Article 3

World's tallest Ferris wheel to turn above New York City

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A plan to build the world's tallest Ferris wheel on New York's Staten Island, offering sweeping views of theManhattan skyline, could hold the answer to a long-elusive goal: putting the most-overlooked of the city's five boroughs on the tourist map.

The giant Ferris wheel, at 625 feet, will be about half the height of the Empire State Building and taller than Singapore's 541-foot (165-metre) Flyer and the planned "High Roller" wheel in Las Vegas, the city said.

Similar to the London Eye, visitors will ride in thirty-six capsules, each capable of carrying up to 40 passengers - or 1,440 people per ride.

The city estimates the observation wheel - which will stay open every day of the year except during severe weather - will attract 30,000 riders a day during the peak season and 4.5 million visitors per year.

To be constructed at a cost of an estimated $230 million, it is expected to open in 2015.

The wheel will stand near the Richmond County Bank Ballpark and the Staten Island Ferry terminal, the base of a free water taxi that travels across New York Harbor between the skyscrapers of lower Manhattan and Staten Island. The wheel will anchor a retail complex with 100 designer outlet stores, theater space, a hotel, restaurants and cafes.

"It will offer unparalleled and breathtaking views, and is sure to become one of the premier attractions in New York City and the latest exciting addition to our newly revitalized waterfront," New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement.

The project, developed by New York Wheel and BFC Partners, is part of Bloomberg's larger effort to develop the city's extensive waterfront with parks and recreational projects and make the city more tourist-friendly.

It will create 1,200 construction jobs and 1,100 permanent jobs, and pump $500 million in private investment into the borough's waterfront, according to city estimates.

Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro said in a statement the project would be a "game changer for the borough, which is perhaps best known for hosting the Fresh Kills landfill - once the city's principal dump and later a sorting ground for rubble from the September 11, 2001, World Trade Center attacks.

As Molinaro told the local Staten Island Advance newspaper: "We've gone from having the world's biggest dump to having the world's biggest wheel."

The London Eye is 443 feet tall. The Vegas "High Roller" is planned to be 550 feet high.

(Reporting by Edith Honan; Editing by Jackie Frank)

-http://news.yahoo.com/worlds-tallest-ferris-wheel-turn-above-york-city-231113145.html

• SUMMARY :  New York is planning to build the world's tallest Ferris wheel which will be taller than Singapore's 541-foot Flyer and half the height of the Empire State building at 625 feet. It is expected to open in 2015 and will become one of the premier attractions in New York City as it will offer unparalleled and breathtaking views. This project will create a large amount of job opportunity and pump $500 million in private investment into the borough's waterfront
• OPINION : America is doubtlessly one of the fast-growing first world countries in the world. The giant Ferris wheel will surely bring its economy and standard to another level.

Article 2

Man Tied to Anti-Islam Video Held on Probation Charge

LOS ANGELES — The man thought to have been behind the crude anti-Islam video that set off deadly protests across the Muslim world in recent weeks was arrested Thursday for violating terms of his probation in a 2010 bank fraud case.

The man, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, was ordered held without bond during an appearance in United States District Court here Thursday evening. Suzanne H. Segal, a federal magistrate judge, called Mr. Nakoula “a flight risk and a danger to the community.” He will remain in jail until a probation-revocation hearing is scheduled.

Mr. Nakoula is widely considered to be the filmmaker responsible for “Innocence of Muslims,” an inflammatory, amateurish video that is supposedly a trailer for a full-length film.

The video depicts the Prophet Muhammad as a buffoon, a womanizer and a child molester. It was first uploaded to YouTube in June, and translated into Arabic and uploaded several more times leading up to the 11th anniversary of the terrorism attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Mr. Nakoula was charged with eight probation violations, including lying to law-enforcement officers when they initially detained him for questioning, and using various aliases, which an assistant United States attorney, Robert Dugdale, said was “part of a lengthy pattern of deception.”

Federal officials have been investigating whether Mr. Nakoula was the person who posted the video on YouTube using the pseudonym Sam Bacile, a name he used during the making of the movie, according to actors and crew members. If he did post the video, he would have violated the terms of his sentencing in a conviction in a 2010 check-kiting case, which restricted his use of the Internet.

Mr. Nakoula served about a year of a 21-month prison term for orchestrating a check-kiting scheme against Wells Fargo Bank, court records show.

As part of his sentence, Mr. Nakoula was ordered to pay restitution of $794,700.

The bank fraud scheme included a twist that is probably pertinent to the current investigation: he committed the crime using a variety of aliases.

On Sept. 15, federal probation officers took Mr. Nakoula to a Los Angeles County sheriff’s station in the suburb of Cerritos, where he lives, for questioning. He wore a hat and had a white shawl around his face. He was not arrested at that time.

Mr. Nakoula has not spoken publicly since the trailer, parts of which were broadcast on Egyptian television, first set off a wave of rioting and attacks that led to the death of four Americans in Libya, including the ambassador.

On Saturday, a Pakistani cabinet minister offered a $100,000 reward for the death of the person behind the video, with the incendiary statement coming a day after violent protests paralyzed Pakistan’s largest cities, leaving at least 23 people dead.

Mr. Nakoula’s lawyer, Steve Seiden, had argued unsuccessfully that it was a dangerous for his client to be in jail where there are, presumably, Muslim inmates. “My client’s safety has been an issue for weeks,” he said.

By BROOKS BARNES

Published: September 27, 2012

- http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/28/world/middleeast/probation-hearing-for-man-tied-to-anti-       islam-video.html?hp&_r=0

• SUMMARY : Nakoula Basseley Nakoula was charged with eight probation violations, including lying to law-enforcement officers after he set off an anti-Islam video which has triggered anger across the Muslim world. Deadly protests and riots had happened and many life have been sacrificed. Despite the chaotic situation Mr. Nakoula has caused, his lawyer, Steve Seiden insisted that his client will be in great danger by putting him behind bar as there are Muslim inmates. However, Steve had argue unsuccessfully.

• OPINION : It was an appropriate decision made by the court. No one should be pardoned for his/her wrongdoings. Nakoula Basseley Nakoula has caused such a deadly situation by sabotaging other religion which has caused riots and protests across the Muslim world and consequently caused many death. He should be punished for what he has done so that the public will obey the law.

Article 1

'Britishisms' Creeping into American English

British people have long bemoaned the gradual encroachment ofAmericanisms into everyday speech, via Hollywood films and sitcoms. Now, "Britishisms" are crossing the pond the other way, thanks to the growing online popularity of British media such asHarry Potter, Downton Abbey and The Daily Mail.

For example, BBC News reports that "ginger" as a descriptor of a red-haired, freckly person has shot up in usage in the United States since 1998. That's the year the first Harry Potter book, with its Weasley family of gingers, hit store shelves. The trend shows up inGoogle ngram searches, which track the frequency of words and phrases appearing in print.

The Britishism invasion also includes "cheeky," "twee," "chat-up," "sell-by date" and "the long game," as well as "do the washing up," "keen on," "bit" (as in "the best bit"), "to book" (e.g. a flight), "called X" (instead of "named X") and "to move house."

A few of these now sound so familiar to American ears that their recent Limey origins might come as a surprise. [Why Do Americans and Brits Have Different Accents?]

While some of these British terms have gained ground because they sound pleasantly posh to American ears, Jesse Sheidlower, American editor-at-large of the Oxford English Dictionary, says others simply fill a gap where there is no equivalent in American English. "One-off," as in something which is done, or made, or which happens only once, and "go missing," instead of the vaguer "disappear," are two examples.

According to Sheidlower, the small but noticeable increase in the American usage of traditionally British terms doesn't bother Americans nearly as much as Americanisms bother many Brits.

"In the U.K., the use of Americanisms is seen as a sign that culture is going to hell," he told BBC News. "But Americans think all British people are posh, so — aside from things that are fairly pretentious — no-one would mind."

This laissez-faire linguistic attitude hasn't always been the American way. Early in U.S. history, when the nation was striving to distinguish itself from its former landlords, the dictionary maker Noah Webster set about establishing a distinctly American form of English. Webster's legacy includes the lack of "u" in words like "color" and the "-er" ending in words like "center" — spelling variants he viewed as superior to their British counterparts (colour and centre).

Some of the economical spellings Webster adopted, such as "public" instead of the British "publick," have since spread back to England. Clearly, in the continuously evolving languages of these transatlantic allies, there is give and take.

By Natalie Wolchover | LiveScience.com 

- http://news.yahoo.com/britishisms-creeping-american-english-183652134.html

• SUMMARY : The growing online popularity of British media has contributed to the invasion of British English into America. From traditional British terms to spellings, Britishism has injected into American's everyday speech.  However, that does not bother the American much as it has become a form of give and take given the transatlantic allies between this two country. 

•     OPINION : It does not matter whether you are using British English or American English as long as you are using the proper English with proper grammar and can be understood by others.

About COM 1106

I have never pictured myself for being a journalist. Frankly speaking, journalism is always the last on my future-career-list. Why say so? It is simply because i dislike writing. I hate it when it comes to the time when i have to sabotage my brain cells just to come up with a nice and informative sentence, and plus i am not a good writer. 

Despite everything, i do look forward to this class to learn something new and of course improve my writing skill hopefully, though it seems a little difficult. What i expect from this class is to have fun and have a minor training on writing skill. Last but not least, i hope not to just pass this subject, but also achieve a good grade.

The writer..

Eighteen years ago, a girl named Judy was born into the world. She is an active person who enjoys indulging herself in sports and outdoor activities, but above all, she majors in badminton. Despite her great enthusiasm for badminton, her dream which was to be a national badminton player ended as her parents will not grant her wish. Sadly, she ended her dream and started involving herself in all sorts of events managing program and picked up leadership skills in high school where she was given many opportunity to strive and that has changed her life ever since. She has become more outgoing and enjoys interacting with people, although she gets extremely annoyed with morons sometimes, I mean who does not right? Bottom line is, do not mess with the people who she cares about very much or else she will mercilessly make you pay for what you have done. muaha.