Lesson 19Presenter: This week's financial talk will be given by our property expert, James Milligan, who is here to tell us about some surprising new developments in the London area.
James Milligan: Good afternoon. Not so very long ago it would have been really unusual to pay ￡1 million for a house. Unfortunately this is no longer so. Decline in the real value of money over the past few years has made property values rocket. The cheap house is a thing of the past. Now, the sale of a ￡1 million house no longer causes surprise, nor is it likely to be the subject of a newspaper article.
What exactly can we expect to get for ￡1 million today? Well, first of all, space, of course. Living in large cities has made us all tired of living in those cramped little houses and flats built just after the war. We now want space; space to live and relax in, preferably with a garden. And this, of course, is what puts the price up. Another reason for needing space is the fact that we have larger families growing up under one roof and even quite small children demand their own room these days, while teenagers may demand an extra room where they can entertain their friends privately. Also the trend of going out to eat is dying out due to rising prices of restaurant and transport, so people are once more beginning to entertain and dine at home, which requires a larger dining room. There are numerous new developments in London at the moment which can provide all this and more-if you have the money!
At the moment the most fashionable places seem to be the Barbican, St John's Wood, Morgan's Walk in Battersea. People wanting quiet in the evening tend to prefer the Barbican situated in the business heart of the city and therefore fairly free of traffic in the evenings, although several theatres have opened there lately. The Barbican is also for those who like living high up, accommodation being situated mostly in tower blocks. St John's Wood, on the other hand, is favoured mostly by upper-middle class families who prefer a detached house surrounded by a walled garden, thus ensuring their privacy. Gardens of course tend to raise the price of a property. Those not interested in gardening can choose from the grand mansions in Battersea where you get a wonderful view of the Thames and are still only a few minutes away from London's theatres and shops.
Look around and take your pick. Oh ... just make sure that you have that million pounds first!
Interviewer: Now you're the First Lady of Jazz; probably the greatest blues singer the world has ever known. Just what is it that makes you sing as you do?
Singer: I don't know; one night it's a little bit slower, the next night it's a little bit lighter. It's all according to how I feel. I never feel the same way twice. The blues is a mixed up sort of thing. There's two kinds of blues; there's happy blues and there's sad blues. I don't think I ever sing the same way twice.
Interviewer: And how did you become a jazz singer in the first place?
Singer: Well, it was all by accident really. You see, I wanted to be a dancer so I went along to try out, you know, to an audition and I was just a kid, I didn't know how to dance at all. So I kept doing the two steps I did know over and over until they told me to get off the stage. But I guess the pianist felt sort of sorry for me because he called me back and asked me if I could sing. Huh, 'Course I can sing, man,' I told him; 'I've been singing all my life. What the hell use is that?' And then he asked me to sing a blues song, St Louis Blues, I think it was, and I just kept on singing and he just kept on playing, and in the end I had a job. That was on West 42nd Street. Now that was the street for jazz in those days. And slowly I became known; people started coming to see me rather than just to listen to the orchestra, and that's how it started. I mean, it began like that and it's just been going on ever since.
Interviewer: You've never looked back and you've been successful ever since?
Singer: Well, it wasn't quite as easy as it sounds. I mean, when I started out I didn't know anything, I mean like chords and sharps and flats. I just sang. But if you're going to sing jazz you have to know these things. And people were very nice and kind to me and they slowly taught me what key I had to sing each song in. And that's how I really became a professional musician. I mean, the beginning was just luck, but if you want to stay at the top you really have to know your job. You have to know what you're doing and you have to know how to be able to change it to go with the public's taste; with the changing fashions. Otherwise you find yourself out of work and back on the streets where you started from.
Interviewer: But surely, you never needed to go with the fashions? I mean, you've always been popular.
Singer: Well, that's true up to a point. And if you're good enough you can even change the fashions. I've never done that. I've always sung what I wanted and if they didn't like it, they didn't have to buy it. I've never made a fortune from my music because I won't sing just any damn thing. I choose what I want to sing. But anything I do sing is part of my life. So it has to be important to me before I'll sing it. I think this is why people like my music; they know that whatever I say in my songs I really believe and this means something to them and helps them in their lives. I'm not a rich pop singer and never wanted to be. And there's been a lot of scandal attached to my life. Some of it's true; some of it's not. But at least I've always been my true self in my music and I'll always stay that way. I think a guy called Shakespeare once wrote 'Unto thine own self be true and thou canst not then to any man be false'. Well, that's how I feel when I'm singing my songs. You may like them, you may hate them, but nobody can say that I'm not singing from deep down inside myself. I won't ever sing anything I don't believe in although, as I said, it's never the same way two nights running: it may be happy one night and sad the next. It's all according to how I feel. And now I'm feeling the need for a drink of something strong; I've got four hours on stage tonight and that really takes it out of you, believe me.
Interviewer: Go right ahead and thank you for the interview.
Singer: That's OK. Here's a couple of tickets; come and see the show.
Now first we must identify the parts of this home computer system. Before we can set up the system, we must all know what the names of the different parts of the computer are and what they do. So first I'm going to tell you the names of the parts and what they are used for in a home computer system.
First, and most important of all, is your instruction manual. Can you all see that? The instruction manual is the book of instructions-it tells you how to set up your system and then how to use it. OK?
Next, the monitor. The monitor is the part that everyone can recognize immediately because it looks just like a television. The monitor shows you the information you have typed in on the screen. You can change the information, move it around or take it away, while it is on the screen. Right?
Now, when you have finished working with your information and you want a copy of this on paper, then you have to use the printer. The printer prints out on paper what you have on the monitor screen. Then you have a copy of your work on paper.
Now the keyboard. The keyboard contains the actual computer and it looks just like a typewriter. Each piece on the keyboard is called a key. You have keys for letters (a, b, c etc.) and keys for instructions to the computer. You have to be able to type if you want to use a computer properly.
Now what have we got left? Ah yes, the 2 floppy discs and the disc drive. The disc drive is quite simple-it's the part of the system that operates the floppy discs, we say it powers the floppy discs. You put the floppy discs into the disc drive and the disc drive makes them work.
So finally, the two floppy discs. You need two because the first one contains the programme-that is, the instructions-and the second is where you type in your information and where the program works on this information. So you really work on the second floppy disc: then, when you are ready to print, the printer takes everything from the second floppy disc and prints out what you have done.
Now, is that clear? Are there any questions?
There's no doubt that the computer has enlarged man's working capacity as well as his intellectual capacity enormously. Er ... but it brings with it dangers to match the benefits. Now by this, I mean danger to physical and mental well-being of the people who work at computer terminals, not the dangers to personal privacy or national or industrial security.
There's one very alarming set of statistics which come from a survey done in the UK on 800 pregnant women, who happened to use computer terminals for a major part of their working day. In no less than 36% of the subjects there was some severe abnormality during the pregnancy, enough to make a termination necessary. Now these figures compare significantly with a control group of pregnant women of the same age but who did not work with computer terminals. The incidence of severe abnormalities in their case was only 16%. This survey confirms similar investigations carried out in Denmark, Canada, Australia and the USA. Now, no one yet has a clear idea about the exact connection between working with computer terminals and the problems with pregnancy, but the figures at least suggest that there's, well, a cause for alarm.
In more general terms, increased stress and disturbances to vision have been noted in workers exposed for long periods to the video screen, and in many countries trade unions of workers involved with computers have laid down their own guidelines to protect members' health. Erm ... for instance, rest periods, or a change of activity from time to time are recommended, and the terminal should be placed so that there's a source of natural light, and something else to look at, erm, no blank walls behind the terminal, in other words, so that the operator has a chance to rest his eyes from time to time.
Ironically, it seems that it's not only those who work with computers who are at risk. Er ... there's perhaps more danger for people who use computers for interest or pleasure in their own homes. Now, it's obviously not possible to impose in the privacy of people's homes the sort of safeguards that can be applied in the working environment. Most people get so fascinated by what they are doing that they stay in front of the screen for hours on end; some are real fanatics!
But they're also using their computers in environments which are not specially designed. Er they may be dusty or hot, and not particularly well-lit on the whole.
An English magazine for computer enthusiasts recently ran its own survey. The readers were invited to send in an account of any health problems they felt were connected with the use of their computers. Er, interestingly, a long list emerged of complaints both serious and less serious, ranging from constipation because of the long hours spent in sedentary ac ... inactivity, and backache due to crouching over an inconveniently positioned keyboard, um, right through to a general sense of fatigue owing to having puzzled over a problem for longer than was sensible.
The visual disturbances mentioned above were also very common. Some readers who already suffered from short sight found that the condition had worsened, and a rarer complaint, but still one suffered by a significant number, was an itching of the face, which in some cases became a form of dermatitis. It seems that this is due to the electrostatic field of the video screen attracting dust from the atmosphere, which irritates exposed skin. And ... this is an example of a complaint which is rare in the work situation because there is usually some form of air-conditioning, and quite simply not so much dust and fluff in the air as in a normal home.
Precautions for both types of terminal users remain essentially the same. So, first of all, make sure that there's an altermative source of light from that of the screen itself. Secondly, rest your eyes frequently, if possible looking at something in the distance to give them a change from the close focus used on the screen. Thirdly, make sure the screen is properly tuned; a shaky or fuzzy image can cause nausea or headaches. Fourthly, make sure your seat and working area are designed so that you're sitting in a comfortable position, not er ... screwed up or bent over. And finally, get up regularly and walk about the room. Better still, go out into the fresh air occasionally. Sitting still for hours on end is the best way to encourage a thrombosis in the legs, as well as not being particularly good for the digestion.
These are all common-sense precautions, but how many home-computer owners wrapped up in the intricacies of some programing problem, or fascinated by some game, are going to remember to use their common sense? Does a generation of short-sighted, constipated, hunched, migraine sufferers with skin problems and circulatory troubles await us?
1. Of course, scientists have always had their pet theories, and historically all of the following have been linked as companions to heart disease: first, a high level of fat and cholesterol in the diet; second, cigarette smoking; third, physical inactivity; fourth, being overweight; and fifth, high blood pressure.
2. There are some similarities between the two men. Both are married, have grown children, are in their mid-fifties, and have been very successful in their business careers. Both are hard workers and have achieved a position of financial security and responsibility in their jobs. Their professional lives are not easy for either of them. But life for Adam has been full of tension, and hostility, whereas for Bert, life has been much more enjoyable.
3. Adam always seems to be fighting time, trying to do more things in a day than he previously has done. If situations beyond his control cause delays in his schedule, he becomes angry and hostile. He resents people who are not on time or who do not move as quickly as he does. It is very important to him that he fill up every minute with some kind of productive activity.
4. However, Bert shows an opposite tendency. Once work is behind him for the day, he devotes himself to three or four interesting hobbies. In addition to his regular physical exercise, he is an enthusiastic reader. He prefers history and historical novels. His special interest is the Second World War, and he prizes all the new information which he can gather about that time period. He also enjoys gardening and likes to fix things around the house. He has a very complete tool collection which he uses to improve his house. |