Since its birth as the Mini in 1959, "He", "She" or "It", whatever reference you use, has evolved from a practical and economical family car to a classy road champion in its latest MINI John Cooper Works Cooper S model. A personal favourite of mine, with so many great memories, I'd like to look back on the history of this great car. First launched in 1959 by BMC (British Motor Corporation), the Mini was a revolutionary design.Until then cars tended to be long, heavy, gas guzzlers.
Petrol shortages in the 1950s created a boom for "bubble cars" such as the Issetta. Sir Alec Issigonis was asked by the BMC management to design a small, economical car able to carry four passengers. In the incredible short time of two years his team designed and launched the first Mini.
The main features that made the Mini revolutionary included the transversely mounted engine for front-wheel drive, the gearbox by the sump (practically underneath the car), the wheels right at the corners, and a new suspension system using rubber cones instead of springs to save even more space. The result was a vehicle about half a metre shorter than other family cars, yet still roomy enough to fit a family of four and their luggage at fuel saving economy.
However, through the 1960s the Mini quickly began to be identified as a chic car as many celebrities were seen driving Minis around town. Ringo Starr of The Beatles customized his Mini to fit his drum kit so that he could take it between homes. Other celebrity drivers included Steve McQueen, Britt Ekland, and Enzo Ferrari. In 1969 the Mini even became a "film star" in the cult movie "The Italian Job". The crowning moment of the Mini as an engineering achievement came when it won the Monte Carlo Rallies of 1964, 1965 and 1967. A nippy little star able to swerve round corners without losing speed - just cooool!Over the years the Mini experienced changes of design and owners. In 2000 production was stopped, until 2001 when the MINI and the MINI Cooper were launched.
My brother was actually the first Mini owner in the family; it was in that car that I first experienced the mini's own lively and zippy feeling. I remember going for a spin with him, we took a roundabout without losing any momentum at all. It was a great feeling, we drove straight in, round and out - suddenly cars around us appeared a lot bigger - but as quickly as he signalled to turn left we were already out and away!
The latest MINI JCW Cooper S has adopted many racing features, and I've heard the turbocharged 1.6-litre engine has 211bhp and can manage a 0-62mph sprint in just 6.5 seconds, just pure magic. And so, the legend continues turning heads and wowing us all. Long may you live!
Vocabulary
A boom: Boom/Aufschwung
Adopt: hier annehmen
Appear: erscheinen
Bhp = brake horsepower: Bremsleistung/Nutzleistung
Celebrity: Berühmtheit
Chic: schick/elegant
Classy: erstklassig
Crowning moment: die Krönung/Höhepunkt
Drum kit: Schlagzeug
Economical: wirtschaftlich/sparsam
Evolve: entwickeln
Fuel: Brennstoffgas
Guzzlers: Spritfresser
Gearbox: Getriebe
Lively: lebhaft/aufgewecktes
Mph = miles per hour: Meilen pro Stunden
Ippy: Schnell
Right: genau
Roomy: geräumig
Roundabout: Kreisverkehr
Shortage: Knappheit/Mangel
Sump: Ölwanne
Suspension system: Radaufhängung/Federung
Swerve: ausweichen/ausscheren
Transversely mounted engine: Quereinbau des Frontmotors
Wow someone: begeistern/bezaubern
Montag, 29. Dezember 2008
English: Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher"Maggie money is too tight too mention!
"The nickname "The Iron Lady" was originally given to Mrs. Thatcher by a Soviet Union newspaper as a critique. Today most British people are in two minds about (hin- und hergerissen sein) ex-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. She is both admired (bewundern) and despised (verachten) for her uncompromising politics and leadership. To get an idea of Mrs. Thatcher's views, see a selection of her quotes (Zitaten) at the end of this article.
In the 1980s British society changed drastically. At the forefront (vorderste Front) of these changes was Margaret Thatcher. In the 1970s Britain had been called "the poor man" of Europe, because of its high inflation and a weak pound. I remember the huge patriotism that Thatcher evoked (hervorrufen), as well as massive (riesig) unemployment, the violent struggle of the miners and people getting rich overnight (ganz plötzlich). One of the new words of the 1980s was "yuppies" (young professionals earning loads of money and living extravagantly - the expression comes from the first letters of the words "young, urban, professional").
Mrs. Thatcher the woman
Born in 1925, Margaret Hilda Roberts, was the daughter of a dressmaker (Damen-schneiderin)and a shopkeeper (Ladeninhaber) in Lincolnshire (south-west England). An industrious (fleißig/eifrig) woman, she got a university grant (Stipendium) and went to Oxford University where she took two degrees, in chemistry and law. In 1951 she married businessman Denis Thatcher (1915-2003) and had two children, Carol and Mark.
Mrs. Thatcher the politician
Thatcher was a hardliner who pursued (eine Politik/Strategie betreiben) monetarist economics, which proved to be crucial in modernizing Britain and lifting the country out of the economic and political crisis of the 1970s. However, these same policies were a severe blow (schwerer Schlag) to the millions of families which had to endure (ertragen/erleiden) massive (riesig) unemployment (Arbeitslosigkeit) and the bankruptcy (Konkurs) of small businesses.Her political career began in 1959 when, at the age of 34, she went to Parliament as the conservative MP (=Member of Parliament) for the district of Finchley in north London. During the Tory (= British Conservative) government of Prime Minister Edward Heath (1970-1974) she was the cabinet minister (Kabinettsministerin) responsible for education and science. In 1974, after the Labour Party won the elections, Mrs. Thatcher took over (übernehmen) as leader of the Conservative Party.
The succeeding (nachfolgend) Labour governments of Harold Wilson (1974-1976) and James Callaghan (1976-1979) led to the political crisis known as the "Winter of Discontent" (Unzufriedenheit) - a period during the winter on 1978-1979 when endless strikes by powerful trade unions (Gewerkschaft) resulted in food and power shortages (knappheit) as well as disrupted (zum reliegen bringen) transport and public services; during this time many hospitals only dealt with (sich mit jdm/etwas befassen) emergency cases and there was no refuse (Abfall) collection!
The government's inability to deal with the strikes helped the conservatives gain popularity and eventually (schließlich) led to Mrs. Thatcher's victory at the general election (Parlamentswahlen) of 1979. "Who governs Britain?" (regieren), she asked once as trade unions leaders opposed her, by the end of 1980, everyone knew the answer: Thatcher governs. During her premiership (Amt des Premierministers) she fought against the trade unions, and practically ended their power. She also privatized (privatisieren) state (staatlicher) industries and pushed (propagieren/pushen) free-market (freie Marktwirtschaft) policies. Under the slogan of "Popular Capitalism" she made it possible for average British people to buy shares in the newly privatized ex-state industries such as steel, electricity, gas, water and even (sogar) the national airline British Airways. The newly privatized industries made many people redundant (jemand entlassen) and unemployment escalated very quickly. The closing of unprofitable coal mines (Kohlenbergwerk) led to violent opposition and strikes by the miners. Mrs. Thatcher was a tough advocate (engangierte Befürworterin) of strong law and order and police authorities controlled the strikers with handedly (schroff/plump).
Thatcher believed that individual citizens, not the government, should be responsible for their communities. In 1987 she said, "There is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women, and there are families."She drastically reduced the amount of money the government spent on local public services (Staatsdienst), such as local transport, sport and social centres and care institutions (Pflege) such as homes for the elderly (Senioren) and the homeless (Obdachlosen).In 1982 she acted without hesitation and sent immediately a naval task force to retake by force the Falkland Islands from Argentina. The result was a wave of patriotic enthusiasm and support for her government.In 1984 she survived an assassination attempt (Attentat/Mordanschlag) by the IRA (Irish Revolutionary Army) because of her government's Nothern Ireland policies.She was a strong ally of US President Ronald Regan, and supported him in his anti-Soviet Union politics. Together with Reagan she pushed Mikhail Gorbachev to pursue (verwirklichen) his perestroika policy.By 1990 people in Britain had grown weary (erschöpft/überdrüssig werden) of "Thatcherism" and she was forced to resign by the Conservative Party over differences on (Meinungsverschiedenheiten) European Community policy.
The party then elected John Major to become party leader and take over as Prime Minister. Her work was done!Mrs. Thatcher was the longest serving prime minister of the 20th century.In 1992 she was awarded the title of Baroness (Baronin) Thatcher of Kesteven which entitles (berechtigen) her to take a seat in (ein Sitz) the House of Lords (das britische (Parliament) Oberhaus), and today she is still active in politics for her party.By the time (als) Tony Blair became Prime Minister, Britain was a different and richer country.These are some famous quotes from Mrs. Thatcher:"I am in politics because of the struggle between good and evil. I believe that in the end good will triumph.""To wear your heart on your sleeve (idiom: das Herz auf der Zunge tragen) isn't a very good plan; you should wear it inside, where it functions best.""Standing in the middle of the road (mitten auf der Straße/Mittelweg)is very dangerous; you get knocked down (überfahren) by the traffic (Verkehr) from both sides.""You may have to fight a battle more than once to win.""If you just set out to (sich vornehmen) be liked, you would be prepared (bereit) to compromise (nachgeben/Kompromiss schließen) on anything at any time, and you would achieve nothing.""I'm extraordinarily (außerordentlich) patient (geduldig) provided (sofern) I get my own way (meinen Wille durchsetze) in the end."
Author: Gareth Landers
"The nickname "The Iron Lady" was originally given to Mrs. Thatcher by a Soviet Union newspaper as a critique. Today most British people are in two minds about (hin- und hergerissen sein) ex-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. She is both admired (bewundern) and despised (verachten) for her uncompromising politics and leadership. To get an idea of Mrs. Thatcher's views, see a selection of her quotes (Zitaten) at the end of this article.
In the 1980s British society changed drastically. At the forefront (vorderste Front) of these changes was Margaret Thatcher. In the 1970s Britain had been called "the poor man" of Europe, because of its high inflation and a weak pound. I remember the huge patriotism that Thatcher evoked (hervorrufen), as well as massive (riesig) unemployment, the violent struggle of the miners and people getting rich overnight (ganz plötzlich). One of the new words of the 1980s was "yuppies" (young professionals earning loads of money and living extravagantly - the expression comes from the first letters of the words "young, urban, professional").
Mrs. Thatcher the woman
Born in 1925, Margaret Hilda Roberts, was the daughter of a dressmaker (Damen-schneiderin)and a shopkeeper (Ladeninhaber) in Lincolnshire (south-west England). An industrious (fleißig/eifrig) woman, she got a university grant (Stipendium) and went to Oxford University where she took two degrees, in chemistry and law. In 1951 she married businessman Denis Thatcher (1915-2003) and had two children, Carol and Mark.
Mrs. Thatcher the politician
Thatcher was a hardliner who pursued (eine Politik/Strategie betreiben) monetarist economics, which proved to be crucial in modernizing Britain and lifting the country out of the economic and political crisis of the 1970s. However, these same policies were a severe blow (schwerer Schlag) to the millions of families which had to endure (ertragen/erleiden) massive (riesig) unemployment (Arbeitslosigkeit) and the bankruptcy (Konkurs) of small businesses.Her political career began in 1959 when, at the age of 34, she went to Parliament as the conservative MP (=Member of Parliament) for the district of Finchley in north London. During the Tory (= British Conservative) government of Prime Minister Edward Heath (1970-1974) she was the cabinet minister (Kabinettsministerin) responsible for education and science. In 1974, after the Labour Party won the elections, Mrs. Thatcher took over (übernehmen) as leader of the Conservative Party.
The succeeding (nachfolgend) Labour governments of Harold Wilson (1974-1976) and James Callaghan (1976-1979) led to the political crisis known as the "Winter of Discontent" (Unzufriedenheit) - a period during the winter on 1978-1979 when endless strikes by powerful trade unions (Gewerkschaft) resulted in food and power shortages (knappheit) as well as disrupted (zum reliegen bringen) transport and public services; during this time many hospitals only dealt with (sich mit jdm/etwas befassen) emergency cases and there was no refuse (Abfall) collection!
The government's inability to deal with the strikes helped the conservatives gain popularity and eventually (schließlich) led to Mrs. Thatcher's victory at the general election (Parlamentswahlen) of 1979. "Who governs Britain?" (regieren), she asked once as trade unions leaders opposed her, by the end of 1980, everyone knew the answer: Thatcher governs. During her premiership (Amt des Premierministers) she fought against the trade unions, and practically ended their power. She also privatized (privatisieren) state (staatlicher) industries and pushed (propagieren/pushen) free-market (freie Marktwirtschaft) policies. Under the slogan of "Popular Capitalism" she made it possible for average British people to buy shares in the newly privatized ex-state industries such as steel, electricity, gas, water and even (sogar) the national airline British Airways. The newly privatized industries made many people redundant (jemand entlassen) and unemployment escalated very quickly. The closing of unprofitable coal mines (Kohlenbergwerk) led to violent opposition and strikes by the miners. Mrs. Thatcher was a tough advocate (engangierte Befürworterin) of strong law and order and police authorities controlled the strikers with handedly (schroff/plump).
Thatcher believed that individual citizens, not the government, should be responsible for their communities. In 1987 she said, "There is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women, and there are families."She drastically reduced the amount of money the government spent on local public services (Staatsdienst), such as local transport, sport and social centres and care institutions (Pflege) such as homes for the elderly (Senioren) and the homeless (Obdachlosen).In 1982 she acted without hesitation and sent immediately a naval task force to retake by force the Falkland Islands from Argentina. The result was a wave of patriotic enthusiasm and support for her government.In 1984 she survived an assassination attempt (Attentat/Mordanschlag) by the IRA (Irish Revolutionary Army) because of her government's Nothern Ireland policies.She was a strong ally of US President Ronald Regan, and supported him in his anti-Soviet Union politics. Together with Reagan she pushed Mikhail Gorbachev to pursue (verwirklichen) his perestroika policy.By 1990 people in Britain had grown weary (erschöpft/überdrüssig werden) of "Thatcherism" and she was forced to resign by the Conservative Party over differences on (Meinungsverschiedenheiten) European Community policy.
The party then elected John Major to become party leader and take over as Prime Minister. Her work was done!Mrs. Thatcher was the longest serving prime minister of the 20th century.In 1992 she was awarded the title of Baroness (Baronin) Thatcher of Kesteven which entitles (berechtigen) her to take a seat in (ein Sitz) the House of Lords (das britische (Parliament) Oberhaus), and today she is still active in politics for her party.By the time (als) Tony Blair became Prime Minister, Britain was a different and richer country.These are some famous quotes from Mrs. Thatcher:"I am in politics because of the struggle between good and evil. I believe that in the end good will triumph.""To wear your heart on your sleeve (idiom: das Herz auf der Zunge tragen) isn't a very good plan; you should wear it inside, where it functions best.""Standing in the middle of the road (mitten auf der Straße/Mittelweg)is very dangerous; you get knocked down (überfahren) by the traffic (Verkehr) from both sides.""You may have to fight a battle more than once to win.""If you just set out to (sich vornehmen) be liked, you would be prepared (bereit) to compromise (nachgeben/Kompromiss schließen) on anything at any time, and you would achieve nothing.""I'm extraordinarily (außerordentlich) patient (geduldig) provided (sofern) I get my own way (meinen Wille durchsetze) in the end."
Author: Gareth Landers
English: Merry Christmas!
I take this opportunity (die Gelegenheit nutzen) to wish you a very merry festive season and share this message of joy with you.Christmas is the most popular festival of the year, and it holds a special place in every one's heart.It is a festival of sharing laughter, joy (Freude), affection (Zuneigung/Warmherzigkeit), care (Achtsamkeit) and the warmth of your love. Christmas is the time of giving and sharing.
It is the time of loving and forgiving (die Zeit zu lieben und zu vergeben), and to feel the joy and happiness of being loved and to be loved.May this Christmas be the most joyous one you've ever had, and the joys of Christmas continue with you throughout the year.Merry Christmas! (Frohe Weihnachten!).
A Christmas traditionThere are many interesting facts and stories around the theme of Christmas, but here is a bit of trivia (wissenswerte Kleinigkeiten) which I hope you may find interesting:One of the most traditional illustrations (Darstellung) of Christmas is that of Santa Claus' sleigh (Schlitten) pulled by flying reindeer (Rentier) with magnificent antlers (prächtige Geweih).The story of the flying reindeer first appeared in a poem (Gedicht) back in 1823 called "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (Als der Nikolaus kam) by Clement Clarke Moore and later translated into German by Erich Kästner.
In the poem the reindeer are called Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Dunder, and Blixem.Dunder was later changed to Donder and in other stories to Donner (as in German, "thunder"), and Blixem was later changed to Bliksem, then Blitzen (German for "lightning"). Some people consider (halten/betrachten) Rudolph as part of the group, although he was not part of the original poem. Rudolph was added to the story by Robert L. May in the 1930s, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."But are the reindeers boys or girls?Well, both male (männlich) and female (weiblich) reindeer grow antlers, but typically male reindeer shed their antlers (das Geweih abwerfen) at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid-December. Female reindeer retain (beibehalten) their antlers till after they give birth in the spring.Therefore, according to every historical rendition depicting Santa's reindeer, every single one of them, from Rudolph to Donner and Blitzen had to be a girl (musste ein Mädchen sein) :-)
Author: Gareth Landers
It is the time of loving and forgiving (die Zeit zu lieben und zu vergeben), and to feel the joy and happiness of being loved and to be loved.May this Christmas be the most joyous one you've ever had, and the joys of Christmas continue with you throughout the year.Merry Christmas! (Frohe Weihnachten!).
A Christmas traditionThere are many interesting facts and stories around the theme of Christmas, but here is a bit of trivia (wissenswerte Kleinigkeiten) which I hope you may find interesting:One of the most traditional illustrations (Darstellung) of Christmas is that of Santa Claus' sleigh (Schlitten) pulled by flying reindeer (Rentier) with magnificent antlers (prächtige Geweih).The story of the flying reindeer first appeared in a poem (Gedicht) back in 1823 called "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (Als der Nikolaus kam) by Clement Clarke Moore and later translated into German by Erich Kästner.
In the poem the reindeer are called Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Dunder, and Blixem.Dunder was later changed to Donder and in other stories to Donner (as in German, "thunder"), and Blixem was later changed to Bliksem, then Blitzen (German for "lightning"). Some people consider (halten/betrachten) Rudolph as part of the group, although he was not part of the original poem. Rudolph was added to the story by Robert L. May in the 1930s, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."But are the reindeers boys or girls?Well, both male (männlich) and female (weiblich) reindeer grow antlers, but typically male reindeer shed their antlers (das Geweih abwerfen) at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid-December. Female reindeer retain (beibehalten) their antlers till after they give birth in the spring.Therefore, according to every historical rendition depicting Santa's reindeer, every single one of them, from Rudolph to Donner and Blitzen had to be a girl (musste ein Mädchen sein) :-)
Author: Gareth Landers
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