Business Correspondence - Groups 4 & 6

Use the following link to reformat your first business letter.

Link

You can find more useful information on business letter writing here.

My example of the letter we wrote can be found here.

Iran and the ISIS Airstrikes

Here is the video for tomorrow's VOA News...  See you there :)

The Coalition is Building

The coalition to fight against Islamic State seems to be building.

Read about it here.

The NFL and Domestic Violence

This video will be the subject of tomorrow's VOA news at 7:30 am.

The nfl & Domestic Violence

The case against ray rice

In February, when this video was released showing Ray Rice dragging an unconscious Janay Palmer out of an elevator, the NFL suspended him for 2 games for domestic violence.  But many criticized the punishment as being too light.  In May, Rice entered counselling and in late July he spoke to the Media.

“I’ve made the biggest mistake of my life.  Me.  She can do no wrong.  She’s an angel.”

But this video, from inside the elevator, released by the website TMZ shows the attack in detail.  After seeing this video, the Baltimore Ravens cancelled Rice’s 35 million dollar contract.  Shortly afterward, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended him indefinitely.  Public outcry was swift.  The White House strongly condemned violence against women.  Press Secretary Josh Earnest said as the father of two daughters, the president believes domestic violence is contemptible and unacceptable in a civilized society.

“You have seen the President and the Vice President make very forceful public comments talking about how important it is for men in particular to step up and step forward and make clear that violence against women is something that is not and cannot be tolerated.”

Renee Renyk, spokeswoman for the National Network to End Domestic Violence, welcomes the feedback and told VOA by Skype, she hopes the incident will draw more attention to this serious problem.

“1 in 4 American women will experience domestic violence sometime in their life.  I hope the NFL will make good on their commitment to take this seriously.”

One day after the sanctions against her husband, Palmer used her Instagram account to fire back after the video went public.  She called Ray Rice the man she loves and described the pain that the media and unwanted public opinions from around the country has caused her family.

“We don’t know what’s happening for her, um, but often victims are made to feel it’s their fault.”

Renyk says the repercussions from this ugly incident send a clear and strong message that domestic violence is unacceptable. 

For writer Faiza Elmasry, I’m Faith Lappadas, VOA News

Also, VOA has an 'English learning' article on this topic - here

South Sudan

South Sudan is the world's newest country and is in danger of experiencing a very serious famine.  So, here is some information about that country and how famine occurs.

Ukraine - Heating Up?

Well, it seems like the Ukraine might be back in the headlines.  I found this info-graphic which shows the situation in the Eastern regions of the Ukraine.  Note that this graphic is produced by the National Security and Defense Council of the Ukraine - therefore it lists the Pro-Russian rebels as 'terrorists'.

Vice News has an ongoing series reporting on what is happening in the Ukraine and it is very interesting.

Journalism - A Potentially Deadly Job

With the second killing of a journalist (Steven Sotloff) by the Islamic State (IS) group, we could ask ourselves "How dangerous is it to work as a journalist?"  The answer may surprise you.  In addition, most murdered journalists were NOT covering a war when they died.  They were covering politics.  See the attached image from CDN Visual News.

Conversation Tips - Improving small talk

'Small talk' - noun

1. polite conversation about unimportant or uncontroversial matters, especially as engaged in on social occasions.

   "propriety required that he face these people and make small talk"

We all have to engage in small talk from time to time...  And sometimes, it can seem quite boring.  Follow these tips from Lifehacker to improve your small talk abilities - LINK

Islamic State (IS) - Driven by Oil?

Are the Islamic State (IS) group driven by oil?  Are they trying to take control of certain areas so they can control oil supplies in Iraq?  Look at the following image and see what you think.

Creative Companies - Penance Hall

When the economy gets weak, we may need to be more creative in terms of creating our own opportunities.  Watch and learn how these entrepreneurs.



Get the transcript here