Recommendation 1 from ‘CNN’
Article Name:‘Speak up for your planet’
By: Jennifer Morgan
The time we have to cut emissions to avoid the worst consequences of climate change is running short. The stakes are high.
Summary:
A detailed summary of the recent UN meet on climate change in Doha. An opinion which is given by the author is that the targets set for carbon emissions are old and need to be updated. Though the Kyoto Protocol has been signed by more than 200 countries, it alone is not enough to combat climate change and if we do not reach quickly on a global level, we could face devastating consequences.
Learn Words from the article:
1: Negotiation: Discussion aimed at reaching an agreement
2: Withering: Intended to make someone feel mortified or humiliated.
3: Enormous: Very large in size, quantity or extent
Recommendation 2 from ‘PSY (Blogs)’
Article Name:‘Weird beliefs around and how to tackle them?’
By: Stephan Lewandowsky
People love sensational stories. They like to pass on tales that make the listener very happy, disgusted or afraid: anything that provokes a strong emotional response.
Summary:
An interesting article, it discusses how people easily consume information which may be sensationalized and not true. The author discusses the reasons that lead to people believing weird things which may not have any connection with truth. In the 2nd part of the article, the author discusses how we should combat such sensationalized piece of information and people who believe in such tales.
Learn Words from the article:
1: Gist: The substance or essence of a speech or text
2: Authoritative: Able to be trusted as being accurate or true; reliable: “clear, authoritative information”.
3: Palatable: Pleasant to taste, Acceptable or Satisfactory
Recommendation 3 from ‘Washington Post’
Article Name:‘Pushing same sex marriage ahead’
By: Charles Lane
Aruling that the Constitution prohibits defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman would be one of the most activist in history, sweeping aside dozens of democratically enacted state and federal laws.
Summary:
A detailed discussion on the future of same sex marriage legalization in USA. The author tells us that how certain states have gone ahead with legalizing same sex marriage after voting thus making Supreme Court re-think its own decision of abolishing gay marriage act. Two extreme states have been compared, one which welcomes same sex marriage and other which cannot even think of it. Examples from the past have been quotes, like that of Roe. V. Wade (We read about her in Freakonomics) and how she went ahead with the abortion right.
Learn Words from the article:
1: Triumph: A great victory or achievement
2: Restraint: A measure or condition that keeps someone or something under control or within limits
3: Referendum: A general vote by the electorate on a single political question that has been referred to them for a direct decision.