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Judgment time

Does it sound like the judge in the story was trying to help the young man?

Click button to listen to No smoking and rightclick to download

No smoking for teen

A judge has ordered a 19-year-old Hawaii man to stop smoking for a year, after he pleaded no contest to starting a restaurant fire with a cigarette.

Makaio Bachman-Majamay was originally charged with third-degreearson for allegedly igniting the roof of the Wei Wei Bar-B-Q Restaurant in Pukalani in July 2008.

The judge ordered him to do community service and pay $1,025 (34,335 baht) to fix the roof.

He also told the teen not to use tobacco for a year. ‘‘That means no cigarettes,’’ the judge said.

‘‘Perhaps it will add about 10 or 15 years to his life if he stops smoking permanently,’’ he added. AP

plead no contest – (in court) to not deny or admit a charge that has been made against you
arson – the crime of deliberately setting a fire
ignite – to set something on fire
permanently – for a long time or forever; not temporary

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 06:57 AM

Unfunny joke

This story may seem funny to people who read it, but it certainly wasn't funny for those involved.

Click button to listen to Stuck and rightclick to download

‘Stuck’ on toilet seat

SYDNEY: Australian police and civic leaders yesterday appealed for help catching pranksters who glued a man to a public toilet seat, forcing an embarrassing rescue by ambulance officers.

A 58-year-old was taken to hospital with the toilet seat still attached to his behind after he used a booby-trapped convenience in a shopping centre in the northeastern resort city of Cairns on Saturday.

Police investigating the incident made a public appeal for help finding the joker, while furious city officials described the stunt as a ‘‘sick joke’’.

Police said hospital staff removed the toilet seat from the humiliated victim’s behind using industrial strength solvents. AFP

civic – of members of the public who are not members of the police or armed forces
appeal – to make a serious or formal request, especially to the public, or help
prankster – someone who plays tricks on people for amusement
glue – to cause something (or someone) to stick to something with a stick substance calledglue
embarrassing – causing a feeling of shame or shyness
booby-trapped – having something dangerous hidden inside
convenience – a toilet
incident – something that happens, usually something bad
furious – very angry
humiliated – made feel very ashamed
solvent – a liquid in which solids will dissolve

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 06:53 AM

Word play

Here is a clear example of word play. Read the comic below and see if you can understand it. Then look at the meanings of the words. Which word is being used with two different meanings?

Click button to listen to Medium and rightclick to download medium

clairvoyance – the power to see the future or see things which other people cannot see
run in the family – of something that is true of different members of the same family, e.g., musical ability, a medical condition, etc.
medium – (1) a person who says that they can receive messages from people who are dead (2) wearing a middle clothing size, i.e., not large, not small
petite – wearing a clothing size that is for small women

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 06:49 AM

No match for a thief

The police work in this case was clearly not of the best quality, but you have to admit that the thief was also quite clever.

no match for – not equal in skill

Click button to listen to Red faced and rightclick to download

To download audio file, right click here

Police red-faced

PENSACOLA,FLORIDA: Police in Florida say a burglar who made off with a man’s valuables returned to the home later whileinvestigators were there and snatched what he couldn’t carry on his first trip: a 45kg plasma-screen TV.

The burglar had left the TV in the backyard and police were going todust it for fingerprints. But with a Pensacola Police investigator still at the home, the robber came back and took the TV.

‘‘They were all very embarrassed,’’ the resident, Steve Fluegge, told the Pensacola News Journal. Police have offered to pay for the TV. AP

burglar – a person who illegally enters buildings and steals things
investigator – someone whose job is to officially find out the facts about something, especially a crime or accident
snatch – take take something quickly
dust for fingerprints – to put a dry substance on a surface to make it easier to see any fingerprints on it
embarrassed – feeling ashamed or shy
resident – someone who lives in a particular place

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 07:16 AM

Mystery solved

Here is a story about a real cat burglar.

cat burglar – a thief who is very skilled at quietly entering a building and stealing things – but, in the case, the thief is actually a cat

Click button to listen to Germany-Australia and rightclick to download

Cat becomes burglar

Charlie is a cat burglar whose main target is hen’s eggs, a New Zealand newspaper reported yesterday.

The freshly laid thefts of Charlie, the pet Burmese cat of Cheryl and Frank Amor, who live in the North Island city of Gisborne, were reported in the Dominion Post.

The Amors, whose next-door neighbours have free-range chickens in their garden, were puzzled to wake up every morning to find fresh eggs on their back doorstep.

The mystery was solved when Cheryl caught the burglar in the act. A veterinarian, Glenn Armstrong, confirmed that it was possible for a cat to carry an egg in its mouth. dpa

target – an object that someone is trying to get
theft – the act of stealing something
free-range chickens – chickens which are allowed to move about freely instead of being kept in a closed area
puzzled – confused
veterinarian – a person with a medical degree trained to take care of the health of animals

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 06:46 AM

	Mainly for fun
Words in the News General News Easy English News Easy Business News Economics and Business Business Words in the News Teaching with the Bangkok Post Feature Focus From the Weeklies Mainly for Fun Hey kids! Weekend Practice Lessons on H.M.the King Focus on Thailand Buddhism Business and Economics Library 60 years ago General Links Terry's blog About Site General suggestions for teachers Building your vocabulary Suggestions for learners Suggestions for parents Who is Acharn Terry? Who is Acharn Jon?	September 02, 2010 Judgment time Does it sound like the judge in the story was trying to help the young man? Click button to listen to No smoking and rightclick to download No smoking for teen A judge has ordered a 19-year-old Hawaii man to stop smoking for a year, after he pleaded no contest to starting a restaurant fire with a cigarette. Makaio Bachman-Majamay was originally charged with third-degreearson for allegedly igniting the roof of the Wei Wei Bar-B-Q Restaurant in Pukalani in July 2008. The judge ordered him to do community service and pay $1,025 (34,335 baht) to fix the roof. He also told the teen not to use tobacco for a year. ‘‘That means no cigarettes,’’ the judge said. ‘‘Perhaps it will add about 10 or 15 years to his life if he stops smoking permanently,’’ he added. AP plead no contest – (in court) to not deny or admit a charge that has been made against you arson – the crime of deliberately setting a fire ignite – to set something on fire permanently – for a long time or forever; not temporary Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 06:57 AM September 01, 2010 Unfunny joke This story may seem funny to people who read it, but it certainly wasn't funny for those involved. Click button to listen to Stuck and rightclick to download ‘Stuck’ on toilet seat SYDNEY: Australian police and civic leaders yesterday appealed for help catching pranksters who glued a man to a public toilet seat, forcing an embarrassing rescue by ambulance officers. A 58-year-old was taken to hospital with the toilet seat still attached to his behind after he used a booby-trapped convenience in a shopping centre in the northeastern resort city of Cairns on Saturday. Police investigating the incident made a public appeal for help finding the joker, while furious city officials described the stunt as a ‘‘sick joke’’. Police said hospital staff removed the toilet seat from the humiliated victim’s behind using industrial strength solvents. AFP civic – of members of the public who are not members of the police or armed forces appeal – to make a serious or formal request, especially to the public, or help prankster – someone who plays tricks on people for amusement glue – to cause something (or someone) to stick to something with a stick substance calledglue embarrassing – causing a feeling of shame or shyness booby-trapped – having something dangerous hidden inside convenience – a toilet incident – something that happens, usually something bad furious – very angry humiliated – made feel very ashamed solvent – a liquid in which solids will dissolve Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 06:53 AM August 31, 2010 Word play Here is a clear example of word play. Read the comic below and see if you can understand it. Then look at the meanings of the words. Which word is being used with two different meanings? Click button to listen to Medium and rightclick to download clairvoyance – the power to see the future or see things which other people cannot see run in the family – of something that is true of different members of the same family, e.g., musical ability, a medical condition, etc. medium – (1) a person who says that they can receive messages from people who are dead (2) wearing a middle clothing size, i.e., not large, not small petite – wearing a clothing size that is for small women Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 06:49 AM August 30, 2010 No match for a thief The police work in this case was clearly not of the best quality, but you have to admit that the thief was also quite clever. no match for – not equal in skill Click button to listen to Red faced and rightclick to download To download audio file, right click here Police red-faced PENSACOLA,FLORIDA: Police in Florida say a burglar who made off with a man’s valuables returned to the home later whileinvestigators were there and snatched what he couldn’t carry on his first trip: a 45kg plasma-screen TV. The burglar had left the TV in the backyard and police were going todust it for fingerprints. But with a Pensacola Police investigator still at the home, the robber came back and took the TV. ‘‘They were all very embarrassed,’’ the resident, Steve Fluegge, told the Pensacola News Journal. Police have offered to pay for the TV. AP burglar – a person who illegally enters buildings and steals things investigator – someone whose job is to officially find out the facts about something, especially a crime or accident snatch – take take something quickly dust for fingerprints – to put a dry substance on a surface to make it easier to see any fingerprints on it embarrassed – feeling ashamed or shy resident – someone who lives in a particular place Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 07:16 AM August 28, 2010 Mystery solved Here is a story about a real cat burglar. cat burglar – a thief who is very skilled at quietly entering a building and stealing things – but, in the case, the thief is actually a cat Click button to listen to Germany-Australia and rightclick to download Cat becomes burglar Charlie is a cat burglar whose main target is hen’s eggs, a New Zealand newspaper reported yesterday. The freshly laid thefts of Charlie, the pet Burmese cat of Cheryl and Frank Amor, who live in the North Island city of Gisborne, were reported in the Dominion Post. The Amors, whose next-door neighbours have free-range chickens in their garden, were puzzled to wake up every morning to find fresh eggs on their back doorstep. The mystery was solved when Cheryl caught the burglar in the act. A veterinarian, Glenn Armstrong, confirmed that it was possible for a cat to carry an egg in its mouth. dpa target – an object that someone is trying to get theft – the act of stealing something free-range chickens – chickens which are allowed to move about freely instead of being kept in a closed area puzzled – confused veterinarian – a person with a medical degree trained to take care of the health of animals Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 06:46 AM
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September 02, 2010