March 10, 2016

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

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Is Sanders' Suit the New 'Dress?'

  This is What’s Trending Today ... Presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton held their eighth debate on Wednesday night. The two candidates met in Miami, Florida. Each is seeking the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. The Washington Post newspaper and Spanish language television network Univision helped organize the debate. The candidates talked a lot about immigration reform and U.S. policy toward Latin American countries. But on social media, people debated something else: the color of Bernie Sanders’ suit. People watching the debate on television could not agree on the color. Was it brown? Blue? Or black? People on the Internet simply could not come to an agreement. ​The clothing debate took over social media. It brought back memories of the 2015 “The Dress” debate. That started when a woman in Britain posted a photograph of a dress she liked on the blog Tumblr. She wondered if the dress had blue and black lines or white and gold lines. Her Tumblr post went viral after the Buzzfeed website picked up the story and asked readers to vote on the color of the dress. The site received more than three million votes on the issue. The trending hashtag #TheDress and the silly debate about its color divided people on social media. Wednesday night, the color of the Vermont Senator’s suit did the same thing. In fact, his suit now even has its own Twitter handle, BerniesSuit. Thankfully, a Sanders campaign worker tweeted about the true color of the suit. At first, the campaign staffer tweeted: “the suit Senator Sanders is wearing tonight is blue.” But, minutes later, the staffer corrected himself. He wrote:  the suit Senator Sanders is wearing tonight is black* *corrects for wrong color. But, the staffer’s answer did not satisfy everyone on Twitter: And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Ashley Thompson. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   silly - adj. not serious, meaningful, or important dress - n. a piece of clothing for a woman or a girl that has a top part that covers the upper body and a skirt that hangs down to cover the legs handle - n (slang). a name or nickname

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Ever Feel Like You'll Die of A Broken Heart?

  Dying of a broken heart sounds like the ending of a romantic story. But it actually happens. The “broken heart syndrome,” usually affects people who have received very bad news. Recently however, researchers discovered that even joyful events can kill you. “Broken heart syndrome” is officially called Takotsubo syndrome, or TTS. It involves the sudden weakening of heart muscles. This weakening causes the left ventricle to expand abnormally at the bottom. If you remember from health class, the left ventricle is the chamber of the heart that pushes oxygen-rich blood through the body. The symptoms of Takotsubo syndrome are acute chest pain and shortness of breath. The syndrome can lead to heart attacks and death. Even though Takotsubo syndrome is fairly rare, the scientific community has studied how unexpected emotional shocks can cause a heart attack. These shocks are usually unpleasant, such as the death of a spouse or a violent argument. However, no one had ever investigated whether an extremely happy event could give the same result. Until now. In 2011, a pair of researchers in Switzerland set up a global registry to track cases of the syndrome. Christian Templin and Jelena Ghadri are both with University Hospital Zurich. Five years later, their registry involves a network of 25 hospitals spread across nine countries. They had collected data on 1,750 cases of the Takotsubo syndrome. This number of cases -- 1,750 -- is said to be “statistically significant” by scientific communities. For the study, Templin and Ghadri led a team of 16 researchers. The team found that emotional shocks caused 485 of those 1,750 cases. And within that group of 485, a total of 20 people could be said to have suffered from “happy heart syndrome.” In an interview, Ghardi said that the researchers have shown that the causes for TTS are more varied than previously thought. The disease can be caused by positive emotions, too. The events that caused the 20 cases of “happy heart syndrome” include a birthday party, a wedding, a surprise farewell celebration, a favorite team winning a game, and the birth of a grandchild. However, none of these cases of “happy heart syndrome” caused death. Ghadri and her team published their findings in the European Heart Journal. So what is the important take-away from this study? Emergency room doctors should be aware of the fact that patients with signs of heart attack could be suffering from TTS. And these TTS cases could be caused by either positive or negative experiences. Another interesting take-away is that TTS affects mostly women. For reasons the researchers do not yet understand, 95 percent of the patients in both the “broken heart” and “happy heart” groups are women. These women are mostly in their mid- to late-60s. Ghadri said she and her team still do not know why women are mostly affected by the Takotsubo syndrome. The fact that more women than men are affected by Takotsubo syndrome is even stranger when you consider that heart attacks are more common among men. The researchers suspect that the hormone estrogen may play a part in how the disease operates. Women have much higher levels of estrogen than men. In men, testosterone is the dominant hormone. Happy and sad life events are, of course, very different. Further studies are also needed to figure out if both events share the same pathway in the central nervous system for causing Takotsubo syndrome. Japanese researchers discovered the condition. They named it after a traditional Japanese octopus trap. An enlarged heart suffering from Takotsubo syndrome looks like an octopus trap. I’m Anna Matteo.   Anna Matteo wrote this story for Learning English based on a report in the Japan Times as well as OxfordJournal.com where the study was published. Kathleen Struck was the editor. Have you had a broken heart? Please leave a comment and post on our Facebook page.  ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   ventricle – n. one of two areas in the heart that pump blood out to the body abnormally – adv. different from what is normal or average; unusual, especially in a way that causes problems chamber – n. a small space inside something (such as a machine or your body) acute – adj. of or related to sharpness or severity;  having a sudden or sharp rise, and short course; being, providing, or requiring short-term medical care; lasting a short time estrogen – n. a substance (called a hormone) produced naturally in women testosterone – n. a substance (called a hormone) produced naturally in men and male animals  

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Aung San Suu Kyi 'Apologies' to Supporters

The longtime opposition leader of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, has apologized for not becoming the country’s next president. She posted a letter on social media to supporters Thursday. She apologized for “not fully fulfilling the people’s desire.” Myanmar’s parliament began the process of choosing a new president shortly after the posting. Aung San Suu Kyi asked for continued support “to reach the goal peacefully.” Political experts said this is a request for patience and a promise that she will become president one day. National legislature. Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy won a large majority seats in parliament in a general election last November. But Myanmar’s constitution prevents the NLD leader from taking the presidential office because her sons are foreign citizens. Later Thursday, the lower house of parliament, controlled by the NLD, chose party member Htin Kyaw as its nominee for vice president. Htin Kyaw is a close adviser to Aung San Suu Kyi.     The upper house, also controlled by the NLD, named Henry Van Hti Yu from Chin state as its nominee for vice president. The process Twenty-five percent of the Parliament is saved for lawmakers from the military. They are named, not elected. Those members met outside of parliament to choose their nominee for vice president. The Parliament chooses a president among three nominated vice presidents. The vote is expected to take place March 18. The two nominees not chosen as president will be vice presidents. Party instructions Party sources have told VOA that NLD lawmakers will be told to vote for Htin Kyaw as president.   NLD lawmaker Zin Mar Aung said Htin Kyaw would be a good choice for president even though he is not well known. The lawmaker noted that the nominee spent part of his career as a bureaucrat in two ministries. She told VOA, “He is well experienced in how to run a bureaucratic mechanism. That’s perfect.” Recent history The military ruled Myanmar for almost 50 years. In 2011, the government became partly civilian. The country held its first general election as a democracy last year. At that time, Aung San Suu Kyi said she would lead the government. She said she would be “above the president.” That almost guarantees Htin Kyaw will be considered a puppet president. NLD lawmakers say the situation is unavoidable because of the constitution. They say it prevents the public favorite from becoming the official leader. “In that kind of situation, this scenario is the best one to move forward,” declared lawmaker Zin Mar Aung. The new government will take office on April 1. I’m Caty Weaver.   VOA correspondent Steve Herman in Bangkok reported this story. Caty Weaver adapted his report for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. Do you think Aung San Suu Kyi will someday be president of Myanmar? We want to hear from you! Post your thoughts in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story     patience - n. the ability to wait for a long time without becoming annoyed or upset bureaucrat – n. a person who is one of the people who run a government or big company and who does everything according to the rules of that government or company puppet – n. a person or an organization that is controlled by another person or organization scenario – n. a description of what could possibly happen  

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Cambodian Prime Minister’s Facebook 'Likes' Questioned

Cambodia's ruling party spokesman has dismissed a report that the Prime Minister inflated the number of "likes" on his Facebook page. Prime Minister Hun Sen, of the Cambodian People’s Party, recently announced he had reached 3 million “likes” on the social media site. He joked that his popularity made him "the Facebook Prime Minister." He joined Facebook six months ago. Hun Sen appeared to have overtaken opposition leader Sam Rainsy’s 2.2 million likes. Sam Rainsy, head of the Cambodian National Rescue Party, has been on Facebook for at least five years. Wednesday, a report released from The Phnom Penh Post newspaper said that only about 20 percent of Hun Sen's recently added fans were Cambodia-based users. The report noted numbers from the media analytics company socialbakers.com. Many of the “likes” came from countries whose citizens would have little reason to support Cambodia’s long-time ruler. The report also said a great number of likes posted in the past 30 days came from India, the Philippines, Burma, Indonesia, Turkey and Mexico. The report raised the question that the prime minister might have been buying his popularity on the site. Chok Sopheap is executive director of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights. She said she was "surprised" by the report, adding that it raises questions about the transparency of Facebook’s "likes" function. Cambodian politicians have used Facebook “likes” to compete for popularity. She added that a politician’s popularity should not be judged by social media activity alone, but by their effectiveness as public officials. "The real concern is that the users themselves have to understand that the number of likes they gain on Facebook does not [accurately] reflect their popularity or [whether] there’s full support for them," she said. Nget Moses is head of the Internet technology department at Phnom Penh-based CENTRAL, an online rights advocacy group. He explained that Facebook users could pay money to advertise their Facebook posts or page, a mechanism known as "boosting." "We cannot use money to buy likes," he told VOA Khmer. "However, what we can do is pay money to boost our page or posts in order to reach a wider audience, as well as select where the page or the posts can be most seen.” The expert suggested that the administrators of the Prime Minister’s Facebook Page could release reports on the page. Sok Eysan, spokesman for the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, dismissed the report. He said the prime minister had no reason to inflate his online popularity. He added that it was mostly people within the nation. Hun Sen has been in power for more than 30 years. He recently announced that Cambodians can send messages directly to his Facebook page in order to raise concerns and issues. He also urged officials to create their own Facebook pages along with accounts for government institutions. Political observers said Hun Sen is hoping that he can use Facebook to gain popularity. Important local, commune elections take place in 2017 and national elections are to be held the following year. I'm Mario Ritter.   Neou Vannarin in Phnom Penh reported this story for VOANews.com. Mario Ritter adapted the story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   inflate – v. to say something is larger or more important than it actually is boost – v. to increase the amount of something

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Using the Right Article

What word appears most often in English? It's "the," also known as the definite article. Its partner, the indefinite article "a", is also among the top 10 most frequent words in English. According to Professor Elka Todeva of the SIT Graduate Institute in Brattleboro, Vermont, "a" and "the" are also some of the most difficult words for learners to figure out how to use without some assistance. "A," "an" and "the" are called articles. Why are these small words so hard to learn? More than 200 languages do not have articles. Other languages have articles but use them differently than English does. As a result, figuring out the logic of English articles can be challenging. Professor Todeva says English article usage falls into certain patterns. A basic understanding of common patterns can make learning articles easier. Fairy tales capture one such powerful pattern, which Elka Todeva calls the a/the switch. The a/the switch occurs between the first and second mention. It is a shift from new to already familiar information. Listen for the articles as she reads an example. Pay attention to the way "a" turns into "the" with the second mention of the old man and the old woman. "Once upon a time, there was an old man and an old woman who lived in a little cottage in a vast open field. The old woman and the old man were very hungry, so the old woman decided to bake a gingerbread man." Before we explore this pattern and fairy tales further, let us look at some basic rules for article usage. Indefinite articles "A" and "an" are indefinite articles used before non-specific members of a group or category of nouns. The article "a" appears before singular nouns starting with a consonant sound. For example, "I ate a banana." The article "an" comes before singular nouns beginning with a vowel sound. For example, "Give me an apple." Definite article "The" is called a definite article. "The" appears before nouns which are specific members of a category as in, "I want to see the movie George Clooney just made." Also use "the" with previously mentioned nouns. For example, "We went to a movie last night. The movie was called Spy." Use "the" with unique things like the sun, the moon, the front door, and the tallest man in the world. The zero article In some situations, there is no article before a noun. Grammarians call this the "zero article." The zero article appears before proper nouns, names like Picasso and John Lennon. It also goes with names of places and institutions which consist of a proper name and another noun, as in Michigan State University. There is also no article before the names of days, months, seasons and holidays. There is no article before geographical names like Europe, Italy, Tokyo, and Lake Superior. The "zero article" applies to names of languages and nationalities, as with Chinese or English. For example, "Spanish is spoken in Spain." But if you are describing the people of that country, use the definite article. "The Spanish are known for being friendly." The zero article also goes with names of sports and academic subjects. The "a/the switch" Professor Todeva is both a learner and teacher of English. She says the human brain loves patterns and finding logic behind things. She encourages teachers and learners to explore grammatical patterns in fun, engaging ways. She calls this "grammaring." Let's look at some common patterns in article usage. Professor Todeva takes us back to fairy tales, or traditional stories, to demonstrate how the switch from "a" to "the" works. "This particular pattern is very beautifully illustrated in most English fairy tales and in many jokes as well. Most fairy tales in English start with 'Once upon a time' … there is suspense, there is sweet anticipation, we are not sure what the story is about yet; we expect something exciting and something new, thus the use of the indefinite article at the beginning of most fairy tales as in the following piece from The Gingerbread Man: "Once upon a time, there was an old man and an old woman who lived in a  little cottage - first mention - in a vast open field." Here, the story teller uses the indefinite articles because the characters are new to the listener or reader. When the information becomes familiar, the story teller uses the definite article, "the." "The old woman and the old man were very hungry, so the old woman decided to bake a gingerbread man." You might notice the "a/the switch" in most jokes. Here is an example. "A man walks into a doctor's office. He has a cucumber up his nose, a carrot in his left ear and a banana in his right ear. "What's wrong with me?" he asks the doctor (because it's already implied). And the doctor says, "You're not eating properly." Notice how the joke sets the stage with new information first. It starts with "a" before switching to "the." General statements Another important pattern involves general statements. General statements refer to all, or many members of a group. For example, "Politicians only care about money." You will often see general statements on bumper stickers. These are small labels on the back of cars that express the owner's feelings or opinions.   You might see bumper stickers that say, "Well-behaved women rarely make history" or "Teachers touch the future." Notice that general statements use the zero article. Here's another general statement that you will probably agree with: "Articles are challenging for English learners." Look for a future Everyday Grammar with more tips for using articles.   Take Professor Todeva's advice and let your brain pay attention to some of the patterns that we just explored. Happy learning and "grammaring" with the English language!   For VOA Learning English Everyday Grammar,   I'm Jonathan Evans. And I'm Jill Robbins. Dr. Jill Robbins and Dr. Elka Todeva wrote this story for  Learning English. Adam Brock was the editor. Do you have difficulty with those articles? Let us know in the Comments and on our Facebook page, thanks! ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   definite article - gramm.  the word the used in English to refer to a specific person or thing​ indefinite article - gramm. the word a or an used in English to refer to a person or thing that is not identified or specified article - gramm. a word (such as a, an, or the) that is used with a noun to show whether or not the noun refers to a specific person or thing switch - v. a change from one thing to another  gingerbread man – n. a cookie flavored with ginger and honey or molasses, usually in the shape of a human ​Now it's your turn. Try filling in the articles in the story below.  Quiz: Try filling in the articles in this fairy tale to test your knowledge. Once upon a time there was __ good, wise King who had __ very lovely daughter. __ Princess was so pretty that poets vowed she was fairer than __ fairest rose in __ royal gardens. Reference: Basic Uses of Articles in English Indefinite Article (a or an) Singular, non-specific nouns; I am a teacher; She has a dog.    Use a with singular nouns beginning with a consonant sound: a user (sounds like 'yoo-zer,' i.e. begins with a consonant 'y' sound, so 'a' is used); a university; a unicycle    an with nouns starting with silent "h": an hour    a with nouns starting with a pronounced "h": a horse Definite Article (the) Specific plural or singular nouns; non-count nouns: I spilled the milk; names of rivers, oceans and seas: the Nile, the Pacific    points on the globe: the Equator, the North Pole    geographical areas: the Middle East, the West    deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas: the Sahara, the Persian Gulf, the Black Forest, the Iberian Peninsula Zero Article (nothing) Proper nouns such as Picasso, Paul, Ringo, John, George; names of places and institutions which consist of a proper name and another noun, e.g. Michigan State University, Trafalgar Square, Penn Station; names of days, months, seasons and holidays, e.g. on Sunday, in March, at Christmas; many geographical names, e.g. Europe, Italy, Tokyo, Lake Superior; certain prepositional phrases, e.g. at peace, by heart, by train/car. Answers to the quiz: The Frog Prince Once upon a time there was a good, wise King who had a very lovely daughter. The Princess was so pretty that poets vowed she was fairer than the fairest rose in the royal gardens. From The Golden Book of Grimms' Fairy Tales. Golden Press, New York 1973.

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English @ the Movies: 'All Hands On Deck'

The movie "In the Heart of the Sea" tells the story about a whale, and a ship. It takes place in 1820 and the story later became the book, "Moby Dick." This English @ the Movies phrase is "all hands on deck." Listen and find out what it means.

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News Words: Transgender

Transgender is a word that has been in the news a lot recently. Watch your hosts explain what it means.

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VOA English Newscast: 1500 UTC March 10, 2016

  From Washington, this is VOA News.      I’m Ira Mellman reporting. There could be a major breakthrough in the fight against ISIS… Stolen files reportedly containing personal data on 22,000 foreign members of the Islamic State militant group are in the possession of German authorities. That (is) according to German police. The files could aid in tracking down and prosecuting members of the militant group, according to the German Interior Minister. Earlier, Britain's Sky News reported that files detailing names, contact information, places of origin and recruitment information of jihadists were obtained by the broadcaster from a disillusioned former fighter. The man - who identified himself to Sky News as Abu Hamed - said he stole a memory stick containing the files from the head of Islamic State's internal security police. He says he quit the terrorist organization because it no longer followed Islamic rules.  Hamed told a Sky News reporter he hoped the files would help bring down the organization. Questions, however, are being raised about the authenticity of the documents. Analysts told the French news agency the files contained inconsistencies, noting unusual language and logos in the documents that are usually the mark of forgeries. German police are currently evaluating the files. Authorities in Pakistan say security forces have arrested 14 suspected militants linked to the Afghan Taliban in the southwestern city of Quetta. The detainees are being questioned and more information will be shared with media, but it is not known if the high-profile ((Taliban)) leaders are among them. Security officials told VOA that today on condition of anonymity. Officials said law enforcement agencies, acting on a tip, picked up the men from the city's eastern area. This is VOA News. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Newscast]   breakthrough – n. a sudden or important development ISIS – n. short name for Islamic State of Iraq and Syria file – n. a collection of records data – n. information that is produced or stored by a computer authorities – n. officials according – adv. as stated by or in tracking down – v. looking for and finding prosecuting – v. taking legal action origin – n. the place where someone or something begins recruitment – adj. of or related to adding new members to a population or group jihadist – n. a Muslim who supports or takes part in action against non-believers obtained – v. to get control of disillusioned – adj. dissatisfied with someone or something internal – adj. of or relating to the inside of something quit – v. to resign; to leave permanently authenticity – n. the quality of being real analyst – n. observer inconsistency – adj. the quality of not being in agreement; not happening at the same time or in the same way logo – n. a sign that is used to identify a business forgery – n. copy evaluating – v. studying; examining high-profile – adj. well known; famous; notable anonymity – n. the quality of being unknown to most people tip – n. a piece of useful information; a clue picked up – v. detained   We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

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March 9, 2016

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

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Facebook Reactions Much More Than a Like

The Facebook “like” button was one of the social media website’s most popular features. But now Facebook has added more emojis that users can click on to quickly express their feelings about a post. The five new buttons, called Reactions, are love, haha, wow, sad and angry. Facebook has been working on the feature for more than a year. The company looked at how people commented on posts and used emojis to share their feelings. The company tested some possible reaction emojis with some users. It said it found most people liked the addition. How to Use Reactions Reactions are available both on the Facebook website and on the app. Right now, users can add Reactions to posts, photos and videos but not comments. To use Reactions on Facebook just click the Like button. All of the possible Reactions appear. Choose one and click on it. There is also a video that explains how to use Reactions, if additional help is needed. If you do not see Reactions in the Facebook app, close the app and then reopen. Reactions should appear. Viewing Others' Reactions Now Facebook shows the top three Reactions people have used on a post, photo or video. Clicking on Reactions show how many people posted them and who those people are. Looking Ahead The new feature helps users react more sensitively to the nature of posts, especially when they report unwelcome news. Now, friends can share sadness with the sad Reaction. You can also go beyond Like and add the heart Reaction to show your love. Might romances start with a Love Reaction? The new feature may be helpful during the current U.S. presidential election season. However, Reactions could also create confusion. For example, a user might post about a candidate with a political position he or she disagrees with. A Facebook friend might react with the Angry emoji. Is that friend angry about the candidate, the position, or the person who posted? I’m Marsha James. Carolyn Nicander Mohr wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. Are you excited about the new Facebook feature? Do you think you will move beyond the Like button? Give us your reaction on our Facebook page! ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   haha - exclamation used to represent laughter wow - interjection used to show that you are very surprised or pleased romance - n. an exciting and usually short relationship between lovers confusion - n. a situation in which people are unsure about what to do or are unable to understand something clearly ambiguous - adj. able to be understood in more than one way; having more than one possible meaning  

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