Emotional-support pets on airplanes. A good or bad idea?

From the Pettravel.com website:

Emotional support animals are used in Animal Assisted Therapy to improve the physical, social, emotional and cognitive condition of the patient. Most emotional support animals are dogs and cats, however this therapy can also include parrots, horses, elephants, lizards, and monkeys. The DOT is currently considering the addition of pigs to the list. These pet animals are now recognized as providing a valuable service to the elderly and to others with a medical disability and have recently reached the status of Service Animals.

A "cognitive" condition means "thinking" condition. The DOT = The U.S. Department of Transportation

Basically, if I understand this correctly, people who do not like to fly and who feel anxious (worried, stressed, nervous) while flying are allowed to bring these emotional support animals onto an airplane for free. The animals make them feel more comfortable.

However, I really do not like little pets, especially those crazy little designer dogs that some people have to make them seem richer than other people...those dogs that cannot stop barking: yip yip yip yip yip! OMG!

So if someone brings one of these crazy little dogs on an airplane to make him/her feel less stress, it is going to add to my stress! Also, as you can see from the quote above, and from the article linked below, people try to bring weird (strange) pets onto airplanes. Some people try to bring snakes and spiders. Do you want to sit next to a giant hairy spider for 13 hours?

All of my students seem to think this is a terrible idea and many airlines are beginning to take measures to end this practice. Everyone seems to agree that REAL "service" animals (for people who cannot see, for example) are fine. Bring a spider on an airplane to feel safer, well, not too many people would agree with that.

What do you think? One of my students suggested that there are other ways to make people feel more comfortable on planes. Free soothing music, free movies, herbal tea - there are many other things than a big hairy spider that can make a person feel safe. How do you think this whole situation got started?

The article:

http://www.businessinsider.com/emotional-support-animals-big-problem-airlines-want-to-stop-them-2018-6

Vocabulary:

emotional support - this means when someone gets some help in regard to dealing with a painful emotion or emotions. If a friend of yours is depressed, you might try to provide emotional support by taking him/her out, making the person laugh or just by being there to listen to your friend.

vague rules - not clear rules, not well-defined rules

to cheat the system - to get around/avoid the system's rules unfairly or in a deceitful or sneaky way

to the detriment of - to the harm of; detriment is the opposite of benefit

to tighten its definition - to make its definition more exact, more precise

to exclude - to eliminate

a trade group - a organization that represents a number of companies in one industry

unscrupulous - lacking morals, not having ethics, an unscrupulous person does not care about what is right or wrong (pronounced: un SCREW pyul us)

fraudulent documentation - fraudulent means fake or not real, if a person commits an act of fraud, he makes money illegally; so fraudulent documentation means fake documents to get these animals on airplanes (I am not sure whether this is a crime - it probably should be.)

posing as - to pose as someone or something means to pretend to be someone or something

to be mauled - to be bitten badly by an animal

defecating pigs - pigs pooping on the airplane (how's that for your emotional support - fly 7 hours with pig poop)

to weed out the impostors -  an impostor is a faker or someone who is pretending to be something he/she is not. To weed someone or something out means to eliminate someone or something. Let's say you are hiring 5 people for a job and 30 people apply. You have to weed out 25 people - like pulling weeds to support the flowers. So the Department of Transportation is allowing airlines the right to refuse emotional support animals access to airplanes.

to codify regulations - to put these regulations in writing and to make sure the regulations are followed everywhere in the country

giving airlines discretion - giving airlines the ability to make their own choices based on their own judgment

Turkey and the PKK

A couple days ago I posted an article from the New York Post which was critical of the Turkish government (the article criticized the Turkish government). Some folks have emailed me and told me they felt the article was biased against Turkey.

(If an article is biased toward someone or something, it tries to be supportive of that person or thing despite what the truth might be. If an article is biased against someone or something, the article attacks a person or thing despite what the truth might be.)

So I found an article which tries to explain the Turkish government's attitude toward the Kurdish people and the organization called the PKK. I think this article is more objective (it tries to be as truthful as possible and does not take sides).

This article argues that in order to fight ISIS the USA was willing to partner with a group which is considered to have links to terrorist organizations if it is not a terrorist organization itself. This organization is considered a threat by the Turkish government and Turkey is concerned about the support the USA seems to be giving it.

So I am a bit uncertain what to believe or whom to support. Please recall the expression: the enemy of my enemy is my friend. 

ISIS was an insane and inhumane organization that had to be crushed/destroyed. They were the worst terrorist organization around. This group of Kurds came forward and offered to help the USA to destroy ISIS, and they did. This now, of course, puts the USA in a bad situation, since the folks who helped the USA will now expect help in return. Yet, the USA has been allies/friends for decades with Turkey, which wants to crush the organization that helped the USA crush ISIS. 

The group "War" performing "Why can't we be friends?" :P :P :P

Here is the article:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/turkeys-afrin-offensive-could-have-dangerous-consequences/article37737163/

Here is vocabulary from the article to help you understand it:

an offensive - this is a military attack.

to arm a group - to supply a group with weapons

to deem someone/thing to be something - to consider someone to be something

emboldening - making stronger and more confident

intimately connected - close to

tactical and logistical necessity - only in order to plan their effort against ISIS effectively the USA has partnered with this group. Tactics means plans/strategy - logistics is how to move supplies from one point to another.

internal cohesion - cohesion means being able to stick together. So this group has a strong sense of unity.

aerial support - support by airplanes with bombs and missiles

to reliably commit troops - to send soldiers into battle in a predictable way that the US and England could trust (this is from an English newspaper).

implicitly our best bet - it goes without saying that if they were good for America they would also be good for England. Implicit means you don't even have to say anything to understand the truth of the matter.

a slick rebranding of the PKK - they are basically the PKK but they are called something different. A slick rebranding means a clever and attractive rebranding.

a joint fighting force - when differing groups joins one larger group and fight jointly.

a fig leaf that covers the reality etc. - a fig leaf is a large leaf that was sometimes placed over the sexual organs of statues of naked men so that the public would not have to look at the sculptures penis. So a 'fig leaf' is anything that covers something else up.

token Arab fighters - just a few fighters so that the claim can be made that Arabs are fighting as a part of this group

ideologically connected - they believe the same things

de facto leader - he may not be the official leader, but, in fact, as things work out, he is the leader. de facto is from the Latin language and means 'in fact'

was hoisted - was lifted up, was displayed prominently

liberated by - freed by

the chain of command - who leads an organization from top to bottom

traced - followed

to be unfazed by this - not to be bothered by this

arch-nemesis - the worst possible enemy

annexed - took over

progressively - more and more

predominantly - mostly

it was all bluster - it was nothing but loud talking and verbal threats

the straw that broke the camel's back - the one last little item that destroyed a good thing

nonchalant - casual, informal

audaciously - forcefully and with courage, strongly, showing aggression that is felt to be offensive to others

Turkey's ears perked up - when a dog's ears perk up, they rise. If your ears perk up, you suddenly hear something interesting and start paying more attention

thwart - stop

preclude the resurrection of ISIS - stop the re-birth of ISIS, stop ISIS from developing again

neglecting Turkey's sensitivities - not paying attention to what might bother Turkey

push Turkey into Russia's ambit - push Turkey closer to a friendship with Putin

incursions launched - an incursion is an invasion or a military movement into territory, to launch something is to start something

to root out - to eliminate totally, as if pulling a plant out from its root

militia - small army

a quagmire - a place where you get stuck. So the author of this article seems sympathetic toward Turkey and acknowledges that these are terror organizations to Turkey, but the author is warning Turkey about starting  battles against these groups because it will lead to disaster.

inflicted on - forced on

residents - people who live there

will face fierce resistance - people will defend themselves fiercely - aggressively

deployed -used

added strain - added stress, increasing the possibility that things will fail

An American sports reporter is videotaped acting very nasty

Britt McHenry is a reporter for the American cable channel ESPN - a sports channel.

Apparently her car was parked illegally and a towing service took it away.

This is a tow truck:

When McHenry came to get her car back from the towing service, she verbally attacked the person at the business.

This has become a hot issue in the USA because it shows the arrogance (feeling of superiority) that celebrities sometimes have and it just shows a human being at her very worst. McHenry has not even had the decency, apparently, to apologize to the woman she attacked.

Also, it points to the fact that even if a person is angry he/she does not have the right to attack another person in the way McHenry attacked this poor woman. We don't teach ethics or kindness in this country. 

Furthermore, it looks as if there was an attempt to cover up this story - it took several days for the videotape to finally go public.

http://bustedcoverage.com/2015/04/16/britt-mchenry-tow-truck-video-gina-michelle/

This is a good opportunity, however, for you, the English learner, to be exposed to some truly nasty words in the English language. Here are some things McHenry said:

McHenry: "I'm in the news sweetheart. I'll fucking sue this place."

The term 'sweetheart' is often used toward someone you love or feel affection for. Here the word 'sweetheart' is being used 'sarcastically'.

to sue - this means she will hire a lawyer and take the company to court to punish the company. But, the company didn't do anything wrong.  So this was perceived as an example of a celebrity threatening an innocent person with the power that a celebrity has.

fucking - many low-class people in the USA use the word 'fucking' as an adverb. I'll fucking kill you! I'll fucking sue you!  I'll fucking + verb + object pronoun.

McHenry: "That's why I have a degree and you don't."

McHenry insults (makes a statement to hurt the employee) the employee by saying that she, McHenry, went to college but the employee didn't. Actually, McHenry went to a little college in Florida which does not seem to be such a great school.

McHenry: "I wouldn't work at a scumbag place like this."

Scum is dirt. If a person is a scumbag, he/she is like dirt, something very low and disgusting. A scumbag place is a crappy, ugly, dirty place.

McHenry: "Makes my skin crawl just being here."

It makes my skin crawl just being here <--- It makes me feel disgusted being here; I feel as if bugs are crawling on my skin.

McHenry: "Yep that's all you care about is just taking other people's money."

For having a university degree, her English kind of sucks. "Yep, that's all you care about: just taking other people's money.

McHenry: "With no education, no skill set, just wanted to clarify that."

Again, this is in broken English. I think she meant to say: "You don't have any education nor any skills. I just wanted to point that out."  Dear foreign students!!!!  If you are going to verbally attack someone, please do it in grammatically correct English - it sounds much better!

McHenry: "So I could be a college dropout and do the same thing?"

I'm not sure what skill sets are required to be a sports reporter but she attacks the employee again but implying she does not have an education.

McHenry: "Why cause I have a brain and you don't."

Well, if McHenry truly had a brain she wouldn't have destroyed her career like this. Also, please use "because" and not 'cause' <--- frankly, only stupid people use 'cause'.

McHenry: "Maybe if I was missing some teeth they would hire me, huh?"

She makes it seem as if the employee is so poor that she can't properly take care of her teeth. Actually, this is an unreal situation so it should have been: "..if I were missing teeth..."  I guess reporters for ESPN do not have the skill set to use the subjunctive mood in English.

McHenry: "Cause I'm on television and you're in a fucking trailer, honey."

So fucking can also be an adjective. A trailer - some poor people live in trailer parks. Honey is also a term one usually uses for someone he/she likes. Here it is sarcasm again.

-------------------------

Please consider buying my amazing ESL book:

http://www.amazon.com/York-Sucks-Youll-Wanna-Anyway-ebook/dp/B004TSPAQS

Anti-Muslim (?) blogger from Malaysia seeks political asylum in the USA

Lots of people want to come to the USA.  This is where they think they will have maximum freedom and where they think they can make lots of money.

Many people are able to get into the USA by appealing for political asylum.  What does this mean?  It means that if a person is going to be harmed by his/her government for political or religious reasons, the person will be given safety in the USA.  So if a person has been fighting for human rights in a country where the government kills such people, the USA will let this type of person in.

I was a bit shocked to see that a person from Malaysia who has apparently posted anti-Muslim postings, and who was going to be prosecuted (put on trial) for this in Malaysia, is seeking asylum in the USA.

The person seems to be arguing that he has the right to post anything he wants on the internet and that the government of Malaysia is violating his human rights.  Yet, hate-speech should not be tolerated anywhere.  Frankly, I am a bit shocked that the US government is considering the possibility of allowing this person asylum.     

You can read the following article, however, and judge for yourself:

http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/09/24/Alvivi-back-on-Facebook/

Vocabulary to help you understand the article:

asylum - safety, Ed Snowden was given asylum in Russia because the US government wanted to arrest him and throw him in jail for revealing various governmental abuses in the USA

apply for - please remember that when you use 'apply' you also have to use 'to' or 'for'
I applied to this school.  I applied for my visa.

jumped bail - that means he was arrested by Malaysian police and a judge indicated he would have to go to trial for his actions.  He was allowed to pay a certain amount of money to stay out of jail until his trial.  He, however, has illegally left Malaysia.  Bail - the money a person pays to stay out of jail until a trial. To jump bail - to illegally leave the country after you pay the money.

resurfaced - reappeared, presented himself again

a hearing - it's like a trial; at a hearing a person is asked various questions

tyranny - a tyrant is a dictator, one leader who controls the entire country

three charges - three accusations of doing something wrong

Ramadan - a very important Islamic holiday.  Apparently they deliberately intended to offend and upset Islamic people by posting something about Islam with naked photos.

pornographic - something is pornographic if it shows something sexual that is not meant to be artistic

confident - pretty sure

repression - a holding down or a stopping of something

seditious - meant to harm a government or people

to taunt - to provoke, to try to cause someone to do something you want them to do

to bolster - to strengthen

A Japanese artist was arrested for 3-D scanning her vagina (she wanted to design a kayak based on her vagina)

I know that there are problems in the world.

I know that 3,000 children starve to death in India every day (to starve to death means to die because of a lack of food). I know that Israel is killing civilians in Gaza (and I am not even sure why).  I know that there is a civil war in Ukraine because an elected president was forcefully removed from office by American supported, violent protesters. There is chaos and conflict all over.

So maybe I should not post something about how vagina-phobic Japan is.  (phobic means fearful).  

There are more pressing (important) problems...but, for some reason, this is the type of story I like posting on this blog. Also, I like the courage and humor of this Japanese artist.

So there is a Japanese female artist who thinks that certain laws in Japan about visually representing the vagina (the vagina is the female sex organ...so put away your bi-lingual dictionary) are ridiculous. Apparently, even if you make a porno film in Japan, the woman's vagina has to be covered electronically.

This artist is questioning why there is such fear and loathing (hatred, disgust) for this part of the woman's body.  

Therefore, she decided to 3-D scan her vagina and try to make a kayak out of it.

Here is the article.  The article also contains a video the artist made (a very funny video) about why she creates vagina art.  Basically she said she had never seen another vagina before and wanted to see how hers looks compared to others.  She can only do this by fighting against Japanese law! ^.^

The article:
http://www.digitaltrends.com/photography/japanese-artist-held-attempting-3d-print-love-boat/#!bfQLRe

Vocabulary from the article:

to detain/detained - the police have her and will not let her go

embraces - welcomes, warmly accepts

the cutting edge - the newest and most innovative and exciting things

conservative - not welcoming change or new things, not being open-minded

pornography - dirty movies, films or videos involving sex

obscenity - when something is considered to be too dirty, too offensive sexually

found herself in hot water - found herself in trouble

genitalia - sexual organs

deco-man - I am confused...I think 'man' might be a term for vagina in Japan....I don't know...

p***y - pussy, a slang term for vagina

crowdfunding - this is a website where people can ask for money to do artistic projects

under arrest - the police are holding her because they believe she committed a crime

taboo - considered shocking and wrong