Vocabulary
1. Provoke-(v)-to anger, enrage, exasperate, or vex, infuriate
ex.-The protesters provoked the policemen into a confrontation.
2. amateur-(n)- a person inexperienced or unskilled in a particular activity;
ex. Hunting lions is not for amateurs.
3. sinister-(adj)-threatening or suggesting evil or harm; ominous, evil or treacherous, esp in a mysterious way
ex.The Man wearing black robe gave the woman a sinister glance.
4. malevolent-(adj)-wishing evil or harm to another or others; showing ill will; ill-disposed; malicious
ex. His failures made him malevolent toward those who were successful.
5. preeminence-(n)-high status importance owing to marked superiority; Superiority to or notable above all others; outstanding.
ex. The restaurant is known for the preeminence of its seafood dishes
Over the past decade, the Philippines has been stung by a series of killings all reportedly provoked by karaoke versions of Frank Sinatra's "My Way". At least half a dozen people have been murdered after singing the tune at karaoke, according to the New York Times.
Local media call them the "My Way Killings", and they are occurring in some of the Philippines' thousands of karaoke-filled bars, cafés and restaurants. Someone gets up, clears his or her throat, and chooses My Way from a list of songs. The lyrics appear on a screen, the music begins to play - and the trouble begins.
"The trouble with My Way is that everyone knows it and everyone has an opinion," Rodolfo Gregorio, an amateur singer from General Santos, told the newspaper. Some performers get into fights with their critics. Some are rude, some jump forward in line, and some simply sing out of tune. "I used to like My Way but after all the trouble, I stopped singing it," Gregorio said. "You can get killed."
Manila resident Alisa Escanlar recalled an incident where her uncle, a police officer, was listening to a friend sing My Way, apparently the most remade song in history, at a local bar. When someone at another table began to laugh, Escanlar's uncle drew his revolver. The people fled, she explained - but Escanlar and her relatives have now banned the Sinatra song from their karaoke parties.
Stories like these have helped My Way to gain a sinister, even malevolent reputation. While some say the violence is simply a matter of statistics - the song is one of the favourites in a country prone to violence - others blame its boastful style. Paul Anka wrote the English lyrics with Sinatra in mind, and they reflect Old Blue Eyes' preeminence. A man, his song explains, must "say the things he truly feels and not the words of one who kneels".
Unfortunately, several people have "taken the blows" of "doing it my way". Not that My Way has pride of place. Karaoke-related violence has spanned the globe, from an attack in Seattle after a man sang Coldplay's "Yellow," to a Thai man who killed eight of his harmonising neighbours after their performance of John Denver's "Take Me Home Country Roads." Perhaps the real solution is singing lessons.
SOURCE: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=413191492069141&set=a.289245514463740.77512.289243791130579&type=1&theater
QUESTIONS
1. Are Karaoke/Videoke popular in your country? Do you go/sing in Karaoke Bars?
2. Do you know which song is the most popular when it comes to Karaoke singing?
3. According to the article what is the reason why Frank Sinatra"s "My Way" cause so much violence among "wannabe" singers?
4. How can Karaoke bar owners do to prevent this kind of violence?
5. Are there similar incidents of violence in your country?
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Prized pairs of shoe-lover Imelda in danger
Vocabulary Words
1. infamous-(adj)-having an extremely bad reputation; notorious
Ex. The royal family of Britain was furious after the infamous naked photos of Prince Harry and the topless pictures of Kate Middleton were published.
2. notorious-(adj)-Well-known for some bad or unfavourable quality, deed, etc; infamous
Ex.- The notorious criminal escaped from prison.
3. aggravated-(v)-to make worse or more severe; intensify, as anything evil, disorderly, or troublesome
Ex.- His illness was aggravated by the dirty water he drank.
4. meticulous-(adj)-taking or showing extreme care about minute details; precise; thorough
Ex. The old man is a meticulous craftsman.
5. astound-(v)-to overwhelm with amazement; astonish greatly; shock with wonder or surprise.
Ex. The Grand Canyon never ceases to amaze and astound me.
While former first lady Imelda Marcos' infamous jewelry collection is being eyed for exhibit, her equally notorious shoe collection is said to be falling into neglect.
A team of curators at the National Museum are trying to rescue some of the apparel the Marcoses left in the Malacañan Palace after the room where the items have been stored was swamped due to a leaking ceiling, an Associated Press report on Sunday said.
"There was termite infestation and mold in past years, and these were aggravated by last month's storm," the report quoted museum curator Orlando Abinion as saying.
Damaged items were part of over 150 boxes of the Marcoses' belongings transferred to the National Museum two years ago for safekeeping.
These include clothes strongman Ferdinand Marcos had worn in state occassions and some of his wife's shoe collection, which they left when they were forced into exile by the 1986 People Power Revolution.
"It's unfortunate because Imelda may have worn some of these clothes in major official events and as such have an important place in our history," Abinion said.
Imelda reportedly left over 1,200 shoes when she fled the Palace with her husband.
These are not part of the $2.24 billion worth of assets so far recovered by the Presidential Commission on Good Government, the report noted.
Earlier reports have meanwhile said PCGG is eyeing an exhibit of Imelda's massive jewelry collection, which are also being planned for auction.
Imelda Marcos claimed many of the shoes were gifts from Filipino shoemakers in local shoemakers in Marikina City, which in 2001 borrowed 800 of her shoes for a museum.
Dozens of pairs were damaged in a 2009 flood, however.
The surviving 765 pairs "still look remarkably new due to meticulous museum care, which includes displaying them in airtight and dust-free glass cabinets in an air-conditioned gallery, away from direct sunlight," the AP report said.
Imelda's shoes "never fail to astound people years after," the report quoted museum manager Jane Ballesteros as saying.
She added that most of the museum's daily 50 to 100 visitors ask if Imelda was able to wear all of the shoes.
"When I say, yes, look at the scratches on the soles, the next reaction is, 'Really?'" Ballesteros said.
SOURCE: http://ph.news.yahoo.com/prized-pairs-of-shoe-lover-imelda-in-danger.html
QUESTIONS
1. Do you know who Imelda Marcos is?
2. Do you think the Philippine Government should return the clothes and shoes to Imelda and her family?
3. In your opinion, can the clothes and shoes of Imelda Marcos be considered interesting enough to display in museums?
4. What can you say about the museum curators who were responsible for the neglect of these items?
1. infamous-(adj)-having an extremely bad reputation; notorious
Ex. The royal family of Britain was furious after the infamous naked photos of Prince Harry and the topless pictures of Kate Middleton were published.
2. notorious-(adj)-Well-known for some bad or unfavourable quality, deed, etc; infamous
Ex.- The notorious criminal escaped from prison.
3. aggravated-(v)-to make worse or more severe; intensify, as anything evil, disorderly, or troublesome
Ex.- His illness was aggravated by the dirty water he drank.
4. meticulous-(adj)-taking or showing extreme care about minute details; precise; thorough
Ex. The old man is a meticulous craftsman.
5. astound-(v)-to overwhelm with amazement; astonish greatly; shock with wonder or surprise.
Ex. The Grand Canyon never ceases to amaze and astound me.
While former first lady Imelda Marcos' infamous jewelry collection is being eyed for exhibit, her equally notorious shoe collection is said to be falling into neglect.
A team of curators at the National Museum are trying to rescue some of the apparel the Marcoses left in the Malacañan Palace after the room where the items have been stored was swamped due to a leaking ceiling, an Associated Press report on Sunday said.
"There was termite infestation and mold in past years, and these were aggravated by last month's storm," the report quoted museum curator Orlando Abinion as saying.
Damaged items were part of over 150 boxes of the Marcoses' belongings transferred to the National Museum two years ago for safekeeping.
These include clothes strongman Ferdinand Marcos had worn in state occassions and some of his wife's shoe collection, which they left when they were forced into exile by the 1986 People Power Revolution.
"It's unfortunate because Imelda may have worn some of these clothes in major official events and as such have an important place in our history," Abinion said.
Imelda reportedly left over 1,200 shoes when she fled the Palace with her husband.
These are not part of the $2.24 billion worth of assets so far recovered by the Presidential Commission on Good Government, the report noted.
Earlier reports have meanwhile said PCGG is eyeing an exhibit of Imelda's massive jewelry collection, which are also being planned for auction.
Imelda Marcos claimed many of the shoes were gifts from Filipino shoemakers in local shoemakers in Marikina City, which in 2001 borrowed 800 of her shoes for a museum.
Dozens of pairs were damaged in a 2009 flood, however.
The surviving 765 pairs "still look remarkably new due to meticulous museum care, which includes displaying them in airtight and dust-free glass cabinets in an air-conditioned gallery, away from direct sunlight," the AP report said.
Imelda's shoes "never fail to astound people years after," the report quoted museum manager Jane Ballesteros as saying.
She added that most of the museum's daily 50 to 100 visitors ask if Imelda was able to wear all of the shoes.
"When I say, yes, look at the scratches on the soles, the next reaction is, 'Really?'" Ballesteros said.
SOURCE: http://ph.news.yahoo.com/prized-pairs-of-shoe-lover-imelda-in-danger.html
QUESTIONS
1. Do you know who Imelda Marcos is?
2. Do you think the Philippine Government should return the clothes and shoes to Imelda and her family?
3. In your opinion, can the clothes and shoes of Imelda Marcos be considered interesting enough to display in museums?
4. What can you say about the museum curators who were responsible for the neglect of these items?
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Filipino street kid, 13, wins $100,000 peace prize
Vocabulary
1. prestigious-(adj)-having a high reputation; honored; esteemed
ex. He graduated from a very prestigious University
2. parcels-(n)-an object, article, container, or quantity of something wrapped or packed up; small package; bundle.
ex. The parcel was delivered at his doorstep.
3. destitute-(adj)-without means of subsistence; lacking food, clothing, and shelter; dirt poor
ex. The government has set aside healthcare funds for the destitutes and the homeless.
4. initiator-(n)-a person or thing that initiates or starts something.
ex. The senior students were the initiators of the tree-planting project.
5. icon-(n)-A person or thing regarded as a representative symbol of something
ex. Madonna is already considered as an icon in the music industry.
A young Filipino who lived off a rubbish dump and slept in an open tomb has won a prestigious children's award in the Netherlands for his work to improve the rights of his fellow street kids.
Cris "Kesz" Valdez, aged 13, was handed this year's International Children's Peace Prize at a glittering ceremony in The Hague on Wednesday, where he received a 100,000 euro ($130,000) prize.
Valdez was chosen from three finalists for the work of his "Championing Community Children" charity which raises funds to hand out gift parcels to needy children in Cavite City, about 30 kilometres (18 miles) south of the capital Manila.
"You are wonderful," Nobel Peace laureate Desmond Tutu, who handed over this year's prize, told Valdez at a press conference shortly after the ceremony, held in The Hague's historic Knight's Hall.
"My message to children around the world is not to lose hope" and to remember things like hygiene, said Valdez, who added that the prize would help him get an education and perhaps realise his dream of becoming a doctor.
Through his charity, Valdez has handed out more than 5,000 gifts to destitute children that included everyday articles like flip-flops, toys, sweets and clothes, said the KidsRights Foundation, the prize's initiator.
In all, he has helped some 10,000 children in his area on health, hygiene and children's rights, the foundation added.
Some 246,000 street children are, like Valdez was as a young child, subjected to abuse, violence and child labour in the Philippines, it said.
Asked about the prize money, KidsRights Foundation chairman Marc Dullaert said a committee was now to decide, together with Valdez, to which projects it would be donated.
Archbishop Tutu, the South African peace icon who won the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize is in the Netherlands for a nine-day visit.
Source: http://ph.news.yahoo.com/filipino-street-kid-13-wins-100-000-peace-181545820.html
Questions
1. What do you think of this 13 year old boy's achievement?
2. Are there young boys and girls in your country who are involved in charities?
3. What do you think could be the positive result of this award for the other street children in the Philippines?
4. Do you think this achievement would be an inspiration to other people not only in the Philippines but in other countries as well?
5. What should the Government officials do to help in this charity's goal?
1. prestigious-(adj)-having a high reputation; honored; esteemed
ex. He graduated from a very prestigious University
2. parcels-(n)-an object, article, container, or quantity of something wrapped or packed up; small package; bundle.
ex. The parcel was delivered at his doorstep.
3. destitute-(adj)-without means of subsistence; lacking food, clothing, and shelter; dirt poor
ex. The government has set aside healthcare funds for the destitutes and the homeless.
4. initiator-(n)-a person or thing that initiates or starts something.
ex. The senior students were the initiators of the tree-planting project.
5. icon-(n)-A person or thing regarded as a representative symbol of something
ex. Madonna is already considered as an icon in the music industry.
A young Filipino who lived off a rubbish dump and slept in an open tomb has won a prestigious children's award in the Netherlands for his work to improve the rights of his fellow street kids.
Cris "Kesz" Valdez, aged 13, was handed this year's International Children's Peace Prize at a glittering ceremony in The Hague on Wednesday, where he received a 100,000 euro ($130,000) prize.
Valdez was chosen from three finalists for the work of his "Championing Community Children" charity which raises funds to hand out gift parcels to needy children in Cavite City, about 30 kilometres (18 miles) south of the capital Manila.
"You are wonderful," Nobel Peace laureate Desmond Tutu, who handed over this year's prize, told Valdez at a press conference shortly after the ceremony, held in The Hague's historic Knight's Hall.
"My message to children around the world is not to lose hope" and to remember things like hygiene, said Valdez, who added that the prize would help him get an education and perhaps realise his dream of becoming a doctor.
Through his charity, Valdez has handed out more than 5,000 gifts to destitute children that included everyday articles like flip-flops, toys, sweets and clothes, said the KidsRights Foundation, the prize's initiator.
In all, he has helped some 10,000 children in his area on health, hygiene and children's rights, the foundation added.
Some 246,000 street children are, like Valdez was as a young child, subjected to abuse, violence and child labour in the Philippines, it said.
Asked about the prize money, KidsRights Foundation chairman Marc Dullaert said a committee was now to decide, together with Valdez, to which projects it would be donated.
Archbishop Tutu, the South African peace icon who won the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize is in the Netherlands for a nine-day visit.
Source: http://ph.news.yahoo.com/filipino-street-kid-13-wins-100-000-peace-181545820.html
Questions
1. What do you think of this 13 year old boy's achievement?
2. Are there young boys and girls in your country who are involved in charities?
3. What do you think could be the positive result of this award for the other street children in the Philippines?
4. Do you think this achievement would be an inspiration to other people not only in the Philippines but in other countries as well?
5. What should the Government officials do to help in this charity's goal?
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Robot cat Doraemon receives residency in Japan city
Vocabulary
1. Feline -(adj.)- belonging or pertaining to the cat family
ex. The cat family of animals such as house cats, tigers, cheetahs and lions are considered felines.
2. exploits -(noun)- a notable or heroic act; heroic adventures
ex. The movie is about the exploits of Lt. John J. Dunbar.
3. alter -(verb)-to change or modify
ex. The dressmaker altered the wedding gown to fit her.
4. navigate -(verb)-to walk or find one's way on, in, or across
ex. It was difficult to navigate the stairs in the dark.
5. enormously -(adverb)-greatly exceeding the common size, extent, etc.
ex. the program was enormously succesful.
Doraemon, Japan's robot cat from the future, will celebrate turning minus 100 years old by being given official residence of the city where he will be born, a city official told AFP on Friday.
The electronic blue feline, whose cartoon exploits have captivated children across Asia, is to be given a residency certificate for Kawasaki, a city near Tokyo, on September 3, exactly a century ahead of his supposed birth.
The city, in which the character's creator lived, is also home to a popular museum of all things Doraemon and plans to issue copies of the time-travelling robot cat's residency certificate to fans and visitors.
"Doraemon was created and born in Kawasaki city. In that sense, he has always been a city resident," Mayor Takao Abe told reporters, according to the online edition of the local Kanagawa Shimbun newspaper.
"I hope (the residency certificate) will bring the museum closer to many people," he said.
The certificate will give Doraemon's birthday as September 3, 2112, as well as listing his likes -- pastries -- and his dislikes -- mice.
Doraemon was sent back in time from the 22nd century by a young boy who wanted to alter his family's historical misfortune.
His magic pocket provides an endless supply of fantastical gadgets that help his young friend Nobita Nobi navigate the trials of everyday life.
The character first appeared in manga strips in 1969, making the transition to small and big screen over the following decades.
Doraemon remains enormously popular in Japan, serving as an instantly recognisable cultural reference across generations.
The cartoon series also has a large following in the rest of Asia, including in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea.
SOURCE: http://ph.news.yahoo.com/robot-cat-doraemon-receives-residency-japan-city-063640051.html
Questions
1. What is the article all about?
2. How popular is the Doraemon character in your country?
3. Do you think by putting up a Doraemon museum Kawasaki will attract more tourists?
4. In your opinion, Is Doraemon alreay considered a part of Japanese culture?
5. How can children (and adults) relate with Doraemon?
1. Feline -(adj.)- belonging or pertaining to the cat family
ex. The cat family of animals such as house cats, tigers, cheetahs and lions are considered felines.
2. exploits -(noun)- a notable or heroic act; heroic adventures
ex. The movie is about the exploits of Lt. John J. Dunbar.
3. alter -(verb)-to change or modify
ex. The dressmaker altered the wedding gown to fit her.
4. navigate -(verb)-to walk or find one's way on, in, or across
ex. It was difficult to navigate the stairs in the dark.
5. enormously -(adverb)-greatly exceeding the common size, extent, etc.
ex. the program was enormously succesful.
Doraemon, Japan's robot cat from the future, will celebrate turning minus 100 years old by being given official residence of the city where he will be born, a city official told AFP on Friday.
The electronic blue feline, whose cartoon exploits have captivated children across Asia, is to be given a residency certificate for Kawasaki, a city near Tokyo, on September 3, exactly a century ahead of his supposed birth.
The city, in which the character's creator lived, is also home to a popular museum of all things Doraemon and plans to issue copies of the time-travelling robot cat's residency certificate to fans and visitors.
"Doraemon was created and born in Kawasaki city. In that sense, he has always been a city resident," Mayor Takao Abe told reporters, according to the online edition of the local Kanagawa Shimbun newspaper.
"I hope (the residency certificate) will bring the museum closer to many people," he said.
The certificate will give Doraemon's birthday as September 3, 2112, as well as listing his likes -- pastries -- and his dislikes -- mice.
Doraemon was sent back in time from the 22nd century by a young boy who wanted to alter his family's historical misfortune.
His magic pocket provides an endless supply of fantastical gadgets that help his young friend Nobita Nobi navigate the trials of everyday life.
The character first appeared in manga strips in 1969, making the transition to small and big screen over the following decades.
Doraemon remains enormously popular in Japan, serving as an instantly recognisable cultural reference across generations.
The cartoon series also has a large following in the rest of Asia, including in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea.
SOURCE: http://ph.news.yahoo.com/robot-cat-doraemon-receives-residency-japan-city-063640051.html
Questions
1. What is the article all about?
2. How popular is the Doraemon character in your country?
3. Do you think by putting up a Doraemon museum Kawasaki will attract more tourists?
4. In your opinion, Is Doraemon alreay considered a part of Japanese culture?
5. How can children (and adults) relate with Doraemon?
Friday, August 24, 2012
Beijing restaurateur develops noodle-slicing robot army
Vocabulary Words
1. Automated - (adj.)- operated and controlled by machine
ex. She withdrew cash from the automated teller's machine.
2. Restaurateur - (noun)-The manager or owner of a restaurant
ex. He is a very successful restaurateur. He owns the biggest chain of restaurants in the country.
3. Laborious - (adj.)- something that requires long, hard work; involving great exertion or long effort
ex. The team spent many laborious hours on the project.
4. Prototype -(noun)- An original, full-scale, and usually working model of a new product or new version of an existing product.
ex. A prototype children's laptop, was showcased at the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
5. Motion-sensored -(adj)- An equipment which detects,record movements of objects, people or animals
ex. The alarm system in our office is motion-sensored
In yet another sign that the restaurant business in Asia is becoming increasingly automated, a Chinese restaurateur is enjoying booming success after having created an army of robots that can ‘hand' slice noodles.
Using the motion of a windshield wiper, the Chef Cui shaves noodles from a block of dough in perfect strips, sparing many a Chinese chef the laborious, repetitive and often dreaded task of slicing noodles by hand.
While restaurateur Cui Runguan in Beijing first created the prototype in 2006, since going into production and launching the first commercial robo-chefs in March, creator Cui Runguan has sold 3,000 robots, according to a video report by Zoomin.TV in the UK.
The appeal? At about $2,000 USD, the Chef Cui is a bargain deal, say restaurateurs interviewed in the video: not only does a human chef cost about $4,700 USD a year, the robot chef doesn't call in sick or get tired.
The Chef Cui is the latest robo-chef to hit the Asian restaurant scene, which is light years ahead of the West in automated dining.
Fast food restaurant Wishdoing in Shanghai, became the first in the country to hire two robo-chefs to do all the cooking and washing up. Automated chefs can whip up dishes like Kung Pao Chicken or Mapo Tofu, bean curd in a chili sauce, in three minutes flat.
Motion-sensored robot waiters also cycle around the Dalu Robot restaurant in the eastern province of Shandong, China, while Japanese eatery FuA-Men -- short for Fully-Automated raMen -- uses robot chefs to make bowls of ramen.
SOURCE: http://ph.news.yahoo.com/beijing-restaurateur-develops-noodle-slicing-robot-army-162426334.html
Questions:
1. What is the Article all about?
2. What comes to your mind when you hear the words Robots/machines?
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using robots in the preparation of food/s for restaurant customers?
4. Would you prefer a robot to take your orders,serve and prepare your food or would you rather have a real person to do these things?
5. Would you like a robot at home to do household chores for you?
1. Automated - (adj.)- operated and controlled by machine
ex. She withdrew cash from the automated teller's machine.
2. Restaurateur - (noun)-The manager or owner of a restaurant
ex. He is a very successful restaurateur. He owns the biggest chain of restaurants in the country.
3. Laborious - (adj.)- something that requires long, hard work; involving great exertion or long effort
ex. The team spent many laborious hours on the project.
4. Prototype -(noun)- An original, full-scale, and usually working model of a new product or new version of an existing product.
ex. A prototype children's laptop, was showcased at the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
5. Motion-sensored -(adj)- An equipment which detects,record movements of objects, people or animals
ex. The alarm system in our office is motion-sensored
In yet another sign that the restaurant business in Asia is becoming increasingly automated, a Chinese restaurateur is enjoying booming success after having created an army of robots that can ‘hand' slice noodles.
Using the motion of a windshield wiper, the Chef Cui shaves noodles from a block of dough in perfect strips, sparing many a Chinese chef the laborious, repetitive and often dreaded task of slicing noodles by hand.
While restaurateur Cui Runguan in Beijing first created the prototype in 2006, since going into production and launching the first commercial robo-chefs in March, creator Cui Runguan has sold 3,000 robots, according to a video report by Zoomin.TV in the UK.
The appeal? At about $2,000 USD, the Chef Cui is a bargain deal, say restaurateurs interviewed in the video: not only does a human chef cost about $4,700 USD a year, the robot chef doesn't call in sick or get tired.
The Chef Cui is the latest robo-chef to hit the Asian restaurant scene, which is light years ahead of the West in automated dining.
Fast food restaurant Wishdoing in Shanghai, became the first in the country to hire two robo-chefs to do all the cooking and washing up. Automated chefs can whip up dishes like Kung Pao Chicken or Mapo Tofu, bean curd in a chili sauce, in three minutes flat.
Motion-sensored robot waiters also cycle around the Dalu Robot restaurant in the eastern province of Shandong, China, while Japanese eatery FuA-Men -- short for Fully-Automated raMen -- uses robot chefs to make bowls of ramen.
SOURCE: http://ph.news.yahoo.com/beijing-restaurateur-develops-noodle-slicing-robot-army-162426334.html
Questions:
1. What is the Article all about?
2. What comes to your mind when you hear the words Robots/machines?
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using robots in the preparation of food/s for restaurant customers?
4. Would you prefer a robot to take your orders,serve and prepare your food or would you rather have a real person to do these things?
5. Would you like a robot at home to do household chores for you?
Saturday, August 18, 2012
127 Hours - The Aaron Ralston Story
Vocabulary
1. Canyon –(n) - a valley with steep sides - a good place for the sport of canyoning
ex. The Grand Canyon in Phoenix, Arizona is one of the most beautiful wonders of nature.
2. Dire straits/dire situation –(idiom) - a very difficult situation; in serious trouble or difficulties.
ex. The loss of major contracts has put the company in dire straits.
3. Ingenuity –(n)– cleverness; The quality of being cleverly inventive or resourceful
ex. The prisoners were able to escape from prison because of their ingenuity.
4. Spiritual -(adj)– Pertaining to the soul and religion
ex.She is more of a spiritual type than her rowdy brother.
5. Fanatic –(adj.)- a person with an extreme and uncritical enthusiasm or zeal, as in religion or politics.
ex. Some terrorists are described to be religious fanatics
6. Gruelling -(adj)- exhausting; very tiring; arduously severe:
ex. His brother joined the grueling Boston marathon.
7. Spur of the moment –(Idiom) - If you do something on the spur of the moment, you do it as soon as you think of it, spontaneously, without any planning.
ex. He decided on the spur of the moment to buy flowers for his wife.
8. Drastic –(adj.)- extremely severe or extensive
ex. The citizens are protesting against the drastic consumption tax Increase.
9. Tourniquet –(n)- any device for arresting bleeding by forcibly compressing a blood vessel, as a bandage tightened by twisting.
ex. Before the nurse inserted the IV needle, he applied a tourniquet to lessen the flow of blood to the IV tube.
Aaron Ralston, a 27-year-old mountain sports fanatic from Colorado in the United States, found himself in dire straits alone in a canyon in the desert when a 500kg rock came crashing down the canyon to smash his right hand and trap it against the canyon wall. A terrible accident, but the situation was made all the more serious because on this occasion Aaron had failed to tell anyone where he was going. At the last minute the plans for a trip with his climbing partners had fallen through, and on the spur of the moment he decided to head out on his own to cycle up a long mountain trail, leave his bike and then walk down the Blue John canyon. No one had the slightest idea where he was.
After three days of not seeing or hearing any sign of life Aaron realised he would die there if he didn't do something drastic. The course of action was horrific, but there was no other way. He would have to amputate his right hand. Fortunately he had a small multitool knife with him and he had some straps that he could use to make a tourniquet to stop himself bleeding to death when he cut the arteries. The knife had two blades. When he tried with the larger blade he found that it was too blunt to cut the skin.
The following day he found the courage to try the shorter blade, and with that he managed to cut through the skin. Only when he had made a large hole in his arm did he realise that it was going to be impossible to use any of the little tools on his knife to cut through the bones. After another 24 hours of pain and despair the idea and the strength came to him in a flash on the sixth day. With a final burst of energy he broke both bones in his arm and freed himself.
The ordeal was not over, though. He was still a long way from help. He had to carefully strap up his right arm and then find a way of lowering himself down a 20m drop in the canyon with a rope and only his left arm, and then walk the 10 km back to his Bike. Despite his ingenuity* and all his efforts he would have bled to death if it hadn't been for a very happy coincidence: the moment he got out of the canyon into the open desert the rescue helicopter just happened to be flying overhead.
One of the doctors at the hospital recalls being impressed to see Ralston walk into the hospital on his own, in spite of his injuries and the gruelling experience of being in the desert for six days with almost nothing to eat and only a couple of litres of water. He describes the amputation as remarkable. "It's a perfect example of someone improvising in a dire situation*," he said. "He took a small knife and was able to amputate his arm in such a way that he did not bleed to death."
Slim and pale with short reddish-brown hair, Ralston believes that his story was not simply about an isolated individual who rose to a formidable challenge. For him there was a spiritual dimension to the experience. In his news conference he said, "I may never fully understand the spiritual aspects of what I experienced, but I will try. The source of the power I felt was the thoughts and prayers of many people, most of whom I will never know."
Comprehension Questions:
What Made the terrible accident terrible more serious?
What did Ralston decide to do when he realized that help is not coming?
What incident saved him from bleeding to death after he got out of the Canyon?
What is the most interesting “lesson” Ralston learned from his experience?
Related topic: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/8223925/127-Hours-Aron-Ralstons-story-of-survival.html
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
El Nino likely to last until winter, Japan Meteorological Agency says
El Nino Likely to Last Until Winter, Japan Meteorological Agency Says
Vocabulary Words
1. El Nino phenomenon –(n)- El Nino is a warming of sea-surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific that occurs every four to 12 years resulting to extended dry periods.
ex. The Philippines was hit by the El Nino Phenomenon in 1998 resulting to shortages in food supply.
2. Disruption –(n)- to interrupt the progress of; an interruption or disturbance in a cycle, continuity, flow or movement
ex. The presentation went on smoothly without disruption.
3. Equatorial Pacific –(n)- The area of the Pacific ocean near the equator
ex. Ecuador, Peru and Colombia are just some of the countries in the equatorial Pacific area.
4. Oil refineries –(n)- An oil refinery is an industrial process plant where crude oil is processed and refined into more useful products such as gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt base, heating oil, kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas
ex. Many Filipino engineers work in the oil refineries in the Middle East.
5. Roil (v) - to disturb or irritate
ex. Financial markets have been roiled by the banking crisis.
6. Hampered –(v)- to hold back; hinder; impede
ex. A steady rain hampered the progress of the work. / The dancers' movements were hampered by their elaborate costumes.
7. Drought-(n)- a period of dry weather, especially a long one that is injurious to crops.
Ex. The long drought resulted to the destruction of crops.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said on Friday its climate monitoring data and models indicate the El Nino phenomenon has emerged and is likely to last until the northern winter, potentially adding strain to global food supplies.
Global food production can suffer widespread disruption from the weather caused by El Nino, particularly across Asia and Africa where harvests can be robbed of rain.
“Monitoring data for July suggests that the El Nino phenomenon has emerged,” the agency said, referring to the latest conditions in the equatorial Pacific.
“The chances are high that the El Nino phenomenon will be maintained until the winter,” the agency said in a statement on its website.
The U.S. Climate Prediction Center, part of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), warned that an El Nino was almost certain to occur over the next two months.
The last severe El Nino was in 1998, when the phenomenon caused more than 2,000 deaths and inflicted billions of dollars in damage to crops, infrastructure and mines in Australia and other parts of Asia.
The Japanese agency had said last month the chances were high that El Nino conditions would emerge in the northern summer.
El Nino is a warming of sea-surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific that occurs every four to 12 years, affecting crops from Asia to the Americas as well as industries, including hurricane-vulnerable oil refineries in the U.S. Gulf.
While the arrival of an El Nino raises the chances of favorable planting conditions in South America, it can roil farmers in Asia and Africa where it can bring extended dry periods.
Its effects will be closely watched in India, where the slow development of monsoon rains has already hampered the planting of summer crops, such as rice, oilseeds and cotton, and weather forecasters have already warned of the first drought in three years.
Three years ago, an El Nino slowed development of the monsoon rains, sparking a rally in sugar prices to 30-year highs as India, the world’s second biggest producer, harvested a poor cane crop.
Keenly watched by the U.S. oil industry, the phenomenon may reduce the chances of storms forming in the Atlantic basin toward the end of the hurricane season that runs to Nov 30.
El Nino, which means “little boy” in Spanish, was first noticed by anchovy fishermen in Latin America in the 19th century.
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012.
Related topics:
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/pacific-drought-flood-to-intensify-study-20120816-249ha.html
http://globalwarming.solveyourproblem.com/el-nino.shtml
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/cloud+seeding
Questions
1. What is the article all about?
2. How does this phenomenon affect the people?
3. Have you ever experienced the El Nino phenomenon in your country?
4. Do you think this phenomenon is caused by climate change?
5. How can people conserve water during this event?
6. What can the government do to help the farmers?
7. Have you heard of the Phrase “cloud seeding”?
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/cloud+seeding
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