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«خيلي اوبامايي»؛ لغت تازه در فرهنگ عاميانه آمريكا

rose-ariya — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:37:55 GMT

«خيلي اوبامايي»؛ لغت تازه در فرهنگ عاميانه آمريكا

نام رئيس جمهوري آمريكا در فرهنگ زبان عاميانه اين كشور كه اين ماه منتشر مي‌شود، با مثال «خيلي اوبامايي» ثبت شد.

در اين ديكشنري لغت اوباما به همراه مثال تعريف شده است.
يكي از مثال‌هايي كه اين لغت را تعريف مي‌كند «You are so Obama» به معناي «خيلي اوبامايي» است كه در حقيقت معناي اين اصطلاح «خيلي خونسردي» است.
يكي ديگر از لغت‌هايي كه در زبان عوام بسيار مورد استفاده قرار مي‌گيرد «I.D.K.» است.
اين اصطلاح خلاصه شده «I didn't know» به معناي «نمي‌دانم» است.
چاپ ششم اين فرهنگ كه هر 4 سال يكبار منتشر مي‌شود، اواخر اين ماه در كتاب‌فروشي‌هاي آمريكا قرار خواهد گرفت.
اين فرهنگ را يكي از استادان زبان‌شناسي دانشگاه كاليفرنيا آمريكا با نام «پاملا مونرو» و تعدادي از دانشجويانش منتشر مي‌كنند.
دانشجويان اين دانشگاه اصطلاحات و لغت‌هاي استفاده شده توسط دوستان خود و عوام را گردآوري مي‌كنند.
اين اصطلاحات سپس از سوي يك گروه تحقيقاتي مورد بررسي قرار مي‌گيرند تا معني و املاي درست لغت در فرهنگ ثبت شود.
پاملا مونرو به خبرگزاري رويترز گفته است: اين روش باعث مي‌شود تا دانشجويان به گرامر و زبان انگليسي علاقه‌مند شوند.
اين فرهنگ كه از اصطلاحات و لغت‌هاي انگليسي تشكيل شده، 160 صفحه است.
در اين فرهنگ هر لغت به همراه معني، مثال و اصليت آن توضيح داده شده است.
اين استاد دانشگاه مي‌گويد: اين فرهنگ با فرهنگ‌هاي گذشته متفاوت است و در عين حال بامزه‌تر و گران‌تر است.
زبان انگليسي يكي از زبان‌هايي است كه همواره در حال تغيير و تحول است.
هر ساله اصطلاحات و لغات متعددي كه بسياري از آنها را خود مردم انگليسي زبان مي‌سازند، به اين زبان اضافه مي‌شوند.

منبع:فارس

Michael Jackson's memorial service

rose-ariya — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:34:56 GMT

Michael Jackson's memorial service

The stage is set for Michael Jackson's final act in what could be the biggest celebrity send-off of all time.

If you weren't one of the lucky 8,750 fans to score a pair of tickets to Jackson's memorial service at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, have no fear. Watch it here live through live streaming coverage provided by ABC News Now. For more Michael Jackson video coverage, go to ABCNews.com.

Police estimate more than 250,000 people will cram onto the sidewalks outside the arena to pay their final respects to the "Thriller" singer and one-time member of Motown legends the Jackson 5, who was 50 years old when he died.

The memorial is being televised live on all major networks and in 85 theaters across the U.S. Yahoo! News has reporters on the scene as well; you can view their tweets @YStartingPoint.

Some of the biggest names in pop music are taking part in the memorial service, including Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Mariah Carey, Usher, Lionel Richie, Jennifer Hudson and John Mayer. Civil rights leader Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III, and basketball stars Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant are also expected to attend.

The Jackson family attended a private service at Forest Lawn Cemetery this morning.

Translating What Men Say Into What Men Mean

rose-ariya — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 20:18:59 GMT

He says: "I'll call you."

He means: "I may call you."

This line isn't the slam dunk most women make it out to be. Besides being genuinely interested, there are a slew of reasons why a guy might ask for a number (he needs an ego boost... he wants a quick way to end the conversation... he bet his buddy he could score more digits, etc). The thing to remember here is that if he's into you, he will find a way to call. And, no, emailing, Facebooking or Twittering at him in the meantime isn't going to help your case. Give the guy a chance to pursue you -- if he doesn't, he's not the one for you anyway.

English Exprision

rose-ariya — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 21:31:01 GMT

If six Children and tow dogs were under just one umbrella, how come none of them got wet?

Explanation: Think of the situation!!

Answer: ~~It wasn't raining!!~~

photo

rose-ariya — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 20:55:42 GMT

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on leaving the office to report, film or take pictures in Tehran Iranian security personnel gather on a street in Tehran June 20, 2009. Defeated Iranian presidential candidate Mirhossein Mousavi said on Saturday he was "ready for martyrdom" in leading protests that have shaken the Islamic Republic and brought warnings of bloodshed from Iran's Supreme Leader.

Sat Jun 20, 2:14 PM ET

English Exprision

rose-ariya — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 20:54:23 GMT

A racegoer shows off her hat made by Louis Mariette during the third day of the Royal Ascot race meeting June 18, 2009

Thu Jun 18, 1:43 PM ET

Obama to Iran's leaders: Stop 'unjust' actions

rose-ariya — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 20:51:30 GMT

Obama to Iran's leaders: Stop 'unjust' actions

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Saturday challenged Iran's government to halt a "violent and unjust" crackdown on dissenters, using his bluntest language yet to condemn Tehran's postelection response.

Obama has sought a measured reaction to avoid being drawn in as a meddler in Iranian affairs. His comments have grown more pointed as the clashes intensified, and his latest remarks took direct aim at Iranian leaders.

"We call on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people," Obama said in a written statement. "The universal rights to assembly and free speech must be respected, and the United States stands with all who seek to exercise those rights."

Obama met with advisers at the White House as developments in Iran grew more ominous.

"Suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away," the president said, recalling a theme from the speech he gave in Cairo, Egypt, this month.

"The Iranian people will ultimately judge the actions of their own government," Obama said. "If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect the dignity of its own people and govern through consent, not coercion."

Obama also cited Martin Luther King's statement that "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."

"I believe that," the president said. "The international community believes that. And right now, we are bearing witness to the Iranian peoples belief in that truth, and we will continue to bear witness."

Fierce Tehran clashes between police, protesters

rose-ariya — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 20:41:23 GMT

Fierce Tehran clashes between police, protesters

TEHRAN, Iran – Police beat protesters and fired tear gas and water cannons at thousands who rallied Saturday in open defiance of Iran's clerical government, sharply escalating the most serious internal conflict since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

President Barack Obama challenged Iran to halt the "violent and unjust" crackdown, his bluntest language yet on the crisis.

"We call on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people," Obama said in a written statement. "Suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away."

Iran's English-language state TV said as reports of street clashes became public that a suicide bombing at the shrine of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini south of Tehran had killed one person and wounded eight. The report could be not independently evaluated due to government restrictions on journalists. An eyewitnesses said on a Persian-language state TV broadcast that only three people had been wounded. It showed images of broken glass but no other evidence of damage or casualties.

Some 3,000 protesters, many wearing black, chanted "Death to the dictator!" and "Death to dictatorship!" near Revolution Square in downtown Tehran, setting off fierce clashes with police firing tear gas, water cannons and guns, witnesses said. It was not clear if police were firing live ammunition.

Some protesters appeared to be fighting back, setting fire to militia members' motorcycles, witnesses said. State video footage showed people beating a man in the street beside a fallen motorcycle. Another motorcycle blazed nearby.

Amateur video showed crowds chanting in the streets and hurling rocks at police, with white clouds of gas billowing through the streets.

There were no immediate confirmed reports of fatalities and the head of Iran's police said his men had been ordered to act with restraint.

"We acted with leniency but I think from today on, we should resume law and confront more seriously," Gen. Esmaeil Ahmadi Moghadam said on state television. "We will definitely seriously confront those who violate rules."

After dark, people returned to the rooftops and shouted "Allahu Akbar!" — God is Great — as a show of defiance against the system, a technique borrowed from the days of the revolution.

A massive rally in Tehran's Freedom Square Monday set off three consecutive days of protests demanding the government cancel and rerun June 12 elections that ended with a declaration of overwhelming victory for hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Reformist presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi says he won and Ahmadinejad stole the election through widespread fraud.

Mousavi has not been seen since a rally Thursday, but late Saturday he repeated his demand for the election to be annulled.

In a letter to Iran's Guardian Council, which investigates voting fraud allegations, Mousavi said some ballot boxes had been sealed before voting began. He also said thousands of his representatives had been expelled from polling stations and some mobile polling stations had boxes filled with fake ballots.

"The Iranian nation will not believe this unjust and illegal" act, Mousavi said in the letter on one of his official Web sites.

The council said it had agreed Saturday to recount a sampling of 10 percent of the ballot boxes nationwide.

"There is no legal duty on us, but we are ready to recount 10 percent of the ballot boxes around the country randomly, with the respected representatives of the dear candidates present, to reach certainty," council spokesman Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei said on state TV.

Mousavi did not say whether he endorsed ongoing street protests or the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who sternly warned opposition leaders to end rallies or be held responsible for "the bloodshed, the violence and rioting" to come.

Khamenei's statement during Friday prayers effectively closed the door to Mousavi's demand for a new election and set the stage for a new level of confrontation.

Eyewitnesses said thousands of police and plainclothes militia members filled the streets Saturday, blocking protesters from gathering on the main thoroughfare running east from Revolution Square to Freedom Square.

English-language state TV confirmed that police used batons and other non-lethal weapons against what it called unauthorized demonstrations.

Amateur video showed dozens of Iranians running down a street after police fired tear gas. Shouts of "Allahu Akbar!" could be heard on the video, which could not be independently verified.

Helicopters hovered overhead, ambulances raced through the streets and black smoke rose over the city.

The witnesses told The Associated Press that between 50 and 60 protesters were hospitalized after beatings by police and pro-government militia. People could be seen dragging away comrades bloodied by baton strikes.

Tehran University, in the heart of downtown Tehran, was cordoned off by police and militia while students inside the university chanted "Death to the dictator!" witnesses said.

Shouts of "Viva Mousavi!" also could be heard. Witnesses said protesters wore black as a symbol of mourning for the dead and the allegedly stolen election, with wristbands in green, the emblem of Mousavi's self-described "Green Wave" movement.

"There was one instance of demonstrators successfully chasing away some security forces by sheer force of numbers and will," a Tehran resident wrote in an e-mail to Gary Sick, a Columbia University expert on Iran. "They raised a stirring cheer with hundreds of hands in the air. Moments later the security forces returned ten times more in force and pressed that crowd, that happy crowd, back into, of all places, Freedom Street."

All witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared government reprisals for speaking with the press. Iranian authorities have placed strict limits on the ability of foreign media to cover recent events, banning reporting from the street and allowing only phone interviews and information from officials sources such as state TV.

Police clashed with protesters around Tehran immediately after the presidential election and gunfire from a militia compound left at least seven dead, but further force remained in check until Saturday.

"I think the regime has taken an enormous risk in confronting this situation in the manner that they have," said Mehrdad Khonsari, a consultant to the London-based Center for Arab and Iranian Studies.

"Now they'll have to hold their ground and hope that people don't keep coming back. But history has taught us that people in these situations lose their initial sense of fear and become emboldened by brutality," he said.

Mousavi and the two other candidates who ran against Ahmadinejad had been invited to meet with Iran's Guardian Council, an unelected body of 12 clerics and Islamic law experts close to Khamenei that oversees elections. Its spokesman told state TV that Mousavi and the reformist candidate Mahdi Karroubi did not attend.

The council has said it was prepared to conduct a limited recount of ballots at sites where candidates claim irregularities but Mousavi's supporters did not withdraw his demands for a new election.

Both houses of the U.S. Congress approved a resolution on Friday condemning "the ongoing violence" by the Iranian government and its suppression of the Internet and cell phones.

The government has blocked Web sites such as BBC Farsi, Facebook, Twitter and several pro-Mousavi sites that are conduits for Iranians to tell the world about protests and violence.

Text messaging has not been working normally for many days, and cell phone service in Tehran is frequently down.

In an interview taped Friday with CBS, Obama said he is very concerned by the "tenor and tone" of Khamenei's comments. He also said that how Iran's leaders "approach and deal with people who are, through peaceful means, trying to be heard" will signal "what Iran is and is not."

A spokesman for Mousavi said Friday the opposition leader was not under arrest but was not allowed to speak to journalists or stand at a microphone at rallies. Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf told the AP from Paris it was even becoming difficult to reach people close to Mousavi. He said he had not heard from Mousavi's camp since Khamenei's address

Glass Frog

rose-ariya — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 08:04:57 GMT

Glass Frog

See-Through Frogs, Alien Salamanders, and Spiny Bugs...Oh My

by Vera H-C Chan

4,434 Votes

A salamander that looks like E.T., a micosized frog smaller than a fingernail, and a spiny-crested grasshopper. Who says the age of exploration is dead?

It's definitely not for Conservation International (CI). Their scientists have come back with some startlingly vivid images of endangered and never-before-seen critters from a whirlwind trip to the Nangaritza Protected Forest in Ecuador, near the Peruvian border. CI researchers came across at least 15 species of creatures and plants "unknown to science."

One of the most remarkable creatures is the Hyalinobatrachium pellucidum, also called a glass or crystal frog because you can see through its transparent flesh (right down to its guts). This guy's not new, but he's definitely endangered, so the find is heartening for environmentalists.

The purpose of the three-week biodiversity study was to identify species and make conservation recommendations for ecotourism possibilities, which the Ecuadorian locals are entertaining. It also turns out that frogs and insects yield medicinal properties, and a proper population survey is needed to see what else is out there in the forest.

According to Bloomberg, out of 14 million plants and animals in the world, human beings have been acquainted with only about 1.8 million. Below are more images of new friends; you can find other photos and expedition details at CI's site

English Exprision

rose-ariya — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 20:33:33 GMT

On the house:

If you have something on the house, it is given to you free by a business

Have you heard that the drinks on Arno's are on the house?

By mistake:

Accidentally

I've written the same thing twice by mistake.

Invite over:

To invite someone to come to your house

Let's invite my parents over tonight.

source: