The vocabulary words in this exercise come from this posting:
http://convostartersenglish.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-california-wildfire-has-reached.html
Please read the posting before you attempt the exercise.
Vocabulary words:
a blaze, to flee, a reservoir, evacuation, teeming, rugged, peak season
Many people who have lived in New York City hate walking through the Times Square area. This area is always _____________ with tourists and it is difficult to walk quickly through the area.
Is there a _____________ for tourism in New York City? Some people might say it's the summer because people take vacations at that time and come to the Big Apple. Some people think most tourists come here around Christmas time because of the amazing Christmas atmosphere in New York.
Although it started as a small fire, it soon became a ___________ because the house was made of very old and dry wood.
Some people like riding their bicycles in the city, but I like more ___________ terrain and so I like going mountain biking.
In the movie China Town, politicians who have been bribed (have taken money illegally) by certain businessmen let water run out of the city's ______________ so that they can make it seem as if there is a water shortage. They do this because they want farmers to fail and sell their land cheaply to the businessmen.
Every day thousands of people are ____________ from Syria into neighboring countries.
During Hurricane Sandy, people in certain parts of New York City and new Jersey were told there might have to be an __________________ in their areas. They were assisted in moving to a safer location.
Answers are below:
Answers:
1. teeming
2. peak season
3. blaze
4. rugged
5. reservoir
6. fleeing
7. evacuation
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Saturday, August 24, 2013
The California wildfire has reached a famous US national park (Yosemite)
How to use this blog: First, please review the vocabulary list and understand the meanings of the words. Then, please read the article provided. Refer back to the vocabulary list if you do not remember the meanings of some words.
By reviewing the vocabulary words over and over, they will begin to 'stick' in your memory and you will be able to use them when you speak.
President Teddy Roosevelt (in the early 1900s) helped to establish a national park system in the USA. These are huge areas where nature is preserved (saved and maintained). You can see beautiful mountains and wildlife (among other things) in these parks.
TR was, actually, one of the best US presidents. Believe it or not, at one point the Republican Party was considered the 'good' party in the USA. TR was the last 'good' Republican president. After TR the Republican Party became the party of corporations and the very rich in the USA.
Unfortunately a huge fire is spreading across California and it has now stretched into Yosemite.
The article:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-23806626
Vocabulary to help you understand the article:
a blaze - a large fire
a wildfire - a fire that is out of control; this type of fire is usually in a forest or wooded area and such fires are relatively common (the article states there are about 50 wildfires in the western part of the USA right now). In fact, some environmentalists say that wildfires are necessary for forest areas every once in awhile. This wildfire, however, is becoming too large and causing too much damage apparently.
scores of tourists - a score usually means 12. So if you want to say 'a bunch' you might say 'scores of.'
to flee - to escape, to run away
the peak season - the most popular season
threatening homes - many homes might be burned down; if you are threatened you are afraid of being hurt
tackling the flames - struggling with, fighting against; to tackle is an American football term - when you tackle someone, you grab him and force him to the ground, so to tackle something means to struggle or fight with something in order to try to control it.
difficult terrain - a difficult environment, difficult surroundings
2% contained - 98% of the fire (blaze) is uncontrolled
a reservoir - an area where water is stored for use if it is needed.
not any way near to closing - they are not close to coming a decision to close the park; they do not anticipate closing the park
a handful - a few
evacuation - to evacuate means to leave an area because it is dangerous
an advisory - advice from the government to do something
issued - given
teeming with tourists - filled with tourists; teeming, however, implies activity, so if a place is teeming with tourists it is filled with tourists who are very active and doing a lot of things.
every which direction - all over the place, everywhere
steep -
rugged - not smooth, rough
hectares - an area of measurement
to scorch - to burn
By reviewing the vocabulary words over and over, they will begin to 'stick' in your memory and you will be able to use them when you speak.
President Teddy Roosevelt (in the early 1900s) helped to establish a national park system in the USA. These are huge areas where nature is preserved (saved and maintained). You can see beautiful mountains and wildlife (among other things) in these parks.
TR was, actually, one of the best US presidents. Believe it or not, at one point the Republican Party was considered the 'good' party in the USA. TR was the last 'good' Republican president. After TR the Republican Party became the party of corporations and the very rich in the USA.
Unfortunately a huge fire is spreading across California and it has now stretched into Yosemite.
The article:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-23806626
Vocabulary to help you understand the article:
a blaze - a large fire
a wildfire - a fire that is out of control; this type of fire is usually in a forest or wooded area and such fires are relatively common (the article states there are about 50 wildfires in the western part of the USA right now). In fact, some environmentalists say that wildfires are necessary for forest areas every once in awhile. This wildfire, however, is becoming too large and causing too much damage apparently.
scores of tourists - a score usually means 12. So if you want to say 'a bunch' you might say 'scores of.'
to flee - to escape, to run away
the peak season - the most popular season
threatening homes - many homes might be burned down; if you are threatened you are afraid of being hurt
tackling the flames - struggling with, fighting against; to tackle is an American football term - when you tackle someone, you grab him and force him to the ground, so to tackle something means to struggle or fight with something in order to try to control it.
difficult terrain - a difficult environment, difficult surroundings
2% contained - 98% of the fire (blaze) is uncontrolled
a reservoir - an area where water is stored for use if it is needed.
not any way near to closing - they are not close to coming a decision to close the park; they do not anticipate closing the park
a handful - a few
evacuation - to evacuate means to leave an area because it is dangerous
an advisory - advice from the government to do something
issued - given
teeming with tourists - filled with tourists; teeming, however, implies activity, so if a place is teeming with tourists it is filled with tourists who are very active and doing a lot of things.
every which direction - all over the place, everywhere
steep -
hectares - an area of measurement
to scorch - to burn
Hong Kong police went after organized crime groups
How to use this blog: First, please review the vocabulary list and understand the meanings of the words. Then, please read the article provided. Refer back to the vocabulary list if you do not remember the meanings of some words.
By reviewing the vocabulary words over and over, they will begin to 'stick' in your memory and you will be able to use them when you speak.
-------------
Here's a little story showing that if a city or country is serious enough about eliminating (getting rid of) organized crime, they can probably do it.
The article:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-23825028
Vocabulary to help you understand the article:
to smash - in this case the BBC claims that the Hong Kong police destroyed an organized crime organization. To smash something is to hit something with a lot of force from above, crushing it.
a crime ring - in this case 'ring' means 'organization.'
to arrest someone - when the police believe someone has committed a crime and they take the person into the station to be 'charged' with a crime. To charge someone with a crime is to officially state that there is enough evidence to believe that the person committed the crime. The person then receives a trial in a courtroom. A trial is the process in which a person is determined to be guilty or innocent.
a crackdown - when the police or a government cracks down on something, they attack that thing using a great amount of force. If, for instance, there is a lot of illegal gambling in a city and the city cracks down on it, the police go after the gamblers and arrest them.
a triad - a triad is 'three' of something. I am not sure why these gangs are called triads.
to raid some place - this is when the police enter a place suddenly and secretly using a lot of force.
a disco - a place where people listen to music and dance
a massage parlor - parlour is the English spelling. This is a place where people get massages. Many times a massage parlor is really a place where people can visit prostitutes. A prostitute is a woman who sells her body for money. Recently the NY City police cracked down on prostitution in many massage parlors in Brooklyn.
an operation - in this case operation means 'project' - if the police engaged in a month long operation, it took them 1 month of planning etc. to accomplish their goal.
pornography - pornography is 'x'-rated material. Pornography is, basically, movies or books or magazines that are completely sexual or which just show sexual activities and cannot be thought of as 'art.'
undercover - secret
charged with offenses - accused of having committed various crimes
money laundering - when you have dirty clothes, you take them to a laundromat to get them laundered (clean). Money laundering is a process through which 'dirty' money can be made to seem like 'clean' money. Accountants can be used to try various tricks to make it seem as if money was made legally, when, in fact, it was made illegally.
---------------------
Question for discussion/writing:
These triads have been around a long time. The article states that they have deep roots in communities. Why do you think the police acted now, suddenly, after so many years?
By reviewing the vocabulary words over and over, they will begin to 'stick' in your memory and you will be able to use them when you speak.
-------------
Here's a little story showing that if a city or country is serious enough about eliminating (getting rid of) organized crime, they can probably do it.
The article:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-23825028
Vocabulary to help you understand the article:
to smash - in this case the BBC claims that the Hong Kong police destroyed an organized crime organization. To smash something is to hit something with a lot of force from above, crushing it.
a crime ring - in this case 'ring' means 'organization.'
to arrest someone - when the police believe someone has committed a crime and they take the person into the station to be 'charged' with a crime. To charge someone with a crime is to officially state that there is enough evidence to believe that the person committed the crime. The person then receives a trial in a courtroom. A trial is the process in which a person is determined to be guilty or innocent.
a crackdown - when the police or a government cracks down on something, they attack that thing using a great amount of force. If, for instance, there is a lot of illegal gambling in a city and the city cracks down on it, the police go after the gamblers and arrest them.
a triad - a triad is 'three' of something. I am not sure why these gangs are called triads.
to raid some place - this is when the police enter a place suddenly and secretly using a lot of force.
a disco - a place where people listen to music and dance
a massage parlor - parlour is the English spelling. This is a place where people get massages. Many times a massage parlor is really a place where people can visit prostitutes. A prostitute is a woman who sells her body for money. Recently the NY City police cracked down on prostitution in many massage parlors in Brooklyn.
an operation - in this case operation means 'project' - if the police engaged in a month long operation, it took them 1 month of planning etc. to accomplish their goal.
pornography - pornography is 'x'-rated material. Pornography is, basically, movies or books or magazines that are completely sexual or which just show sexual activities and cannot be thought of as 'art.'
undercover - secret
charged with offenses - accused of having committed various crimes
money laundering - when you have dirty clothes, you take them to a laundromat to get them laundered (clean). Money laundering is a process through which 'dirty' money can be made to seem like 'clean' money. Accountants can be used to try various tricks to make it seem as if money was made legally, when, in fact, it was made illegally.
---------------------
Question for discussion/writing:
These triads have been around a long time. The article states that they have deep roots in communities. Why do you think the police acted now, suddenly, after so many years?
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
An Australian man was shot in Oklahoma by 'bored' teenagers
How to use this blog: First, please review the vocabulary list and understand the meanings of the words. Then, please read the article provided. Refer back to the vocabulary list if you do not remember the meanings of some words.
By reviewing the vocabulary words over and over, they will begin to 'stick' in your memory and you will be able to use them when you speak.
------------------------------------------------
Every American citizen has the right to own a gun. This is a right granted (given) to US citizens in the US Constitution (the basic law of the USA).
This is one of the reasons why some foreigners are afraid to come to the USA - they perceive (feel, sense) that guns are everywhere.
Indeed, I do not know how three teenagers in Oklahoma (a US state in the mid-western part of the country) were able to get a gun, but they did. They then decided to shoot and kill a person because they were bored.
The article:
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/teenagers-allegedly-murder-college-baseball-player-boredom-article-1.1431445
Vocabulary to help you understand the article:
charged with murdering - they were accused of murdering the man, to be charged means that the police have arrested a person and they are claiming that the person committed a specific crime.
an accessory to murder - someone who helps someone else commit a murder
prosecutors filed charges - a prosecutor is a lawyer for the state; to file charges means to officially bring those charges against people the prosecutor feels to be guilty. The person or people accused are then given a trial in a courtroom.
randomly - without any reasoning, by chance; if you choose someone randomly you just choose without thinking.
to target s/o - to pick out, to select someone
to jog - to run for exercise
the well-to-do north side - if an area is a well-to-do area, it is an area for people who have a lot of money
the gritty part of town - the part of town where life is difficult; gritty means dirty or tough
1st degree murder - the worst form of murder
ordered held without bond - they will be kept in jail until their trial; they cannot pay money to live at home before their trial.
an accessory after the fact - he helped after the crime was committed
the trigger - the part of the gun you pull with your finger to shoot the gun
his bond was set at $1M - if he can pay a huge amount of money, he can stay out of jail until the trial.
a motive - why someone does something
to mourn - to feel grief after the death of someone
a pastime - a hobby, a leisure activity
a streetside memorial - a place to remember the murdered Australian, probably on the street where he was killed
impromptu - if something is impromptu, it happens suddenly, without much planning
to adorn - this often means to decorate, but in this case it means these objects were placed at the spot
a tourism boycott - this politician wants Australians to stay away from the USA.
his remains - his dead body, his corpse
condolences - expressions of sadness
a Mass - a religious service
to force its Congress - this Australian politician wants people to stay away from the USA so that the US Congress (which makes laws in the USA) will try to pass laws making it harder for people to get and use guns.
bitter harvest and legacy of the NRA - the NRA is the National Rifle Association. They are a powerful organization which opposes gun control laws. Basically the Australian politician is saying that what happened in Oklahoma was the result of the NRA's actions.
a callous attitude - an insensitive attitude; an "I don't care" attitude
cement - this is the material that sidewalks are made of.
perched on the roof - placed on the roof
foil - material that you wrap food in to keep it fresh
tending to Lane - trying to help Lane
obscene language - dirty language, curse words
Discussion/writing:
1. Do you think that foreigners should stay away from the USA until the Congress does something about gun control?
2. These murderers are very young. Should any mercy or compassion be shown toward them?
3. Should these young men be tried as adults or as minors?
4. Do you think US citizens should have a right to own guns?
By reviewing the vocabulary words over and over, they will begin to 'stick' in your memory and you will be able to use them when you speak.
------------------------------------------------
Every American citizen has the right to own a gun. This is a right granted (given) to US citizens in the US Constitution (the basic law of the USA).
This is one of the reasons why some foreigners are afraid to come to the USA - they perceive (feel, sense) that guns are everywhere.
Indeed, I do not know how three teenagers in Oklahoma (a US state in the mid-western part of the country) were able to get a gun, but they did. They then decided to shoot and kill a person because they were bored.
The article:
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/teenagers-allegedly-murder-college-baseball-player-boredom-article-1.1431445
Vocabulary to help you understand the article:
charged with murdering - they were accused of murdering the man, to be charged means that the police have arrested a person and they are claiming that the person committed a specific crime.
an accessory to murder - someone who helps someone else commit a murder
prosecutors filed charges - a prosecutor is a lawyer for the state; to file charges means to officially bring those charges against people the prosecutor feels to be guilty. The person or people accused are then given a trial in a courtroom.
randomly - without any reasoning, by chance; if you choose someone randomly you just choose without thinking.
to target s/o - to pick out, to select someone
to jog - to run for exercise
the well-to-do north side - if an area is a well-to-do area, it is an area for people who have a lot of money
the gritty part of town - the part of town where life is difficult; gritty means dirty or tough
1st degree murder - the worst form of murder
ordered held without bond - they will be kept in jail until their trial; they cannot pay money to live at home before their trial.
an accessory after the fact - he helped after the crime was committed
the trigger - the part of the gun you pull with your finger to shoot the gun
his bond was set at $1M - if he can pay a huge amount of money, he can stay out of jail until the trial.
a motive - why someone does something
to mourn - to feel grief after the death of someone
a pastime - a hobby, a leisure activity
a streetside memorial - a place to remember the murdered Australian, probably on the street where he was killed
impromptu - if something is impromptu, it happens suddenly, without much planning
to adorn - this often means to decorate, but in this case it means these objects were placed at the spot
a tourism boycott - this politician wants Australians to stay away from the USA.
his remains - his dead body, his corpse
condolences - expressions of sadness
a Mass - a religious service
to force its Congress - this Australian politician wants people to stay away from the USA so that the US Congress (which makes laws in the USA) will try to pass laws making it harder for people to get and use guns.
bitter harvest and legacy of the NRA - the NRA is the National Rifle Association. They are a powerful organization which opposes gun control laws. Basically the Australian politician is saying that what happened in Oklahoma was the result of the NRA's actions.
a callous attitude - an insensitive attitude; an "I don't care" attitude
cement - this is the material that sidewalks are made of.
perched on the roof - placed on the roof
foil - material that you wrap food in to keep it fresh
tending to Lane - trying to help Lane
obscene language - dirty language, curse words
Discussion/writing:
1. Do you think that foreigners should stay away from the USA until the Congress does something about gun control?
2. These murderers are very young. Should any mercy or compassion be shown toward them?
3. Should these young men be tried as adults or as minors?
4. Do you think US citizens should have a right to own guns?
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Do you think the song "Asian Girlz" is racist? (I think it is satire.)
If someone is a racist, that means the person doesn't like (or looks down on) people of a different race. In US history there has been a lot of racism - primarily white people have felt prejudiced against and discriminated against black people. (Prejudice is a hateful attitude; discrimination is a type of action which denies a person some rights or benefits.)
There has also been anti-Asian racism in America. ('anti' means against, 'pro' means for). In the late 1800s there was a law passed in the USA stopping Chinese people from immigrating to this country and there was also a 'gentleman's agreement' made between the governments of Japan and the USA limiting immigration of Japanese individuals.
Lately many people have been attacking the song "Asian Girlz" as being an example of this type of anti-Asian attitude. Yet, I just read an interview with the singer from the group that does the song, and I believe what he says. Basically he is saying that the song is a satire. A satire is a work of art that attacks something that the creator of the work of art feels is wrong or feels is a problem socially. For instance, Psy's song "Gangnam Style" was a satire (a 'parody' is the same thing) about people with a lot of money in Korea and how empty or meaningless their lives are.
So if Asian Girlz is a satire, what is it satirizing? It is a song making fun out of white guys who are attracted to Asian women. These guys usually 'objectify' Asian women - they treat Asian women like 'objects' and not people. These guys think Asian women are sexy and want Asian women as girlfriends for all the wrong reasons. Basically, the guys who are singing the song are singing the song as if they are stupid white guys who don't know anything about Asian culture but who feel as if Asian women are sexy.
Here's the video:
Here's an interview where the singer tries to explain why his band wrote the song (to be honest with you, I didn't think the song was funny or intelligent, and I don't like the music, but I don't think they were trying to be racist - I think they were trying to point out that many white guys have 'yellow fever'):
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/derrick-clifton/asian-girlz-day-above-ground_b_3705655.html
So the song is satirizing white guys who have yellow fever. What's yellow fever?
Here's a good chapter from my amazing book about New York City:
(If you have an e-reader you can buy my amazing ESL book :P I deliberately kept the price low and I think you can learn some amazing things from it. If you don't have an e-reader or you need to save money, please send me e-mail to djg51qu@gmail.com and I will send you a FREE copy via e-mail attachment. It will be a pleasure!!!)
http://www.amazon.com/Sucks-Youll-Wanna-Anyway-ebook/dp/B004TSPAQS
(By the way, the book is written in the voice of "Suzy" an immigrant to the USA from South America.)
Please look at the vocabulary words after this chapter and then try to read the chapter.
There has also been anti-Asian racism in America. ('anti' means against, 'pro' means for). In the late 1800s there was a law passed in the USA stopping Chinese people from immigrating to this country and there was also a 'gentleman's agreement' made between the governments of Japan and the USA limiting immigration of Japanese individuals.
Lately many people have been attacking the song "Asian Girlz" as being an example of this type of anti-Asian attitude. Yet, I just read an interview with the singer from the group that does the song, and I believe what he says. Basically he is saying that the song is a satire. A satire is a work of art that attacks something that the creator of the work of art feels is wrong or feels is a problem socially. For instance, Psy's song "Gangnam Style" was a satire (a 'parody' is the same thing) about people with a lot of money in Korea and how empty or meaningless their lives are.
So if Asian Girlz is a satire, what is it satirizing? It is a song making fun out of white guys who are attracted to Asian women. These guys usually 'objectify' Asian women - they treat Asian women like 'objects' and not people. These guys think Asian women are sexy and want Asian women as girlfriends for all the wrong reasons. Basically, the guys who are singing the song are singing the song as if they are stupid white guys who don't know anything about Asian culture but who feel as if Asian women are sexy.
Here's the video:
Here's an interview where the singer tries to explain why his band wrote the song (to be honest with you, I didn't think the song was funny or intelligent, and I don't like the music, but I don't think they were trying to be racist - I think they were trying to point out that many white guys have 'yellow fever'):
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/derrick-clifton/asian-girlz-day-above-ground_b_3705655.html
So the song is satirizing white guys who have yellow fever. What's yellow fever?
Here's a good chapter from my amazing book about New York City:
(If you have an e-reader you can buy my amazing ESL book :P I deliberately kept the price low and I think you can learn some amazing things from it. If you don't have an e-reader or you need to save money, please send me e-mail to djg51qu@gmail.com and I will send you a FREE copy via e-mail attachment. It will be a pleasure!!!)
http://www.amazon.com/Sucks-Youll-Wanna-Anyway-ebook/dp/B004TSPAQS
(By the way, the book is written in the voice of "Suzy" an immigrant to the USA from South America.)
Please look at the vocabulary words after this chapter and then try to read the chapter.
7. Yellow Fever
So I was sitting in a Starbucks with my Japanese friend Naoko and every two minutes I could see that someone was sending her text messages. So I said, "Naoko...you found an American guy who fell in love with you? That's great, your English is going to soar!" Naoko looked at me sadly and replied: "An American guy, yes. One of my teachers at my language school has yellow fever. He tries to go out with all the sexy, skinny (opposite of fat) Asian ladies. He's got quite a reputation at the school. He won't leave me alone and I don't know what to do."
Well, this was freaking Naoko out, so I gave the teacher's cell number to an American guy friend of mine and he placed a call to the horny teacher. I'm not exactly sure what he said, but the horny teacher seemed to stop being so horny - at least with Naoko. But back to what Naoko said: yellow fever. What the heck is yellow fever?
My language exchange partner totally has yellow fever. He’s a white guy and I’m teaching him Spanish and he’s helping me with my English. When we sit and chat in a Starbucks or other type of cafe he always checks out the cute Asian girls as they come in. So I guess he doesn’t think that I’m very sexy, which is good, because he’s fat. I’m glad he doesn’t like Spanish-speaking girls. Yes, let him keep looking at the cute Asian ladies. ^^
So I was sitting in a Starbucks with my Japanese friend Naoko and every two minutes I could see that someone was sending her text messages. So I said, "Naoko...you found an American guy who fell in love with you? That's great, your English is going to soar!" Naoko looked at me sadly and replied: "An American guy, yes. One of my teachers at my language school has yellow fever. He tries to go out with all the sexy, skinny (opposite of fat) Asian ladies. He's got quite a reputation at the school. He won't leave me alone and I don't know what to do."
Well, this was freaking Naoko out, so I gave the teacher's cell number to an American guy friend of mine and he placed a call to the horny teacher. I'm not exactly sure what he said, but the horny teacher seemed to stop being so horny - at least with Naoko. But back to what Naoko said: yellow fever. What the heck is yellow fever?
My language exchange partner totally has yellow fever. He’s a white guy and I’m teaching him Spanish and he’s helping me with my English. When we sit and chat in a Starbucks or other type of cafe he always checks out the cute Asian girls as they come in. So I guess he doesn’t think that I’m very sexy, which is good, because he’s fat. I’m glad he doesn’t like Spanish-speaking girls. Yes, let him keep looking at the cute Asian ladies. ^^
Here's a little trick gals. Just
tell every American guy that you meet that you have a boyfriend. Then
they'll leave you alone. But, I have to be honest, yellow fever has
spread through New York City. You see sexy Asian ladies and (ugly) white
guys all over the place around here. Now, this really pisses some Asian
guys off and they’ll say, “Only the ugliest Asian women will go out with white
guys and white guys don’t know the difference between an attractive and an ugly
Asian.” No. I don’t think so. Sour grapes, my
friend. I have seen some hot Asian ladies with some not-so-hot white guys,
and I’ve seen couples in which both partners were equally hot.
My fat native-speaking language exchange partner: I answered his ad on craigslist.org. He wants to learn Spanish and was looking to teach someone English. I need to stay sharp - I need really intensive English and I can get it with this guy and he doesn't hit on me because he has yellow fever. So we chat for an hour in English and then an hour in Spanish. That does the trick for both of us.
My fat native-speaking language exchange partner: I answered his ad on craigslist.org. He wants to learn Spanish and was looking to teach someone English. I need to stay sharp - I need really intensive English and I can get it with this guy and he doesn't hit on me because he has yellow fever. So we chat for an hour in English and then an hour in Spanish. That does the trick for both of us.
What’s yellow fever? Well, literally,
yellow fever was some kind of tropical disease that plagued
various cities several generations ago. When someone in New York City
says that some guy has yellow fever, however, he means that the guy is hot
for Asian women. Get it? Asians are said to have “yellow” skin
by white people and if you have a “fever” you burn inside. So a guy with
yellow fever “burns inside for Asian women." He’s basically a white guy
who likes Asian women. He might even be a horny guy who wants to date
sexy Asian chicks.
Naoko and some of my other Asian friends have mixed emotions about this. They are kind of proud that Asian ladies are so popular, but they also sense that there might be something wrong with a guy who just likes Asian women. Are the guys who like Asian ladies objectifying them? Yet, when I got here one of my first thoughts was, wow, people in New York City are kind of fat. Then I read this article in one of New York City’s really cheap and badly written tabloid newspapers. The article said that 35% of Latinos in New York City are obese. 28% of African Americans are obese. 24% of white people are obese. Asians weren’t mentioned, so I’m guessing not many of them are obese. I don’t think I’ve seen an obese Asian in Manhattan :P
Now, in regard to the statistics, we're talking obese here, not just fat.
Obese means dangerously fat. So if 35% of a population is obese, I'm not even sure what the numbers would be for just plain fat. But let me tell you, Americans are just kind of just plain fat. So you get all these skinny, cute Asian ladies walking around New York City, and they are like sex goddesses or something compared to all the fat ladies. The white guys who are used to looking at chunky ladies of all different races can't get enough of the seeeeeeeeeeeexy Asian ladies.
Why are they so sexy? Well, I think it's diet and I think it's basic cultural values. Even though I started to become a little chunkier here a little voice inside of me kept saying: stay skinny girl! Show some self-restraint. My Asian friends tell me the same thing. Now this is an issue among some Asians who say that they get skinnier in America and anticipate becoming fatter back in Taiwan, China, Korea or Japan. Their argument goes something like this: they really like Korean and Japanese food and just tolerate American food, so when they get back home they are going to eat more and get fatter. Maybe, but I have heard the other argument more often: the portions of food offered at American restaurants are huge and a lot of fried food is offered here.
Getting back to yellow fever. I have to be honest. It's not going to be politically correct to say this, but if you're a cute Asian lady in New York City, black and Latino guys are going to hit on you. Alot. Simple fact. "Hey Miss Wonderful..." That's what some black guy said to Naoko yesterday before he gave her his phone number. Ask any Asian lady. This has become a sociological FACT among Asian women. Deal with it. It's true. I won't lie about it.
I knew a girl who literally had to move from her neighborhood because 5 or 6 black and Latino guys would hit on her daily and she just got freaked out by the whole situation. If you don't like what I'm saying, then talk to the Black and Latino guys and tell them to stop it, because it actually kind of pisses me off. It's totally disrespectful and I think it shows a big chunk of racism among some guys of color. They see petite Asian women and they think they are cute and they think they have the right to interrupt their thoughts by hitting on them. Hello. That's not wrong? Do these guys hit on White and Black and Latina women? My language exchange partner told me they don't because these women would make a scene. So because Asian ladies tend to be polite, they get hit on. Maybe they need to start making a scene.
Naoko and some of my other Asian friends have mixed emotions about this. They are kind of proud that Asian ladies are so popular, but they also sense that there might be something wrong with a guy who just likes Asian women. Are the guys who like Asian ladies objectifying them? Yet, when I got here one of my first thoughts was, wow, people in New York City are kind of fat. Then I read this article in one of New York City’s really cheap and badly written tabloid newspapers. The article said that 35% of Latinos in New York City are obese. 28% of African Americans are obese. 24% of white people are obese. Asians weren’t mentioned, so I’m guessing not many of them are obese. I don’t think I’ve seen an obese Asian in Manhattan :P
Now, in regard to the statistics, we're talking obese here, not just fat.
Obese means dangerously fat. So if 35% of a population is obese, I'm not even sure what the numbers would be for just plain fat. But let me tell you, Americans are just kind of just plain fat. So you get all these skinny, cute Asian ladies walking around New York City, and they are like sex goddesses or something compared to all the fat ladies. The white guys who are used to looking at chunky ladies of all different races can't get enough of the seeeeeeeeeeeexy Asian ladies.
Why are they so sexy? Well, I think it's diet and I think it's basic cultural values. Even though I started to become a little chunkier here a little voice inside of me kept saying: stay skinny girl! Show some self-restraint. My Asian friends tell me the same thing. Now this is an issue among some Asians who say that they get skinnier in America and anticipate becoming fatter back in Taiwan, China, Korea or Japan. Their argument goes something like this: they really like Korean and Japanese food and just tolerate American food, so when they get back home they are going to eat more and get fatter. Maybe, but I have heard the other argument more often: the portions of food offered at American restaurants are huge and a lot of fried food is offered here.
Getting back to yellow fever. I have to be honest. It's not going to be politically correct to say this, but if you're a cute Asian lady in New York City, black and Latino guys are going to hit on you. Alot. Simple fact. "Hey Miss Wonderful..." That's what some black guy said to Naoko yesterday before he gave her his phone number. Ask any Asian lady. This has become a sociological FACT among Asian women. Deal with it. It's true. I won't lie about it.
I knew a girl who literally had to move from her neighborhood because 5 or 6 black and Latino guys would hit on her daily and she just got freaked out by the whole situation. If you don't like what I'm saying, then talk to the Black and Latino guys and tell them to stop it, because it actually kind of pisses me off. It's totally disrespectful and I think it shows a big chunk of racism among some guys of color. They see petite Asian women and they think they are cute and they think they have the right to interrupt their thoughts by hitting on them. Hello. That's not wrong? Do these guys hit on White and Black and Latina women? My language exchange partner told me they don't because these women would make a scene. So because Asian ladies tend to be polite, they get hit on. Maybe they need to start making a scene.
So now let me tell you a story about an
Asian girl from Hong Kong and a guy with yellow fever. This girl chose to use an “Americanized” name
– Sarah. One day she was sitting in a
Starbucks and a guy came over to her table and asked whether he could sit
there. The place was crowded and she
just thought that he needed a place to sit.
But, after a short while he began chatting with her. He looked a little attractive, although a bit
chubby. But, she was happy to be speaking English
with someone for free!
Ultimately, he invited her to
get some drinks at a nearby bar and, being an open-minded girl from Hong Kong,
she went. It turns out that he was part South American and so after Sarah
became a little drunk he invited her back to his place to listen to “cool South
American music.” So she went. And they had sex. Then they had sex again a couple days later. She told me they had sex four times on four
different occasions before she had to leave New York City.
However, the last time she was at his place
she accidentally left a very expensive scarf
at the guy’s apartment. So she
emailed him and told him she might be coming back in the future and she asked
him to hold onto her scarf. Well, sure enough, she came back to NY City
four months later and emailed him again.
To be honest with you, I think she was looking for more South American
sex by offering to pick up her scarf. But time waits for no one! He emailed her back and told her that he no
longer had the scarf. He had given it to
his new Korean girlfriend!
Sarah, however, demanded this scarf back and he told her he would get it from the
Korean girl. I don’t know what kind of
story he had to tell, but he got the scarf back and returned it to Sarah. Was she happy? No.
She had started to develop warm feelings for the guy and was shocked and
disappointed he was just a horny guy with yellow fever.
Definitions of terms
Definitions of terms
to fall in love with s/o – you might already
know that the verb “to fall” goes with the emotion “love” but, what the hell,
I’m telling you again.
to soar – to take off or to rise into the
sky figuratively or literally
a reputation – this is the
general attitude that people have or feel about you based on what they know
about you. If you have a good reputation people have heard good things
about you.
to freak s/o out – if someone gets
freaked out they become shocked and a bit disgusted
horny – a person who is horny is someone who
thinks about sex a lot and who devotes a lot of his energy to trying to have
sex.
to check s/o out – to look a person
over, to see whether the person’s physical appearance is attractive to you.
a trick – literally something a magician
does that surprises people because of an unexpected outcome.
Figuratively, a trick is something you can do to get a predictable
outcome. i.e. Let me show you a little trick; if you do x then
you’ll get y.
sour grapes – this is from one
of Aesop’s fables. A wolf who cannot reach a bunch of grapes then says
that they were probably sour anyway and he doesn’t need them.
to stay sharp – to maintain your
excellent skills, or to ensure that your skills are not lost.
to hit on someone – to try to get
someone to become interested in you, to try to get someone to go out with you
or to have sex with you.
it does the trick – this means it
works.
tropical – this is a geographical region
where it is very hot.
to be plagued by – a plague is a
horrible disease that spreads rapidly and that often people have little control
over. To be plagued by something is to be bothered by something that
won’t seem to go away and which is kind of terrible.
to be hot for someone – to really really
want someone very badly.
chicks – slang term among some white young
people for girls or young women.
to have mixed emotions – to feel more than
one emotion at a time – usually conflicting emotions.
to
objectify s/o –
to treat a person as if he/she is an object.
a tabloid – a type of newspaper. New York
City has, basically, three big newspapers. Two are tabloids and one is a
broadsheet. The New York Times is a high-level and intelligently written
broadsheet paper. The Post and Daily News are often poorly written papers
that have lurid stories (stories of violence, sex, gossip etc.).
Sometimes the lurid stories are fun to read, though. A tabloid type of
paper is called a tabloid because of the way it looks – it is easy to hold and
read on the subway. A broadsheet is difficult to read on the subway.
obese – really fat.
just plain fat – obviously fat.
chunky – not skinny but not fat. A
chunky person is a person who has some meat on his or her bones.
the argument goes something like this – the argument
sounds like this
a portion – an amount
to be politically correct – to say what
everyone expects you to say or to say what any good liberal American would
say. So even if a person is in favor of the death penalty, if he
considers himself liberal on most issues he might say, “Of course, the death
penalty is morally wrong!”
Black and Latino – black folks in
New York City are usually called African Americans and folks from Mexico,
Puerto Rico, South America are often called Latinos.
deal with it – this means to
accept something that exists and is going to continue to exist
a big chunk of something – a big portion of
something
petite – small and skinny
to make a scene – to cause trouble,
to make noise, to argue, to complain.
chubby – a person who is
chubby is not fat but not skinny. We
might say he/she has “meat on his/her bones.”
A chubby person is a little fat.
ultimately – finally. At the very end.
it
turns out
– you say “it turns out” when you want
to say, basically, “I didn’t know this originally but I discovered that….”
a
scarf
– this is an item of clothing you often wrap around your neck in the winter
time.
to
hold onto
– to keep safe, to keep for awhile, not to give something away.
Grammar stuff: this type of vs. these
types of, this, these, that, those
Many students get these types of statements
mixed up. Furthermore, many foreign speakers do not know how to use
“type of” correctly. Let’s say you see two dogs and one is a German
Shepard and the other is a Rottweiler. You can’t say: There are two
different dogs there. To say “two different dogs” means there are two
non-identical dogs, but they could still be of the same breed. You would
have to say, “There are two different types of dogs there.”
If one neighbor is very nice and cooperative
and the other is mean and nasty, you don’t have two different neighbors, you
have two different types of neighbors.
If you have formal and casual clothing you have two types of clothing.
The big problem, however, is that students
do not show consistency when using the term “type” or “types.” Sometimes
a student will say: “This types of beer is good” Instead of correctly saying:
These types of beers are good”. This type of dog is gentle. These
types of dogs are gentle. This stuff is
important.
Do you know what the real problem is? First, most Americans don’t even speak
grammatically correct English. Second,
they don’t care whether you speak grammatically correct English either. Many foreign students are surprised to learn
that if an American can basically understand what you are trying to say, he/she
is happy. Americans don’t often care
whether your English is broken or not.
Well, kind of. Of course, if you speak really broken English
they’ll never give you a job here. But,
if you are asking directions or just casually chatting, they won’t care about
your English.
This person, these people. Please
know that people is the plural of person. You will never say
“persons.” That person, these people. This really matters. If you
do not maintain your consistency using this, that, these, those, your English
will sound terrible, even to an American who speaks bad English.
12 Essential vocabulary words.
Fill-in-the-blanks
to soar, a reputation, to be horny,
tropical, to plague, mixed emotions, obese, chunky, petite, to freak out,
lurid, a portion
I have _________________ about the new
immigration law in Arizona. On the one hand I am in favor of immigrants
coming to America, but, on the other hand, I do not like the idea of people
coming to this country illegally and not paying taxes.
Because Sunmi’s children were born in
America, and were eating lots of fried foods and junk foods, they started to
become as ___________ as many other American children.
In August many New Yorkers leave the city
because the weather becomes almost ___________, with temperatures reaching over
90 degrees F (32 degrees C).
It’s one thing to be a little chunky but
people who are ___________ are at a greater risk of developing the disease of
diabetes as well as various forms of heart disease.
Whenever oil prices climb around the world,
we then see the price of airplane tickets __________.
Every foreign student in New York City seems
to realize that the __________ of food which is served here is much larger than
in their home country.
The New York Times presents world news, but
for the really _________ stories about NY, a person should read the New York
Post or the Daily News. They have stories about people jumping from the
Empire State Building and subway murders that the New York Times does not write
about.
Recently a man who was riding on a subway
train was accidentally hit by some garbage that another rider was trying to
throw through the open doors of the train. He ______________ and killed
the man who had thrown the garbage.
Asian women have a reputation for being
__________, but once they get to America their weight often soars!
Political corruption continues to __________
both the city of New York and the State of New York. Many New York
politicians are often arrested by the Federal Government and thrown in jail.
Everybody seemed to think that Tiger Woods
was, basically, a good guy and a real family man. Few people suspected
that he was, in reality, a __________ guy who lived to have sex with as many women
as he could find.
Although Eliot Spitzer tried to establish a
____________ for being an honest politician, in reality he seemed to care
more about being a horny guy than he cared about the people of New York city
and state.
Answers: mixed emotions, obese
or chunky, tropical, obese, soar, portions, lurid, freaked out, petite, plague,
horny, reputation
Actually, many years ago a singer named Randy Newman did a song called Short People. In this song he seems to be attacking short people. But, again, this was satire. Newman was pretending to be a very stupid person (in the song) who didn't like short people. So he was attacking people who don't like other people because of their appearance - he was not attacking short people.
Actually, many years ago a singer named Randy Newman did a song called Short People. In this song he seems to be attacking short people. But, again, this was satire. Newman was pretending to be a very stupid person (in the song) who didn't like short people. So he was attacking people who don't like other people because of their appearance - he was not attacking short people.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
So much for democracy in Egypt!
"So much for..." is a sarcastic idiom. What is sarcasm? A sarcastic statement is usually meant as an insult but the statement is not, in itself, insulting. For example, if a politician is very dishonest or corrupt (makes money illegally), someone might say, "Wow, this politician is a saint!" (a saint is a holy or Godly person).
So a statement becomes a sarcastic statement when everyone knows it is not a true statement - in fact, everyone knows the opposite is true. For instance, some Americans feel that Vladimir Putin embarrassed President Obama recently by giving Snowden protection (asylum) in Russia. Someone who doesn't like Obama might say, "What a strong leader Obama is!"
"So much for..." is a sarcastic idiom. Let's say the most popular baseball player in America gets caught (is discovered) using steroids (drugs that make your muscles illegally develop to be stronger). Someone might say, "So much for honesty in baseball!" Meaning: There is no honesty in baseball. Or let's say that some type of injustice happens. Someone might say, "So much for justice!" Meaning: There was no justice in this situation.
For instance, many people are upset about the fact that George Zimmerman was found 'not guilty' of killing Trayvon Martin. Those people might say, "So much for justice in Florida!" Meaning: There is no justice in Florida. If someone does something unkind or mean to another person: "So much for kindness!"
So when I say: "So much for democracy in Egypt..." I am saying, "There is, obviously, no democracy in Egypt."
A president was elected in Egypt but he was felt to be too extreme as a Muslim. The military in Egypt forced him out of the presidency. Very few countries in the west seriously complained about this because they did not want an extreme Muslim as president of Egypt (so much for honesty in the west).
You know, in the 1970s President Nixon ordered the CIA (America's spy agency) to arrange the assassination (murder) of the president of Chile (Salvador Allende) because Allende was a socialist. So in the 70s the USA was happy when socialists were illegally removed from office and killed, and now the USA is, apparently, happy when orthodox Muslims are removed and their followers killed. I don't see any difference between the US attitude then and now.
If Obama had cared about democracy, he would have criticized the removal of an elected president by the military in Egypt. (Here comes a sarcastic statement): But Obama is a great man peace and a Nobel Prize winner - so he said nothing!
Now the Egyptian military (that the western countries did not complain about) is killing large numbers of people. Those people have a right to protest. These murders are a disgrace.
Here is an article about the situation:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/08/15/egypt-violence/2658671/
Here is vocabulary to help you understand the article:
a death toll - the number of people who have died
condemnation widens - the number of people around the world who are criticizing or saying that this attack was wrong is growing.
Wednesday was the deadliest day - I just want to point out that in headlines, newspapers and internet news sources often deliberately (not accidentally) shorten the headline by leaving out some words. For instance, in this headline, 'the' is left out. Also it says "Americans urged to leave." This should be "Americans are being urged to leave." They leave out (omit) words to save space.
to topple - to overthrow. If you topple a glass of water, the glass falls over and the water spills out. If some group topples a government, they eliminate it or get rid of it.
to urge - to encourage.
ousted - if someone has been ousted, he has been gotten rid of; he is no longer there...
stormed and torched - attacked and burned; to torch something is to burn something
to stage a protest - to stage is the verb often used with 'protest.' To start a protest.
to condemn - to say that something is wrong.
joint military operations - Egypt and the USA were supposed to practice fighting together.
unrest - a lack of peace; when something isn't peaceful
sit-in camps - places where protesters were sitting in order to protest what they felt was wrong.
injured/killed - if you are not killed, but you are harmed, you are injured or wounded.
moved on the camps - attacked the camps
torched - burned
blocked - if obstacles or things are placed in the road to stop traffic from moving, the road is blocked
were keen to - intended to, they wanted to
a gradual plan - everything was not supposed to happen all at once, things were supposed to happen slowly
appealed to people to leave - asked the people to leave
to disperse the crowd - to force the crowd to leave; initially the crowd was dense (very tightly packed together) - to disperse the crowd is to make it less dense and to force people to go home
started shooting at the police - the military is saying that the protesters started the trouble. In a 'riot' (when a protest becomes violent) the police or military often blame the protesters for starting the riot.
iconic pyramids - if an image is iconic, it is very famous. Indeed, an iconic photo or image is usually associated with someone or something. In this case, the pyramids present an iconic photo usually associated with Egypt.
an encampment - a place where many people are located in temporary housing.
countered - if you 'counter' an argument you claim the first argument was wrong and you make a second argument or statement which you claim is true.
pledged - promised.
robust - strong.
erupted - exploded. A volcano erupts. This is a volcano:
bearing little sign of the labyrinth of tents that crammed the area - showing no evidence or no trace of the large number of tents that used to be in the area. A labyrinth is a maze. So there were so many tents packed together it looked like a maze...but now they are all gone and it is hard to tell that they had even been there.
solidarity - when everyone supports each other and everyone sticks together
posters - large pieces of paper that can be glued to walls, in which images or messages are conveyed (given)
coffins - the boxes that dead bodies are out into.
weaved - move in and out of
a mourner - someone who experiences grief or deep sadness over another person's death
a mosque - a place where Muslims go to pray and to worship
burial - when you place a coffin in the ground
scribbled - written quickly
charred - burned
scattered - thrown all over the place
steadfast - unmoving, strong, resolved - if you are steadfast you are not going to give up
underscoring - if you underscore something, you underline it. So if you find an interesting sentence in a book, you might draw a line under it. If one event underscores another, it is making the other event seem more important...as if a line is being drawn under it.
sealed - closed
a curfew - a time by which everyone is supposed to be inside of their homes
interim - temporary
prosperous - if someone is prosperous, he is doing well, making a lot of money etc.
to endorse - to say that the removal of the president was ok.
turned its back on Egypt - Sisi is saying that Obama promised to support Egypt but not he is refusing to do that. If someone turns his back on you, you ask the person for help but he refuses.
unhinged - a door swings open because it is on hinges. If the door is off its hinges, it falls down - it is unstable.
a resignation - if you resign, you quit your job
assault - an attack
preceded - came before
dodging - avoiding
a stalemate - a situation in which nobody can win and nobody can lose
crushed prospects of mediation - ruined or destroyed opportunities for mediation - mediation is when another person steps in to try to resolve a problem two different sides are having
a glimmer of hope - a glimmer is a faint (weak) light. A glimmer of hope means there was a little bit of hope that things could get batter.
moot - if a problem is moot, it no longer matters.
repression - oppression, when something stronger forces something weaker to act in a certain way; when a strong government takes away the rights of its people.
to dismantle - to take apart
a coup - when the military takes over a government
assets frozen - they can't get their money out of the bank
somber - very very serious
hectic - wild, chaotic
shuttered - closed
to regret - to feel bad that something happened
house arrest - if a person is placed under house arrest, he cannot leave his house
undisclosed - not mentioned, not told to anyone
inciting - causing
---------------------------------------------
Writing/Discussion:
The Obama administration clearly does not like the Muslim Brotherhood - which used to control the Egyptian government. Do you think Obama should have condemned the military coup and demanded that Morsi be placed back in power? After all, the USA is a democratic country and claims to support democracy around the world.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
The Federal Government Stops an ILLEGAL New York City Police Policy: 'Stop and Frisk'
Believe it or not, until yesterday, if you were simply walking down the street in New York City, a police officer could have stopped you and frisked you.
What is frisking? It's when a police officer makes you raise your arms and then feels up and down your body to see whether you have any weapons. This policy was called 'stop and frisk.' Yesterday a federal judge (a judge from the US government) determined that this policy is unconstitutional.
The Constitution is the law of the United States but it also contains a special type or set of laws called 'Amendments.' These amendments tell the government what it can't do to US citizens. The government can't stop me from speaking freely, it can't stop me from going to the church I wish to go to etc. Indeed, the Constitution even states (in the Second Amendment) that the government cannot stop US citizens from owning guns (many people would like to see that changed).
"Stop and Frisk" was found to be unconstitutional because the 4th Amendment to the US Constitution (the amendments are the set of laws that protect the rights of US citizens) states that the police have to have a good reason before they stop anyone for anything. The police cannot just stop anyone because they want to. And, this was happening a lot - especially to black and Latino men. It seems that the New York Police Department regularly went into poor neighborhoods and stopped lots and lots of black and Latino men for no good reason. In only 1% of the cases did they find weapons.
So for every 100 people who were illegally stopped by the police, they found 1 weapon.
So how did this policy get stopped? We can thank Alexander Hamilton for that.
Hamilton is the person on the 10 dollar bill. He was a handsome guy.
He was also a genius. He argued for a system of government called 'federalism.' In a federalist system, you have many states but one strong central government. The central government is stronger than any state or city government. So the US government in Washington D.C. is the federal government. Yesterday a federal judge helped the people of New York by declaring that the stop and frisk policy was unconstitutional.
Here is a picture of the judge who decided 'stop and frisk' was wrong (Judge Shira Scheindlin):
This is a common image of what most people imagine a judge looks like:
Therefore, the policy is now useless. Stop and frisk is, basically, dead. Mayor Michael Bloomberg (perhaps the worst mayor in NY City history - a mayor is the leader of a city) is very upset and has stated he will try to go to a higher court. I think the higher court will have to agree, however, that stop and frisk was WRONG. This is supposed to be a free country. How can you have a free country if you have a bunch of cops running around frisking black and Latino folks? To be honest with you, however, Bloomberg never really cared that much about black and Latino folks.
In this case, the American system worked. Alexander Hamilton is laughing at Michael Bloomberg somewhere, right now.
Here's an article from Time magazine. I apologize - when you click on the link you are going to see huge advertisements - please ignore the ads and go to the story.
http://nation.time.com/2013/08/13/new-york-stop-and-frisk-ruling-when-violated-rights-lead-to-federal-intervention/?xid=rss-topstories
Vocabulary to help you understand the story:
violated rights/federal intervention - a right is when some type of behavior or action is protected by the law. Americans have the right to free speech, freedom of religion etc. Federal intervention is when the federal government thinks that a state or city is stopping (violating) people's rights that are promised to the people in the Constitution and then the federal government steps in (intervenes) or interferes with this violation - the federal government stops the state or city government from harming the rights of the people.
controversial - if something is controversial many people like the thing and many people dislike it. Something controversial generates a lot of arguments.
a tactic - a strategy or a way to try to solve some type of problem.
to be dealt a blow - if something is dealt a blow it is hurt by something. A 'blow' is like a punch (when one person hits another person). To be dealt a blow means to be given a blow or punch. if something happens to eliminate something altogether, that something is dealt a death blow. In the 1950s there was a law that black children could not go to white schools. That law was dealt a death blow by the Supreme court in 1954.
siding with - if you side with someone, you favor or support that person as opposed to another person. If you take someone's side, you agree with or support that person.
to be targeted - if someone or a group is targeted, this means that they are the only ones who are affected by something; they are picked out for a different type of treatment.
widespread - all over the place.
racial profiling - this is when the police think that just because a person is black or Latino he might be more likely to commit a crime than a white or Asian person.
violating the 4th Amendment - the 4th Amendment states that the police cannot search people for no good reason, so the New York Police were breaking this law or violating this amendment. An amendment was an addition to the Constitution.
equal protection clause - a part of the Constitution that says every has to be protected regardless of race or sex or other reason.
tension between liberty and public safety - if there is tension between two things or two people, there is a type of struggle between them. It's as if freedom and safety are fighting against each other - Bloomberg would claim to believe in safety while the federal judge would claim to believe in freedom.
Hispanic - Latino
a person's life was interrupted - the judge is saying that every time an innocent person was stopped, his life was kind of messed up. Nobody wants to be stopped by the police for no reason. When the police stopped innocent people, it was as if they stopped the person's life and bothered the person so much that the person's life was interrupted.
it punts the decision - to punt is an American football term. If a team is not successful it will often punt the football, which means it will give the football to the other team but it will kick the ball very far down the field so the other team has to work hard to score points. So if you punt something to someone else, you hand a problem over to them. Here is a punt - in this case the team that caught the punt ran the ball all the way back.
the legacy - a politician's legacy is how the politician will be remembered. Basically Bloomberg will not be remembered for anything good. He will either be forgotten or remembered as the mayor who did nothing for 12 years.
vigorously defended - strongly defended.
integral to the drop in crime - an important reason, or the important reason, as to why crime numbers dropped. Actually Bloomberg has been following a policy that many cities are following. They are making American cities too expensive for the very poor to live in them and so poor people are moving out of cities and into suburbs (areas around the city). If you push very poor people out and bring very rich people in, the crime rate of a city will drop. You are not solving the crime problem, however, you are just pushing it away. Bloomberg was very good at pushing problems away.
tenure - the amount of time that a person works at a job.
vowing to appeal the decision - he promised to take this court case to a higher court. To appeal a decision is to ask a higher judge to reconsider the opinion.
deterring crime - to deter something means you punish one person to scare others from doing something. So deterring crime means doing something to scare people from committing crimes.
to detain a person - to hold onto a person; to stop a person
reasonable suspicion - is you feel suspicion, you feel that someone is doing something wrong. reasonable suspicion means you have a good reason to believe a person is doing something wrong.
probable cause - this is a legal term which means that you are very very sure someone is doing something wrong or will do it. If a person seems angry and is walking through the streets with a knife and a police officer sees this, he has probable cause to stop the person.
proactive - very active
crime-tracking - keeping count or keeping track or keeping a record of the number of crimes that happen
an incentive for more stops - an incentive means a reward for doing something. If a baseball player is told that he will be paid double if he hits 50 home runs, that is his incentive to hit more home runs. So cops (police officers) were rewarded for the high number of stop and frisks they made.
uniformly - if something is uniform it is the same
cumulative - all together. If you have a cumulative number of something, you have one number of everything of a certain type that happened.
criminalize everyone - basically they are saying that if you live in a certain area, the police will just assume or guess that you are a criminal. Or if you have dark skin, the police will assume you are a criminal.
alleged bias - it is said that this is a bias. A bias is a prejudice. You are biased if you like or dislike someone because of his skin color.
a monitor - someone to watch over the New York Police Department.
to pledge - to promise.
cheered - showed approval, showed a liking for something
oversight - oversight means monitoring - when people watch over something.
compelled - forced
to reform - to change something for the better.
to implement - to implement something is to put something in place, to make something work.
delay becoming an art form - the city of Oakland has become really good at delaying - at not doing something they should be doing. they are almost like artists at delaying.
kabuki - a type of theater in Japan.
furious - very angry.
reputation - how people feel about a person or group. You can have a good reputation or a bad reputation.
civil liberties - freedom you should have if you are an American citizen.
best case fantasy - what is happening in LA would be what many people would like to see in New York City. A fantasy is a dream.
beneficial - good
hostility - anger, hatred
Discussion/writing topics:
What is more important: freedom or safety? When should freedom be sacrificed for safety?
Based on the article, do you agree with the judge or Bloomberg?
What is frisking? It's when a police officer makes you raise your arms and then feels up and down your body to see whether you have any weapons. This policy was called 'stop and frisk.' Yesterday a federal judge (a judge from the US government) determined that this policy is unconstitutional.
The Constitution is the law of the United States but it also contains a special type or set of laws called 'Amendments.' These amendments tell the government what it can't do to US citizens. The government can't stop me from speaking freely, it can't stop me from going to the church I wish to go to etc. Indeed, the Constitution even states (in the Second Amendment) that the government cannot stop US citizens from owning guns (many people would like to see that changed).
"Stop and Frisk" was found to be unconstitutional because the 4th Amendment to the US Constitution (the amendments are the set of laws that protect the rights of US citizens) states that the police have to have a good reason before they stop anyone for anything. The police cannot just stop anyone because they want to. And, this was happening a lot - especially to black and Latino men. It seems that the New York Police Department regularly went into poor neighborhoods and stopped lots and lots of black and Latino men for no good reason. In only 1% of the cases did they find weapons.
So for every 100 people who were illegally stopped by the police, they found 1 weapon.
So how did this policy get stopped? We can thank Alexander Hamilton for that.
Hamilton is the person on the 10 dollar bill. He was a handsome guy.
He was also a genius. He argued for a system of government called 'federalism.' In a federalist system, you have many states but one strong central government. The central government is stronger than any state or city government. So the US government in Washington D.C. is the federal government. Yesterday a federal judge helped the people of New York by declaring that the stop and frisk policy was unconstitutional.
Here is a picture of the judge who decided 'stop and frisk' was wrong (Judge Shira Scheindlin):
This is a common image of what most people imagine a judge looks like:
Therefore, the policy is now useless. Stop and frisk is, basically, dead. Mayor Michael Bloomberg (perhaps the worst mayor in NY City history - a mayor is the leader of a city) is very upset and has stated he will try to go to a higher court. I think the higher court will have to agree, however, that stop and frisk was WRONG. This is supposed to be a free country. How can you have a free country if you have a bunch of cops running around frisking black and Latino folks? To be honest with you, however, Bloomberg never really cared that much about black and Latino folks.
In this case, the American system worked. Alexander Hamilton is laughing at Michael Bloomberg somewhere, right now.
Here's an article from Time magazine. I apologize - when you click on the link you are going to see huge advertisements - please ignore the ads and go to the story.
http://nation.time.com/2013/08/13/new-york-stop-and-frisk-ruling-when-violated-rights-lead-to-federal-intervention/?xid=rss-topstories
Vocabulary to help you understand the story:
violated rights/federal intervention - a right is when some type of behavior or action is protected by the law. Americans have the right to free speech, freedom of religion etc. Federal intervention is when the federal government thinks that a state or city is stopping (violating) people's rights that are promised to the people in the Constitution and then the federal government steps in (intervenes) or interferes with this violation - the federal government stops the state or city government from harming the rights of the people.
controversial - if something is controversial many people like the thing and many people dislike it. Something controversial generates a lot of arguments.
a tactic - a strategy or a way to try to solve some type of problem.
to be dealt a blow - if something is dealt a blow it is hurt by something. A 'blow' is like a punch (when one person hits another person). To be dealt a blow means to be given a blow or punch. if something happens to eliminate something altogether, that something is dealt a death blow. In the 1950s there was a law that black children could not go to white schools. That law was dealt a death blow by the Supreme court in 1954.
siding with - if you side with someone, you favor or support that person as opposed to another person. If you take someone's side, you agree with or support that person.
to be targeted - if someone or a group is targeted, this means that they are the only ones who are affected by something; they are picked out for a different type of treatment.
widespread - all over the place.
racial profiling - this is when the police think that just because a person is black or Latino he might be more likely to commit a crime than a white or Asian person.
violating the 4th Amendment - the 4th Amendment states that the police cannot search people for no good reason, so the New York Police were breaking this law or violating this amendment. An amendment was an addition to the Constitution.
equal protection clause - a part of the Constitution that says every has to be protected regardless of race or sex or other reason.
tension between liberty and public safety - if there is tension between two things or two people, there is a type of struggle between them. It's as if freedom and safety are fighting against each other - Bloomberg would claim to believe in safety while the federal judge would claim to believe in freedom.
Hispanic - Latino
a person's life was interrupted - the judge is saying that every time an innocent person was stopped, his life was kind of messed up. Nobody wants to be stopped by the police for no reason. When the police stopped innocent people, it was as if they stopped the person's life and bothered the person so much that the person's life was interrupted.
it punts the decision - to punt is an American football term. If a team is not successful it will often punt the football, which means it will give the football to the other team but it will kick the ball very far down the field so the other team has to work hard to score points. So if you punt something to someone else, you hand a problem over to them. Here is a punt - in this case the team that caught the punt ran the ball all the way back.
the legacy - a politician's legacy is how the politician will be remembered. Basically Bloomberg will not be remembered for anything good. He will either be forgotten or remembered as the mayor who did nothing for 12 years.
vigorously defended - strongly defended.
integral to the drop in crime - an important reason, or the important reason, as to why crime numbers dropped. Actually Bloomberg has been following a policy that many cities are following. They are making American cities too expensive for the very poor to live in them and so poor people are moving out of cities and into suburbs (areas around the city). If you push very poor people out and bring very rich people in, the crime rate of a city will drop. You are not solving the crime problem, however, you are just pushing it away. Bloomberg was very good at pushing problems away.
tenure - the amount of time that a person works at a job.
vowing to appeal the decision - he promised to take this court case to a higher court. To appeal a decision is to ask a higher judge to reconsider the opinion.
deterring crime - to deter something means you punish one person to scare others from doing something. So deterring crime means doing something to scare people from committing crimes.
to detain a person - to hold onto a person; to stop a person
reasonable suspicion - is you feel suspicion, you feel that someone is doing something wrong. reasonable suspicion means you have a good reason to believe a person is doing something wrong.
probable cause - this is a legal term which means that you are very very sure someone is doing something wrong or will do it. If a person seems angry and is walking through the streets with a knife and a police officer sees this, he has probable cause to stop the person.
proactive - very active
crime-tracking - keeping count or keeping track or keeping a record of the number of crimes that happen
an incentive for more stops - an incentive means a reward for doing something. If a baseball player is told that he will be paid double if he hits 50 home runs, that is his incentive to hit more home runs. So cops (police officers) were rewarded for the high number of stop and frisks they made.
uniformly - if something is uniform it is the same
cumulative - all together. If you have a cumulative number of something, you have one number of everything of a certain type that happened.
criminalize everyone - basically they are saying that if you live in a certain area, the police will just assume or guess that you are a criminal. Or if you have dark skin, the police will assume you are a criminal.
alleged bias - it is said that this is a bias. A bias is a prejudice. You are biased if you like or dislike someone because of his skin color.
a monitor - someone to watch over the New York Police Department.
to pledge - to promise.
cheered - showed approval, showed a liking for something
oversight - oversight means monitoring - when people watch over something.
compelled - forced
to reform - to change something for the better.
to implement - to implement something is to put something in place, to make something work.
delay becoming an art form - the city of Oakland has become really good at delaying - at not doing something they should be doing. they are almost like artists at delaying.
kabuki - a type of theater in Japan.
furious - very angry.
reputation - how people feel about a person or group. You can have a good reputation or a bad reputation.
civil liberties - freedom you should have if you are an American citizen.
best case fantasy - what is happening in LA would be what many people would like to see in New York City. A fantasy is a dream.
beneficial - good
hostility - anger, hatred
Discussion/writing topics:
What is more important: freedom or safety? When should freedom be sacrificed for safety?
Based on the article, do you agree with the judge or Bloomberg?
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