escalating, inflate, first-ever, on the part of, unprecedented, precedent-setting

The Japanese hostage might escape the death threatening.

ISIS Extends Deadline

ISIS released a message late Wednesday purportedly by Japanese hostage Kenji Goto, extending the deadline for Jordan's release of an Iraqi would-be hotel bomber linked to al-Qaeda. The audio was released as Jordan had offered a precedent-setting prisoner swap

What unprecedented protest means for Taiwan
Googlers Get The Gift Of The G1; Probably Won't Inflate HTC Sales (Tricia Duryee)

UN sets up food crisis task force

The United Nations and the World Bank have announced the creation of
a task force to deal with an unprecedented rise in global food
prices. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told a news conference in
Berne, Switzerland that the task force would help to provide a
coordinated response to the food crisis. World Bank president Robert
Zoellick called on countries not to ban exports on food, saying it
only worsened the current situation. After two days of meetings of
agency heads, the UN said in a statement that escalating food prices
have become a crisis for the world's most vulnerable, including the
urban poor.



EU Imposes Tariffs on Imports of Steel Pipe From China

EU officials approved pre-emptive penalties on imports of steel pipe from China, a precedent-setting move that suggests the trading bloc is growing more protectionist.

The Afghan collection gives an unprecedented look into the lives of Jews in ancient Persia in the 11th century. The paper manuscripts, preserved over the centuries by the dry, shady conditions of the caves, include writings in Hebrew, Aramaic, Judea-Arabic and the unique Judeo-Persian language from that era, which was written in Hebrew letters.
（AP）
這批阿富汗文件對11世紀古波斯的猶太人生活提供了史無前例的深入理解。這些紙製手稿數世紀以來都在乾燥、陰暗的洞穴環境裡獲得良好保存，使用的文字包括希伯來文、亞蘭文、猶太─阿拉伯文，以及當時以希伯來字母寫成、獨特的猶太─波斯文。



Tech Firms Log On to San Francisco Race

In Tuesday's San Francisco mayoral election, 16 candidates will battle in one of the most competitive contests in years. And Silicon Valley technology players are getting involved to an unprecedented degree.

It is unprecedented in Taiwan's short history as a democracy. Direct presidential elections were first held in 1996, after one-party rule ended in the 1980s.
Many expected a guilty verdict but some believed the trial was political revenge on the part of the new ruling party.
Mr Chen and his Democratic Progressive Party favoured Taiwan's independence from the Chinese mainland, angering Beijing as well as the pro-China Kuomintang (KMT) in Taiwan.


Unprecedented credit rating downgrade adds to US economic woes

	The United States has experienced its first-ever credit rating downgrade, just days after a last-minute deal between Democrats and Republicans to avoid defaulting on government bonds.

on the part of

1. Regarding or with respect to (the one specified): Brilliant strategy on the part of Confederate forces ensured their victory at Chancellorsville.

unprecedented

Line breaks: un|pre¦ce¦dent¦ed

Pronunciation: /ʌnˈprɛsɪdɛntɪd /

ADJECTIVE

• Never done or known before:the government took the unprecedented step of releasing confidential correspondence
  

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Derivatives

unprecedentedly
ADVERB

[AS SUBMODIFIER]: a period of unprecedentedly high prices

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unprecedented

[形]前例のない, 空前の, 無比の, 新しい, 新奇な.

precedent

Line breaks: pre¦ce|dent

Definition of precedent in English:

NOUN

Pronunciation: /ˈprɛsɪd(ə)nt

  

/

1An earlier event or action that is regarded as anexample or guide to be considered in subsequentsimilar circumstances:there are substantial precedents for using interactivemedia in training

MORE EXAMPLE SENTENCESSYNONYMS

1.1Law A previous case or legal decision that may be or ( binding precedent) must be followed insubsequent similar cases:we hope to set a legal precedent to protecthundreds of miles of green lanes

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ADJECTIVE

Pronunciation: /prɪˈsiːd(ə)nt

  

, ˈprɛsɪ-/

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Preceding in time, order, or importance:a precedent case

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Origin

late Middle English: from Old French, literally 'preceding'.

escalate 

verb [I or T]
to make or become greater or more serious:
The decision to escalate UN involvement has been taken in the hopes of a swift end to the hostilities.
His financial problems escalated after he became unemployed.
The escalating rate of inflation will almost certainly bring escalating prices.

escalation 
noun [C or U]
It's difficult to explain the recent escalation in/of violent crime.

inflate (MAKE LARGER) Show phonetics
verb [T]
to make something larger or more important:
They inflated their part in the rescue every time they told the story.

inflated Show phonetics
adjective
Inflated prices, costs, numbers, etc. are higher than they should be, or higher than people think is reasonable.

conjugal, conjoin, conjoined twins

As Conjugal Visits Fade, a Lifeline to Inmates' Spouses Is Lost

By KIM SEVERSON

Mississippi, one of only a few states to allow conjugal visits, is putting an end to the hour that inmates and their spouses can spend alone together.

In the early 1900s Mississippi's prisons allowed private female visitors, but only for African-American convicts. This was in the racist belief that it would calm their supposedly fiery passions. Thinking about conjugal visits has moved on a bit. Some researchers, prisons and inmates say they help rehabilitation. But in America and Britain policymakers look on them with distaste http://econ.st/180PbPL



 詩中缺乏愛情詩,中國有寫夫婦之愛in conjugal love的詩甚多。

Doctors separate conjoined twins

來自 BBC News - UK

Sudanese twins who were born joined at the head have been successfully separated by British doctors at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital.

conjoin[con・join]

• 発音記号[kəndʒɔ'in]

[動](他)(自)((形式))結合［連接, 連合, 合同］させる［する］.

con・join・er

[名]結合［合同］する人［物］.

conjoin

Line breaks: con|join

Pronunciation: /kənˈdʒɔɪn /

Definition of conjoin in English:

VERB

[WITH OBJECT] formal

Join; combine:an approach which conjoins theory and method

Origin

late Middle English: from Old French conjoindre, fromLatin conjungere, from con- 'together' + jungere 'to join'.

conjoined twins

Line breaks: con|joined twins

Definition of conjoined twins in English:

PLURAL NOUN

Twins that are physically joined at birth, sometimessharing organs, and in some cases separable bysurgery (depending on the degree of fusion).

Usage

The term conjoined twins has supplanted Siamese twins in all contexts other than informal conversation.

conjugal

(kŏn'jə-gəl)
adj.
Of or relating to marriage or the relationship of spouses.

[Latin coniugālis, from coniūnx, coniug-, spouse, from coniungere, to join in marriage. See conjoin.]

conjugality con'ju·gal'i·ty (-găl'ĭ-tē) n.
conjugally con'ju·gal·ly adv.

going into administration, pre-pack, solvent, insolvency

Billions in Debt, Detroit Tumbles Into Insolvency By MONICA DAVEY and MARY WILLIAMS WALSH The city, the cradle of America's automobile industry and once the nation's fourth-most populous, is the largest American city ever to take such a course.

Postal Service Struggles to Stay Solvent, and Relevant
By STEVEN GREENHOUSE 6:00 PM ET
The United States Postal Service has long lived on the financial edge, but it has never been as close to the precipice as it is now.

2009 U.K. Banks Hit by Consumer Defaults

U.K. banks are seeing rising insolvencies as more consumers are unable to pay off credit-cards and personal loans.

German and Swiss officials have signed a revised treaty designed to combat
tax evasion. Berlin hopes the deal will generate billions of euros in
revenue. But opposition parties could still scupper the agreement.




Swiss Oil Refiner Petroplus to File for Insolvency Petroplus Holdings, the largest independent oil refiner in Europe, said on Tuesday that it was filing for insolvency after its creditors demanded repayment on $1.75 billion of outstanding debt.

After Nuclear Crisis, Japan's Biggest Utility Faces Insolvency Risk
New York Times
David Guttenfelder/Associated Press Japan said it would make Tokyo Electric liable for compensation claims that could amount to tens of billions of dollars. On Thursday, shares in Tokyo Electric again fell to a record low, at one point slumping to 148 ...


BA and Iberia take a step closer to becoming one of the world's biggest airlines
IN THE hope of weathering the worst conditions in years struggling airlines are seeking partnerships. On Thursday April 8th British Airways and Iberia inked in a merger deal agreed last November that will create the world's sixth largest airline by revenue—provided regulators, shareholders and BA's hefty pension liabilities do not scupper the tie-up. The day before news emerged that America's United Airlines and US Airways are again in merger talks after failing to get together in 2000 and 2008.

insolvent Show phonetics
adjective SPECIALIZED
(especially of a company) not having enough money to pay debts, buy goods, etc.


insolvency  破產
noun [U]
负债过多，无偿债能力，在高雅的经济德语里被称为"资不抵债"（insolvent），通俗口语就叫做"破产"（pleite）。仅2008年就有近3万家 德国公司遭遇了这样的命运，十几万人必须连带承受后果。这对他们在财务、人际关系和心理上所造成的影响是灾难性的，因为"破产"在德国始终是个禁忌话题。 现在，一个名为"匿名破产者"的公益性组织站了出来，向投诉无门的破产者提供帮助。


in・sol・vent

━━ a., n. 支払不能の（人）; 破産した（人）; （土地が）借金返済に不十分な; 〔戯言〕 文無しの.
in・sol・ven・cy　━━ n.

solvent

• [sɑ'lvənt | sɔ'l-]

[形]

1 〈人が〉支払い能力がある.

2 （…を）溶かす, 溶解する力のある((of ...)).

3 （迷信・偏見などを）弱める, （心・感情などを）和らげる.

━━[名]

1 [U][C]（…の）溶剤, 溶媒((for, of ...)).

2 （…の）解答, 解決策((for, of ...)).

3 （迷信・偏見などを）弱めるもの, （心・感情などを）和らげるもの((of ...)).

PATIENCE WHEATCROFT
Failure becomes a means of success

A growing band of aggrieved losers are raging against a system that was devised as a means of enabling businesses to go bankrupt with the minimum of job losses or damage to suppliers. Although the Enterprise Act came into force in the U.K. in 2002, it is only relatively recently that the "prepack administration" that it created has become relatively commonplace. However worthy the original intentions, there is a growing suspicion that the legislation is often being used to allow owners to shed obligations then continue about their business.

Administration, as a legal concept, is a procedure under the insolvency laws of a number of common law jurisdictions. It functions as a rescue mechanism for insolvent companies and allows them to carry on running their business. The process – an alternative to liquidation – is often known as going into administration.
 administration
Law The management and disposition of the property of a deceased person, debtor, orinsolvent company, by a legally appointedadministrator:the company went into administration

Pre-pack administration

A pre-pack is the process of selling the assets of a company immediately after it has entered administration. It is most likely that the previous directors or management purchase the assets of the company from the administrator and set up a new company.
This process has advantages in that it enables the administrator to realise a greater amount for the assets due to business continuity and the goodwill of the company are preserved. The employees of the company are also transferred to the new company preserving jobs.

tills, softened, steamrollered, rototiller/rotovator/rotavator,

Over the course of a generation Tesco steamrollered its way across the country, seemingly building supermarkets in every postcode to cement a dominant position resulting in its tills ringing up nearly £1 in every £7 spent on the British high street.

What happens when an empire starts to crumble?






Vo Nguyen Giap, 1911-2013

Relentless General Who Won 2 Vietnam Wars

By JOSEPH R. GREGORY

General Giap, who helped drive the United States and France from Vietnam, was later regarded as an elder statesman with softened views. He was thought to be 102.

Kuni Takahashi for The New York Times

The Saturday Profile

Bhutan’s New Leader Eyes Concrete Goals

By GARDINER HARRIS 7:35 PM ET

Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay is forgoing Bhutan’s “gross national happiness” campaign in favor of modest objectives like a rototiller in every village. 

rototiller

Pronunciation: /ˈrəʊtə(ʊ)ˌtɪlə/

noun[名]回転耕耘(こううん)機.

• North American term for rotavator.

Derivatives

rototill

verb

rotavator

Pronunciation: /ˈrəʊtəveɪtə/

(also rotovator)

noun

trademark

• a machine with rotating blades for breaking up or tilling the soil.

Derivatives

rotavate

verb

Origin:

1930s: blend of rotary + cultivator

till3

Pronunciation: /tɪl/

Translate till | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish

verb

[with object]

• prepare and cultivate (land) for crops:no land was being tilled or crops sown

Derivatives

tillable

adjective

 till

noun

• a cash register or drawer for money in a shop, bank, or restaurant: there were queues at the till checkout tills

Phrases

have (or with) one's fingers (or hand) in the till

used in reference to theft from one’s place of work:he was caught with his hand in the till and sacked

Origin:

late Middle English (in the general sense 'drawer or compartment for valuables'): of unknown origin

probiotic, find one's way, Beltway

Facebook Seeking Friends in Beltway

Facebook is trying to find its way in Washington, where it has only a fledgling lobbying operation, even though it finds its privacy policies under scrutiny and is trying to navigate expansion into China.

The White House and Congressional Democrats like to talk about their battle against "Wall Street lobbyists," but it's the rest of the economy that could use a few more advocates inside the Beltway. As Congressional negotiators prepare their final draft of new financial regulations, the potential impact on nonfinancial companies is striking.

Researchers may be on the verge of a cure for potentially fatal peanut allergies, with those involved in trials reporting it has already "changed their lives".

Peanut allergy researchers say they may have found key to a cure

Study of children given nut protein with probiotic has transformed the lives...

THEGUARDIAN.COM

probiotic

Line breaks: pro|biot¦ic

Pronunciation: /ˌprəʊbʌɪˈɒtɪk

  

/

Definition of probiotic in English:

ADJECTIVE

Denoting a substance which stimulates the growth ofmicroorganisms, especially those with beneficialproperties (such as those of the intestinal flora).

EXAMPLE SENTENCES

NOUN

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1A probiotic substance or preparation.

EXAMPLE SENTENCES

1.1A microorganism introduced into the body for itsbeneficial qualities.

EXAMPLE SENTENCES

Belt·way (bĕlt'wā') 
n.

1. The beltway surrounding Washington, D.C.
2. The political establishment of Washington, D.C., including federal officeholders, lobbyists, consultants, and media commentators.

find one's way

Reach a destination, especially with some difficulty or not as a matter of course. For example, She finally found her way to the remote cabin, or Some slang phrases have found their way into standard English. The literal use of this term dates from the 1200s, the figurative from the early 1800s.

Beltway
(bĕlt'wā')
n.

1. The beltway surrounding Washington, D.C.
2. The political establishment of Washington, D.C., including federal officeholders, lobbyists, consultants, and media commentators.