Pope Francis avoids direct references to Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar speech

In a highly anticipated speech in Myanmar on Tuesday, Pope Francis called for tolerance and “respect for each ethnic group,” but did not directly address the plight of the Rohingya minority. Human rights activists and others are disappointed by the omission, saying that Pope Francis missed a key opportunity to champion the Rohingya’s cause.

Speaking alongside Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s de facto leader, and before military officials and diplomats, the pope said that “the future of Myanmar must be peace… based on respect of the dignity and rights of each member of society.” He also said that religious differences can promote unity and tolerance, rather than division and distrust. Yet he did not mention the Rohingya by name -- seeming to take the advice of church leaders, who had warned that doing so could worsen the situation and put Myanmar’s small Catholic population at risk.

The United Nations, United States and United Kingdom have described Myanmar’s brutal military campaign against the Rohingya Muslims as ethnic cleansing. Since August, more than 620,000 Rohingya have fled to neighboring Bangladesh.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announce engagement

Prince Harry, a grandson of Queen Elizabeth II and fifth in line to the British throne, is engaged to American actress Meghan Markle, the royal family announced on Monday. The prince, 33, and Markle, 36, will marry in the spring, according to a statement.

The prince and his fiancée met through mutual friends in July 2016. Like Harry, Markle is heavily involved in charitable causes, including advocacy for women’s rights and clean water in impoverished communities. Markle is biracial -- the daughter of an African American mother and a white father -- and divorced, having ended her first marriage to an American film producer in 2013. She will be baptized into the Church of England and become a British citizen before the wedding.

The ceremony will happen at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle next May, though a specific date has not been set. The couple will live at Nottingham Cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace, and is expected to be known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex after the wedding.

Changes in Earth’s rotation may cause more major earthquakes in 2018

A slowing of the Earth’s rotation could lead to an increase in devastating earthquakes next year, according to two U.S. geologists, Roger Bilham and Rebecca Bendick. Last month, the scientists presented a model at the annual meeting of the U.S. Geological Society that predicts that 2018 will be a year of higher earthquake activity due to a slight deceleration in the Earth’s rotation.

The scientists studied earthquakes of 7.0 magnitude or higher that have struck since 1900. They found five periods in which there were significantly higher numbers of large earthquakes. In these five periods, there were 25 to 30 intense earthquakes a year, compared with the overall average number, which is around 15. After considering several factors that could explain these fluctuations, such as changes in ocean circulation patterns, the researchers found that only changes in the Earth’s rotation speed correlated with increases in major earthquakes.

The scientists believe that slower rotation speeds could trigger changes in the Earth’s core which, in turn, result in more intense earthquakes. While they can’t predict where next year’s earthquakes will strike, they believe regions near the equator may be particularly vulnerable.

Man plans to launch himself in homemade rocket to prove that the Earth is flat

A California man hopes to catapult himself above the earth in a rocket he constructed from scrap metal, the first step in an ambitious program to prove that the planet is flat.

Mike Hughes, 61, a limousine driver from Apple Valley, California, eventually hopes to fly several miles above the Earth and photograph it. He says his photos will prove that the Earth is not round, but in fact, a flat disc. Hughes had planned to launch his steam-powered rocket last Saturday, but had to postpone it because he did not secure the required permits. He hopes to carry out the launch this week.

Hughes built his first rocket in 2014, and managed to fly it a quarter of a mile over the desert before it crashed. To raise funds for his latest rocket, he appealed to an online flat-Earth community for help, saying he shared their beliefs. In an interview with the Associated Press, he said: "I don't believe in science. I know about aerodynamics and fluid dynamics and how things move through the air ... but that's not science, that's just a formula.”

On Friday, Hughes announced that he has had to postpone his planned launch for the time being. Hughes said he was unable to obtain the required permits to launch on public land, but now plans for it to take place sometime in the next few days on private property.

Chris:	Benedict Arnold!
Jessica:	Excuse me?
Chris:	You know... the biggest traitor the United States has ever known?
Jessica:	Uh, huh… What’s your point exactly?
Chris:	I’ve been wondering about him lately. His motivations to be more exact. How does a general in the American Continental Army, who was, by all accounts, a very brave and honorable man, decide to commit treason?
Jessica:	Well, my knowledge of his role in the Revolutionary War against the British is pretty basic, but I do remember a few key facts: He was a proud man, and believed that his contributions to the cause were not properly recognized. His impulsiveness was legendary. And, most important of all, he was nearly bankrupt and the British paid very handsomely for his services.
Chris:	Including their offer of £20,000 for surrendering West Point, a fortification that was under his command! I mean, don’t you find that incredible?
Jessica:	Pretty dishonorable if you ask me… I guess that’s why he’s such a famous traitor.
Chris:	I think there’s more to the story.
Jessica:	Really? What’s your theory?
Chris:	As the French say, Cherchez la femme – Look for the woman!
Jessica:	Huh?
Chris:	Peggy Shippen Arnold, his second wife. Nobody seems to even consider whether she played any part in her husband’s treasonous plot.
Jessica:	I’ve never even heard of her...
Chris:	That’s exactly my point! I read about her recently, and I must say that the circumstances of their relationship were suspicious.
Jessica:	I’m intrigued! Tell me more.
Chris:	In 1778, at the age of 37, Benedict Arnold meets and falls in love with a gorgeous 18-year-old girl called Peggy Shippen.
Jessica:	I’m sure it’s not just their age difference that was suspect.
Chris:	That was actually pretty normal at the time, but her father was loyal to the British – a known loyalist!
Jessica:	That can’t be good...
Chris:	That’s not all! Before she even met the handsome Benedict, she had social ties to a spy, Major John André, the man who would later become Arnold’s liaison to the British.
Jessica:	So, your theory is that Peggy Shippen conspired with John André to turn Arnold into a British spy? That the marriage was part of the plan? That sounds like a cock and bull story if I ever heard one.
Chris:	Maybe. Maybe not. All I know is that soon after their wedding, Arnold began to give valuable information to André. What’s more, his wife started acting as the intermediary between them.
Jessica:	In your version of the story, Peggy Shippen was a seductress and the idea for treason was hers, not his?
Chris:	Perhaps, it could have been her father or John André who masterminded the whole thing, but there’s no denying that she played an active role.
Jessica:	Whatever the case, it was his name, not hers, which became a synonym for traitor in the US. In 1780, André was caught with damning evidence in his boot and was executed. Arnold, on the other hand, fled to England.
Chris:	Where he was later joined by his wife, and they lived out their lives in exile.
Jessica:	It seems crazy to me that a smart, respected general could have been manipulated so easily by a teenager, no matter how gorgeous she was.
Chris:	That’s why it was the perfect cover, Jessica! Remember the old saying: Cherchez la femme.
Jessica:	Look for the woman!

Like personal pronouns, possessive pronouns replace a person or group of people. However, unlike personal pronouns, possessive pronouns also show ownership.

I. Possessive Pronouns With Nouns

The following possessive pronouns are used with a noun to show ownership: my, your, our, his, her, its, their.

My car is at the mechanic getting fixed. ‘My’ is followed by the noun ‘car’. Alan and I moved last weekend. Our new apartment is really nice! ‘Our’ is followed by the noun ‘apartment’.

II. Possessive Pronouns Without Nouns

These possessive pronouns are used without a noun: mine, ours, yours, his, hers, its, theirs.

The blue car in the back of the parking lot is mine. ‘Mine’ is not followed by a noun. There are two apartments on the fifth floor. Ours is the last one on the left. ‘Ours’ is not followed by a noun.

III. Possessive Pronouns With Gerunds

A gerund is a verb form that ends in -ing and functions as a noun. Because of this, the preceding possessive noun should be: my, our, your, his, her, its, their.

I love hearing her singing. ✔ Correct I love hearing hers singing. ✘ Not correct I couldn’t take their complaining anymore. ✔ Correct I couldn’t take theirs complaining anymore. ✘ Not correct

Jessica:	Chris, are you a good tipper?
Chris:	I am a phenomenal tipper! Why?
Jessica:	I recently had some friends visit me from abroad and I realized that tipping in the US can be a confusing topic.
Chris:	How so?
Jessica:	What many tourists don’t realize is that many servers make most of their income from tips rather than wages. Although each of the 50 states can set their own minimum wage, under federal law, the minimum wage for tipped employees is just $2.13 per hour! So, to make a long story short, your tips could be making up for their very low pay.
Chris:	Oh, believe me, I know all about that! I worked as a waiter in a small Italian restaurant when I was in college. The tips I received from customers made up the biggest portion of my pay! To make a long story short, I know how hard a server’s job can be and how much they rely on tipping.
Jessica:	So, nowadays, as a customer, how much do you usually tip? 15% of the total bill?
Chris:	15% is OK. Most people pay around 20% though. I know it sounds like a lot for people who come to our country, but that’s the way it is. It’s actually very rude not to tip well.
Jessica:	Yes, it’s rude, but it is not required.
Chris:	No, it’s not required. Just like you aren’t required to hold the door open for an elderly person or offer a beverage to a thirsty house guest. You don’t have to do these things. Most of us do it anyway because we’re civilized and decent. You don’t have to be civilized and decent.
Jessica:	Good point! Tell me, when you were waiting tables, did you notice any correlation between the satisfaction of your customers and the tip size?
Chris:	Frankly, not much. My theory is that there are people who consistently tip well and there are people who don’t, even if they’re very satisfied.
Jessica:	Actually there are studies to support your theory! They suggest that the connection between service quality and tip size is not strong at all. An analysis of 14 different studies found that, indeed, tips did increase with the perceived quality of service, however the relationship was weak enough to raise doubts about the use of tips to motivate servers, measure server performance, or identify dissatisfied customers.
Chris:	Sounds about right!
Jessica:	So, Chris, you say you are a phenomenal tipper, eh?
Chris:	Yeah, I always leave at least 20% as a tip.
Jessica:	Sorry to rain on your parade but that’s not so phenomenal.
Chris:	What?! What’s your definition of a “phenomenal tip?”
Jessica:	A few years ago a waitress at a Waffle House in North Carolina received a $1000 tip.
Chris:	Wow!
Jessica:	Here’s another story. In Rhode Island, a single mom of three was having a hard time providing for her family while working at a pizza place. One day, a couple paid their $42 bill by leaving $500 on the table! At first, the waitress thought they had made a mistake, so she tried to give back the money but the couple assured her that the $458 tip was no mistake.
Chris:	Amazing! That is phenomenal tipping! But they set an impossible standard. I can’t tip like that!
Jessica:	And nobody expects you to, Chris, but there are some people out there who can… and do. To make a long story short, while it’s not uncommon to hear about generous people leaving lavish tips, don’t worry – your 20% tip is certainly much appreciated.

Let’s get to the point… To make a long story short means precisely that: getting to the point of a story or anecdote, quickly. This expression is most often used right before someone abbreviates a story that would otherwise take much longer to tell. Here is one common way to use the phrase: A person begins telling a story, they say “to make a long story short,” and then jump to the conclusion of that story.

This expression works best when the details which are skipped or abbreviated can be easily inferred by the listener, meaning that they are predictable. It also works when the conclusion provides an overall understanding, so that the information which was omitted from the story is rendered unnecessary.

In England, the phrase used is to cut a long story short, rather than “make.” All over the English speaking world, the abbreviated “long story short” is also common.

As for the origin… The notion of abbreviating long stories is ancient and idioms which express this notion exist in languages all over the world but, to make a long story short, this precise phrase has been used since at least the 1800s. The exact origin is unclear.

Example 1:

First he tried to feed cotton candy to the giraffes. Then he tried to climb into the gorilla enclosure! To make a long story short, we are banned from the zoo for the rest of the year.

Example 2:

I ran out of gas, my phone died, and I was totally lost but – long story short – here I am!

Example 3: INCORRECT USE - Not enough information/unclear correlation

It started raining this morning and, to make a long story short, the pizza is not ready yet.

Fill in the blanks with the correct possessive pronoun for the noun in parenthesis.

Fill in the blanks with the correct possessive pronoun.