Made on Earth (16 page)
Authors: Wolfgang Korn
international waters:
bodies of water that don’t belong to any one particular country or state
internment camp:
a holding centre for prisoners of war or illegal immigrants
intersect:
to cut across something else
invertebrate:
creature without a spine
jetsam:
discarded objects found at sea
kandura:
a long robe worn by Arab men
labyrinth:
maze
landfill:
area of land where rubbish is buried
Large Range 2 (LR2):
oil tanker that can carry 80,000-159,000 tonnes of liquid
less-developed (unindustrialised) countries:
a comparatively poor country with a less-developed social, industrial and economic structure
list:
nautical term for when a ship sits lower in the water on one side than the other
loading bay:
area where cargo is loaded and unloaded
loincloth:
a piece of cloth worn around the hips as clothing
malleable:
able to be flattened or rolled out
mage:
(also known as a
marabout
) North African holy man believed to have supernatural powers
mantle:
rocky region of the earth’s interior between the crust and the core
manufacturer:
a person, group or company that runs a manufacturing plant or factory
marabout:
(also known as a
mage
)
North African holy man believed to have supernatural powers
marketplace:
a place
where goods and products are sold to the end user, the
consumer
mass-produced:
to produce products in
bulk
in a factory or manufacturing plant
mbalax:
genre of popular dance music in Senegal and Gambia
mechanical loom:
a machine that weaves fabric
merchandise:
goods bought and sold in a business
metaphor:
figure of speech in which a word or phrase is not literally applicable
minimum wage:
the minimum hourly rate you can be paid for a job by law
molecule:
group of atoms bonded together
monsoon season:
period of
strong winds and heavy rain in Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean
more-developed (industrialised) countries:
a comparatively rich country with a more-developed social, industrial and economic structure
natural gas:
gas found trapped in
reservoirs
deep underground
non-perishable:
something, usually food, that doesn’t go off for a long time
obsolete:
no longer produced or used
oil field:
area where large amounts of oil can be found underground
organic waste:
also known as
biodegradable waste
, this is waste made of animal or plant matter that can be broken down by bacteria
outpost:
isolated settlement
persecution:
to be treated badly because of religion, race or political beliefs
petroleum:
unrefined oil, also known as
crude oil
polyester:
man-made fabric made of
polyethylene
polyethylene:
type of plastic
port:
a town or city with a harbour, or the left hand side of a ship (the right hand side is called
starboard
)
precarious:
unstable or unbalanced
processing plant:
place where raw materials are split into their component parts or turned into a product
protagonist:
the main character of a drama, film or book
province:
part of a country
quarterdeck:
part of a ship’s upper deck that runs from the centre to the
stern
quay:
a platform lying alongside or projecting into water for loading and unloading ships
quayside:
a
quay
and the area around it
raw materials:
basic material from which a product is made
reconnaissance:
survey or research to find out information
recycle:
to convert waste products into useable materials
refinery:
a
processing plant
where raw materials are split into their component parts
refugee:
person who leaves their home country to live in another country due to war or
persecution
relegate:
to assign a person an inferior job, or to become diminished in stature and importance
reservoir:
a place where liquid is contained
retailer:
people and places that sell things, such as shops or market traders
revolution:
when citizens overthrow the government so they can change the way the country is run
run aground:
when a vessel becomes immobilised due to hitting a raised area of river or ocean bed or enters water that is too shallow
rural:
characteristic of the
countryside
scapegoat:
a person who is blamed for the wrongdoing or mistakes of others
scour:
to scrub an object with rough material for cleaning purposes
seamstress:
woman who sews as a job
sector:
a particular part of an economy, society or area of professional activity
Serengeti:
a geographical region of Africa where wildlife such as lions, zebras and elephants can be found
sheikh:
an Arab leader, the head of a tribe, family or village
sheikhdom
: an area of
land under the control of a
sheikh
ship breaking zone:
place where old and unused ships are taken apart
shipping container:
a standard sized
metal container used for moving and shipping cargo and goods
shrewd:
clever and a bit crafty
starboard:
right hand side of a ship (the left hand side is called
port
)
stern:
the back of a ship
subsidy:
buying a part of, or giving money to a business or organisation to keep it going
sulphur:
a chemical used to make matches, gunpowder and in medicine
sulphurous:
something that contains sulphur
superstition:
irrational
belief in
supernatural influences such as good or bad luck
superstructure:
the visible part of a building or vessel
synthetic fibre:
strand of material created by forcing fibre forming materials through holes (also see
artificial fibre
)
taxi-brousse:
a mode of transport that is a cross between a taxi and a bus
trader:
person who sells products
trawler:
fishing boat used for
trawling
trawling:
to fish or catch with a trawl net
tribe:
social division in a traditional society made up of connected families or communities
tuk-tuk:
three-wheeled car used as a taxi in India
twenty foot equivalent unit (TEU):
20 foot long shipping container
Ultra Large Crude Carriers (ULCC):
oil tanker that can carry 320,000-549,000 tonnes of oil
unindustrialised (less-developed) countries:
a comparatively poor country with a less-developed social, industrial and economic structure
United Nations:
an international organisation that monitors worldwide laws and security, social progress and human rights
Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCC):
oil tanker that can carry 160,000-319,000 tonnes of oil
viscous:
thick
wharf (wharves):
level
quayside
where boats can be moored to load or unload goods
whipping boy:
a young
boy assigned to a prince or noble who is punished when his counterpart misbehaves, often used
metaphorically
to describe a
scapegoat
wholesaler:
person or company that
sells goods in
bulk
, often to
retailers
World Trade Organisation (WTO):
an organisation that monitors world trade and attempts to make sure trade agreements are fair
yarn:
thread used for knitting and weaving
Books
Fast Food Nation: What The All-American Meal is Doing to the World
Eric Schlosser (Penguin, 2002)
Globalization: A Very Short Introduction
Manfred B. Steger (Oxford University Press, 2009)
No Logo (Special Edition)
Naomi Klein (Fourth Estate, 10th Anniversary Edition, 2010)
Not On the Label: What Really Goes into the Food on Your Plate
Felicity Lawrence (Penguin, 2004)
The End of Poverty: How We Can Make it Happen in Our Lifetime
Jeffrey Sachs (Penguin, 2005)
Websites
Duck Spotting
Fairtrade Foundation
Make Poverty History
Trade Justice Movement
Winter Sports in Dubai
DVDs