South Korean Lawmakers Blockade, Brawl Over US Trade Deal

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A move by South Korean lawmakers to advance a controversial free-trade agreement with the United States has sparked physical clashes between opposing parties -- with one side physically barricading itself from the other. The scuffles underline an intense dispute among Koreans about the deal.


Hammers were swung, doors were split open and fire hoses were deployed, Thursday, as part of South Korea's legislature came under siege in a dispute on a major free-trade deal with the United States.

Minority party politicians, opposing ratification of the deal, tried to force their way into to a legislative committee room where members of President Lee Myung-bak's ruling Conservative Party barricaded themselves.

The conservatives successfully initiated the process of ratifying the deal, as security guards scuffled with dozens of political opponents nearby.

Supporters say deal is needed

The American-South Korean free-trade pact would open up large sectors of the U.S. and South Korean economies for easier bilateral trade. It was signed last year, but has languished behind other priorities, in both nations.

Supporters of the deal say it is needed -- now more than ever -- to stimulate the slowing South Korean economy. South Korean farmers and left-leaning politicians fiercely oppose the deal, saying the far larger U.S. economy is likely to swallow entire South Korean industries, especially in agriculture.

Won Hae-young, floor leader for South Korea's minority Democratic Party, accuses President Lee's party of ignoring civilized principles.

Won tells a television interviewer with South Korea's YTN cable network Mr. Lee has turned the legislature into a battleground.

South Korean conservatives have a big enough majority to ratify the free-trade deal by themselves. However, U.S. President-elect Barack Obama and new members of the Democrat-majority U.S. Congress are critical of the free-trade deal and questions remain about the likelihood of ratification in Washington.

World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day, observed December 1 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. AIDS has killed more than 25 million people, with an estimated 38.6 million people living with HIV, making it one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history. Despite recent, improved access to antiretroviral treatment and care in many regions of the world, the AIDS epidemic claimed an estimated 3.1 million (between 2.8 and 3.6 million) lives in 2005 of which, more than half a million (570,000) were children.
The concept of a World AIDS Day originated at the 1988 World Summit of Ministers of Health on Programmes for AIDS Prevention. Since then, it has been taken up by governments, international organizations and charities around the world.
From its inception until 2004, UNAIDS spearheaded the World AIDS Day campaign, choosing annual themes in consultation with other global health organizations. In 2005 this responsibility was turned over to World AIDS Campaign (WAC), who chose Stop AIDS: Keep the Promise as the main theme for World AIDS Day observences through 2010, with more specific sub-taglines chosen annually. This theme is not specific to World AIDS Day, but is used year-round in WAC's efforts to highlight HIV/AIDS awareness within the context of other major global events including the G8 Summit. World AIDS Campaign also conducts “in-country” campaigns throughout the world, like the Student Stop AIDS Campaign, an infection-awareness campaign targeting young people throughout the UK.
World AIDS Day banner, European Commission building, Brussels
It is common to hold memorials to honor persons who have died from HIV/AIDS on this day. Government and health officials also observe, often with speeches or forums on the AIDS topics. Since 1995 the President of the United States has made an official proclamation on World AIDS Day. Governments of other nations have followed suit and issued similar annoucements.

Spotlight: Pink ribbons are meant to raise awareness of breast cancer; red ribbons remind us of AIDS; blue ribbons symbolize the fight against child abuse, prostate cancer and second-hand smoke; yellow ribbons welcomed home the US hostages in Iran in 1981, and await deployed US soldiers today

Thanksgiving

Source: ESLPOD.COM

Thanksgiving reminds us to be grateful, but for a lot of people, the holiday also means a weekend of eating a lot and watching football. And, my family is no exception. My family likes to have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner each year. We invite people from our extended family . We also invite close friends, especially those who don't have family in town. When it comes to Thanksgiving dinner, our motto is: The more the merrier. Our dinner, of course, starts with a big turkey, baked in the oven. I always carve it before it's served. Then, we have the fixings. We always have mashed potatoes, stuffing, yams, cranberries, and corn on the cob. Some years, we go wild and have other vegetables and sides. And, for dessert, we have pumpkin pie. My wife is not a big fan of pumpkin pie so for her, we also have ice cream.After we have a really big meal, we usually watch football on TV. Things usually get pretty rowdy since there are always fans on both sides rooting for their own team to win. Last year, my uncle almost got into a fistfight with my nephew. Luckily, no one‚ and no furniture harmed. That was a relief!

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China's food exports to US in 2007

I read a news from China Daily. It is about china's food exports to US.
It is interesting to learn some words about food.
Below is the Top 10 list:
1. Fish and shellfish $2.013b
2. Fruits and preparations, including frozen juices $816m
3. Vegetables and preparations $444m
4. Soft beverages, processed coffee $276m
5. Feedstuff and food food grains $222m
6. Bakery and confectionary products $173m
7. Tea, spices and preparations $142m
8. Nuts and preparations $99m
9. Meat products and poultry $98m
10. Non-agricultural food and food additives $85m

Plunges and Dives

Source: ESLPOD.COM
I don’t know enough about the financial crisis here in the U.S. to explain why our economy is having so many problems, but I can explain some of the headlines (titles) that have appeared recently in U.S. newspapers for those of you who are interested in reading the news in English.

Here is the main (most important, largest) headline from today’s Wall Street Journal:

Bailout Plan Rejected, Markets Plunge, Forcing New Scramble to Solve Crisis

Let’s begin with bailout. To bail something/someone out literally means to remove water, usually from a boat or ship that has a leak (where water is entering the boat and causing it to go down or sink). A bailout (noun), however, is when you give money to someone or some company to help them when their business is failing. The U.S. government has been giving money to large financial companies to prevent them from failing in the past two weeks. Yesterday, the U.S. Congress (the part of the government that makes and approves new laws) rejected or said no to a plan to provide even more money to these businesses. Because they said no, the stock markets plunged. To plunge means to go down very quickly or rapidly. You can also use plunge when something goes down in the water very quickly. Plunge is similar here to the verb to dive, which again means to go down quickly.

So the bailout plan was rejected by the U.S. Congress, causing the stock markets to plunge. Now what happens? Well, the U.S. government has to find a new solution, so they are looking desperately - scrambling - to solve this crisis or serious problem. To scramble, then, means to move quickly after something goes wrong, usually something you didn’t expect to go wrong. Many people thought that Congress would approve the bailout plan, so when it failed to pass yesterday, there was a scramble to find a new solution.

The New York Times‘ headline was similar:

Defiant House Rejects Huge Bailout; Stocks Plunge; Next Step is Uncertain

A defiant person is someone who disobeys or says no to something. The House refers to the House of Representatives, which is one half of the U.S. Congress (the other part is called the Senate). So the House rejected the large or huge bailout plan, the stock market plunged, and now no one knows what will come next. The next step or action for the government is uncertain.

A talk with Indian Friend

Yesterday evening, I received a call from an Indian friend. He said there seems to be some problems about heating system of his room. And he asked if he can come to my home to see how to set the switches. I said it’s ok.

He came to my home after ten minutes. I showed the switches in my home. The switch will be work if it is set to be vertical. My friend told me the switches in his home are set to horizon.

I invited him to sit down and have a talk.

He told me something about his work. He will have 7 days holiday during Christmas. I suggested that he can have a tour in China. And we talked about snow. I forgot the word ‘skate’. To make things worse I used the word ‘skirt’. Fortunately, I remembered the word ‘skate’ finally.

And we talk about how we spent the weekend. I told him I go to the cinema with my son. We talked about the film name. Unfortunately, I forgot again how to say hell. I don’t know what’s wrong, but I can’t remember many words I had learned. The film name is HellBoy. It’s a sequel to the movie.

Welcome to Stone Study English

Welcome to Stone Study English.
I plan to put some materials in my English learning courses.
I am glad to see you here.