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Speeches dataset
To assist researchers in the field of central bank communication, we offer a precompiled dataset containing the content of all speeches together with limited metadata.
We hope that by making this dataset freely available, we will stimulate natural language processing research on the impact of our speeches on the market and beyond.
Download all speeches (CSV file) last update: 1.7.2024
For licence details, please see the copyright section of our disclaimer.
Frequently asked questions
The dataset is currently updated every month.
The dataset can be cited as follows:
European Central Bank. (25 October 2019). Speeches dataset. Retrieved from: https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/key/html/downloads.en.html.
The CSV file is encoded in UTF-8 (without a BOM). New lines consist of CRLF (Windows format). Columns are separated by the vertical bar: "|".
The following columns are included:
- date
- The original publication date of the speech on the ECB website. Dates are given in the format YYYY-MM-DD. For example, 3 October 2019 would be written as "2019-10-03".
- speakers
- Comma-separated list of speakers. Only ECB Executive Board members' speeches are included. If a speech, or part of a speech, is given by a speaker who is not an Executive Board member, his/her name is not listed.
- title
- The title of the speech
- subtitle
- The subtitle of the speech. Usually in the format "TYPE by SPEAKER, ROLE, at OCCASION".
- contents
- The contents of the speech are given in full including footnotes.
Speeches that were only published as slides do not include any content.
Speeches published on this website after the last update of the dataset are not included. Speeches given at the time of the European Monetary Institute, before the ECB existed, are not complete. A subset of seven speeches by Alexandre Lamfalussy that are also available on this website under "speeches by date" is included in the dataset.
Some of the oldest speeches predate the existence of the ECB and were given by the president of the European Monetary Institute.
Below we provide a snippet of code for loading the dataset in R. It is assumed that you have already saved the dataset on your personal computer.
This snippet is provided solely as inspiration. No support for this snippet or any other languages and tools can be provided.
Importing the CSV file in R as a list can be done with the following code:
# Navigate to the dataset, # select it and click the "Open" button dataset <- read.table( file.choose(), sep = "|", quote = "", fill = TRUE, header = TRUE, encoding = "UTF-8", stringsAsFactors = FALSE )


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You are here: What is the Matthew Effect and what does it mean for childcare?
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- What is the Matthew Effect and what does it mean for childcare?
What is the Matthew Effect and what does it mean for childcare?
Gordon Cameron & Alexandra Brady
22nd June 2018
How do you stop the poor getting poorer while the rich get richer? That was the focus of a study published earlier this year by Dr Wim Van Lancker from the University of Leuven in Belgium. For many, investment in childcare is a key part of the answer…
It has been well established that high quality childcare improves children's development. Children who used early childcare services have much higher intellectual development skills by age seven than children who did not, for example. The improvement in children's development makes them more likely to do better in school, and then continue to benefit from this positive impact throughout their lives. High quality childcare can help to narrow the achievement gap that opens up before children even start school and widens throughout their time at school. This alone makes childcare a good investment for public spending, but it can also help to reduce poverty by supporting parents to increase their income through working, or to improve their skills through education, training or volunteering.
However, Dr Van Lancker argues that unless childcare is accessed by families on low incomes, investment in childcare will have the opposite effect to what is intended. Those who are better off are more likely to use and benefit from available help, which increases their advantage and widens the gap. This phenomenon is called the Matthew Effect. Simply put, the poor stay poor while the rich get richer. Current government schemes designed to make childcare more accessible tend to benefit better off families. Part of the childcare system is targeted at helping parents to pay for childcare so that they can work. The more childcare they use, the more support they are likely to receive, but childcare use is linked to how much parents work and therefore how much they earn. This can act to increase advantages for better off children, while those who need it the most (children from low income families) miss out. Dr Van Lancker warned, 'Inequality in childcare participation by social background will serve to reinforce existing inequalities in the early life'.
Compared to other European countries, the UK is among the top spenders on childcare. But despite this investment the UK has one of the lowest childcare service use rates in Europe and has one of the biggest gaps in use between the rich and poor. For children under three, Dr Van Lancker found that 28 per cent of higher income families use childcare, compared with just 6 per cent of the lowest income families.
The UK's high cost of childcare is likely to pay a significant role in this. The average cost of a part-time nursery place for a child under two is £122 per week. As can be seen below, Dr Lancker calculated that the UK has the most expensive childcare out of all of the EU countries studied.
Childcare policy requires careful investment to make sure there are enough childcare places, that these places are affordable, available for low income families, and of a high quality. When Dr Van Lancker presented his research, it prompted discussion on how to make childcare easy to access and affordable for all families. This includes making sure that there are enough childcare places in low income areas, with admissions criteria that work for all families and opening hours that match working hours.
The key recommendation for the UK, both from Dr Van Lancker and the wider discussion that followed a recent presentation of the research was for a simple, centralised funding system. One stream of funding, which goes directly to childcare providers, would mean less time and money spent on administration, would be easier for parents to understand and use, and would make childcare more affordable for those who need it the most. This is a key goal for the Family and Childcare Trust, and is explored in more detail in an earlier blog.
Full reference: Dr Wim Van Lancker, Why are disadvantaged children less likely to use formal childcare than their better-off peers? Exploring the Matthew Effect across Europe, Centre for Sociological Research, University of Leuven, 2018.
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Shared Parental Leave will help build a family friendly workplace
Shared Parental Leave will make the UK workplace a more family-friendly environment.
Parliamentarians support Family Friendly Week
We are delighted that lots of parliamentarians are supporting family friendly week this year!
What does family-friendly Britain look like?
The Family and Childcare Trust was happy to hear David Cameron pledge that all new policy be subject to a family friendly test.
Inspections alone will not ensure high quality early education
A new survey reported on concerns about Ofsted inspection of nurseries, having found that 19,000 out of 77,000 nurseries had not been inspected.
Small actions, big difference - reflecting on the impact of volunteering for children and families
Two pieces of research have got me thinking about the impact of volunteering.
Another week, another high profile story for early education and childcare
Last week Ofsted published its first Early Years report, with Sir Michael Wilshaw's speech receiving wall to wall media coverage.
No Shortage of Words on Tax-Free Childcare - But What's Happened to the Mission to Explain?
Family and Childcare Trust Chief Executive Anand Shukla has blogged for the Huffington Post on the new tax-free childcare scheme.
Childcare prices rise faster than the Government help for parents
Childcare is a key part of a modern state's infrastructure. Without affordable childcare provision, the skills of working parents are lost.
Current childcare system is not working and must change
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subset: commoncrawl


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First-of-its-kind testing shows weed-killer found in people across Europe
Monsanto's Roundup chemical linked to breast cancer cell growth
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Test results released last week reveal that people across Europe are contaminated with world's best selling weed-killer, glyphosate. The unprecedented tests, commissioned by Friends of the Earth Europe, found the herbicide in 44 percent of volunteers in 18 European countries. [1] Neither the U.S. government nor the European Union track glyphosate levels in people, despite its widespread use, so these test results show for the first time that there may be widespread presence of glyphosate in the general population.
The biggest producer of glyphosate is U.S. biotech giant Monsanto [NYSE: MON], which sells it under the brand name "Roundup," in combination with other chemical ingredients.
"The presence of glyphosate and a glyphosate breakdown product in people suggests that many Europeans are exposed to the world's most widely used herbicide. Further evaluation of the ingredient glyphosate would be wise, as well as the Roundup product, especially since the herbicide is used so pervasively in U.S. farm fields, schools, parks and homes," said Emily Marquez, PhD, endocrinologist and staff scientist with Pesticide Action Network North America.
A study published June 8 in the peer-reviewed journal Food and Chemical Toxicology suggests that low levels of glyphosate can induce growth in estrogen-sensitive breast cancer cells, adding to the growing body of evidence raising concerns about widespread, chronic low-level exposures to Roundup. [2]
"This new information is a warning bell telling us that we need to know more about how this weed-killer is polluting people and what the health consequences are of repeated, low level exposures to this potential hormone disruptor, particularly for vulnerable populations like women of childbearing age and children." said Lisa Archer, Food and Technology program director of Friends of the Earth U.S. "Friends of the Earth is calling on governments around the world to ramp up investigations on the safety of Roundup and its presence in people and restrict its use until it is proven safe to ensure people and the environment are put before the interests of a Monsanto and other chemical corporations."
Glyphosate is one of the most widely-used weed killers in the world, and its use is increasing in the United States due to the extensive use of genetically engineered crops. Weeds and insects in the nation's agricultural fields are now resistant to glyphosate and Monsanto's pervasive Roundup Ready products, causing farmers to use increasing amounts of glyphosate as well as even more toxic pesticides such as 2,4-D and dicamba. According to a peer-reviewed study published in 2012 in Environmental Sciences Europe, genetically engineered crops have increased pesticide use by 404 million pounds in the United States since they were introduced in 1996. [3]
Two 2011 U.S. Geological Service peer-reviewed studies revealed that glyphosate use is so widespread that it is commonly found in rain and rivers in agricultural areas. [4]
"What's happening in the U.S. should be a cautionary tale for the rest of the world. GE crops in the U.S. are creating a scourge of super-weeds and super-bugs that are keeping us on a pesticide treadmill, driving up the use of more hazardous pesticides. The new tests show that Roundup contamination may be widespread in people across Europe, and due to the heavy use of GE crops here in the U.S., our population is likely also being exposed at higher rates," said Marcia Ishii-Eiteman, PhD, senior scientist at Pesticide Action Network North America.
Herbicide-tolerant and Bt-transgenic crops are the dominant crops grown in the United States covering roughly half of cropland — roughly 95 percent of soybean and cotton acres, and more than 85 percent of corn acres. [5] In Europe, GE crops have been largely rejected, with only one GE crop grown commercially. However, 14 applications to grow glyphosate resistant crops are in the pipeline and a 2012 study predicts glyphosate use will increase by up to 800 percent in the EU if these crops are put into production. [6]
This recent study comes amid a spate of bad news for the poorly regulated biotechnology industry. Recent developments include:
The discovery of an experimental strain of Monsanto's genetically-engineered glyphosate-resistant wheat in an Oregon farm has caused Japan and Korea to block U.S. wheat exports — threatening billions of dollars of income for U.S. farmers. The genetically engineered wheat was grown in open field trials between 1998 and 2005 but has never been approved or marketed. [7]
A peer-reviewed long-term feeding study published June 11 in Organic Systems Journal found that pigs fed a combination of genetically modified soy and corn suffer more frequent severe stomach inflammation and enlargement of the uterus than those fed a non-GE diet.
Also last week, Connecticut became the first state in the United States to require labeling for genetically engineered foods. The bill will go into effect only after other states pass similar laws. This November, Washington State will vote on a ballot initiative to require labeling of genetically engineered foods in that state.
On May 29, Friends of the Earth U.S. announced that major supermarkets including Target, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Aldi, Giant Eagle and others — totally more than 4,000 stores — have agreed to not sell genetically engineered salmon if it is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
A peer-reviewed study published the same day in the Proceedings of the Royal Society, provides evidence that genetically engineered salmon can breed with wild trout, creating offspring that grow even faster that GE salmon and can outcompete wild fish.
Lisa Archer, Friends of the Earth U.S.: 510-900-3145, [email protected]
Paul Towers, Pesticide Action Network North America: 916-216-1082, [email protected]
Adrian Bebb, Friends of the Earth Europe: + 49 1 609 490 1163, [email protected]
[1] Friends of the Earth Europe test summary, test results, methodology and all background briefing papers: http://foeeurope.org/weed-killer-glyphosate-found-human-urine-across-Europe-130613
[2] Thongprakaisang S et al (2013) Glyphosate induces human breast cancer cells growth via estrogen receptors Food Chem Toxicol. 2013 Jun 8. pii: S0278-6915(13)00363-3. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2013.05.057. [Epub ahead of print] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23756170. For more information on glyphosate and Roundup safety, see Friends of the Earth Europe briefing: Growing doubts about the safety of glyphosate (briefing 3) http://foeeurope.org/sites/default/files/press_releases/foee_3_growing_doubts_glyphosate.pdf
[3] Reuters story "Pesticide use ramping up as GMO crop technology backfires: study" at http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/02/us-usa-study-pesticides-idUSBRE89100X20121002
[4] USGS (2011) Press release: "Widely Used Herbicide Commonly Found in Rain and Streams in the Mississippi River Basin" at http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=2909
[5] Reuters story "Pesticide use ramping up as GMO crop technology backfires: study" at http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/02/us-usa-study-pesticides-idUSBRE89100X20121002
[6] Benbrook CM (2012) Glyphosate tolerant crops in the EU: a forecast of impacts on herbicide use.
[7] Reuters Story: "U.S. discovery of rogue GMO wheat raises concerns over controls" at http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/31/us-wheat-control-idUSL2N0EB0WF20130531


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Drops Brushed Alpaca Silk 25g/140m
77% Alpaca, 23% Silk. Recommended needle size: 5 mm. A luxurious yarn in an exclusive mix of soft, brushed alpaca and subtle shiny silk!
Super soft DROPS Alpaca Silk has a sophisticated shade card ranging from soft beige and gray hues, to gorgeous reds and purples. The yarn's feather light and surprisingly warm features make it suitable for both small and large garments, and it can be knitted relatively fast on larger needles. DROPS Alpaca Silk can be used as an effect yarn when worked together with other yarns for lovely soft results!
24 Rust


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Instrument(s): String Quartet: Two Violins, Viola, 'Cello | Style: Classical |
Opus: Not known | Date of composition: 1836 (Napoli) |
Source: Reproduction of Autograph | Copyright: Public Domain |
Last updated: 2013/Dec/21. View change history | Music ID Number: Mutopia-2013/12/21-342 |
Typeset using: LilyPond, version 2.16.2 |
Download: | |
LilyPond files (zipped) | MIDI files (zipped) |
A4 PDF files (zipped) | Letter PDF files (zipped) |
This is String Quartet nr. 18 by Gaetano Donizetti. An interesting feature of this edition which makes it rather unique, is the presence of the original autograph together with the edited score. In this way everybody can compare the derived version with the music the composer actually wrote.
The PostScript/PDF zip file links above include just the edited score. The autograph can be downloaded from the piece's further information page which also contains a large amount of information about the piece and its composer.
Maintainer: Maurizio Tomasi | zio_tom78 (at) hotmail.com |


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Short Stories in French for Beginners: Audiobook
Learn for pleasure at your level, expand your vocabulary and learn French the fun way
Olly Richards and Richard Simcott, Richard Simcott
- Description
- Author
- Info
- Reviews
An unmissable collection of eight unconventional and captivating short stories for young and adult learners.
"I love Olly's work - and you will too!" - Barbara Oakley, PhD, Author of New York Times bestseller 'A Mind for Numbers'
'Short Stories in French for Beginners' has been written especially for students from beginner to intermediate level, designed to give a sense of achievement, and most importantly - enjoyment! Mapped to A2-B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference, these eight captivating stories will both entertain you, and give you a feeling of progress when listening.
What does this book give you?
- Eight stories in a variety of exciting genres, from science fiction and crime to history and thriller - making learning fun, while you gain a wide range of new vocabulary
- Controlled language at your level, including the 1000 most frequent words, to help you progress confidently
- Authentic spoken dialogues, to help you learn conversational expressions and improve your speaking ability
- Pleasure! It's much easier to learn a new language when you're having fun, and research shows that if you're enjoying listening in a foreign language, you won't experience the usual feelings of frustration - 'It's too hard!' 'I don't understand!'
- Accessible grammar so you learn new structures naturally, in a stress-free way
Carefully curated to make learning a new language easy, these stories will entertain you, while at the same time allowing you to benefit from an improved range of vocabulary and a better grasp of the language, without ever feeling overwhelmed or frustrated. From science fiction to fantasy, to crime and thrillers, 'Short Stories in French for Beginners' will make learning French easy and enjoyable.
This audiobook is available to stream online or download to the Language Readers app.


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The Beaujolais Challenge - Julienas
Julienas, with Saint Amour is the northern most Beaujolais Cru. Along with Moulin-a-Vent, Morgon, and Fleurie, Julienas enjoys name recognition that the other Crus have yet to establish in the United States. And like wines from those other communes, Julienas produces some wines that can improve with cellaring - both the Oxford Companion to Wine and Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book say a couple of years (2-3). I bet that the Michel Tete Julienas Cuvee Prestige could improve for longer than that, in certain vintages.
What about 2003 in Beaujolais? This was an incredibly hot year, and acid levels were down in the fruit, as in most wine regions. I know that good Cru Beaujolais can improve with cellaring, but this was a somewhat baked and low acid vintage - how would a wine from 2003 perform now in the summer of 2007?
Tete's Cuvee Prestige is reputed to be "aromatically backward in its youth." I have tasted this wine in each of the past few years and loved it. Made from old vines, it is deep and complex, yet beautifully expresses the floral and berry lightness of Beaujolais. I have never tasted an aged version of this wine. How would this entry from 2005 perform in its youth?
2003 Georges Duboeuf Julienas Prestige, (price unknown).
2005 Michel Tete Julienas Cuvee Prestige, $24 (Chambers Street Wines).
Anyway, this wine had a strong mineral streak early on, but the red cherries overcame their initial shyness and were only a little shy in the end. I like the edges of potting soil and cherry liquor that I get from this wine. But the fruit had not yet fully revealed itself. I would be curious to taste this wine again in a few years.


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Funny Joke to make your day happy. Share dijbi jokes on pinterest
A new monk arrives at the monastery.
He is assigned to help the other monks in copying the old texts by hand.
He notices, however, that they are copying copies, not the original books.
So, the new monk goes to the head monk to ask him about this.
He points out that if there were an error in the first copy, that error would be continued in all of the other copies.
The head monk says "We have been copying from the copies for centuries, but you make a good point, my son."
So, he goes down into the cellar with one of the copies to check it against the original.
Hours later, nobody has seen him. So, one of the monks goes downstairs to look for him.
He hears a sobbing coming from the back of the cellar, and finds the old monk leaning over one of the original books crying.
He asks what's wrong.
The old monk sobs, "The word is celebrate."


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Results: India Surf Festival
The second India Surf Festival hosted 2 races, a recreational race and an elite race.
Over 20 participants raced in the recreational course, including Orissa's first local female participant. The event was run in heats of four up river to a buoy and back for a beach finish with board and paddle. Participants came from Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Kerala, and West Bengal. A few ISF volunteers from Argentina and the USA made this race a truly international event.
Recreational Female:
1) Tapashi Devchoudhury
2) Arpita Mohapatra
2) Hashmina
Recreational Male:
1) P. Sekar
2) Arun
3) S. Dharani
The Elite race was the first in India to leave a flat-water environment and traverse open ocean. Racers with the experience first paddled up river to a turn, upon turning they faced increasing winds and an incoming tide. The paddlers were in a close group as they paddled out of the river mouth and into the ocean, but the increasing technicality opened up a large gap between the top 2 finishers and the remaining participants. The top three finishers caught some amazing runners coming back into the river mouth before finishing next to the old bridge on Ramachandi beach. Based on the performance of all of those that competed in the elite race, it is safe to say India will see more races ofthis caliber. As the abilities of SUP racers in India advance, so will the courses designed to test their skills. All elite race participants should be proud to be on the forefront of such events and to have raced in such a technical course and finished.
1) Vignesh (Bay of Life)
2) Manikandan (Bay of Life)
3) Murthy (CoveLong)
Congratulations to all participants! And to "Vicky" the Champion of the 2013 India SUP Cup!


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