var objshow4 = { "showcontent":{"showepisode": "March 23, 2020", "showcurrent": "March 23, 2020", "showlink": "https://rhythmenglish.com/video/update4.mp4#t=1", "showname": "The Epicenter", "showcomment": "Today’s update: The epicenter and the land of the free", "showvocab": "epicenter (noun):

a focal point of activity.

fortnight (noun):

a two week period of time.

unprecedented (adj):

without previous instance; never before known or experienced; unexampled or unparalleled.

put the nail in the coffin (idiom):

to bring closer to a seemingly unavoidable negative outcome.

a grand (noun):

one thousand dollars (or possibly of another currency, euro, pounds, etc.)

repeat offender (adj / noun):

a person who has committed a crime more than once.

Give in (phrasal verb):

to yield, admit defeat, surrender

close in on (phrasal verb):

to get closer to.

a catch (noun):

a hidden problem or disadvantage in an apparently ideal situation.

change tack (expression):

to try a different method for dealing with a situation.

get off easy (p verb / idiom):

to escape serious punishment for a crime or wrongdoing.", "showquestion":[ "1. The lockdown in Spain will be at least two weeks longer than originally planned.", "2. The supply chain in Madrid has finally broken.", "3. Breaking the curfew rules more than once in Madrid can result in a fine of up to a thousand euro.", "4. There are almost fifty thousand coronavirus cases in New York City.", "5. The speaker thinks that it is unjust that Harvey Weinstein has contracted the coronavirus.", "6. Country singer Kenny Rogers died from the coronavirus." ], "showanswer":[ "true", "false", "true", "false", "true", "false", "true", "false", "true", "false", "true", "false" ], "showvalue":[ "true", "false", "false", "true", "false", "true", "false", "true", "true", "false", "false", "true" ], "showid":[ "answer_1", "answer_2", "answer_3", "answer_4", "answer_5", "answer_6" ], "showtrans": "Hello and welcome to RE news update for March 23, 2020.

The coronavirus situation in Spain is worsening as Europe is now officially the epicenter of the crisis. The Spanish government has extended the ‘state of alert’ for another fortnight. This means for Easter week, which is the week prior to Easter Monday, the country will remain on lockdown. This unprecedented move to slow the curve of the virus in Spain puts the nail in the coffin of the most profitable tourist week of the year in ‘sunny Spain’.

Here in the Madrid neighborhood of Chamberí, things remain orderly. Please don’t turn me in to the authorities but I took a walk yesterday evening to the neighborhood of Tetuán, which is just to my north. Due to social distancing rules I noticed a very long line outside of the Carrefour in Cuatro Caminos. A queue of at least twenty-five people stretched around the corner in what appeared to be a wait of a some thirty minutes or more in order to enter the store. As far as stock, shops seems to still have everything necessary, proving that the supply chain has yet to break in the city of Madrid.

Curfew breakers in Madrid may face fines. The first offense can cost you anywhere from three hundred to one thousand euro. For repeat offenders the penalty can get as high as thirty grand. Four thousand fines have been issued in Madrid alone and thirty-one thousand country-wide.

Let’s take a look at what’s happening in the land of the free.

New York City has gone on lockdown. Governor Andrew Cuomo has finally given in to the pressure and issued a statewide lockdown, this as the number of cases in the city is closing in on fifteen thousand with nearly a hundred deaths.

The city of Philadelphia will begin a lockdown at 8am this morning.

A lockdown in place for the entire state of California has been difficult for the authorities to enforce. Beaches and hiking trails in the Los Angeles area were packed over the weekend. California’s lockdown rules differ to those in Spain in that ‘getting exercise’ such as taking a walk is permitted. The catch is that by law you are supposed to stay at least six feet (or one meter) away from other people. So, expect California to change tack on this strategy soon.

Harvey Weinstein has tested positive for the virus. Mr. Weinstein was recently convicted and sent to prison, so looks like we have another case of a rapist that will get off easy, as in the case of Jeffery Epstein.

Country singer Kenny Rogers has died at age 81. The singer’s death does not appear to be related to the coronavirus.

Well, that’s all for today’s update. Thanks for listening.

Stay well, stay healthy. It may not seem like it now, but it really is a stitch in time.

From the epicenter, take care and stay tuned to RE news update." } }