new vocabularies

flat-footed	a condition in which the foot has an arch that is lower than usual.		Edit
		grim	unrelentingly harsh; merciless or severe		Edit
		deplorable	deserving strong condemnation		Edit
		militia	a military force that is raised from the civil population to supplement a regular army in an emergency.		Edit
		pledge	pledge |plej| noun a solemn promise or undertaking		Edit
		beset	verb ( -setting ; past and past part. -set ) [ trans. ] (of a problem or difficulty) trouble or threaten persistently		Edit
		castigate	verb [ trans. ] formal reprimand(express sharp disapproval or criticism of (someone) because of their behavior or actions)		Edit
		tabloid	abloid |ˈtabˌloid| noun a newspaper having pages half the size of those of a standard newspaper, typically popular in style and dominated by headlines, photographs, and sensational stories.		Edit
		lash out	suddenly speak loudly and angrily		Edit
		leverage	/figurative/ the power to influence a person or situation to achieve a particular outcome		Edit
		clumsy	|ˈkləmzē| adjective ( -sier , -siest ) awkward in movement		Edit
		lobbied	seek to influence (a politician or public official) on an issue		Edit
		snarled	of a thing) make a low or harsh rumbling sound, typically one that is felt to be threatening		Edit
		venues	ˈvenˌyoō| noun the place where something happens, esp. an organized event such as a concert, conference, or sports event		Edit
		unabated	|ˌənəˈbātid| adjective without any reduction in intensity or strength : the storm was raging unabated.

China: Link to Darfur ‘unfair’

Here is the response of China government.

In my view, I think Spielberg’s decision is effective. Since China government try to tell the international public what they have put effort on human rights, anyone who makes a statement on that issue can change the image of China. Though there is no relationship between the sports and politics, Spielberg can use his quitting to make China government beware of the human rights.

BEIJING, China (AP) – Efforts to link China to the Darfur crisis are “irresponsible and unfair,” a government spokesman said in comments published Thursday, following director Steven Spielberg’s decision to drop out as a Beijing Olympics adviser on human rights grounds.

The Hollywood heavyweight had been brought in as an artistic adviser to the opening and closing ceremonies of Games, but said he will not participate because he felt China wasn’t doing enough to pressure Sudan into ending the humanitarian crisis in the Darfur region.

“The Darfur issue is not China’s internal affair and was not started by China. Linking the two is nonsense; it is also irresponsible and unfair,” an unidentified spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. was quoted as saying in the state-run Global Times newspaper.

“Many people think the Olympics are a sports event but the West wants to bind sports and politics, this is a clumsy trick,” said the highly nationalistic daily, published by the Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily.

Chinese officials have consistently said they opposed any attempt to “politicize” the highly anticipated Olympics, which begin August 8. But neither the Foreign Ministry or the Beijing organizing committee have responded specifically to Spielberg’s decision.

Spielberg had indicated as early as August that he might not take part in the ceremonies. The director said he had given up hope that China would take a more aggressive approach toward Sudan.

China is believed to have special influence with the Islamic regime because it buys two-thirds of the country’s oil exports while selling it weapons and defending Khartoum in the U.N. Security Council.

Fighting between government-backed militia and rebels in Darfur has killed more than 200,000 people and left an estimated 2.5 million displaced since 2003.

“While China’s representatives have conveyed to me that they are working to end the terrible tragedy in Darfur, the grim realities of the suffering continue unabated,” Spielberg said in a statement.

Beijing has invested billions of dollars and its national prestige into what it hopes will be a glorious showcase of China’s rapid development from impoverished agrarian nation to rising industrial power.

Yet it has been unable to turn back a rising tide of negative global opinion that joins concerns over the city’s notorious pollution, snarled traffic and displacement of people for the construction of Olympic venues.

In recent days, the U.S. Congress and a coalition of Nobel Peace Prize winners, politicians and elite athletes have also lobbied Beijing over Darfur.

Actress Mia Farrow and other activists delivered an open letter addressed to Chinese President Hu Jintao at the Chinese Mission to the United Nations in New York on Tuesday.