Chris Rock Hosts Balancing Act at Oscars

There was more excitement about the discussion of diversity than the red carpet or the Oscars at the 2016 Academy Awards on Sunday night.    Host Chris Rock funny monologue did not soften the conversation but sharpened the racial issues in Hollywood instead. His opening lines set the tone. He welcomed the audience to the Academy Awards, in his words, “otherwise known as the white People’s Choice Awards.” He also said he thought about quitting the position of host after all the controversy over the lack of diversity. But he said he could not lose another job to Kevin Hart, another black comedian and actor. Some entertainers boycotted the Oscars because there were no people of color among acting nominees. That was true last year as well. Chris Rock took aim at both sides. Jada Pinkett Smith was the de facto leader of the boycott of the 2016 Oscars. She tweeted that she was angry her husband Will Smith did not get nominated for his work in “Concussion.” Rock said Sunday night that it was also unfair Will Smith got paid $20 million to star in “Wild Wild West.” The 1999 movie was a critical and financial failure. He also questioned Jada Pinkett Smith’s “boycott” of the Oscars. “Isn’t she on a TV show?” he asked, suggesting she was not invited to the movie awards. Throughout the show producers included references to the lack of diversity in Hollywood. A montage of some of the nominated movies replaced white actors with black actors. The crowd laughed the loudest at the sight of Tracy Morgan playing “The Danish Girl.” Actress Leslie Jackson took part in a spoof of “The Revenant” and screams “There are no actresses in this movie!” The Winners This year’s competition did not appear as heated as in some past Oscars. “Spotlight” was seen as having a pretty good chance at winning best picture, and it did. Many critics and movie fans believed that Leonardo DiCaprio had to win the best actor award for “The Revenant.” And he did. It was the actor’s sixth Oscar nomination but the first time he left with the Academy Award. Best Actress went to Brie Larson for playing a young woman held captive for years in “Room.” Mark Rylance of “Bridge of Spies” won best supporting actor. Best supporting actress went to Alicia Vikander for “The Danish Girl.” And, the leader of “The Revenant,” Alejandro González Iñárritu won the Oscar for best directing. It was his second win in a row. Last year, he took the trophy home for his film “Birdman.” The Academy of motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored "Son of Saul" with the Oscar for best foreign film. The Hungarian movie tells of two days in the life of a Hungarian prisoner working at the Auschwitz death camp. I’m Caty Weaver. ____________________________________________________________ Words in this Story diversity – n. the state of having people who are different races or who have different cultures in a group or organization controversy – n. argument that involves many people who strongly disagree about something : strong disagreement about something among a large group of people de facto – adj. used to describe something that exists but that is not officially accepted or recognized montage – n. a mixture of different things spoof – n. a humorous movie, book, play, etc., that copies something in a silly and exaggerated way trophy – n. an object (such as a large cup or sculpture) that is given as a prize for winning a competition

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US Supreme Court Judge Speaks, 1st Time in 10 Years

United States Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas shocked everyone during a court session on Monday. He asked several questions for the first time in 10 years. The Associated Press reported that the sound of Thomas’ voice drew gasps from some lawyers watching the Monday session. The case was an appeal by two men who say their guilty pleas for hitting their partners should not bar them from owning a gun. With about 10 minutes left in an hour-long hearing, U.S. Justice Department attorney Ilana Eisenstein was about to sit down. She noted there did not seem to be “any further questions” from the Supreme Court Justices. “Ms. Eisenstein, one question,” Thomas said. Justice Thomas then asked if a “misdemeanor violation of domestic conduct” should result in a “life-time ban” on the right to own a gun. Eisenstein responded that Congress moved in 1996 to ban people who attack their partners from having a gun because they pose a greater risk “of killing, by a gun, their family member.” But Thomas questioned if that made sense when the conduct at issue in the case before the Supreme Court did not involve a gun. Thomas last asked a question on February 22, 2006, in a death penalty case. In a speech to Harvard University in 2013, Thomas said he does not think asking questions is helpful. “I think we should listen to lawyers who are arguing their cases, and I think we should allow the advocates to advocate,” he said. Michael Fletcher, who co-wrote a 2008 biography on Thomas, said the recent death of his conservative court ally, Antonin Scalia, might have prompted him to ask questions. Scalia tended to ask more questions than any other justice. “The timing of his questions leads one to believe that it has something to do with Justice Scalia’s death,” Fletcher told VOA Learning English. “But at the same time it is hard to sustain the idea that he is trying to fill some void.” Unlike Scalia, Fletcher said, Thomas does not seem to enjoy “confrontations with his ideological opposites.” Fletcher’s book on Thomas was called, “Supreme Discomfort: The Divided Soul of Clarence Thomas.” Steve Wermiel, a law professor at American University’s Washington College of Law, said one reason Thomas may have spoken Monday is because the issue was on gun rights. Thomas, he said, has long been a strong believer in the Second Amendment. The amendment permits Americans to own guns. “Second, he often suggested that there was already too much questioning by the Justices and not enough time for the lawyers to make their arguments,” Wermiel told Voice of America. “With Justice Scalia gone, he may feel that there is more room for questions, but especially about a subject about which he cares deeply.”   Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or share your views on our Facebook Page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   misdemeanor – n. a crime that is less serious than a felony domestic – adj. relating to or involving someone's home or family tend – v. what often happens sustain – v. to provide what is needed for (something or someone) to exist, continue void – n. something missing confrontation – n. a situation in which people, groups, etc., fight, oppose, or challenge each other in an angry way ideological – adj. set of ideas and beliefs of a person or a group discomfort – n uncomfortable feeling  

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Syrian Ceasefire Lasts One Day

A ceasefire in Syria is underway, but frail. The calm in Syria was broken Sunday when six villages were hit by air strikes, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based human rights organization. The identity of the jets was not known. It was unclear if the raids hit areas covered by the truce. Militants from the Islamic State and al-Qaida-linked forces in Syria are not part of the ceasefire. Russia blamed Turkey for nine violations, according to the French news agency AFP.     The Syrian state media claimed “terrorist groups” fired mortars close to the Turkish border. A senior Saudi Arabian official alleged Syrian and Russian forces have committed violations in Syria. The United States and its partners targeted the Islamic State terror group Saturday and Sunday. U.S. President Barack Obama said the Islamic State’s territory in Syria is shrinking. He said the number of Islamic State fighters in the field is decreasing. The reduced numbers, the president said, are because the jihadists are having problems recruiting to refill the fighting ranks. The temporary truce went into effect Friday. Members of the United Nations Security council endorsed the deal. One United Nations diplomat called the weekend ceasefire “reassuring.” I’m Jonathan Evans.   The staff at VOA News wrote this story for VOANews.com. Jim Dresbach adapted this story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck 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   underway – adv. happening now frail – adj. - easily damaged or destroyed mortar – n. a military weapon used to fire shells high into the air at a low speed alleged – adj. accused of having done something wrong or illegal but not yet proven guilty air strike – n. an attack in which military airplanes drop bombs jets – n. a fast airplane that has one or more jet engines recruit – v. to find suitable people and get them to join a company, an organization or the armed forces endorse – v. to publicly or officially say that you support or approve of something reassuring – adj. making someone feel less afraid, upset or doubtful

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American College Student Detained in North Korea

An American college student detained in North Korea last month has appeared in public in North Korea. Otto Warmbier appeared at a North Korean press conference and made a public statement apologizing and asking for forgiveness. The 21-year-old University of Virginia student was arrested last month before boarding a plane out of the country. He has been charged with committing a hostile act against the state, with the help of the United States. Warmbier said he removed a sign from a hotel in an area only for workers. He and his tour group stayed at the hotel. He said a member of his church asked him to bring the sign to the United States to show to others. Warmbier was reportedly in North Korea on a discount tour for college students, not a church group. North Korea has not said what punishment Warmbier may face. “I understand the severity of my crime, and I have no idea what sort of penalty I may face, but I am begging to the Korean people and government for my forgiveness,” Warmbier said. “And I am praying to the heavens so that I may be returned home to my family.” North Korea has often detained Americans and other foreign citizens on false charges. The detainees are usually forced to read statements to foreign journalists confessing to crimes against the state. Most experts say the detainees are forced to make the statements. When the detainees are released, they often say they did not make the statements voluntarily and that they do not agree with what they were forced to say. Experts say North Korea often tries to use the detainees in negotiations with the West. Companies that work with travelers bring people to North Korea so they can see how people live in the closed country. But the U.S. and Canadian governments say people should not travel to North Korea. I’m Mary Gotschall.   VOANews.com reported this story. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the story for VOA Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page.  

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US Presidential Race Could Be Clearer This Week

It could become clear this week who the Republican and Democratic presidential nominees will be. Twelve states will hold primary elections or caucuses Tuesday, called “Super Tuesday.” In most of those states, public opinion studies show Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton have much more support than other candidates. Last week, Trump said people “are so tired of these politicians -- all talk, no action. We are going to make America great again. We are going to win, win, win.” Republican candidates said they will try to stop or at least slow Trump’s campaign. Senator Marco Rubio said “Trump will never be the Republican nominee. We are not going to let the conservative movement, and the party of Ronald Reagan and the party of Abraham Lincoln be taken over by a first-rate con artist.” Trump answered that Rubio has not won any caucuses or primary elections. He said Rubio is hated in his home state of Florida. Clinton has also criticized Trump. After she defeated Senator Bernie Sanders in the South Carolina primary Saturday by almost 50 points, she said, “we do not need to make America great again. America has never stopped being great. But we do need to make America whole again. Instead of building walls, we need to be tearing down barriers.” Senator Sanders says his campaign against Hillary Clinton is not over. He said “the middle class of this country has been shrinking and almost all new income and wealth has been going to the top one percent.” I’m Mario Ritter.   VOA Washington Correspondent Michael Bowman reported this story from Washington. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the story for VOA Learning English. Kathleen Struck 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   movement – n. a series of organized activities in which many people work together to do or achieve something con artist – n. a person who tricks other people in order to get their money primary – n. an election in which members of the same political party run against each other for the chance to be in a larger and more important election caucus – n. a meeting of members of a political party for the purpose of choosing candidates for an election ​

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Moderates Win Tehran Seats in Iran Elections

President Hassan Rouhani and his supporters have won most of the seats for a group that chooses Iran’s top religious leader. Rouhani and his allies, considered moderates, won 15 of the 16 seats held by the capital city Tehran on Iran’s 88-member Assembly of Experts. The results of the election were announced Monday. They are seen as a rejection of conservatives, including Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi. He was not re-elected as head of the Assembly. Voters also chose members of Iran’s 290-seat parliament. Official results are expected Monday or Tuesday. Unofficial results show reformers and moderates winning all of Tehran’s 30 parliamentary seats. Conservatives are winning in rural areas. Rouhani said Saturday the election has given the government more power to move forward on the agreement reached with Western powers to limit Iran’s nuclear activities. Iran’s state-run news agency reported that Rouhani said, “The competition is over. It’s time to open a new chapter in Iran’s economic development based on domestic abilities and international opportunities.” Rouhani strongly supported the nuclear agreement. Experts say the election results are a sign that Iranians support the agreement. Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on the winners of the elections to act in the interests of Iran and reject the influence of others. I’m Mario Ritter.   VOANews.com reported this story. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the story for VOA Learning English. Kathleen Struck 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   domestic – adj. of, relating to or made inside a country

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Helping Children Too Much Is Hurting Them

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report. "Helicopter parenting" describes a style of raising children where parents are over-protective and do too much. The term was used for the first time in the late (nineteen) sixties. It describes parents who hover over their kids at home and at the playground like a helicopter. Today, modern technology allows these helicopter parents to hover from even far away. They can give their children directions at any moment from anywhere. Author Julie Lythcott-Haims wrote a book titled How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kids for Success. In her book, she gives readers a closer look at this parenting style. She also explains why parents should stop it. Julie Lythcott-Haims says she experienced the effects of helicopter parenting firsthand when she worked as dean of first year students at Stanford University. The incoming students, or freshmen, she says, were very smart and accomplished on paper. But many were unable to take care of themselves. "They were turning to parents constantly for guidance, for problem solving, to have them make the choice about something." Oftentimes, Lythcott-Haims had to remind those parents that their kids were old enough to take care of themselves. However, one evening she discovered that she too might be a helicopter mom. "I came home one day - my own kids were 8 and 10 at the time - and I leaned over at dinner and began cutting my 10-year-old son's meat. And I realized, 'Oh my goodness, I'm over-helping my 10-year-old. He should be able to cut his own meat! It's my job to teach him. I haven't done that.' I'm on track to being one of those parents.’ I that's when I began to develop real empathy for parents and realized we're over helping with the best of intentions."   Over-parenting, she says, comes in three types: 1. The over-protective parent. "Over-protective. Parents who think the world is scary and unsafe and unpredictable. And therefore, I must protect and prevent.” 2. The over-directive parent. “Second type is the over-directive type -- the parent who says, I know best what leads to success and you will do as I say. You'll study these topics, you'll do these activities and you will be highly achieving at all of it.'” 3. And then there is the concierge parent. The concierge at a hotel is the person who takes care of all your needs and makes your stay as perfect as can be. “The third type is the concierge -- the parent who just wants to make life smoother -- from waking their kid up, to keeping track of their deadlines, to making sure they haven't forgotten anything, to having those tough conversations with the teacher to outright helping with the homework or maybe doing the homework for the kid." Lythcott-Haims warns this kind of parenting has many short-term wins but long-term costs that harm the child. She uses an area common to most children – a playground. Lythcott-Haims suggests letting your child get a little hurt. "If you're at the playground next to them, if they fall or slip, you're right there to catch them and they do not suffer, you know, the bruised knee or whatever it might be. If you're helping with your kid's homework, they are going to get better grade. Those are the short-term wins. The long-term cost is -- if your kid doesn't learn how to manage their own body on a playground, which is a lesson only learned by falling a few times -- they don't learn the long-term lesson." If you do your child's homework, it will be perfect. That is what she calls the short-term win. The long-term cost is that your child may not feel capable. And they not become a persistent learner, meaning they will give up easily when faced with a difficult problem to solve. “If you’re always helping with their homework, what you’re effectively telling them is, ‘Hey, kid, you’re not capable of being a fourth grader. Don’t worry. I’m going to help with your homework.' They begin to feel less capable. They begin very reliant on parents to correct and perfect their academic work. It’s not preparing them to be the persistent learners who will be successful in life. Four ways to stop over-parenting So what can parents do if they want to break the over-parenting “helicopter” cycle? Lythcott-Haims offers four ways to stop hovering over your children. "We have to stop saying 'we' when we mean 'our son or our daughter.' All too often a parent would say 'we are on the travel soccer team.' Well, no, your son is or your daughter is.” “The next thing is we have to stop arguing with all of the adults in our kids' lives. We need to teach our kids to advocate for themselves.” “The third thing is we must stop doing our kids’ homework.” “The fourth thing is we got to build skills, teach them to cross the street, teach them to make a meal, teach them to remember to put their own items in their backpacks, which becomes a briefcase one day." When kids have all the skills to take care of themselves, Lythcott-Haims says, they will be prepared for adulthood. I’m Anna Matteo.   Faiza Elmasry reported on this story for VOANews.com. Anna Matteo adapted it for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. Are you a “helicopter parent”? Or were your parents a little too protective? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   hover – v. to float in the air without moving in any direction, as with a helicopter firsthand – adj. coming directly from actually experiencing or seeing something empathy – n. the feeling that you understand and share another person's experiences and emotions; the ability to share someone else's feelings intention – n. done in a way that is planned bruise – n. a dark and painful area on your skin that results from an injury capable – adj. able to do something; having the qualities or abilities that are needed to do something; skilled at doing something; able to do something well persistent – adj. continuing to do something or to try to do something even when it is difficult or other people want you to stop reliant – adj. needing someone or something for help or support advocate – n. one that supports the interests of another

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Trending Today: Leap Day

This is What’s Trending Today… Happy Leap Day everyone! That seemed to be on the minds of Twitter, Facebook and Google users everywhere on Monday, February 29. The hashtag #LeapDay was the top trending topic on Twitter Monday morning with almost 150,000 mentions. Google is known for greeting users on its search engine page with something called a Google Doodle. It celebrated Leap Day with an animation of a rabbit leaping between two other sleeping rabbits. One was marked 1, for March 1. The other was marked 28, for February 28. People all over the world clearly enjoyed posting photos to Twitter and Facebook of different things known for their leaping ability. Frogs, squirrels, cats and other animals jumped all day long. But here are some creative leaping things that caught our eye. First, the Juventus soccer team from Italy made a video of their star goalie Gianluigi Buffon leaping to prevent shots from making it into the goal. The American Ballet Theatre posted a photo of a pair of ballerinas in mid-flight. Major League Baseball got in the act with some of the amazing catches its players made last season. Even NASA posted a photo explaining why Leap Year is a necessity. If you did not know, it is because it takes 365.25 days for the earth to circle the sun. So every four years the calendar has an extra day to make up for the difference. But perhaps the most fun Leap Day message came in relation to Leonardo DiCaprio’s Oscar win on Sunday night. After multiple nominations over the years, DiCaprio won his first Oscar for his role in the movie “The Revenant.” The Huffington Post said that he had to wait for a Leap Year to win, so he could have an extra day to celebrate. And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Dan Friedell.   Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. What did you to do celebrate Leap Day? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   ballerina – n. a woman dancer who performs at a ballet amazing – adj. causing great surprise or wonder : causing amazement doodle – n. a kind of drawing that is made without much thought or preparation animation – n. a way of making a movie by using a series of drawings, computer graphics, or photographs of objects (such as puppets or models) that are slightly different from one another and that when viewed quickly one after another create the appearance of movement  

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Oscars 2016 Winners

Here are the big winners at the 88th Academy Awards - Hollywood's biggest night - on February 28, 2016.

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The 88th Academy Awards

8:00 p.m. EST -- Oscar Coverage Begins! The 2016 Academy Awards ceremony is about to begin. The event in Hollywood, California, is the biggest night in the American film industry. The National Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards Oscars to the year's best movies and movie makers. An Oscar can mean a huge boost to a career. This year, the ceremony is again under a cloud of criticism. Academy voters nominated only white actors in the acting categories. Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs has vowed to work to make the organization more inclusive. Comedian and actor Chris Rock is hosting the Oscars for the second year in a row.   

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Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump May Become Presidential Nominees Soon

  Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump are expected to win almost all of the primary elections and caucuses set for Tuesday. If they do, Clinton and Trump will greatly increase their lead of delegates and likely become their parties’ nominees. Saturday, Clinton received about 75 percent of the votes in the South Carolina primary election. She received strong support from African-American voters in South Carolina. This could help her on Tuesday, when voters in the states of Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia decide who they will support. These states have large numbers of African-Americans. Public opinion studies show Trump has more support than other candidates in many of the so-called “Super Tuesday” states. This week, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie began campaigning for Trump. Until recently, Christie was a presidential candidate.  Super Tuesday is the most important day of the presidential campaign. The person who wins the most elections on that day almost always becomes the nominee of their political party. I’m Jonathan Evans. VOA National Correspondent Jim Malone reported this story from Washington. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it into VOA Learning English. Hai Do 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   delegate – n. a person who is chosen or elected to vote or act for others primary – n. an election in which members of the same political party run against each other for the chance to be in a larger and more important election  

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