Interesting Words: E-waste

Taken from http://www.macmillandictionaryblog.com/words-in-the-news-e-waste/

E-waste – language and words in the news

by Kati Sule on September 28, 2009

E-waste is the new BuzzWord this week on Macmillan Online Dictionary.

The term e-waste, an abbreviation for electronic waste, and sometimes also referred to as e-scrap, describes used electronic devices such as mobile phones, computers, televisions, etc., that have been discarded. According to estimates by the UN, the world produces up to 50 million tonnes of e-waste per year.

For more information about e-waste and electronic waste recycling see the links below.

EDay in New Zealand
“New Zealand-wide, more than 1000 tonnes of electronic waste is expected to be diverted from landfills on eDay. The e-waste’s ultimate destination is South Korea, where valuable components are given a second life and remaining materials are responsibly disposed of.

Short video on e-waste in India (7:50 minutes)
“Every year, hundreds of thousands of old computers and mobile phones are dumped in landfills or burned in smelters. Thousands more are exported, often illegally, from Europe, US, Japan and other industrialised countries, to Asia. There, workers at scrap yards, some of whom are children, are exposed to a cocktail of toxic chemicals and poisons.”

The world is consuming more and more electronic products every year. This has caused a dangerous explosion in electronic scrap (e-waste) containing toxic chemicals and heavy metals that cannot be disposed of or recycled safely. But this problem can be avoided. We are pressing leading electronic companies to change; to turn back the toxic tide of e-waste. Every year, hundreds of thousands of old computers and mobile phones are dumped in landfills or burned in smelters. Thousands more are exported, often illegally, from the Europe, US, Japan and other industrialised countries, to Asia. There, workers at scrap yards, some of whom are children, are exposed to a cocktail of toxic chemicals and poisons.

Featured Podcast : BBC World Service Documentary – Death Diminishes Me

Five men from New Zealand paint a soundscape of memory, loss and regret as suffered by those living with HIV. They relate stories of loneliness and deep isolation - as most HIV positive Kiwis don't know anyone else with the virus.

Visit the page at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/documentaries/2009/07/000000_global_perspective_death_diminishes.shtml

Download (mp3) (Right click with your mouse to save to your computer)

DEATH DIMINISHES ME

Fifteen funerals within five years – that's the situation Shane found himself in the early 1990s when his friends started dying from AIDS related illnesses.

Shane is one of five HIV positive men from New Zealand who share their personal reflections and stories in Death Diminishes Me as they work towards self-acceptance.

The men have been living with HIV for over 20 years - coping with both the physical and psychological implications. Some of the shared experiences include the dramatic loss of confidence, having to 'come out' a second time and dealing with the stigma of being diagnosed HIV positive. "Who do I tell, what do I tell?" asks Shane.

"Through their openness we begin to glimpse unspoken truths about how homosexuality and HIV are dealt with in New Zealand society," says producer Gareth Watkins.

Death Diminishes Me asks the listener to consider what isolates people from, and what connects them to their friends, family and each other.

Symbol of hope

Throughout the work we hear excerpts from Michael Parmenter's A Long Undressing - an autobiographical theatre/dance-work that premiered in 1995 to great acclaim:

"We use memory as a way of reclaiming what has been taken away. To value even the feeling of loss, is to value life itself - and so to begin to live again"

Prose, interview and reflection all form the foreground, while fragments of half-remembered sounds form the background - a school yard, a summer's day, the beep-beep-beep of a machine that sustains life.

"Even though there is a lot of apparent darkness in Death Diminishes Me, there's also a lot of burning hope" says Gareth.

"The very fact that most of these men are still here after 20 years with HIV is a strong symbol of hope. The fact that they have coped and become stronger while watching friends and loved-ones die. The fact that they still stand tall is a testament to their will and hope to live.

"Ultimately death does not diminish us. It makes us, and those around us have greater insight into who and what we are."

First broadcast on Friday 17 July 2009

Video of the Moment: The Bare Essentials of Safety from Air New Zealand.

Air New Zealand staff bare all to get flyers' attention

In this new funny video that is actually being used on board the airline fleet of Air New Zealand, they are taking a new approach to get passengers to pay attention to the safety instructions. You’ll also get to enjoy a New Zealander accent or as it is locally known, a kiwi accent.

VOCABULARY

to bare all	to show yourself naked
to wing one’s way	to go or be sent quickly from one place to another We’ll be winging our way to our next port of call.
port of call	(informal) one of the places you visit on a trip
to lift off	(phrasal verb) when an aircraft or space vehicle lifts off, it goes up from the ground into the air But before we lift off, we’d like to give you what we call ‘the bare essentials’ of safety aboard this flight.
the bare essentials	what is basic and absolutely necessary for something. This is also a play on words with ‘bare’ which also has the meaning of being naked.
to tuck away	(phrasal verb) to store something in a safe place All baggage should be tucked away overhead.
to require	to impose an obligation We require all passengers to follow crew member instructions and lighted signs.
to happen to do something	to do something by chance If we happen to switch on the seat belt sign, please return to your seat and fasten your seatbelt.
to fasten	to close something such as a piece of clothing or a bag using the buttons, zipper, clip, etc. on it
snug	fitting closely to your body, or fitting closely into a space Not so tight as to lose the feeling in your legs, but enough to ensure that it’s snug and fits low across your hips.
to tighten	to pull something such as a rope or a belt until it is straighter or until it fits more tightly around something Tighten by pulling on both sides of the elastic.
to inflate	to fill something with air or gas so that it becomes the right shape and size for using Don’t worry if the bag doesn’t inflate, oxygen will flow through it automatically.
to brace oneself	to push your body, or a part of it, against something solid and strong in order to support yourself or to avoid falling If an emergency were to happen during takeoff or landing, brace yourself either on the seat in front of you or…
coincidentally	used for saying that something happens by chance Coincidentally, this is the perfect place to find your life jacket.
to be on hand	to be present or available to do something And we will be on hand to provide life jackets to babies, if needed.
to be plum out of something	(idiomatic) to not have something at all If you find yourself wanting to smoke while on board; sorry, but you’re plum out of luck. - Note: plum is used as an intensifier. So, if you want to say that you’re very tired, you might say, “I’m plum tired.”
to pop back	to clip or snap back into place During takeoff and landing, we’d ask that you’d pop your tray table back
upright	straight and tall Make sure your seat is upright.

Culture Spot: Waitangi Day (New Zealand’s National Holiday)

I just learned that today is a national holiday in New Zealand (also known as Middle Earth to some of us. LOL!).

Here are a few links to learn more about New Zealand and this holiday!

This link has several interesting other links for you to access such as a game to learn about New Zealander English! British Council Learning English - New Zealand

Wikipedia - Waitangi Day

New Zealand History Online - Waitangi Day-Introduction

New Zealand Government's Ministry for Culture and Heritage - Waitangi Day

Culture Spot 14: On This Day . . . November 28

On this day in 1893 women voted for the first time in modern times in a national election. The first modern nation grating women's suffrage was New Zealand. The Electoral Bill was given Royal Assent by the nation's royal governor on September 19 of that year. On this day, Elizabeth Yates was also elected mayor of Onehunga, the first female mayor anywhere in the British Empire.

Women in New Zealand campaigned for about 20 years for the right to vote believing that the female vote would restore morality to politics. They had to fight the age old belief that politics was outside a woman's natural sphere of interest and that they should keep their interests to family and home. Several attempts were made over the years to grant suffrage rights to women but to no avail.

By 1893, there was widespread support for the Electoral Bill and it passed easily through New Zealand's House of Representatives. However New Zealand's upper house, the Legislative Council was divided on the issue. The prime minister tried to get a member of the council to change his vote against the bill but two other coucilors were so annoyed at the prime minister's interference that they changed their vote in favor of the bill. The Electoral Bill passed 20 to 18!

However, women didn't receive the right to be elected to New Zealand's House of Representatives until 1919 and to the Legislative Council in 1941. In 1989, Helen Clark became the first female Deputy Prime Minister (and would become the second female Prime Minister in 1999) and in 1997, Jenny Shipley became the first female Prime Minister of New Zealand.

VOCABULARY

suffrage - droit de vote

widespread - très répandu

annoyed - agacé