NPR 2009-06-23

Emergency officials in Washington DC are investigating the collision of two subway trains in northeast Washington today. The incident involving two of the city's Metro¹ trains is said to have taken place on Metro's Red Line. DC fire officials say there was at least one death and a number of injuries being reported. Jasmine Garsd is an NPR employee who is on the Metro train.

"We seemed to have collided against something and I fell from my seat. Somebody else was expelled from their seats. It came to a sudden halt as you can imagine and the lights went off. The Metro car was filled with smoke and we people started panicking because the door wasn't opening and it was filling with smoke. Somebody opened, managed to open the door somehow and people then started hopping² off the Metro train car."

Officials are still at the scene assessing the situation at this hour. Details are sketchy³ but it appears one of the trains did collide with another and derail. Once again, there are reports of a collision involving two Metro rail trains on Washington DC's Red Line tonight. At this point there are no details of how many injuries there are.

Riot police again clashed with protesters in Iran and the White House and the rest of the world have been reacting today. President Obama said he's been moved by the television images of people taking to the streets to protest the disputed presidential election there. Meanwhile there's also worldwide reaction to amateur video that shows a young woman identified as Neda Agha-Soltan. It appears to capture her death. The BBC's Jeremy Bowen has more.

Those younger people who communicate via social networking sites and via the internet and so on. I think for them for who've seen the pictures that have gone right around the world on this. Then I think certainly for them she's certainly become a symbol and there have even been some people on some websites talking about her as a martyr⁴ and that's a very special status in the world of Shiite, Islam. The BBC's Jeremy Bowen in Tehran.

Iran's security forces today attacked hundreds of demonstrators, firing tear gas and live bullets in the air to break up a rally in central Tehran.

Billed as the nation's strongest ever anti-smoking measure, President Obama has signed the bill today that will give the Food and Drug Administration sweeping⁵ new powers to regulate cigarettes. At the bill signing at the White House Rose Garden today, Mr. Obama said it is an ongoing⁶ battle with smoking.

"Each day 1,000 young people under the age of 18 become new regular daily smokers⁷. And almost 90% of all smokers began at or before their 18th birthday. I know, I was one of these teenagers." In addition to controlling ingredients in cigarettes, the legislation would ban advertising⁸ that could attract young people.

On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell more than 200 points to close at 8,339. The NASDAQ lost 61 points today.

This is NPR.

A brokerage firm that served as a middleman for confessed Wall Street Ponzi scheme operator Bernard Madoff has been hit with civil charges by Securities and Exchange Commission. Financial market regulator announced today it has filed civil fraud charges against Cohmad Securities Corporation and its chairman Maurice Cohn, alleging⁹ the firm helped Madoff bilk investors¹⁰ and ignored red flags that some of its investment returns were false. Madoff is scheduled to be sentenced later this month after pleading guilty to bilking investors out of as much as $65 billion.

A New Jersey¹¹ blogger was in a Connecticut court today facing charges of inciting¹² violence against two state lawmakers. Anna Sale reports from member station WNPR in Hartford.

Internet radio host Harold Turner did not comment during or after his arraignment¹³ on felony charges of inciting harm against people or property. The charges stemmed from a post earlier this month. Turner urged readers in Connecticut to "take up arms and put down this tyranny by force." He was reacting to a bill that would have given lay people more authority in the Catholic church.  The legislation was pulled a month before after a huge outcry from Catholics. Turner wrote that he would release the home addresses of two Connecticut lawmakers on his show.  He said they should be made an example and added "obey the Constitution or die." The Anti Defamation¹⁴ League calls Turner a white supremacist and an anti-Semite. On his blog, Turner says he was practicing free speech and did not break the law. For NPR News, I'm Anna Sale in Hartford.

For more than 70 years, Eastman Kodak has been cranking out Kodachrome film. However, the Rochester, New York-based company announced their plans to retire Kodachrome, ending a 74-year run for the film. That is as more and more consumers have been turning to digital photography.

I'm Jack¹⁵ Speer, NPR News in Washington.

1 metro   

n.地铁；adj.大都市的；(METRO)麦德隆(财富500强公司之一总部所在地德国，主要经营零售)

参考例句：

• Can you reach the park by metro?你可以乘地铁到达那个公园吗？
• The metro flood gate system is a disaster prevention equipment.地铁防淹门系统是一种防灾设备。

2 hopping   

n. 跳跃 动词hop的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The clubs in town are really hopping. 城里的俱乐部真够热闹的。
• I'm hopping over to Paris for the weekend. 我要去巴黎度周末。

3 sketchy   

adj.写生的，写生风格的，概略的

参考例句：

• The material he supplied is too sketchy.他提供的材料过于简略。
• Details of what actually happened are still sketchy.对于已发生事实的详细情况知道的仍然有限。

4 martyr   

n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲

参考例句：

• The martyr laid down his life for the cause of national independence.这位烈士是为了民族独立的事业而献身的。
• The newspaper carried the martyr's photo framed in black.报上登载了框有黑边的烈士遗像。

5 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

6 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

7 smokers   

吸烟者( smoker的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily. 许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。
• Chain smokers don't care about the dangers of smoking. 烟鬼似乎不在乎吸烟带来的种种危害。

8 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

9 alleging   

断言，宣称，辩解( allege的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• His reputation was blemished by a newspaper article alleging he'd evaded his taxes. 由于报上一篇文章声称他曾逃税，他的名誉受到损害。
• This our Peeress declined as unnecessary, alleging that her cousin Thornhill's recommendation would be sufficient. 那位贵人不肯，还说不必，只要有她老表唐希尔保荐就够了。

10 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

11 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

12 inciting   

刺激的，煽动的

参考例句：

• What are you up to inciting mutiny and insubordination? 你们干吗在这里煽动骚动的叛乱呀。
• He was charged with inciting people to rebel. 他被控煽动民众起来叛乱。

13 arraignment   

n.提问，传讯，责难

参考例句：

• She was remanded to juvenile detention at her arraignment yesterday. 她昨天被送回了对少年拘留在她的传讯。 来自互联网
• Wyatt asks the desk clerk which courthouse he is being transferred to for arraignment. 他向接待警员询问了马宏将在哪个法庭接受传讯。 来自互联网

14 defamation   

n.诽谤；中伤

参考例句：

• Character defamation can be either oral or written.人格诽谤既可以是口头的也可以是书面的。
• The company sued for defamation.这个公司因受到诽谤而提起诉讼。

15 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。