week1-New York man dies after chokehold by police

By Deborah E. Bloom and Jareen Imam, CNN

Updated 2231 GMT (0631 HKT) December 8, 2014

Confronted by police trying to arrest him for allegedly selling illegal cigarettes, Eric Garner raised both hands in the air and, with passive defiance, told the officers not to touch him. Seconds later, a video shows the officer behind him grab the 350-pound man in a chokehold and pull him to the sidewalk, rolling him onto his stomach.

"I can't breathe! I can't breathe!" Garner said repeatedly, his cries muffled into the pavement.

The video of the Thursday skirmish shows the Staten Island man lying on the ground motionless after the incident. An asthmatic, Garner was later declared dead at a nearby hospital, according to CNN affiliate WCBS. Police said he suffered a heart attack and died en route to the hospital.

"This is a terrible tragedy that occurred yesterday. A terrible tragedy that no family should have to experience," said New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, calling the video of the incident "very troubling."

Police told WCBS that 43-year-old Garner, a father of six, had a lengthy criminal history and had been previously arrested for selling untaxed cigarettes in May.

Officer Daniel Pantaleo, who is seen on video choking Garner, was put on modified assignment and stripped of his shield and gun as the New York Police Department continues to investigate the incident, WCBS reported. The chokehold tactic is prohibited by the NYPD.

Two EMTs and two paramedics have been suspended without pay, Erika Hellstrom, vice president of development at Richmond University Medical Center, said in an e-mail.

In a statement, Patrolmen's Benevolent Association President Patrick J. Lynch called Pantaleo's reassignment "a completely unwarranted, kneejerk reaction for political reasons." He said the move "effectively pre-judges this case and denies the officer the very benefit of a doubt that has long been part of the social contract that allows police officers to face the risks of this difficult and complex job."

On Saturday, Garner's friends and family rallied alongside the Rev. Al Sharpton in Upper Manhattan, demanding a full investigation into Garner's death, according to WCBS.

Garner's wife was set to speak at the rally but found herself too emotional, WCBS reported.

New York photographer Joel Graham was at Saturday's demonstration, which lasted for two hours. He shared his photographs with CNN iReport, and says he captured them while walking alongside protesters who traveled from New Brighton Church to the store where the chokehold incident took place.

"This crowd was composed of good, well-meaning people who understood that peace was the only option and were adamant that things remain calm over Eric's death. I have been to protests that have been violent, but this crowd reflected who Eric was," he said.

Graham, an area resident, had a familiar relationship with Garner. "I am an urban art photographer, and I will talk to everyone on the streets of New York City," he said, explaining that he would occasionally chat with Garner while taking photos near the Staten Island Ferry.

"I had empathy for Eric and how he must have felt trying to catch his breath, and sympathy for the family. This was a heartfelt emotional protest because everyone loved Eric," he said.

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/07/20/justice/ny-chokehold-death/

Structure of the lead:

Who- Eric Garner

When- not given

What- raised both hands in the air and, with passive defiance, told the officers not to touch him.

Where-not given

How- not given

Why-Confronted by police trying to arrest him for allegedly selling illegal cigarettes

Key words:

1.      chokehold 掐脖子

2.      paramedic 護理人員

WEEK7-What Is Hong Kong’s Occupy Central Movement?

By BBC, www.bbc.com
September 23rd, 2014

Many in Hong Kong are angered at the lack of fully democratic elections.

Tensions are high in Hong Kong amid a row about how the city’s leader should be elected.

Elections are due in 2017 – but the Chinese government has issued a ruling limiting who can stand as a candidate. Democracy campaigners are planning to occupy the city’s business district in protest – a move denounced by China. The BBC explains the movement.

What does Occupy Central want?

Occupy Central with Love and Peace, known as Occupy Central, is a civil disobedience movement proposed by democracy activists in Hong Kong.

The campaigners want political reform and democratic elections that meet international standards.

They are planning a non-violent occupation of the business district, Central, in response to the Chinese government’s ruling against open elections in 2017.

They have said they can mobilise 10,000 in the first phase of the sit-in.

The campaign takes its name from the US’s Occupy Wall Street movement against social inequality in 2011.

Hong Kong is under Chinese rule – can protests realistically make a difference?

A controversial national security law proposed by the government was dropped after large protests in 2003

Even the movement’s organisers admit that Occupy Central is highly unlikely to sway the Chinese government.

However, public protests play an important role in Hong Kong. Locals have free speech and the right to protest, but cannot directly elect their government. Many see taking to the streets as their way of forcing change.

Some demonstrations have succeeded. A controversial national security law known as Article 23 was proposed in 2002, but dropped after large protests. The government also backed down over “patriotic education” classes following rallies against the move.

Occupy Central’s demands, however, are more sensitive. Demanding full democracy would radically change how Hong Kong is governed, and Beijing would view it as a direct challenge to its own authority.

Structure of the lead:

Who-many people

When- not given

What- angered at the lack of fully democratic elections

Where-in Hong Kong

How-not given

Why-not given

Words:

1.      democratic election 普選

2.      mobilize  動員               

week-6-Scottish independence

Scottish independence: What is the referendum about?

Voters in Scotland cast ballots Thursday in a historic referendum on seceding from Britain.

A “yes” vote would end Scotland’s 300-year-old union with England and Wales, redrawing the map of the United Kingdom and raising difficult questions about the future of Scotland’s economy and its relationship with international partners such as the European Union and NATO.

But even if the “noes” have it, Scotland appears poised to extract more powers from the central government in London. In a bid to persuade Scots to stay in the fold, Britain's main political parties have pledged to turn over control of important tax and budgetary issues to the semiautonomous government in Edinburgh.

More than 4.2 million people – 97% of the eligible electorate, including for the first time 16- and 17-year-olds -- registered to vote. The referendum will be decided by a simple majority. Turnout is expected to be high, and polls show the outcome too close to call heading into the vote.

Why are Scots voting on independence?

Support for what was long regarded as the dream of a romantic fringe has been growing in recent years, receiving a boost in 2010 with the election of a Conservative-led government in London that did not prove popular in Scotland.

The following year, the Scottish Nationalist Party, whose main goal is independence, won a majority in the Scottish Parliament. Party leader Alex Salmond, Scotland’s first minister, immediately declared his intention to call a referendum on the issue.

With opinion polls giving the pro-union side a consistent majority, the British government agreed to recognize the plebiscite, no doubt hoping that a “no” vote would kill off the issue.

http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-scotland-independence-questions-20140917-story.html

structure of the lead:

who- Voters

when- on Thursday

why- not given

what- cast ballots in a historic referendum on seceding from Britain.

where- in Scotland

how- not given

keywords:

1.     referendum 公投

2.     ballot投票用紙，選票

3.     turnout 結果

WEEK5-Police Lied: Michael Brown Was Killed 148 Feet Away From Darren Wilson's SUV

Distance is essential to the defense and how Wilson must demonstrate that he reasonably feared for his safety.

For 104 days,  the police have lied and said Michael Brown was killed 35 feet away from Darren Wilson's SUV. It was actually 148 feet.

This distance is essential to the defense and how Darren Wilson must demonstrate that he " reasonably feared for his safety." At the point in which Brown ran half a football field away, how reasonable is it for an armed officer to fear anyone?

Our starting point, which is 17 feet behind the driver's side window of Wilson's SUV, is this yellow fire hydrant next to the storm drain.

So: 131 feet, 1 inch (distance between the fire hydrant and where Mike Brown died), + 17 feet (distance between the fire hydrant and the driver's side door of Darren Wilson's SUV) = 148 feet.

The St. Louis-area police have continued to advance this lie for over 104 days since Mike Brown was killed on Canfield Drive on the afternoon of August 9 in Ferguson, Missouri. Here we will methodically expose this lie and examine just why it's so important.

On this past Monday, Gov. Jay Nixon  declared a state of emergency in Missouri in anticipation of some level of unrest regarding a decision from the grand jury in the Darren Wilson case. Covering this decision, and the case in general, CNN authoritatively states that Mike Brown was found 35 feet away from Darren Wilson's SUV.

Where the Lie Began

On Aug. 10, 2014, St. Louis County Police Chief John Belmar held his first press conference on the shooting of Michael Brown by Officer Darren Wilson of the nearby Ferguson Police Department. His force had been called in to take over the investigation for the much smaller local department. The shooting had occurred less than 24 hours earlier, and the tensions on the ground in Ferguson were already red hot and boiling over.

Six different witnesses on the scene claimed that Brown was shot at repeatedly from behind before he turned around, faced Wilson, verbally surrendered, and put his hands in the air. Wilson,  having already shot at Brown at least six times while he fled, then fired off a barrage of four quick shots at the surrendered Brown he was looking at face to face, killing him on the spot. The shooting and the aftermath that evening infuriated residents as never before, and the anger spread rapidly across St. Louis and to the nation.

At that time, when the chief said the "entire scene" was just 35 feet in distance from the "car door to the shooting," every observer accepted it as a negligible fact and thought little about it, instead zeroing in on why Wilson stopped Brown in the first place and why a police officer would shoot a young man who was surrendering with his hands up.

http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/video-police-lied-mike-brown-was-killed-148-feet-away-darren-wilsons-suv

structure of the lead:

who- Police

when- not given

why- Michael Brown Was Killed 148 Feet Away From Darren Wilson's SUV

what- Lied

where- not given

how- not given

keywords:

1.infuriate  使大怒，觸怒

2.negligible  可以忽略的；無關緊要的；微不足道的

week4 Ice Bucket Challenge: Can Lightning Strike Again?

 

Ice in a bucket became lightning in a bottle this summer, raising awareness and a record $115 million to combat the rare disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Former President George W. Bush, Taylor Swift, LeBron James, Bill Gates and millions more social media users participated in the Ice Bucket Challenge, dumping buckets of ice over their heads to support attempts to find a cure for A.L.S., known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. About 30,000 Americans have A.L.S., which attacks nerve cells and ultimately leads to total paralysis, although the mind remains sharp. Life expectancy is usually about two to five years from diagnosis.

The concept was simple: People made videos of themselves dumping a bucket of ice water on their heads, posted it to Facebook, Twitter, or other social media sites, and then challenged friends to do the same within 24 hours or donate money to A.L.S. research and care. (Many people both made a video and donated the money.)

Since the end of July, donations to the ALS Association, a Washington-based nonprofit, amount to nearly six times the $19.4 million the group raised in all of the year ended Jan. 31, 2013.

“This is an encouraging sign that people have truly embraced the fight against A.L.S. as a cause they want to support,” Barbara Newhouse, chief executive of the ALS Association, said in a statement.

But can charities replicate that success? Social media marketing experts said that would be close to impossible because serendipity played such a large role. Still, that has not stopped experts from studying the phenomenon.

“More than anything else, the reason why this all worked in the end is because people felt like they were doing good, that they were contributing to something,” said Charlene Li, a social media expert and a founder of the Altimeter Group consultancy. “It really was about you, but it had the veneer of being a good citizen.”

Such experts point to a couple of key factors: The stunt was easy and entertaining, especially during the dog days of summer. Peer pressure spurred people to join in.

Star power also propelled the challenge into a global sensation. “It’s not just that celebrities got involved, but they really made it their own,” said Sarah Hofstetter, chief executive of the digital marketing company 360i. “There was creativity here, whether it’s Kermit the Frog, Bill Gates or Sarah Palin — they all were both relatable and akin to their personality.”

The ALS Association didn’t even start the campaign. A spokeswoman said that if the group had tried to create it itself, it probably would not have been nearly as successful. The charity stumbled onto success by jumping on a small campaign that already had taken root.

The Ice Bucket Challenge had been percolating on the Internet for several weeks before it was linked to A.L.S., with participants challenged to donate to a charity of their choosing. In mid-July, for example, the golfer Greg Norman challenged Matt Lauer, host of “Today” on NBC. Mr. Lauer performed the stunt on the show, promised to donate money to the Hospice of Palm Beach County and challenged Brian Williams, Martha Stewart and Howard Stern.

A couple of weeks later, Pete Frates , a former college baseball player at Boston College, learned about the challenge from his friend Pat Quinn. Mr. Frates and Mr. Quinn have A.L.S. and wanted to turn the stunt into a fund-raiser for the disease.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/07/giving/ice-bucket-challenge-can-lightning-strike-again.html

Structure of the Lead：

Who- Ice in a bucket

When- this summer

Why- not given

What- became lightning in a bottle

Where- not given

How- raising awareness and a record $115 million to combat the rare disease

Keywords:

1.        life expectancy 壽命

2.        dump 倒

3.        propel 促成

week3-Elliot Rodger's Previous Attacks on Women, Couples

Elliot Rodger's rage-filled manifesto documents his growing fury with the world and his initial attacks on women and couples that he envied. One of those attacks occurred on his 22nd birthday.

Fueled by vodka, Rodger decided on July 20, 2013 to party with the California college students he despised." I was giving the female gender one last chance to provide me with the pleasures I deserved from them," he later wrote in a 137-page manifesto.

That "last chance" turned bleak – a night that reflected his ambitions, fury and warped perspectives. It became a flashpoint leading up to last Friday's attacks that left six others dead and 13 injured. Rodger bought a bottle of vodka that night, taking a few shots for courage, maybe downing one too many. Other students were partying – "good looking popular kids," as he identified them. Without the buzz, he would have been too intimidated to mingle. He walked into a house party. Hip-hop music blasted from the DJ booth. The students played beer pong. Rodger soon became frustrated that no one was talking to him. Instead, women were giving "obnoxious slobs" attention, he wrote. With his inhibitions blurred by the liquor, Rodger's rage boiled over. He confronted a couple before walking outside, "realizing how pathetic I looked all by myself when everyone was partying around me."

He decided to climb onto a wooden ledge and plop onto a chair. Some partiers eventually climbed onto the ledge, too. But since the students weren't talking to him, Rodger snapped.

"That was the last straw," he wrote. "A dark, hate-fueled rage overcame my entire being, and I tried to push as many of them as I could from the 10-foot ledge."

He didn't succeed. The students pushed him back, and Rodger fell onto the street, breaking his ankle. As he stumbled away, he realized his Gucci sunglasses were missing. He turned back – but he was so drunk, he forgot where the party was, so he ended up walking onto a nearby front yard, demanding to know who took his sunglasses. The students there called him names, and more fighting followed. Eventually Rodger staggered home, beaten and bloody. No one offered to help. His sunglasses – as well as his necklace, he later learned – were gone. And his ego was crushed, he recounted in his manifesto.

Rodger was fearful he might get in trouble, so he concocted an altered story about the ledge incident to police. "Two police did interview me, and I told them that those boys deliberately pushed me off of the ledge after I acted 'cocky' towards them," Rodger wrote. "Since there was no actual evidence, the whole case was shortly dismissed."

As he recovered from his broken ankle, Rodger focused on his "Day of Retribution," a plan he would carry to fruition 10 months later.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/elliot-rodgers-previous-attacks-women-couples/story?id=23879620

Structure of the Lead：

Who- Elliot Rodger

When- on his 22nd birthday

Why- his growing fury with the world and his initial attacks on women and couples that he envied

What- he filled manifesto documents

Where- not given

How- not given

Keywords:

1.     manifesto  宣言；告示

2.     intimidate  威嚇；脅迫

3.     stagger  搖搖晃晃，蹣跚而行

Germany win World Cup: 'Miracle boy' Gotze told to outshine Messi

week2-Germany coach Joachim Low hailed Mario Gotze as the "miracle boy" after his extra-time strike sealed a 1-0 win over Argentina in Sunday's World Cup final.

Low also revealed he told Gotze to show the world he was better than Lionel Messi minutes before the substitute came on to score the winner.

Victory gave Germany a fourth World Cup title and first for 24 years.

Gotze, 22, said: "It is an unbelievable feeling. You score that goal and you don't really know what's happening."

Gotze, who began the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Germany's starting line-up, came on as an 88th-minute substitute for Miroslav Klose in Sunday's final.

With seven minutes of extra time remaining, the Bayern Munich midfielder volleyed home with his left foot after controlling Andre Schurrle's left-wing cross on his chest.

"He is the wonder who can play in numerous positions, he is the decider who can come on and make a difference," said Low. "That is what he did."

Gotze, who joined Bayern in a £31.5m deal from Borussia Dortmund last summer, added: "It's indescribable. The dream has become a reality. It is absolutely sensational."

Coach Alejandro Sabella said the award was "very deserved", adding: "He played a great World Cup to get us where he did."

Germany counterpart Low, meanwhile, said victory in Brazil was the result of a 10-year project.

Germany were knocked out at the group stage of Euro 2004 without winning a game but have since reached three semi-finals and two finals at five major championships.

Before Sunday they had not won a tournament since tasting success in the 1996 European Championships in England.

"We've made constant progress and believed in the project," said the 54-year-old Low, who became coach in 2006 after stepping up from his role as assistant to Jurgen Klinsmann. "If any group deserves it, it's this team."

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/28288692

Structure of the Lead:

Who- Germany coach Joachim Low

When- not given

What- hailed Mario Gotze as the "miracle boy"

Why- his extra-time strike sealed a 1-0 win over Argentina

Where- in Sunday's World Cup final

Keywords:

1.      outshine光亮強過；使失色；比……更優秀
2.      hail向……歡呼；為……喝采
3.      sensational引起轟動的；轟動社會的
4.      be knocked out  打敗; 淘汰