CNN 2008-02-06

Hey there, from the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Virginia Cha. Thanks for checking news with us. Here is a look at what's happening right NOW IN THE NEWS.

Voters from the Atlantic to the Pacific helping 1 choose the major party presidential nominees 2. Each party will hand out more than a thousand delegates to its nominating convention. Republican candidates squaring off in 21 states and 22 states are holding democratic contests.

Natalee Holloway's mother says she can start mourning and healing now that she knows what happened to her daughter. But Joran van der Sloot says he was lying during an apparent confession 3 that was caught on hidden camera.

AT&T set to raise the price of its most common broadband internet services by 5 dollars a month starting in March. The company says the price hike will affect customers using the three slowest broadband tiers but excludes the states acquired with the Bellsouth buyout. New customers who sign up online for the slowest broadband service will not be affected 4, nor will those who signed up under special package promotional deals.

If you are planning to fly United Airlines this spring, plan on packing an extra 25 dollars if you travel with a second bag. Beginning in May, United Airlines will charge certain customers a 25-dollar fee each way if you check a second piece of luggage. And if you wanna bring a third bag, it will cost you 100 dollars extra. United says more bags means more weight and more weight means more fuel. People who buy non-refundable or international tickets or who have elite 5 frequent flier status won't have to worry about this new fee.

Today isn't just Super Tuesday. It's also 'Fat Tuesday'. Today's Mardi Gras,the big party in the Big Easy after 12 days of merry mayhem. More than a thousand police officers patrolling the French Quarter to try to keep the celebration safe.

Please be sure to stick with cnn.com 24/7 for news from all around the world because we are gonna have updates for you right here throughout the day.

Words&Expressions
Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras:
Mardi Gras是法文，英文叫做Fat Tuesday，中文直译为肥美星期二。在这里给大家解释一下相关背景信息。
Easter Sunday（复活节）：纪念耶稣复活的节日。这个节日是在从3月21日算起（包括3月21日）的第一个月圆日之后的第一个星期天。借助我们中国的阴历来推算一下2008年的复活节——今年3月22日（星期六）正好是阴历2月15，即是月圆日，那么其后的第一个星期天是3月23日，即今年的复活节。
Good Friday（受难节）：纪念耶稣受难日，为复活节的前的星期五。今年的3月21日。
Ash Wednesday（圣灰星期三）：从复活节往前数第七个星期三（今年是2月6日），从这天开始有40天的大斋期（Lent），又叫四旬斋。
Fat Tuesday（肥美星期二）：圣灰星期三之前的一天，也是大斋期之前的一天（今年是2月5日）。人们会吃掉所有的荤菜、肥肉及油脂等以开始大斋期。刚好这一天也是不少地方的狂欢节，古罗马早就有狂欢节，起初与基督教并没什么关联。大概后来基督教盛行时，人们就把大斋期之前的一天当作狂欢日。
PS：从Good Friday到Easter Sunday只有两天，圣经中记载耶稣3天后复活，大概是算头算尾的算法。