Doha Climate Summit

Thousands of climate experts, government negotiators and activists will gather in Qatar - which has the world’s highest per capita greenhouse gas emissions (ironically), busy streets with SUVs, sky-high towers, constant air-conditioning to beat temperatures as high as 50 degree Celsius - from November 26th to December 7th for the 2012 United Nations Climate Change Conference. 

The country will serve as host for the global climate conference to take place in Doha, the capital of Qatar.

The summit is officially referred to as the 18th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 8th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol.

As the world is facing a grave climate change situation, the conference aims to carve an overall framework for intergovernmental efforts to deal with global warming. It identifies the fact that carbon dioxide emissions, industrial emissions and other greenhouse gases affect the climate system.

Delegates meeting at Doha will aim at reviewing and framing a deal to slow down the process of climate change, such as floods, sandstorms, droughts, rise in sea levels and heat waves. The deal is meant to be reached by the end of 2015 and enter into force in 2020.

Who can share the dais?

Only nominated representatives of parties, observer states, accredited observer organisations and accredited members of the media can participate at COP18 and CMP8. 

Those Parties to the Convention (COP) that are not Parties to the Protocol may join in as observers in the Meeting of the Parties (CMP).

The conference is expected to witness delegates from 194 nations, 7,000 representatives of non-governmental organisations and more than 1,500 members of the global and regional media making the COP18 conference the largest Qatar has ever hosted.

Key Issues: 

Kyoto Protocol 2: The paramount issue that needs to be addressed this year is the Kyoto Protocol. The first commitment of Kyoto Protocol is set to expire by December-end of 2012, so, it is important to bring in effect a second Kyoto agreement commitment to abide by emission reductions that have been made by countries previously.

Deeper emission cuts: Another important issue is that the Doha climate summit must keep up with the momentum gained from the Durban Summit and the European Union (EU) and other countries must give more in order to keep up with their promise of limiting the global warming to 2 degrees as pledged earlier. 

Climate fund: Although United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has urged the world leaders to contribute and aid in financing the UN multibillion-dollar fund in order to fight climate change, but the road seems to be tough due to current global economic crisis, especially the Eurozone crisis and the financial downturn prevailing in the US. It is also evident that developing countries will pressurise developed nations to aid financing and technology to help them adapt to the impacts of climate change.

What should be done in Doha? 

With climate change and extreme weather conditions being witnessed across the world like the vast devastation caused by ‘Superstorm Sandy’ in the US, floods in Africa and the Philippines, Arctic ice melting at fearsome rate etc, it is the need of the hour that we realise the stark truth that climate change problem is growing ‘grave’. 

A report released by the World Bank says the present global mean temperature of 0.8°C above pre-industrial levels could rise to as high as 4°C by 2100, even if countries fulfil current emissions-reduction pledges, possibly resulting in extreme heat-waves, declining global food stocks and life-threatening sea-level rise.

So, at Doha COP 18 conference, it has to be understood that it time to act without any further delay or face the wrath of Mother Nature in the near future due to irreversible changes brought by wrongful human activities.

Experts believe that the conference will serve as a key milestone to host a negotiation process between rich nations and developing countries to bridge the ‘ambition gaps’ in the climate change issues. But, they are not very much hopeful and the least that they expect is an agreement on ‘Kyoto 2’ in 2015. 

At present, China, the United States and India are world’s three largest emitters of greenhouse gases, with China leading the chart and India at third place. 

Let’s wait and watch if the political will of the world leaders attending the crucial climate conference exists or we will have to wait for some more climate disasters to serve as eye-openers. 



1. capita 人均
2.session 會話
3. emissions 排放量4.Delegate 代表
5.accredited 認可
6. paramount 最重要的
7. pledged 承諾8.prevailing 現行
9.wrath 憤怒
10.irreversible 不可逆的

ZEENEWS
http://zeenews.india.com/exclusive/doha-climate-summit_5869.htmlLast Updated: Sunday, November 25, 2012, 18:23

psy,Gangnam style

How the Psy/MC Hammer AMAs mash-up came to be

We should've known something was up when Psy took the stage at the "American Music Awards" in a pair of Hammer pants.

The "Gangnam Style" artist had the AMAs audience on their feet doing his trademark dance when the lights suddenly dimmed and MC Hammer appeared on stage - still "Too Legit to Quit."

Younger viewers might've been a little lost when Psy stopped and went Hammer-time, as the "Too Legit" single came out just over 20 years ago. But, as the YouTube clip above proves,  Hammer hasn't lost his touch.

Backstage, Hammer told CNN that the performance came together with the aid of Justin Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun.

“Scooter Braun connected us, and [when] I spoke with Psy I knew right away that he is a good guy. I like working with good people ... I loved doing it and we had a great time together," Hammer said.

"Psy is fantastic. He's shifted the planet. He's got the whole world dancing. And it's a rarity in this world. Only four people made that happen in history - James Brown, Michael Jackson, yours truly and Psy. ”

Psy, who even cajoled Hammer into pulling on his trademark pants once again, didn't have any nerves about hitting the old-school routine.

“Honestly, I practiced his move[s] 20 years ago," Psy said. "So I’ve done that for 20 years."

Don't remember the original? See if this jogs your memory:

Post by: CNN's KJ Matthews and Denise Quan contributed to this report November 19th, 201210:23 AM ET http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2012/11/19/how-the-psymc-hammer-amas-mash-up-came-to-be/?iref=allsearch 1.trademark  2.dimmed 變暗 3.rarity 稀有 4.cajoled  哄騙 5.clip 夾 6.fantastic 奇妙 7.routine 常規

a life of pi

he film is beating Feng Xiaogang’s historical epic "Back to 1942" at the Chinese box office.

HONG KONG – Ang Lee's Life of Pi has continued its staggering run in mainland Chinese theaters, beating off Feng Xiaogang’s historical epic, Back to 1942, for the second week running in the box office listings, with its current total earnings there surpassing its takings in the U.S.

According to 20th Century Fox, Life of Pi has now earned $68.3 million in China. Playing in a total of 11 foreign markets, the movie's foreign gross is $105.7 million.Despite being in its third week of release, takings of Lee’s 20th Century Fox production came to more than 160 million yuan ($25.6 million), according to official figures of box office earnings from Dec. 2 to Dec. 9 announced by state-backed portal China Film News. The amount matched the film’s takings the previous week.

Back to 1942, a challenging 2-1/2-hour drama about a horrendous famine which swept across the Chinese province of Henan during the second world war, came second in the charts at 150 million yuan ($24 million).

The failure to slice Life of Pi off the top will surely disappoint the film’s producers Huayi Brothers, who have worked for a long time with Feng, one of China’s most bankable directors who have constantly claimed top-spot during the traditional New Year holiday window in the country.

While beating off a homespun blockbuster is already a feat in itself, Lee’s film has also achieved the remarkable feat of seeing its Chinese takings eclipsing that in the U.S. As if to highlight the enormous potential of the Chinese market, Life of Pi has grossed more here than in the U.S., where the film has taken $61 million by Dec. 9.

The last time a U.S. film’s Chinese release took in more than its domestic takings is with Titanic 3D. Its earnings in China, 977.1 million yuan ($156.8 million), is three times that of in the U.S.

Coming a distant third in the Chinese box office rankings the past week is The Last Supper, the period drama from Lu Chuan. Its comparatively low earnings of 28 million yuan ($4.5 million) was probably caused by lukewarm reviews and news of the film’s publicists admitting to have employed Internet users to push up ratings at movie websites as a “reaction” against what they deemed as an organized campaign of mudslinging against the film.

1.gross 毛

2.portal 門戶

3.previous 前

4.horrendous 可怕的

5.famine 飢荒

6. bankable 銀行擔保的

7.homespun 樸素的

8.eclipsing 食

9.domestic 國內

10.comparatively 比較

W3-Hong Kong hunger strike national education,patriotism

4 September 2012 Last updated at 04:47 GMT

More protests over HK 'national education' row

Protesters gather on Monday, urging the government to abandon its plan

Continue reading the main story

Related Stories

• Debate over 'patriotic education'
• Hong Kong profile
• Protests on Hong Kong anniversary

Thousands protested outside government headquarters in Hong Kong on Monday, amid a row over a controversial national education programme.

The protesters accuse the government of trying to brainwash students with pro-China education and want the programme to be scrapped.

But the government says it is about building national pride and identity.

Protests have been rumbling for months, but built over the weekend before the start of the new school year.

A small number of activists have been taking part in hunger strikes.

The government wants schools to introduce the programme now and plans to make it compulsory by 2016.

But protesters - who comprise parents, students and teachers - say its core aim is to bolster support for China's communist rulers.

They have highlighted a government booklet that they say glorifies Communist Party rule in China while ignoring sensitive issues.

Some 8,000 people joined Monday night's protest, reports said.

On Tuesday Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung said it was premature to withdraw the programme, Hong Kong's RTHK reported

He said opponents of the programme should join a government-appointed committee on the subject and air their concerns there, the broadcaster said.

Deputy leader Carrie Lam said on Monday that more dialogue was needed on the issue.

"The important thing is to ensure that the public concern or the parents' and the students' worry about the so-called brainwashing will not happen," Reuters news agency quoted her as saying.

"But that will only be achievable by more communication between the various stakeholders and by putting the trust in the school sponsoring authorities and the individual schools."

BBC4 September 2012 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-19472918

1.compulsory 義務2.comprise 包刮3.core 核心4.bolster 加強
5.glorifies 榮耀
6. premature 過早的7.withdraw 退出 收回8.opponents 對手9.Reuters 路透社

W2-阿姆斯壯(Neil Armstrong)

LATEST UPDATE: 26/08/2012 

- AEROSPACE - OBITUARY - SPACE SHUTTLE

Neil Armstrong, first man on the moon, dies at 82

News Wires (text)

REUTERS - U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong, who took a giant leap for mankind when he became the first person to walk on the moon, has died at the age of 82, his family said on Saturday.

Armstrong died following complications from heart-bypass surgery he underwent earlier this month, the family said in a statement, just two days after his birthday on Aug. 5.

As commander of the Apollo 11 mission, Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969. As he stepped on the dusty surface, Armstrong said: “That’s one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Those words endure as one of the best known quotes in the English language.

The Apollo 11 astronauts’ euphoric moonwalk provided Americans with a sense of achievement in the space race with Cold War foe the Soviet Union and while Washington was engaged in a bloody war with the communists in Vietnam.

NEIL ARMSTRONG LANDS ON THE MOON

Neil Alden Armstrong was 38 years old at the time and even though he had fulfilled one of mankind’s age-old quests that placed him at the pinnacle of human achievement, he did not revel in his accomplishment. He even seemed frustrated by the acclaim it brought.“I guess we all like to be recognized not for one piece of fireworks but for the ledger of our daily work,” Armstrong said in an interview on CBS’s “60 Minutes” program in 2005.

He once was asked how he felt knowing his footprints would likely stay on the moon’s surface for thousands of years. “I kind of hope that somebody goes up there one of these days and cleans them up,” he said.

A very private man

James Hansen, author of “First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong,” told CBS: “All of the attention that ... the public put on stepping down that ladder onto the surface itself, Neil never could really understand why there was so much focus on that.”

The Apollo 11 moon mission turned out to be Armstrong’s last space flight. The next year he was appointed to a desk job, being named NASA’s deputy associate administrator for aeronautics in the office of advanced research and technology.

Armstrong’s post-NASA life was a very private one. He took no major role in ceremonies marking the 25th anniversary of the moon landing. “He’s a recluse’s recluse,” said Dave Garrett, a former NASA spokesman.

Hansen said stories of Armstrong dreaming of space exploration as a boy were apocryphal, although he was long dedicated to flight. “His life was about flying. His life was about piloting,” Hansen said.

Born Aug. 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio, Armstrong was the first of three children of Stephen and Viola Armstrong. He married his college sweetheart, Janet Shearon, in 1956. They were divorced in 1994, when he married Carol Knight.

Armstrong had his first joyride in a plane at age 6. Growing up in Ohio, he began making model planes and by his early teens had amassed an extensive aviation library. With money earned from odd jobs, he took flying lessons and obtained his pilot’s license even before he got a car license.

In high school he excelled in science and mathematics and won a U.S. Navy scholarship to Purdue University in Indiana, enrolling in 1947. He left after two years to become a Navy pilot, flying combat missions in the Korean War and winning three medals.

Declines offers to run for office

After his aeronautical career, Armstrong was approached by political groups, but unlike former astronauts John Glenn and Harrison Schmitt who became U.S. senators, he declined all offers.

In 1986, he served on a presidential commission that investigated the explosion that destroyed the space shuttle Challenger, killing its crew of seven shortly after launch from Cape Canaveral in January of that year.

Armstrong made a rare public appearance several years ago when he testified to a congressional hearing against President Barack Obama administration’s plans to buy rides from other countries and corporations to ferry U.S. astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

Armstrong also said that returning humans to the moon was not only desirable, but necessary for future exploration—even though NASA says it is no longer a priority.

He lived in the Cincinnati area with his wife, Carol.

“We are heartbroken to share the news that Neil Armstrong has passed away,” the family said in their statement. “Neil was our loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend.”

His family expressed hope that young people around the world would be inspired by Armstrong’s feat to push boundaries and serve a cause greater than themselves.

“The next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink,” the family said.

Obama said that Armstrong “was among the greatest of American heroes - not just of his time, but of all time. ...

“Today, Neil’s spirit of discovery lives on in all the men and women who have devoted their lives to exploring the unknown - including those who are ensuring that we reach higher and go further in space. That legacy will endure - sparked by a man who taught us the enormous power of one small step.”

Glenn, an original NASA astronaut with Armstrong, spoke of his colleague’s humble nature. “He was willing to dare greatly for his country and he was proud to do that and yet remained the same humble person he’d always been,” he told CNN on Saturday.

The space agency sent out a brief statement in the wake of the news, saying it “offers its condolences on today’s passing of Neil Armstrong, former test pilot, astronaut and the first man on the moon.”

Armstrong is survived by his two sons, a stepson and stepdaughter, 10 grandchildren, a brother and a sister, NASA said.

Some controversy still surrounds his famous quote. The live broadcast did not have the “a” in “one small step for a man ...” He and NASA insisted static had obscured the “a,” but after repeated playbacks, he admitted he may have dropped the letter and expressed a preference that quotations include the “a” in parentheses.

Asked to describe what it was like to stand on the moon, he told CBS: “It’s an interesting place to be. I recommend it.”

1.underwent 接受

2.euphoric 欣快

3.foe 敵人

4.pinnacle 巔峰

5.aeronautics 航空學

6.recluse 遁世

7.amassed 積累

8.license 許可證

9.senators 參議員

10. boundaries 邊界
11.legacy 遺產
12.condolences  慰問

13.controversy 爭議

france24
DATE CREATED : 25/08/2012 
http://www.france24.com/en/20120825-neil-armstrong-first-man-moon-dies-aged-82?ns_mchannel=SEM&ns_source=Google&ns_campaign=France%2024%20RDM_Sciences&ns_linkname=Death%20o

W1-curiosity

Mars Curiosity about to really shake things up

FOLLOWING THE RECIPE:The rover’s scoop is to dig into the sand, shake fine dust through its chemical testing system so as to cleanse it of Earth grease

AP, WASHINGTON

Mars Curiosity is about to take its first sip of the red planet’s sand. However, only after NASA’s rover plays bartender to make sure the dry dust is shaken, not stirred.

The rover’s scoop was scheduled to dig into the sand yesterday. Then the action starts. The end of the rover’s 100kg arm was to shake “at a nice tooth-rattling vibration level” for eight hours, like a Martian martini mixer gone mad, mission sampling chief Daniel Limonadi said.

“It kind of looks and feels like if you open the hood of your car with the engine running,” Limonadi said, making engine noises in a Thursday NASA telephone press conference.

EARTH GREASE

That heavy shaking will vibrate the fine dust grains through the rover chemical testing system to cleanse it of unwanted residual Earth grease. That is important for the sensitive scientific instruments that are the keystone to the US$2.5 billion mission that launched last year.

The rover landed in August and has traveled three-tenths of a mile, taking pictures and analyzing the Martian air.

For the next week or two, Curiosity will scoop, shake and dump sand out three times, like a robotic version of cleaning its mouth out with mouthwash, Limonadi said.

The fourth time, the rover will slowly pour “a half a baby aspirin pill of material” into the mobile lab to start a complex chemical analysis, he said.

BORING MARTIAN SAND

There is nothing that seems special about the sand that is to be tested and that is why NASA picked it out. It is good to start with “boring safe Martian sand dune,” Limonadi said.

The car-sized rover has a complex chemical lab, a scoop and a drill to look for the basic ingredients of life, including carbon-based compounds, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur and oxygen.

This would be the first time the chemistry lab is to be used. In about a month, after going to a newer more interesting location, the rover is sheduled start drilling into the ground for samples.

Taipei Times

Sun, Oct 07, 2012 - Page 7

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2012/10/07/2003544622




1.rover : 流浪者
2. vibration : 振動
3.hood : 引擎罩
4. residual : 剩餘的
5. grease : 油脂
6.scoop : 舀
7.drill : 演練
8.lab : 實驗室