[180] Men and Women in equal numbers in new Canadian government

TRAVEL NEWS WIRE…

Men and Women in equal numbers in new Canadian government
The newly-installed government of 43-year-old Justin Trudeau has a cabinet composed 50%-50% of men and women, the first in the country’s history. The new Transport Minister is a former Canadian astronaut, and the new Defence Minister is a member of the Sikh religion. The Veterans Affairs Minister is a former athlete who was left paraplegic in a shooting incident. Two Aboriginal natives were appointed to cabinet posts, and a Canadian Muslim was appointed as Democratic Institutions minister. Photo: Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP

HEALTH TECH NEWS

Doctor-assisted suicide legal in California The U.S. state of California has voted to legalize doctor-assisted suicide, under the concept of “right to die.” Currently, very few countries or districts allow medically-assisted suicide. Switzerland and the Netherlands have both passed “right to die” legislation, under strict conditions.

THIS WEEK’S NATURAL PHRASE

pull over

Janine: The car’s fuel gauge light is flashing, and the engine is making strange noises. I think that we’ve just run out of gas.

Palmer: We’ll have to pull over at the next gas station to get more gasoline. We should have just taken the train.

Explanation: The phrase “pull over” means to steer the vehicle off the road and stop moving. The phrase “pull over!” is common in police movies when the police try to stop a driver.

THIS WEEK’S MEDICAL PHRASE

give it up / give (X) up

Doctor: Because of your heart condition, you will have to give up smoking. Have you ever tried to give it up before?

Patient: Yes, I gave it up last year, but I had a relapse after just two months.

Explanation: The phrase “give (X) up” or “give it up” means to stop a habit, such as smoking, drinking, or eating fatty foods.

THIS WEEK’S BUSINESS/EMAIL PHRASE

for future reference

Hello Mr. Russell:

Thank you for your special offer of software services. We don’t need a new software system at the moment, but we will keep your proposal on file for future reference. Perhaps we can call you when the time is right to update our computer systems.

Explanation: When we keep information “for future reference” we mean that we want to keep it in case it is needed later.

on file: to keep something, or to have information, in the office files in case it is needed later.