2018年1月20日 星期六

debase, demean, pageant, beauty pageant, pageantry, a catch, concussion



Trump and his Republican enablers have sought power for the sake of power, with no real intention to actually lead the country. They’ve debased our institutions and shredded the truth. And, now, they've closed the government -- holding hostage hundreds of thousands of immigrant children who have known no other country than America, as well as 9 million children whose health care has lapsed.



Flake’s remarks today came just hours after Trump renewed his attacks on Republican Senator Bob Corker, who last weekend warned that Trump’s behavior could lead to “World War II” and said his concerns about Trump were shared by nearly every Senate Republican, even if few have spoken out. Today Trump said Corker “couldn’t get elected dog catcher in Tennessee.” Corker responded that Trump “is debasing our country.”

The French Senate voted to ban beauty pageants for those younger than 16: http://nyti.ms/1bt6bUR

Do you think beauty pageants for children should be banned?

Thousands cheer Queen in pageant

The concert follows Sunday's spectacular River Thames pageant which attracted hundreds of thousands of rain-soaked people to watch the flotilla of 1,000 vessels.
 “千船水上巡遊”的盛大場面是女王登基60週年周末慶典的主要節目。
 After a pageant on the Thames - where the elements weren't kind but the enthusiasm of the spectators was undimmed - a change of scene and tempo.

Ex-Players Sue NFL Over Concussions


Group claims the league intentionally hid knowledge of harmful effects for 90 years.



亨利四世是個搖擺不定的馬基雅維利主義者(Machiavellian),一個有良心、審慎的政治陰謀家 (「《亨利四世》第一、二部:哈利王子教育問題,頁118)


前兩引文都出自:阿魯裏斯 /蘇利文編《莎士比亞的政治盛典: 文學與政治論文集》 (Shakespeare's Political Pageant: Essays in Literature and Politics. Edited by Joseph Alulis and Vickie Sullivan, 1996 ..)趙蓉譯,北京華夏出版社,2011

此書索引還有6-7處討論到馬基雅維利的影響,請自行參考。


「盛典」云云當是望文生義,pageant其中一義解作:an elaborate public dramatic presentation that usually depicts a historical or traditional event.

Sure, Sean Spicer. Sure.



The debasement of Sean Spicer continues.
VANITYFAIR.COM


China Spreads Aid in Africa, With a Catch for Recipients
By SHARON LaFRANIERE and JOHN GROBLER
Anticorruption crusaders complain that China’s foreign aid secrecy invites corruption, and that corruption debases the assistance.




Taiwan probes pageant hoax
Straits Times - Singapore
TAIPEI - TAIWANESE prosecutors said on Monday they are probing claims that a pageant organiser conned a beauty contest by pretending his Australian models ...






The British prime minister used a speech to faith leaders to suggest that David Cameron, the opposition Conservative leader, was prepared to stand aside while the recession took its toll, a policy which he said “demeaned our humanity”.布朗利用向宗教领袖发表的演讲指出,反对党保守党领袖大卫•卡梅伦(David Cameron)准备在经济衰退造成损失之际作壁上观,他称这项政策“贬低了我们的人性”。


The papers lead with Barack Obama accepting the nomination for president last night in front of more than 84,000 people at a packed outdoor football stadium. When Obama walked on stage, the "cheering went on for several minutes; the stadium erupted with hundreds of camera flashes and shuddered from the concussion of thousands of stamping feet," notes the Wall Street Journal. USA Today says the Democratic convention ended "with a display of fireworks and pageantry worthy of an Olympic opening."




Ligron said she was trying to give Japanese contestants in Miss Universe more self-confidence and not simply focusing on their appearance.

"I personally hate the idea of 'beauty queens' because I would never consider manufacturing packaged-women to represent their countries on a global stage. Instead, I try to enhance the best of their personalities and minds and try to place invisible wings for them to fly high," she said.

She defended Miss Universe from critics who charge that beauty pageants demean women by putting them in a competition for approval.

"10 years ago, I believed that beauty pageants were just a joke -- old-fashioned and completely empty of any outcome for the girls entering them," she admitted.

But she said that with the Miss Universe Organisation, "I started to understand the reward of helping young girls find their inner beauties."

"Now I believe what beauty pageants teach young girls is how to achieve their goals in life. It teaches them to believe in themselves," she said.


catch

n.

  1. The act of catching; a taking and holding.

  2. Something that catches, especially a device for fastening or for checking motion.



    1. Something caught: The mistake you found was a good catch.

    2. Informal. One that is worth having, especially an attractive or admirable marital partner.

  3. Sports.

    1. The grabbing and holding of a thrown, kicked, or batted ball before it hits the ground.

    2. A game of throwing and catching a ball.

  4. A quantity that is caught: The catch amounted to 50 fish.

  5. A choking or stoppage of the breath or voice.

  6. A stop or break in the operation of a mechanism.

  7. A tricky or previously unsuspected condition or drawback: It sounds like a good offer, but there may be a catch.

  8. A snatch; a fragment.

  9. Music. A canonic, often rhythmically intricate composition for three or more voices, popular especially in the 17th and 18th centuries.



pageant

noun [C]
1 UK a show, usually performed outside, that consists of people wearing traditional clothing and acting out historical events:
Our youngest son is taking part in the school pageant.

2 US a competition for young women in which they are judged on their beauty and other qualities:
a beauty pageant

3 any colourful and splendid show or ceremony
  • [pǽdʒənt]
[名]
1 (特に歴史的・伝説的・宗教的事件を扱ったはなやかな)野外劇, ページェント;はでな行列;(祭の)仮装行列.
2 ((米))美人コンテスト.
3 華麗なもの;[U]虚飾.
[ラテン語pāgina (pāginaはPAGE1にみるごとく, 「締めつけて組み立てた物」→「移動式舞台」). △PACT

だし 山車


《祭の》a float; a pageant.
東京迪斯耐樂園

TDLがパレードを中止 事故を受け山車を点検
MSN産経ニュース
千葉県浦安市の東京ディズニーランド(TDL)のパレ ード中に「フロート」と呼ばれる山車の鉄柱が折れた 事故で、運営会社のオリエンタルランドは9日、同 日に予定し ...


pageantry
noun [U]
splendid, colourful and very expensive ceremonies:
She loved the pageantry and tradition of the Royal Family.

  • [pǽdʒəntri]

1 壮観;華麗;[U]虚飾, 見せかけ.
2 ((集合的))野外劇, 見せ物.(păj'ən-trē) pronunciation
n., pl., -ries.

  1. Pageants and their presentation.



    1. Grand display; pomp.

    2. Empty show; flashy display.






demean

tr.v., -meaned, -mean·ing, -means.
To conduct or behave (oneself) in a particular manner: demeaned themselves well in class.

[Middle English demeinen, to govern, from Old French demener : de-, de- + mener, to conduct (from Latin mināre, to drive (animals), from minārī, to threaten, from minae, threats).]

de·mean2 (dĭ-mēn') pronunciation
tr.v., -meaned, -mean·ing, -means.

  1. To debase, as in dignity or social standing: professionals who feel demeaned by unskilled work.

  2. To humble (oneself). See synonyms at degrade.

[DE– + MEAN2.]

debase
tr.v., -based, -bas·ing, -bas·es.
To lower in character, quality, or value; degrade. See synonims at adulterate, corrupt, degrade.

VERB

  • 1with object Reduce (something) in quality or value; degrade.
    ‘the love episodes debase the dignity of the drama’
    1. 1.1 Lower the moral character of (someone)
      ‘war debases people’
  • 2historical Lower the value of (coinage) by reducing the content of precious metal.
    ‘the King was forced to debase the coinage’

Origin

Mid 16th century (in the sense ‘humiliate, belittle’): from de- ‘down’ + the obsolete verb base (compare with abase), expressing the notion ‘bring down completely’.

[DE- + BASE2.]
debasement de·base'ment n.
debaser de·bas'er n.

concussion
  • [kənkʌ'ʃən]

1 脳しんとう.

2 衝撃, 震動.

con・cus・sion・al[形]








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