College Admissions: Succeeding in an Interview

Almost all job searches require applicants to meet with the people offering the job to answer questions about themselves. Banks often require people asking for a loan to do the same. And even meeting your romantic partner’s parents for the first time can feel like an examination of your best and worst qualities. Higher education has similar ways of evaluating applicants, David Kobel explains. He works in international student services at the University of Tulsa, a private research university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. ​Kobel says colleges and universities want to know as much as they can about students who want to join their academic programs. Schools get a lot of information about an applicant from their application materials. But there are some things that academic performance records and letters of support from former teachers do not demonstrate. Many students can look similar on paper, Kobel says. So interviews are another method some schools use to learn more about an applicant. Kobel notes that interviewing with a college or university admissions official is different from other interviews in several ways. First, Kobel says there are two kinds of interviews that a college or university applicant might face. One is called an informational interview. Most colleges and universities in the United States do not require undergraduate applicants to complete an interview. But some offer applicants the choice of asking for such an interview. The result of this interview is not a major part of the selection process, Kobel says. But an interview does give an applicant and their school of choice the chance to build a relationship. Admissions officials might ask some general questions, but they also expect students to ask questions, as well. Kobel suggests that by asking questions of their own, a student shows their interest in attending that school. The more interest a student shows and the stronger a relationship they try to build with a school, the better. But Kobel adds that the kinds of questions a student asks are important. “You wouldn’t want to ask, ‘How many international students do you have here at the university?’” he told VOA. “That’s a question you could go find on the website. You would want to ask something more like, ‘What do you feel that international students contribute to your … community?’  … That shows them that you’re really thinking, you’re really wanting to know ’What you would value in me as a student?’” ​Kobel adds that asking questions that are deeper and less general demonstrates greater interest. They also show that an applicant has researched the school. Undergraduate students should try to make sure they are studying in a program that is the right fit for them. Gathering information about a certain program is the main goal of an informative interview. Doing your research and knowing about a school are also important for the second kind of interview college applicants may face, Kobel says. This is called an evaluative interview. Kobel notes that, although undergraduate programs may not require an interview, graduate study programs in the United States often do. Evaluative interviews are a chance for admissions officials to ask questions that examine an applicant’s qualities and decide if they will be a good fit for a given program. He suggests applicants do research on the school they are applying to. One common and very important question interviewers may as is, “Why do you want to study here?” Kobel says admissions officials want applicants to show they know exactly what a program offers and why that matters to them. The greater detail an applicant can give as to why the program is right for them, the better. “Look at the academic program that you want to study,” he said. “Look at the faculty. Look at the research that they’ve done and point out how that fits your goals … They don’t want to know that you want to go there because it’s close to home or because of … the prestige. They want to know that there’s a general interest in that.” Thoughtful answers are important for all interview questions, Kobel says. After all, almost every college and university wants to admit as many different kinds of people as they can. Someone who gives general answers to questions about their strengths and weaknesses, for example, does not demonstrate to the officials how different or special the applicant may be. “Saying, ‘Well, I’m good at English’ or ‘I’m good at math,’ those are too general,” said Kobel. “Try to get into what strengths you have and how have you used those to be academically strong. And then, with your weaknesses, be honest here. They don’t want you to say, ‘I don’t have any weaknesses.’ That will come across as arrogant. … Come in with an explanation of what you’re doing to overcome those weaknesses.” It is also important that international students understand the general rules of interviews in the United States, Kobel says. For example, being on time to a meeting is extremely important in the U.S. So applicants should arrive at their interview no less than 10 minutes before the planned start time. Kobel adds that smiling, looking the interviewer in the eyes, and shaking their hand firmly when meeting can all be signs of confidence and honesty.​ Finally, Kobel suggests that applicants should try to act natural and remember the interview is not the only thing that decides if they are admitted. Being calm can help ease the discussion and strengthen the connection between the interviewer and interviewee. And doing practice interviews with friends and family is a good way to feel relaxed during the real thing, he adds. It is also a good idea to start the interview by making brief, informal conversation with the interviewer, Kobel says. This helps build the relationship between everyone involved. However, avoid discussing topics like politics and religion. Americans usually do not talk about these subjects with people they do not know very well. I’m Pete Musto. And I’m Dorothy Gundy.   Pete Musto reported this story for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. We want to hear from you. What are some other important things to consider when going into an interview? How else do you think applicants should prepare? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ QUIZ ​ ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   applicant(s) – n. someone who formally asks for something, such as a job or admission to a college evaluating – v. judging the value or condition of (someone or something) in a careful and thoughtful way academic – adj. of or relating to schools and education interview(s) – n. a meeting at which people talk to each other in order to ask questions and get information undergraduate – adj. describing a degree that is given to a student by a college or university usually after four years of study contribute – v. to give something such as money, goods, or time to help or improve a person, group, cause, or organization  graduate – adj. describing a degree that is given to a student by a college or university usually after about two or more years of additional study following an undergraduate degree faculty – n. the group of teachers in a school or college prestige – n. the respect and admiration that someone or something gets for being successful or important arrogant – adj. having or showing the insulting attitude of people who believe that they are better, smarter, or more important than other people practice – adj. something that is done again and again in order to become better at it relaxed – adj. calm and free from stress, worry, or anxiety

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Have You Ever 'Played the Fool?'

  Hello and welcome to Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English. On this program we explore common words and expressions in American English. In the United States April 1 is a day when you need to be a little careful. Why? It is April Fool’s Day so someone might play a practical joke on you -- a harmless trick for fun. We did a program on fool expressions a couple of years ago. We explained how to use foolhardy and foolproof. We talked about the idiom “A fool and his money are soon parted.” But we left out some things. So, here we are again talking about fools! Probably the most common definition of “fool” is someone who is silly and, well, foolish. It is very easy to trick a fool. “To fool” can also mean to pretend. For example, “The child said he was sick but he was only fooling. He was in perfect health.” If you say, “I was only fooling” that means you are not serious. You are kidding. So, if you say something to someone as a joke but they take you seriously, you can say to them, “I was only fooling.” Here, you could also say, “I was only kidding.” We often pair “fool” with the verbs “play” and “act” to form the expressions play the fool and act the fool. They both describe someone who is easily tricked or deceived. Or sometimes, we play the fool because we fall deeply in love and cannot think clearly. Love runs deeper than any ocean You can cloud your mind with emotion Everybody plays the fool, sometime There's no exception to the rule Listen, baby, it may be factual, may be cruel I want to tell ya! Everybody plays the fool The Main Ingredient sings “Everybody Plays the Fool” Sometimes we use it to describe someone who is not easy to fool. For example, if your friend John is really smart and not easily tricked, you could say that he’s not one to play the fool. If that is too wordy, you can simply say he is no fool. If you make a fool of yourself, you do something that makes you look foolish or silly. For example, imagine you are at a party. Suddenly your best friend sees a young woman who he really likes. He wants to get her attention. So, he starts dancing. But, no one else is dancing. In fact, there is no music playing. You calmly go up to him and say, “You might want to stop. You are making a fool of yourself.” But making a fool of yourself is better than making a fool of someone else. That is just mean. If a person tries to make a fool of you by yelling at you in public, just walk away. He will end up making a fool of himself. Now, if you are fooling yourself you are unwilling to accept the facts of a situation. In other words, you are in denial. If you think that you can learn perfect English in a very short time without studying or practicing, you are really fooling yourself. Now, when we pair the word “fool” with “around,” we get an expression that has several meanings. One is to spend time without any purpose. If you have the day off from work, you might decide to fool around all day. Another meaning is to behave playfully. The two friends were fooling around near the train tracks when they heard a call for help! But be careful. “Fool around” also means light-hearted sexual activity. For example, the husband and wife were fooling around in the kitchen when their friends and family walked in for dinner. Awkward! In these three example, you could also say mess around. It has the same meaning and we use it in the same situations. Finally, we often use the word “fool” in warnings to others. For example, “Don’t fool around with that! You will break it.” Or, “Stop fooling around.” And the ever popular, “This is no time to fool around.” I’m Anna Matteo. And that’s end of this program. And this will be the last Words and Their Stories … ever. I’m just fooling. We’ll back next week with a new show. No fooling! And you're fooling yourself if you don't believe it You're kidding yourself if you don't believe it Why must you be such an angry young man When your future looks quite bright to me   Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. The song at the end is Styx singing “Fooling Yourself.” _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   practical joke – n. a joke involving something that is done rather than said : a trick played on someone pretend – v. to act as if something is true when it is not true kid – v. to speak to (someone) in a way that is not serious : to say things that are not true to (someone) in a joking way deceive – v. to make (someone) believe something that is not true denial – n. a condition in which someone will not admit that something sad, painful, etc., is true or real awkward – adj. not easy to deal with

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Venezuela’s Famous Youth Orchestra Faces Tough Times

  In 1975, Venezuelan musician Jose Antonio Abreu created a network of music education programs for children. It became known as El Sistema. As the director of El Sistema, Abreu was able to gain government support for the network, and turn it into one of Venezuela’s model programs. Abreu died March 24 at age 78. Now, El Sistema’s new director, Eduardo Mendez, promises to continue the program's tradition of musical excellence and social service.   Mendez said the program must overcome Venezuela’s severe economic crisis. The crisis has forced hundreds of musicians to leave the country. El Sistema now includes about 300 community schools. The network has given children in poor neighborhoods a chance to study classical music. It has produced world-famous musicians, including the director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel. But Mendez says leading the orchestra network through Venezuela's social and economic crisis will not be easy. He says that 8 percent of the program's teachers have recently left Venezuela to seek a better life in other countries. The network's highly praised Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra has lost 42 percent of its musicians over the past six months. Most of those positions have been filled with younger musicians. Mendez said, "It hasn't been easy to convince people to stay. Many of these people are leaving in search of economic stability." Mendez worked with Abreu for 15 years. He said his goal will be to strengthen beginner music programs and explore new types of music for students to learn. El Sistema says 980,000 children and young musicians are currently part of its programs throughout Venezuela. Moving forward, Mendez will have to avoid conflicts between musicians and Venezuela's government. Critics have accused him of using the music program as a propaganda tool. Tensions between El Sistema and Venezuelan officials developed in 2017. At that time, Gustavo Dudamel criticized President Nicolas Maduro’s attempt to form a national assembly of mostly government supporters. Some critics viewed the move as another step toward dictatorship. Maduro asked Dudamel to "not attack those of us who have been crucial to the expansion of the [musical] movement." Venezuelan officials then cancelled two El Sistema trips through the United States and Asia. Dudamel was to lead the series of performances. No official explanation was given as to why the trips were cancelled. Mendez said Dudamel will continue to be El Sistema's creative director. Dudamel is expected to lead several concerts in Venezuela in August and September. He may also take part in an El Sistema exhibition in May at a United Nations meeting in Vienna. Reporters asked Mendez whether he would permit his musicians to voice their political views. He said he would not censure anyone. "Everyone is responsible for his actions, and is responsible for saying or doing what they think is right," Mendez said. I’m Jonathan Evans.   Jonathan Evans adapted this story from an Associated Press report. Ashley Thompson was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   convince – v. to cause (someone) to agree to do something censure – v. to officially criticize someone or something strongly and publicly exhibition – n. an event at which objects such as works of art are put out in a public space for people to look at; a public show of something propaganda – n.  ideas or statements that are often false or exaggerated and that are spread in order to help a cause, a political leader, a government, etc. stability – n. the quality or state of something that is not easily changed or likely to change  

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Wildlife Experts Worry About Lack of Newborn Right Whales

  Wildlife researchers in Georgia and Florida are concerned about the population of endangered whales. The winter birthing season just ended, but no newborn sightings have been reported. There are currently an estimated 450 North Atlantic right whales. Since December, researchers have been looking for newborns off the coasts of Georgia and Florida. Each winter, pregnant female whales migrate to the area to give birth in warmer waters, usually from December to late March. Barb Zoodsma oversees the right whale recovery program for the National Marine Fisheries Service in the southeastern United States. “It’s a pivotal moment for right whales,” Zoodsma said. “If we don’t get serious and figure this out, it very well could be the beginning of the end.” Last year, the number of right whale deaths was greater than the number of births. In the U.S. and Canada, there were 17 right whale deaths recorded, while only five right whale births were reported. Research on the whales have found that most female right whales are only living only to half their expected years. Research on the whales that gave birth last year showed that they were having babies for the first time in seven or eight years. That is more than double the usual time between pregnancies.  Philip Hamilton is a scientist at the New England Aquarium in Boston. Hamilton has studied right whales for 30 years. He said, “Following a year of such high mortality, it’s clear the population can’t sustain that trajectory.” This is why researchers are saying more needs to be done to protect the species. In January, conservationists like the Defenders of Wildlife and the Center for Biological Diversity took legal action against the U.S. government. They argued that it failed to protect right whales as ordered by the Endangered Species Act. The Center called for more restrictions on the fishing industry. Philip Hamilton suggests that placing speed restrictions on ships in certain areas will help protect the whales further. “It all has to happen quickly,” he said. “We can’t handle waiting 10 or 20 years.” Examinations of the 17 bodies showed that a ship had hit at least four of the right whales. Another two of the deaths were caused by fishing gear entanglement. As a result, some fishermen are testing equipment designed to bring traps to the surface. Others are experimenting with equipment that will prevent large whales from being trapped in the first place. Net trapping is not always deadly. But, scientists suspect that a trapping incident causes emotional effects that could harm a pregnancy. Nonetheless, there is still hope for the right whale population. As the whales return to their feeding areas this spring, scientists plan on looking for newborn stragglers. Charles “Stormy” Mayo is a right whale researcher in Provincetown, Massachusetts at the Center for Coastal Studies. Mayo remains hopeful about the possibility that right whale babies were born this season a little further north, as far up as Virginia’s coast. In Cape Cod Bay last year, two calves were seen that had not been seen earlier in the south. It is also possible that after a light birthing season this year, a baby boom could happen next year. This has been happened before. In 2000, only one newborn birth occurred while the following year there were 31 births. Zoodsma said, “I do think we can turn this around. But it’s sort of like, what’s our willpower to do so? This is a time for all hands on deck.” I'm Rachel Dennis.   Rachel Dennis adapted this story for Learning English based on Associated Press reports. Caty Weaver was the editor.  _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   endangered - adj. used to describe a type of animal or plant that has become very rare and that could die out completely​ pivotal - adj. very important​ figure (something) out  - phrasal verb. to understand or find (something, such as a reason or a solution) by thinking​ mortality - n. the quality or state of being a person or thing that is alive and therefore certain to die : the quality or state of being mortal sustain - v.  to provide what is needed for (something or someone) to exist, continue, etc. trajectory - n. used to describe a process of change or development that leads toward a particular result migrate – v. to move from one place to live or work in another straggler - n. : a person or animal that moves slower than others and becomes separated from them calf - n. the young of various other large animals (such as the elephant or whale) baby boom – expression. a time when there is a great increase in the number of babies born all hands on deck – idiom.  used to say that everyone is needed to help in a given situation  

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Celebrating an Italian Easter in Washington

  The Christian holiday of Easter marks the day followers believe Jesus Christ returned to life. Christians usually observe the holiday with religious services in church. But Easter is also a time for families to get together and enjoy a special dinner with traditional foods. People in the United States come from all over the world. And different cultures celebrate Easter with different foods. In one of the oldest neighborhoods in Washington, D.C. there is an Italian market that carries special goods to celebrate an Italian Easter. Suzy and Bill Menard own Via Umbria, in Georgetown. In the middle of the store they have placed a huge chocolate egg. "That egg weighs 13 pounds. It's a milk chocolate egg. And then, it probably took 4 hours for them to do just the decorations on the front of it. So, you get your beautiful Buona Pasqua (“Happy Easter” in Italian) with the floral script." But if a 13 pound egg is too much for you, Via Umbria offers many smaller Easter chocolates as well. "Fabric wrapped eggs in milk and dark chocolate, our different versions of the Easter bunny, we've got chocolates that have been hand-painted, covered with nuts, and also the smaller version of the beautiful, big chocolate egg we looked at earlier."   There are many different kinds of cakes for celebrating Easter. One, the Colomba cake, is shaped like the bird called a dove. Doves represent peace in many cultures. Suzy says the Colomba cake it is a yeast cake that rises for 30 hours before baking. "They use all rich butter and fresh eggs and the yeast takes 30 hours to rise that's what gives it its beautiful texture." She also describes some of the meat products that they sell, such as lamb and pork. These can be used to make traditional dishes for Easter dinner. “We also have our signature porceda, which is the rolled pork belly, seasoned and cooked over high heat and cooked for a long period of time to get crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, as well as a local ham.” She adds that her store has something for people of all cultures. For Frederico Ribigini, the place is a taste of home. "For me it's amazing because, as I am from Umbria, from Italy. They have the Colomba. That is a classic cake in Italy. They have Buona di Pasqua, the chocolate eggs. Yes, here, you can definitely you can find a lot of gifts to give for Pasqua." Menard says those who do not like to cook can eat a daytime Easter meal at Via Umbria.​ "On Easter we have some extra special family-style appetizers including a fresh farro salad and asparagus salad. And, one of the entrees features a lamb ragu and, of course, for dessert we are going to have an Umbrian Ciaramicola." This ring-shaped cake has a sweet topping made from whipped sugar and egg whites. Historians say that this cake plays an important part in an ancient Umbrian tradition. Young women old enough for marriage bake this cake for the person they love on Easter Sunday.  I’m Anna Matteo.   Mariama Diallo reported this story for VOA News from Washington. Anna Matteo adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver edited the story. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   decoration – n. something that is added to something else to make it more attractive floral – adj. of or relating to flowers script – n. a type of handwriting in which all the letters in a word are connected to each other yeast – n. a type of fungus that is used in making alcoholic drinks (such as beer and wine) and in baking to help make dough rise texture – n. the way that something feels when you touch it signature – adj. something (such as a quality or feature) that is closely associated with someone or something crispy – adj. having a pleasantly thin and crisp outer layer tender – adj. easy to chew or bite : not tough classic – adj. used to describe something that has been popular for a long time appetizer – n. a small dish of food served before the main part of a meal entree – n. the main dish of a meal especially in a restaurant ragu – n. a hearty, seasoned Italian sauce of meat and tomatoes that is used chiefly in pasta dishes and that is typically made with ground beef, tomatoes, and finely chopped onions, celery, and carrots dessert – n. sweet food eaten after the main part of a meal

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English in a Minute: Pull Some Strings

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March 30, 2018

A look at the best news photos from around the world.

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Lesson 27: I Can't Come In

Summary Anna does not feel well. She calls her boss and her doctor. What do they tell her to do? And will she follow their advice? Speaking Learn to pronounce the new words for this lesson. You also learn about irregular past tense verbs. ​ Pronunciation Use this video to learn about how to ask two kinds of questions: WH-questions and Yes/No questions. Conversation   Anna: Hello! I am sure that today, in Washington, D.C,. there are a lot of great things to do.  But I am not doing any of them. I am sick. Right now, I'm going to call my boss and tell her I cannot come in to work. Caty: Hello? Anna: Ms. Weaver, Hi. I can’t come to work today. Caty: Why not? What is wrong? Anna: Well, yesterday I felt fine. Anna: In the morning, I painted for hours. In the afternoon, I cut wood. Then, I built a fire. Caty: Anna, what do you mean? Why can’t you come to work today? Anna: I do not feel well. I think I’m sick. Caty: I’m sorry to hear that. I was sick last week, too. I had the flu. Anna: (sneezes) What did you do? Caty: I slept a lot and I drank a lot of water. Do you have a doctor? Anna: Yes, I do. Caty: You should call your doctor. And get lots of rest! Anna: Thanks, Ms. Weaver. I’ll call right now. I'm calling my doctor. Dr. Bennett: (to herself) Now, where does this thing go? Dr. Bennett: Hello. This is Dr. Bennett. How can I help you? Anna: Hello, Dr. Bennett. This is Anna. Dr. Bennett: Oh, Hi, Anna. How can I help you? Anna: I think I’m sick. Dr. Bennett: Let me ask you a couple of questions. Do you have a sore throat? Anna: Yes. I have a sore throat. Dr. Bennett: Do you have a cough? Anna: Yes. I have a cough. Dr. Bennett: When did you start feeling sick? Anna: This morning. Yesterday I felt great. In the morning I painted, for hours - in the afternoon I cut wood - Dr. Bennett: Excuse me, Anna. But I don’t need to know all that. Do you have a fever? Anna: Oh. My thermometer says 125 degrees?! What?? Dr. Bennett: Yeah, that’s not right. Anna: Oh. Wait. The thermometer was in my hot cup of coffee. Dr. Bennett: Please take it again, Anna. Anna: Okay, the thermometer says 100.5 degrees. Dr. Bennett: 100.5 degrees is not too high. I want you to drink lots of water. Rest in bed and get lots of sleep. Anna: That is what my boss said to do. Um, Dr. Bennett, when can I go to work? Dr. Bennett: Don’t go to work for a couple of days. Anna: Yes! I mean, I don’t want to make my co-workers sick. Dr. Bennett: That’s right. Call me back in a couple of days. Anna: I will, Dr. Bennett. And thanks. Anna: Well, you heard the doctor – no work for a couple of days. I need water, sleep and um … lots of movies! Well, the doctor didn’t say anything about movies. But it can’t hurt! Until next time! Writing What happens when you get the flu? Does your family have a special way to get well again?  Write to us by email or in the Comments section. Click on the image below to download the Activity Sheet and practice talking about health problems with a friend. Learning Strategy Learning Strategies are the thoughts and actions that help make learning easier or more effective. The learning strategy for this lesson is Analyze Information. When we are learning a second language, we can think carefully about the new information we learn, and make a decision. That is what analyzing information means. In the video, Dr. Bennett asks Anna many questions. Then she analyzes the information she learned. She tells Anna to stay home, drink water and sleep.  Can you find another time in the video when someone analyzes information? Write to tell us about it in an email or in the Comments section. Teachers, see the Lesson Plan for more on how to teach this strategy. Quiz Listen to short videos and test your listening skills with this quiz.  ______________________________________________________________ New Words cough - n. the act of forcing air through your throat with a short, loud noise often because you are sick doctor - n. a person who is skilled in the science of medicine fever - n. a body temperature that is higher than normal fire - n. the light and heat and especially the flame produced by burning flu - n. a common disease that is caused by a virus and that causes fever, weakness, body aches, and breathing problems; also called influenza rest -v. to stop doing work or an activity sick - adj. affected with a disease or illness; ill sneeze - v. to suddenly force air out through your nose and mouth with a usually loud noise because your body is reacting to dust or a sickness sore - adj. feeling or affected by pain thermometer - n. an instrument used for measuring temperature throat - n. the tube inside the neck that leads to the stomach and lungs wood - n. the hard substance that makes up the stems and branches of trees and shrubs Past Tense Verbs cut / cut - v. to use a sharp tool (such as a knife) to open or divide (something, such as paper or wood) do / did - v. to perform an action or activity drink / drank - v. to take a liquid into your mouth and swallow it feel / felt - v. used to describe someone's physical or mental state hear / heard - v. to be aware of (sound) through the ear hurt / hurt - v. to be a source or cause of pain paint / painted - v. to cover (something) with paint or to put paint on (something) say / said - v. to use your voice to express (something) with words sleep / slept- v. to rest your mind and body by closing your eyes and becoming unconscious ______________________________________________________________ Free Materials   Download the VOA Learning English Word Book for a dictionary of the words we use on this website. Each Let's Learn English lesson has an Activity Sheet for extra practice on your own or in the classroom. In this lesson, you can use it to practice talking about health problems.   For Teachers ​ See the Lesson Plan for this lesson for ideas and more teaching resources. Send us an email if you have comments on this course or questions. Grammar focus: Irregular past tense verbs Topics: Asking about health problems; giving advice for health problems Learning Strategy: Analyze Information Speaking & Pronunciation Focus: Wh-questions and Yes/No question intonation; Groups of verbs with irregular past tense forms ______________________________________________________________ Now it's your turn. Send us an email or write to us in the Comments section below or on our Facebook page to let us know what you think of this lesson.

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'The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky' by Stephen Crane, Part One

From VOA Learning English, this is American Stories. Our story is called "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky." It was written by Stephen Crane. We will listen to the story in two parts. Today we will hear the first part of the story.  The great train was rushing forward such steady dignity of motion that a glance from the window seemed simply to prove that the flatlands of Texas were pouring toward the east. A newly married pair had come on this train at San Antonio. The man’s face was reddened from many days in the wind and sun. His roughened hands were continually moving over his new black clothes in a most nervous manner. From time to time he looked down respectfully at his suit. He sat with a hand on each knee, like a man waiting in a shop for a haircut. The glances he gave to other passengers were few and quick. The bride was not pretty, nor was she very young. She wore a dress of blue with many buttons. She continually turned her head to regard some part or other of her dress. It made her feel strange. One could tell that she had cooked and that she expected to cook, dutifully. The searching glances of some of the passengers as she had entered the car had brought the blood rushing to her face. Her uncomfortable expression was strange to see upon this plain face, which was usually calm and almost emotionless. They were evidently very happy. “Ever been in a train like this before?” he asked, smiling with delight. “No,” she answered, “I never was. It’s fine, isn’t it?” “Great! After a while we’ll go forward to the dining car and get a big dinner. Finest meal in the world. Costs a dollar.” “Oh, it does?” cried the bride. “A dollar? Oh, that’s too much for us, isn’t it, Jack?” “Not on this trip, at least,” he answered bravely. “We’re going to enjoy ourselves.” Later he explained to her about the trains. “You see, it’s a thousand miles from one end of Texas to the other. The train runs straight across it, and only stops four times.” He had the pride of an owner. He pointed out to her the beauty of the car they were riding in. And in truth her eyes opened wider as she observed the rich, sea-green cloth covering the seats, the shining silver and glass, the wood that shone darkly like the surface of a pool of oil. To the minds of the pair, their surroundings repeated the glory of their wedding that morning in San Antonio. This was the spirit of their new life, and the man’s face in particular shone with a joy that made him appear foolish to certain passengers. In the minds of some, there was supposed to be something hugely funny in the pair’s situation. “We are due in Yellow Sky at 3:42,” he said, looking tenderly into her eyes. “Oh, are we?” she said, as if she had not been aware of it. To show surprise at her husband’s remark was part of her wifely duty. She took from a pocket a little silver watch. As she held it before her, and stared at it with a look of attention, the new husband’s face shone. “I bought it in San Antonio from a friend of mine,” he told her proudly. “It’s 17 minutes past 12,” she said, looking up at him with a happy expression which, nevertheless, showed a lack of experience in conversing with men. A passenger, observing her small nervousness, laughed to himself. At last they went to the dining car. The man serving their table happened to take pleasure in directing them through their meal. He viewed them with the manner of a fatherly guide, his face shining with kindness. But they did not understand his attentions. As they returned to their seats, they showed in their faces a sense of escape. It was evident that, as the distance from Yellow Sky grew shorter, the husband became more nervous. His red hands were even more noticeable. He was rather absent-minded and faraway when the bride leaned forward and spoke to him. As a matter of truth, Jack Potter was beginning to find his deed weighing upon him like a great stone. He, the town policeman of Yellow Sky, was a man known, liked, and feared in his community. He, an important person, had gone to San Antonio to meet a girl he believed he loved. And there he had actually married her without discussing any part of the matter with Yellow Sky. He was now bringing his bride to a sure-to-be-surprised town. Of course, people in Yellow Sky married as it pleased them. But Potter’s thoughts of his duty to his friends, or of their idea of his duty, made him feel he was sinful. He was guilty of a great and unusual crime. Face to face with this girl in San Antonio, he had leaped over all the social fences. At San Antonio he was like a man hidden in the dark. A knife to cut any friendly duty was easy to take in his hand in that distant city. But the hour of Yellow Sky, the hour of daylight, was approaching. He knew very well that his wedding was an important thing to the town. It could only be equaled by the burning of the new hotel. His friends could not forgive him, he felt. And now the train was hurrying him toward a scene of surprise, merriment, and blame. He glanced out of the window again. Yellow Sky had a kind of band, which played its horns and drums painfully, to the delight of the people. He laughed without heart as he thought of it. If the citizens could dream of his arrival with his bride, they would march the band at the station and accompany them, among cheers and laughter, to his house. He decided that he would use all methods of speed and cleverness in making the journey from the station to his house. Once safely at home, he would announce the news. Then he would not go among the citizens until they’d had time to master their emotions. The bride looked anxiously at him. “What’s worrying you, Jack?” He laughed. “I’m not worrying, girl. I’m only thinking of Yellow Sky.” She understood, and her face turned red again. They shared a sense of slight guilt that developed a finer tenderness. They looked at each other with eyes softly glowing. But Potter often laughed the same nervous laugh. The deep red color upon the bride’s face did not lessen. “We’re nearly there,” he said. As the train began to slow, they moved forward in the car. The long line of cars moved into the station of Yellow Sky. “The train has to get water here,” said Potter, from a tight throat and face, as one announcing death. Before the train stopped, his eye had searched the station, and he was glad and surprised to see there was no one there except the station master. “Come on, girl,” said Potter with a thick voice. As he helped her down, they each laughed in a strained manner. He took her bag and told his wife to hold his arm. As they hurried away he saw that the station master had turned and was running toward them, waving his arms. Potter laughed, and sighed as he laughed, when he realized the first effect of his wedding upon Yellow Sky. He grasped his wife’s arm firmly to his side and they hurried away. The California train was due at Yellow Sky in 21 minutes. There were six men in the Weary Gentleman Saloon. One was a salesman who talked a great deal and rapidly; three were Texans who did not care to talk at that time; and two were Mexican sheep farmers who did not usually talk in the saloon. The saloon-keeper’s dog lay in front of the door. His head was resting on his feet, and he glanced sleepily here and there with the ready watchfulness of a dog that is sometimes kicked. Across the sandy street were some bright green, grass spots, so wonderful in appearance next to burning sands in the hot sun. At the cooler side of the railroad station, a man without a coat sat in a chair leaned back against the building. He smoked his pipe. The waters of the Rio Grande river circled near the town, and beyond it could be seen great flatlands. Except for the busy salesman and his companions in the saloon, Yellow Sky was sleeping. The salesman leaned easily upon a table and told many tales with the confidence of a story teller who has found new listeners. He was interrupted by a young man who suddenly appeared in the open door. He cried, “Scratchy Wilson’s drunk, and has started to make trouble.” The two Mexicans at once put down their glasses and disappeared through the rear door of the saloon. The salesman, not understanding the importance of the warning, jokingly answered, “All right, old man. Suppose he has? Come in and have a drink anyhow.” But the information had made such an apparent impression upon everyone in the room that the salesman was forced to see its importance. All had become instantly serious. “Well,” he said, filled with mystery, “what is this?” His three companions started to tell him, but the young man at the door stopped them.” “It means, my friend,” he answered as he came into the saloon, “that for the next two hours this town won’t be very healthy.” The saloon-keeper went to the door and locked it. Reaching out of the window, he pulled in heavy wooden boards, which covered the windows and locked there. The salesman was looking from one to another. “What is this, anyhow?” he cried. “You don’t mean there is going to be a gun-fight?” Come back to American Stories next week for the second half of "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" by Stephen Crane.   Now it's your turn to use the words in this story. Do you enjoy movies about cowboys? Can you imagine a town like Yellow Sky? How do you think the people in Yellow Sky feel about Jack Potter? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. Teachers, view the lesson plan here.  Try the listening quiz to see how well you understand Part One of the story.  ​ ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   aware - adj. knowing that something (such as a situation, condition, or problem) exists bride - n. a woman who has just married or is about to be married dignity - n. the quality of being worthy of honor or respect grasp - v. to take and hold (something) with your fingers, hands, etc. merriment - n. laughter and enjoyment saloon - n. a business where alcoholic drinks are served Teachers, here is a lesson plan for Part One of this story.

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Music Program at Sing Sing Prison Gives Detainees a New Start

  Sing Sing Correctional Facility is a high-security prison about an hour by car north of New York City. Sing Sing holds 1,600 prisoners. As the men serve their sentences, prison officials are planning for the time those detainees will be released. One of those officials is Leslie Malin, the deputy superintendent for program services at Sing Sing. Malin says the prison offers technical training and educational classes. It also has a music program, which works in partnership with New York City’s Carnegie Hall fine arts center. Making musical connections Two times a month, artists from New York go to Sing Sing and spend a day working with the 30 detainees involved in its Musical Connections program. The program is nine years old. Before that, Sing Sing had just a music room. A man identified only as Rob is a former prisoner. New York’s Department of Corrections asked that VOA not give any last names of prisoners. Rob remembers there were often fights over who could use the music room. But he said it was hard to hate the other men when they are helping each other with music and performing songs. Rob has been on parole for the past year-and-a-half, after spending seven years in Sing Sing. He says he performed just two times before he went to prison. A man called Joe had even less experience. "I didn't know what an A flat was," he admits. "I've heard these terms. I couldn't have explained them to you. I didn't know what they sounded like. I didn't know what they meant."  Joe spent four years in the Musical Connections program. He studied music theory during that time. Now, Joe is writing an operatic work. He said he became interested in classical music after working with opera star Joyce DiDonato. "She definitely opened my eyes to something that I didn't even know I had within myself," he added. Kenyatta, who has been in prison for 23 years, calls the music program "the most transformative thing I have ever experienced." Kenyatta earned a master's degree after completing a higher education program in religious studies. He has been a speaker in a TED talk video from Sing Sing. Kenyatta has been a part of the music program since it started. He says music has helped him open up to others. "I can be a little less alone,” he says, “because I know you understand some part of me, at least, and you can be a little less alone because you know that I understand some part of you.” ​Increasing musical skills The Musical Connections program is under the direction of Carnegie Hall's Manuel Bagorro. He leads similar programs in homeless shelters and community centers. Bagorro says all the programs have similar goals. He says “People have come together. They play together. They negotiate artistic decisions. They sort out problems…” And those are all skills that prisoners can use when they are out of jail. Danny was released from Sing Sing three-and-a-half years ago, after seven years in the prison system. He learned to play the violin in the Musical Connections program and started writing music. Danny said that after his release, he was able to take the same energy and effort required to learn an instrument, and put it into other areas of his life. One of the teaching artists, Sarah Elizabeth Charles, says she has seen both personal and musical growth in the prisoners over the years. "I just think the sky's the limit for so many of the men in this workshop. They're professional. They're working. Many of them are working on the level of a professional musician….Yes. Sky's the limit," she says. Music training Carnegie Hall holds a monthly gathering for the programs’ members who have been released from Sing Sing. Rob says that at these meetings, the men do more than play music, they also talk about what's going on in their lives. He told VOA "It showed me that everybody was struggling trying to find a job, trying to stay employed, trying to find some time to practice…I knew I wasn't alone in any of these things." I’m Phil Dierking.   Jeff Lunden reported this story for VOANews.com. Phil Dierking adapted the report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. What are other types of programs that could be used with prisoners?  We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   A flat - n. a note a semitone below an A​ note operatic - adj. relating to or characteristic of opera.​ parole - n. permission given to a prisoner to leave prison before the end of a sentence usually as a reward for behaving well​ transformative - adj. causing or able to cause a change​ classical music - n. serious or conventional music following long-established principles rather than a folk, jazz, or popular tradition.​ violin - n. a musical instrument that has four strings and that you usually hold against your shoulder under your chin and play with a bow​ master’s degree - n. a degree that is given to a student by a college or university usually after one or two years of additional study following a bachelor's degree​ professional - adj.  relating to a job that requires special education, training, or skill​ workshop - n. a class or series of classes in which a small group of people learn the methods and skills used in doing something​ practice - v.  to do something again and again in order to become better at it​

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15 Palestinians Killed in Border Protests with Israel

  Fifteen Palestinians were killed and more than 750 were wounded by Israeli troops Friday during a march to the border of Israel and the Palestinian territory of Gaza. It was the deadliest day Gaza has seen since the 2014 cross-border war between Israel and Hamas. Friday marked the first day of what Hamas organizers have said will be six weeks of daily protests against Israel’s border blockade. Protest organizers say they aim to bring attention to Palestinian demands for a “right of return” to what is now Israel.  A large majority of Gaza’s 2 million people are descendants of Palestinians who fled or were driven from their homes in the 1948 Mideast war over Israel’s creation. The “right of return” demands that relatives of refugees who lost their homes in 1948 be able to regain their property. The Israeli military accused Palestinian militants of using the cover of protests to carry out attacks. It said thousands of Palestinians threw rocks and rolled burning tires toward Israeli soldiers on the other side of the border fence. It also said that in one incident, Palestinian gunmen fired towards Israeli soldiers.   The large turnout of flag-waving marchers in the dangerous border zone demonstrates Hamas’ organizing skills. But it also demonstrates Gaza residents’ growing dissatisfaction after a decade-old border closure.  Life in Gaza has worsened in recent months, with rising unemployment, poverty and daily electrical shortages. I’m Phil Dierking. This story was originally written by Fares Akram and Karin Laub for for the Associated Press. Phil Dierking adapted this story for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story descendant - n. someone who is related to a person or group of people who lived in the past tire - n. a rubber ring that usually contains air and that fits around the wheel of a car, bicycle, etc.​ decade - n. a period of 10 years

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FIFA to Investigate Russian Racism Against French Soccer Players

  Soccer's international governing body, FIFA, is investigating reported racial abuse by soccer fans in Russia. The top international soccer competition, the World Cup, is to take place in Russia in less than three months. The reported abuse took place Tuesday during a match in St. Petersburg between the French and Russian national teams. During the game, people in the crowd reportedly yelled a racist term repeatedly at black players from France. The yelling was captured by television cameras. It reportedly can be heard clearly after Paul Pogba scored France’s second goal. France won the match three to one. FIFA said on Wednesday that it was collecting evidence and would contact the anti-discrimination organization Fare Network. The group helps FIFA investigate reports of racism. A FIFA statement said the group is collecting evidence connected to the incident. FIFA said it could not comment further until it had considered all the evidence. French Sports Minister Laura Flessel commented on Twitter.   “Racism has no place on the soccer field,” she wrote. “We should act together at a European and international level in order to stop this intolerable behavior.” Weaknesses in World Cup preparation Fare Network said the incident in St. Petersburg shows the weaknesses in Russia’s preparations for the World Cup. Piara Powar is head of Fare Network. “If photographers heard it pitch-side, then there must have been stewards and other officials who also heard it,” he said He said it will be a bad sign for the World Cup if officials do not have a plan by the end of this month to deal with racist fan behavior. He said, “So close to the World Cup, questions are being asked...to why it wasn’t dealt with as it occurred during play.” This latest incident of reported racism is the third this season at St. Petersburg Stadium, which is to hold a World Cup semifinal match. The other two cases involve the city’s local team, Zenit. The United European Football Association begins to hear one of those cases May 31. The World Cup is to start two weeks later.  I’m Caty Weaver. This story was originally written by Dmitri Lovetsky and Jamesv Ellingworth for the Associated Press. Phil Dierking adapted this story for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. How do you think sports leagues can control racist fans?  We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story intolerable - adj. too bad, harsh, or severe to be accepted match - n. a a contest between two or more players or teams occur - v. to happen  pitch - n. (chiefly British) an area that is used for playing sports​; a playing field steward - n. (chiefly British) someone who is in charge of a race, contest, or other public event​

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English @ the Movies: 'Cut It Out'

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Russia Expels More British Diplomats

  Russia ordered new cuts Friday to the number of British diplomats in the country. The move has worsened the clash between Russia and several European countries and the United States over the poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain. On Thursday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced the removal of 60 American diplomats, in answer to the United States’ expulsion of the same number of Russian diplomats earlier this week. The increased removal of diplomats on both sides has reached a level unseen even during the height of the Cold War. More than 20 countries and NATO have ordered the expulsion of over 150 Russian diplomats. The actions were meant as a show of support for Britain over the March 4 poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in the British city of Salisbury. Britain blamed the poisoning attack on Russia. Russia has strongly denied involvement in the poisoning. It also announced it would expel the same number of diplomats from each nation. Russia’s Foreign Ministry intensified the dispute Friday, saying it has ordered Britain to reduce its diplomats in Moscow to the number that Russia now has in London. The ministry has given Britain one month to take action. In answer, a representative of the British Foreign Office said Russia’s move was “regrettable” but expected, based on its earlier actions.   A hospital treating the Skripals said Thursday that the daughter’s condition was improving quickly. Her father, however, remains in critical condition. Dmitry Peskov, press secretary to Russian President Vladimir Putin, spoke with reporters on Friday. He said that “Russia didn’t start any diplomatic wars,” and “remains open for developing good ties.” He also said Russia has called a meeting with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons next week to push for an “objective investigation.” Russia has accused Britain of failing to support its claims with evidence and refusing to share materials from its investigation. The Russian Foreign Ministry said it told the British ambassador on Friday that Moscow is ready to cooperate in the investigation. I'm Alice Bryant. The Associated Press reported this story. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.  _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   critical – adj. relating to or involving a great danger of death prohibition – n. relating to or involving a great danger of death objective – adj. based on facts rather than feelings or opinions  

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What It Takes - John Irving

00:00:01    JOHN IRVING: I’ll begin where I always begin, which is at the end. I’ve never started to write a novel or a screenplay without knowing the ending first, and I don’t mean that I need only to know what happens at the end of a novel or a screenplay before I begin. I need to know the sentences themselves.   00:00:23    ALICE WINKLER: But I need to start at the beginning. That voice belongs to John Irving. He’s one of the finest and most widely read American novelists of the past 50 years: The World According to Garp, A Prayer for Owen Meany, The Cider House Rules — all his — and most recently, Avenue of Mysteries. Five of his novels have been turned into movies. Before we return to the story of John Irving’s approach to writing stories end-first, I need to say, “This is What It Takes from the Academy of Achievement. I’m Alice Winkler.”   00:01:01    OPRAH WINFREY: "Hattie Mae, this child is gifted," and I heard that enough that I started to believe it.   00:01:07    ROGER BANNISTER: If you have the opportunity, not a perfect opportunity, and you don't take it, you may never have another chance.   00:01:13    LAURYN HILL: It all was so clear. It was just, like, the picture started to form itself.   00:01:18    DESMOND TUTU: There was no way in which a lie could prevail over the truth, darkness over light, death over life.   00:01:26    CAROL BURNETT (quoting CARRIE HAMILTON): “Every day I wake up and decide, today I'm going to love my life. Decide.”   00:01:34    JOHNNY CASH: My advice is, if they're going to break your leg once when you go in that place, stay out of there.   00:01:39    JAMES MICHENER: And then along come these differential experiences that you don't look for, you don't plan for, but boy, you’d better not miss them.   00:01:52    ALICE WINKLER: I interrupted John Irving with my introduction. He was starting to explain how he never begins writing a novel without knowing first what the final sentences will be, which, if you think about it, is a little mind-boggling. So picking that back up, here’s John Irving speaking in New York to an international gathering of Academy of Achievement delegates in 2005.   00:02:16    JOHN IRVING: I need to know what the words are and the atmosphere that those words convey. I need to know how melancholic a story this is, how uplifting or not. It’s like an endnote to a piece of music. I can’t imagine where the reader should jump into this story if I don’t know where I’m going first. This is an aspect, my wife tells me, of my over-controlling nature.   00:02:46    But I am a believer in the novels of the 19th century, a plot-driven, character-based novel where the passage of time is almost as important — or as important — as any of the major/minor characters in that story; the passage of time and the effects of the passage of time on the people in that story.   00:03:11    In The World According to Garp, "We are all terminal cases," is the last sentence of that novel, but it was the first sentence I wrote. "You’ve got to get obsessed and stay obsessed. You have to keep passing the open windows," was the first sentence I wrote for The Hotel New Hampshire, but I knew it was the end of the novel. It was the pep talk, the anti-suicide language at the end of what was a suicidal novel.   00:03:39    ALICE WINKLER: In the case of The Cider House Rules, it was a benediction, a tender phrase that the doctor at the orphanage says to the orphans every night as he turns out the light.   00:03:50    JOHN IRVING: "Princes of Maine, Kings of New England," they're anything but. They're orphans. Nobody wanted them. But he says this to make them feel better.     00:03:59    ALICE WINKLER: That line, "Princes of Maine, Kings of New England," isn’t just the last line. It’s a refrain, repeated several times in the novel, a technique John Irving is very fond of and compares to the repetitions you find in any long piece of music, in an opera or a soundtrack. John Irving’s novels are always long, and his stories famously complicated. He says the process of researching and note-taking and mapping typically takes him 18 months before he begins writing, but always, those final lines are on a postcard, tacked to the wall, because what he is doing is reconstructing the story from the back to the front, as he says, until he knows where the front is.   00:04:47    JOHN IRVING: The atmosphere at the end of a novel, if I don’t know what it is, how do I know I want to spend five years making that journey? If I don’t know that there isn’t something that is an emotional kick at the end of that story, why am I going to invest the time? The novel I’ve just finished took seven years. That’s my longest, and I hope that I don’t do that again.   00:05:08    But believe me, I never would have started if I didn’t know that there was something emotionally gratifying enough at the end of the story. Why would I take the time? Why would I take the time? At the end of The Fourth Hand, a man who’s lost a hand and a woman who’s lost a husband are making love in a Green Bay, Wisconsin hotel.   00:05:32    We don’t know what the future holds in store for them or for people like them, for people who’ve lost things. People are always losing things in my novels, not always comically, but sometimes so. This ending was on another postcard for two-and-a-half years: “Outside their warm hotel, the cold wind was a harbinger of the coming winter, but they heard only their own harsh breathing. Like other lovers, they were oblivious to the swirling wind, which blew on and on in the wild, uncaring Wisconsin night.” If I can’t hear the sentences, I don’t start. I don’t know enough yet about the story.   00:06:15    ALICE WINKLER: It would be like coming home from the airport, Irving says, and telling his wife that something amazing had happened during the landing, but without knowing what it was. He says he'd have to be a pathological liar to pull that off.   00:06:28    JOHN IRVING: I think one of the reasons that there’s so much research in most of my novels, one of the reasons I’ve become fascinated in learning about people I know nothing about: ether-addicted abortionists in Maine orphanages in the 1930s, children's orthopedic surgeons — I don’t know anything about that, or I didn’t.   00:06:50    But becoming a student of something as a process of beginning a story, it’s another way of making you wait before you start writing. You can’t start this book because you don’t know enough yet. You haven’t learned enough about obstetrical-gynecological surgery. You have to study it. You have to learn something about it. You have to find a doctor who will talk to you and a doctor who’s going to be willing to read that manuscript and say, "No, you idiot. The episiotomy doesn’t work that way."   00:07:19    You need an expert, and you have to become a kind of quasi-expert yourself, and that is a way — it's a way of keeping myself from jumping into the story before I know as much as I can about it. The research in that way is useful. My friend and fellow writer, Michael Ondaatje, has often told me the same thing. You go off and make a student of yourself of something. You learn something you know nothing about, and it’s a way of slowing yourself down.   00:07:45    I also write in longhand and on an old-fashioned typewriter. I don’t want something in my life that speeds up the process of telling the story. I’m not an intellectual. I’m a storyteller. I don’t even think of myself as an artist. I’m a craftsman. I’m building a house, and it’s the architecture of my novels, the structure of them, the overall building itself that first interests me, that gets me interested in the process.   00:08:15    The ending of A Prayer for Owen Meany was, of course, a prayer. He’s dead. You know it from the opening. But how he dies and why, you’ve got to wait. You’ve got to wait a long time to find that out. "O God — please give him back! I shall keep asking You." Another postcard, another thing tacked on the wall. There’s another reason for all of this. It isn’t just the over-controlling instinct that my wife points to.   00:08:42    It's that, by the time I start writing the story, I want to know everything that happens. I don’t want to be distracted by the questions: “Is Alice going to see Jack again? When? Are their paths going to cross again? How long do we have to wait?” I want to know all those things. I want to know everything that happens so that the story I’m telling you, it’s already happened to me. I know it.   00:09:07    It’s already happened so that all I’m thinking about are the sentences. Make them short if you want the thing to move quickly, make them long if you want the reader to slow down. Right? I don’t want to be distracted from the language. All I want to be thinking about is the language, the sentences, the next sentence and the sentence after that. I don't want to be thinking about what happens to so-and-so. I know. I know. It's already happened, and all I’m thinking about is in what order should you receive the news.   00:09:35    ALICE WINKLER: When people hear about his process, John Irving says, they almost always ask...   00:09:39    JOHN IRVING: Surely something changes. Surely somewhere along the way you get a better idea.   00:09:44    ALICE WINKLER: Here’s how he answers them.   00:09:45    JOHN IRVING: In the sequence of events in the middle of the story, that's often true. Sometimes a character I had never thought of, a minor character or a major/minor one, will make an appearance in the middle of the story and move the story in a slightly different way, but the ending never changes. It never has. Never has. Eleven novels, it never has changed. I might fool around with that first sentence, but I won't fool around with the last. It's just — it is where I'm going.   00:10:14    MUSIC: LOBSTER DINNER (THE CIDER HOUSE RULES SOUNDTRACK)   00:10:25    ALICE WINKLER: His need for clarity about where he is going makes good sense if you know where he has been. So I’m going to switch gears here and move away from how John Irving writes his novels, to talk about what went into making him the writer that he is, the person that he is. Most of what you’re going to hear from here on is from an interview Irving sat for when he attended that Academy of Achievement Summit. The interviewer was journalist Irv Drasnin, who started the conversation by asking John Irving to talk about his childhood in Exeter, New Hampshire.   00:10:59    JOHN IRVING: Largely happy, but there was a mystery in it that I think provoked my imagination. Namely, no adult in my family would ever tell me anything about who my father was. I knew from an older cousin, only four years older than I am, everything, or what little I could discover about him. But I was born with that father's name, John Wallace Blunt, Jr., and it probably was a gift to my imagination that my mother wouldn't talk about him because when information of that kind is denied to you as a child, you begin to invent who your father might have been.   00:11:51    And this becomes a secret, a private obsession, which I would say is an apt description of writing novels and screenplays, of making things up in lieu of knowing the real answer.   00:12:06    MUSIC: PICKERS LEAVE (THE CIDER HOUSE RULES SOUNDTRACK)   00:12:13    JOHN IRVING: I was 39 and divorcing my first wife when my mother deposited on my dining room table some letters from my father, which were written from an air base in India and from hospitals in India and China in 1943. He was a flyer. He flew the Himalayan route, the Hump, as it was called. He and his crew were shot down over Japanese-occupied Burma and hiked some 15 days — 225 miles later — into China.   00:12:51    The letters were all patiently, painstakingly explaining to her why he didn't want to remain married to her but that he hoped to have some contact with me. My mom never permitted him that contact. In 1948, when I was 6, she remarried, and my stepfather, Colin Irving, legally adopted me, so that my name was changed from John Wallace Blunt, Jr. to John Winslow Irving, Winslow being my mom's maiden name.   00:13:34     And the mystery continued. I think it probably is the most central or informative part of my childhood — is what I didn't know about it — and as friends and critics have been saying of my novels for some time, I've been inventing that missing parent, that absent father, in one novel after another.   00:14:07     ALICE WINKLER: Including in the novel John Irving had just published when he sat down for this conversation. That book is called Until I Find You. It’s the one he mentioned that took him seven years to write, and it weighs in at whatever 824 pages weigh. A lot.    00:14:26    JOHN IRVING: In 2002, in December of 2002, in the middle of that book, which was, once again, a missing-father novel, I was contacted by a 39-year-old man named Chris Blunt, who said, "There's a possible chance that I might be your brother," and of course, I knew it was not a possible chance at all but a likelihood. And I since have met two brothers and a sister I didn't know about, and I found out more about this man, who died five years before Chris found me. And the coincidences of the father I was imagining, who was waiting for me to finish my story in the last two chapters of this novel — the actual father turned out to have some similarities to the man I had already imagined.   00:15:30     ALICE WINKLER: Meeting his siblings, hearing about his father, it knocked John Irving for a bit of a loop, but it also eased his burden, he says.          00:15:38     JOHN IRVING: When you're a kid and you don't know about someone, it's natural to demonize him. In other words, if no one would talk about this guy, how bad a guy was he. Right? Imagine the worst. Well, it was nice to hear from these two brothers and my one sister that they loved him, that they thought he was a good father, although he was married four times and had children with three of those wives, not the fourth. And it was astonishing, for the first time, to see — in my late 50s, early 60s, which I was at the time — photographs of my father when he's younger than my grown children are today.   00:16:27     I have a 40-year-old son and a 36-year-old son, and I'm looking at pictures of Lieutenant John Wallace Blunt when he's 24, with his flight crew in China. And he doesn't, to me, to my eyes, look like me, although he does. What he really looks like is one of my kids. Right?   00:16:51    ALICE WINKLER: So that is the tale of how John Irving began to fill in the missing pieces of his own life, as a middle-aged man already with grown children of his own, and already an accomplished author. As he said, it was the holes in his story that had driven him to invent and to write decades before — that, and the perfect disposition for a life of writing.   00:17:15     JOHN IRVING: I think that an early sort of pre-writing indication that I had the calling to be a writer was how much time I liked to spend alone. I wasn't antisocial. I had friends, but I didn't really want to hang out with them after school. What I saw of them at school was enough. I needed to be in a room by myself even before I was writing, just imagining things, just thinking about things.   00:17:42     If there was a weekend with too many cousins or other people around, I got a little edgy. I think the need to be by myself, which I've recognized in a couple of my own children, is one that was respected by my grandmother, with whom I lived until my mom remarried when I was six. And I was fortunate to be in a big house, my grandmother's house, and there were lots of places to get off by yourself and imagine those things I didn't know.   00:18:14     And I find as — and I'm 63, and my capacity to be by myself and just spend time by myself hasn't diminished any. That's a necessary part of being a writer. You’d better like being alone.   00:18:39     ALICE WINKLER: There was another feature of John Irving’s life as a child that you wouldn’t think would incline him towards a brilliant career in literature, but think again.   00:18:47     JOHN IRVING: At the time, they didn't have the language for it that we have, perhaps in overabundance, today — dyslexia, learning disabilities, whatever they are. I had something of that nature and never knew I had it until one of my children was diagnosed as being slightly dyslexic. And when they showed me the results of how they determined that he had a learning disability, I realized that they were describing exactly what I had always done.   00:19:20     I just, you know — what it amounted to, in essence, was that I would ask my friends, "How long did the history assignment take you? How long did the English assignment take you?" And if they said, "Oh, it's 45 minutes," I would just double the time or triple the time, and I'd say, "Well, it's an hour-and-a-half for me." I just knew that everything was going to take me longer. Right?   00:19:41    Well, I don't think that's a bad disability to have if you're going to write long novels. There's no reason you should write any novel quickly. There's no reason you shouldn't, as a writer, not be aware of the necessity to revise yourself constantly. And surely, as much as — more than a half, and maybe as much as two-thirds of my life, as a writer, is rewriting. I wouldn't say I have a talent that's special as that I have an unusual kind of stamina.   00:20:14     I can rewrite sentences over and over again, and I do, and the reshaping of something, the restructuring of a story, the building of the architecture of a novel, the craft of it is something I never tire of. And maybe that comes from what homework always was to me, which was redoing, redoing, redoing, because I always made mistakes, and I always assumed I would. And that meant that my grades weren't very good, and that meant that school was hard for me, but when I got out of school and my focus could go to the one thing I wanted to do — the novel, the screenplay of the moment — I knew how to work, you know. I knew how to concentrate because I had to.   00:21:07     ALICE WINKLER: Whatever kind of learning challenges Irving had, it didn’t keep him from reading and loving books, even if it took him longer than most to get through them. His favorite author was Dickens.   00:21:18     JOHN IRVING: I read Charles Dickens when I was 14 or 15. It might be hard for many 14-, 15-year-olds today to read Dickens. That language seems so old-fashioned, if not exactly dated, to us now — the amount of detail, the sheer complexities of those stories and plots — but those were the novels I read that made me want to write novels. If I had read, frankly, some more modern or post-modern novels at the time, I might have wanted to do something else.   00:21:48     I've always been a fan of the 19th-century novel, of the novel that is plotted, character-driven, and where the passage of time is almost as central to the novel as a major/minor character — the passage of time and its effect on the characters in the story. Those old 19th-century novels, all of them long, all of them complicated, all of them plotted.   00:22:17     Not just Dickens — but especially Dickens — but also George Eliot, Thomas Hardy. And among the Americans, Melville and Hawthorne always meant more to me than Hemingway, Faulkner, Fitzgerald. I'm not a modern guy.   00:22:30    ALICE WINKLER: So this old-fashioned guy, at around the age of 14 or 15, suddenly felt the urge to write and began filling notebook after notebook.   00:22:41    JOHN IRVING: I started writing almost like landscape drawing or life drawing. I never kept a diary. I never wrote about my day and what happened to me, but I described things. You know, if I had known how to draw, maybe I would have drawn hundreds of pictures of my grandmother's garden, but instead, I wrote sort of landscape descriptions of it. I think that was what was so compelling to me about those Dickens and Hardy novels, that — just the lushness of detail, the amount of description, the amount of atmosphere that is plumped into those novels.   00:23:28    It's like nothing you read today, except from those writers who are essentially 19th-century storytellers themselves: the Canadian, Robertson Davies; the German, Günter Grass; García Márquez; Salman Rushdie. Basically, I was never a Hemingway person. I never understood that. In Moby Dick, there was a story — the longer, the better.                  00:23:56     ALICE WINKLER: Back to Irving at 14, though. There was one other thing besides his devotion to 19th-century literature, besides his learning disability, besides his need for solitude that John Irving credits with giving him the skills to write the kind of books he would grow up to write. It’s the thing we’re going to end this episode with: wrestling. Mm-hmm. I’ll say it again. Wrestling.   00:24:23    JOHN IRVING: Well, you’ve got to be disciplined. I think the sport of wrestling, which I became involved with at the age of 14 — I competed until I was 34 — kind of old for a contact sport. I coached the sport until I was 47. I think the discipline of wrestling has given me the discipline I have to write. There's a kind of repetition that's required.   00:24:52     You repeat and repeat over and over again the dumbest things, the simplest moves, the simplest defenses, until they become like second nature, but they don't start out that way. They don't start out that way. So much of a sport like wrestling is drilling, is just repeating and repeating and repeating so that you've done this thing so many times that if somebody just touches your arm on that side, you know where to go.   00:25:21    You could do it with your eyes closed. If you're off your feet and you're up in the air, you — if you've been there enough, you know where the mat is. You know it's here. It's not there. You just know where it is. You don't have to see it, but you've been through that position enough so that you're not looking for the mat. You're not thinking, "Is it up here? Is it down there? Am I going to land on my head? Am I going to land on my tail?" You know.   00:25:46     Well, I think sentences are like that. If you're comfortable enough with all kinds of sentences — with verbs and their gerundive, with active verbs, with short sentences, with long sentences — you know how to put them together. You know how to slow the reader down when the reader is at a place where you want the reader to move slowly, and you know how to speed the reader up when you're at a place in the story where you want the reader to go fast.   00:26:11     It's drilling. It's repetition. I don't put much value in so-called inspiration. The value is in how many times you can redo something. Most people would find it boring, like sit-ups, you know, like skipping rope. But I always had — I could put my mind somewhere else while I skipped rope for 45 minutes. You know, people say, "What? How can — you have to be dumb to skip rope for 45 minutes." No. You have to be able to imagine something else.   00:26:40     While you're skipping rope, you have to be able to see something else. You have to imagine that your next opponent stopped skipping rope 15 minutes ago. Then you keep going.   00:26:55     ALICE WINKLER: Novelist and workhorse John Irving. This conversation was recorded at the Academy of Achievement Summit in 2005. I’m Alice Winkler, and I guess it’s cheating when I say that I always know what my last line is before I begin. This is What It Takes from the Academy of Achievement. Thanks to the Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation for making every episode of What It Takes possible.                  END OF FILE

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California Judge Rules Coffee Needs Cancer Warning

  A judge has ruled that coffee sellers in California must warn people that coffee may contain a substance linked to cancer. The Council for Education and Research on Toxics brought a case against dozens of coffee companies in 2010. The not-for-profit group wanted the coffee industry to either remove the chemical acrylamide from its processing, or warn buyers about it. Acrylamide has been identified as a possible cancer-causing substance. The chemical is naturally produced during cooking at high temperatures, including during the roasting of coffee beans. California state law requires warnings to be written on products containing chemicals identified as possible causes of cancer or birth defects. The coffee industry had argued that the amount of acrylamide resulting from the coffee-making process is not enough to cause harm. Starbucks and other major producers have cited studies suggesting that coffee provides several health benefits. But Los Angeles Judge Elihu Berle ruled Wednesday the companies had failed to prove that acrylamide levels in coffee do not cause harmful effects. Coffee companies have resisted calls to remove acrylamide from their products, saying it would change the taste of the drinks. In a statement, the National Coffee Association criticized the ruling and said it was considering an appeal and other possible legal actions. “Cancer warning labels on coffee would be misleading,” the statement said. “The U.S. government’s own Dietary Guidelines state that coffee can be part of a healthy lifestyle.” Many coffee stores already have put up warnings saying acrylamide is a cancer-causing chemical found in coffee. But such signs are often put in places not easily seen by buyers. The lawsuit also seeks civil punishments as large as $2,500 per person for every incident of exposure to acrylamide at California coffee stores since 2002. Those punishments could reach huge amounts in California, which has a population of nearly 40 million. The ruling does not become final until April 10, giving coffee companies the chance to dispute the decision and seek an appeal. I’m Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn adapted this story, based on reports from the Associated Press and Reuters.  Ashley Thompson was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story roast – v. to cook or dry with heat defect – n. a problem or fault that makes someone or something not perfect label – n. small piece of paper or other material providing information about the thing it is attached to misleading – adj. not necessarily true lawsuit – n. process by which a court of law makes a decision to end a disagreement between people or organizations exposure – n. the state of coming into contact with something  

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News Words: Blockchain

Blockchain is a new word that describes accounting technology. Learn what it is with News Words.

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Just in Case You Don't Use 'If'...

  It is no surprise that many popular love songs use conditionals. Conditional sentences show that something is true only when something else is true. So, they help us talk about wishes, hopes and even regrets. In her song “All the Way,” classic American jazz singer Billie Holiday sings about love. She uses the word “unless” to show a condition. When somebody loves you It’s no good unless he loves you all the way The word unless means “if not.” When Holiday says, “It’s no good unless they love you all the way,” she means a romance is not good if the person does not love you completely. On a past Everyday Grammar program, we told you about conditionals that use the word if. For example, “If I practice enough, I can speak English.” But, in today’s program, we will tell you about other words and phrases we use to make conditionals in spoken English. First, let’s quickly go over how conditionals work: Conditional sentences have two parts: the conditional clause, which shows the condition, and the main clause, which shows the result. For example, “If I practice enough” is a conditional clause and “I can speak English” is the main clause. Conditional clauses are not complete sentences. They need a main clause to be complete. There are a few types of conditionals. Some show possible situations, like the sentence about speaking English. Some show improbable situations. And, others show situations that are impossible or very unrealistic. You can learn more about this in our past program. Unless Now, let’s continue with unless. In our Billie Holiday example, “unless they love you all the way” is the conditional clause. It shows the condition. And “It’s no good” is the main clause. It shows the result of the condition. Some English learners have a habit of putting the words “unless” and “if” together as “unless if” but these words should not be used together. Otherwise and or Two more words that express the same idea as unless are otherwise and or. Each word means if not. So, unless, or, otherwise and if not have the same basic meaning. Keep in mind that or and otherwise also have other meanings. But in conditional statements, they mean “if not.” In his song “Trouble Loves Me,” British singer Morrissey uses the word otherwise to talk about unreturned love. So, console me Otherwise hold me Just when it seems like… The conditional clause is “otherwise hold me” and the main clause is “So, console me.” Notice that his conditional and main clauses use the imperative form, so the subject “you” is not stated but is understood. The word otherwise sometimes uses a different sentence structure in conditionals. Here’s an example: The plane must be delayed. Otherwise, she would have called. In this example, the clauses are separate sentences. More importantly, even though the clause “otherwise, she would have called” contains the conditional word, it does not state the condition. The condition is “the plane must be late.” Having the condition appear in a separate sentence or clause is common with otherwise and or. Listen to an example using or: Finish your lunch or you can’t play outside. Here, the condition is “finish your lunch” and the result is “You can’t play outside.” You’ll notice that the result clause – not the conditional clause – contains the conditional word or. In case Let’s move on to the phrase in case. We use in case to talk about things we should do to prepare for other things that may happen. For example: I’ll bring an umbrella in case it rains. In this sentence, I don’t know if it will rain or not. But it’s possible. Now, listen to same sentence with if. I’ll bring an umbrella if it rains. Did you get the difference in meaning? In the if sentence, I’ll wait to see if it rains first. Then, I’ll bring an umbrella. Another usage for in case is mainly for signs about what to do if danger occurs. The structure of the conditional clause is in case of + noun. For example: In case of emergency, break glass. As long as Our last conditional phrase for today is as long as. When we begin a conditional clause with as long as, the statement is a little stronger than using if. As long as essentially means “only if.” In his song called “As Long as You Love Me,” American pop singer Justin Bieber says that his love can survive any difficulty.      As long as you love me We could be starving we could be homeless we could be broke As long as you love me Because this is a song, it doesn’t follow standard sentence structure. Here, the conditional clause is “as long as you love me.” And, the other lines are main clauses. One important note about conditionals is that you can often switch the placement of main and conditional clauses and get the same meaning. For example: I’ll bring an umbrella in case it rains means the same as In case it rains, I’ll bring an umbrella.   And, if you learn conditionals, you’ll have a lot more freedom to express yourself in English. I’m Alice Bryant. Alice Bryant wrote this story for Everyday Grammar. Caty Weaver was the editor.   Some of the conditionals we learned today don't follow the sentence structure of the three common types, but it's good to know a little about each:                 Three Common Types of Conditionals           Conditional clause  Main clause  Type 1:  Future   Real    In case it rains   If I learn conditionals  Simple present  I’ll bring an umbrella.  I'll have a lot more freedom to express myself in English.  Simple future  Type 2:   Present   Unreal    If I practiced more  Simple past I would be a much better musician right now.  Would + simple present (or)  Would + present continuous  Type 3:   Past   Unreal  If the event hadn’t ended so late  Past perfect  I would have gotten more rest last night. Would have + past participle Would have + past perfect continuous   ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   phrase – n.  group of two or more words that express a single idea but do not form a complete sentence clause – n. a part of a sentence that has its own subject and verb habit – n. a usual way of behaving console – v. to try to make (someone) feel less sadness or imperative – adj. having the form that expresses a command rather than a statement or a question essential – adj. in a way that is very basic starving – adj. suffering from lack of food switch – v. to make a change from one thing to another

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Hamas Plans Huge Demonstrations Along Gaza-Israel Border

  Hamas leaders of the Palestinian territory of Gaza are asking people to march along its border with Israel in the coming weeks. Hamas is seeking to gather large crowds to set up camps near the border beginning on Friday. It plans a number of demonstrations leading to a larger march to the border fence on May 15. That day marks the 70th anniversary of Israel’s establishment as an independent nation. Palestinians call it “the Nakba,” or catastrophe. Gaza’s leaders aim to gather hundreds of thousands of people for what organizers are calling the “Great Return March.” The group has not been able to get that many people to attend past demonstrations. But members of the Israeli government are still concerned. They have promised to react strongly if demonstrators cross the border. Hamas official Ismail Radwan said, “When we march to the border, the organizers will decide then what to do.” He warned Israel against harming the protesters. Hamas says the demonstration will center on the difficulty faced by hundreds of thousands of Gazans. They say they belong to families forced to flee their homes in what is now Israel, during the war that led to its creation. Hamas seized Gaza from the internationally supported Palestinian Authority in 2007. Conditions in the territory have worsened since then. Israel and Egypt blocked land, sea and air paths around Gaza when Hamas took power. Gaza and Israel have also fought three wars in that time. And last year, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas placed restrictions on Gaza to pressure Hamas into surrendering control of the area. All of these events have greatly damaged Gaza’s economy. Unemployment is well over 40 percent, there is no public, drinkable water and electricity is on for only a few hours a day. Egypt has tried to organize an agreement between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. But, earlier this month, a bomb exploded near vehicles transporting Palestinian Authority officials into Gaza. The prime minister and security chief were among them but were not hurt. The Palestinian Authority blamed Hamas for the attack. Hamas blamed Israel. Mkhaimar Abusada is a political science professor at Gaza’s al-Azhar University. He said the Hamas leaders see themselves surrounded by opponents on three sides: Israel, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority. He said the protests are designed to move attention away from their problems at home while also troubling Israel without starting another war. “They think busying Israel with this issue may put it under pressure,” he added. Hamas’ popularity has greatly decreased over time. It is unclear whether the group will be able to gather the crowds it believes it can. Still, Gaze is a territory where there is little else for people to do with their free time. This, combined with social pressure could help bring in people. The demonstrations will begin after the Muslim midday prayer on Friday. Buses will carry people from all over Gaza to the five camps, situated several hundred meters from the border fence. Organizers say they are trying to make use of a Palestinian demand known as “right of return.” It demands that relatives of refugees who lost their homes in 1948 be able to regain their property. Israel opposes any large return of refugees, saying it would destroy the country’s Jewish character. Israeli Cabinet Minister Yoav Galant is a former general and member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s inner Security Cabinet. He said the military is well-prepared to prevent any border crossing. “We will try to use the minimum force that is needed in order to avoid Palestinians wounded and casualties,” he said. “But the red line is very clear. They stay on the Gazan side and we stay in Israel.” Violent incidents along the border have taken place every Friday since December 6. That is when President Donald Trump recognized disputed Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. He also announced plans to move the United States Embassy from Tel Aviv. I’m Caty Weaver. And I’m Pete Musto.   Fares Akram reported this story for the Associated Press. Pete Musto adapted it for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. We want to hear from you. What do you think the result of the demonstrations will be? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   catastrophe – n. a terrible disaster situated – adj. located in a particular place character – n. a set of qualities that are shared by many people in a group or country minimum – adj. least or lowest possible in amount or degree casualties – n. people who are hurt or killed during an accident or war

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In Pakistan, Malala Says She Will Continue Fight for Girls’ Education

  Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai says she is excited to be home in Pakistan for the first time since the Taliban tried to kill her in 2012.  She was just 14 when attackers got on her school bus in Swat Valley and shot her in the head. They wanted to stop her expanding campaign for the education of girls. Yousafzai spoke at her welcoming ceremony at Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s office Thursday. She said she will continue to campaign for the education of girls. She also asked Pakistanis to be united on issues like health care and education. When she was attacked, Yousafzai was flown out of Pakistan to The United Arab Emirates and then to Britain, where she was treated. She has lived in that country since. She attends the University of Oxford. She told the gathering that it was hard to wait for more than five years to return home. Abbasi also spoke, praising Yousafzai for her sacrifices and defense of girls’ education. He said he was happy to welcome her home, where, he said, terrorism has been defeated. Since her attack and recovery, Yousafzai has led the “Malala Fund.” She said it has invested $6 million in schools. “For the betterment of Pakistan, it is necessary to educate girls,” she said. The 20-year-old university student and her parents are under heavy security. Yousafzai’s return was kept secret. Many Pakistanis are welcoming her return. The party of politician and former sports star, Imran Khan, said her return was a sign of the defeat of terrorism in Pakistan. It is not clear if Yousafzai will travel to Mingora, her hometown in Swat Valley. A relative there, Mohammad Hassan said her return marked one of the happiest days of his life. Swat Valley school children made similar comments. 12-year-old Javeria Kahan said “I wish I could see her in Swat. I wish she had come here, but we welcome her.” Marvi Memon, a top leader of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League party, also welcomed Yousafzai. She said it was a proud day for Pakistan. After she recovered, Yousafzai returned to campaigning for girls’ education. She has spoken at the United Nations, established the Malala Fund, written a book, and taken other action to support the cause. In 2014 the Nobel Committee presented her with its highest honor, the Peace Prize. At home in Pakistan, some have criticized her, calling her a spokesman for the West. But Yousafzai argues that education is neither Western, nor Eastern. Often when she has spoken in public she has praised her home country and spoken in her native Pashto language. She has long promised to return to her home. Pakistani officials say they captured several people in connection with attack on Yousafzai. But the leader of the Taliban in Pakistan, Mullah Fazlullah, is still free. Officials believe he is hiding in neighboring Afghanistan. I’m Susan Shand. The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.  ____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story blessing – n. something that helps you or brings happiness — usually singular    

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