WHEN Congressmen Won't Stop Talking: Filibuster

Right now, at this very moment there is a senator in Washington D.C who has been talking for over 8 hours on the Senate floor in a filibuster.  He said, "I will speak until I no longer can speak."  Although it started as a "one man stand", it has been gaining supporters.What is he trying to block the Senate from doing? What is he protesting (two different answers)? Is he being successful? Here is a list of some famous filibusters  over the years.  Do you this this would be an effective strategy? Do you have this practice in your country?
UPDATE:  How many hours did he go? Liisten to  the end of the filibuster where he summarizes his main point and also references another historic filibuster noted in the link above.And what was the White House's response? Here Sen Paul shares his thoughts.

Weather + Politics = A new word

Ok, so in the last few days we've been talking about the SEQUESTER that started on March 1st and has led to  federal spending cuts and then the SNOWstorm that hit the midwest yesterday and is hitting the Mid-Atlantic states today.

Sometimes the news likes to combine two stories into one..so now the storm hitting Washington DC is called SNOWQUESTER. Paragraph 4 of the article makes an interesting comparison between the storm and the newly imposed spending cuts. What is it? UPDATE: Interesting...How much snow DID the storm leave in DC?

WHEN Leaders Die

Today there are many headlines about the death of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez. When political leaders die, there is a certain  protocol that is followed, and also certain vocabulary terms and expressions that are used to describe them.

There will be talk of condolences and the funeral preparations. Here's a headline I just saw:
Chavez will lie in state for three days. A state funeral will be held on Friday.
 (here "state" means public)

There will also be debates about his legacy and possible successors (who will succeed him). World leaders will respond, as well as others.

In this case, Chavez was a controversial and divisive leader. You may hear him described as "polarizing", and a "foe" of the U.S. While others have called him a champion of  the oppressed.

He also had cancer, so you will hear words like ailing, how he fought and how he finally succumbed to the disease.

Here's a sample of different reports from around the world. CNN, Fox, AFP; BBC;

What is being said about his passing in your country?

Lion or Lamb?

 As a winter storm approaches the Chicago area during this first week of March, perhaps you have heard the term "March is coming in like a lion." If you haven't, you might soon.  What exactly does this term refer to and what is the connection with a lamb? Here's an article that explain where the term originated. . I knew of the first explanation but not the second one! Let's also take a quick tour around the country and see what is being said.;
Philadelphia, PA;
Minneapolis, MN;
New York, NY (from 2011);

Sinkhole in the News

In the United States, sinkholes are especially common in the state of Florida. Are you aware of them occurring in your country? Here are a few links about the recent sinkhole that swallowed up part of a house and, tragically, took the life of a man.  Do you have any questions?
Search for man ends 
The victim's brother's response
Demolition continues
Pictures of sinkholes from around the world
Background info about sinkholes
Another source...How sinkholes work
LANGUAGE FOCUS: Do you know understand and know how to use and pronounce the following words that are commonly used with such stories:
demolish/demolition; raze/razed/razing; debris; evacuate/evacuation;

MUSH! MUSH!

Have you ever been to Alaska? Do you have any interest in sled dog racing? Ok, even if the answers to both of those questions are NO, I'd like to humbly suggest you follow the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race over the next 8-10 days. Now you may be asking, why would I want to do that if I'm not interested in the sport? Because, it is an opportunity to 1. follow a story in English that will be in the news for an extended period of time. 2. interact with vocabulary and idioms used in most games and competitions. 3. read about/listen to human interest stories about the people in the race, which can provide practice with all your skills in English. Also, we will be doing it together, and I will be here if you have any questions. So let's get started!"The Last Great Race" starts today.

Happy Sequestration Day

As of midnight, the sequestration officially began. THIS article has a brief history and explanation of what happens next. Keep your eyes open for news of how the spending cuts will impact daily life in the US. Are people expecting immediate changes? And what does "hail Mary" here in this article from yesterday? (HINT..it's a term used in football)