Week 2 - NYPD Officer Rafael Ramos saw streets as his ministry

Rafael Ramos was an unusual cop.

He saw the streets of New York as his ministry.

In fact, he was just hours away from becoming a lay chaplain and graduating from a community-crisis chaplaincy program before he and fellow New York police Officer Wenjian Liu were gunned down in their patrol car Saturday in Brooklyn.

The gunman in the two officers' killing, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, 28, was found dead of self-inflicted gunshot wounds at a subway station immediately after the slayings.

Services for Liu are pending. On Friday, a police honor guard took Ramos' casket into Christ Tabernacle in Glendale, New York, where an afternoon wake was being held. The visitation will be followed by a memorial service at 7 p.m. ET and a funeral service Saturday morning.

Some 25,000 police officers from around the country are expected to attend the funeral, according to the New York Police Department. JetBlue told CNN it has arranged for approximately 670 law enforcement officers to travel to New York for free.

Charities offer help to families of slain officers

Speakers at the funeral will include Vice President Joe Biden, Mayor Bill De Blasio and NYPD Commissioner William Bratton.

Ramos, 40, enjoyed the spiritual dimension to life and work.

"He told me that his job even with the NYPD, he felt he was doing God's work," the Rev. Marcos Miranda, president of the New York State Chaplain Task Force, toldArise America on YouTube.

"He felt that he was protecting and serving his community and that was a sort of a ministry for him. And I totally agreed with him," Marcos said. "He said this type of ministry, the chaplaincy, he could see himself doing this in the future as a full-time ministry after he retired from the NYPD."

Marcos heads an organization that runs the 10-week course for lay chaplaincy, which Ramos completed, the minister said.

Source:

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/12/25/us/nypd-officer-rafael-ramos-services/index.html

Week 1 -Taiwan fines edible oil company $1.6m

The fine charged against Chang Guann Co. by the Kaohsiung government is the highest possible under local food safety rules.

Public concerns erupted earlier this month over reports dirty cooking oil had been on sale across the country.

The government said it was boosting its efforts to address the problem.

It said 235 manufacturers that had purchased dirty oil from Chang Guann had been inspected and that 213 food items had been found to contain dirty lard.

Some 1,020 retail businesses were then asked to recall those food products identified, the government said.

The scare is the latest food scandal to hit Taiwan in the past two years and threatens to tarnish the island's reputation as a paradise for food lovers.

Public reassurance

Several affected businesses owners in Taiwan, who say they unknowingly bought the oil, are holding press conferences this week and eating food products themselves on camera in an attempt to reassure the public their products are safe.

Some reports suggest food products tainted with the dirty cooking oil have reached Hong Kong and Macau.

Taiwan's Ministry of Justice (MOJ) said the case first came to light in November 2013 and started with complaints about the operations of an underground factory in Pingtung district.

The MOJ said the factory and its distribution network had been under investigation since then.

Taiwan's premier Jiang Yi-huah said a special task force created on Friday in response to the food scandal would now handle the case.

Vice Premier Mao Chi-kuo said that selling tainted lard as cooking oil was a violation of food safety laws and that any tainted foods should be removed from store shelves immediately.

Source:

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-29137640

Structure of the Lead：

WHO-Chang Guann Co.

WHEN-2014

WHAT-Taiwan's government  fines the companies which produced dirty oil

WHY-

HOW-

Week7 - Himalayas avalanche sweeps away climbers in Nepal

At least nine people have been killed and several are missing in Nepal after an avalanche hit climbers and guides at a camp on a Himalayan peak.

The bodies of a German and a Nepalese guide have been recovered from the slopes of Mount Manaslu, police say.

A further seven bodies have been sighted by rescue pilots. Spanish foreign ministry officials say one of the dead is a Spanish national.

The avalanche struck a base camp near the summit on Saturday, police said.

It is thought at least three other climbers are missing in the avalanche, but officials are trying to determine exactly how many people were in the climbing party.

At least five climbers were said by police officials to have survived and been rescued and flown to hospitals by rescue helicopters.

Four of the dead and three of the missing were French, the vice-president of the French mountain guides' union Christian Trommsdorff told the AFP news agency.

Two of those rescued were also French nationals, according to Mr Trommsdorff.

'Flood of snow'

Deteriorating weather conditions meant it was impossible to continue air searches of the mountain on Sunday, police official Basanta Bahadur Kuwar told the Associated Press.

The climbers were caught at 7,000m (22,960ft) as they were preparing to head toward the summit, which is 8,156m high.

"The avalanche hit camp three of the Manaslu peak... resulting in a flood of snow," said Laxmi Dhakal, head of the Nepalese home ministry's disaster response division.

Hundreds of foreign climbers head every year for the Himalayas in Nepal, which has eight of the world's 14 highest mountains, including Mount Everest.

Manaslu, the eighth highest mountain in the world, is considered one of the most dangerous, with dozens of deaths in recent years.

The autumn climbing season began this month.

Source:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-19691512

Structure of the Lead：

WHO-Boko Haram

WHEN-not given

WHAT-denies ceasefire deal and says 200 abducted girls married off

WHY-not given

HOW-in a video released

Week6 - China bans drug-using celebrities from the airwaves

Celebrities who have been caught using drugs or frequenting prostitutes have been banned from China's airwaves, according to state media, as a national crackdown on vice widens.

The order was issued to media outlets by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, China's media watchdog, according to the state-run China Daily.

It said that entertainers who broke the law would not be invited to appear on shows, and that their previous work should not be aired. The ruling applies to TV and radio shows, films and advertising across multiple platforms.

The ban would help "spread positive energy" and "create a positive environment" on media platforms, the watchdog said in its statement.

The announcement comes as China's government pushes ahead with a war on drugs, gambling and prostitution.

In February, police raided 2,000 establishments and detained more than 900 people in Dongguan, a southern Chinese city that had gained a reputation as "sin city" for its thriving sex industry.

And last month the Ministry of Public Security announced a new round of crackdowns on the production and sale of drugs in 108 cities, China Daily reported.

Celebrity busts

A number of celebrities have been caught up in the raids. In August, 32-year-old actor Jaycee Chan, the son of screen legend Jackie Chan, was arrested alongside 23-year-old Taiwanese actor Kai Ko in Beijing on drugs charges. Both tested positive for marijuana.

Singer Li Daimo was sentenced to nine months in jail for hosting a crystal meth party at his home, according to the China Daily, while screenwriter and novelist Chen Wanning, known as Ning Caishen, was detained for possessing and using methamphetamine.

In August, management agencies representing entertainers in Beijing signed an agreement with authorities banning drug use from the industry, and pledging to drop stars who broke the law.

News of the ban spread quickly on Chinese social media. On one unofficial poll on the Twitter-like Sina Weibo service, 84% of respondents supported the ban, while 16% were opposed.

"Artists have a broad influence. (Their behavior) will have a bad influence on juveniles, especially their fans. So I think this is great," wrote Weibo user @Xiaomanzu.

Others disagreed.

"Whether (they) can return to showbiz should depend on the market... Enforcing the ban is totally acting like a dictator," wrote @Miamia_wodexingxingkai.

Week5 - Boko Haram leader denies ceasefire deal, says 200 abducted girls married off

Boko Haram laughed off Nigeria's announcement of a ceasefire agreement, saying there is no such deal and schoolgirls abducted in April have been converted to Islam and married off.

Nigerian officials announced two weeks ago that they had struck a deal with the Islamist terror group.

The deal, the government said, included the release of more than 200 girls whose kidnapping at a boarding school in the nation's north stunned the world.

In a video released Saturday, the Islamist group's notorious leader fired off a series of denials.

"Don't you know the over 200 Chibok schoolgirls have converted to Islam?" Abubakar Shekau said. "They have now memorized two chapters of the Quran."

Shekau slammed reports of their planned release.

"We married them off. They are in their marital homes," he said, chuckling.

The group's leader also denied knowing the negotiator with whom the government claimed it worked out a deal, saying he does not represent Boko Haram.

"We will not spare him and will slaughter him if we get him," he said of the negotiator.

It wasn't clear when the video was made.

Mike Omeri, a government spokesman, said these assertions contradict those made in the group's talks with the Nigerian government.

Omeri said the government will do everything possible to verify the claims made in the video.

"We've heard about the video, and we can say the road to peace is bumpy -- and you cannot expect otherwise," Omeri said. "Nigeria has been fighting a war, and wars don't end overnight."

Nigeria said officials met with Boko Haram in Chad twice during talks mediated by Chadian President Idriss Deby.

The ceasefire deal announced on October 17 followed a month of negotiations with representatives of the group, said Hassan Tukur, an aide to Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan.

After the deal was announced, the aide said final negotiations on the girls' release would be completed at a meeting a week later in Chad.

That day passed without any signs of the girls.

n the video, Shekau talked not of peace but of more violence -- promising more "war, striking and killing with gun."

This strategy appears to be playing out in parts of Nigeria, where Boko Haram fighters have continued deadly attacks on villages despite government claims of a ceasefire. More people have been abducted and scores killed in recent weeks, including one attack a day after the ceasefire that left eight dead.

Days later, the Islamist terror group abducted at least 60 young women and girls from Christian villages in northeast Nigeria.

Heavily armed fighters left 1,500 naira, or about $9, and kola nuts as a bride price for each of the women abducted, residents said.

For its part, Nigeria isn't backing down.

It is stepping up its military campaign against militants and criminals in some parts of the West African nation, Nigeria's defense ministry said Saturday.

The military said its airstrikes and ground operations have repelled attacks against civilians in Adamawa and Borno, two states in the northeast that have been strongholds and frequent targets for Boko Haram.

Officials are "studying" the latest video, even as the military continues to recognize the talks aimed at assuring the release of the kidnapped schoolgirls, the ministry said.

Boko Haram, whose name translates to "Western education is sin" in the Hausa language, is trying to impose strict Sharia law across Nigeria, which is split between a majority Muslim north and a mostly Christian south. Like ISIS, it has ambitions for a caliphate, or religious state.

The group's attacks have intensified in recent years in an apparent show of defiance for the nation's military onslaught. Its ambitions appear to have expanded to the destruction of the government.

As part of its insurgency, it has bombed schools, churches and mosques, kidnapped women and children, and assassinated politicians and religious leaders alike.

Source:

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/11/01/world/africa/nigeria-boko-haram-denies-deal/index.html?iref=storysearch

Structure of the Lead：

WHO-Boko Haram

WHEN-not given

WHAT-denies ceasefire deal and says 200 abducted girls married off

WHY-not given

HOW-in a video released

Keywords:

convert 轉換成

married off 嫁出去

fired off 發了

Quran 古蘭經

marital 婚姻的

chuckle 暗笑

negotiator 談判代表

slaughter 屠宰

assertions 斷言

bumpy 顛簸

aide 助手

abducted 綁架

naira 奈拉(錢幣單位)

kola nuts as a bride price 以可樂果作為禮物

back down 退縮

sin 罪

Hausa 豪薩語

caliphate  哈里發統治

intensified in 加劇...

defiance 藐視

onslaught 猛攻

insurgency 暴動

assassinate 暗殺

Week4 - Ice Bucket Challenge: Politicians get soaked

Ice water is starting to drench the political scene.

A number of political figures have taken on the Ice Bucket Challenge to raise money and awareness for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) – or Lou Gehrig's disease.

Started by Pete Frates, who has lived with ALS since 2012, the campaign asks participants to dump a bucket of ice water on their head and then nominate their friends to do the same.

Social Web tackles the #IceBucketChallenge

Those friends have the opportunity to follow their friend or donate $100 to ALS awareness.

President Obama declined to do the challenge and pledged to contribute to an ALS charity instead.

Here's a few politicians who've embraced the ice water:

Rep. Joe Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, was one of the first to pour water over his head.

Source:
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/08/14/ice-bucket-challenge-politicians-get-soaked/?iref=storysearch

Structure of the Lead：
WHO-Politicians
WHEN-not given
WHAT-did ice bucket challenge
WHY-awareness for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
HOW-pour water over head and nominate friends to do the same

Keywords:
drench 淋
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis(ALS) 肌萎縮性脊髓側索硬化症
campaign 運動;活動
pledg 誓言

Week3 - What media got wrong on Robin Williams' suicide

The tragic death of much loved actor and comedian Robin Williams took the world by surprise. There has been a steady stream of news reports -- at first conveying shock and disbelief then, disappointingly, moving on to salacious speculation about the cause and method of his death.

Media coverage of mental health and suicide has come a long way over the last few years however, on this occasion; many newspapers got it badly wrong. In Britain, some journalists went too far and breached the Editors' Code, the ethical standard on press reporting that states that "when reporting suicide, care should be taken to avoid excessive detail about the method used."

Many of the tabloids and online reports gave unnecessary detail. Part of the reason is that the U.S. police spokesperson put into the public domain far more detail than would be the norm in the UK, Australia or New Zealand.

When explicit descriptions which illustrate the method used are put in the public domain we know that this can have devastating consequences and lead to acts of imitation. There have been many research studies presenting evidence for this and the tragic events in Bridgend should have been a valuable lesson for the media in the need for safe reporting.

When a media report describes clear details of unusual methods of suicide and essentially gives a "how to" guide -- the danger is it can make suicide seem like a more accessible action to take.

Opinion: Why Williams lost to depression

The media also oversimplified the reasons Williams took his own life -- for example highlighting money problems -- when we know that there is no one reason people choose to take their lives. The reasons are varied and complex.

Concerning too is the effect that wall-to-wall media coverage about a celebrity suicide can have on the public. However unintentionally, it can appear to glamorize and romanticize the incident. One of the most well documented examples of the copycat effect of a celebrity suicide was that of Marilyn Monroe. During the month of her suicide in August 1962 there were an additional 303 suicides, an increase of 12%.

Suicide is a sensitive and complicated subject which affects a huge number of people. This is why, when news of Robin Williams' death first broke, we issued a briefingto all newsdesks which provided advice on how to report suicide in a sensitive, and responsible, way.

We followed it up with a second briefing the next afternoon. We urged journalists to consult Samaritans media guidelines, this resource has been produced in conjunction with journalists and has been welcomed by editors.

While we appreciate journalists have a hugely difficult task presenting breaking news to readers quickly and concisely against increasingly tight deadlines, accuracy and sensitivity cannot take a back seat. When journalists are writing pieces they should always consider the impact that the tone, content, prominence and imagery of their story will have on their audience.

Opinion: Suicide doesn't set you free

I have been asked a lot over the last few days why certain aspects of a death by suicide should not be reported. In short it's to keep people, who may be struggling with their mental health, safe. We know that around 6,000 people take their own life every year in the UK, and thousands more will attempt suicide, seriously contemplate it and battle mental health problems.

When done correctly, media coverage can be incredibly powerful in helping people to seek support and advice. It can also contribute towards changing public attitudes towards mental health problems and reducing the stigma that sadly still exists.

We are hopeful that there is willingness in the media industry to listen and act on the concerns raised by the mental health charities, experts and their own audiences. Social media is giving readers a voice like never before and editors now know quickly when they are out of step with the public mood. We believe we can work collaboratively with the media to make mental health and suicide reporting safe.

Source:
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/08/14/opinion/robin-williams-suicide-media/index.html?iref=allsearch

Structure of the Lead：
WHO-Robin Williams
WHEN-
WHAT-media got wrong on Robin Williams' suicide
WHY-
HOW-it appeared to glamorize and romanticize the incident

Keywords:
salacious speculation 色情炒作
ethical 合乎道德的
tabloid 小報
domain 區域
varied 多變的
unintentionally 無意地
glamorize 美化