Leonardo DiCaprio finally wins his Oscar

    Well, all that beard growing and bison liver-eating paid off.

    Nineteen years after "Titanic" made him a global star, Leonardo DiCaprio finally won an Oscar Sunday night for his uncompromising role as a vengeful frontiersman in "The Revenant," his first win after coming away empty-handed at four previous Academy Awards shows.

   The actor, 41, was composed but heartfelt in his best actor acceptance speech, in which he thanked mentor Martin Scorsese and urged viewers to combat climate change.

Oscars 2016: Complete winners list

    "Making 'The Revenant' was about man's relationship to the natural world, a world that we collectively felt in 2015 as the hottest year in recorded history. Our production needed to move to the southern tip of this planet just to be able to find snow," he said.

  "Climate change is real. It is happening right now. It is the most urgent threat facing our entire species, and we need to work collectively together and stop procrastinating. We need to support leaders around the world who do not speak for the big polluters or the big corporations, but who speak for all of humanity, for the indigenous people of the world, for the billions and billions of underprivileged people who will be most affected by this, for our children's children, and for those people out there whose voices have been drowned out by the politics of greed.

   "I thank you all for this amazing award tonight. Let us not take this planet for granted. I do not take tonight for granted."

   The actor received his first Oscar nomination in 1994 for his supporting role as Johnny Depp's mentally disabled little brother in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape." But the award went to Gene Hackman for "Unforgiven." DiCaprio was later nominated for playing Howard Hughes in 2005's "The Aviator," a diamond smuggler in 2006's "Blood Diamond" and a crooked stockbroker in Scorsese's "The Wolf of Wall Street," released in 2013.

Most Oscar pundits had expected him to win for Alejandro Iñárritu's "Revenant," an 1820s frontier drama that became famous for its arduous wintertime shoot -- and a brutal onscreen bear attack -- long before moviegoers ever saw the completed film. DiCaprio plays Hugh Glass, a fur trapper who survives the bear mauling and journeys hundreds of miles to seek revenge on the man who betrayed and abandoned him.

For one scene the actor ate a real raw bison liver -- a commitment that may have swayed academy voters.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/02/29/entertainment/leonardo-dicaprio-oscars-revenant-feat/

Vocabularies1. bison 野牛
2. vengeful 復仇
3. mentor 導師
4. indigenous 土著
5. underprivileged 弱勢
6. pundits 專家
7.arduous 艱鉅
8.mauling 抨擊

5W1H
What - Leonardo Dicaprio won his first Oscar award
Why-His uncompromising role as a vengeful frontiersman in "The Revenant,"
Where - Oscar Award
When - 2016/2/29
Who - Leonardo Dicaprio
How - He did a good job in the film.

Tainan ends search for quake victims

      Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德) at 4:20pm yesterday announced that the search-and-rescue operation at the Weiguan Jinlong complex in Tainan, which collapsed in an earthquake on Feb. 6, has come to an end, after the body of the last missing resident was found.

      According to Central Emergency Operations Center statistics, the death toll from the magnitude 6.4 earthquake yesterday rose to a total of 116, of which 114 occurred at the Weiguan Jinlong complex, with one person who lived near the complex still missing.

      The last body, which was recovered at 3:57pm yesterday, was the building’s management committee chairman, Hsieh Chen-Yu (謝鎮宇), who lived in building G, Lai said.

      Tainan Deputy Mayor Tseng Hsu-cheng (曾旭正) said the only person still missing after the earthquake is a woman surnamed Lin (林), who lived near the Weiguan Jinlong complex and had a habit of going out to exercise early every morning. Lin’s family has been unable to contact her since the earthquake.

      The use of heavy equipment to break up and clear away rubble from the site was authorized in the hope of rescuing everyone as soon as possible, Lai said, adding that experience gained from the recovery work could be used as a reference by the National Fire Administration when considering rescue procedures in the future.

      If rescue workers can use heavy equipment to retrieve bodies intact from the rubble, it means that such equipment could also be used to accelerate the search for survivors in sections that search-and-rescue personnel would not be able to reach by themselves, he said.

      Even though heavy equipment was ready for use 36 hours after the earthquake, authorities were required to follow regulations and could only allow their use 62 hours after the event, which created a dilemma, Lai said.

     The Construction and Planning Administration said it would expand a two-year-old-building examination project, increasing the number of buildings that are to receive subsidies of NT$8,000 for surveys and improvements this year from 500 to 2,000.

     Priority is to be given to buildings in the six special municipalities and southern counties, with an emphasis to be placed on ensuring the structural safety of buildings, the administration said, adding that applications for the subsidy might begin as soon as next month.

     The project, which is to examine the ability of private buildings to resist earthquakes and provide a subsidy for improvement measures, was planned in July last year, administration Director Hsu Wen-lung (許文龍) said, adding that because of the earthquake, the agency has decided to expand its scale to 2,000 buildings.

     Preliminary evaluations are to include checking for cracks on buildings’ beams and pillars and peeling on exterior walls, Hsu said.

     Due to southern residents’ concerns about the structural safety of buildings they live in after the earthquake, the administration is to subsidize buildings in southern Taiwan first, he added.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2016/02/14/2003639340

Vocabularies

1.toll 收費

2.authorized 合法
3.retrieve取回

4.intact from從完整

5.personnel人員

6.dilemma困境

7.municipalities直轄市

8.subsidy補貼

9.Preliminary初步

10.subsidize資助

5W1H

Where -  Weiguan Jinlong complex in Tainan

What -  A big earthquake happened
When - 4:20 A.M. on Feb 6th
Why - A big earthquake and a fragile building
Who - Tainan citizens and some authorities
How - A big earthquake caused the collapse of  Weiguan Jinlong complex in Tainan

Animal care groups benefit as director donates NT$20m

    Best-selling author and film director Giddens Ko (柯景騰), also known as Jiu Ba-dao (九把刀), has kept his promise to donate all of the box-office earnings from his documentary Twelve Nights to animal rescue and care groups.

    The documentary, which Ko produced to raise awareness of how stray animals are treated in Taiwan, grossed more than NT$60 million (US$2 million) at the domestic box office from November last year through February.

    Proceeds of more than NT$20.91 million — after deducting taxes and the share paid to cinemas — have been given to animal protection groups, including Taipei-based Stray Cats TNR (Trap Neuter Return) Association. The film’s production costs — about NT$6 million in total — were completely covered out-of-pocket by Ko, who took no part of the profits.

    In a press conference to announce the donation on Monday, Ko said that his team started the project with the goal of making a film to encourage more people to care about strays.

    “Twelve Nights" has created a focal point to bring together all the animal protection groups that already pay a lot of attention to this issue,” he said, adding that efforts to raise awareness of and to help stray animals “have to continue.”

    The documentary records the lives of stray dogs at an animal shelter in Changhua County’s Yuanlin Township (員林). The title refers to the number of days the dogs have before they are put down if they are not adopted.

    In a blog post in October last year, Ko said he had originally estimated a budget of less than NT$1 million for the project, but later decided to invest more because he wanted the film to be powerful enough to move audiences.

    In the post, he thanked everyone who purchased tickets to see his directorial debut, the romantic comedy-drama You Are the Apple of My Eye, based on his novel of the same name.

    He said the success of that film was what enabled him to fund Twelve Nights.

    You Are the Apple of My Eye was the third-highest-grossing film in Taiwan in 2011.

    It also set a record for being the highest-grossing Chinese-language film in Hong Kong to date.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2014/05/21/2003590884

Vocabularies1.deducting 扣除2.focal 焦

5W1H
What - A documentary film
Who - Giddens Ko
When - 2014/05/21
Where - Taipei
Why - To rise people's awareness of stray dogs
How - Make it into a documentary to show.

San Bernardino shooters 'supporters' of ISIS, terror group says

    ISIS on Saturday hailed the two people who massacred 14 people in Southern California this week as "supporters" of the terror group -- a message that came after U.S. investigators said they suspect one of the shooters professed loyalty to the Islamist network.

    The terror group's official Iraq-based station made the declaration following Wednesday's San Bernardino shooting that also left 21 injured, but notable for a group quick to claim attacks did not say the couple were members or that ISIS was responsible.

     Tashfeen Malik and her husband, Syed Rizwan Farook, sprayed bullets at Farook's co-workers at a holiday party for the environmental health department in San Bernardino before being gunned down in a shootout with authorities the same day.

   "We pray to God to accept them as martyrs," ISIS' al-Bayan Radio declared Saturday.

    The ISIS radio report came a day after the FBI said it was treating the attack as an act of terrorism.

    It also came after reports that Malik made a public declaration of loyalty to ISIS' leader while the attack was underway. Three U.S. officials familiar with the investigation told CNN on Friday that Malik posted to Facebook a pledge of allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

    The couple's motivation for the attack is a key focus for investigators. But ISIS' acknowledgment of Malik and Farook as supporters doesn't mean they were members or that someone from the group ordered it, said retired Air Force Lt. Col. Rick Francona, a CNN military analyst and a former intelligence officer.

President Obama to address nation over terror threats

   ISIS, when claiming responsibility for other terrorist attacks, would call attackers "knights" or "soldiers" rather than supporters. It has, however, urged sympathizers to carry out attacks on their own.

   "What they're calling these two are supporters, which is kind of a lesser level," indicating it might not have had direct contact with the couple, Francona said.

    On Saturday morning, officials briefing President Barack Obama about the investigation told him that they had "no indication that the killers were part of an organized group or a broader terrorist cell," the White House said.

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/12/05/us/san-bernardino-shooting/

Vocabularies

1.hailed 歡呼2.massacred 屠殺3.martyrs 烈士4.pledge  保證5.allegiance 忠誠6.lesser 小

5W1H

What - An terror attackWho - ISISWhen - 2015/12/05Where - California, San Bernardino 
Why - It was related to ISISHow - The terror group declared it

“Beyond Beauty: Taiwan From Above” Launched Brisbane Premiere

        Award winning documentary “Beyond Beauty: Taiwan From Above” launched Brisbane Premiere on 9th July 2014 at Hoyts Cinema in Sunnybank Plaza. The Director of the film Mr. Chi Po-lin and Producer Mrs. Tseng Chiung-Yao both attended the Premiere. Their attendance was broadly welcomed by the government, communities and commercial firms. The red carpet event was organized by World Arts & Multi-Culture Inc. (WAMCI).

    “Beyond Beauty: Taiwan from Above” (Chinese: 看見台灣) is a 2013 documentary film which documents Taiwan completely in aerial photography, offering a glimpse of Taiwan's natural beauty as well as the effect of human activities and urbanization on our environment.

      After the huge flood in 2009, which has flushed few villages and the natural beauty of Taiwan away, due to the over industrial developments, Chi has decided to abandon his public service career 3 years before his retirement and started to make the film to evoke people’s attention on the serious environmental issues that Taiwan is facing.

     Aerial photographer-turned-filmmaker Chi Po-lin used to work for Taiwan's National Highway Engineering Bureau. From a public servant to a film director, Chi took a big step by taking a house loan from the bank to cover the enormous cost of film making. Chi’s love of the land of Taiwan has also inspired many industrial firms and as such they have sponsored the film by providing funds towards the making of the film. Chi has thanked all these supporters at the media conference in Brisbane.

      The film is directed by aerial photographer Chi Po-Lin and produced by Hou Hsiao-hsien, with narration by Wu Nien-jen. The music is composed by Ricky Ho, with three songs written and performed by Nolay Piho (Lin Ching-tai). The film launched on November 1 2013 at 44 theaters in Taiwan, with Chinese and English subtitles. The film broke the Taiwan box office records for the largest opening weekend and the highest total gross of a locally produced documentary. The film was nominated for Best Documentary and Best Original Film Score at the 50th Golden Horse Awards, winning the best documentary category.

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1152855

Vocabularies

1. aerial 天線

2. narration 記敘

5W1H

What - A documentary film

Who - Chi Po-Lin, Hou Hsiao-hsien

When - 2009 to 2013

Where - Taiwan

Why - It broke the record

How - The highest total gross of a locally produced documentary

Photos of Syrian Boy Show Need to Stop Boats: Abbott

Heart-breaking images of a Syrian toddler washed up on a Turkish beach were a reminder of the need to stop people-smuggling boats, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said yesterday, as he stood firm on Canberra’s headline immigration policies.

Photographs of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi lying dead on the sand as Europe grapples with its worst refugee crisis since World War II showed the “evil” nature of people-smuggling, Abbott said.

Australia’s conservative government introduced a military-led operation to turn back boats carrying asylum seekers attempting to arrive on the mainland after it came to power in September 2013.

“It was an absolutely heart-rending photograph and I don’t think any parent could see that photograph without being devastated,” Abbott told reporters in Wodonga, south of Canberra.

“I know that there has been quite a bit of interest in the policies that Australia has put in place, because if you do stop the people-smuggling trade obviously you end the deaths at sea. The most compassionate thing you can do in the medium and long-term is to close down this evil trade,” he said.

Under Australia’s immigration policy, asylum seekers that arrive are sent to the Pacific islands of Nauru and Papua New Guinea to be processed and denied resettlement in Australia even if they are found to be refugees.

Canberra has declared the policy a success and this month marked a year since the last successful boat arrival. It said that 20 vessels carrying 633 asylum seekers have been turned back since 2013.

Rights groups have said Australia’s policy of sending asylum seekers to offshore camps has been a “disaster” in the two years it has been in place.

Abbott added that a call by Australian Minister for Agriculture Barnaby Joyce to boost the number of Syrian refugees his nation takes in was already in place after Australia last year said it would resettle 2,200 Iraqis and 2,200 Syrians fleeing violence.

“It’s precisely because we have got much better border controls in place, we’ve established much better border security that we are in a position to increase our refugee and humanitarian intake,” he said.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2015/09/05/2003627012
Vocabularies
1.toddler 嬰兒
2.grapple 扭打；格鬥
3.heart-rending 憂愁

5W1H
What - A worst refugee crisis
Who -  A Syrian boy
When - September 5,2015
Where - Turkish beach
Why - The people-smuggling trade
How - A photographer found it and wanted everyone to know
          the tragedy.

China explosions: Chemical specialists sent to Tianjin.

China has sent a team of military chemical experts to the northern city of Tianjin, after explosions left at least 50 dead, state media report.

The blasts, late on Wednesday night, ripped through an industrial port area, destroying buildings, shipping containers and thousands of new cars. It is not known what caused the blasts, nor whether chemicals have leaked.

   More than 3,500 residents are spending the night in temporary shelters. Hundreds are injured, 71 critically.
   Rescue teams were ordered to wear protective clothing, it added.
  The warehouse that exploded is owned by a company called Ruihai Logistics, which handles toxic chemicals including sodium cyanide and toluene diisocyanate, according to reports.

The People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, reports that rescuers "are trying to remove all the 700 tons of sodium cyanide" stored at the site. Hydrogen peroxide had been prepared to detoxify the chemical, the paper says.

   State news agency Xinhua reports that rescue workers are "racing against the clock to save the injured and contain fires", 24 hours after the massive blasts at a warehouse in the Binhai New Area.

  Many of the wounded had glass or shrapnel cuts, skull injuries or fractures, Wang Siaojie of Teda Hospital said. More than 200 experts in chemical materials from the Chinese army have arrived in Tianjin. Their first task was to test the air for toxic gases, Xinhua said.

The Tianjin Port Group Company said dozens of its employees were unaccounted for, according to Xinhua.

Firefighters were already at the scene when the explosions took place.

They had been called to reports of a container fire, state media said. At least 17 firefighters are among the dead.

The two successive explosions, at 23:30 local time on Wednesday (15:30 GMT), caused a fireball visible from space and a blast wind that broke windows several kilometers away.

A large area of the port was devastated. Shipping containers were left buckled, bent and toppled on top of each other like toy bricks.

Row upon row of new cars were reduced to blackened husks.

Almost 10,000 vehicles were ruined, according to Chinese media, with Renaults and Volkswagens the worst affected.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-33915683

 Vocabularies

1. fractures 骨折

2. sodium 鈉

3. cyanide 氰化物

4. toluene 甲苯

5. diisocyanate 二異氰酸酯

6. peroxide 過氧化

7. detoxify  解毒

8. buckled 扣

9. toppled 扳倒

10. husks  皮

5W1H 

What – A terrible explosion in Tianjin

Who – Residents in Tianjin

When – August12, 2015

Where – Tianjin, China

Why – Some chemical materials cause an explosion.

How -  Helped by rescue teams and chemical experts