« April 2010 | Main | June 2010 »
This cartoon by Chris Riddell from The Observer is a comment on the conundrum facing the United States following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
We see Uncle Sam sitting on a representation of the United States. His coat tails are trailing in the Gulf of Mexico, where oil is gushing from the sea. At the other end of the country in Alaska, a cigar-smoking oil executive is waving and saying "Drill, Baby, Drill!"
BACKGROUND
The future of offshore
drilling is now an important subject for debate in the USA. As a direct result of the BP disaster, President Barack Obama has decided to delay Arctic drilling off Alaska's North Slope, a move which has elated environmentalists and frustrated Shell Oil executives who were hoping to start exploratory drilling this summer. Meanwhile, Virginia was set to have offshore drilling lease sales this coming August. But President Obama has cancelled those sales, with the result that drilling off the coast of Virginia is on hold for now, and perhaps for good. Watch video >>
LANGUAGE
"Drill, Baby, Drill!" was campaign slogan originally used at the 2008 Republican National Convention. The slogan expressed support for increased drilling for petroleum as a source of additional energy. One possible source of the expression "Drill, baby, drill" was a similar
three word expression used by Bill Epton, an African American radical, whose three word statement
"Burn, baby, burn" in 1964 led to him being the first person convicted
of criminal anarchy. [source: Wikipedia]
Online Schools has a great collection of infographics grouped into categories such as Arts & Culture, Life & Health, Technology, and Humor. Be warned, some are quite gross! Here's one which should offend nobody (except soft drink manufacturers):
LESSON IDEA
Get your students to produce their own infographic on a topical subject.
VOCABULARY
A kit is a group of items that are kept together, often in the same container, because they are all used for similar purposes. • An accident investigation kit includes basic crash investigation tools such as binoculars, digital recorders, high resolution cameras and global positioning system (GPS) units to track aircraft position, hand gloves and shoes, among other tools.
LANGUAGE NOTES
The Sun's headline uses two literary devices. The repetition of the 'c' sound is an example of alliteration, and the phrase 'cannibal cops' is an example of hypallage, also known as a transferred epithet. This is when a modifier, usually an adjective, is applied to the "wrong" word in the sentence. In this example, the police are obviously not cannibals—the epithet should really apply to the alleged killer.
The Observer leads with the story that David Laws has resigned from the Treasury over allegations concerning his expenses. Full story >>
VOCABULARY
This cartoon by Martin Sutovec (aka Shooty) shows a car salesman talking to a potential customer in a car showroom. The salesman explains that the "world's first water powered car" only runs on water from the Mexican Gulf.
EXPLANATION
The joke is that due to the leaking BP oil well, the water from the Gulf of Mexico contains enough oil to run the car.
BACKGROUND
According to Popular Mechanics, you can run your car on water. However, this technology is still in the experimental stage. On the other hand, Toyota believes it will be able to produce its first hydrogen-powered car within the next five years—at a cost of $50,000! Read more >>
The Financial Times says BP has begun firing golf balls, old tyres and rope into the deep sea oil well in the Gulf of Mexico to try to stop the leak. Full story >>
VOCABULARY
Junk is old and used goods that have little value and that you do not want any more. • The city's annual junk collection event will be held at 8 am-noon June 5, at 64th Street and Johnson Creek Boulevard.
This cartoon by Kipper Williams from The Guardian relates to the package of austerity measures designed to cut Spain's deficit, which has just passed into law—by one vote. Read more >>
A man is examining a plate of tiny tapas with a magnifying glass. The joke is that due to the new austerity measures, the size of the tapas has been reduced to minuscule proportions.
VOCABULARY
1. Austerity is a situation in which people's living standards are reduced because of economic difficulties. • Austerity programs are all the rage in Europe. Several countries have pledged to slash spending by billions in a frantic effort to balance budgets and save the euro. Read more >>
2. Tapas are small plates of food that are served with drinks, or before a main meal. The custom originated in Spain, but you now find tapas bars in many other countries, including France and the UK.
