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Better than jail?

Here's an interesting idea for dealing with minor criminals. Read the story and see if you think it is a good one for Thailand.

Judge orders shoplifters to wear ‘I stole’ signs

AP

Attalla, Alabama — Shoppers entering a Wal-Mart Supercentre in Alabama got a reminder not to try anything funny: Two shoplifters stood outside with signs reading ‘‘I am a thief, I stole from Wal-Mart’’.

Attalla City Judge Kenneth Robertson ordered the two to wear the signs for four hours each on two successive Saturdays.

‘‘The only comments we’ve heard so far have been positive,’’ said store manager Neil Hawkins.

‘‘Most of them thought it was a good thing.’’ One of the shoplifters, Lisa King Fithian, 46, wore the sign from 11am to 3pm to avoid a 60-day jail sentence. Another convicted shoplifter was at the store from 3pm to 7pm.

Fithian maintained her innocence saying her conviction was based on a misunderstanding. Outside the store, she said people who saw her wearing the sandwich board said the punishment was ‘‘cruel’’.

shoplifter – a person who steals goods from a store
funny – (in this case) illegal
successive – following immediately one after the other
positive – good
sentence – punishment
convicted – proven to have committed a crime in a court of law
innocence – the state of not having done anything wrong
maintained – kept saying or insisting that something is true
sandwich board – two boards, one in front and one in back that are connected at the top and worn by a person over the shoulders, usually to advertise something

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 06:06 AM

Raining tadpoles

You have to admit that this situation seems weird.

weird – strange
tadpole – a small animal that lives in water and develops into a frog

A tad weird

TOKYO: Residents in a small Japanese coastal town have reported tadpoles dropping out of the sky.

An office clerk in Nanao said he first noticed the anomaly when he heard a dull thud in a parking lot last week. Looking around, he saw about 100 dead amphibians splattered on car windscreens and the ground.

More reports followed from bewildered residents in Nanao. ‘‘People speculate that a waterspout picked them up and dropped them from the air,’’ an official at a local weather observatory said.

‘‘But I don’t think it was anything caused by a weather condition. We have checked the weather conditions for the last week.’’ AFP

tad – a little of something (in this case the writer is clearly referring to the tadpoles in the story)
anomaly – something unusual and unexpected
dull – of a low and not very clear sound
thud – a low sound made by something falling or hitting something
amphibian – an animal such as a frog or toad that lives mainly on land, but produces its eggs and develops into its adult form in water
splatter – (of a liquid) sending drops out in all directions after hit a surface hard
bewildered – confused and not certain what to do
speculate – to consider or discuss why something has happened or what might happen
waterspout – a spinning column of air filled with water which forms over the sea
observatory – a study centre for studying the stars or, in this case, the weather

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 06:04 AM

It might be me

It looks like any chance of winning is good enough for most people to take a chance, even if it is a very, very slim one.

slim – very small

Oz has Lotto fever

SYDNEY: Punters in queues at lottery ticket shops were pushing and shoving yesterday despite warnings from statisticians that their chances of dying before the draw are higher than winning the biggest ever jackpot in Australia’s history.

An Oz Lotto spokesman said that half of all adults held tickets for the A$100 million prize. Shops will stay open an extra hour to collect even more millions for the pool.

Millions planned to gather with family, friends and workmates for Lotto parties.

University of New South Wales statistician David Watson estimated the chances of winning were about one in 45 million: Less than dying from a snake bite or being struck down by lightning. dpa

Oz – (informal) Australia
punter – a person who makes a bet; a gambler
queue – a line of people waiting for something
draw – the choosing of a winner in a lottery or similar contest
jackpot – the largest prize offered in a competition
pool – a large amount of money collected together from people involved in an activity such as a lottery, some of which is received by the winners
workmate – someone you work with
lightning - a flash of bright light in the sky which is produced by electricity moving between clouds or from clouds to the ground

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 06:33 AM

Interesting accusation

What do you think the possibility is that what the man in the story said is actually true? Or is it just an excuse for a big loss.

FENG SHUI ‘RUINED MY WINNING STREAK’

REUTERS, AFP

venvegas

TAIPEI A Taiwanese man who lost US$2 million (68.6 million baht) in Las Vegas is threatening to sue the casino for using feng shui to cause his losing streak, a report said yesterday.

The man, surnamed Yuan, alleged that the Venetian carved a one-metre-square hole in the wall of the presidential suite he was staying in in April last year and covered it with a black cloth, said Apple Daily.

The casino also put two white towels in front of Yuan’s suite and turned on two fans facing his room without notifying him, it said. Yuan claimed his luck turned bad after discovering the arrangements and that he went from winning $400,000 to losing $2 million, the report said.

winning streak – winning a number of times without losing (opposite of losing streak)
sue – to take legal action against a person or organisation, especially because of some harm they may have done you
feng shui – an ancient Chinese belief that the way your house is built and the way that you arrange objects affects your success, health, and happiness
surname – your last name that you share with other family members
allege – to state that someone has done something illegal or wrong without giving proof
carve – to make something by cutting into something solid
suite – a set of connected rooms, especially in a hotel
notify – to tell someone officially about something

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 06:37 AM

Money saved?

Here is a little lesson in grammar and logic. First, notice that grammar of the first frame indicates that it is a real, factual situation: "I saved lots of money." The grammar in the second third frame refers to a second, unreal situation, i.e., something that didn't actually happen: "I would have saved even more money, but I ran out of money."

Now think about what really happened. Brutus's wife went shopping at a store where there was a sale. She spent all her money. Did she really save money in the sale? Yes, if she bought things she really needed for a price cheaper than normal. No, if she bought a lot of unnecessary things just because they had a reduced price. So, in your opinion, what is the answer: "Yes" or "No"?

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 06:02 AM

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Attalla City Judge Kenneth Robertson ordered the two to wear the signs for four hours each on two successive Saturdays. ‘‘The only comments we’ve heard so far have been positive,’’ said store manager Neil Hawkins. ‘‘Most of them thought it was a good thing.’’ One of the shoplifters, Lisa King Fithian, 46, wore the sign from 11am to 3pm to avoid a 60-day jail sentence. Another convicted shoplifter was at the store from 3pm to 7pm. Fithian maintained her innocence saying her conviction was based on a misunderstanding. Outside the store, she said people who saw her wearing the sandwich board said the punishment was ‘‘cruel’’. shoplifter – a person who steals goods from a store funny – (in this case) illegal successive – following immediately one after the other positive – good sentence – punishment convicted – proven to have committed a crime in a court of law innocence – the state of not having done anything wrong maintained – kept saying or insisting that something is true sandwich board – two boards, one in front and one in back that are connected at the top and worn by a person over the shoulders, usually to advertise something Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 06:06 AM July 03, 2009 Raining tadpoles You have to admit that this situation seems weird. weird – strange tadpole – a small animal that lives in water and develops into a frog A tad weird TOKYO: Residents in a small Japanese coastal town have reported tadpoles dropping out of the sky. An office clerk in Nanao said he first noticed the anomaly when he heard a dull thud in a parking lot last week. Looking around, he saw about 100 dead amphibians splattered on car windscreens and the ground. More reports followed from bewildered residents in Nanao. ‘‘People speculate that a waterspout picked them up and dropped them from the air,’’ an official at a local weather observatory said. ‘‘But I don’t think it was anything caused by a weather condition. We have checked the weather conditions for the last week.’’ AFP tad – a little of something (in this case the writer is clearly referring to the tadpoles in the story) anomaly – something unusual and unexpected dull – of a low and not very clear sound thud – a low sound made by something falling or hitting something amphibian – an animal such as a frog or toad that lives mainly on land, but produces its eggs and develops into its adult form in water splatter – (of a liquid) sending drops out in all directions after hit a surface hard bewildered – confused and not certain what to do speculate – to consider or discuss why something has happened or what might happen waterspout – a spinning column of air filled with water which forms over the sea observatory – a study centre for studying the stars or, in this case, the weather Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 06:04 AM July 02, 2009 It might be me It looks like any chance of winning is good enough for most people to take a chance, even if it is a very, very slim one. slim – very small Oz has Lotto fever SYDNEY: Punters in queues at lottery ticket shops were pushing and shoving yesterday despite warnings from statisticians that their chances of dying before the draw are higher than winning the biggest ever jackpot in Australia’s history. An Oz Lotto spokesman said that half of all adults held tickets for the A$100 million prize. Shops will stay open an extra hour to collect even more millions for the pool. Millions planned to gather with family, friends and workmates for Lotto parties. University of New South Wales statistician David Watson estimated the chances of winning were about one in 45 million: Less than dying from a snake bite or being struck down by lightning. dpa Oz – (informal) Australia punter – a person who makes a bet; a gambler queue – a line of people waiting for something draw – the choosing of a winner in a lottery or similar contest jackpot – the largest prize offered in a competition pool – a large amount of money collected together from people involved in an activity such as a lottery, some of which is received by the winners workmate – someone you work with lightning - a flash of bright light in the sky which is produced by electricity moving between clouds or from clouds to the ground Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 06:33 AM July 01, 2009 Interesting accusation What do you think the possibility is that what the man in the story said is actually true? Or is it just an excuse for a big loss. FENG SHUI ‘RUINED MY WINNING STREAK’ REUTERS, AFP TAIPEI A Taiwanese man who lost US$2 million (68.6 million baht) in Las Vegas is threatening to sue the casino for using feng shui to cause his losing streak, a report said yesterday. The man, surnamed Yuan, alleged that the Venetian carved a one-metre-square hole in the wall of the presidential suite he was staying in in April last year and covered it with a black cloth, said Apple Daily. The casino also put two white towels in front of Yuan’s suite and turned on two fans facing his room without notifying him, it said. Yuan claimed his luck turned bad after discovering the arrangements and that he went from winning $400,000 to losing $2 million, the report said. winning streak – winning a number of times without losing (opposite of losing streak) sue – to take legal action against a person or organisation, especially because of some harm they may have done you feng shui – an ancient Chinese belief that the way your house is built and the way that you arrange objects affects your success, health, and happiness surname – your last name that you share with other family members allege – to state that someone has done something illegal or wrong without giving proof carve – to make something by cutting into something solid suite – a set of connected rooms, especially in a hotel notify – to tell someone officially about something Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 06:37 AM June 30, 2009 Money saved? Here is a little lesson in grammar and logic. First, notice that grammar of the first frame indicates that it is a real, factual situation: "I saved lots of money." The grammar in the second third frame refers to a second, unreal situation, i.e., something that didn't actually happen: "I would have saved even more money, but I ran out of money." Now think about what really happened. Brutus's wife went shopping at a store where there was a sale. She spent all her money. Did she really save money in the sale? Yes, if she bought things she really needed for a price cheaper than normal. No, if she bought a lot of unnecessary things just because they had a reduced price. So, in your opinion, what is the answer: "Yes" or "No"? Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 06:02 AM
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July 04, 2009

Better than jail?

Judge orders shoplifters to wear ‘I stole’ signs

July 03, 2009