Trump's Axios interview is just more evidence everything is broken: The fact the interview is being held up as some sort of journalistic masterstroke, however, is as good an indicator as any that things are not as they're supposed to be. "Swan demolished some of Trump's most dishonest talking points with a powerful tactic that has rarely been used by the people Trump has allowed to interview him: basic follow-up questions," wrote CNN's Daniel Dale, a tireless chronicler of Trump's sins. For what it's worth, I didn't find Trump's performance particularly jarring, at least any more so than those he's produced on other occasions on which he's been required to speak in public. If anything, he appeared a little more lucid [ˈluːsɪd] 思路清晰的 ( I. Lucid writing or speech is clear and easy to understand. ...a lucid account of the history of mankind. His prose as always lucid and compelling. Both of them had the ability to present complex matters lucidly. His writings were marked by an extraordinary lucidity and elegance of style. II. If someone is lucid, they are thinking clearly again after a period of illness or confusion. He wasn't very lucid, he didn't quite know where he was. The pain had lessened in the night, but so had his lucidity. ) than usual. This time he engaged with Swan's questions, armed with charts and apparently genuine in the belief he had a case to make. On the legacy of recently passed civil rights leader John Lewis: "He didn't come to my inauguration ... Nobody has done more for black Americans than I have." Trump's positions, such as they are, aren't built to hold up to basic follow-up questions because they've never had to before. A puzzled look and a "why?" from a reporter is vastly more scrutiny than he's ever applied to his own beliefs. In his often chaotic press conferences, with insults being hurled and reporters clamouring 争着抢着, 争先恐后, 吵吵闹闹的, 哄抢, 争抢着 for time at the microphone, this has the effect of making it look like no one has landed a blow. I suspect that for those that aren't paying attention (and I don't blame them) it's easy to imagine the endless scandals must be largely frivolous ( I. = flippant 轻佻的. 不认真的. 不严肃的. If you describe someone as frivolous, you mean they behave in a silly or light-hearted way, rather than being serious and sensible. I just decided I was a bit too frivolous to be a doctor. II. 毫无用途的. 白白浪费时间的. 白费功夫的, 枉费心机的, 徒劳无功的. If you describe an activity as frivolous, you disapprove of it because it is not useful and wastes time or money. The group wants politicians to stop wasting public money on what it believes are frivolous projects. Frivolous things are silly or unnecessary. If something is frivolous, then you don't need it. vocabulary: Frivolous things are goofy, useless, or just plain dumb. The word is often used to describe lawsuits. A frivolous lawsuit has no value and will be a waste of the court's time. If someone is frivolous, that person shouldn't be taken seriously because he's always fooling around and never gets anything done. Frivolous is pretty much the opposite of essential. ) - mountains made from molehills by a vengeful media. That story was all over the news, but now they're talking about something else he's done. So it can't have been that bad, can it? Simply keeping track of it all - let alone determining which statements and actions to devote time and resources to scrutinising ( scrutinize [ˈskruːtɪnaɪz] to examine something very carefully. If you scrutinize something, you examine it very carefully, often to find out some information from it or about it. Her purpose was to scrutinize his features to see if he was an honest man. Lloyds' results were carefully scrutinised as a guide to what to expect from the other banks. scrutiny If a person or thing is under scrutiny, they are being studied or observed very carefully. careful examination of someone or something. under scrutiny: The diet industry comes under scrutiny in tonight's programme. close scrutiny: Council services are subject to close scrutiny to ensure their efficiency. public/parliamentary/judicial scrutiny: The company's accounts are mainly hidden from public scrutiny. His private life came under media scrutiny. The President promised a government open to public scrutiny.) - is a full-time job for the media. It's also exhausting for the average citizen. Trump moves on to the next grievance, the next gaslight, the next grift( noun. an act of obtaining money from someone by fraud. Roy is a master of the short grift, a quick swindle that's over before its victim even knows it. verb. to swindle someone out of money. Cher could always tell when a scam or a grift was going down – after all, she 'd been grifting for twenty years. ), without a second thought. They're left with the mental labour of squaring what they just witnessed with the fact that 风中凌乱 he was elected president of the United States ( square I. 平方. To square a number means to multiply it by itself. For example, 3 squared is 3 x 3, or 9. 3 squared is usually written as 3². Take the time in seconds, square it, and multiply by 5.12. A squared plus B squared equals C squared. The square of a number is the number produced when you multiply that number by itself. For example, the square of 3 is 9. ...the square of the speed of light, an exceedingly large number. II. If you square two different ideas or actions with each other or if they square with each other, they fit or match each other. That explanation squares with 核对, 核实 the facts 和事实吻合, doesn't it. He set out to square his dreams with reality 现实和梦想的切合. if one idea, opinion, explanation etc squares with another, they both seem good or reasonable Her story doesn't quite square with 不相符 不一致, 有出入 what the first witness said. It was difficult to square this behaviour with his religious beliefs. III. If you square something with someone 获得同意, 问询, 获得允许, 获准, you ask their permission or check with them that what you are doing is acceptable to them. to get permission from someone to do something I'll have to square it with the manager first. I squared it with Dan, who said it was all right. She should have squared things with Jay before she went into this business with Walker. squarely I. Squarely means directly or in the middle, rather than indirectly or at an angle. I kept the gun aimed squarely 不偏不倚的, 冲准的, 对准的 at his eyes. II. If something such as blame or responsibility lies squarely with someone, they are definitely the person responsible. The president put the blame squarely 径直, 直接 on his opponent. Responsibility for success or failure lies squarely with the Nigerians. III. If you face something squarely 直面, you face it directly, without trying to avoid it. The management committee have faced the situation squarely. We have to drop our pretences and look squarely at schooling as it really is. squared Something that is squared has the shape of a square, or has a pattern of squares on it. Draw up a scale floor plan on squared paper, marking in the door opening and windows. square the circle 两全其美 If you say that someone squares the circle, you mean that they bring together two things which are normally thought to be so different that they cannot exist together. He has squared the circle of keeping the City happy and doing something to improve business cash flow. 'Nirvana' squared the circle by making a record that was pop and rock at the same time. a square peg in a round hole 格格不入, 驴唇不对马嘴 If you describe someone as a square peg in a round hole, you mean that they are completely unsuitable for the job they are doing or the situation they are in. Taylor is clearly the wrong man for the job–a square peg in a round hole. ). We still make concerted efforts to discern 探知, 探查, 探得 the reasoning behind his actions( discern I. 注意到. 发现. If you can discern something, you are aware of it and know what it is. to notice something, especially after thinking about it carefully or studying it. discern a difference/pattern/reason. You need a long series of data to be able to discern such a trend. It was hard to discern why this was happening. II. 看清楚. 清晰地看到. If you can discern something, you can just see it, but not clearly. to see or hear something, especially something that is far away or not very clear. We could just about discern a small figure walking towards us. Below the bridge we could just discern a narrow, weedy ditch. ) in conventional terms, shoehorning his latest brain snap ( when you suddenly have a complete psycho and all logical thought and reason takes a back seat to your rage and anger. sudden act of rage, without premeditation. dangerous and illogical things happen. "My god, what happened here?" "Tim brainsnapped and thwacked him". "Tim had a brainsnap and thwacked him". Smashing a whole cupboard full of crockery on the footpath cos your plate wasnt cleaned properly. the term used by famous people (and normal people) to justify doing something really stupid that if they'd taken half a second to think about it they probably wouldn't have done it anyway. it's a cheap way of saying sorry for doing something dumb and not taking any slack for it. the famous celebrity phone throwing incident that everyone knows about - headline of paper "how my brain snapped". brainfuck = headfuck (vulgar), mindfuck (vulgar), mindscrew (vulgar) Something that destabilizes, confuses, or manipulates a person's mind. To destabilize, confuse, or manipulate a person's mind. ) into comforting notions of policy positions, political strategy and doctrines of power, despite all the evidence being that he neither understands nor intends to learn how to discharge the most basic duties of the office. There's a degree of inertia [ɪˈnɜː(r)ʃə] involved, but I suspect a good deal of the willingness to pretend things are largely normal is because it's much easier than confronting the alternative - that the nuclear codes are held by the host of Celebrity Apprentice, who is apparently filled with enough contempt and disregard for the welfare of the American people that he continues to get up every day and occupy that office for seemingly little reason other than a need to be praised. Almost four years since Trump's election, watching this clash of his personality versus the requirements of the position play out 眼瞅着这种冲突一点点上演 is still a surreal experience 不敢想的经历. It produces a dissonance ( [ˈdɪsənəns] I. 互不相容. 互不相让. formal a situation in which ideas or actions are opposed to each other. Dissonance is a lack of agreement or harmony between things. II. an unpleasant sound created when musical notes played together are not in harmony. ) that defines his presidency. For his detractors, it's exhausting. But it affects his supporters, too. It's why they have to invent increasingly fanciful narratives ( fanciful [ˈfænsɪf(ə)l] I. not serious or sensible. If you describe an idea as fanciful 不实用的, 不切实际的, you disapprove of it because you think it comes from someone's imagination, and is therefore unrealistic or unlikely to be true. ... fanciful 听上去好笑的 ideas about Martian life. Designing silicon chips to mimic human organs sounds fanciful. What a fanciful suggestion! II. unusual and complicated rather than plain and practical. If you describe the appearance of something as fanciful, you mean that it is unusual and elaborate rather than plain and simple. The economic gloom of the early 1980s was relieved by fanciful architecture. new fanciful 花里胡哨的, 花哨的 styles of architecture. ) to explain his behaviour (ranging from "it's fake news" to "he's sending us coded messages about his undercover mission to bring down a global paedophile ring"). Perhaps Trump was encouraged by his previous chummy interactions with Swan - an Australian who has made a name for himself as a hard-hitter 不留情面 ( figurative A person who or thing which is energetic, uncompromising, or direct, especially in providing unpalatable facts or strong criticism. a heavy hitter mainly US someone who is powerful and has achieved a lot: Have you seen his résumé? He's a real heavy hitter. ) but is no stranger to access journalism ( Access journalism refers to journalism (often in interview form) which prioritizes access—meaning media time with important, rich, famous, powerful or otherwise influential people in politics, culture, sports, and other areas—over journalistic objectivity and/or integrity. Journalistic objectivity 新闻客观性: Journalistic objectivity is a considerable notion within the discussion of journalistic professionalism. Journalistic objectivity may refer to fairness, disinterestedness, factuality, and nonpartisanship, but most often encompasses all of these qualities. First evolving as a practice in the 18th century, a number of critiques and alternatives to the notion have emerged since, fuelling ongoing and dynamic discourse surrounding the ideal of objectivity in journalism. ) or enabling Trump's worst impulses when he feels he needs to. For whatever reason, he let this interview drag on. Despite the White House setting and the natural advantage of the format - the very act of sitting down for a one-on-one brings his questioner into the deceit, implying Trump is either capable of or interested in playing out an argument to its logical conclusion - he fought on Swan's ground ( on someone's own ground 在...的地盘 in a place or area of activity where someone feels confident and in control. If you are on your own ground, you are in a place or situation in which you feel confident because you are very familiar with it. On her own ground she knows exactly what she's doing. I was reluctant to confront them on their own ground. stand/hold your ground refuse to change your opinions or decisions. to refuse to be pushed backwards, or to continue in your beliefs in an argument: The battalion stood its ground in the face of repeated attacks.Clare stood her ground in the meeting and refused to be intimidated even when Michael got angry. If you stand your ground or hold your ground, you do not run away from a situation, but face it bravely. She had to force herself to stand her ground when she heard someone approaching. ). I think what made people heap praise upon this interview in particular was that it came across as a return to form ( 光荣回归. A return to a former state of success or brilliance. A restoration to a previously established standard of excellence or brilliance. This album marks a return to form for the band which has not had a successful hit since 1995. This latest film marks a welcome return to form for the beloved filmmaker, whose more recent films have fallen well below the expectations of critics and fans alike. To return to a previously established standard or state of excellence or brilliance. The president definitely returned to form 状态回归 in the debate last night, much to the joy (and relief) of her supporters. ) for an old institution. The follow-up question had gotten up off the mat ( go to the mat (for someone) to get involved in an argument in order to help someone. To give someone or something one's full support; to fight for someone or something until the very end. We firmly believe that she is in the right on this matter, and we're ready to go to the mat for her in court if necessary. Many members of the party have said that they'll go to the mat for this bill. on the mat I. In a position to face a reprimand from someone. When my team lost that big client, the boss called me on the mat. II. Under discussion or consideration. We don't have time to discuss those issues, but don't worry, they'll be on the mat the next time we meet. This idiom is a military reference: the orderly room mat was where a soldier accused of some misdemeanour would stand before the commanding officer. ) and landed a blow. Swan did well, to be sure. What he does is harder than it looks. How do you properly scrutinise a president who has little knowledge to impart 传递, 传达出 ( I. If you impart information to people, you tell it to them. The ability to impart knowledge 传递知识, 传达信息 is the essential qualification for teachers. I am about to impart knowledge to you that you will never forget. II. To impart a particular quality to something means to give it that quality. She managed to impart great elegance to the unpretentious dress she was wearing. His production of Harold Pinter's play fails to impart a sense of excitement or danger. vocabulary: Let me impart a little bit of knowledge to you about the word impart. It means to pass on, transmit, or bestow. If you share this with your study partner, you are imparting your new wisdom. Studying imparts confidence as well as information, long life imparts wisdom, and anise seed imparts the flavor of licorice. Your mother can impart the importance of dressing neatly each and every day. Though it shares a root with the word part, impart doesn't mean to split into pieces, but rather to divide or share with another. Let me impart this message to you — always do your part! ), no insight to share and no cause to advance beyond his own grievances, without descending to his level? But I'm not so sure a blow was landed in any meaningful way. Yes, Trump's thin grasp of detail was on display again. If up until this point you thought he was across his brief, I don't know what to tell you. But a true reckoning for this level of sheer self-service and incompetence demands a truly monumental 历史性的, 意义重大的 television event, and this was not it. There was no moment of revelation, no rage-filled outburst, no tearful admission of inadequacy followed by an attempt to commandeer ( [ˌkɒmənˈdɪə(r)] I. 征用. If the armed forces commandeer a vehicle or building owned by someone else, they officially take charge of it so that they can use it. The soldiers commandeered vehicles in the capital and occupied the television station. They drove in convoy round the city in commandeered cars. II. 劫持. To commandeer something owned by someone else means to take charge of it so that you can use it. He decides to commandeer their room. The hijacker commandeered the plane on a domestic flight. "I think he realized that the interview could have gone down the typical lane that most interviews with Donald Trump go down, which is that he commandeers 劫持, 征为己用 the interview. But Jonathan did his level best to not let that happen, and that itself is a victory," said David Brody, a Christian Broadcasting Network journalist and analyst who conducted his most recent interview with the president on June 22. vocabulary: What is that person doing, interrupting everyone and changing the subject every minute? He is trying to commandeer, or take control, of the conversation. You can probably tell from the look of the word that commandeer is somehow related to commander in meaning. A commander is someone who is officially in charge, giving orders and making decisions for a group such as a nation or a military. Many groups don't have a commander, but this doesn't stop some people from trying to take charge. If you commandeer something — whether it's a car or a conversation — you use force to try to take over. ) a jet to Moscow.
coercive control: It can be tough to tell when a relationship has turned abusive, especially when there are so many ways for a partner to be toxic — from constantly arguing, to stalking, and everything in between. But one form of psychological abuse, called coercive control, is particularly difficult to spot. Coercive control describes someone's need for total emotional control over their partner, and it's often gained through subtle or sneaky tactics. "Coercive control in a relationship is, by definition, not about any of the factors that are being controlled — money, social interactions, rules in the house, individual pursuits," Joshua Klapow, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and host of The Kurre and Klapow Show, tells Bustle, but the actions are taken to gain control. "As soon as coercion is involved then the goal shifts from practical to personal, from functional to emotional," Klapow says. And it doesn't always manifest in one particular way. "Coercion is an emotional power move," he says. "It is done to influence an individual usually because the individual who is using the coercion lacks the skills or the confidence to openly discuss, compromise, or handle not getting what they want." One misconception about coercive control is that it's always aggressive. Sometimes, your partner can control you through reliance, instead, which includes acting as if they are incapable of taking care of themselves. When that's the case, "your partner looks to you to solve all problems — they rely on you to the point where you literally have to conduct their lives," Klapow says. "They have no independence and see you as there to address their every need." Since they seem helpless, instead of domineering, it makes it difficult to spot how toxic this situation really is. But their goal is still to gain power, Klapow says, by "essentially having you do everything." What is coercive control? Sometimes described as "intimate terrorism", coercive control refers to behaviours used by perpetrators to assert emotional, psychological, and financial control over their victims. Survivors fear this type of behaviour will not be recognised as abuse because it's different to physical violence — there are no bruises or broken bones that show they're being assaulted, or that their lives are at risk. "Coercive control is making you think you're the one who caused the violence," one victim said. "It makes you think, 'I was the one to blame for being raped, and it was my fault. If I hadn't done certain things then he wouldn't have been pushed to do these things'. "You've been broken down so much and this person has built themselves up to be better than you, stronger than you, smarter than you, [so you think] who's going to believe you over this person that everybody thinks is amazing?" With the exception of anti-domestic violence laws that were enacted over a decade ago in Tasmania, coercive control is not specifically treated as a crime in Australia. Ms Lee, who is now an anti-violence campaigner, said institutional changes must accompany legislation in order to enforce laws that would criminalise coercive control. "For so long we [victims] haven't been believed or we've been brushed off or ignored," she said. "The law might be there, but we've got to rebuild trust with people, police, lawmakers and courts. The potential need for such laws has again been highlighted by the coronavirus pandemic — one of Australia's first reports on the impact of COVID-19 on domestic violence revealed an alarming rise in the prevalence of violence against women.
cheetahs 猎豹, cougars, jaguars, leopards, mountain lions, panthers, pumas, lynxes, and bobcats: Cougar, Mountain Lion, and Puma. They are all one and the same. They reside in North and South America. Panther is a name commonly used to identify with a big, black cat. There is no separate species of ONLY big black cats in the world, however, there is a recessive gene found in both Leopards, and Jaguars, which occasionally causes Melanism, wherein a cub is born with what appears to be black fur. This is fairly rare, but the general public predominately refers to these black cats in both species as Panthers. Jaguars and leopards look very similar to each other, but are in fact two separate species. The 'spots' or 'rosettes' on the Leopards fur are more round-ish, with a spot in the middle of most of them, while on a Jaguar, they are larger, and more like a rectangular shape. Leopards live in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, while Jaguars live in South America, and sparsely in North America's South West. Lynx are found all over the world, and the bobcat is but one of many sub-species of Lynx. Cheetahs 猎豹 (Acinonyx jubatus) are found only in Africa, and in Iran (only about 50 asiatic Cheetah left in Iran). They are in a species classification of Acinonyx alone. Here is a little known and very surprising fact about the Cheetah - They are thought to have evolved around 10 to 12 million years ago, in North America, making them the oldest cat species still living. They are also genetically closest to the North American Mountain Lion. An examination of the bone structures of the skulls of both cats, reveals them to be almost indistinguishable. The Cheetah is frequently mistaken for a Leopard by the untrained eye, but here's the best way to tell them apart - Cheetahs have true spots, not rosettes ( [rəʊˈzet] I. a circular decoration made of folded brightly coloured material worn by supporters of a political party or sports team, or by someone who has won a prize. II. a decoration or pattern in the shape of a rose. ), and they have a 'tear' stain from the inner corner of both eyes, down to their mouth. Cheetahs make a 'chirping' noise, while Leopards and Jaguars roar. Cheetahs can also purr.
A leopard (Panthera pardus) is
a large spotted cat native to Africa south of the Sahara desert and
some parts of Asia. They are tree climbers and will even drag prey into
trees so they can eat without harassment from lions or other cats.
Leopards are usually less than six feet long, not counting the tail, and
usually less than 200 pounds. In fact, they often weigh around 100
pounds and the males are larger than the females.
A
panther is usually a reference to the dark or melanistic ( The term melanism refers to black pigment. Melanism is the increased development of the dark-colored pigment melanin in the skin or hair. ) color phase of
either a leopard or jaguar, depending on the location. Generally, they
are referred to as black panthers. This isn't a specific kind of cat. A
black panther in Africa is a leopard. A black panther in the Americas is
a jaguar.
A jaguar (Panthera onca)
is a spotted big cat native to South America, Central America, and
extreme southern America. There is some debate if there are any living
in the US anymore, but there have been numerous sightings in Arizona, so
it would seem likely. Jaguars can climb, but like lions (who are also
capable of climbing), they prefer not to and are rather clumsy climbers.
They prefer hunting on the ground by stalking and ambushing their prey.
They kill by piercing the skull of the prey. Jaguars
are usually somewhat larger than leopards, commonly weighing 125–215
pounds, with the largest on record weighing nearly 350 pounds. This cat
is slightly longer than a leopard, but for its body size, it has the
shortest tail of any of the big cats. It also tends to have a much
stockier build than a leopard, too. Note:
Although not specifically asked in the question, neither snow leopards
or clouded leopards are leopards, despite the common name. Snow leopards
(Panthera uncia) are closely related to leopards but are a different species. Clouded leopards (Neofelis nebulosa) is in a totally different genus of felines than those mentioned in the question.
Pumas (Puma concolor),
aka: Mountain Lions or Cougars, are often not considered to be one of
the big cats and they aren’t related to leopards or jaguars, being in a
different genus. They are still large, with a body length approaching
six feet and with a tail up to three feet long. The largest cougar on
record weighed just over 230 pounds, but the more average weight is 125
to 220 pounds for the males and about 125–135 pounds for the females. Pumas
are easy to tell apart from leopards or jaguars because the color is
tawny brown with a creamy underside and darker color near the muzzle and
backs of the ears. The adults have no spots. The range of the animal is
the greatest for any large cat in the Americas; reaching from Canada to
the southern part of South America and coast to coast. A
puma has large feet and long legs, particularly the hind legs, which
gives them excellent jumping and leaping ability. They are also
excellent climbers and will often get up into a tree, on a branch, or
onto a rock face and drop down on its prey from above. Cougars prey on
the large herbivores; deer, elk, and moose, and they will also eat
rabbits, hares, rodents, amphibians, birds, fish, and sometimes even
insects and reptiles. Unfortunately, they’ve also been known to kill
cattle, sheep, and occasionally dogs, though in the case of the last,
most likely in self defense. Like
tigers, pumas are strong swimmers that don't shy away from the water.
One distinguishing feature that sets pumas apart from the big cats
(lions, tigers, jaguars, and leopards) is that they don't roar. Their
alarm cry is a scream, rather than a roar. They do have a loud purr,
though. Puma
is an American wild cat that is also known as names such as mountain
lion, cougar, red lion etc. It is mostly found in America ( north and
south). It is the largest wild cat in North America and the second
biggest after the Jaguar in the whole America. The coat is of uniform
colour, hence the Latin name, concolor, varying from silvery-grey through tawny-yellow to light reddish brown. Whereas,
a leopard is a wild cat which is found in parts of Saharan Africa and
Asia. And jaguars are found in South America , they are the third
biggest cat in the world after tiger and lion. The main difference
between a leopard and jaguar is that the rossets on the body of leopard
are plane and on the body of jaguars, there is a spot between the
rossets. Also the jaguar are much larger in size than a leopard and has
more power than leopard. Generally wild cats avoid water but a jaguar is
an animal whose main survival is through the water. The jaguar is also
known as the caiman hunter (a caiman is a small size of a croc found
mostly in Latin America.
Leopard
Jaguar
Puma/cougar
