11/16每日英语系列

Today's Highlight in History:
On November 16th, 1864, Union General William T. Sherman and his troops began their "March to the Sea" during the Civil War.

On this date:
In 1776, British troops captured Fort Washington during the American Revolution.

In 1885, Canadian rebel Louis Riel was executed for high treason.

In 1907, Oklahoma became the 46th state of the union.

In 1933, the United States and the Soviet Union established diplomatic relations.

In 1959, the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "The Sound of Music" opened on Broadway.

In 1961, House Speaker Samuel T. Rayburn died in Bonham, Texas, having served as speaker since 1940 except for two terms.

In 1966, Dr. Samuel H. Sheppard was acquitted in his second trial of charges he'd murdered his pregnant wife, Marilyn, in 1954.

In 1973, "Skylab Three," carrying a crew of three astronauts, was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on an 84-day mission.

In 1973, President Nixon signed the Alaska Pipeline measure into law.

In 1982, an agreement was announced in the 57th day of a strike by National Football League players.

Ten years ago: Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev told an angry Soviet legislature he would fire government and military officials blocking his reform plans. Four of the so-called "Keating Five" went before the Senate Ethics Committee to deny any wrongdoing in helping failed savings-and-loan owner Charles H. Keating Junior.

Five years ago: Refusing to yield, President Clinton threatened anew to veto the latest Republican offer to end a three-day partial government shutdown; Democrats savaged House Speaker Newt Gingrich for claiming Clinton had snubbed him recently aboard Air Force One. Attorney General Janet Reno disclosed she has Parkinson's disease.

One year ago: Nathaniel Abraham, at 13 one of the youngest murder defendants in US history, was convicted in Pontiac, Michigan, of second-degree murder for shooting a stranger outside a convenience store with a rifle when he was eleven. (Nathaniel was sentenced to juvenile detention, with a deferred decision on whether he will serve adult prison time.)

每日格言：

"History is a combination of reality and lies. The reality of History becomes a lie. The unreality of the fable becomes the truth."

-- Jean Cocteau (zhan kawk-toh'), French author, director, poet (1889-1963).

[ 本帖最后由 vanbryan 于 2007-11-30  21:13 编辑 ]

Download: http://download.putclub.com/update/sest/200711/16/20071116apnews.mp3

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An armed man involved in an overnight standoff with police outside the Showboat Casino in Atlanta City has surrendered peacefully. Police were called after security reported a man on a shuttle bus with a gun. Three people were briefly held hostage on the bus. No one was hurt.

The New York Times is reporting that FBI agents have found no evidence that Blackwater security guards were fired on during a September incident that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead. But the FBI report finds the guards were unjustified in killing at least 14 of the civilians.

Congressional Democrats say President Bush will not get any more money for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan unless he agrees to end all combat in Iraq by December of next year. Both the House and Senate will vote by the end of the week on the 50-billion-dollar plan. Bush promises a veto of any bill containing a timetable for withdrawal.

A globe that once belonged to Adolf Hilter has sold at auction for 100,000 dollars. An American soldier found the globe among the ruins of Hilter's Eagle's Nest in May of 1945. John Barsamian took it home and kept if for more than 60 years.

John Belma, the Associated Press with AP News Minute.

[ 本帖最后由 vanbryan 于 2007-11-16  15:52 编辑 ]

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A House committee today warn transportation officials they plan to conduct more covert tests on
airport security checkpoints to make sure security gaps are fixed. The warning came after a new report that said investigators were able to sneak bomb components through the checkpoints. NPR's Pam Fessler reports.

Congressional investigators say they were able to conceal bomb components in their carry-on luggage and on their bodies and sneak through checkpoints at 19 airports. They told lawmakers they brought the components on board undetected and that the bombs, if detonated, could have caused severe damage to an airplane. A Transportation Security Administration official said there were many layers of security at the airport and he did not believe that the materials tested would actually bring down a plane. But lawmakers said they found the test results very disturbing. They said they would ask the Government Accountability Office to do more covert testing to make sure TSA addresses the problems. Pam Fessler, NPR News, Washington.



[ 本帖最后由 vanbryan 于 2007-11-16  15:56 编辑 ]

Ties, Ties, Ties!

Mo Rocca looks at the history of the tie, from accessorizing dictated uniforms to signifying freedom of expression, and what it has done for men's fashion over the ages.



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For fans of fashionable neckwear for men, what's old is new again. Albo Raka who follows these matters has his own ideas about that.

Way back in the 1990s, freedom was ringing everywhere. Women were making huge enrolls in the work place. As for men, business casual would liberate them from the stranglehold of the tie. Millions of American males heard the cry. “Mr. businessman, tear off that tie!” But reports of the tie’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. Yes, today ties are back.

What do you think this tie says?
It says first it matters second says it's stylish.
It makes me feel a little bit one of our people.
It makes me feel empowered and makes me feel good like I am ur..acturally a businessman (OK) Well, I am not.

Sales are way up among 20-somethings. Andrew Escobar manages the John Barbeto store in New York City.
I really think strongly that you can throw a tie almost on anything and kinda of just oops to look a little bit, makes it look a little more refined. And yet you can still leave your jeans on u, and your chuck tailors on. And it still has a lot to watch

It is not surprising that the tie has survived. After all, ties and men have been bound for more than a millennium. Among the earliest models, these naughty scarf to wore by Chinese soldiers of 3rd century BC.

What I am putting around my neck right now is a proud descent of a line going back 300 years

Back then, men wore cravats, wide ruffled and unapologetically impractical. Over time the cravat became today's neck tie. By the middle of the twentieth century though, the tie had lost much of its personality. It had become obligatory, part of the uniform dictated from on-high.

Then the arrival of business casual sounded the death knell for the tie. Or did it. “There is not much social pressure to wear a tie. Wearing it now becomes more of a, you know, an interesting piece that stands out more.” In fact, men have embraced the responsibility of choosing what to wear to work., and more and more they are choosing the tie.

In one word, how does that tie makes you feel？

Powerful.
Clean. (Clean?)
Smooth. Keep me ok. That's fine but they are so good because proper.
Probably because…
OK. So guess you respect ability. Because you wouldn’t wear a suit with that color and pattern, right?
Absolutely not now.
Actually what do I look kinda cool, I think. Well, with that maybe a little modern. (Yeah, those serious.) You will even never get a job.

There is a tie for every occasion, season or mood. This one makes me feel dependable. This one makes me feel like a seventh grade English teacher. This one makes me feel minty fresh.

Men’s fashion. A lot of guys complain they don't have a lot of choice. But the tie is the one area where you can really leather a wrap right?
Sure. You definitely have a lot of freedom.
Of course, freedom isn’t just an American value. This is a stylish competition on men in America, very good in America, some **
He is from Albania and he get a beautiful tie. "con..to Washington"

And so today's man is no longer required to wear a uniform. Instead, he is fit to be tied.

[ 本帖最后由 vanbryan 于 2007-11-16  16:08 编辑 ]

我是纯粹来拜楼主的~~~ ~~~~

拜拜～～～

Today's Highlight in History:
On November 17th, 1800, Congress held its first session in Washington in the partially completed Capitol building.

On this date:

In 1558, Elizabeth the First ascended the English throne upon the death of Queen Mary.

In 1869, the Suez Canal opened in Egypt.

In 1917, sculptor August Rodin died in Meudon, France. (pictured left: Rodin sculpture "The Thinker" at La Villa des Brillants, Meudon, France)

In 1925, actor Rock Hudson was born in Winnetka, Illinois.

In 1934, Lyndon Baines Johnson married Claudia Alta Taylor, better known as "Lady Bird."

In 1962, Washington's Dulles International Airport was dedicated by President Kennedy.

In 1970, the Soviet Union landed an unmanned, remote-controlled vehicle on the moon, the "Lunokhod One."

In 1973, President Nixon told Associated Press managing editors meeting in Orlando, Florida, "People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I'm not a crook."

In 1979, Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini ordered the release of 13 female and black American hostages being held at the US Embassy in Tehran.

In 1997, 62 people, most of them foreign tourists, were killed when six militants opened fire at the Temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor, Egypt; the attackers were killed by police.

Ten years ago: President Bush, on the first visit to Czechoslovakia by a US president, told a cheering crowd of 100,000 in Prague that "America will stand with you" through hard times ahead.

Five years ago: The commander of US forces in the Pacific called the rape of a 12-year-old Okinawan girl "absolutely stupid" and said in Washington the incident could have been avoided if the US servicemen involved had simply paid for sex. (Admiral Richard C. Macke later apologized for his remarks, and took early retirement.)

One year ago: Officials close to the investigation into the crash of EgyptAir Flight 990 said a relief co-pilot alone in the cockpit had said, in Arabic: "I made my decision now; I put my faith in God's hands" just before the jetliner began its fatal plunge. (In Egypt, relatives angrily rejected any notion that relief co-pilot Gameel el-Batouty had deliberately crashed the plane.)

每日格言：

"There's one thing that keeps surprising you about stormy old friends after they die -- their silence."

-- Ben Hecht, American author and screenwriter (1893-1964)

Download:  http://download.putclub.com/update/sest/200711/17/20071117apnews.mp3

Reference:

This is AP news minute.

An armed band involved in an overnight standoff with police outside the showboat casino in Atlantic city has surrendered peacefully. Police recalled after security reported a man on the shuttle bus with a gun ,three people were briefly held hostages on the bus, no one was hurt.

The NY Times reported that FBI agents found no evidence that Blackwater security guards were fired on during the the September incident that let 17 Iraqi civilians dead. The FBI report finds the guards were unjustified in killing at least 14 of the civilians.

Congressional Democrats say President Bush will not get any more money for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Unless he agrees to end all combats in Iraq by December of the next year. For the House of Senate will vote by the end of the week on the 50 billion dollar plan. Bush promises veto of any bill containing of a timetable for withdraw.

A Globe that once belong to Adolf Hitler has sold at an auction for 100,000 dollars. An Amercian soldier found the globe among the rooms of Hitler's eagle's nest in May of 1945. John Barsamian took it home and kept it for more than 60 years.

[ 本帖最后由 vanbryan 于 2007-11-17  18:09 编辑 ]

In the news Report



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This is In The News in VOA Special English.

Michael N. became American's top law enforcement official last Friday. But this week, a ceremonial swear in attended by President Bush took place at the Justice Department. Wednesday’s event was the first chance for the new Attorney General to speak publicly with his employees. He talked about their duty to the law and the constitution, saying the result of faithful performance of our duty is justice.

The retired federal judge from New York takes over a struggling department that critics say has become too political. Several top officials have resigned and delays in replacing them have only added to the criticisms.

On Thursday, President Bush announced five nominees for leadership positions at the Justice Department. Among them is Mark Philip, a federal judge in Chicago. The president nominated him for sender conformation as Deputy Attorney General. Several other positions also need to be filled. M. N. is the third Attorney General under the Bush Administration which has fourteen month left in office. John A. left in 2004. A.G. resigned in September.

Already Mr. N. has reopened an investigation into the part that Justice Department lawyers played in the terrorist surveillance program. The Bush Administration began the program after the September eleventh 2001 attacks. The president gave the National Security Agency permission to listen to calls and read email of people in the United States without a warrant.

The Justice Department's officers of professional responsibility opened the investigation early last year. But it was suspended after the National Security Agency denied security clearances to the investigators. Those clearances have now been received. And at the beginning of this year, the administration said it had ended the use of surveillance without court approval.

The Senate confirmed M. N. last week by a vote of fifty-three to forty. The American Civil Liberty’s Union noted it was the narrowest vote to confirm an attorney general in half a century. His confirmation was slowed by the way he dealt with questions about the interrogation method known as waterboarding.

During hearings last month he said answering questions about it might risk the careers or freedom of those who might be using it. The United States military has banned the practice which creates a sense of drumming. But Human Rights Groups say the Central Intelligence Agency has used it on terrorism suspects in recent years.

Mr. N. deplored waterboarding and said torture violates the constitution. But he told lawmakers that he could not say whether waterboarding is torture He said he did not have enough information because he was still a private citizen.

And that's In The News in VOA Special English, written by Brianna Blake. I'm Steve Ember.

[ 本帖最后由 vanbryan 于 2007-11-17  18:12 编辑 ]

Bill Clinton: 'She's the best!'

Former President Bill Clinton speaks on behalf of Sen. Hillary Clinton at a fundraiser.



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I feel more strongly than I did when I told her 35 years ago, that of all the people in our generation, she is still the best. She's got the best combination of mind and heart, she got the best ability to make a decision and feel the human impact (on) other. The best ability to get this country moving again and get it back in the solution business, in the performance business, in the caring business.

That is what I say, a couple of things about the White House years. Everybody knows we tried to get everybody health insurance and didn't succeed. We don’t look pretty good now, you know, the, the urban legend about our plan has pretty much been destroyed and actually got rid of 3000 more pages of federal law than I added. And it looks remarkably like what these states are doing now what we proposed, but when we didn’t do that, she didn’t give up, she kept working, we extended health insurance coverage to 5 million kids, the biggest generation, we did more for women with breast cancer and men with prostate cancer and people with diabetes.

And we had 90% of our kids immunized against serious health illness. It was for the first time when we had the number of uninsured people going down for the first time in a dozen years and they are going back up now. She doesn’t give up, she just keeps working. And in my first term Hilary was really the face of America in Africa and India, places like that because she went to 82 countries when I was President, 82, and, in my, in my first term when I was preoccupied with getting the economy turned around with Bosnia and the Middle East and Haiti.

She was out there, in places meeting with women and children, talking about education, and economic empowerment for people in poor countries, and, and the, in human rights. In 1995 when Hilary represented our country at the Beijing International Women’s Conference, she said," Human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights. "I still, you need to know, you know now we have changed places, she is in and I am in public service but not public office. So when I travel around the world now we are doing my AIDS work, and my development work, it is amazing, I have been in some of religions, Africa, Asia, and the women would come up to me, way off the beaten paths and say, you cannot imagine the impact your wife had on us when she said women’s rights are human rights and human rights are women’s rights.

We never forgot it. I say that because it is very important to restore the standing of America in the world and one of the ways we are gonna do it, one of the ways we are gonna do it is not just by ending the conflict in Iraq, but, by building a world with more partners and fewer adversaries, and that is really important that people respect the American President and believe the President is pulling for them wherever they live.



[ 本帖最后由 vanbryan 于 2007-11-17  18:18 编辑 ]