3. Imports, exports and currencies.

I have listened a podcast from BBC Radio Scotland Program once again. I've done it twice. It was rather interesting and useful for me. 

As the UK's trade gap with the rest of the world widened unexpectedly in January (see the previous post), Graham Stewart and guests in this program examine exports, imports and the impact of currency fluctuations.

Well, there is information about the losses by National Bank, they are 257 millions. Ewan Reid of coffee company Matthew Algie talks something about imports.From the export side is Craig Preston, chief financial officer at software firm Craneware. According his words the assets should increase. Moreover, there are problems in the Wiskey Industry. So the alcohol became cheaper than it was earlier. As the result houndreads were  lost their jobs.

The last guest is David Lamb, he is head of treasury services at No1 Currency, analyses the fluctuations in the money markets and also tells us about the Emigrate Glasgow event taking place this weekend.

 

To sum up, I would like to say, that the crisis continues the destruction of the economy.

2. some economic news from Scotland.

I have listened a podcast from BBC Radio Scotland Program. This podcast is about the Investing in America. I have listened it twice and to my mind I understand it good. I have heard some words which I had learned on my English lessons.

Graham Stewart and guests discussed investing in America and how to give employees a sense of ownership in a company. David Carrick, chief executive of Memex, which provides intelligence and information management solutions to the law enforcement, government agencies and private industry, was the first. He said that his business is rather small, as the example, there were only 20 people in Glasgow, but it was only start. Dougal Sharp, managing director of the specialist brewer Innes & Gunn was the next. His company produced beer. Dougal said that January was always a difficult month for everyone because of snow and cold. A little number of people went to pubs and had shopping they preferred to stay at home. Aaron Brickman, director of Invest in America, tells business editor Douglas Fraser about the country's efforts to attract overseas investors. So Aaron Brickman said that Scottish firms had been successfully in America for a long time. US market was global but investors don’t come because they did not know the opportunities there. The 52% of the global consumer good’s market belonged to US's consumer space. He would like to be sure that overseas investors understood the US market opportunities were successful. In fact, the UK's inverstment was the largest.

In conclusion I’d like to say that this news is rather interesting for me and it helps to understand me the economic situation in America.

1.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/bizdaily#playepisode1

I had an aim to self-assess what skills do I have to listening tasks, especially how I can understand the authentic speech.

I have listened a podcast from BBC World Service. This podcast is about the Haiti rebuilding. I have listened it twice and it was rather easy for me to understand. I have heard some words which I had learned on my English lessons.

Well, on January, 12, 2010, there was the strongest earthquake in Haiti, as the result more then 2000 people were died. So there are a lot of discussions about the reconstruction of everything in Haiti now. I have listened an interview with the Haiti businessman Alexander Frixne. He had had the store before the disaster and now he had lost his business, he had lost his family, so he had nothing. But he said that he was ready to restart his business due to the banks which gave loans. So it means that some people in Haiti are ready to help and rebuild everything around.

But the Canadian Prime-Ministre said that a decade is needed to rebuild Haiti. Moreover Pall Kollie, the Oxford University economics professor, is approved that there was no plan what to do. He said that there was no authorities. Professor said that nobody wanted to coordinate the work and nobody wanted to be coordinated. He thought Haiti should have one national and one international persons to plan everything. As the other woman said that the government could manage all the assets to rebuilt and all physical and financial assets that was receiving from charities.

To sum up I would like to say, that strong disasters are always unpredictable. Nobody can say how strong it would be. And it is always difficult to start everything from nothing.

These podcasts helped me to realize how well I am ready to pass my English exam.