ＷＥＥＫ７ Nepal Ｓnowstormｓ

Nepal snowstorms kill at least 20 people in Himalayas

The search for trekkers missing after blizzards swept through Nepal resumed on Thursday as the death toll from the extreme weather reached at least 20 people, including eight foreign hikers. 

Rescuers said the death toll could rise as dozens of other foreigners and locals who had been trekking were out of contact due to poor communication links and could have been caught in blizzards.

An avalanche buried one Indian and four Canadian trekkers in Phu on Wednesday, said the chief administrator of Manang district. The snow buried the trekkers’ bodies and digging them out would take days, he said.

Three yak herders were killed in the same district, about 100 miles north-west of the capital, Kathmandu, and their bodies were recovered on Wednesday.

In neighboring Mustang district, four trekkers caught in a blizzard died on Tuesday. Rescuers recovered the bodies of the two Poles, one Israeli and one Nepali from the Thorong La pass area. The pass is on a route that circles Mount Annapurna, the world’s 10th highest peak.

It was initially thought the group had been caught in an avalanche, but Baburam Bhandari, governor of Mustang, said the group perished in a blizzard.

He added that emergency workers had rescued five German, five Polish and four Israeli trekkers who were trapped in the snowfall early on Wednesday. One German tourist fractured his leg, he said. They were taken to Jomson town by helicopter.

Police said eight Nepalis had also been killed in Mustang, which is about 150 km (93 miles) northwest of the capital, Kathmandu.

A government official said more bodies were likely to be found and that it was unclear how many people were on the snow-covered route, but dozens were believed to be stranded.

An avalanche on Mount Dhaulagiri – near the Annapurna area – hit climbers at the base camp who were preparing to scale the 8,167m (26,800ft) peak, the world’s seventh tallest. Two of the missing climbers were from Slovakia and three were Nepalese guides.

Weather forecasters said the blizzard was caused by cyclone Hudhud, which hit neighboring India several days ago.

October is the most popular trekking season in Nepal, with thousands of foreigners hiking in the Himalayan Mountains.

An avalanche in April just above the base camp on Mount Everest killed 16 Nepalese guides, the deadliest single disaster ever on the mountain. Climate experts say rising global temperatures have contributed to avalanches in the Himalayas.

網址http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/15/himalayan-snowstorm-nepal-mustang-district

Key words
trekker:長途跋涉
blizzard:暴風雪
dig:挖
cyclone:颶風

Avalanche：雪崩
What: Avalanche killed at least 20 persons in Himalayas

Where: Himalayas which is located in Nepal

When: NOT GIVEN

Why: The blizzard was caused by cyclone Hudhud, which hit neighboring India several days ago.

How: NOT GIVEN

week 6-the Scottish referendum

Scottish referendum a model for Taiwan
After the Scottish independence referendum ends, a new UK will surely emerge. Rather than having London as the core, there is now a call for a fairer balance of power throughout the union.

The flag of Scotland will now stand for more than just the blue backdrop to the Union Jack, as the Scottish people’s decision to remain in the union, through self-determination, has instigated the need for renewed negotiations on the UK’s constitutional arrangements. This referendum has precipitated a new understanding of what plebiscitary democracy means. Britain, an island state, set the standard for both plebiscitary democracy and nationalism in the 21st century.

What can Taiwan learn from the referendum process?

While the pro-unification and pro-independence camps might be more concerned about the outcomes from the perspective of their respective positions, this is perhaps a good time to examine Taiwan’s “birdcage” Referendum Act (鳥籠公投). The nation’s referendum process is pseudo-democratic, falling short of the more civilized standards seen in the Scottish referendum.

When Holyrood pushed for a referendum, the British Parliament at the Palace of Westminster — an instigator of modern representative democracy — did not pass a law to restrict the content of the referendum due to its fear of direct democracy. Nor did the British prime minister establish a referendum review committee to check whether a proposal was appropriate. The Scottish people did not have to collect 1 million signatures first in order to have the right to hold a referendum. Nor was a threshold imposed, so the ruling Conservative Party did not have to call on its supporters to boycott the referendum in order to nullify the results by ensuring that the threshold was not reached. As a result, there has been little controversy over the outcome, which was immediately accepted by the unification and independence camps, allowing the UK to concentrate on the future.

Of particular interest to Taiwanese was the nature of the question asked in the Scottish referendum: “Should Scotland be an independent country?”

There were only two simple choices — yes or no — while the referendum was implemented by a simple majority method. This is a civilized referendum system, a model that could point the way for furthering Taiwan’s democratization.

As a former member of the Cabinet’s referendum review committee, I used to support all the proposals during my term, irrespective of whether they were proposed by the blue or the green camp. Eventually, I chose to withdraw from the committee to show my protest against the unfair mechanism.

Today, many of my former colleagues serve as Examination Yuan and Control Yuan members or chair conglomerates. This highlights the barriers of interest to the civilization of Taiwan’s referendum system.

Thanks to the efforts of their ancestors, the Scottish people have been able to avoid the bloody wars that tore Ireland in two, and now they have had the chance to decide their own future through a referendum. The option was always there and has become an example for Taiwan’s democracy to follow.

Key words
core:核心
backdrop:背景
self-determination:自主
instigate:教唆

Plebiscitary: 國民投票的
democracy:民主政治
unification:統一
boycott: 抵制
nullify:使無效
Cabinet:內閣

What: What can Taiwan learn from the Scottish referendum process?

Where: Taiwan

When: After the Scottish referendum

Why: The nation’s referendum process is pseudo-democratic, falling short of the more civilized standards seen in the Scottish referendum.

How: the chance to decide their own future through a referendum.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2014/09/24/2003600432

WEEK 5 -Michael Brown Shoot

Mourners at the Friendly Temple Baptist Church in St Louis sang, prayed and remembered the life of Michael Brown.

Mr Brown, 18, who was unarmed, was killed on 9 August after being stopped by a white police officer for walking in the middle of the street.

His death sparked days of protests and violent clashes, but tensions appear to have eased in recent days.

Two poster-sized photos of Mr Brown were placed inside the church near the casket, along with another photo of him as a small child.

Those in the church sang, clapped and danced to gospel music before the service started.

Mr Brown's family addressed mourners, describing Michael as a gentle soul.

His cousin, Eric Davis, said his generation had stood up to what had happened in Ferguson.

We have had enough. We have had enough of having our brothers and sisters killed in the streets," he said. "Hear our voice. We have had enough of this senseless killing."

Addressing the mourners, civil rights leader Rev Al Sharpton said people had a right to protest without police intimidation.

"America is going to have to come to terms when there's something wrong, that we have money to give military equipment to police forces, when we don't have money for training and money for public education," he said.

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon did not attend, while President Barack Obama sent three White House aides to represent him.

The mood outside the church was peaceful and sombre, said BBC correspondent Rajini Vaidyanathan, in St Louis.

"We don't know the Brown family but our hearts empathize with them for their loss and the senseless violence," one mourner told the BBC.

But there is still anger in Ferguson, which has a majority black population, after the shooting by police officer Darren Wilson - who is currently suspended on full pay.

"If Darren Wilson is not charged, there will be an uprising," another mourner said.

A grand jury panel of residents has begun hearing evidence in the case, though the country prosecutor has said the process could take until October.

Many residents have demanded that Officer Wilson should be arrested and prosecuted.

Witnesses have said Mr Brown was shot as he held his hands up in a position of surrender, while the police and supporters of Mr Wilson have said he fired during a fight with Mr Brown.

The response by the authorities, who flooded the town with hundreds of officers in riot gear and brought in the national guard, has been criticized as heavy-handed.

The authorities were also criticized for not being transparent enough in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, when they refused to name the police officer involved.

However, police also say the protests were inflamed by agitators who travelled to Ferguson from elsewhere, and that they responded to threats made against them and the firing of weapons from the crowd.

Ahead of the funeral, Michael Brown's father made a plea his plea for calm. He said on Sunday: "Tomorrow all I want is peace."

網址: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-28924099

KEY WORDS

Mourner: 哀悼者

Tension: 緊張的情勢

Address: 發表演說

Empathize: 理解

Prosecute: 起訴

Plea: 懇求

What: Mourner sprayed and remembered the life of Michael Brown.

Where: at the Friendly Temple Baptist Church in St Louis 

When: not given

Why: His death sparked days of protests and violent clashes

How: not given: