Betrayed by Betty

Stretch my legs, Doc!

The old expression "Think I'll go stretch my legs" has taken on a new meaning in China where women are willing to submit to a painful procedure that makes them taller.

Swee Jing paid more money that most Chinese people earn in a year to have both her legs broken and stretched. The pretty college graduate is now lying in a hospital bed, clearly still in pain, after the doctors sawed through the flesh and bone of both legs in eight places. Each leg now has eight steel rods sticking out of it below the knee and these are connected to a steel cage surrounding each leg. Once the broken bones start to heal the doctors will begin to turn the screws on the cage pushing the steel rods apart and so stretching the leg. It is a slow and painful process that will take 18 months to add 8cm to Swee Jing's height. 

Kong Jing-wen is one of a growing number of perfectly healthy Chinese young men and women who are willing to have their legs broken in order to rise up the ladder in height-conscious China.

In part, the popularity of such surgery can be explained by the surge of interest in fashion and beauty in a country where things like fashion magazines and beauty contests used to be banned. The once closed society is now more open to western influences and the relatively prosperous middle classes have the money to explore cosmetic possibilities. Shops and magazines in the cities show endless images of long-legged western models, inevitably putting pressure on young women. 

There are also domestic pressures. Height is listed among the criteria required on job advertisements. Chinese diplomats are expected to be tall to match the height of their foreign counterparts. 

For more glamorous positions the conditions are even tougher: air stewardesses have to be over 5ft 5in. Height requirements are also frequently mentioned in the personal ads of newspapers and magazines. 

Even successful operations can bring pain several months after the initial operation. "During the final weeks of the stretching, I was in so much discomfort that I couldn't sleep at night," says one young woman from Beijing who gave her name as Susan. 

Now that she is 8cm taller than before, Susan says she would not hesitate to recommend the procedure to her friends. "It hurt at first and had a big impact on my life for a long time because I couldn't walk freely. But it has worked, and I feel very good about that. Before, nobody paid any attention to me because I was short, but now they'll look at me." 

vocabulary:

1. to saw - to cut with a large tool

2. flesh - skin, muscle, etc

3. rod - long, thin, solid, cylinder

4. to heal - to get better, e.g. a wound

5. to finance - provide the money for something

6. to lack - to need, to not have

7. the surge - a significant increase

8. prosperous - wealthy

9. domestic - not abroad or foreign

10. discrimination - saying one thing is better than another

11. eligible - have a right to

12. scar - mark after a wound gets better

source: http://fullspate.digitalcounterrevolution.co.uk/archive/chinalegsx.html

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/chinese-leg-stretching-operation-increases-height-1.337502

MULTICULTURALISM

TODD: So CleAnn, you’re from Trinidad and Tobago and you were saying that your country has a very diverse multicultural mix?

CLEANN: Yes.

TODD: Can you talk about that?

CLEANN: Oh sure. Trinidad and Tobago mostly were made up of people from Africa (African descent) who came as slaves and Indians who came from India...mostly, I think we may also have some from parts of Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, but they came as indentured laborers closer to when slavery was being abolished.

These two groups actually make up the two largest ethnic groups in Trinidad. However, there is a lot of mixing. It’s very difficult to find someone in Trinidad and Tobago who is extremely, purely of one ethnic group because everyone is sort of mixed.

We have also a lot of whites or Caucasians who are native to Trinidad and Tobago who speak exactly like me with my Caribbean accent and many people who find it very strange because they will walk around in Trinidad and think that they are tourists but realize that they are actually native Trinidadians. And many also come from Europe to settle in Trinidad after retirement and have their families here so this is how they came to stay here.

We have a very large Chinese population and its growing because now the government is encouraging immigrants from China to come in to help us with our development, to build our capital city so we have a lot of Chinese.We have a lot of Colombians, Venezuelans, people coming from South and Central America migrating to Trinidad because Spanish is now being promoted as a second language for Trinidad so street signs in our capital city are in English and Spanish.

So with all of this mixing of different people it’s very, as I said, very difficult to find a person who is of just one ethnic group and it’s reflected in our food, it’s reflected in the kind of music we listen to, sometimes in the way we dress.For me, for example, I’m mostly of African descent but my dad is mixed with people from South American ethnicity and Chinese. So, as I said, although I’m mostly African, everybody still has a little bit of something in them.

Conversation Questions

1. Why did CleAnn’s country encourage immigrants to come from China?

2. In what ways is multiculturalism reflected in the daily life of Trinidad and Tobago?

3. Do you live in a multicultural country?

4. Have you ever visited a multicultural city? If so, what identified the city as being multicultural?What were your impressions?

5. What are the benefits of multiculturalism?

6. Can you think of any negatives of multiculturalism?

7. Do you think it is possible for a multicultural city to retain its national identity?

8. The Prime Minister of Britain recently said that multiculturalism had failed in Britain because different cultures were segregated within the country and not mixing. How could this problem be solved?

9. Why do you think some country’s leaders do not want their nation to become multicultural?

10. Can you think of a city or country where multiculturalism works successfully?

11. Is multiculturalism good for world peace and understanding?

12. Some schools adopt multicultural education where the children are taught about the practices and traditions of different cultures. What are the benefits of such an education?

13. When immigrants arrive in a new country, do you think they should be required to learn the language of that country? Why / Why not?

14. Should countries offer special programs to immigrants to help them adapt in their new country. What do you think such programs should include?

15. Can multiculturalism result in a country losing its identity?

16. Do you think the whole world will eventually become a melting pot’ of different races and cultures?

vocabulary:

1. Multiculturalism -  is when different cultures or cultural 

identities exist within a society or country. 

Multiculturalism occurs when people emigrate from different 

countries around the world, taking with them their 

language, religion, food, and cultural traditions to the new 

country in which they settle.

2. Indenture - A contract binding one party into the service 

of another for a specified term

3. Descent - Hereditary derivation; lineage

4. Slavery - The condition in which one person is owned as 

property by another and is under the owner's control, 

especially in involuntary servitude.

5. Abolish - to officially end or stop

6. Ethnicity - ethnic quality or affiliation

source: http://www.englishwithjo.com/english-conversation-multiculturalism/

LIFE STYLES

1 People have different attitudes toward living. Some seek self-oriented happiness, without any consideration of others. To them, happiness means wielding political or economic power over others. But most of these people turn out to be disappointed in their pursuit of happiness: since man's desire is endless, nothing can fully satisfy their needs.

2 Other people believe that the first step to attaining happiness is to restrict personal desire. Priests, monks and nuns are the most common representatives of this group. By refraining from worldly passion, they think they are happy because they live their lives in accordance with religious commands. But, can anyone without personal autonomy be genuinely happy?

3 A third group consists of very ordinary people. They have no great wealth or political authority. While they may have religious beliefs, they do not turn their back on the world. But they treasure their families, they value the little things of everyday life. They are happy if they have three meals a day, a car, a home, a vacation, enough money to educate their children.

4 Which group of people is the happiest? who knows? If you think you are happy, then you are. Happiness is the result of how you think about the world and your place in it.

VOCABULARY:

1. SELF - ORIENTED - overly concerned with one's own desires, needs, or interests

2. WIELD - exercise (influence) effectively

3. PURSUIT - the act of going after or in the tracks of another

4. RESTRICT - to set bounds or an upper limit for 

5. REFRAIN - stop oneself from doing something

6. IN ACCORDANCE WITH - in conformity with , in agreement with

7. AUTONOMY - self government, independence

8. GENUINE - truly what something is said to be; authentic

8. TURN THEIR BACK ON - abandon, ignore or reject

9. REPRESENTATIVE - typical examples of something

10. WHO KNOWS? - It is not possible to know at the moment.

11. LIFESTYLE - the way in which a person or group lives.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1.  How many groups of lifestyles are there?

2. What is the definition of happiness?

3. What  types of social activities do you engage in?

4. What do you think about becoming a priest, monk or a nun?

5. Do you think the quality of your life is improving or getting worse?

6. Have you ever done any volunteer work?

7. How do you relieve your stress?

copied from: Express Yourself (book 1)

Kenya to Close World’s Largest Refugee Camp

Kenya is planning to close the world’s largest refugee camp. They  say it poses a security threat that could lead to terrorist attacks.Most refugees there are from Somalia who escaped conflict in their country.

Kenya’s government announced plans to close the camp “within the shortest time possible.” But the United Nations and international human rights groups have criticized the move.

The U.N. refugee agency urged Kenya this week to reconsider its decision. The agency said in a statement that closing the camp would have “devastating consequences.” 

Kenya’s Interior Minister,  said at a news conference Wednesday that the camp threatens Kenya’s security. He said the government believes the camp harbors extremists from Somalia’s Islamic al-Shabab group and is used to smuggle weapons.

Al-Shabab began launching attacks in Kenya after Kenyan troops entered Somalia to fight the militant group in 2011.

Kenya’s government has admitted that closing the refugee camps will harm refugees. It urged the international community to take steps to minimize the pain and suffering.

Human Rights Watch senior refugee researcher Gerry Simpson says refugees are not the source of security threats in Kenya.But Interior Ministry spokesman disagrees, saying that terrorists have used refugee camps to plan and train for attacks.

Government and security expert Mummoh Nzau agrees that terrorists have infiltrated the camps, and that the camps do pose a security risk. But he is calling for a careful approach to dealing with the situation. He said one option would be to relocate the camps.“They can move the refugees right inside Somalia, but in a way that it is safe for them, and that they can be accessed by the international refugee agencies and other aid agencies.”

The United Nations said it planned to repatriate 50,000 more refugees this year. But officials admitted this repatriation would be a difficult task because the Somali government is still fighting an insurgency from al-Shabab.

Kenya, which has been hosting refugees for nearly 25 years, previously threatened to close the camps, but did not follow through.

VOCABULARY:

refugee - n. a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.

devastating – adj. highly destructive or damaging

consequence – n. a result or effect of an action or condition

at odds – in conflict or at variance with something

harbor– v. to shelter or hide a criminal or wanted person

smuggle – v. to move items illegally into or out of a country

minimize – v. reduce something to the smallest possible degree

repatriate – v. to send someone back to their own country

insurgency – n. an active revolt or uprising

militant - n. is someone who is engaged in a war or who acts aggressively for their cause

extremist - n. a person who holds extreme or fanatical political or religious views, especially one who resorts to or advocates extreme action.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. Are there many refugees in your country?
2. What rights do and don’t refugees have?
3. Do you think the image of refugees has changed over the years?
4. What problems do refugees bring to the countries they go to?
5. What benefits are there to countries who accept refugees?
6. How do you think countries decide who is a refugee and who isn’t?
7. What should people do on World Refugee Day (June 20)?


source: 
http://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/kenya-to-close-worlds-largest-refugee-camp/3327650.html
http://esldiscussions.com/r/refugees.html

Fatal addiction: the story of Scott Douglas

Two years ago Scott Douglas died of a heroin overdose. Why, then, is his father, who is a staunch opponent of drugs, calling for all drugs to be legalised? 

"Legalise, don't criminalise" is Howard Douglas' motto. He insists the only way to control drugs is to regulate the sale of them. "I don't want a soft line on drugs. I wish to God that people wouldn't use them. But they do, and so we need to put some order into the market." 

He firmly believes that his son would still be alive today if heroin had been legal. Scott Douglas was 33 when he died two years ago. A long-time heroin user, he was forced to do without the drug during a five-week prison term. He was killed by his first dose after being released. 

An inquiry into Scott's death found that because he had been without the drug for several weeks, his body could not take his normal dose. It also revealed that his final shot contained an impurity - urine acetylcodeine. "If there had been a controlled environment for my son to take his heroin, and it had been supplied legally, he would still be alive. There are basically two policy options: you can legalise and regulate the supply, as you do with other drugs such as alcohol and tobacco, or you can leave criminals to control everything." 

Although Mr Douglas concedes that legalisation would be "anathema" to many fellow parents, he would like to see heroin supplied by the health service to addicts and a "clean and controlled environment" for it to be taken with free needles and medical advice. 

One obststacle is that the political will to tackle the problem just does not exist yet. He says the only prospect of change would be if "a government minister's son or a member of the royal family dies from drug abuse". 

After Scott's death, Mr Douglas became deeply involved in the debate and was able to understand why many young people turn to drugs. "I met a lot of Scott's associates and they had one thing in common - they couldn't get to grips with the world. "Scott could never understand why three-quarters of the world had to go hungry while one quarter had more food than they needed. For a lot of [addicts] the world is a very painful place. Drugs take the edge off reality." 







vocabulary:
1.fatal - causing death
2. staunch (opponent) -  strong, firm
3. concede - admit unwillingly
4. anathema - something you hate or disapprove of
5. tackle -deal with
6. prospect - chance
7. abuse - wrong use
8. get to grips with - cope with




copied from: http://fullspate.digitalcounterrevolution.co.uk/archive/drugs.html