matrimonial;

用法学习: 1. matrimonial [ˌmæt.rɪˈməʊ.ni.əl] related to marriage or people who are married. Matrimonial means concerning marriage or married people. ...the matrimonial home. matrimonial troubles. The 33-year-old model and actor had been married for just five months to lawyer Samarth Singh when she was found dead in her matrimonial home 婚房. marital vs matrimonial: Marital is the everyday, neutral adjective for anything relating to marriage or the relationship between spouses. Marital is about the lived experience of being married. Matrimonial is more formal, ceremonial, or legal in tone — often used in official, religious, or juridical contexts. Matrimonial is about the institution, legal status, or ceremony of marriage. Marital: "They sought marital counselling" — the relationship between spouses. "Marital problems" — everyday issues in a marriage. "Marital status" — whether someone is married or not. "Marital bliss" — happiness in marriage. Matrimonial: "Matrimonial law 婚姻法" — legal field dealing with marriage and divorce. "Matrimonial home 婚房" — legal term for the family home in divorce proceedings. "Matrimonial assets 婚后共同财产" — assets subject to division upon divorce. "Matrimonial vows 婚姻誓言, 誓约" — formal, ceremonial language. 印度新娘惨死案: Police say they are also trying to find Samarth who is absconding 在逃 - a cash reward has been announced for any information on him and a lookout notice(Look out circular (LOC) is a circular letter used by authorities in India to check whether a traveling person is wanted by the police. It may be used at immigration checks at international borders such as international airports or sea ports. ) has been issued to ensure he does not leave the country. A court in Bhopal has given anticipatory bail to Giribala Singh but rejected Samarth's bail application. He's been asked to surrender by 23 May. 2. "Be at someone's service [of someone] = be at someone's service 服务某人, 准备好给某人用" emphasizes total availability and readiness — you are positioned to serve, waiting to be called upon. To be at the service of a person or organization means to be available to help or be used by that person or organization. ready or available for someone's use I am happy to be at your service if you have any questions. They made sure there was a car at her service when she got there. The intellectual and moral potential of the world's culture must be put at the service of politics. "I am entirely at your service" — formal offer of help, hotel/butler tone. "Our team is at your service 24 hours a day". "Please let me know — I am at your service". "Be of service to someone 帮助, 帮上忙, 对某人有用" emphasizes the act or value of helping — you are useful or beneficial to them. to help someone. to be helpful or useful to someone. That is, after all, the primary reason we live–to be of service to others. If I can be of service to you, please let me know. I'd really like to help you if I can. "Thank you so much for that." "I'm glad to have been of service.". "I hope I was of service to you today". "How can I be of service?". "It's rewarding to be of service to the community". "At your service" has a slightly old-fashioned, formal or even submissive ring to it — think butlers, concierges, and formal hospitality. "Of service to someone" feels more professional and reflective, focusing on whether genuine value was delivered rather than on the posture of serving. 3. give away the farm = give away the store/shop 太大的代价, 给的太多, 花的太多 (informal, idiomatic) To pay more than one should have; to pay more than fair market value. To transact, trade, or negotiate badly, by paying, providing, or conceding too much to the other party. To give another party all or the majority of the benefits in a deal or transaction. You were so eager to sign a contract with a manufacturing partner that you ended up giving away the farm. Now they're going to be the ones to get all the profits from sales! Make sure you don't give away the farm during negotiations. You don't want to find yourself at a disadvantage by the end of things. My lawyer sure gave away the farm in our divorce proceedings. I have very little left to my name! Joe has made a career of giving away the farm. Rachel: Show time! Phoebe: Okay, Rachel, get me perfume! Rachel: Okay! (She runs to get some.) Phoebe: And Joey, get me a bottle of wine and glasses? (He begrudgingly does so.) (In the meantime, Rachel has returned with the perfume and sprays a mist out in front of Phoebe who walks through the mist and does a little spin.) [Cut to Chandler, Joey, and Ross's, Monica is getting Chandler ready for his half of the plan.] Monica: All right, it'll be great! You just make her think you wanna hɑvе sеx with her! It'll totally freak her out! Chandler: Okay, listen, how far am I gonna have to go with her 做到什么地步? Monica: Relax, she's gonna give in way before you do! Chandler: How do you know?! Monica: Because you're on my team! And my team always wins! Chandler: At this?! Monica: Just go get some! (Kisses him.) Go! (She runs to hide in the bathroom.) [Cut to the hallway, Phoebe is outside getting some last minute instructions from Rachel.] Rachel: (handing her the wine) Okay honey, now I'm gonna try to listen from right here! Phoebe: Okay. Rachel: Okay? Whoa, wait! (She undoes one button on Phoebe's dress.) Phoebe: Good idea! Rachel: Yeah, oh wait! (She goes for another one.) Phoebe: Oh now, don't give away the farm! 4. severity [sɪˈvɛrɪti] 多严重, 严重程度, 严重性 I. seriousness. The degree of something undesirable; badness or seriousness. The severity of the offence merits a long prison sentence. Even the doctors were shocked by the severity of his injuries. I don't think you quite understand the severity of our financial problems. Amy: So, after I started dating Sheldon, I met Leonard, and then everybody else, and they've all been so wonderful to me. Lucy: That's really nice to hear. Amy: Maybe next week, we could all get together. Raj: Oh, Lucy, you don't have to answer that. Don't put her on the spot. She hates that. Am I right? Tell her how much you hate being put on the spot. Go ahead, tell her. Amy: Ignore him. He's a little nervous 'cause he doesn't think I understand the severity of your social anxiety. Raj: What the? Are you crazy? You can't talk about social anxiety to someone who has social anxiety. It makes them socially anxious! Amy: Excuse me, but I'm a neurobiologist. I think I'm a little more qualified than you to understand what's not working in your girlfriend's brain! II. the quality of being very unkind or unpleasant: He spoke with great severity. The severity of the punishment should match the seriousness of the crime. III. the quality of being extremely painful, difficult, etc.: You can't imagine the severity of the heat here during the summer. 5. extenuating circumstances 情非得已, 情不得已, 情有可原, 是有原因的, 减罪情节: A situation or condition that provides an excuse for an action. reasons given to cause a wrong act or bad performance to be judged less seriously: She was found guilty of theft, but because of extenuating circumstances was not sent to prison. You might want to mention any extenuating circumstances that could have affected your performance. Although Nancy missed three crucial rehearsals, there were extenuating circumstances, so she was not dismissed. This expression was originally legal terminology, denoting circumstances that partly excuse a crime and therefore call for less punishment or damages. Sheldon: It's an iCal download, she can put it right in her phone. And I thought we agreed that you'd have your conjugal [ˈkɒndʒʊɡl] visits in her apartment. Leonard: We did, but there were extenuating circumstances. Sheldon: I see. Did her abysmal housekeeping skills finally trump her perkiness? extenuate to represent (an offence, a fault, etc) as being less serious than it appears, as by showing mitigating circumstances. to cause a wrong act to be judged less seriously by giving reasons for it: He was unable to say anything that might have extenuated his behaviour. extenuating [ɪkˈstɛnjʊeɪtɪŋ] adj (of a factor or situation) serving to lessen the seriousness of an offence. She was found guilty of theft, but because of extenuating circumstances was not sent to prison. The lack of other options was an extenuating factor. "library staff will waive fines where there are genuine extenuating circumstances". Exigent circumstances 刻不容缓的情况, 迫在眉睫的情况: circumstances that are of such urgency as to justify a warrantless entry, search, or seizure by police when a warrant would ordinarily be required. They are urgent, sudden emergencies that demand immediate action. In legal contexts, this exception allows authorities to bypass standard procedures—such as securing a warrant prior to entering a home—to prevent imminent danger, stop a crime in progress, or preserve critical evidence. In criminal procedure law of the United States, an exigent circumstance allows law enforcement (under certain circumstances) to enter a structure without a search warrant, or if they have a "knock and announce" warrant, allows them to enter without knocking and waiting for the owner's permission to enter. It must be a situation where people are in imminent 迫近的, 迫在眉睫的 danger, evidence faces imminent destruction, or a suspect's escape is imminent. Once entry is obtained, the plain view doctrine applies, allowing the seizure of any evidence or contraband discovered in the course of actions consequent upon the exigent circumstances. exigent [ˈɛksɪdʒ(ə)nt] 千钧一发的, 情况危急的, 迫切的, 刻不容缓的, 迫不及待的 Exigent is an adjective that means requiring immediate aid, action, or attention. It describes situations or demands that are urgent, pressing, or critical and cannot be delayed. needing urgent attention, or demanding too much from other people: an exigent problem. an exigent manager. 6. knock and announce rule: a rule of criminal procedure requiring that police announce their authority and purpose before entering a premises in execution of a search or arrest warrant unless special circumstances (as risk of harm to the police) warrant unannounced or forcible 强行的 entry. no-knock search warrant 硬闯进去, 破门而入: a search warrant allowing law enforcement officers to enter premises without prior announcement in order to prevent destruction of evidence (as illegal drugs) or harm to the officers. rendition warrant: a warrant issued by an official (as a governor) in one jurisdiction (as a state) for the extradition of a fugitive in that jurisdiction to another that is requesting the extradition. 7. the call is coming from inside the house 问题出在自身 I. (idiomatic) A problem is the result of internal factors or agents, and is not the result of outside influence or interference. a threat, problem, or source of danger is not coming from the outside, but is already present within your own immediate environment or group. The government has blamed the recent unrest on foreign agitation, but they'll soon realize that the call is coming from inside the house. II. (idiomatic, informal) Used to accuse someone of being hypocritical; look who's talking! You're always complaining that she's too self-centred. Dude, the call is coming from inside the house! note: A classic horror-movie cliché. The line was first used in the horror film Black Christmas (1974). The babysitter and the man upstairs—also known as the babysitter or the sitter—is an urban legend that dates back to the 1960s about a teenage babysitter who receives telephone calls that turn out to be coming from inside the house. The basic storyline has been adapted a number of times in movies. tie someone (up) in knots I. to completely perplex or confuse someone. to confuse someone and make them unable to explain something clearly: He could tie her in knots 搞糊涂, 搞得莫名其妙, 摸不到头脑 in an argument and never once missed an opportunity to prove his intellectual superiority. He had easily tied her up in knots, cleverly casting serious doubt on her mental faculties. The Director of Studies tied me up in knots 弄糊涂, 百思不得其解, 百思不解 by asking tricky questions. As well as having a stammer, I'd feel constantly worried that the press could tie me in knots. II. 让人愁肠百结. to make someone upset, worried, or confused: Start watching the way his guilt ties him up in knots. Thinking too much just leaves you tied up in knots. She ties herself in knots trying to reconcile the dad who rarely visits with the dad who delights in her company. in knots 紧张万分, 胃因紧张或兴奋紧缩的, 痉挛的 = someone's stomach is in knots used to say that a person has an unpleasant and tight feeling in the stomach, usually from nervousness. If your stomach is in knots, it feels tight and uncomfortable because you are nervous or excited. 8. A running list 还在变化的列表 is an ongoing, dynamic document or collection of items that is continuously updated. As tasks are completed, checked off, or become obsolete, new items are added to keep the list active and relevant. A list of items that you start and then continuously keep on adding or updating to as new items come up. It is called a running list because it is continuously moving along i.e. increasing in length and this is what runners do, they keep going-on and on. Keep a running list of what worked, what didn't , and how to do it better net time. running order 演出日程安排, 会议议程 the order in which the parts of an event, meeting, etc. have been arranged to happen: We sat down with the show's producer to go through the running order. in running order 正常运行的状态 a machine that is in running order is operating in the way that it should: The transit authority spends $16 million to keep the old buses in running order. 9. languorous [ˈlæŋ.ɡə.rəs] 慵懒的(表现富贵的)(More sensual and indulgent — a pleasurable slowness. Almost always carries a positive or dreamy connotation. Evokes warmth, luxury, ease. ) mentally or physically tired or not active, in a way that feels or looks pleasant. If you describe an activity as languorous, you mean that it is lazy, relaxed, and not energetic, usually in a pleasant way. ...languorous morning coffees on the terrace. I felt warm and languorous. His dark eyes were languorous and heavy-lidded. languid [ˈlæŋ.ɡwɪd] 懒散的, 懒洋洋的, 慢吞吞的, 有气无力的(General low energy, weak, or slow-moving. Can be neutral or even slightly negative. Often physical — tired limbs, slow movements. ) moving or speaking slowly with little energy, often in an attractive way. lacking energy, or causing a lack of energy or enthusiasm: He sat on the porch enjoying the delicious, languid warmth of a summer afternoon. a languid manner/voice. If you describe someone as languid, you mean that they show little energy or interest and are very slow and casual in their movements. To his delight a familiar, tall, languid figure lowered itself down the steps of a club. Time spent at Jumby Bay can be as energetic or as languid as you wish. We sat about languidly after dinner. 10. pomp and circumstance 盛大仪式, 盛典, 冠盖云集, 冠盖如云 Formal and impressive ceremony. This comes from Shakespeare's play Othello and refers to the impressive clothes, decorations, music, etc. that are part of an official ceremony. "For many people, the red carpet is synonymous with prestige, status, celebrity, ceremony, and a whole lot of pomp and circumstance." Every spring for about 35 years, he has traveled to Indianapolis to meet up with his American relatives, enjoy the lead-up of race morning, soak in the pomp and circumstance, and talk to people with a beer in hand. He's been known to easily spend $10,000 on these annual weeklong trips. vocabulary: A ceremony full of pomp and circumstance is one with lots of flashy, grand displays. Think presidential inauguration or the crowning of a queen. Pomp itself usually means "a flashy, grand ceremony," but circumstance used to mean "fuss made about something," a sense we've mostly lost except in this phrase. In Othello, Shakespeare referred to "pride, pompe, and circumstance of glorious warre." The English musical composer Edward Elgar produced a series of marches called the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, and their popularity probably make this phrase an enduring part of the English language. 11. attain [əˈteɪn] I. to reach or succeed in getting something. If you attain a particular state or condition, you may reach it as a result of natural development or work hard to attain this state. ...attaining 达到, 达成 a state of calmness and confidence. He has attained the highest grade in his music exams. We need to identify the best ways of attaining our objectives/goals 达到目的, 达成目标. India attained independence in 1947, after decades of struggle. But across Australia, some Muslims say the journey is becoming increasingly unattainable 难以实现的 as the cost of living crisis collides with soaring travel prices, currency fluctuations and a complex online booking system that some pilgrims say has added to the stress. II. If you attain something, you gain it or achieve it, often after a lot of effort. to achieve something difficult to do or obtain: Jim is halfway to attaining his pilot's licence. You need financial security in order to attain emotional well-being. You need to set goals that are clear and attainable. Abiola pledged his life to the attainment of justice. 11. linchpin ['lintʃ,pin] = lynchpin 核心, 最重要的部分, 主心骨, 中坚力量. 定海神针, 定盘星. 车轴销子 I. a pin placed transversely through an axle to keep a wheel in position. II. a person or thing regarded as an essential or coordinating element the linchpin of the company. If you refer to a person or thing as the linchpin of something, you mean that they are the most important person or thing involved in it. He's the lynchpin of our team and crucial to my long-term plans. the linchpin of the most important member of a group or part of a system, that holds together the other members or parts or makes it possible for them to operate as intended: Consumer spending is the linchpin of the economy. The city’s River Park is the linchpin of its efforts to sell itself as a vacation destination. Woodford is the linchpin of the British athletics team. rock noun. I. If someone is your rock, you feel that you can depend on them and that they will always support you. "He's always been my rock," said his lifelong friend and teammate. get your rocks off UK slang to have an orgasm. on the rocks I. likely to fail soon: I think their marriage is on the rocks. II. If you have an alcoholic drink on the rocks, you have it with pieces of ice: I'll have a whisky on the rocks, please. He drinks his Scotch on the rocks. be (caught) between a rock and a hard place to be in a very difficult situation and to have to make a hard decision. verb. I. 摇晃. to (cause someone or something to) move backwards and forwards or from side to side in a regular way: rock someone to sleep He picked up the baby and gently rocked her to sleep. rock back and forth She rocked back and forth laughing. If you rock back on that chair, you're going to break it. His body rocked from side to side with the train. He stood a few moments, rocking back and forwards on his heels. She sat on the porch and rocked the baby. II. If a person or place is rocked by something such as an explosion, the force of it makes the person or place shake. If an explosion or an earthquake rocks a building or an area, it causes the building or area to shake. You can also say that the building or area rocks. Three people were injured yesterday when an explosion rocked one of Britain's best known film studios. ...a country that's rocked by dozens of earthquakes every year. As the buildings rocked under heavy shell-fire, he took refuge in the cellars. The explosion, which rocked the city, killed 300. III. If an event rocks a group of people or society, it causes feelings of shock. If an event or a piece of news rocks a group or society, it shocks them or makes them feel less secure. His death rocked the fashion business. ...the latest scandal to rock the monarchy. Wall Street was rocked by the news and shares fell 4.3 per cent by the end of trading. The managing director's resignation rocked the whole company. III. slang, mainly US WEAR SUCCESSFULLY. to wear a particular style of clothing, etc. and look good or fashionable. to impress by wearing (an item of clothing) or playing (a musical instrument). not everyone can rock a tight T-shirt. he rocks a guitar like nobody's business. There are celebrities over 40 years old who can still rock a tattoo. someone/something rocks used to show that you like or approve of someone or something a lot: "Do you like him?" "Yeah, he rocks!" rock the boat 找事, 惹事 If you rock the boat, you do or say something that will upset people or cause problems: Don't rock the boat until the negotiations are finished. rock out I. to perform rock music loudly and enthusiastically: The singer and his E Street Band played their longest ever concert in Helsinki, Finland, in 2012, when they rocked out for four hours and six minutes. II. to listen to and enjoy rock music, for example by dancing: rock out to Audience members were transported back to the days of roller skates, disco lights, and smoke machines as they rocked out to the music of the Bee Gees. rock up = show up to arrive somewhere: They rocked up two hours late, dressed in ball gowns. ballast [bæl.əst] I. 压载. Ballast is any substance that is used in ships or hot-air balloons to make them heavier and more stable. Ballast usually consists of water, sand, or iron. heavy matter such as sand, stone, or water that is used at the bottom of a ship or a hot-air balloon to make it heavier, or the small stones on which railways and roads are made: The weed may have been accidentally imported in soil used as ship ballast. A ship sailing with an empty hold will have filled its ballast tanks at its source port. II. 精神依靠. 精神支柱. 定海神针. 中流砥柱. 顶梁柱. 主心骨. 定盘星 something that helps someone or something to succeed, especially by keeping them or it under control, or making them or it more serious: He needed his platoon mates around him. They were his ballast. The team is struggling because of a shortage of the ballast that senior players provide. wiki: Ballast is dense material used as a weight to provide stability to a vehicle or structure. Ballast, other than cargo, may be placed in a vehicle, often a ship or the gondola of a balloon or airship, to provide stability. A compartment within a boat, ship, submarine, or other floating structure that holds water is called a ballast tank. Water can be moved in and out from the ballast tank to balance the ship. In a vessel that travels on the water, the ballast will be kept below the water level, to counteract the effects of weight above the water level. The ballast may be redistributed in the vessel or disposed of altogether to change its effects on the movement of the vessel.

TBBT: 1. You know, I like the way my hair looks. I'm done tiptoeing around him. We're all guilty of it. But why? 'Cause we were afraid to upset him. Which happens anyway. Well, that's over. I'm done enabling him. Like, this is his spot and the thermostat has to be set to his comfort level, even though he doesn't even live here anymore and I'm always chilly. Is that why you wear a hoodie all the time? Why would-- Yes! To accommodate Sheldon! And what about this-this thing? Why is it here? I'll tell you why. Because it was here when I moved in, and, for no earthly reason, he forbade me to touch it. Well, if you don't like it, get rid of it. Put it in the closet. 2. I see you haven't changed one bit. Thank you, that is a nice thing to say. Hey, I'm Leonard. I'm here for no reason. What do you want, Sheldon? Why aren't you returning my phone calls? You're supposed to be the smart one; you figure it out. He's not that kind of smart. You might want to give him a hint. We haven't talked in over ten years, and now that you need something, you think you can just show up at my store? Well, let's just drop everything to accommodate Sheldon. Nice try, but I am not a gullible little boy anymore. I can recognize sarcasm. 3. Where's Mom? Uh, she wanted to stop by the hotel and freshen up, and then call her pastor to pray for Missy's soul.

Supreme Court Justices Clash Over Oral Argument Format: Grumbling over the court's oral argument sessions has increasingly slipped into public view. "Way too long," Chief Justice John Roberts complained at a recent conference of judges and lawyers in Pennsylvania, vowing to look into the matter. Justice Samuel Alito echoed the sentiment days later, calling for "less speechifying ( speechify 滔滔不绝, 没完没了 informal disapproving to give a speech, especially in a boring way or in a way that shows you think you are important.) and more real questions." While legal experts have long viewed oral arguments as only marginally important to case outcomes, the sessions do allow justices to test one another's theories — and can influence the reach of a decision. For the public, the debates offer a rare glimpse into how nine of Washington's most powerful jurists think about consequential appeals. "It's very important for the court's legitimacy," said Tonja Jacobi, a law professor at Emory University. "It can help reassure people that at least some of this is law." The impact of shortening the sessions could fall heaviest on 影响最大 the court's liberal wing, if only because in recent terms, those three justices tend to speak the most on average. During the pandemic, when the court switched to virtual arguments, the justices would ask questions in order of seniority rather than the free-form 自由发问, "hot bench" style used for decades. But the format has made it harder to keep advocates and justices on the clock. When the court returned to in-person arguments in 2021 after pandemic-era virtual sessions, justices compromised on a hybrid format: an initial free-form exchange followed by a round of a round of "seriatim" ( seriatim [ˌsɪəriˈeɪtɪm] 按顺序来的 Seriatim is a Latin term meaning "in a series" or "one after another". It is used to describe the act of dealing with items, issues, or events individually in a specific, consecutive sequence.) questioning. But the format has made it harder to keep advocates and justices on the clock. This stands in sharp contrast to the era of Chief Justice William Rehnquist, who kept such rigid time discipline that he would sometimes cut advocates off mid-sentence. Not everyone objects to the current pace. Justice Clarence Thomas — who famously said nothing during oral arguments for years — is content with the extra time. "The current approach may run on a bit long, but you cannot say you have not had a chance to say your piece," he said at a recent conference. It's unclear whether longer sessions actually affect outcomes. By argument day, justices have read hundreds of pages of briefs and often have a preliminary view of the case. "Inevitably, I have a tentative idea of how a case will turn out before arguments," Alito acknowledged. Justice Elena Kagan put it more charitably: "Sometimes it really makes a difference. Sometimes maybe a little bit less so." The format has created some uncomfortable dynamics. Members of the three-justice liberal bloc, operating on a court where conservatives hold a six-justice supermajority, are often struggling against the tide and, it turns out, talk more than their colleagues. Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson, in particular, are among the most loquacious (loquacious [lə(ʊ)ˈkweɪʃəs] 话多的 Someone who is loquacious talks a lot. If you describe someone as loquacious, you mean that they talk a lot. The normally loquacious Mr O'Reilly has said little. ). Because seniority determines speaking order, junior justices like Jackson get the last word — a dynamic Alito openly resented in a March argument. "She will have the right to surrebuttal [sʌrɪˈbʌtəl] ( A surrebuttal is a legal or adversarial response to an opposing party's rebuttal. In essence, it is a rebuttal to a rebuttal. It allows a party to present new evidence or arguments specifically to counter the points raised in the immediately preceding rebuttal)," he said of Sotomayor. "I won't have a chance to answer under this questioning regime." 

social contract; advocacy, advocate;

The social contract( Social contract is broken. 社会信誉崩盘 诚信度低) is an implicit 不言而喻的, 约定俗成的 agreement among the members of a society to cooperate for social and political benefits. In exchange for giving up some absolute freedom and submitting to the authority of the state (or government), individuals receive protection, social order, and the preservation of their rights. While the social contract is mostly an unwritten, philosophical concept, it manifests in tangible ways in modern society: The Constitution: Foundational documents like the United States Constitution serve as a written framework of the contract, outlining exactly what powers the government has and the rights it must protect. Civic Duties(Lack of a bill of rights - Australia has no constitutionally enshrined bill of rights, meaning civil liberties depend on parliamentary goodwill rather than constitutional protection.): Citizens consent to the contract daily by paying taxes, following laws (e.g., stopping at red lights), and voting, in exchange for infrastructure, public services, and law enforcement. Corporate and Social Life: The term is frequently used outside politics to describe mutual expectations—such as the implicit agreement between an employer providing a safe, supportive workplace and an employee delivering quality work. In moral and political philosophy, the social contract is an idea, theory, or model that usually, although not always, concerns the legitimacy of the authority of the state over the individual. Conceptualized in the Age of Enlightenment, it is a core concept of constitutionalism, while not necessarily convened and written down in a constituent assembly and constitution. Social contract arguments typically are that individuals have consented, either explicitly or tacitly, to surrender some of their freedoms and submit to the authority (of the ruler, or to the decision of a majority) in exchange for protection of their remaining rights or maintenance of the social order. The relation between natural and legal rights is often a topic of social contract theory. The term takes its name from The Social Contract (French: Du contrat social ou Principes du droit politique), a 1762 book by Jean-Jacques Rousseau that discussed this concept. Although the antecedents ( antecedent [ˌæn.tiˈsiː.dənt] I. 前辈, 先驱, 先辈 someone or something existing or happening before, especially as the cause or origin of something existing or happening later: Charles Babbage's mechanical calculating engines were the antecedents of the modern computer. Many people feel a great curiosity to find out about their antecedents. something existing or happening before, esp. as the cause of an event or situation: The book dealt with the historical antecedents of the Civil War. II. language specialized a word or phrase that a pronoun refers back to: In the sentence "He picked a book off the shelf and handed it to Sally", "book" is the antecedent of "it 代词, 代指". III. mathematics An antecedent is also the part of a conditional statement that follows the word "if." adj. previous (反义词: subsequent): When the college was established in 1546, it inherited a hall from each of three antecedent institutions. ) of social contract theory are found in antiquity, in Greek and Stoic philosophy and Roman and Canon Law, the heyday of the social contract was the mid-17th to early 19th centuries, when it emerged as the leading doctrine of political legitimacy. 

Societal collapse 社会的崩塌 (also known as civilizational collapse or systems collapse) is the fall of a complex human society characterized by the loss of cultural identity and of social complexity as an adaptive 适应性的 system, the downfall of government, and the rise of violence. Possible causes of a societal collapse include natural catastrophe, war, pestilence, famine, economic collapse, population decline or overshoot, mass migration, incompetent leaders, and sabotage by rival civilizations. A collapsed society may revert to a more primitive state, be absorbed into a stronger society, or completely disappear. In the 21st century, Australia stands at a crossroads, facing not just technological and economic changes, but a deeper crisis of belief 信任危机, 诚信危机. In his essay for The Australian newspaper's 60th anniversary, veteran journalist Paul Kelly contends that the fabric 构成 of our democratic society is being tested by rapid technological advancements and social fragmentation. Amidst this, the decline in Christianity and the erosion of shared values 价值观腐化 pose significant challenges to the nation's identity and future stability. Kelly emphasizes the need for the social contract to be renewed: "The social contract in Australia – and other Western democracies – must be renewed." This balance has been disrupted, necessitating renewal to ensure a stable and prosperous future. The Decline of Christianity: The 2021 census revealed a stark reality: less than half of the Australian population now identifies as Christian, down from 88% in 1966 to just 43.9% in 2021. The rise in those professing "no religion" to 38.9% is equally significant. For a nation once deeply rooted in Christian values, this shift has profound implications. Friedrich Nietzsche once argued that breaking away from faith in God could lead to a breakdown of the societal system as a whole. Kelly notes, "Australia will face the fraught 艰巨任务 task of dealing with a largely post-Christian future. At present there is almost no discussion about its ramifications." The Need for a Unified Belief System 信仰体系: What does Australia believe in today? A nation without a unified belief system risks fragmentation 分化 and instability. Kelly highlights the importance of a collective belief system in maintaining a cohesive and functioning democracy. "The challenges will be material and spiritual. Pivotal to the future is the question: what do we believe, and what does Australia believe? A nation without belief is a nation in trouble." There is no doubt Australia is in trouble. The challenge is to navigate its multicultural identity without allowing it to become a source of division. "Strength in diversity" should foster unity rather than discord( discord I. the state of not agreeing or sharing opinions: marital discord. note of discord 不和谐音 A note of discord has crept into relations between the two countries. II. [ C or U ] music specialized a group of musical notes that give an unpleasant sound when played together. III. a lack of agreement or feeling of trust between people: The plan to build the highway created discord in our community. concord I. 和谐, 和平. Concord is a state of peaceful agreement. agreement and peace between countries and people: nations living in concord. They pursued a balanced policy for the sake of national concord. II. In grammar, concord refers to the way that a word has a form appropriate to the number or gender of the noun or pronoun it relates to. For example, in 'She hates it', there is concord between the singular form of the verb and the singular pronoun 'she'.  ). The Crisis of Democracy: Kelly also warns about the broader crisis facing democratic systems worldwide. He asserts, "Democratic politics with its parliamentary traditions and lengthy deliberations was not made for this emerging world." The rapid pace of technological and social change threatens to outstrip 超出能力 the ability of democratic institutions to adapt, leading to deeper cultural fractures. Kelly emphasizes, "The social challenges will be akin to a hurricane and without precedent in human history." The stakes are high, with potential threats ranging from nuclear war to the impacts of global warming and the disruption caused by artificial intelligence. Why the Balance is Broken: According to Kelly, the balance between economic progress and social equity, individual freedom and collective responsibility, has been disrupted. Liberal capitalism, particularly since the 2008-09 global financial crisis, has failed to deliver equitable outcomes, leading to massive inequalities and a loss of trust in political and corporate elites. "The health of our societies depends on sustaining a delicate balance between the economic and the political, the individual and the collective, the national and the global. But that balance is broken." Kelly cites Martin Wolf's observation that "liberal democracy and global capitalism 'that were triumphant three decades ago have lost legitimacy'." Renewing the Social Contract: To renew the social contract, Kelly suggests a need for a new settlement between liberal capitalism and liberal democracy. He advocates for a model of capitalism that works for the entire community, emphasizing the importance of income equity and social responsibility. "Technology will deliver economic progress, but the bigger job is achieving levels of income equity that underpin a good society." This requires addressing massive inequalities and restoring trust in political and corporate institutions. We believe if mainstream Australians here the case for a better vision, rather than the narrative of climate catastrophism and national illegitimacy currently being promoted, they will opt for hope over decline. Unless the social contract can be renewed around family, faith, freedom and life, there will be no future for our nation. 

A phrase such as 'a broken society' should not be made to bear more meaning than it has. Societies do not break; they continue to exist even after catastrophe — albeit in an often unpleasant way. When we talk of a broken society we seem to imply, at least if we take the term too literally, that there was ever a whole society that was not broken or fractured: that is to say, a society whose every member felt completely at harmony with it. This is utopianism projected on to the past. Such a society has never existed, of course. The nearest to an account of a genuinely broken society I have read is The Mountain People, the story of the Ik, a Ugandan tribe displaced from its ancestral environment, written more than forty years ago by the anthropologist Colin Turnbull. According to him, the Ik became deeply psychopathic, each person pursuing his own ends with a callousness and indifference to the suffering even of their spouses and children of a quite astonishing degree. Not only has his account been challenged as inaccurate because he stayed with the Ik only a short time and did not speak their language, but on his own account even Ik society, unpleasant as he depicted it, did continue to function in its way. By coincidence, I met a man in Brisbane who had recently visited the Ik who told me that Turnbull had had it all wrong, and misunderstood what he saw. 

advocacy [ˈæd.və.kə.si] I. public support for an idea, plan, or way of doing something: She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights. a nonprofit advocacy group. an advocacy group/organization An advocacy group or organization is one that tries to influence the decisions of a government or other authority. Consumer advocacy groups do not want restrictions on the telephone companies to be removed. He got a reminder from the business advocacy group that he should be looking at taxes. II. Someone's advocacy of a particular action or plan is their act of recommending it publicly. I support your advocacy of free trade. II. LAW the work of defending people in court. Advocacy is the way in which lawyers deal with cases in court. Sir Peter would also like to see the current adversarial system of advocacy examined by the royal commission. The Prison Law Office provides free legal advocacy to inmates. advocate [ˈæd.və.keɪt] I. to publicly support or suggest an idea, development, or way of doing something: Some people advocate teaching to the test. The organization advocates for human rights. She advocates taking a more long-term view. He advocates the return of capital punishment. advocate for We will continue to advocate for a regional, cooperative approach to the construction project. II. to speak for, support, or represent a person or group of people who may need extra help or protection: advocate for A lot of people living in desperate poverty are taken advantage of and need someone to advocate for them. The Education Trust advocates on behalf of disadvantaged and minority students. III. to speak for or defend someone in a court of law: advocate for 辩护, 抗辩 At least in court a defendant has a lawyer to advocate for him. noun. [ˈæd.və.kət]  I. a lawyer who speaks for or defends someone in a court of law: She has been the advocate for plaintiffs in many successful libel cases. Candidates for the post need to have at least 5 years experience as a solicitor or advocate. II. someone who speaks for, supports, or represents a person or group of people who may need extra help or protection: Advocates and community leaders say that support services for homeless children are inadequate. We work as patient advocates for people living in mental health facilities. III. someone who publicly supports or recommends an idea, a policy, etc.: advocate of He's a strong advocate of state ownership of the railways. advocate for She is known as an advocate for tax cuts. I'm an advocate of drinking plenty of water. devil's advocate If you play devil's advocate in a discussion or debate, you express an opinion which you may not agree with but which is very different from what other people have been saying, in order to make the argument more interesting. There are other arguments worth mentioning briefly when playing devil's advocate.

Advocacy 辩护 is the act of actively supporting, pleading, or arguing in favor of a cause, policy, or idea. It involves standing up for your own rights or helping others find their voice to ensure their views and wishes are heard. Understanding the concept of advocacy breaks down into its main types, how it is applied, and why it is used. The Main Types of Advocacy: Self-Advocacy: The ability to speak up for yourself, express your own needs, and represent your own interests. Individual Advocacy: When a friend, family member, or professional speaks up on behalf of a single individual who needs support navigating a system or resolving an issue. Systemic (or Systems) Advocacy: Efforts focused on changing policies, laws, budgets, or practices to improve the lives of a larger group or community. Common Forms of Advocacy: Legal Advocacy: Working within the justice system to protect rights, fight discrimination, or represent someone who cannot represent themselves. Health Advocacy: Helping patients navigate complex medical systems, understand their diagnoses, and secure necessary treatments. Social & Environmental Advocacy: Grassroots movements, lobbying, or media campaigns aimed at shifting public opinion and securing policy changes. The importance of written advocacy 书面辩护: Writing well is a powerful tool in the practice of law. Just like oral advocacy, the purpose of written advocacy is to persuade and in order to be persuasive, the document must be useful for the intended reader. Written work that is dense, impenetrable, lacking cohesion or badly structured will rarely be useful and sometimes may be counter productive 起反作用的. A valuable opportunity to persuade will have been wasted, sometimes irredeemably. Written advocacy has played the part of the poor second cousin to oral advocacy 口头辩护, 口头抗辩 but increasingly written advocacy has taken on a more significant and important role. Opening and closing submissions are usually filed in civil matters and in appeals written arguments must be filed before the hearing. The written argument thus provides an opportunity to persuade the Court before oral address has any role. Written advocacy is not confined to submissions. The way in which cases are presented in the form of pleadings, affidavits and witness statements is also a form of advocacy. The techniques of writing effectively and persuasively apply just as much to those documents as they do to written submissions. Court advocacy 法庭辩护 refers to the skills and techniques solicitors employ when representing a client in court. It involves presenting arguments, examining witnesses, and making submissions that persuade the Judge or Magistrate to rule in favour of your client. Effective advocacy 有效辩护 is about more than just presenting the law — it's about presenting your client's case in the most compelling and persuasive way possible.

Trial advocacy is the branch of knowledge concerned with making attorneys and other advocates more effective in trial proceedings. Trial advocacy is an essential trade skill for litigators and is taught in law schools and continuing legal education programs. It may also be taught in primary, secondary, and undergraduate schools, usually as a mock trial elective. The skills of trial advocacy can be broken into two categories: skills that accomplish individual tasks (tactical skills) such as selecting jurors, delivering opening statements 开场白 and closing arguments 结束陈词, and examining witnesses, and those skills that integrate the individual actions to achieve greater effects and to drive unfolding events toward the advocate's desired outcome (strategy). Most law school trial advocacy courses focus on tactical skills, though some integrate basic strategic planning methods. Some academics have expressed disfavor with advanced strategic techniques because of the imbalance they create, especially against attorneys who are unaware of them. Proponents of advanced strategic techniques argue that these methods are the only effective means to counter the already-existing imbalances in the system, as between indigent ( indigent [ˈɪndɪdʒ(ə)nt] 穷困潦倒的, 一无所有的( deprived [dɪˈpraɪvd], impoverished, penniless) Someone who is indigent is very poor. having no money or anything else of value: an indigent family. Apparently estate agents are urging indigent rectory owners to sell now. ) defendants and the state, and between working-class plaintiffs and well-resourced, wealthy corporations. 

wiki: Advocacy is the set of activities by individuals or groups intended to influence decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. It encompasses tactics ranging from grassroots organizing and media campaigns to lobbying, strategic litigation, and coalition-building, and aims to change laws, budgets, institutional practices, and public opinion. Advocacy can include many activities that a person or organization undertakes, including media campaigns, public speaking, commissioning and publishing research. Lobbying (often by lobby groups) is a form of advocacy where a direct approach is made to legislators on a specific issue or specific piece of legislation. Research has started to address how advocacy groups in the United States and Canada are using social media to facilitate civic engagement and collective action. 

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用法学习: 1. backhaul [ˈbækˌhɔːl] 回程. 回路. 回货 noun. I. a return load of cargo; cargo which is carried by a vehicle on its return journey. II. the return trip of a vehicle, as a truck, transporting cargo or freight, esp. when carrying goods back over all or part of the same route. a return journey of a vehicle after it has transported and delivered goods. the return movement of a transportation vehicle from the direction of its principal haul especially transporting a shipment back over part or all of the route. the return trip made by a cargo vehicle after delivering its cargo. II. the physical part of a communications network between the central backbone and the individual local networks. In a hierarchical telecommunications network, the backhaul portion of the network comprises the intermediate links between the core network, or backbone network 骨干网, and the small subnetworks at the edge of the network (like for example private networks, LANs, etc … the data flows along the power lines for about a kilometer before it's siphoned off the line and into an optical fiber or cellular-based backhaul system. Thirdly, the issue arises of connecting the community wireless network to the main internet, known as backhaul. In some exchanges in remote areas, a substantial investment is needed to provide the backhaul into the main network. In particular, there is the problem of the so-called backhaul infrastructure—the cost of connecting a local exchange or a new wireless base station to the core network. verb. I. to pick up (something) at one of the stops along a delivery route and transport it over part or all of the return route. The grocer has its own recycling facilities where materials to be recycled are backhauled to its distribution centres. As shipping rates increase, backhauling empty containers makes less economic sense. II. to transmit (data) over the backhaul part of a network. The exponential growth in wireless traffic … [is] forcing mobile carriers to deal with backhauling data from the cell sites to the core network. 2. turgid [ˈtɜː.dʒɪd] (书写) 晦涩难懂的 (of speech, writing, style, etc.) boring and too serious about its subject matter. If you describe something such as a piece of writing or a film as turgid, you think it is boring and difficult to understand. He used to make extremely dull, turgid and frankly boring speeches. The rest of the arts scene looks increasingly turgid by comparison. a couple of pages of turgid prose. tumescence [tʃuːˈmes.əns] 肿胀 the quality of being swollen, or a swollen part of the body, especially caused by sexual excitement: Erectile dysfunction can mean less tumescence as well as the complete absence of an erection. In time the tumescence would disappear. tumescent [tʃuːˈmes.ənt] 肿胀的, 肿大的, 充血肿胀的 wollen or becoming swollen, especially because of sexual excitement: a tumescent penis. Nocturnal penile tumescence [tʃuːˈmes.əns] (NPT) 晨勃, commonly known as "morning wood," is a natural, involuntary erection that occurs during sleep or upon waking, typically 3 to 5 times per night. It is a sign of healthy blood flow and nerve function, primarily occurring during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. REM is when dreaming, nightmares, and penile/clitoral tumescence occur. 3. "one's max" 上限, 某人的极限, 我的极限, 最多的 refers to the absolute upper limit of a person's capacity, energy, or resources. It is short for "maximum". Depending on the context, it can describe physical endurance, financial limits, or overall capabilities. I brought you a refill. One is my max, night before a game. "He pushed his body to his max during the workout." This means he trained at peak intensity or lifted the heaviest weight he possibly could. max out To reach the highest level or capacity of endurance, benefit, or benefit allowance. "I maxed out my credit card." This means you spent the absolute highest amount allowed, leaving zero available balance.  I'll give him eight out of 10, max. He twisted the throttle control to max power. "It will take 2 hours, max 最多了." Here, it is used as an adverb meaning "at most". To the max: to the highest degree or level. Doing something to the greatest degree possible. as much as possible: These athletes push their bodies to the max. Many of their employees are stressed to the max. She works her credentials to the max. The winters are so hard here that our house is insulated to the max. She revved her engine to the max. "living life to the max". 4. peg (one) as (something) = peg someone for something To believe or consider that one definitely is a certain type of person or thing. "peg someone for something" generally uses "peg" in the informal sense of identifying, labeling, or judging someone with a specific trait or role. It means to categorize or suspect them based on their character or behavior. I pegged her as a total bore when she first started working here, but since getting to know her, she's actually pretty interesting. I'm disappointed, Jake—I never pegged you as a quitter. 5. head something up 带头, 领导 to lead or control a group, part of a company, etc.. To lead some group or delegation. Who will head up the committee for this initiative? Once I retire at the end of the year, Lucy will head up the task force. Who heads up your department? Because I would like to lodge a complaint with them! He headed up a Miami-based legal team. I can put you in touch with the detective heading up the investigation. contravene [ˌkɒn.trəˈviːn] 违反 to do something that a law or rule does not allow, or to break a law or rule. To contravene a law or rule means to do something that is forbidden by the law or rule. The Board has banned the film on the grounds that it contravenes criminal libel laws. He said the article did not contravene the industry's code of conduct. The government has lent millions of pounds to banks in contravention of the laws. The company knew its actions contravened international law. Elon Musk's X Corp admits it contravened ( = admit non-compliance with) Australian child protection request in Federal Court hearing. convene [kənˈviːn] 开会, 召集会议 If someone convenes a meeting or conference, they arrange for it to take place. to bring together a group of people for a meeting, or to meet for a meeting: The prime minister convened (a meeting of) his cabinet to discuss the matter. The council will be convening on the morning of the 25th. You can also say that people convene or that a meeting convenes. Last August he convened a meeting of his closest advisers at Camp David. Senior officials convened in October in London. ...the convening of an international peace conference. Conceptualized in the Age of Enlightenment, social contract is a core concept of constitutionalism, while not necessarily convened and written down in a constituent assembly and constitution. 6. (somewhere or something) or bust An expression used to indicate that someone will not stop trying until they arrive at a certain place or achieve a certain goal. Ever since he was a little boy, it's been the Marine Corps or bust for Tom. We've saved up everything we had to make this move, so it's San Francisco or bust! I spent the whole off-season training my hardest and refining my swing, so it's major leagues or bust next season! used to say that you will try very hard to get somewhere or achieve something: For him it's the Olympics or bust. We weren't looking at anyone else (at Pick 5), it was probably Scott or bust. Obviously we had an order, but we had a really high level of confidence Scott was going to be there. The market was telling us that, although he was rated, he wasn't rated in that bracket. forward of 在...前边 in a position that is ahead of (something). in front of (something). If one thing is forward of another, especially on a ship or aircraft, the first thing is in front of the second thing or further ahead. Forward of the main cabin are the guest cabins. Small parachute symbols were painted on the left side just forward of the wing. The valves are located just forward of the fuel tanks. AFL选秀: With Pendlebury taken 选中, 中选, 选走 much earlier than projected, there was instant backlash. Pendlebury himself recently shared on Triple M radio that Hine "reckons he almost lost his job that night because I was that unknown." Pendlebury had also thought he was headed to West Coast with Pick 13 — which the Eagles ultimately used on Shannon Hurn — after they called him the night before the draft. Pendlebury hasn't let Hine forget it, joking: "I often remind 'Dekka' that I also kept him in a job for 20 years!" Hine was fully aware that he and his recruiting team were higher on Pendlebury than any other club — a shocking yet career-defining pick that would change Collingwood forever. "I think West Coast had a strong interest in him, but I couldn't tell you his exact draft range. I think the bracket was around first round to a pick in the 30s," Hine said. "I don't think anyone had him quite as high as we did, but that's quite common in a lot of drafts." Hine added with a laugh: "Scott does say that he held my career together — which is probably right, to be honest. It's something we reflect on 回想 quite a lot and have a chuckle about." Hine still remembers driving home from Marvel Stadium — named Telstra Dome at the time — that night and hearing one particular barb. "I think there was a lot of commentary, particularly in media circles, that it was well forward 早于, 提前 of where the projection was," he said. "I forget who the journalist was when I was driving home, but they said industry sources are of the agreement that we'd stuffed the draft up, or something like that. You wouldn't mind stuffing all drafts up like that one, would you?" In case you didn't know, Pendlebury has a basketball background. "I think the boat had sailed for Scott for whatever reason. Basketball was front of mind for a really long period of Scott's junior years," Hine said. "He was really forward 有前瞻的, 有远见的 in getting information and working with the likes of Paul Licuria and Nathan Buckley and these sorts of guys who were really high end in terms of their preparation.".

boost VS bolster: In many sentences they're interchangeable, but bolster carries a subtle undertone of vulnerability being shored up, while boost feels more like pure upward momentum. Boost 助力, 提升, 使更高 implies a sudden, external push upward — a quick, measurable lift. Bolster 撑腰, 给以支撑 implies reinforcing something that needs support — shoring up a weakness or preventing decline. 

Confidence: "The win boosted his confidence". "He bolstered his confidence before the speech".

Economy: "Tax cuts boosted growth". "The government bolstered the struggling economy"

Argument: "New data boosted his case". "He bolstered his argument with more evidence".

Military: "Reinforcements boosted morale". "Troops were sent to bolster the defenses".

Use boost when something is already okay and you're taking it higher — accelerating progress. Use bolster when something is under pressure or at risk — reinforcing against weakness. "The strong earnings report boosted the stock price" — it jumped up suddenly. "The central bank intervened to bolster the currency" — it was falling and needed support. 

bolster [ˈboʊl·stər] verb. I. If you bolster something such as someone's confidence or courage, you increase it. More money is needed to bolster the industry. She tried to bolster my confidence/morale (= encourage me and make me feel stronger) by telling me that I had a special talent. They need to do something to bolster their image. Hopes of an early cut in interest rates bolstered confidence. ...a number of measures intended to bolster morale. II. If someone tries to bolster their position in a situation, they try to strengthen it. The UN is sending more troops to bolster the peacekeepers. Britain is free to adopt policies to bolster its economy. ...an aid programme to bolster up their troubled economy. noun. 护腰垫. 护腰枕. A bolster is a firm pillow shaped like a long tube which is sometimes put across a bed under the ordinary pillows. a long pillow (= cloth bag filled with material), usually shaped like a tube. 

SpaceX files for long-awaited public stock offering that could make Elon Musk a trillionaire: SpaceX revealed its long-awaited plans to go public on Wednesday, shedding light on the finances and leadership of one of the largest, best-known and yet most secretive private companies in history. Elon Musk's rocket and satellite company revealed previously undisclosed details, including its board members, sales, profit, expenses and how it does business. It will trade under the ticker symbol ( A ticker symbol is a unique abbreviation—typically 1 to 5 letters—used to identify a publicly traded company, fund, or security on a stock exchange. It serves as a universal shorthand for investors to search, track, and execute trades on financial platforms. wiki: Ticker symbol or stock symbol is an abbreviation used to uniquely identify publicly traded shares of a particular publicly listed company or security on a particular stock exchange. Ticker symbols are arrangements of symbols or characters (generally Latin letters or digits) which provide a shorthand for investors to refer to, purchase, and research securities. Some exchanges include ticker extensions, which encode additional information such as share class, bankruptcy status, or voting rights into the ticker) SPCX. One thing it didn't disclose: how much the company expects to raise and what the company could be worth in what is widely predicted to be the biggest-ever initial public offering — perhaps by a factor of three. In its prospectus, SpaceX outlined 规划 a bold mission: "to build the systems and technologies necessary to make life multiplanetary, to understand the true nature of the universe, and to extend the light of consciousness to the stars." Despite being a fast-growing company, its ambitions outstrip its current sales. It brought in $18.7 billion in revenue last year, up 33% from the previous year. But the company doesn't make money.  

 How Hollywood's production crisis became a key issue in the L.A. mayor's race: Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman, who serves the 4th District, makes her way across an empty, unnamed backlot(an area outside a film or television studio used for outdoor filming.), presenting her case to be the city's next mayor."Studio lots 片场 like this one used to be filled with people, costumers, electricians, set medics, caterers, thousands of Angelenos making a living," she says in the video posted on social media. "Now these lots are quiet. Since 2018, shooting days in the city have fallen by half." After telling voters this issue is "personal" (her husband is a TV writer and producer), criticizing Mayor Karen Bass' leadership on the matter and outlining her own plans, Raman proclaims, "I'm running for mayor to make sure Los Angeles stays the film and TV capital of the world." Placing the concerns of the entertainment industry at the center of the city's mayoral race would have been unthinkable even in the last election cycle. But the production crisis, which has rocked Hollywood and pummeled its workforce, has reached a critical juncture. The state of L.A.'s signature industry is now a political flashpoint alongside affordability, crime and homelessness in the upcoming election. In campaign ads, interviews and the recent televised debate, the top three contenders: incumbent Mayor Bass, former reality TV villain Spencer Pratt and Raman, have made the ongoing production slump 衰败, 衰落 a pivotal topic, highlighting their plans to revitalize the industry while deploying the issue to undercut one another. For decades, elected officials have not had to focus on the film and TV business, let alone turn it into a campaign issue. It was simply a given that local production would continue to play a dominant role in the city's economy as it has for more than a century. But the cumulative effects of consolidation, runaway 落跑的, 跑路的 production to tax-friendly states and countries and the end of the streaming boom has caused Los Angeles to lose billions in economic activity, shed some 57,000 jobs over the last four years and led to the closing of more than 80 film and television production service businesses across the city since 2022. "For us, 'save Hollywood' is more than a slogan and more than headline. It is what needs to be done," said Pamala Buzick Kim, one of the co-founders of Stay in LA, a grassroots campaign aimed at increasing film and television production in Los Angeles. To be sure, the biggest driver of where studios and producers film are state and federal tax credits, over which the city has no control. But Buzick Kim and others argue that "there is lots the mayor can do, hand-in-hand with the City Council." For starters, say filmmakers and advocates, much can be done to tackle the city's sclerotic ( sclerotic [sklɪəˈrɒtɪk] I. affected by sclerosis (= a medical condition in which body tissue or organs become harder): sclerotic arteries. II. 僵化的. 僵硬的 not happening, developing, or changing quickly enough: The tax cuts are designed to bring growth to a sclerotic economy. III. relating to the sclera (= the white layer that covers the outside of the eye, except the coloured part): The size of the sclerotic aperture is a good estimation of the size of the cornea. The diameter of the sclerotic ring was proportionately larger in juveniles relative to adults. noun. the white layer that covers the outside of the eye, except the coloured part: The iris forms in the interior of the eye, at the anterior opening of the sclerotic. sclerosis [skləˈrəʊ.sɪs] 硬化 a medical condition that causes body tissue or organs to become harder, especially the arteries (= thick tubes carrying blood from the heart). ) bureaucracy, onerous ( onerous [ˈəʊ.nər.əs] difficult to do or needing a lot of effort. causing great difficulty or trouble. If you describe a task as onerous, you dislike having to do it because you find it difficult or unpleasant. ...parents who have had the onerous task of bringing up a very difficult child. The tax bill was aimed at lifting the onerous tax burden from the backs of the middle class. onerous task 艰巨的, 难办的, 困难的 the onerous task of finding a peaceful solution. She found the duties of motherhood onerous. ) regulations and a slow and costly permitting process that has pushed filmmakers to flee to friendlier and cheaper locales. While steps have been put in place recently, including a pilot program offering reduced-cost filming permits for shoots that demonstrate a "low impact" to the surrounding community, many complain such steps have come too little and too late. "The industry is in collapse and people have been talking about fixing things for years, but all we get are incremental little changes," said Ed Lippman, a location manager of 34 years who lives in Sherman Oaks and has worked on such shows as "ER" and "The X-Files" and movies including "Galaxy Quest." "And if the city is not being business-friendly, the business will go elsewhere." Compounding the problem, the Los Angeles area has more than 100 jurisdictions, many of which have their own set of rules and regulations regarding filming. "There needs to be universal standards," said Travis Beck, a location manager for commercials, small films and music videos. "Burbank is different from Glendale, which is different from Pasadena." The recent kerfuffle over filming "Baywatch," the lifeguard reboot at Venice Beach, underscored both the efforts to bring production back to L.A. — enticed by a $21-million tax credit — and the complex, baffling red tape required to film here. When shooting began in March, the production encountered a number of hiccups 小问题, including that it needed nearly double the parking space it had received a permit for, which was not part of the original approvals. An anonymous crew member claimed on Facebook that government restrictions had forced production to relocate from Venice Beach. Production staff denied they had relocated. However, the incident prompted a backlash, becoming a rallying cry 集体声讨 over L.A.'s burdensome filming bureaucracy. On his Substack and various podcast interviews, Pratt has promised to slash location fees in half, speed up permit approvals, reduce on-set city staff for the majority of productions and waive all fees for shoots with budgets under $2 million. All three candidates have attacked one another over their approach to Hollywood. Pratt and Raman have said Bass moved too slowly to address spiraling production and retain film jobs, saying she enacted measures only recently as the mayoral race was heating up. Bass and Pratt have taken Raman to task, calling her out for what they say is her lack of advocacy during her time on the City Council. "She feels very strongly about it. But never offered one motion on the industry, and when motions came up on the industry she either recused 避嫌 herself, or got up and walked out," said Bass during a debate this month. Citing a potential conflict of interest over her husband's work in television, Raman refrained from voting on several motions related to Hollywood. Many working in the industry would like to see full-throttled support coming from the mayor's office that will get results. They note how New York City has successfully promoted itself as a leading film destination over the years. "For all the talk about, 'We need to support and bring back filming,' if they just did basics like lowering the fees and simplifying the process ... that would actually help people and get things produced," said Chris Fuentes, 66, who worked for 30 years as a location manager until he retired last year. "We've heard a lot of great things, but not all things are possible in the mayor's remit," said Buzick Kim, noting that tax incentives are a state and federal issue. Still, she said, "the mayor must understand that Hollywood needs to be made a priority and to find and create inspired thinking to make things easier and cheaper." Kang agrees, but says there are limits to what the mayor can achieve. "We definitely can do a lot to really open up the entertainment industry, but at the same time, we recognize the larger impact needs to come from Sacramento and Washington, D.C., because L.A. just does not have the resources to compete with other jurisdictions in providing millions of dollars in tax incentives," he said. For most working in the industry, they just want city leadership that will execute on more than just talking points. "This is the birthplace of cinema," Beck said. "It shouldn't be so hard to film here." 

US military surveillance blimp on loan to CBP is lost at the southern border, wreckage 残骸 found in Mexico: A US military-owned surveillance blimp operated by Customs and Border Protection contractors near Laredo, Texas, broke free from its tether 脱缰 on Monday evening and later crashed in Mexico. The blimp did not carry a crew when in the air, and no ground personnel were injured in the incident. The 66-foot surveillance blimp's tether cable 缰绳, 系绳, which secures 固定 the balloon to the ground, became tangled with other cables amid storms on Monday. That evening, a nearby airport experienced heavy thunderstorms that brought wind gusts as high as 44 miles per hour, according to National Weather Service data. The aircraft's operators tried to untangle 解开 the cables, the spokesperson said, but the helium-filled blimp "became untethered" and floated away 飘走了. The military declined to say which specific model of balloon was lost, only describing the aircraft as a "medium aerostat (aerostat [ˈeə.rə.stæt] a lighter-than-air craft, such as a balloon. an aircraft such as a hot-air balloon or an airship, that rises off the ground using a gas that is lighter than air. wiki: An aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft is an aircraft that relies on buoyancy 浮力 to maintain flight. Aerostats include unpowered balloons (free-flying or tethered) and powered airships. )." CBP operates surveillance blimps across the region. Some are equipped with high-powered cameras, and others carry radar systems that detect drones and other aircraft operated by smugglers. The runaway 落跑的, 逃跑的, 飞走的 balloon's location was unknown until Mexico's military discovered it "in a remote location southwest of Laredo," according to the spokesperson. Mexican and US troops are coordinating to recover the aerostat. Border Patrol began using small "tactical" blimps for surveillance in 2012, but the program has periodically run out of funding. CBP lost an even larger surveillance blimp in March 2025, when a 200-foot aerostat operating on South Padre Island, Texas, broke free from its tether and floated nearly 600 miles before careening into power lines(careen I. 冲向. to move forwards quickly and suddenly, going from side to side in an uncontrolled way. To careen somewhere means to rush forward in an uncontrollable way. He stood to one side as they careened past him. The truck sways wildly, careening down narrow mountain roads. careen down/along/off 滑出: The bus careened off the road and plunged into a river. II. to be in a situation that changes quickly in an uncontrolled way. careen from/towards: The country has careened from one crisis to another. an economic system careening towards collapse. ) near Dallas. CBP, which oversees Border Patrol, plays a crucial role in President Donald Trump's efforts to secure the US-Mexico border and restrict illegal immigration. Trump's emphasis on hardening the border 边境 has brought CBP a litany of military manpower and equipment, sometimes with unintended consequences. In February, CBP's use of a high-energy anti-drone laser system furnished by the Pentagon to shoot down balloons led the Federal Aviation Administration to suddenly shut down civilian airspace over El Paso, Texas.