Idioms #16 & #17

~~Current Event Vocabulary~~

Source & Full article:
http://news.yahoo.com/north-korea-says-enter-state-war-against-south-001304441.html

Vocabulary:
Escalation: To increase, enlarge, or intensify
Example: Poverty-stricken areas have seen an escalation in crime in the last few years.

Rhetoric: Language designed to have a persuasive or impressive effect on its audience, but often regarded as lacking in sincerity
Example: His offers of compromise were pure rhetoric.

Brushed Off: to dismiss & ignore
Example: She brushed off the “boos” of the crowd and continued her speech.

Indication: A sign or piece of information that indicates something. (Indicate = point out; show)
Example: The visit was an indication of improvement between the once warring nations.

Accordingly: In a way that is appropriate to the particular circumstances
Example: For acting up in class, the principal punished the child accordingly.


Story:

SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea said on Saturday it was entering a "state of war" with South Korea in a continuing escalation of angry rhetoric directed at Seoul and Washington, but the South brushed off the statement as little more than tough talk.

The two Koreas have been technically in a state of war for six decades under an armistice that ended their 1950-53 conflict. Despite its threats few people see any indication Pyongyang will risk a near-certain defeat by re-starting full-scale war.

"From this time on, the North-South relations will be entering the state of war and all issues raised between the North and the South will be handled accordingly," a statement carried by the North's official KCNA news agency said…..

Idioms #13, #14, & #15

Idioms #10

Idioms #9

Current Event #5

Source & Full Article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/08/world-womens-day-health-facts_n_2832307.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

Vocabulary:

Groundbreaking: (Adjective) Innovative; pioneering

Example: That was a groundbreaking TV drama, and will soon be viewed all over the world.

Inched: (Verb) move slowly and carefully in a specified direction; or to cause something to move this way.

Example: The scientists inched closer to finding a cure for the disease.

Boons: (Noun) a thing that is helpful or beneficial

Example: A strong breeze is a boon to sailors.

Exploitation :(Noun)utilization of another person or group for selfish reasons.

Example: The exploitation of foreign immigrants for cheap labor is common in America today.

Mutilation: (Noun) disfigurement or injury by removing a part of the body.

Example: The community was shocked to find out that their mayor practiced animal mutilation.

 Story:

On International Women’s Day, we have a number of groundbreaking accomplishments to celebrate. This year alone, women in the U.S. won the right to serve on the front lines in combat and President Obama inched closer to pushing for equal pay for men and women.
Global health for women has also seen some major boons, too. The number of mothers who die during childbirth has been reduced by almost 50 percent and HIV drug prices have fallen by more than 99 percent since 2000.
But we’re not done fighting yet.
Women across the globe still face horrifying abuse and health risks, including sexual exploitation and genital mutilation, devastating injustices that are in our power to eliminate in this lifetime………………….

Current Event #4

Source & full article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/9889497/Bath-University-angry-wifes-email-to-husbands-law-lecturer-lover-goes-viral.html

Vocabulary:
Lecturer: (noun) A person who gives lectures, especially as an occupation at a university or college.
Example: The lecturer has scheduled his appearance for 3:00.

Escalate: (verb) Become or cause to become more intense or serious
Example: Spreading rumors will only escalate the feud between the two girls.

Alleged: (adjective) (of an incident or a person) Said, without proof, to have taken place or to have a specified illegal or undesirable quality
Example: He claims he is innocent of the alleged crime.

Circulated: (verb) Move around a social function in order to talk to many different people
Example: Rumors circulated around the office that she was stealing form the company.

Catalyst: (noun) A person or thing that precipitates an event.
Example: War is the most powerful catalyst in technical developments.

Bath University: angry wife's email to husband's law lecturer lover goes viral

Donna Lees, 45, was left enraged after learning that her 49 year-old husband Sean was having an affair with part-time law lecturer Claire Russell.

But after having received no response to an angry email to Miss Russell’s personal email address she decided to escalate matters.

The mother-of-two, whose daughters are 20 and 18, then emailed everyone who shared Miss Russell’s surname at Bath University, where she is a law lecturer and teaching fellow.

Since being sent on Wednesday, intimate details of the alleged affair between the law tutor and Mr. Lees, have been widely circulated by hundreds of people, the Daily Mail reported……………

…………..Mrs. Lees attacked her husband's alleged lover for being "the catalyst that smashes apart a whole family" who also destroyed their trust and love………….

Current Event #3

Source & Full Article: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/barbara-wade-rose/papua-new-guinea-witchcraft-burned-stake_b_2688403.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news&ir=Weird%20News

Vocabulary:

Doused: (past tense of “douse”/tr. verb)= pour a liquid over, drench

(Example: She was doused in water by her prankster brother.)

Persecution: (noun)= the act of persecuting (discriminating against) on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or beliefs that differ from those of the persecutor.

(Example:  You can’t turn away a genuine refugee fleeing persecution.)

Initiated: (tr.verb)= to set going by taking the first step; begin

(Example: He initiated the conversation with his crush by saying “hello”.)

Archaic: (adj.)= Of, relating to, or characteristic of a much earlier, often more primitive period

(Example: Spanking is an archaic form of discipline.)

Myopic: (adj)= lacking foresight or scope; narrow-minded/short-sighted

(Example: The management was myopic in estimating how much food would be required for the company picnic.

Fomenting: (tr. Verb)= To promote the growth of; incite

(Example: The prisoners were fomenting a riot to distract the guards so they could escape.

“Witches” Still Being Burned at the Stake

At the end of last week, a 20-year-old woman, Kepara Leniata, was doused in gasoline and burned at the stake for witchcraft in Papua New Guinea. Her persecution and murder was apparently initiated by the relatives of a six-year-old boy who had died. Obviously the death of a child is a terrible event, but even accusing Leniata of witchcraft seems archaic……………….

………….The famous case of Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai is really no different than Kepara Leniata except for its happy ending. The Taliban shot her because she wanted to attend school; in their myopic eyes she was practicing the sorcery of fomenting girls' desire to learn. They used bullets rather than a stake. But she is alive today both because of modern medicine, and because she has left Pakistan and is now living in Britain. To end horrors like the burning in Papua New Guinea, Oxfam says, criminalize accusations of sorcery instead of allowing a citizenry to persecute sorcerers.

Current Event #2

Source & Full Article: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/hackers-use-alert-system-zombie-warnings-1C8364739

Vocabulary Highlights:

Dead Serious: (American Slang) (adjective) very serious.

The word “dead” is sometimes used to represent the word “very”.

Examples: “I was dead tired, today.”  “He was dead drunk when he left the party.”

Handful: (noun) a small number or amount.

Example: “There were only a handful of students absent from school, today.”

Apprehend: (verb) to take into custody; seize

Example: “The police failed to apprehend the criminal after his crime.”

Prankster: (noun) a person fond of playing pranks

Example: “Tom plays the funniest tricks! He is such a prankster.

Hackers: (noun; plural of “hacker”) a person who uses computers to gain unauthorized access to data.

(Additional word: Hacked: To gain access to (a computer file or network) illegally or without authorization)

Example: The hackers hacked into the company’s system and stole all of their client’s banking information.

Story Snippet:

Hackers Use Alert System for Zombie Warnings

Warnings about the zombie apocalypse may seem pretty amusing, but officials say they're dead serious about figuring out who hacked into the nation's public warning system to broadcast such messages in a handful of states.

"Local authorities in your area have reported the bodies of the dead are rising from their graves and attacking the living," the message warned. "Do not attempt to approach or apprehend these bodies as they are considered extremely dangerous."

The subject matter may be humorous, but Greg MacDonald with the Montana Broadcasters Association said the consequences of such attacks on the alert system could be severe.

"This looks like somebody being a prankster, but maybe it's somebody testing just to see if they could do this, to do some real damage," MacDonald said. "Suddenly you create a panic and people are fleeing somewhere and you end up with traffic jams and accidents and who knows what."………………….

Talk About It~~

ゾンビの黙示録？楽しそうですね！^^;

Current Event #1

Source and full article: http://gma.yahoo.com/ala-hostage-hard-time-sleeping-154747993--abc-news-topstories.html

Vocabulary Highlights:

Bunker: (noun) an underground shelter, often of reinforced concrete
Example: Because they were in the underground bunker, they survived the bomb attacks.

Snatched: (verb) an act of kidnapping (slang; snatch, snatches, snatching)
Example: The kidnapper snatched the child from the playground when his mother wasn’t looking.

Standoff: A stalemate or deadlock between two opponents.
Example: The standoff lasted for days before the robber released his hostages.

Firefight: (noun) a hostile confrontation that involves gunfire
Example: The confrontation of the two opposing gangs resulted in a firefight.

Slings: (verb) throws about (sling, slung, slinging)
Example: She slings her hair in a funny way when she dances.

Story Snippet:
For the first time since his release from an underground Alabama bunker, 6-year-old Ethan and his mother, Jennifer Kirkland, have revealed new details about his six days as a hostage, telling TV-host Phil McGraw that he "has had a very hard time sleeping soundly."

Jimmy Lee Dykes, 65, abducted Ethan and held him in a 6-by-8-foot bunker 4 feet underground near Midland City, Alabama. He had snatched the boy from a school bus after shooting the driver to death.

The standoff ended after six days when Dykes engaged in a firefight with SWAT agents before they stormed the bunker and killed him.

Ethan and Kirkland sat down with McGraw for an exclusive one-on-one interview last week, in which they described Ethan's time underground with Dykes.

"He has said a few things," Kirkland said in the interview that will air on "The Dr. Phil Show" Wednesday. "Now I know that he has had a very hard time sleeping soundly. He slings his arms and tosses and turns. He's cried out a few times." ………………….

Talk About It~~
Imagine being held hostage for days. What traumas would you suffer?
あなたが人質だったら、どんなトラウマに苦しむだろう？

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