incredibly personal thing. There were different emotions that were provoked, realizing like wow, that actually was hard to say that time. That actually almost made me cry or well, that was interesting. There was some kind of (11) ... that came out when you said it at that time. What happened there, that it can mean something very personal is I think what makes this tagline and the (12) ... for L'Oreal Paris so iconic.

Key:
1 brand 2 whether 3 in spite of 4 fit in 5 height 6 resonance 7 pat 8 cheerleader 9 whisper 10 revealing 11 defiance 12 signature 

Priorities of Life

Priorities of life is a beautiful video I discovered through ESL Chestnut.

Self-study activity:
Watch the video. What do the golf balls, the pebbles, the sand, and the wine represent in the story?



You can read the transcript below to check your answers.



A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he picked up a very large and empty jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. 
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full.  They agreed it was. 
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. The sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes." 
The professor then produced two glasses of wine from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed. 
"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things -your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions- things that if everything else was lost and they remained, your life would still be full. 
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your important possessions. 
The sand is everything else -the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. 
"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand." 
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the wine represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of glasses of wine with a friend."