Vocabulary In the News : 27 November 2009 - US First Lady Receives White House Christmas Tree (VOA News)

 27 November 2009, VOA News

U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama received the official White House Christmas tree Friday.

Mrs. Obama emerged from the White House to inspect the tree with daughters Sasha and Malia, after it was delivered on a horse-drawn carriage.

The first lady could be overheard commenting that the more than 5.5- meter tree was the biggest Christmas tree the family has ever had.

The tree comes from a West Virginia Christmas tree-farming couple, Eric and Gloria Sundback, who won a contest run by the National Christmas Tree Association to earn the honor.

After presenting the tree to Mrs. Obama and having tea with her inside the White House, they described the experience as "wonderful" and "a thrill."

The National Christmas Tree Association says this is the 4th time the Sundbacks have won and presented a tree to a U.S. first lady.

The group says its members have presented the official tree for display in the White House Blue Room since 1966.

http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/usa/First-Lady-White-House-Christmas-Tree-27NOV09--76415002.html

Vocabulary In the News : 12 September 2009 – Chicago Tribune

For a readable version of this front page, you can save a pdf file copy HERE! Visit Chicago Tribune at : http://www.chicagotribune.com/

- The top article states that Obama is passing the torch to his wife to represent the Chicago next month in Copenhagen where the Olympic Committee will vote on which city hosts the 2016 Olympic Games. The expression comes from the ancient Greek torch race where a runner would pass a lighted torch to the next. If you pass the torch to someone, this means you pass on responsibility to someone. Look at these sentences:

When the company’s founder became to ill, he passed the torch to his son.

When Obama was inaugurated as president, Bush passed him the torch of the presidency.

- The First Lady’s leading the delegation to Copenhagen to make a final pitch for Chicago’s candidacy for the 2016 Games. A pitch is the things you say in order to persuade someone to buy something. Salesmen and publicity advertisements use pitches to convince you to buy something. When you go to a job interview, you make a pitch for a job.

- Mrs. Obama is hoping that delegation’s pitch will help Chicago land the the Olympic Games. If you land a job, you obtain the job that you wanted. In this case, Chicago wants to host the 2016 Games. If the committee votes in favor of Chicago, the city will have landed the Games. Let’s keep our  fingers crossed!

To read the article : http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-obama-olympics-12-sep12,0,2337639.story

The front page of the Chicago Tribune was taken from : http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/

Visit the Chicago 2016 websit!

Watch a Chicago 2016 candidate city bid video:

 

Vocabulary in the News: Michelle Obama Tries to Win Over Russians

VOCABULARY

to win over	(phrasal verb) to persuade someone to agree with you or to be friendly with you Mrs. Obama will face a challenge as she tries to win over the Russian people
to face a challenge	to deal with something that needs a lot of skill, energy and determination, especially something you have never done before and will enjoy doing - Note: if you face a challenge successfully, you meet a challenge.
in the spotlight	(idiomatic) in a situation where you get a lot of public attention The Russian people aren’t used to seeing politicians’ wives in the spotlight. - Note: a spotlight is a powerful that shines on a small area such as in a theater
to make public remarks	to publically give facts or your opinion about something or someone
to spark rumors (U.S) or rumours (British)	(idiomatic) to start or produce stories or information that may or may not be true. The wife of former President Vladimir Putin was seen in public so infrequently it sparked rumors that the two are estranged. - Note: to spark means to start a fire or an explosion
estranged	an estranged husband or wife is no longer living with their partner
to embrace	to accept and include something Reisa Gorbachev embraced high fashion.
to beg the question	(expression) to make you want to know the answer to a particular question And that begs the question how this American First Lady; already known for her elegance, personal style and not to mention a willingness to speak her mind; will play in today’s Russia. - Note: to beg is when you ask for something and show you want it very much. It is also used when you ask for money or food, usually because you are very poor.
willingness	the state of being ready to do something, even when you do not want to
needless to say	(expression) used for saying that something is already known or understood There are more Russian women in politics and in the government, which needless to say, makes me very happy.
to be in sharp contrast to something	to be extremely different from something else The Obama girls are often seen at public events which is sharp contrast to the children of Medvedev and Putin, who have almost never been seen in public.