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.
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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.
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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?
Showing posts with label hong kong. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hong kong. Show all posts
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Friday, June 21, 2013
The US government files charges against Snowden and asks Hong Kong to arrest him
Here is a follow-up on the last story I posted concerning Ed Snowden.
The article:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/06/21/charges-reportedly-filed-against-nsa-secrets-leaker/
Vocabulary to help you understand the article:
to file charges - the verb 'file' is often used in regard to legal matters. A person can 'file' a law suit if he/she wants to sue someone. To sue someone means to bring a person to court in order to obtain money from that person. The state can file criminal charges against a person. To 'file' these charges means the accusations against a person are now official and the person must appear in court. So basically 'charges' means the claim that a person has committed a crime.
espionage - spying; obtaining secret information and providing it to those who are not supposed to have it.
a leaker - someone who reveals secret information. If you have a cup and it leaks, water comes out when it is not supposed to.
prosecutors - these are lawyers for the state who try to prove that people accused of crimes are guilty.
a sealed criminal complaint - this means that the people cannot read the complaint; it is a secret complaint. a 'complaint' is the list of things a person supposedly did which supposedly broke the law.
classified - secret. Classified information is only supposed to be seen by certain people in government.
an unauthorized person - someone who wasn't supposed to see classified information.
to detain - to stop a person from leaving; to keep a person in custody
provisional - it can be changed later
an arrest warrant - an official document that gives the police the right and ability to take a person into custody (to detain him).
a contractor for the NSA - he worked for a company which worked for the government.
a three-count complaint - supposedly he committed three crimes.
willful communication - he deliberately communicated secrets - he didn't accidentally co0mmunicate secrets.
to be outspoken - to have a strong opinion and to express it forcefully.
treason, treasonous - to do something to harm your country.
take him into custody - this is when the police arrest a person and take him to the police station.
to extradite him - to force him to leave Hong Kong and to come back to the United States to face justice.
disclosures - stuff he revealed, stuff he told the newspapers about.
to ignite - to start something. When you start a fire you ignite a fire.
to disrupt - to mess up; to stop something from happening.
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If you like this blog and are benefitting from it, please consider buying my e-book on amazon. It's a lot of fun and has really good vocabulary words and reading passages in it. You'll also learn a lot about New York City and America through this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Sucks-Youll-Wanna-Anyway-ebook/dp/B004TSPAQS
If you want a free copy of the book, please e-mail me at djg51qu@gmail.com
I will be happy to send you a copy via Word attachment. Please let me know whether you have Word 2010 or I should use an earlier version (like 2007 etc.)
The article:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/06/21/charges-reportedly-filed-against-nsa-secrets-leaker/
Vocabulary to help you understand the article:
to file charges - the verb 'file' is often used in regard to legal matters. A person can 'file' a law suit if he/she wants to sue someone. To sue someone means to bring a person to court in order to obtain money from that person. The state can file criminal charges against a person. To 'file' these charges means the accusations against a person are now official and the person must appear in court. So basically 'charges' means the claim that a person has committed a crime.
espionage - spying; obtaining secret information and providing it to those who are not supposed to have it.
a leaker - someone who reveals secret information. If you have a cup and it leaks, water comes out when it is not supposed to.
prosecutors - these are lawyers for the state who try to prove that people accused of crimes are guilty.
a sealed criminal complaint - this means that the people cannot read the complaint; it is a secret complaint. a 'complaint' is the list of things a person supposedly did which supposedly broke the law.
classified - secret. Classified information is only supposed to be seen by certain people in government.
an unauthorized person - someone who wasn't supposed to see classified information.
to detain - to stop a person from leaving; to keep a person in custody
provisional - it can be changed later
an arrest warrant - an official document that gives the police the right and ability to take a person into custody (to detain him).
a contractor for the NSA - he worked for a company which worked for the government.
a three-count complaint - supposedly he committed three crimes.
willful communication - he deliberately communicated secrets - he didn't accidentally co0mmunicate secrets.
to be outspoken - to have a strong opinion and to express it forcefully.
treason, treasonous - to do something to harm your country.
take him into custody - this is when the police arrest a person and take him to the police station.
to extradite him - to force him to leave Hong Kong and to come back to the United States to face justice.
disclosures - stuff he revealed, stuff he told the newspapers about.
to ignite - to start something. When you start a fire you ignite a fire.
to disrupt - to mess up; to stop something from happening.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you like this blog and are benefitting from it, please consider buying my e-book on amazon. It's a lot of fun and has really good vocabulary words and reading passages in it. You'll also learn a lot about New York City and America through this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Sucks-Youll-Wanna-Anyway-ebook/dp/B004TSPAQS
If you want a free copy of the book, please e-mail me at djg51qu@gmail.com
I will be happy to send you a copy via Word attachment. Please let me know whether you have Word 2010 or I should use an earlier version (like 2007 etc.)
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