week 5 - 全球購物狂歡節(光棍節)

Alibaba leads world's biggest online shopping spree

    Today, Single's Day primarily is a Chinese phenomenon. Almost all the marketing in done in Chinese and is aimed at the Chinese market for delivery there.

"It’s a question of the logistics associated with getting you your purchase,"  Alibaba’s Paul Kranhold said.

But even if American consumers aren't shopping during Singles Day, American companies are very busy selling.

“For them, it’s getting their brands inside China and focusing on this huge opportunity,”  Kranhold said.

The massive sales on Singles Day help to show the growing importance of China and its rising middle class as a critical global market.  China has an estimated 600 million to 700 million middle class consumers, and American companies have been quick to see the potential.

“It’s a huge global opportunity for them. It’s a massive chance for them to engage with the largest and fastest growing consumer class in the world,” Zakkour said.

It's also a market where buyers often reject locally made goods, giving U.S. companies an in.

“Chinese consumers demand authentic high-quality products as diverse as baby formula, luxury shopping bags and organic produce, because they cannot trust product safety and authenticity domestically in China,” said Frontier Strategy Group's Backaler, who authored China Goes West, a book about Chinese companies going global.

The event has had a ripple effect in brick and mortar stores in China, with some now holding their own Singles Day sales.

It's also a cultural event. There was a gala opening in Beijing and a huge, star-studded variety show broadcast on nationwide TV Tuesday night that included American actor Kevin Spacey, whose Netflix drama House of Cards is a huge hit in China.

Singles Day first started among university students in Nanjing in the 1990s, as a day for bachelors to gather with friends and meet new people.

The date, 11-11, was chosen because it's a grouping of 1's, or singles. It morphed to include women and be a general "meet possible mates" day.

Alibaba rebranded it as a day for unmarried people to buy items they wanted, and in 2009 launched massive online sales on the day.

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http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/11/10/singles-day-china-1111-sale-alibaba/75511104/

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Structure of the Lead：    
  WHO-  Alibaba   WHEN-    11/11/2015

  WHAT-  single's day shopping festival
  WHY-  (Not said)

  WHERE- China

  HOW- (Not said)

Key words:

brand (n.) 品牌

authentic (adj.) 正版的

diverse (adj.) 多樣的ripple effect 漣漪效應

brick and mortar stores 實體店

Week 4 - 登革熱

Dengue fever outbreak slows in Tainan, remains high in 

Kaohsiung

2015/11/10 17:29:07

Taipei, Nov. 10 (CNA) The southern city of Tainan has seen fewer new dengue fever cases, but the neighboring city of Kaohsiung remains at the peak of an outbreak of the disease there, according to data released Tuesday.

The total number of dengue fever cases since May 1 had climbed by 239 to 31,995 as of 6 p.m. Monday, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

In comparison, Taiwan reported a total of 15,732 dengue fever cases in 2014, which was the highest annual number since the authorities began keeping such records.

The two southern cities have been the worst-hit areas by the mosquito-borne disease, with Tainan confirming 33 new cases Monday, pushing the total number of cases to 22,195 since summer began.

The increase in the number of new cases in Tainan has slowed, however, since the city recorded fewer than 50 new cases for three consecutive days since Nov. 7, according to the latest data.

The number of cases recorded in Kaohsiung rose 195 to 9,219 Monday, up 10 percent from a week earlier.

The outbreak has taken 141 lives since May, with 30 other deaths suspected of being linked to the disease. There were still 27 patients remaining in intensive care as of Monday evening, according to the CDC. 

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http://focustaiwan.tw/news/asoc/201511100017.aspx

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Structure of the Lead：

 WHEN- since May 1WHO- all citizens WHAT-  Dengue fever outbreak WHY-  not said      WHERE-  Tainan, Koahsiung, Taiwan HOW- not  said

keywords 
outbreak  爆發

      

week 3 - 美同性婚姻合法

U.S. Supreme Court legalizes same-sex marriage in all 50 states

      The U.S. Supreme Court ruling giving gay people the right to marry in all 50 states is vindication of the belief that "ordinary people can do extraordinary things" and has "made our union a little more perfect," President Barack Obama said Friday.

The court ruled that allowing states to deny gay people the right to marry is a violation of the 14th Amendment.

In a 5-4 decision released Friday, the court ruled that the amendment obliges states to license marriages between people of the same sex and to recognize marriages lawfully performed outside of state. Thirty-seven of the 50 states and the District of Columbia already allow gay marriage, and Friday's ruling means the others will have to follow suit.

The ruling only affects state laws. Religious institutions can still choose whether or not to marry same-sex couples.

"When all Americans are treated equal, we are all more free," he said from the White House Rose Garden.Obama called the decision "a victory for America" and said it "affirms what millions of Americans already believe in their hearts."

He praised the perseverance of those who have fought for gay rights and marriage equality for decades "and slowly made an entire country realize that love is love."

Outside of the court in Washington, D.C., gay couples and gay rights supporters erupted in cheers, whoops and cries of U-S-A!" and "Love is love" when the ruling came down."Change must have seemed so slow for so long," Obama said. "But compared to so many other issues, America's shift has been so quick."

"I'm simply elated," said Kenneth Barnes, waving a rainbow flag he's had for more than 20 years. "I never thought I'd see this in my lifetime," 

Barnes and his partner married in California in 2008. "Now, everyone can do this," he said.

Many same-sex couples living in states where gay marriage had been banned headed immediately to county clerks' offices to get marriage licences as state officials issued statements saying they would respect the ruling. Technically, the losing side has three weeks to ask for reconsideration of the ruling, but many state officials and county clerks started issuing marriage licences right away.

Some waived the usual waiting period between getting a licence and the marriage ceremony.

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http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/u-s-supreme-court-legalizes-same-sex-marriage-in-all-50-states-1.3127280

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Structure of the Lead：      WHO- The U.S. Supreme Court
      WHEN-Jun 28, 2015 
      WHAT- legalizes same-sex marriage in all 50 states

      WHY-  (Not said)
      WHERE-  The U.S., 50 states

      HOW- In a 5-4 decision released on Friday, the court ruled that the amendment obliges states to license marriages between people of the same sex and to recognize marriages lawfully performed outside of state. 

Key words:

1. vindication (n.) 表白,平反

2. affirm (v.) 肯定,確任

Week 2 - 國小女童遭殺害

Eight-year-old who had throat cut dies in hospital

A second-grader whose throat was cut at an elementary school in Taipei died of her wounds yesterday, less than a day after she was attacked.

The eight-year-old girl, who was identified only by her surname, Liu (劉), was found bleeding from her neck and unconscious on the floor of a bathroom on Friday afternoon and was rushed to Taipei Veterans General Hospital.

Medical staff said Liu showed no vital signs when she arrived at the hospital and had a 10cm cut to her neck that had severed her trachea and carotid artery.

The suspected killer, 29-year-old Kung Chung-an (龔重安), was taken into custody after questioning at Taipei’s Shilin District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday, with authorities continuing their investigation.

Kung is suspected of having entered Wenhua Elementary School in Taipei’s northern Beitou District (北投) on Friday and using a knife to slit Liu’s throat.

Police said preliminary questioning indicated that Kung picked Liu as his victim simply because she was alone and outside of her classroom.

He allegedly followed her into the toilet, where he grabbed her from behind and cut her throat.

During a bail hearing at the Shilin District Court yesterday, Kung said he wanted to kill someone because he had problems at work, was unhappy about his life and did not have a girlfriend.

Kung also said that lately he felt stressed and that he heard voices scolding him, which led to him committing the crime.

An official at the Shilin District Court said that Kung admitted attacking the girl during questioning yesterday.

Investigators searched Kung’s rented apartment in Beitou for illicit drugs, bit did not find any, they said.

Former coworkers from his previous jobs as a courier and building security guard said Kung was a polite young man who performed well at work.

Kung’s family said he moved out a few years ago to live alone, adding that he was fond of playing action computer games and enjoyed reading comic books.

Kung was taken into custody and transferred to the Taipei Detention Center in New Taipei City’s Tucheng District (土城) after his bail hearing yesterday, where prosecutors cited the likelihood of him attempting to flee justice.

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http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2015/05/31/2003619557

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Structure of the Lead：

      WHO-   Liu, Kung Chung-an

      WHEN-  May 30, 2015

      WHAT-  eight-year-old girl died because of throat cut 

      WHY-  the killer wanted to kill someone because he had problems at work, was unhappy     about his life and did not have a girlfriend

      WHERE- Wenhua Elementary School in Taipei’s northern Beitou District

      HOW-  Kung Chung-an used a knife to slit Liu’s throat

-

1.unconscious (adj.) 昏迷的

2. trachea (n.) 氣管

3.carotid artery (n.) 頸動脈

4.authorities (n.) 當局

5.preliminary (adj.) 初步的

6.allegedly (adv.) 據稱地

7.prosecutors (n.) 檢察官

Week 1 - 馬拉拉

A Nobel Peace Prize for Malala Yousafzai

    When Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenager known for advocating girls’ education, won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, she quickly made yet another gutsy gesture. She invited the prime ministers of Pakistan and India to attend the December awards ceremony.

    Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan and Narendra Modi of India should immediately accept. The two countries, once joined in the British colonial empire, are known for fiercely asserting their separateness and have three times gone to war over the disputed region of Kashmir. In recent weeks, there have been attacks across their shared border as well as provocative rhetoric from their respective capitals.

    The Nobel news gives the prime ministers and their countries an opportunity to share common ground and match the leadership shown by Ms. Yousafzai and her co-winner, Kailash Satyarthi of India, an activist who has worked over more than 30 years to end child labor and free children from trafficking.

    The Nobel committee made an inspired choice in pairing Ms. Yousafzai and Mr. Satyarthi, who, on a superficial level, are opposites. At 17, she is the youngest Nobel winner, female, Pakistani, Muslim. He is 60, male, Indian, Hindu.

    They certainly have brought attention to some of their countries’ failings. Ms. Yousafzai became an international icon after being shot in the head by the Taliban in 2012—revenge for campaigning on behalf of girls’ education. Many Pakistanis, using twisted logic, have since accused her of being a tool of the West, out to damage Pakistan’s reputation. Mr. Satyarthi, though not nearly as well known, began working for children’s rights in 1980 and often faced danger when he rescued children weaving carpets or toiling in rice fields. In 1998, he organized the Global March Against Child Labor across 103 countries.

    But the two laureates are also manifestations of the courage and determination some Pakistanis and Indians have shown in pursuing just causes that improve the lives of the most vulnerable members of society.

    Mr. Sharif and Mr. Modi both say they want their countries to grow and prosper. For that to happen they must support Ms. Yousafzai and Mr. Satyarthi’s efforts to secure safety and education for children.

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http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/10/10/a-nobel-peace-prize-for-malala-yousafzai/?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FYousafzai%2C%20Malala&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=7&pgtype=collection
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 Structure of the Lead：

      WHO- Malala Yousafzai and Mr. Satyarthi

      WHEN- October 10, 2014 

      WHAT- Won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday

      WHY-  Fighting for girls’ education against Taliban 

      WHERE- not given

      HOW- not given

Keywords：

 advocating (v.) 倡導

separateness (n.) 獨立性
disputed (adj.) 爭議性的 
provocative (adj.) 挑釁性的
respective (adj.) 各自的

trafficking (v.) 販賣

behalf (v.) 代表
laureates (n.) 獲獎者
manifestations (n.) 表現
vulnerable (adj.) 弱勢的