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Time：第95次例會，2007年02月24日（週六）下午2:30~5:30
Place：
viewtopic.php?t=15
14:30~15:30 (Free Talks)
15:30~16:00(Speaker Session)
16:00~17:15 (Topic Discussion)
17:15~17:30 (Happy Time)
Host: Leon Chuang
Assistant Host: Leo Huang
Topic: Manchester hits casino jackpot
Source: The news report is summarized from
(1 http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ ... ckpot.html
(2 http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ ... r_won.html
News Date: Tuesday, 30th January 2007
Information collected by Leon
MANCHESTER today hit the jackpot with glittering plans for Britain's first Las Vegas-style super casino.
In a surprise move, the city beat rivals including Blackpool and the Dome in London with its £265m plan to regenerate a part of east Manchester with a gambling mecca which would offer up to 70 gaming tables and 1,250 slot machines with million pound prizes.
The independent Casino Advisory Panel, appointed by the government, chose Manchester from a shortlist of seven sites, also including Glasgow, Newcastle, Cardiff and Sheffield.
The decision marks an incredible turnaround after Manchester finished bottom of the provisional shortlist - bookmakers had made the city only a 15-1 chance.
But the decision is also a massive blow for Blackpool, which was hoping to transform the resort with the massive investment a super-casino would bring.
Media representatives were caught on the hop, with camera crews waiting expectantly in Blackpool and London for the verdict.
Manchester's successful bid promises 2,700 jobs at Sportcity in Beswick, near the City of Manchester Stadium. It will provide a hotel, a swimming pool, restaurants and bars. Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell is likely to welcome the decision in the Commons later today, despite fears the super-casino could lead to gambling and attract criminals and an opinion poll which gave the thumbs down to the plan for 17 new casinos.
As well as the large `regional' casino there will be eight `large' casinos, with up to 150 gaming machines with jackpots up to £4,000 and eight `small' casinos with 80 machines.
How Manchester succeded;
Chair of the Casino Advisory Panel, Professor Stephen Crow, said: “All the proposals shortlisted for the regional casino presented their own particular and compelling strengths. We were, however, particularly impressed by Manchester’s proposal, which in our view offers great promise.
“Manchester represents a good place to test social impact, and the council’s consultations with other local authorities and relevant bodies gave us confidence on that.
“Manchester has a catchment area for a casino second only to that of London, and it is an area in need of regeneration at least as much as any of the others we observed – indeed, the city has the greatest need in terms of multiple deprivation of all the proposals that were before us.
“We are impressed that the council’s plan has been developed, and is proposed to be taken forward, in close consultation with the communities that would benefit from it, and note in addition that Manchester is one of England’s eight “Core Cities” which Government policy sees as drivers of national and regional economic growth. In our view, the proposal presents the most complete package in terms of meeting our remitted criteria.
“We have been open throughout the process about potential conflicts of interest and put in place measures to ensure that our final recommendations would be free from interest, bias or prejudice. And it is in this spirit of transparency that we are issuing alongside this press release a thorough account of our processes, considerations and reasons as part of our final report.”
Please try to answer and share your opinion about the following questions:
1. Do you like gambling?
What types are the gambling games you like to play most ?
What days would you like to play the games on?
2. How do you learn to play those gambling games you like to play?
Does anyone teach or instruct you?
3. Have you visited any oversea casino, horse racing course or the local
gambling house? Try to share your interesting experience.
4. Do you believe in luck? Have you ever heard of any particular trick
which can bring you the luck or something needed to be prevented
in gambling?
5. What are the advantages and disadvantages that gamble may lead to from the individual, social or national angle?
Do you agree or disagree with building a casino in Taiwan? Why?
(Try to take some examples to support your outlook)
Vocabulary Reference:
1. casino n. (有跳舞、音樂等娛樂的)賭場
2. jackpot n. 頭彩,累積賭注或獎金
3. mecca n. [大寫](回教聖地)麥加; 聖地, 許多人想去的地方
4. slot machine n. 吃角子老虎機
5. panel n. 陪審團, 審查團
6. shortlist n. 候選名單vt. 加入候選名單
7. bookmaker n.(賭博)組頭, 接受下賭注者
8. catch sb. on the hop ph.使sb.措手不及
9. poll n. (民意)調查; 鸚鵡 vt. (對sb.)做民意調查
10. compel vt. 強迫,迫使
11. (1) catchment n.集水 (2) catchment area n. 集水區域
12. (1)deprive vt.. 剝奪,免去,使喪失 (2)deprivation n. 剝奪,免去,喪失; 貧困
13. remit vi.&vt. 匯寄,匯款; 移交,提交
14. (1) transparent adj.透明的; 清澈的; 清晰的
(2) transparency n. 透明; 清澈; 清晰
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