Man Shot on Charlie Hebdo Anniversary in Paris

French police shot and killed a man as he sought to attack a police station Thursday. The incident took place on the one-year anniversary of the attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo magazine by Islamic extremists. The police shooting happened in northern Paris. The man carried a knife and appeared to be wearing an explosives vest. French officials say the man was thought to have shouted “Allah Akbar” (God is great) before police shot him. Police were reported as saying the vest contained no explosives. News of the shooting came after French President Francois Hollande announced new security guidelines for armed police. He also remembered and honored the three officers who died in the Charlie Hebdo attacks. Two French-born brothers killed 11 people inside the magazine’s office on January 7, 2015. A police officer was shot and killed outside the office. A Jewish grocery store was also attacked on that day. A total of 17 people were killed.     Hollande’s comments were made at a ceremony at Paris’ police headquarters. The president honored the officers killed while protecting French citizens one year ago. He also praised the country’s security forces. Many are now deployed around schools, airports and other public places to defend against terror attacks. France remains under a state of emergency following the November 2015 attacks in Paris and its suburbs. I’m Anne Ball.   Information for this report came from VOAnews.com and the Associated Press. Jim Dresbach adapted the story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or visit our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   vest – n. a special piece of clothing that you wear on your upper body grocery store – n. a store that sells food and household supplies suburbs – n. a town or other area where people live in houses near a larger city  

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'The Big Short' Explains the Global Financial Crisis

In 2008, two big Wall Street firms, or companies that trade money and investments, collapsed.  The U.S. economy plunged into “the Great Recession.” That meant the economy was weak and many people lost money. It was the worst financial downturn since the 1930s. In the U.S. alone, 8 million people lost their jobs. Six million people lost their homes. And trillions of dollars in consumer wealth was lost. The financial crisis spread globally. From 2008 to 2012, economies around the world slowed. Unemployment rose. Stock markets fell, and international trade declined. But how did all this happen? Michael Lewis, the best-selling author of several books about Wall Street, explains how the financial crisis came about in a book called “The Big Short.” The New York Times calls it “one of the best business books of the past two decades.” In finance, “to short” an investment means to bet that it will go down in value. There is a person on the other side of the trade who bets that the investment will go up in value. “The Big Short” tells the story of four outsiders in the world of high finance who predict the credit and housing bubble collapse before anyone else does. They “short” the securities involved in the bubble and end up making a great fortune. “The Big Short” has been made into a new movie by Adam McKay. It features outstanding performances by Academy Award-winning actors Christian Bale, Brad Pitt, Melissa Leo and Marisa Tomei. The film points out that banking used to be a boring industry in the 1970s. But then in the early 1990s, Lewie Ranieri, a Wall Street banker, created what are called “mortgage-backed securities” (MBS). Wall Street firms put thousands of home mortgages into one basket of securities and sold them to investors and banks. These were considered safe investments, since homeowners historically had rarely failed to pay back their home loans. But the mortgage bankers lent money to people who weren’t financially sound enough to buy a house. So more and more risky mortgages were put in that basket of securities. Yet the rating agencies — who are supposed to be objective and ethical -- gave top ratings to these securities. And the regulators at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) seemed unaware of the impending crisis. “The Big Short” reveals the fraud of Wall Street firms, such as Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers. It also shows the greed of the mortgage bankers and real estate industry. They were quick to offer loans to people without making sure they could pay them back. The movie is fast-paced and riveting. It explores what made the central characters act the way they did. For example, Dr. Michael Burry, a hedge fund manager in San Jose, California, was one of the first to see the housing bubble and credit collapse. Burry had a glass eye, which made him socially awkward and isolated from others. But because he felt like an outsider, he was comfortable challenging Wall Street about mortgage-backed securities.    Mark Baum, another central character in the film, lost his brother to suicide and was tortured by that loss. He also had a strong sense of moral outrage. He wanted to expose the truth about mortgage-backed securities.  The movie is brilliant at making complex concepts easy to understand. This is done with visual tools and by celebrities giving easy examples. For example, one scene shows Selena Gomez, the famous Latina singer and actress. She is shown gambling in Las Vegas with a crowd of fans surrounding her. Gomez explains to the audience that some fans will bet that she will lose. Others will bet that she will win. The fans who bet correctly are like the people who successfully bet that mortgage-backed securities would fail. They made money when the securities collapsed. In another scene, Anthony Bourdain, the well-known chef and television host, is shown cooking in the kitchen of a fancy restaurant. He takes three-day old fish, which has not sold, and throws it into a stew to sell to customers. The customers do not know that they are getting fish that may be rotten. Bourdain says this is similar to what Wall Street did with risky mortgages as securities. They sold these securities to banks around the world, claiming they were fine products. Vivid imagery makes the movie entertaining. But it also explains complex financial concepts.  The film closes on a serious note. In the wake of the debacle, the bankers who created the crisis were not punished. Instead, they received a huge bailout from the U.S. taxpayers. They used the money to pay themselves large bonuses. Only one of them went to jail. And some Wall Street firms are still selling a product that is similar to a mortgage-backed security. "The Big Short" tackles an important chapter in the history of global finance.    I’m Mary Gotschall.                 Mary Gotschall wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. Do you have an opinion about this topic? Let us know what you think in the Comments section below, or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   downturn – n. a situation in which something (such as business or economic activity) decreases or becomes worse — usually singular outsider – n. a person who does not belong to or is not accepted as part of a particular group or organization mortgage – n. a legal agreement in which a person borrows money to buy property (such as a house) and pays back the money over a period of years security – n. a document showing that someone owns or has invested in a company, organization, etc. objective – adj. based on facts rather than feelings or opinions ethical – adj. following accepted rules of behavior : morally right and good impending – adj. happening or likely to happen soon fraud – n. the crime of using dishonest methods to take something valuable from another person greed – n. a selfish desire to have more of something (especially money) rivet – v. to attract and hold all of someone's attention  hedge fund – noun phrase a group of investors who take financial risks together in order to try to earn a lot of money outrage – n. extreme anger : a strong feeling of unhappiness because of something bad, hurtful, or morally wrong gamble – v. to play a game in which you can win or lose money or possessions : to bet money or other valuable things debacle – n. a great disaster or complete failure bailout – n. the act of saving or rescuing something (such as a business) from money problems bonus – n. an extra amount of money that is given to an employee tackle – v.  to deal with (something difficult)  

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Venezuelan Opposition Takes Control of Assembly

Venezuela’s opposition party took control of the National Assembly Tuesday. It was the first time in 16 years. The Democratic Unity won a two-thirds vote in December’s election, but Socialist President Nicholas Maduro remains in office. During Tuesday’s opening session, members of both the Democratic Unity and Socialist Party loyal to President Maduro shouted at each other.   The two sides chanted slogans at one another. They also said the other was corrupt and disloyal, Reuters reported. Socialist Party members walked out. Maduro was elected in 2013 to replace the late Socialist President Hugo Chavez. Chavez led major changes in Venezuela’s economy with more government control over major industries. Maduro has continued the Chavez policies. On Tuesday, veteran opposition legislator Harry Ramos was elected to lead the Assembly. “What did we offer in our campaign? To recover the autonomy of the legislative branch,” Ramos said in his opening speech, according to Reuters. “This has been the loudspeaker of the presidential palace, the echo chamber of the executive branch.” Ramos said there will be big changes. When a socialist deputy complained that Ramos violated legislative rules, Ramos responded: “Take it easy congressman, things have changed here.” There were other signs of a power switch in the assembly. A portrait of the late President Chavez that hung in the assembly chamber was removed. And reporters were able to walk freely on the floor of the assembly for the first time in years. It remains a big question how much the new assembly can fix the nation’s economy. The socialist government led by Maduro controls agencies that decide major economic policies. Leaders of the new majority promise to deal with shortages of food, drugs and other things people need daily. But they have not offered specifics. First on the agenda is legislation to free opposition activists jailed for protesting the Maduro government, Reuters reported. The Democratic Unity coalition also wants to grant property titles for citizens who received homes from the government. Party members said it will ease residents’ concerns they could lose their homes at any time. In the December elections, the opposition coalition won 112 seats. That represents a two-thirds majority – enough to put legislation blocked by Maduro to a referendum. It is also enough to draft a new constitution. But the Venezuela Supreme Court in December blocked three opposition members from taking their seats, according to news reports. The court ruled that election fraud charges must be investigated. The Democratic Unity Coalition said the December ruling amounted to a “judicial coup.”   For now, the coalition lacks a two-thirds majority. I'm Mario Ritter.   Bruce Alpert adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reports from the Associated Press, Reuters and other news sources. Kathleen Struck was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   chant – v. to say a word or phrase) many times in a rhythmic way usually loudly and with other people slogan – n. a word or phrase that is easy to remember and is used to attract attention disloyal – adj. failing to support or be true to someone or something veteran – adj. someone who has a lot of experience in a particular activity loudspeaker – n. a device that is used to make sound such as a person’s voice louder echo – adj. the same position as someone else We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or share your views on our Facebook Page.

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US, S. Korea Forces on High Alert After Nuclear Test

The United States and South Korea have ordered their military forces on the Korean peninsula on “high alert” following North Korea’s nuclear test this week. On Thursday, the U.S. and South Korean defense ministers discussed measures to answer the latest nuclear test. South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo said, “Both ministers agreed that North Korea needs to pay price for its provocation.” U.S. and South Korean officials, however, wonder whether North Korea has the ability to produce a thermonuclear hydrogen bomb. Such a weapon would be much more powerful than the three atomic bombs the North tested in the past. The U.S. military is attempting to confirm if it was a hydrogen bomb test, as North Korea claims. The U.S. Air Forces reportedly sent an atmospheric collection aircraft to gather radioactive particles made by the explosion. North Korea’s growing nuclear threat North Korea is believed to have enough plutonium to make eight to 12 nuclear weapons. Many security experts say that is more than enough to answer any supposed threat of invasion from the United States or South Korea. The North Korean government reportedly restarted a uranium enrichment center last year to produce more for nuclear weapons. The U.S.-based Institute for Science and International Security estimated that North Korea could have between 20 and 100 nuclear weapons by 2020. The test this week followed reports of a failed North Korean submarine-launched ballistic missile test. If North Korea could develop such a missile, it would have the ability to strike anywhere in the world, including the United States. North Korea continues to develop missiles with the ability to travel great distances. The country is believed to have 1,000 missiles that can reach targets in South Korea and Japan. South Korea considers military options “These aren’t really so much for retaliation or defense anymore,” said Robert Kelly, a North Korea expert with Pusan National University. “These are kind of like society breaking weapons. If you drop a hydrogen bomb in Seoul or a couple on South Korea’s big cities, you’re not going to just kill a lot of people. You are also threatening the ability of North Korea to continue to function as a state.” Some lawmakers in Seoul say South Korea should develop its own nuclear weapons to answer the growing nuclear threat from the North. There have also been calls in Seoul to set up a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. China reportedly opposes deployment of the system to East Asia because of concerns it could be used to stop Chinese missiles. Robert Kelly said he would like to see South Korea start taking THAAD more seriously. He said, “I would like to see the Americans and South Koreans and Japanese start really working seriously on regional missile defense… But you know if we don’t go down that route and diplomacy doesn’t seem to be working, my sense is you will see people starting to call for airstrikes.” Calls for more actions against North Korea Other observers said the United States should push for a wider economic action to punish North Korea. Robert Manning is with the Atlantic Council. He said, “take away Kim Jong Un’s credit cards. I think that would cause some real pain at a time when he has promised that his regime is going to improve the economy -- which is a long shot to start with.” U.S. and United Nations sanctions are already in place against North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong UN, for the country’s earlier violations of nuclear treaties. Barry Blechman is a national security expert with the Stimson Center. He said that, “We got the U.N. Security Council to establish tighter and tighter sanctions. We have gotten them pushed out of the international banking system. But it is still not enough so long as the Chinese continue to allow a kind of fundamental level of survival to continue there.” He added that efforts to increase pressure on North Korea would have limited results until China fully honors existing international actions against the North. I’m Jonathan Evans.   This report was based on information from VOANews.com. George Grow adapted this material for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   high alert – expression. heightened or increased preparedness provocation – n. an action that makes someone angry aircraft – n. an airplane, helicopter or other machine able to fly retaliation – n. the action of answering an attack couple – n. two of something function – n. the special purpose or activity for which something exists route – n. a path or way of getting from one point to another credit cards – n. a card used as a method of payment regime – n. a government; a system or planning way of doing things sanctions – n. a threatened punishment for disobeying a rule or law allow – v. to permit or let fundamental – adj. of central importance  

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Are You Progressing with Progressive Verbs?

For VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar. Today we are going to look at the progressive verb tenses. Progressive tenses express actions that are unfinished or in progress. There are three progressive verb tenses: the past progressive, the present progressive, and the future progressive. Progressive tenses are the same as continuous tenses.   past present future Progressive Verbs It was snowing when I drove to work. Was/were + -ing verb It is snowing.   Am/is/are+-ing verb It will be snowing by the time I get home. Will be + -ing verb   Present Progressive We will start with the present progressive, the most common progressive tense. You form the present progressive tense by using a form of the verb be followed by an –ing verb. For example, “I am watching a movie.” It is easy to confuse the simple present and the present progressive. What’s the difference between, “It rains in Seattle” and “It is raining in Seattle”?   “It rains in Seattle” states that it rains in general. It does not necessarily mean that it is raining at the moment of speaking. “It is raining in Seattle” means that the rain started in the past, is happening now, and will probably continue into the future. Now, at this time, and currently are common adverbs in the present progressive. The present progressive can also express a scheduled event in the future. For example, this sentence is in the present progressive: “She is starting school next semester.” The meaning here is the same as the sentence in the simple future: “She is going to start school next semester.” The present progressive and simple future (with be going to) sometimes have the same . You can also use present progressive with always to say that something disturbs you. “My neighbor is always playing loud music at night” or “I am always making mistakes with verb tenses!”     Past Progressive Let’s move on to the past progressive. The past progressive describes an event that was in progress in the past. To form the past progressive use was or were followed by an –ing verb. For example, “I was working late last night.” Sentences in the past progressive often have two actions. For example, “It was snowing when the plane landed in Denver.” Notice that the second action, landed, is in the simple past. The past progressive can also express an action in progress interrupted by a second action. “I was running when I slipped and fell” or “I was sleeping when you called.” It is possible to have two progressive actions in the same sentence if the two actions are happening at the same time. You could say, “I was sleeping when you were working”.   Future Progressive The future progressive tense describes an event that will be in progress in the future. To form the future progressive tense, use will be followed by an –ing verb. For example, “I will be waiting for you when you finish work.” The future progressive can be useful when you are making plans. Imagine your friend wants you to pick her up the airport tomorrow. But you have to work. You could tell her, “I’m sorry, but I will be working when your plane gets in.” Sometimes, the future progressive is an alternative for the simple future form be going to. “I will be studying later” has a similar meaning to “I am going to be studying later.” The future progressive just emphasizes the continuing nature of the future action. You can learn more about future tenses in this previous episode of Everyday Grammar.   Stative Verbs There are some verbs that cannot be used in any of the progressive tenses. You would say “I own a car,” not “I am owning a car.” Own is a stative verb. Stative verbs describe unchanging conditions or situations. Stative verbs often refer to mental states such as know, realize, like, believe, understand, love, hate, appear, and exist. A few verbs have both stative and non-stative meanings. Let’s look at the verb think. “I think the book is good” is stative. The action does not change. “I am thinking about you” is progressive. It shows a temporary, changing action. Sensory verbs like see, taste, feel, smell, and hear work the in the same way. Progressive verbs are especially useful for describing changing emotional states. For that reason, they are very common in song lyrics. We will leave you with a few examples. I’m John Russell. And I’m Jill Robbins. [John Lennon]  “I was dreaming of the past And my heart was beating fast I began to lose control…” [Styxx] “I’m sailing away Sail an open course for the virgin sea” [Adele]  “I'll be waiting for you when  you're ready to love me again I put my hands up I'll do everything different I'll be better to you”   Adam Brock wrote this story for Learning English. Jill Robbins and Kathleen Struck were the editors. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   stative - adj.  describes verbs that express a state rather than an action; usually relating to thoughts, emotions, relationships, senses, states of being and measurements sensory – adj. of or relating to your physical senses

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Rosa Parks, #Twitter10k and 700-Year-Old Ship

This is What’s Trending Today… Rosa Parks Rosa Parks is a hero from the American civil rights movement in the 1950s. Parks, an African-American, is famous for not giving up her seat on a segregated bus in favor of a white passenger. She was arrested by police for disobeying the rules. This happened in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955. But since then, Rosa Parks’ name is sometimes used when Americans are talking about taking a political or social stand. Maybe you are following the story about the men who are occupying a U.S. federal building in rural Oregon. Some believe that Ammon Bundy and his followers are taking a stand. This morning on Twitter, people expressed their outrage when a Twitter account that people thought belonged to Bundy compared what is happening in Oregon to what Parks did 60 years ago. Rosa Parks’ name was mentioned on Twitter all day as people expressed their opinions. Gwen Ifil hosts a political talk show on PBS in the United States. She wrote: “I was so excited to see Rosa Parks trending. Then, cruel disappointment.” But later in the day people said they didn’t think the account @Ammon_Bundy belonged to the militia leader. A reporter from the broadcaster MSNBC who is following the story in Oregon says Bundy does not have a Twitter account. Until then, several stories had already been written about Bundy’s alleged comparison. Twitter Character Count Everyone who uses Twitter has another problem. You compose an awesome “tweet,” but run out of room, like this: The 140-character limit is to blame. Twitter started as a “micro-blogging” service almost 10 years ago. But when more people started using the social media platform, the complaint of “I don’t have enough room” was heard far and wide. Instead of a short “quip,” people started sending a series of tweets on the same topic. Sometimes it was hard to understand which tweet should be read first. Well, it looks like Twitter is thinking about expanding its character limit to 10,000. The service thinks increasing the character limit might entice new users to join the platform. That’s why the hashtag #Twitter10k started trending. Some people are for the expansion. Some people are against it. But either way, lots of people have an opinion. Over 124,000 tweets were sent with that hashtag. An Old Ship Is Discovered A construction crew in Alexandria, Virginia, near Washington, D.C., unearthed an interesting artifact this week. A ship from the 1770s emerged as a construction team was digging out land where a hotel will soon be built. The archaeological company found some old wood at the site. It turns out the wood was part of a 50-foot long section of a boat that may have been three times that size. One of the archaeologists called the discovery “the jewel in the crown.” The firm that is building the hotel is going to pay to remove the ship. The City of Alexandria will have to decide how to preserve the ship. And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Anna Mateo.   Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.   What would you do with thousands more characters on Twitter? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   awesome – adj. extremely good entice – v. to attract (someone) especially by offering or showing something that is appealing, interesting, etc. militia – n. a group of people who are not part of the armed forces of a country but are trained like soldiers platform – n. something that allows someone to tell a large number of people about an idea, product, etc. artifact – n. a simple object (such as a tool or weapon) that was made by people in the past emerge – v. to rise or appear from a hidden or unknown place or condition :to come out into view take a stand – v. to believe in something strongly preserve – v. to keep (something) in its original state or in good condition

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January 6, 2016

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

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Hundreds of US Military Children Sexually Abused

Hundreds of children in American military families are sexually abused each year, reports the Associated Press. The Defense Department confirmed at least 1,584 cases of sexual abuse against military dependents over four years ending in 2014. Children in 840 cases were sexually assaulted by enlisted service members. Most of the abusive enlisted members were male, and who rank in the higher levels of enlisted service. The second-largest group of abused children were family members of the victims. There were 332 cases. The victims were overwhelmingly female. As many as 160 more cases of sexual abuse could have happened during the 2010 to 2014 period. But the data were not completely clear. These cases could involve a child who was victimized multiple times or by a repeat abuser. The numbers only include cases involving military dependents, which are the only child victims the department tracks. A lack of transparency in military courts blocks a clear picture of child sex abuse, says the AP. More than 1 million children are offspring of service members. The known number of cases appears statistically small, the report says. The Defense Department did not release the complete report. It did not include the age of offenders or victims, or where the assaults happened. Officials also omitted the branch of service where the sexual abuse occurred. The Defense Department said it avoided identifying and “re-victimizing” the abused. It is unclear how many of the assaults resulted in legal action. The cases were based on reports to the Defense Department's Family Advocacy Program. It does not track legal action, the department said. An AP investigation published in November found that more people are jailed for child sex crime than any other offense in the military. But the military justice system keeps much of its work secret. Three Democratic Party senators have reacted publicly to the AP report. They urged Defense Secretary Ash Carter to end secrecy in the military justice system. They demanded that documents from sex crimes trials be more open and available. The senators also raised concern in a letter they wrote to Carter last month. They said they were worried that the Defense Department's yearly report to Congress does not accurately count military sex crimes because it does not include those against children. I’m Caty Weaver. Caty Weaver adapted this story for VOA Learning English from an Associated Press report. Kathleen Struck was the editor. What do you think about the abuse of U.S. military children? Let us know in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ____________________________________________________________  Words in This Story assault – v. to violently attack (someone or something) data – n. facts or information used usually to calculate, analyze, or plan something enlisted – adj.  serving in the armed forces in a rank below the rank of officers transparency – n.  openness; the quality that makes something obvious or easy to understand statistic – n. a number that represents a piece of information (such as information about how often something is done, how common something is, etc.) omit – v. to leave out (someone or something): to not include (someone or something) duplication – n. the state of containing copies of something or being a copy of something

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Project to Bring Clean Water to Remote Part of Kenya

Each day in the United States, one person uses about 575 liters of water. In Japan, one person uses about 374 liters of water. And in Kenya, one person uses about 20. Tomoyuki Tsutsui and Keitaro Kakoi are Japanese university students working as interns at Grassroots Water Limited. Grassroots, a Nairobi company, and the interns are bringing clean and convenient water to people in Kenya. Grassroots Water Limited provides clean water in Kenya's capital, Nairobi. Grassroots is run by Kenyan Edwards Bob Hawi. Tsutsui lives in Kisumu, in west Kenya. Kisumu is home to the Luo, a large tribal group. Kisumu is the third-largest city in Kenya. Tsutsui lives in a house without running water, also called tap water. He knows how difficult it is to live with limited water. “Most people in the project site cannot access clean water easily because their house is without tap water. So, they have difficulty in getting water. Actually, my house is also without tap water. ... This is my motivation.” There is a system to bring tap water to the northern part of Kisumu. But there are no water pipes in the southern part. Almost all people in the southern part do not have access to tap water. “I am feeling the importance of water through Kenyan life without tap water. I carry the tank of 20 liters three times in a week. It is very, very heavy. The water was too important for us to waste.” Some residents cannot go to northern Kisumu for water because it is too far away. In that area, people have to carry heavy water tanks on foot. It takes several hours to bring water from the nearest source each day. People who cannot carry water must use rainwater or buy it from merchants, who charge up to 20 Kenyan shillings for 20 liters of water. The city's tap water cost is 1 Kenyan shilling per 20 liters. Tsutsui says it must be very tough for women and children to carry a heavy tank. He says it is hard even for adult men. Tsutsui and Kakoi crowdfunded, or raised money online, to address this problem. On November 28, the crowdfunding raised nearly $8,000 or 900,000 (Japanese) yen. That is nearly 800,000 Kenyan Shillings.  The company is working on laying a water pipe from northern Kisumu. It would build the first water kiosk in southern Kisumu. A water kiosk is a booth that sells clean water. Tsutsui says it has taken a long time to get government approval to build the water pipe and the water kiosk. But now, Grassroots and the government are cooperating. When the water kiosk is complete, the price of water from the kiosks could decrease by half. And the residents of southern Kisumu will no longer have to travel a long way to get their water. The construction of the water kiosk will start in January 2016. It should be completed by February. I’m Haruka Takeuchi. And I'm Jill Robbins.   Learning English intern Haruka Takeuchi wrote this story. Kathleen Struck was the editor. Now it’s your turn. Can you get clean water easily? Do you ever worry about wasting water? Write to us in the Comments section or on our Facebook page.  _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   convenient - adj. allowing you to do something easily or without trouble motivation - n. a force or influence that causes someone to do something crowdfund - v. to provide money for a project or venture by raising many small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically via the Internet. kiosk - n. a small store in a building or on the street where things are sold

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Apps for Healthy Food Choices

Most people agree that eating healthy food is important. But sometimes making good food choices can be tough. Now, there are apps that can help people learn about the food they eat to improve their diets and their dining out experience. OpenTable OpenTable helps people choose restaurants when they want to go out to eat. OpenTable is a free service that shows users restaurant availability based on where and when they want to dine. OpenTable users can also make restaurant reservations directly through the app or website. OpenTable gives users points when they make reservations. The points can add up to discounts on restaurant visits. When users make reservations through OpenTable they get an email confirmation. They can also add the reservation directly to their electronic calendar. OpenTable website   Max McCalman's Cheese & Wine Pairing App Wine and cheese can be a great combination. But which wines go best with which cheeses? Max McCalman’s cheese and wine app can help. It provides information about hundreds of different cheeses and suggests wines to pair with each. More than 3000 possible combinations can be found based on 600 different cheeses. The app includes a “Cheese 101” section that teaches the basics about choosing a cheese. Max McCalman's Cheese & Wine Pairing App is free for iPhone and iPad. Max McCalman's Cheese & Wine Pairing App Epicurious Epicurious is a free app and website to help users find recipes and become better cooks. The app has more than 30,000 recipes and can create a shopping list based on the ingredients in a recipe. Users can search by ingredients or by vegetables that are in season where they live. The app also rates recipes for popularity and other qualities. Users also provide advice about making the recipes. Each recipe has a list of ingredients, preparation time, instructions as well as a photo of the finished meal. Epicurious website Calorific What does 200 hundred calories look like?  It can be hard to picture. For example, 200 calories of broccoli and 200 calories of cake look very different! The app Calorific shows just that. Calorific provides images of 200 calories worth of food. The pictures can help people on diets and those who just want to eat healthier. The app also provides the weights of each food pictured. The app is free for iPad and iPhone. There is also a version that provides more information for a price. Calorific app  Harvest An app called Harvest informs users about seasonal fruits and vegetables in different areas. This can be helpful in planning meals. Harvest also tells about pesticide use and organic food. Users can learn the best ways to safely store food and keep it fresh longer. Harvest app website   Fooducate Fooducate is another healthy eating app. It lets users scan food product barcodes with their phones. The app then gives that product a rating for nutritional value. It also provides healthy food suggestions. The app can also record a user's calorie and exercise levels, if wanted. And, Fooducate community members discuss food choices online. You can find healthy recipes and get the tip of the day at fooducate.com. Fooducate website HappyCow Vegetarians do not eat animal meat. Vegans do not eat any animal products. The HappyCow app is made for both groups. Users can search for vegetarian-vegan restaurants and stores around the world. The HappyCow app is based on the HappyCow website, where users can discover places nearby or search using keywords.  They can also set the search radius for the distance they are willing to travel for food. HappyCow for iPhone HappyCow Ad-free for Android A free version of HappyCow is available for Android that has ads and requires an Internet connection. LocalEats Restaurant chains, like McDonalds, can be found almost anywhere a person might travel. But sometimes travelers want to eat like locals. The website and app LocalEats is designed for that. It lists locally owned restaurants so users can try foods from that area. LocalEats.com can help you find local restaurants in major cities in the U.S. and in other countries. The app costs about a dollar. LocalEats website LocalEats for iPhone and iPad LocalEats for Android Where Chefs Eat “Where Chefs Eat” is a 975-page book. Most people would not want to carry that around. But there is a much lighter app version of the same name for just under $15. Six hundred chefs provide information on 3,000 restaurants around the world on the Where Chefs Eat app. Users can search restaurants on a map with the “Near Me” feature. They can also search by region, chef, or restaurant name. General pricing information for each restaurant is also on the app. Where Chefs Eat I’m Caty Weaver.   Carolyn Nicander Mohr wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. Do you use apps to make better food choices? Have you tried any of these apps? Which food apps do you like? Let us know in the Comments section below or on our Facebook page! ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   discount - n. an amount taken off a regular price : a price reduction confirmation - n. a response which shows that information is received and understood​ basics - n. the simplest and most important parts of something (such as a subject of study) recipe - n. a set of instructions for making food ingredient - n. one of the things that are used to make a food, product, etc. calorie - n. a unit of heat used to indicate the amount of energy that foods will produce in the human body broccoli - n. a common vegetable that has green branches and many small green or purple flowers infographic - n. a visual image such as a chart or diagram used to represent information or data​ scan - v .to use a special machine to read or copy (something, such as a photograph or a page of text) into a computer​ radius - n. an area that goes outward in all directions from a particular place​ chef - n. a professional cook who usually is in charge of a kitchen in a restaurant * The Ultimate Food App Guide infographic is used with permission from Evoke.ie

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