NPR 2009-11-07

From NPR News in Washington, I’m Lakshmi Singh.

 US military forces around the world were asked to observe a moment of silence today for those killed and wounded at the Fort Hood¹ military post in Texas. That attack yesterday left 13 people dead and more than 30 wounded. The alleged² gunman, Major Nidal Hasan was hospitalized after being shot multiple times. He is reported to be in a coma³. Authorities are trying to build a profile now on Hasan and learn what led him to allegedly attack fellow service members. Muslim leaders, meanwhile, are reacting carefully to news that Hasan was a devout⁴ Muslim. NPR's Dianna Douglas reports.

American Muslim advocacy groups were swift to condemn⁵ the attack on Fort Hood, saying it was not at all related to Islam. At the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Executive Director Nihad Awad warned Muslims that they could become the victims of hate crimes as more details come in about the suspected shooter.

"Based, unfortunately, on our past experience, we also urge American Muslims and those who may be perceived to be Muslim to take appropriate precautions to protect themselves from a possible backlash."

 Mosques in community centers near the post have already received threatening phone calls and emails. The Muslim advocacy group is concerned that the Fort Hood attack could cast suspicion on doctors with Muslim or Arabic-sounding names. Dianna Douglas, NPR News, Washington.

 A mass shooting in downtown Orlando today left one person dead and several others wounded. Local police have arrested Jason Rodriguez. He is accused of opening fire inside the building where he used to work.

 The US unemployment rate shot up to 10.2% in October. That's the worst reading since the recession of the early 1980s. NPR's John Ydstie reports.

 The jump in the unemployment rate was worse than most economists⁶ had expected. It suggests the economy continues to be very weak. The number of jobs cut from payrolls⁷ came in closer to expectations. Overall, businesses trimmed 190,000 jobs in October. That's an improvement from the 219,000 jobs lost in September, but bigger than the job cuts recorded back in August. The continuing rise in unemployment leaves close to 16 million Americans seeking work, but unable to find it. President Obama called the 10.2% unemployment rate “a sobering number that underscores the economic challenges that lie ahead”. John Ydstie, NPR News, Washington.

 With the jobless rate in the double digits⁸, President Obama is extending unemployment benefits to those at risk of losing them soon.

"I just signed into law a bill that will help grow our economy, save and create new jobs and provide relief to struggling families and businesses." President Obama’s speaking at the Rose Garden today.

 The Dow is up 17 points.

 This is NPR.

 The Texas jury will now consider punishment in the child sexual abuse conviction of a member of a polygamist group. The conviction is the first in a series of trials triggered by a raid last year on the group's Texas ranch⁹. NPR's Howard Berkes reports.

 Thirty-eight-year-old Raymond Jessop faces up to 20 years in prison for the so-called spiritual marriage to a 15-year-old girl. He also faces another trial for bigamy. Prosecutors¹⁰ say documents found at the FLDS polygamist ranch outside Eldorado, Texas, indicate Jessop has nine wives. Jessop is the first Texas member of the group to face a jury and his conviction is a rare success for Texas authorities, who first seized and were later forced to release more than 400 children. The raid itself was based on a bogus distress¹¹ call from a woman pretending to be an abused girl at the ranch. But the raid yielded documents, photographs and computers that led to charges against a dozen FLDS leaders and followers¹² and so far that evidence is holding up in court. Howard Berkes, NPR News.

AIG, the giant insurer which was supported by government bailout is reporting second straight quarterly profit, an increase in the value of its investments helped. AIG's net income was 455 million dollars in the third quarter. Same time a year ago, the insurer had lost more than 24 billion. Its performance may have improved but AIG is still restructuring. The company's CEO warns of volatility¹³ in results in the coming quarters.

Here is an update from Wall Street, Dow Jones Industrial Average up 17 points at last check at 10,023. The NASDAQ up seven points to 2,112.

I’m Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.

1 hood   

n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖

参考例句：

• She is wearing a red cloak with a hood.她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。
• The car hood was dented in.汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。

2 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

3 coma   

n.昏迷，昏迷状态

参考例句：

• The patient rallied from the coma.病人从昏迷中苏醒过来。
• She went into a coma after swallowing a whole bottle of sleeping pills.她吃了一整瓶安眠药后就昏迷过去了。

4 devout   

adj.虔诚的，虔敬的，衷心的 (n.devoutness)

参考例句：

• His devout Catholicism appeals to ordinary people.他对天主教的虔诚信仰感染了普通民众。
• The devout man prayed daily.那位虔诚的男士每天都祈祷。

5 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

6 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 payrolls   

n.（公司员工的）工资名单( payroll的名词复数 )；（公司的）工资总支出，工薪总额

参考例句：

• Indices of employment, payrolls, and production steadied in February 1931931年2月，就业、工资额和生产指数稳定。 来自辞典例句
• Wall Street responded to the payrolls figures with gusto. 华尔街对就业数据作出了积极的反应。 来自互联网

8 digits   

n.数字( digit的名词复数 )；手指，足趾

参考例句：

• The number 1000 contains four digits. 1000是四位数。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The number 410 contains three digits. 数字 410 中包括三个数目字。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

10 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

11 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

12 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

13 volatility   

n.挥发性，挥发度，轻快，（性格）反复无常

参考例句：

• That was one reason why volatility was so low last year.这也是去年波动性如此低的原因之一。
• Yet because volatility remained low for so long,disaster myopia prevailed.然而，由于相当长的时间里波动性小，灾难短视就获胜了。