The English Blog

Cartoon: Playing With Fire

This cartoon by Adams from The Telegraph relates to the U.S. debt crisis. The White House and Congress are fighting over how to raise the debt ceiling. With only two days left to the deadline that could result in the US defaulting on its borrowing for the first time, there is still no sign of a deal. Read more >>

COMMENTARY
The left-hand panel shows President Obama and Republican House speaker John Boehner playing with a ball of fire labelled 'DEBT'. The right-hand panel shows the world as a bomb with Obama and Boehner standing right next to the fuse. The message is clear—the failure by the Republicans and Democrats to reach agreement on a solution to the debt crisis poses a serious threat to the global economy.

IDIOM
If you say that someone is playing with fire, you mean that they are doing something dangerous that may result in great harm for them and cause many problems. • World Bank President Robert Zoellick said politicians are "playing with fire" by squabbling over the U.S. debt limit and warned that a default would be both a "financial calamity" and an "embarrassment" for the country.

ALSO SEE
• US debt crisis: Tea Party intransigence takes America to the brink (The Guardian)

Newsy Video: Death Raises Awareness Over Excessive Gaming

A 20-year-old dies from a blood clot developed while playing Halo in excess of 12 hours a day. Transcript & sources >>

Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com

Words in the News: Topple

Efforts by insurgents to topple Muammar Gaddafi were in disarray after a senior Libyan opposition figure admitted rebel soldiers were responsible for the murder of their most senior army commander, The Observer reports. Full story >>

VOCABULARY
To topple a government or leader, especially one that is not elected by the people, means to cause them to lose power. • Plans to shrink the number of constituencies in the UK from 650 to 600 will provoke a cross-party rebellion that could topple the government.

Newsy Video: Global Population to Hit 7 Billion This Year

New research on U.N. population data shows the world's 7-billionth person will be born sometime in October. Transcript & sources >>

Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com

ALSO SEE
• World population (Wikipedia)
• How the World Can Cope with 7 Billion Humans (The Atlantic)
• 7 Billion (National Geographic Special Series)

VOCABULARY
A billion is a thousand million, or one followed by 9 zeroes. Note that we say '7 billion people' (with no 's' at the end of 'billion') but 'billions of people' (when the exact number is not stated).

Words in the News: Feud

The Independent says the assassination of a Libyan rebel leader has caused problems for the government here. Full story >>

VOCABULARY
A feud (rhymes with 'rude') is a quarrel in which two people or groups remain angry with each other for a long time, although they are not always fighting or arguing. • One in 20 householders has been forced to move because of a feud with a neighbour, according to new research.

Cartoon: Smelling a Rat

This cartoon by Andy Davey from The Sun relates to yesterday's announcement by British Gas that it has made £270m in profit in the first six months of this year, a figure which is likely to anger millions of its customers facing big increases in their household energy bills. Read more >>

COMMENTARY
The cartoon shows two inspectors examining gas tanks for leaks. The tanks are marked 'British Gas Profits'. One of the inspectors asks 'Smell gas?' (i.e., Can you smell gas?). His colleague replies, 'No, I smell a rat', suggesting that British Gas is exploiting its customers.

IDIOM
If you smell a rat, you begin to suspect that something is wrong in particular situation, for example that someone is trying to deceive you or harm you. According to The Phrase Finder, the expression is said to come from the days when rats were common pests and carriers of disease. Dogs were prized for their ability to smell out and destroy them. A dog which began to sniff around might well have smelt a rat, and this idea was transferred to a person who was suspicious of something.

Newsy Video: God's Approval Rating 52%

According to a recent poll, God’s approval rating barely cracks 50% but still beats out prominent politicians. Transcript & sources >>

Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com

Words in the News: Outlook

The Wall Street Journal reports that more European companies are warning that the business outlook is worsening amid growing economic headwinds, underscoring how the sovereign-debt crisis and slowing world demand are hitting Europe Inc.'s bottom line. Full story >>

VOCABULARY
The outlook for something is what people think will happen in relation to it. In a business context, the word outlook is used to refer to expected financial results. • Based on better than expected second quarter results and an improved outlook, the company raised its full year outlook.

Newsy Video: UK Expels Pro-Gaddafi Diplomats, Recognizes Rebel Govt

The United Kingdom now recognizes the National Transitional Council and not Col. Muammar Gaddafi's regime. Transcript & sources >>

Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com

Cartoon: U.S. Debt Crisis

This cartoon by Andy Davey from The Sun relates to the U.S. debt crisis (see earlier post).

The U.S. economy is represented as a broken coin-operated car with President Obama in the driving seat. To make it start, somebody—anybody—has to insert $1 trillion dollars in the slot.

BACKGROUND
President Obama wants to raise the debt ceiling enough to give the federal government breathing room into 2013, that way he doesn't have to face this issue again before the 2012 election. When you do the math, or more precisely when the budget wizards do the math, it turns out you need about a little more than $2 trillion increase in the debt ceiling to last until 2013. So that's how much in spending cuts Republicans are demanding: a bit north of $2 trillion. (source: TPM)

VOCABULARY
A trillion is a million million, or one followed by 12 zeroes.

ALSO SEE
• The idiot's guide to President Obama's debt crisis (The Guardian)

Words in the News: Tie

The Guardian leads with Britain cutting its final ties to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and recognising the rebel National Transitional Council as the "sole governmental authority" in Libya. Full story >>

VOCABULARY
Ties are the connections you have with people or a place. • Quebec has always had particularly close ties to France.

Cartoon: Debt Ceiling

This cartoon by Adams from The Telegraph is a comment on the situation in the US, where the White House and Congress are fighting over how to raise the debt ceiling. With the deadline for reaching a deal fast approaching, the fear is that the US will run out of money. Read more >>

BACKGROUND
The US government faces a legal limit on the total amount of debts it can run up in order to pay its bills - including military salaries, interest on existing loans, and Medicare. The current limit is $14.3 trillion (£8.9tn). The cap was reached in May. The Democrats and Republicans both agree that the US need to cut its enormous deficit, but disagree on how to go about it. The chief sticking points have been Republicans' resistance to tax rises and calls for much bigger spending cuts than the Democrats favour, and Democrats' desire to shield healthcare programmes for the poor and elderly and the Social Security pension programme from cuts. (source: BBC News)

COMMENTARY
The cartoon shows a donkey (representing the Democrats) and an elephant (the Republicans) fighting in a sealed room as the ceiling covered with sharp spikes descends (a scene borrowed from action movies such as Indiana Jones). All they have to do avert disaster is stop fighting and press the red button marked 'STOP'. The cartoonist plays on the word ceiling. The debt ceiling is the legal limit for the amount of money the government can borrow.

Newsy Video: Scientists Dash Hopes of Time Travel

Hong Kong scientists prove nothing can travel faster than light -- blowing up a 10-year-old theory of time travel. Transcript & sources >>

Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com

ALSO SEE
• Is a Time Machine Scientifically Possible? (TIME video)

Words in the News: Denial

The Guardian has claims that the chancellor is in denial over the economy. Full story >>

VOCABULARY
In psychology, denial is when a person cannot or will not accept an unpleasant truth. It is Mr Trichet who is in denial when it comes to the possibility of a partial Greek default.

Cartoon: Osborne's Plan 'A' Recovery Service

BACKGROUND
Figures out today are set to show there has barely been any growth in the UK economy in the last three months. Critics have called on Chancellor George Osborne to come up with a "Plan B" on the economy. But yesterday he insisted he was right to focus on cutting public spending to help bring down the huge deficit and blamed "considerable economic uncertainty across the globe" for holding Britain back. Read more >>

THE CARTOON
Andy Davey's cartoon from The Sun shows George Osborne as the driver of a track-driven crane desperately trying to lift the growth curve on a graph. The problem is that, like someone trying to lift themselves while standing in a bucket, it's a physically impossible task.

VOCABULARY
1. The cartoonists plays on the word 'recovery'. An economic recovery is when the economy improves after a difficult period, and a recovery service collects, or recovers, a vehicle if it breaks down or is involved in an accident.
2. 'Plan B' is a popular term used to mean a reserved, secondary plan, in case a first plan (a hypothetical 'Plan A') fails.