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Welcome to Spotlight's listener mail program. I'm Liz Waid.
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And I'm Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
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Why would people choose to live near a dangerous volcano?
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Do you need shoes to run?
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Is money everything in life?
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These are recent questions from our programs, our Facebook page, and our discussion page. There are many ways to keep in contact with Spotlight and other Spotlight listeners. Our listeners have answered these questions through emails, comments on script pages or our Facebook page, and on the discussion board. Today, we share their answers to these questions - and more! Keep listening!
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Our first comments today come from our Facebook Page. Our Facebook page is a great way to see who listens to Spotlight! It is also a great way to share Spotlight with your friends. One of our recent programs was called "Living With Volcanoes." In that program we told about these huge and dangerous holes in the earth's surface. Active volcanoes can kill many people at the same time. And it can be difficult to estimate when a volcano will become dangerous. Yet, many people live near them! We asked our listeners why they thought people would live in a dangerous place like near a volcano. We heard from people with ideas AND experience! So, what did people have to say? Lina wrote:
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"Maybe they want to take pictures! Haha! You know there is an active volcano named Mt. Baekdu in North Korea. We have been thinking about when the mountain will explode. If it happens, the climate of East Asia could change for the worse!"
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Kleber knows what it is like to live in such a place. He is from Quito, Ecuador. He writes:
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"Actually, I live surrounded by many volcanoes and it is very exciting but scary at the same time."
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And Alberto has an interesting idea about why people would live by volcanoes. He writes:
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"You would have to ask that question to the first people who lived in that dangerous place. Their descendents will say that they were born there. I think they did not know it was a volcano."
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Thanks for all your comments! It is very interesting to hear your ideas.
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Another program people had opinions on was called "Running Without Shoes." [http://spotlightradio.net/listen/running-without-shoes/] In the program we looked at some professional runners. They run with their feet bare. That is, they do not wear any shoes. They claim that shoes may actually HARM a runner's feet, not help them. What did our listeners think? Robinson told us about a group of people in his country who would probably agree with these professional runners. Robinson writes:
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"In my country there have always been people who have walked without shoes since they learned to walk when they were little boys. They have never put on shoes and they are the Ecuadorian Indian People. But I am sure if I tried running without shoes I believe that would hurt my feet and I would feel much pain. Right now I prefer to continue with my own way of running. That is, to run with shoes..."
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Thanks for your comments, Robinson! Hama also commented. Hama wrote:
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"I think that when you run without shoes your foot would become used to it."
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That might be true Hama! It is amazing what human bodies can do. They have amazing abilities to change to meet a situation. Thank you for your comments!
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Our next comments today come from the discussion page on our website. There, anyone can ask a question, and anyone can answer! One listener, Adin, from Indonesia, wrote this:
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"The hot issue in my country now is about corruption done by some public officers. It is really shameful and really embarrassing. But more specifically, corruption and money. These are two things we find in our daily lives. For some people money could mean anything in life. With money, they could buy expensive stuff, they could buy people's voices... The worst is that an innocent person could be on the guilty side of the law because he could not pay a good lawyer. I really hate this."
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Finally, Adin asks: "Is money everything in life?" It is easy to see how money can be good in a person's life. But it can also be bad. Here is what other listeners had to say:
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"Money is important for surviving. But it is not as important as love. One must try to earn money to have a better life. But one should not live only to earn money."
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"Money is not everything. But if we do not have money, we will hardly survive."
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"Money is simply a way of storing labor for trade. Money is therefore not evil. It only makes me have to trade my particular skills with people able to meet my particular needs. Like alcohol, sex, and so many other things, though, people can have selfish or irresponsible attitudes about money. And so, like alcohol and sex, money can seem evil in and of itself."
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These are all great thoughts on a tricky subject! Money can be so helpful to people. Everyone does need some money to survive, it is true. But, when money becomes too important, people may suffer, like Adin says. If this is an interesting subject to you, you might be interested in a Spotlight program that is coming soon. In this upcoming program, we will look at these questions by telling the story of Heidemarie Schwermer. She has chosen to live without money for the last thirteen years. Thank you for your discussion question, Adin! And if you would like to add your thoughts to this discussion, you can visit our discussion page. Log in, and post your opinions. There are also other questions you can add your voice to! Or, ask a question of your own.
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Our last question comes through email. Fabricio asked us to make a program about a particular subject - human language and communication. We make programs about all kinds of subjects, and we are happy to receive requests like this one. So, if you have a suggestion for something you would like to hear about, write to us and ask!
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Thank you for joining us for today's Listener Mail program. If you have comments to share, or questions to ask, there are many ways to do this! Leave a comment on the script page of any program. Take part on our discussion boards. Join our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter. Or just write us an email at radio @ english . net. We hope to hear from YOU soon!
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