The English Blog

Cartoon: Women in Combat

This cartoon by Clay Bennett from the Chattanooga Times Free Press relates to news that the US military has officially lifted the 1994 ban on female soldiers serving in combat roles and said that anyone qualified should get a chance to fight on the front lines of war regardless of their sex. At the moment women make up about 14% of the US military's 1.4 million active members and more than 280,000 of them have done tours of duty in Iraq, Afghanistan or overseas bases where they helped support the US war effort in those countries. Full story >>

THE CARTOON
Two soldiers, one male and one female, are sitting on their beds in the army barracks. The woman is reading a newspaper story about the lifting of the ban. The man tells her, 'Congratulations... or condolences. Whichever.'

EXPLANATION
While the lifting of the ban could be seen as a cause for celebration since it puts women on an equal footing with their male counterparts, it also means that female soldiers will have more chance of getting killed in combat, hence the condolences.

VOCABULARY
1. When you offer or express your condolences to someone, you express your sympathy for them because one of their friends or relatives has died recently, or something bad has happened to them.
2. You use whichever to indicate that it does not matter which of the possible alternatives happens or is chosen. • Choose a card; whichever you want!

NOTE
You can find more cartoons on this topic at the Cagle Post. 

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Reuters Video: Message in a bottle found after 76 years

A New Zealand man finds a message in a bottle believed to have been cast into the ocean 76 year ago, and manages to track down the sender's grandson in Australia. Elly Park reports.

TRANSCRIPT
REPORTER: It was in November last year when Geoff Flood went for a walk at the beach with his son Shayde. There the New Zealander found this, a glass bottle, with a note inside written 76 years ago.
BOTTLE FINDER GEOFF FLOOD: "Who knows where it's been. How many times around the world, you just wouldn't know, would you?"
REPORTER: The handwritten note inside was dated March 17, 1936. It reads : "At sea. Would the finder of this bottle kindly forward this note." It's signed by an "H. E. Hillbrick" from Western Australia. Flood was determined to find the sender but learned that Herbert Ernest Hillbrick had died in the 1940s. But he did find his grandson Peter Hillbrick, who was living in Perth, Western Australia.
SENDER'S GRANDSON PETER HILLBRICK: "The only connection I have with grandfather is now that bottle. That's about all. So, it's a fascinating story."
REPORTER: Fascinating enough to share with the world as the bottle's 76 year journey is to end at a museum in New Zealand.

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Words in the News: Pupil

Forty primary school pupils are expelled every day for attacks on staff, shocking figures revealed yesterday. Full story >>

VOCABULARY
A pupil is a person who is being taught, especially a child in a school. • How many pupils does the school have?

Video: In the Depot

This amusing 'Winter Maintenance Message' from Torfaen council in Wales featuring Elvis impersonator Darren 'Graceland' Jones has become a viral hit—it also contains some useful winter weather vocabulary.

VOCABULARY
1. Grit is a mixture of salt and small pieces of stone which is spread over roads if they have snow or ice on them to make them less slippery. Grit is also a verb. • The council have been gritting the roads in anticipation of the big freeze. The lorry used to spread grit is called a gritter.
2. A depot (the 't' is silent) is a large building or open area where buses, railway engines, or other utility vehicles are kept when they are not being used. 

COMMENT
The song is a parody of Elvis Presley's In the Ghetto, which is why it's being sung by an Elvis impersonator.

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Cartoon: Getting Our Ball Back

Several of the editorial cartoons in today's UK national dailies use the controversial incident in which a Chelsea footballer kicked a ball from under a time-wasting ballboy—and was sent off for violent conduct (see here for full story)—as a metaphor for Britain's relationship with the EU, following David Cameron's keynote Europe speech on Wednesday.

In this cartoon by Paul Thomas from The Daily Express, David Cameron is portrayed as the footballer getting the ball back from the EU ballboy. The ball can be seen as a metaphor for the powers which Cameron is seeking to repatriate from Brussels to Britain.

In this one by Bob from The Daily Telegraph, the roles are reversed. Cameron is shown as the ballboy holding on to the British ball, which several EU footballers are trying to take away from him. In this case, the ball could be seen as a symbol of British sovereignty, which Cameron is trying to protect from EU interference.

Peter Brookes from The Times has a slightly different take on the incident. He shows Cameron kicking the UK ball from under Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independence Party. (One of the reasons being suggested for Cameron's promise to hold a referendum on Europe is that he wants to halt the progress of UKIP, which has long demanded such a referendum). By coincidence, Chelsea's kit is blue, just like the Tory Party's official colour.

LANGUAGE NOTE
To extend the footballing metaphor, you could say that the question of Britain's EU membership is a political football. A political football is a political topic or issue that is continually debated but left unresolved. The term is used often during a political election campaign to highlight issues that have not been completely addressed, such as the natural environment and abortion (source: Wikipedia).

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Reuters Video: France's Cassez freed from a Mexican jail is homeward bound

A French woman convicted of kidnapping makes her way home after Mexico reverses her 60-year jail sentence. Jessica Gray reports.

TRANSCRIPT
French national Florence Cassez is en route for Paris after years behind bars in Mexico. On Wednesday night, she tasted freedom for the first time after a Mexican court ruled her trial had been tainted and ordered her immediate release. Cassez was arrested in 2005 and found guilty of being involved in a kidnapping ring with her former boyfriend and Zodiacs gang leader. She was sentenced to 60 years imprisonment. Police later admitted to forcing her to participate in a staged scene where officers freed kidnap victims. Earlier on Wednesday, Supreme Court judges said Cassez's rights had been violated. Just hours after, she boarded a plane leaving Mexico City and was expected to arrive in France on Thursday. Her conviction caused a long and bitter diplomatic dispute between Mexico and France where former French President Nicolas Sarkozy demanded her release.

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Words in the News: Fine

The Daily Express front page claims the EU is threatening to fine the UK £250,000 a day for not implementing new rules. Full story >>

VOCABULARY
If someone is fined, they are punished by being ordered to pay a sum of money because they have done something illegal or broken a rule. • "American Pie" singer Don McLean has been fined $400 for driving his Chrysler too fast through a Maine school zone and has paid the levy.

Cartoon: Cameron's Wrong Turn

Most of the editorial cartoons in today's UK national dailies deal with David Cameron's long-awaited speech on Britain's relationship with Europe (see previous post), in which he promised an 'in/out referendum' on EU membership if he is re-elected in 2015. This one, by Dave Brown from The Independent, shows Cameron just before his speech taking a wrong turn, leaving through the exit and ending up in a back alley. The door slams behind him, and there is 'no readmittance'. However, Cameron does have an audience—UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage, who is portrayed as a toad (he has been compared to a real life Mr. Toad of Toad Hall), and a savage-looking bulldog wearing a Union Jack coat and foaming at the mouth (representing the Eurosceptics?)

COMMENTARY
The cartoon is a metaphor for the situation Cameron finds himself in. By agreeing to a referendum on EU membership, Cameron is seeking to placate the Eurosceptic wing of his party and head off the threat from UKIP. But if Britain leaves the EU, there will be no way back in (the EXIT is Britain's exit from Europe, already being referred to as Brexit). The cartoonist clearly thinks that Cameron's strategy is risky and misguided since Britain could be left out in the cold, i.e., excluded or ignored (the snow is a reference to the current UK weather).

VOCABULARY
1. If you take a wrong turn, you follow a road or path which you did not intend to follow. This expression can be used in a literal or figurative sense. • I think we must have taken a wrong turn after the traffic lights. • The main idea of this book is about teenage girl who takes a wrong turn in her life.
2. If you slam a door or window, or if it slams, it shuts noisily and with great force. • She slammed the door and locked it behind her. 

MORE CARTOONS
• Steve Bell (The Guardian)
• Adams (The Telegraph) 
• Peter Brookes (The Times) 
• Mac (The Daily Mail) 
• Paul Thomas (Daily Express) 
• Andy Davey (The Sun) 

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European leaders rebuke British Prime Minister David Cameron for wanting to take the 'common' out of the EU market. Sarah Sheffer reports.

TRANSCRIPT
REPORTER: A long-anticipated speech from British Prime Minister David Cameron on the European Union has caused quite a stir throughout the continent. Cameron ended months of speculation by announcing a plan for a referendum vote to stay in or get out of the EU if he's re-elected in 2015. The Prime Minister said he wants Britain in the EU but wants to claw back some powers from Brussels, a proposal that other European countries reject.
BRITISH PRIME MINISTER DAVID CAMERON: "I believe something very deeply - that Britain's national interest is best served in a flexible, adaptable and open European Union and that such a European Union is best with Britain in it."
REPORTER: German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she would like to see Britain as "an important and active member" of the EU, and called upon both sides to be prepared to make compromises. And Germany's Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle warned against Cameron's so-called "cherry-picking".
GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER, GUIDO WESTERWELLE: "We share the vision of a better Europe. We need a new commitment to the principle of subsidiarity, not all and everything must be decided in Brussels and by Brussels. We do indeed differentiate, but cherry-picking is not an option."
REPORTER: French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici said flexibility was good for Europe but not without common policies.
FRENCH FINANCE MINISTER PIERRE MOSCOVICI: "We don't want a Europe which is limited to the single market but we need common policies. That said, Europe is united but also diverse and it's up to every country to determine for itself."
REPORTER: But many European officials are warning Cameron against treating the bloc as an "a la carte menu" from which he can pick and choose membership terms.

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Words in the News: Gamble

Angela Merkel has said she is prepared to consider renegotiating Britain's EU membership, reports The Guardian. Full story >>

VOCABULARY
If you gamble on something, you take a risky action in the hope of gaining money, success, or an advantage over other people. • The president is gambling on the fact that public opinion has changed after a string of mass shootings.

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Cartoon: Cameron's Army Axe

This cartoon by Peter Brookes from The Times relates to the British army's plans make 5,300 soldiers redundant as part of the UK Coalition’s defence cuts. Read more >>

French President François Hollande and UK Prime Minister David Cameron are shown as foreign legionnaires (the French Foreign Legion is a military service wing of the French Army established in 1831). The African setting is a reference to France's military intervention in Mali, which has received logistical support from Britain.

Cameron, who has an axe behind his back, tells Hollande that he swears by it (the axe), and that it (the axe) is at Hollande's disposal.

EXPLANATION
An axe can be used a weapon, but in the context of the cartoon it is also being used as a metaphor for the army job cuts. Cameron's offer of help can therefore be seen as ironic.

VOCABULARY 
1. In journalism the word axe is commonly used as a verb or a noun to refer to cuts in jobs, budgets, services, etc.
• Two schools are facing the axe in a cost-cutting exercise.
• The minister was given the axe following the expenses scandal.
• MPs know there will be cuts in public spending but do not know on which department the axe will fall.
• Patients are delighted their local hospital has been saved from the axe.
• Protesters, anxious over the spending cuts, urged councillors to think again before wielding the axe.
• Almost 1,000 jobs were axed in the latest round of budget cuts.
• Other less profitable services are to be axed later this year.
• Chelsea's decision to axe Roberto di Matteo surprised many people.
2. If you swear by something, you believe that it can be relied on t have a particular effect.
• Many people swear by vitamin C's ability to ward off colds.

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Reuters Video: Merkel and Hollande mark 50th anniversary of Elysee treaty

German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomes French President Francois Hollande to Berlin as the leaders mark the 50th anniversary of a treaty of friendship between the two countries. Sarah Sheffer reports.

TRANSCRIPT
German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomes French President Francois Hollande to the chancellery in Berlin on Tuesday. The two leaders are marking the anniversary of a treaty of friendship signed 50 years ago. The Elysee treaty was a symbol of reconciliation between the two nations after hundreds of years of conflict. Both Berlin and Paris were determined to put on a rousing display of unity. Merkel and Hollande have overcome an awkward start to their relationship, complicated by Merkel's vocal support for the French president's rival in the 2012 election and Hollande's condemnation of the German chancellor's austerity policies. Their governments are due to issue a joint statement announcing a will to work on new areas of cooperation, including youth policy, culture, energy and defence. But both sides say little of substance will come out of the meetings in Berlin.

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Words in the News: Pledge

The Prime Minister will set out a deadline for a referendum on Britain's EU membership in a long-awaited speech on Europe, The Guardian reports. Full story >>

VOCABULARY 
When someone pledges to do something, they promise in a serious way to do it. • Obama pledged in his inaugural speech Monday to respond to what he called the threat of climate change, saying: "Failure to do so would betray our children and future generations." 

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Cartoon: Hands Up Obama!

This cartoon by Peter Brookes from The Times shows President Obama's swearing-in ceremony, which took place in Washington DC yesterday. In the top panel, Obama is raising one hand and swearing his oath of office. The bible (the same one used by Abraham Lincoln) is being held by his wife Michele. In the bottom panel, Obama is shown with his hands in the air, as someone (representing the gun lobby) is holding a rifle to his back.

COMMENTARY
The message is clear enough—even though Obama has promised to make gun control one of his second-term priorities, he will have his work cut out, since the National Rifle Association has vowed all-out opposition to his proposals, warning it was preparing for "the fight of the century". Read more >> 

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In a speech after taking the oath of office, President Barack Obama urges Americans to reject partisan rancor and embrace cooperation as he kicks off his second term.

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