Sitcom Roseanne cancelled
ABC cancelled the sitcom “Roseanne” after Roseanne Barr posted a racist tweet that compared an African-American former Obama aide to an ape. The network condemned the statement and said it was inconsistent with their values. “Roseanne” originally aired from 1988 – 1997 and was rebooted just a little over two months ago. The sitcom received great ratings and was praised for tackling political division in America.
The comedian has deleted her offensive tweet and announced she would take a break from twitter but came back as her sitcom was cancelled. The tweet triggered a huge outcry on social media platforms, her co-stars took to twitter as well to condemn the racist statement. This was not her first affront on social media, her twitter activity was often provocative, blunt and at times offensive.
Her follow-up tweets were confusing and at times contrary. Barr apologised to Valerie Jarrett and tried to discount her tweet as a joke. Furthermore, she claimed she posted the tweet after taking a sedative, which is what clouded her judgement. On one hand she asked her fans not to defend her words as they were wrong and hurtful on the other hand she complained that she is sick of being treated like a criminal when other people have tweeted worse remarks.
The sitcom reached a broad audience – appealing to older viewers who have watched the series when it first aired and younger ones at the same time. Roseanne plays a Trump supporter in the sitcom and also supports Trump off-camera.
to compare (kəmˈpeəʳ) – etw vergleichen
former (ˈfɔ:məʳ) – ehemalige/r
aide (eɪd) – der/die Berater/in
to condemn (kənˈdem) – etw verurteilen, missbilligen
inconsistent (ˌɪnkənˈsɪstənt) – widersprüchlich, nicht vereinbar
value (ˈvælju:) – Wert, Bedeutung
to air (eəʳ) – gsendet, ausgestrahlt
to reboot (ˌri:ˈbu:t) – etw neu starten, neu auflegen
division (dɪˈvɪʒən) – die Teilung, Spaltung
to delete (dɪˈli:t) – etw streichen, löschen
to trigger (ˈtrɪgəʳ) – etw auslösen
affront (əˈfrʌnt) – die Beleidigung
to discount (dɪˈskaʊnt) – etw abtun
sedative (ˈsedətɪv) – das Beruhigungsmittel, Schlafmittel
to cloud (klaʊd) – etw vernebeln, trüben
judgement (ˈʤʌʤmənt) – das Urteilsvermögen
to complain (kəmˈpleɪn) – sich beschweren, beklagen
to treat (tri:t) – jdn behandeln, mit jdn umgehen
to appeal (əˈpi:l) – jdn/etw reizen, ansprechen
Manhattanhenge
Crowds of photographers have gathered in Manhattan New York to witness a solar phenomenon known as Manhattanhenge.
This phenomenon happens only twice a year, and it is when the sun perfectly sets between New York’s towering skyscrapers.
On Wednesday night, at 20:12 local time, all east-west streets on the city’s grid system were illuminated by the setting sun. People gathered to watch the sunset and take pictures to share on their social media accounts.
The name Manhattanhenge was given to it by the astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson in 1996, the name was inspired by the famous Stonehenge in the UK were the sun aligns with vertical stones.
During the New York phenomenon, the sun sets between the city’s skyscraper corridors and simultaneously illuminates the north and south sides of the streets.
This phenomenon also occurs in big cities with skyscrapers such as Chicago, Montreal and Toronto. The Manhattanhenge also occurs in the winter time but in the form of a sunrise, it will reoccur this July as well.
crowds (kraʊdz) – die Menschenmassen
phenomenon (fəˈnɑməˌnɑn) – das Phänomen
skyscrapers (ˈskaɪˌskreɪpərz) – die Wolkenkratzer
grid (grɪd) – das Raster
illuminated (ɪˈluməˌneɪtəd) – etw beleuchten
astrophysicist (ˌæstroʊˈfɪsɪsɪst) – der Astrophysiker
famous (ˈfeɪməs) – bekannt
aligns (əˈlaɪnz) – etw. anpassen, sich ausrichten, angleichen
vertical (ˈvɜrtɪkəl) – vertikal
corridors (ˈkɔrɪdərz) – die Korridore, Gang
simultaneously (ˌsaɪməlˈteɪniəsli) – gleichzeitig
reoccur (riəˈkɜr) – wieder geschehen
Russian Journalist Alive
A Russian journalist who has been reported to have been murdered in the Ukranian capital turns out to be alive and well. He showed up at a news conference on Wednesday earlier this week. According to Ukraine´s head of security services, Vasyl Gritsak, it was a trick to draw out and catch the people who really wanted to kill the journalist, Arkady Babchenko.
Babchenko is known for his harsh criticism of the Kremlin, the Russian campaign in Syria and the annexation of Crimea. He was reportedly found bleeding by his wife in their apartment with multiple gunshot wounds in the back and died on his way to the hospital. Apparently, the assassination of Babchenko had been ordered by Russian security services. He had moved to Kiev at the end of last year after he had received threats and was afraid of being jailed for his criticism.
After Vasyl Gritsak had announced that they had solved the case during the news conference he then invited the journalist to join him on the stage. Babchenko did just that under the surprised looks of his colleagues. He then apologized to his friends and family, especially his wife, who had mourned his death.
to murder (ˈmɜ:dəʳ) – jdn ermorden, töten
capital (ˈkæpɪtəl) – die Hauptstadt
to draw out (drɔ: aʊt) – jdn herauslocken, etw hervorholen
harsh (hɑ:ʃ) – hart, rau
annexation (ˌænekˈseɪʃən) – die Annektion, gewaltsame Aneignung
gunshot wound (gʌnʃɒt wu:nd) – die Schusswunde
assassination (əˌsæsɪˈneɪʃən) – die Ermordung, Attentat
to be afraid (əˈfreɪd) – Angst haben
to be jailed (ʤeɪld) – eingesperrt warden, verhaftet werden
to solve (sɒlv) – etw lösen, aufklären
to apologize (əˈpɒləʤaɪz) – sich entschuldigen