📘【Ken的高頻單字筆記 I】
購買辦法:https://is.gd/H8W7Qj
📰 今天我們來讀讀【華爾街日報】
🖐🏽 五分鐘來關心國際時事 — 墨西哥治安 🇲🇽
📰 Mexico Reports Slight Decline in 2019 Homicides
Nation’s murder rate remained at highest level in decades despite fall in number of killings
MEXICO CITY—Mexico registered 209 fewer homicides in 2019 than a year earlier, the first decline in five years, though the murder rate remained at its highest level in decades, the National Statistics Institute said Wednesday.
📌 這篇文章討論墨西哥 (Mexico) 的殺人罪 (homicide) 數字的微小下降(slight decline)。nation是國家的意思,在這裡是指墨西哥,這是常用修辭方法之一。作者也用同義詞提高文章的可讀性: homicide vs murder vs killing。
The country registered 36,476 homicides last year, down from 36,685 in 2018, according to preliminary data based on death certificates. The homicide rate was unchanged from 2018 at 29 per 100,000 inhabitants, the highest level on records stretching back 30 years.
📌 這段交代有關數據,register (登記)、down from (從...下降)、according to preliminary data (根據初步資料) 和 unchanged (不變的)是常見用語。
“The important thing is that the government doesn’t rest on its laurels by saying we’ve slowed the rise in homicides,” said Cassius Wilkinson, a security analyst at political-risk consultancy Empra. “A plateau at historic highs still isn’t good for Mexico’s public security.”
📌 這段引述一位保安分析員 (security analyst) 的意見。rest on one’s laurels (不求進步) 是道地用語。plateau的原意是高原,在這裡引申指有關數字維持於高位不降。
Monthly police reports for 2020 show that homicides were up 1.5% in the first eight months of this year from a year earlier, although the numbers have been overshadowed by more than 74,000 deaths of people infected with the coronavirus.
The drop in the preliminary number of homicides for 2019 will likely become a small increase when final data are released at the end of October, said security analyst Alejandro Hope. “The good news is that it’s not growing, the bad news is that it’s not falling,” he added.
📌 這兩段繼續分析有關數字的走勢。overshadowed by (因為...失色的) 是生動的用語。preliminary 跟 final 是異義詞,the good news is that…the bad news is that… 是平行結構,也是很好的修辭方式。
Lowering the level of violence, much of it by organized-crime groups, is among the main concerns of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador whose strategy has been to reduce direct confrontation between security forces and heavily armed criminal gangs.
Since taking office at the end of 2018, Mr. López Obrador has disbanded the Federal Police and replaced it with a National Guard drawn mostly from the ranks of army and naval police. The National Guard has close to 100,000 members, and is expected to increase to 140,000.
📌 這兩段介紹墨西哥總統其中一項主要關注 (main concern) 就是降低暴力的水平 (lower the level of violence)。他的策略 (strategy) 是減少保安部隊 (security forces) 和犯罪集團 (criminal gang) 之間的直接對抗 (direct confrontation)。
Homicide rates last year fell in 15 of the country’s 32 states, including Baja California Sur and Quintana Roo—home to tourism hubs Los Cabos and Cancún—and Mexico City.
Among the most violent states was Guanajuato in central Mexico, which has been the site of fighting between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and a gang of fuel thieves called the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel. Authorities arrested José Antonio Yépez, the alleged head of the fuel theft gang, in early August.
While violence increased in Guanajuato, the homicide rate fell last year in neighboring Jalisco state. The number of murders could be masked by an increase in forced disappearances in the state as the Jalisco cartel consolidates its control of the area, said Mr. Wilkinson.
“A lot of the states that lead the rankings are leading for different reasons,” he added, noting increased killings in northern states such as Sonora and Chihuahua. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the 2020 numbers are much higher.”
📌 這四段詳細分析墨西哥不同州的殺人罪率 (homicide rate)去年的情況。the rankings的意思就是排名。在旅游樞紐 (tourism hub)的州殺人罪率下降,個別州份因爲幫派的打鬥變得最暴力的。
未完待續...
📰 全文請至
https://reurl.cc/Md4Ra3
📰 作者
Anthony Harrup
📰 訂閱請至
https://bit.ly/3j82Q3W
同時也有15部Youtube影片,追蹤數超過4,580的網紅alanreborn79,也在其Youtube影片中提到,Back in 1987, Taito's Operation Wolf hit the arcades like a storm. In the game, players take control of a single armed soldier who's mission is to inf...
heavily armed 在 Claudia Mo/毛孟靜 Facebook 的最讚貼文
#立會去留 #RTHKLettertoHK
Participating in the upcoming extended term of the legislative council is, I feel, the lesser of two evils. Of course the one-year postponement of the election which should have been held this month was an anti-democratic trick by the government to avoid facing the voters. The extended term surely lacks legitimacy in the public eye.
But with liberal and democratic institutions being constantly undermined by an executive seeking to bring the other arms of government under its control, we must take every opportunity to voice our concerns, use every forum to fight back in the interests of Hong Kong’s governance, and the promises enshrined in the Basic Law.
Of course previously I’ve had my reservations about staying on, as it would mean accepting a quasi Beijing appointment in an un-elected legislature, ie without the people’s mandate. I’ve had my moments of a psychic tug-of-war.
It’s also understood that many of our young view some of the veterans in the democratic camp as washouts, that they belong to an earlier civilisation and should have been “outed” anyway. Some online criticism would go as far as, and I quote, “Can’t let go of the pay and the glory associated with a Legco seat, can you? Like you are being thrown a bone, a bone only but you can’t wait to go get it”, unquote.
Amongst the democrats I’m probably, probably, the one with the least
political baggage: The fact that I do not have a political party background; that I’m not young and as a result I wouldn’t need to worry too much about career development or prospects. And so perhaps I am more able to consider the “stay or quit” question with an even more free mind.
What’s happened is the number of pro-democracy legislators has already been thinned by legal manoeuvres to oust elected members. But we can perhaps muster just enough votes to deny the pro-government camp absolute control over the council.
Unrepresentative though it is, the council often is not just a talking shop and rubber stamp. It does have some ability to query officials, demand information and make constructive criticism of government proposals and policies. Even when the criticism is not particularly constructive, or some would even call it destructive, it could at least help vent public anger and frustration.
We need opposition voice to at least better health policy, labour rights, pollution, education and public transport problems.
Between now and next September we should be able to show Hongkongers that we can be of value in fighting for their interests. Although the system remains heavily weighted against us, the legislature remains a place where we can stand up, on the spot, against the arrogance and incompetence of the administration.
We don’t just make noise, we carry on to serve as the voice of the people. We shouldn’t become outsiders looking in. We need feet on the ground.
Sure we could be running into a storm without even an umbrella. Things could get painful. It’s so much easier to quit. But to quit would just be taking a placebo line. We cannot pretend the pain is not there, we just need to deal with it, fight it.
The lawmaker capacity does carry a degree of power. Once I called the agriculture and fisheries department, demanding to speak to the department head, saying it’s a matter of utter emergency. What was happening that day was a government wild pig hunting team armed with Remington's was scheduled to go to a village, provoking an unnecessary but possible violent standoff between villagers and animal rights campaigners.
My little intervention was successful. The AFCD head heeded and cancelled the hunting mission that day. And thanks to joint efforts on the civil society and Legco fronts such wild boar hunting squads have now been scrapped altogether.
Another episode that has been lodged in my head involved what happened on August 31 last year. Speculation was rife that there were fatalities inside the Prince Edward MTR station that evening, at the peak of our protest movement. I made a number of official enquiries and subsequently managed to have a face-to-face meet-up with the fire services chief.
Although in the end neither the police nor the fire department could satisfactorily explain the discrepancies in the number of injured and the state of injuries, at the time it was the only way to prompt —- if not force —- the civil servants involved to do their explaining in public, to the media.
It’s experiences of the kind that help to solidify my opinion that democrats should remain on the inside. Because of what we do, a lot of incompetence and hypocrisy, sometimes even some crookedness get exposed.
Beijing loyalists and the pro-government type would keep on politely tip-toeing around issues so as not to offend the authorities, they would keep on spinning mistruths, the democrats can counter that performance.
At a time when Hong Kong is politically, financially going down the tubes, with our young in particular feeling helpless, at a time when hope seems to be dismissed and punishment dealt, when discontent could morph into pure hate and antipathy to the government, democrats should help by not abandoning any battleline.
Anyone who wants to query government policies, draw attention to abuses, obtain information now faces increasing difficulties.
Assembly is restricted. People have to guard their words. Much mainstream media simply reflect official policies and journalists now have to be approved by the police to be treated as such. However inadequate it may be, the legislative council remains a forum for questions and comment, and is widely reported.
And popularly elected legislators in particular have standing which cannot be ignored at home, and they are also focus of foreign inquiry about Hong Kong issues. Journalistic institutions magnify the impact of such individuals who would otherwise find themselves crying in the wilderness, lone voices without a platform. Legco is a platform, however shaky.
If results of an opinion poll —-expected by Tuesday —-commissioned by the Democratic Party tell us to go —- easy, we’ll just pack up.
But Im hoping for the opposite. I for one would want to keep staying on the Legco frontline, standing up for what I believe. Nothing egotistical about it. We will simply take what's left and fight it out.
I’m prepared to take the lesser evil.
XXX
https://www.rthk.hk/radio/radio3/programme/lettertohongkong
heavily armed 在 王伯達觀點 Facebook 的最佳解答
Fake News ?
--------------------------------------------
身著迷彩服的全副武裝,身份不明的安全人員一直在俄勒岡州波特蘭的街道上綁架反種族主義抗議者,並將他們捆綁在沒有標記的汽車中,沒有明確的 理由。您可能希望在威權國家看到這些場景,而不是在美國。
這些策略包括:部署聯邦特工而沒有識別出徽章,這顯然是為了逃避透明度和問責制;在沒有明顯逮捕理由的情況下將人們趕走街頭;使用可能致命的彈藥來傷害和平示威者。這些行動是失控的。他們採取了行動。他們寫道,這更反映了一個由獨裁者領導的政府的策略,而不是來自我們憲政民主共和國政府的策略。他們補充說,它們“令人回想起“消失了”批評家和反對者的專制政府。
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/25/politics/us-protests-trump-terrorists-intl/index.html
heavily armed 在 alanreborn79 Youtube 的精選貼文
Back in 1987, Taito's Operation Wolf hit the arcades like a storm. In the game, players take control of a single armed soldier who's mission is to infiltrate heavily defended enemy territories and rescue as many Prisoners Of War, or POWs, as possible.
The game was commercially successful. In Japan, Game Machine listed Operation Wolf on their December 1, 1987 issue as being the second most-successful upright arcade unit of the year.
Unlike many shooters back then, Operation Wolf offers a first-person view of the scene - this feature does not sound like much nowadays, but back in 1987, first person shooters (known today as FPS) were far from being the norm.
The scenery is shown through the eyes of our valiant soldier and the screen automatically side-scrolls while hundred of enemy soldiers throw anything they have at him. In order to protect his life, he is equipped with an Uzi gun and a grenade launcher with a limited stock of ammo. And watch out! Not everything on screen must be shot and characters like nurses or children will dramatically lower our soldier's precious life when hit. Power-ups and special items are of course available, sometimes just laying on the ground and sometimes hidden inside small running animals or coconuts.
Initial release date: 1987
Developer: Taito
Genre: Shoot 'em up
heavily armed 在 トイカンTOYKAN Youtube 的最讚貼文
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heavily armed 在 Mẹ Nấm Youtube 的精選貼文
Người Việt Đồng Tâm
Để tranh đấu cho công lý và hỗ trợ người dân Đồng Tâm, mỗi người dân Việt đều có thể làm nhiều việc khác nhau trong đó có phần vận động sự quan tâm và can thiệp của quốc tế. Do đó, chúng tôi kêu gọi đồng bào Việt Nam trong và ngoài nước cùng gửi điện thư (email) đến tất cả các tòa đại sứ và lãnh sự quán có mặt tại VN, Liên Hiệp Quốc, các Tổ chức quốc tế nhằm kêu gọi họ yêu cầu chính phủ Việt Nam:
- Đồng ý cho đại diện các đại sứ quán, các tổ chức trong nước và quốc tế đến thăm hỏi, tìm hiểu, giúp đỡ dân làng và các nạn nhân.
- Cho phép các tổ chức quốc tế, phóng viên quốc tế như của AP, NY Times, Reuters, RFI, CNN, Aljazeera đến Đồng Tâm để tác nghiệp và cung cấp thông tin trung thực nhất.
- Yêu cầu nhà cầm quyền Hà Nội ngừng sử dụng bạo lực, hay tiếp tục đe doạ sử dụng bạo lực cũng như chấm dứt hành vi vu cáo khủng bố đối với mọi dân làng Đồng Tâm.
Dear Sir/Madam:
It is with grave concerns that I draw your attention to the following:
•On January 9, 2020 a violent clash over a land dispute in Dong Tam commune, Vietnam where excessive military and police force was deployed that killed an 84-year-old civilian and injured several others. The elderly who had been a vocal leader in the struggle against land confiscation was shot twice in the head and once in the chest while sleeping in his bed. Several other elderly and farmers of the same commune were arrested or assaulted and badly injured. Reportedly there were some 3000 police heavily armed with tear gas, explosives and live ammunition that launched the attack at approximately 3 a.m. on that day targeting the house of the local elderly leader. His sons were also arrested and his daughter in law and grandchildren were also hunted down while running away by police sniffer dogs.
•This is the latest bloody conflict of land seizures in Dong Tam commune where tension has been simmering for some three years. Farmers claim that the government seizes 59 hectares (116 acres) of their farmland for the military-run Viettel Group, which is Vietnam’s largest mobile phone company, without consultation, consent and adequate compensation for the rightful owners.
•While violent land confiscations are not uncommon in Vietnam, this is the first time the authorities claimed there had been 3 policemen killed during the attack against the rightful owners of the lands. Human Rights Watch and other international human rights organizations have urged the authorities to investigate the killings fairly and to hold accountable those who used violence and whether excessive police force was justified so as not to wrongly accuse and further victimize the victims.
•Similarly, last year, just days before the Vietnamese traditional new year, “Tet”, on January 4 and January 8, the authorities in Ho Chi Minh city also launched an attack against the Loc Hung Vegetable Garden, a settlement area claimed by the Catholic Church and registered for agricultural use in 1991, 1995, and 2005, and ever since the land had been used by residents for growing vegetables.
•During the two-day operation, some thousand uniformed police and plain clothes forces wearing masks equipped with about 8 bulldozers and earth movers to demolish all the houses in Loc Hung Vegetable Garden, Tan Binh district, without prior warning, proper notice, or adequate compensation for the residents.
•This forced hundreds of displaced victims who are mostly defectors and people who had escaped the Communist regime in the North in 1954, and former prisoners of conscience, political dissidents and veterans of the former army of South Vietnam out of their homes.
•Lawyers in the country protested against the local authorities’ abuse of power claiming the state should have issued an order for land appropriation first before any issuance of an eviction order to residents of Loc Hung Vegetable Garden.
Therefore, we earnestly ask [your embassy] [U.N. organization]…. to exert diplomatic pressure and
1. Urge the Vietnamese government to end military and police repression and abuse of powers against civilians;
2. Urge the Vietnamese government to recognize the importance of engaging in respectful dialogues and fair negotiations to solve land disputes peacefully rather than resorting to violence.
3. Urge the Vietnamese authorities to investigate with impartiality and transparency and punish all those who are responsible for the human rights violations and the violence in Loc Hung Vegetable Garden and Dong Tam commune so that there is no impunity for crimes committed by state officials.
4. Urge the Vietnamese authorities to permit access to Dong Tam and Loc Hung survivors by local and foreign journalists, diplomats, UN agency officials and other impartial observers to assess what evolved there and monitor the government’s investigation of these incidents.
5. Urge the Vietnamese government to recognize unfair and arbitrary land confiscation for economic projects displacing local people is the source of social unrest, publi