A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investing scam that generates returns for earlier investors with money taken from later investors. This is similar to a pyramid scheme in that both are based on using new investors' funds to pay the earlier backers.
These schemes have existed for many years and examples can be found all over the world from Brazil’s Telexfree to Alberto Chang in Chile.
But, why is it called a Ponzi scheme? And how are these con artists able to trick so many people into giving them their money for a reward that doesn’t really exist?
Join us for today’s episode as we discuss the origins of Ponzi schemes, how they function, and how Bernie Madoff successfully pulled off the biggest Ponzi scheme in history.
Read the full transcript here: https://www.dynamicenglish.cl/coffee-with-gringos-podcast-clases-particulares-de-ingles/episode-129-what-is-a-ponzi-scheme
As protests against police brutality and racial injustice continue in cities across the United States, the Black Lives Matter movement has come back into center focus after the senseless killing of black man, George Floyd in Minneapolis. In today’s episode, we discuss white privilege, police-protester tensions, and how after centuries of racial discrimination and senseless killings at the hands of police, Black Lives Matter still seeks justice and equality.
Have you ever said a word in another language thinking that you know the meaning when actually it means something totally different? As language learners, we’ve all fallen victim to false friends—words that have similar forms in a person's native language, but a different meaning in another language. In today’s podcast, we discuss common false friends between Spanish and English and how to make sure to say that you’re embarrassed instead of pregnant.
Exercise—it’s one of the most important ways to maintain not only physical health but also mental and emotional health. Especially during these times of quarantine and isolation, it’s more important than ever to make sure to take care of yourself and to stay physically active. So put on your running shoes and join us for this week’s episode about exercise.
Capitalism is considered one of the most effective and widely adopted economic systems on the planet. But what happens to a government and its citizens when it gets out of control? On today’s episode, we'‘re joined by special guest, Daniel Pennington, to discuss the effects of capitalism in Chile and the US and what might happen moving forward.
The world is currently being being rocked by the effects of COVID-19: the newest, unknown virus in the coronavirus family that has quickly spread around the world. Not only has it infected and killed many, but has caused economic and travel effects unlike any before in history. On today’s podcast, we discuss the origins, effects and the current developments of the new virus and how it will affect the world moving forward.
In today’s podcast, we sit down and chat with fellow Dynamic English teacher, Monica Jones, all about previously living in Mexico compared to life in Chile. So tune in to hear all about the good, bad and the spicy!
Traveling—it’s one of the most enjoyable and exciting adventures that someone can have. While traveling is great, usually something—or many things—can go wrong in the process. From missed flights and sports events to sleeping in bug-infested hostels, we’ll discuss bad traveling experiences and how we can laugh at them today. Learn English by listening to Coffee With Gringos Podcast every week.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have made headlines recently following their shock announcement to leave the royal family, which is caused surprise and drama. What happens when royals decide to leave the family? We talk about everything “Megxit” and what will happen to the royal family moving forward.
Today’s English podcast is about The Oscars ceremony - the annual awards event for each year’s best movies and 2019 had no shortage of great flicks. From “The Irishman” to “Joker”, last year was filled with great movies that will surely win awards. So tune in to hear everything about this year’s upcoming Oscars this week on the pod.
Have you ever made a facebook account for a banana? Have you ever started a “poo” blog rating toilets in China? Not many have, but today we sit back down our good friend, Claire Spooner, who has done that and much more over the course of her interesting life. So tune in and hear what else Claire has to say.
On this episode we’ll talk about our fears, our phobias, and our superstitions... so good old human anxiety. But it's something that we all relate to, right?! Remember, as you're listening, if you get lost, the vocabulary guide and the transcript are on the website to help you out.
This week we're talking about different things that we do around the house, around the apartment: household chores and tasks. It's not a glamorous topic, but it's definitely one that we talk about everyday because these are things that you're doing constantly, right?
This week we are chatting about the sharing economy. If you have used Airbnb, if you have used Uber, you have participated in the sharing economy. It's all the rage these days, and it's really changing the way that people use products and services.
Paige and Mariah are back this week with money on our minds. Listen in, and practice key vocabulary related to tipping, ATMs, and other general financial terms!
Are you a social media fanatic? An aspiring Instagram influencer? We’re not either of these things… but we’re normal folks who use social media. So, today, we’re talking about it. We’ll talk about our own usage, we’ll try to guess what’s popular with teenagers these days, and we’ll discuss the challenge of deciding whether your social media usage is private, personal, or both.
In this edition of Coffee with Gringos, we’re joined by our pal and fellow Dynamic English teacher, Victor! Victor shares his inspiring journey to learn English and build a life in Chile. He tells us how a guy from El Salvador ended up in Santiago and shares his passion for bike riding. This is a good one. Whether you’re driving, cooking dinner, or avoiding doing your actual work… hang out with Victor, Paige, and Mariah for the next 15 minutes.
Did you know Chile's National Sport is....Rodeo. We discuss which sports are popular here and back home in the U.S. Remember if you get lost you can always refer back to the transcript and vocabulary guide.
