Vietnam Puts Blogger on Trial for Anti-Government Posts

A well-known Vietnamese blogger will go on trial this week for posting stories that the government says cause people to lose faith in the government. Nguyen Huu Vinh and his assistant, Nguyen Thi Minh Thuy, have been in jail since 2014. Their lawyer says the trial will begin on Wednesday. Fifty-nine year-old Vinh is a former police officer and son of a late government minister. He started his Ba Sam blog in 2007 and later began two other blogs on citizen rights and Vietnamese history. The blogs provide links to news stories about politics, social, economic and cultural issues. The Associated Press said the blogs use stories from both state media and political activists. Vietnamese State Media reported the two bloggers are charged with posting more than twenty stories with “untruthful and groundless content.” The government says the stories “present a one-sided and pessimistic view, causing anxiety and worry, and affecting the people’s confidence” in Vietnam’s Communist Party and government. Vinh is known in Vietnam as Anh Ba Sam. He was a police officer in the Ministry of Public Security in Hanoi. He quit in 1999 to set up a private investigation company. His father was a government minister who served as Vietnam’s ambassador to the former Soviet Union. Ha Huy Son is Vinh’s lawyer. He said Vinh and Thuy deny the charges against them. The two have said they “have no relations” to the postings on their blogs, the lawyer told the Associated Press. Amnesty International criticized Vietnam Tuesday for continuing to keep the two bloggers in prison and putting them on trial. It called for their immediate release. Amnesty International said the government is trying to remove “legitimate criticism” and making people afraid to ask questions of their leaders. Amnesty International said it has health concerns about Vinh. The human rights group said Vinh has had a skin condition for the past six months and was not given needed treatment. I’m  Mario Ritter.   Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by the Associated Press and other information. Mario Ritter 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   blogger – n. a person who post stories, opinions, on the internet faith – n. strong belief or trust in someone or something content – n. articles, photos and other material pessimistic – adj. having or showing a lack of hope for the future anxiety – n. worries and concerns confidence – n. a feeling or belief that someone or something is good or has the ability to succeed at something

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Education Controversy in Hong Kong

  Proposed education changes are causing debates in Hong Kong about its own future. Rita Fan is a member of the National People's Congress Standing Committee in Beijing. She told the state-run Xinhua news agency that Hong Kong's youth do not know enough about China's history or the central government's successes. Fan, a former head of the city’s Legislative Council, added that Hong Kong schools teach a biased view of China and asked for a more positive view. Her comment brought criticism from Emily Lau, a legislative council member in Hong Kong. Lau said, “Well, they [representatives] should have a more accurate grasp of what’s happening here, so when they go to Beijing they can give a more accurate picture and representation to the central government." The comment is one in a series of proposed changes that drew criticism in Hong Kong. Simplified characters or traditional characters? Many people in Hong Kong write with traditional characters. In mainland China, people commonly use simplified characters, characters written in a simpler style. Recently, Hong Kong's Education Bureau released a document that called for students “to recognize and read simplified Chinese, in order to expand students’ reading range and strengthen communication with mainland and foreign students.” ​ The debate over Chinese characters came in the same month that a riot took place in Hong Kong. Demonstrators said they were protesting against the loss of Hong Kong's traditional culture.  Hong Kong's Education Bureau has since said that it will not replace traditional characters with simplified characters. Proposed reforms and protests In 2012, a booklet called "The China Model" gave suggestions for how to change Hong Kong's curriculum. The booklet criticized multi-party systems. It included pictures of Chinese leaders, and said the Communist Party was "progressive, selfless and united." The booklet caused protests in Hong Kong. Tens of thousands of people, including students, demonstrated against the booklet and its ideas. Joseph Cheng, a democracy activist, said that was the beginning of an effort to change Hong Kong's curriculum. “I do believe that the education sector, the primary and secondary schools, are now a very important focus of the pro-Beijing united front. They certainly have been demanding stronger patriotic programs,” Cheng said.  Sally Tang Mei-Ching is a member of Socialist Action. She said Hong Kong’s youth strongly oppose China’s growing political and cultural influence on the city. “They teach students how to appreciate the Communist Party, but in a very biased way. So this is why a lot of young people really hate China, not China as a whole, but the Chinese regime, because we want democratic rights,” she said.  What’s next? Joshua Wong is a pro-democracy activist who founded Scholarism. The group played a major role in the 2012 protests against education reform in Hong Kong. This week, Wong said he plans to form a new political party. The party will call for Hong Kong to declare independence in 2047. That is when the 1997 handover agreement between China and Britain will expire.  I'm John Russell. Shannon Van Sant reported on this story for VOANews.com. John Russell adapted this story for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story call – n. a public request or statement that asks or tells people to do something positive – adj. thinking about the good qualities of someone or something biased – adj. having or showing an unfair tendency to believe that some people, ideas, etc., are better than others curriculum – n. the courses that are taught by a school, college, etc. characters – n. a symbol (such as a letter or number) that is used in writing or printing

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Deadly Explosions in Brussels Airport, Metro

At least 26 people were killed and many more injured in three explosions Tuesday morning in Brussels, Belgium. Two of the explosions happened at the airport. One bomb exploded at a metro center in the center of Brussels. The two explosions at Zaventem airport happened at about 8 in the morning. Local reports say a third, unexploded bomb had been discovered at the airport. An airport worker told the Associated Press that the first explosion happened at Swissport counters and the second blast was at a Starbucks coffee shop. A Belgian government lawyer said that a suicide bomber was likely responsible for one of the airport attacks. Local media reported someone shouted words in the Arabic language at the airport before the explosions. A spokesman for the Brussels Metro said the explosion on a train at the Maelbeck underground train station killed 15 people and injured 55. The explosion happened at around 9 in the morning, a time when the station is busiest. Many European Union organizations are headquartered near the station. Local reports said people left the station with burns and wounds. The reports said many people were panicking. Belgian officials increased the security level in the country to 4, the highest level. The Brussels airport has cancelled all flights, and the city’s train service, train stations and museums have been closed. Officials told people who have not already departed for work to stay home. And they have told those already at their offices to remain there. On the social networking website Twitter, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said “We are following the situation minute by minute. The first priority goes to victims and those inside the airport.” The attacks happened just days after the arrest of Salah Abdeslam in Brussels. He is accused of being one of the leaders of the deadly Paris terrorist attacks in November. Some experts feared that his supporters would answer his arrest with attacks in Brussels. I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise. Correspondent Lisa Bryant reported this story from Paris. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the story for 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   metro - n. underground train system; subway

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Brussels Rocked by Airport, Metro Explosions

At least three explosions rocked Brussels Tuesday morning - two at the airport and one at a metro station in the heart of the capital, with local media reporting more than 20 dead and many others injured in the airport blasts.

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Obama, Castro Disagree on Human Rights

American President Barack Obama and Cuba’s President Raul Castro disagreed over questions on human rights and Guantanamo Bay in a rare and, at times, tension-filled press conference in Havana. The two presidents met at the Revolutionary Palace before facing the media. They talked about ways to move toward normal ties between their countries. The discussion included issues on which they disagree, including individual freedoms. To a question about human rights in Cuba during the press conference, President Obama said, "I've met with people who have been subject to arbitrary detention and that’s something that I generally have to speak on because I hear from them directly and I know what it means for them." When an American reporter asked President Raul Castro about political prisoners in Cuba, he replied, "What political prisoners?” Castro added, “Give me a name, or names, or after this meeting is over you can give me a list of political prisoners, and if we have those political prisoners, they will be released before tonight ends." President Castro told reporters that he welcomed U.S. action to ease trade and travel restrictions. But he also said the 55-year trade embargo against Cuba must end. And the leader called on the U.S. to return Cuban territory used for the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay. President Obama said the trade embargo did not serve the interests of either country. “The embargo’s going to end,” he said, although he admitted he could not be “entirely sure” when it would happen. Only the U.S. Congress can end the trade embargo on Cuba. There is Republican opposition in Congress on Obama's policy shift from isolation to engagement with Cuba. Three reporters were permitted to ask questions although Castro said he would answer only one. All asked him about political prisoners in Cuba. Castro also disputed the general idea of human rights problems in Cuba. He argued that no country in the world honors all 61 internationally recognized human rights. He said Cuba honors many, including the right to education, the right to health care, and the right to equal pay for equal work for everyone. A reporter also asked Castro if he supported Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump as U.S. presidential candidates. "Well, I cannot vote in the United States," he answered. The crowd laughed. Historic trip Earlier in the day, Obama attended a wreath laying ceremony at the monument of the Cuban independence hero Jose Marti. Obama will attend a state dinner later Monday at the Revolutionary Palace. He also is to attend meetings of both Cuban Americans and Cuban entrepreneurs. They are to discuss changes both governments can make to support more business ties between the countries. Cuba and the U.S. officially renewed diplomatic ties in July. The U.S. has loosened travel and commercial restrictions since that time. But Obama administration officials say the highlight of the trip will be the speech he will give the Cuban people on Tuesday. He is expected to speak about the history between Cuba and the U.S., current plans to normalize relations and his vision for future relations. I’m Caty Weaver.   VOA's Mary Alica Salinas reported this story from Havana. Caty Weaver adapted the story for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. Post your message in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   arbitrary - adj. done without concern for what is fair and right isolation - n. the act of separting something from other things engagement - n. the act of being involved with something commercial - adj. related to buying and selling of goods and services

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Twitter Turns 10

  This is What’s Trending Today… On Monday, Twitter turned 10. The 140-character messaging service launched in March 21, 2006. Since then, Twitter has become a global communication tool, with 320 million users. It all began with a simple tweet from Twitter founder Jack Dorsey. On the afternoon of March 21, 2006, he posted, “just setting up my twttr.” ​Some of the biggest news events in the past 10 years broke first on Twitter. The first report of the U.S. raid that killed Osama Bin Laden came from a Pakistani man’s tweet. And the first photo of an American airplane that landed in New York’s Hudson River was posted on Twitter. The pro-democracy Arab Spring protests played out and spread on Twitter. And the #BlackLivesMatter movement gained strength through the social media site. Today, Twitter users are showing their gratitude for the past 10 years with the hashtag #LoveTwitter. ​The idea for a hashtag came more than a year after Twitter’s creation. On August 23, 2007, Chris Messina suggested the idea of using the pound (#) symbol to organize tweets. Twitter started using the hashtag feature in 2009. The hashtag made twitter a more powerful platform for activists and a popular tool for breaking news. The most commonly used hashtag is #FF, which stands for Follow Fridays. Twitter user Micah Baldwin proposed #FF in a tweet back in January of 2009. The idea of a retweet function also came from a Twitter user. Eric Rice posted the world’s “first” retweet on April 17, 2007. ​Twitter users soon began copying tweets with an “RT” at the beginning of the post. Retweeting became a feature on Twitter more than two years later, in November 2009. The most retweeted post of the past 10 years is comedian Ellen DeGeneres’ #OscarSelfie. DeGeneres took the famous selfie during the 2014 Academy Awards. It received more than  2 million retweets. ​Twitter may need some more great ideas from its users to survive the next 10 years. Observers are questioning the company’s future. Despite its worldwide popularity, Twitter has yet to find a way to make money. It has also been criticized for being slow to control hate speech. And for the first time ever, the number of Twitter users went down during the last quarter. The company reported it lost 2 million users during the last months of 2015. The problems led Twitter’s founder, Jack Dorsey, to return to the company. Last year, the company said it was considering removing Twitter’s famous 140-character limit. But Dorsey said earlier this month that the limit would remain. And that’s What’s Trending Today. Do you use Twitter? What do you like best about it? What changes would you make to the site? Let us know in the Comments section! ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story    movement - n. a series of organized activities in which many people work together to do or achieve something gratitude - n. a feeling of appreciation or thanks propose - v. to suggest something to a person or group of people to consider quarter - n. one of four divisions of a year : a period of three months

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Four Young People Who Make the World Better

What can technology do to make your world better? Four young people are starting new businesses to answer that question. Mateusz Mach Eighteen-year-old Mateusz Mach was the youngest person in Poland to receive money from investors to expand his company. He started Five, a mobile messaging application, or app, for deaf people. The app lets deaf people create their own hand signs to communicate with friends. The app now has more than 10,000 deaf users. And Mach thinks there will be about 150,000 more deaf users in the U.S. next year. There are many different sign languages in various parts of the world. Mach will be working with the United Nations in New York. The U.N. offered to support the next version of Five, which is designed with the U.S. sign language in mind. Mach will be studying economics in the next few years, but he will continue to work with new technology. He says, “I love to create. And I think that the creation of things will be my passion to the end of my life.” Ida Tin Ida Tin was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. She is the founder of Clue, a health company for women in Berlin, Germany. Tin started researching choices for birth control when she was in her 20s. She had problems caused by taking birth control pills. She learned that birth control has not changed much since the 1960s. So she decided to work on making it easier for women to plan when they have children. Another name for the use of birth control is family planning. She made an easy-to-use app called Clue to give women information on their monthly cycles. Clue is a menstruation and health-tracking app. It informs users when they are most or least likely to become pregnant. The app is available in 10 languages for Android, iOS and iWatch platforms. Clue already boasts more than two million users in over 180 countries. William Zhou William Zhou is the co-founder and leader of Chalk.com. The education software company helps teachers from the kindergarten level to 12th grade, or the end of secondary school. Zhou was born in Beijing, China. He grew up in the Canadian city of Vancouver and founded his first company when he was still in high school. Zhou sold the company when he was studying computer science at Canada’s University of Waterloo. But he strongly wanted to make a change in education. From his dorm room, Zhou created Chalk. It is a group of programs that supports individual teaching and learning. Based in Canada, Chalk is now used in 20,000 schools by more than 100,000 users worldwide. Forbes magazine included Zhou in its list of top 30 under-30-year-old business leaders for education in 2015. Zhou says building startups is a difficult process because it could last years. "It’s only worth it if you find something you truly care about – something you’re passionate about. Otherwise, you may just end up crashing." George Mtemahanji George Mtemahanji was born in the African country of Tanzania. Mtemahanji moved with his family to Italy in 2002, where he attended the Technical Institute of Alfredo Ferrari in Maranello. There he learned about renewable energy and began thinking that solar energy would be easier to use in Africa than in Europe. After graduation, Mtemahanji worked as a technician for a Swiss photovoltaic company. He returned to Tanzania in 2014 to start his own solar energy company - SunSweet Solar – in partnership with his friend Manuel Rolando. He explains that he could not understand why, in a place with bright sunshine, "more than 90 percent of people had no access to electricity. So when I returned to Italy I spoke with Manuel on the huge electricity demand in Tanzania and to the possibility to open a business there." SunSweet Solar found early success in rural areas of Tanzania. Since then, the company has expanded to Zambia. Mtemahanji wants to open a factory to make solar technology in Tanzania. He hopes to create jobs and help build his country in the process. He understands the process will take time. "But I think we are on the right path." In 2015, the team won the Anzisha Prize as one of the 12 best companies out of 500 led by young people under 22 in Africa, according to the African Leadership Academy.   Aida Akl reported this story for VOA News. Jill Robbins adapted the story for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   application – n. computers : a computer program that performs a particular task (such as word processing) birth control - n. things that are done to keep a woman from becoming pregnant pill – n. a small, rounded object that you swallow and that contains medicine, vitamins, etc. family planning - n. the use of birth control to determine the number of children there will be in a family and when those children will be born menstruate – v. to have blood flow from your body as part of a process that happens each month found – v. to begin or create (something that is meant to last for a long time) renewable – adj. restored or replaced by natural processes or able to be replaced by nature We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

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Islamic State Holds Iraqi Village Hostage

The Islamic State (IS) terror group is holding a small Iraqi village hostage to launch attacks on nearby towns. The village of Bashir is 25 kilometers south of the city of Kirkuk. The village is home to a minority group of Shiite Turkmen. IS has controlled the village since 2014. Iraqi government officials say IS uses Bashir to launch deadly rocket attacks on nearby towns, including a chemical attack on the town of Taza Khurmatu earlier this month. Town officials reported three deaths and many injuries. “The rockets spread a garlicky smell and caused nausea and vomiting,” said Soran Jalal, the civil defense head. He told VOA that investigators confirmed IS rockets carried mustard gas and came from Bashir. Kurdish forces and the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a Shi’ite militia, are surrounding Bashir. Kurdish Major General Westa Rasul said IS control over Bashir is a big threat. He said the village is close to the North Oil Company and a power plant that provides one third of Iraq’s electricity. Recently, hundreds of protestors from Bashir blocked Iraq’s main highway. The protestors demanded removal of Islamic State fighters from Bashir. Iraqi and Kurdish officials say they need air support from coalition forces to remove IS extremists from the village. It is difficult without air support because of numerous mines and explosives planted around the village. No help from coalition forces But a coalition of Western governments, including the U.S. and Britain, worry about helping the PMF. The militia group is close to Iran, which has had a troubled relationship with the U.S. PMF is also on the U.S. terrorist organization list. “Our policy is to support forces with and under the direct control of the government of Iraq,” said U.S. Army Colonel Steve Warren. He is a spokesman for the coalition’s operations against IS. The alleged chemical attack may increase pressure to move against IS forces in Bashir. Freeing the village from IS will only take a few hours, said Lieutenant General Anwar Hamad Amin. He is commander of the Iraqi Air Force. But he told VOA, “There needs to be coordination with forces on the ground first.” And that will not be easy, according to Michael Knights, a Washington Institute expert on the region. “If a friendly fire incident happened and coalition airstrikes killed Shia PMF, there is a concern among the Shia PMF leaders and the coalition that extremists would retaliate against coalition trainers and embassies,” Knights said. I'm Bruce Alpert.   Rikar Hussein reported on this story for VOANews.com. Bruce Alpert adapted this story for 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   garlicy – adj. the smell of garlic nausea – n. the feeling you have in your stomach when you think you are going to vomit vomit – v. to have the food, liquid, etc., that is in your stomach come out through your mouth because you are sick mustard gas – n. a poison gas used as a weapon in a war airstrikes – n. attacks carried out by airplane retaliate – v. to do something bad to someone who has hurt you or treated you badly to get revenge against someone

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Brazil's President Faces Political Crisis

President Dilma Rousseff faces a political crisis as a Supreme Court Justice has blocked her Cabinet appointment and the majority of Brazilians support her impeachment. On Friday, Justice Gilmar Mendes blocked the appointment of former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva after he was sworn in as Rousseff’s chief of staff. The decision permits a federal judge to continue the investigation against da Silva. Rousseff’s opponents say she is trying to help da Silva, her one-time mentor. Under Brazilian law, cabinet-level members cannot be investigated, charged or jailed except with the authorization of the Supreme Court. The president has insisted the appointment is not linked to da Silva’s legal problems. She says da Silva would help put the country back on track economically. She also says he could help fight attempts to oust her over accusations of financial mismanagement. Officials are investigating Rousseff and her Workers' Party for their part in the corruption scandal at state oil company, Petrobras. Prosecutors said more than $2 billion was paid in bribes and other funds by construction and engineering companies in exchange for inflated Petrobras contracts. Both Rousseff and da Silva have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. But Rousseff has seen her popularity drop sharply. Support for Rousseff’s impeachment A new poll released on Sunday showed strong support for Rousseff’s impeachment. The poll says 68 percent of Brazilians surveyed want lawmakers to impeach Rousseff. The effort to impeach the president moved forward last week when the Parliament’s lower house created a special commission to look into accusations of financial mismanagement. Nearly two weeks ago, an estimated 3 million people took to the streets in nationwide anti-government demonstrations. Protests also took place Thursday in Brasilia and Sao Paulo, where demonstrators showed dolls of da Silva in black-and-white prison stripes. Brazil faces more problems beyond the Petrobras corruption investigation. The country is the center of the worldwide spread of the Zika virus, which scientists say can lead to birth defects. And it is facing a recession while preparing for the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August.   This report was adapted from AP and Reuters stories by Mario Ritter. Hai Do  was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   injunction –n. an order from a court requiring that some action take place or be stopped impeachment –n. charging a public official with a crime done in office public figure –n. a public official or someone known to the public because of their profession overstep –v. to go beyond what is correct or permitted

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Refugees: Turkish Officials Becoming More Violent

Refugees from the Middle East who have recently entered Greece say Turkish police and coast guard members are dealing with them more forcefully. They say Turkish officials are trying to stop people from crossing the Aegean Sea. The refugees say the Turkish authorities have attacked them on beaches to try to stop them from entering smugglers’ boats or as they travel by sea. Some Syrian refugees also have accused Turkey of returning them to Syria. In December, refugees said several hundred of them were held at a detention center two hours from Istanbul. They said they were then brought to the border on buses and forced to cross back into Syria. On Friday, European Union and Turkish leaders agreed to return refugees from the Middle East and migrants from Africa to Turkey after they land in Greece. In exchange, the EU will give Turkey an additional $3.4 billion to help the country pay for dealing with the crisis. The EU also agreed to let as many as 72,000 of the estimated 2.7 million Syrian refugees now in Turkey move to EU countries. Rights groups have condemned the deal. They say it violates both EU human rights legislation and international laws. After the agreement was announced, the rights group Amnesty International released a statement. It said, “Turkey is not a safe country for refugees and migrants, and any return process predicated on it as being so will be flawed, illegal and immoral.” An increase in violence by members of the Turkish coast guard or police will likely mean rights groups will ask European courts to cancel the deal. Some rights groups have already threatened to do so. Last month, Amnesty International released a report that said Turkish security forces had shot and wounded civilians. The report said those injured included children, who were trying to flee Syria by entering Turkey. The rights group said Turkey had left thousands of civilians trapped in northern Syria. The civilians had fled their homes during attacks by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Those forces were being supported by Russia. Amnesty International said “Turkey’s highly selective practice is appalling -- only severely-injured people are allowed entry to seek medical treatment.” Turkey has said that it is open to Syrian refugees fleeing conflict. But its border with Syria has been closed to civilians for more than a year. If anyone wants to enter, they must pay criminals who will smuggle them in. There have been many reports of Turkish border guards shooting at civilians trying to cross into Turkey. In May 2015, VOA reported on claims by Syrian civilians that they had been shot at by Turkish guards near the town of Kilis. The guards were reportedly trying to stop the refugees from entering a tunnel that goes under the border fence. Human Rights Watch has also accused Turkey of pushing back Syrians as they try to enter the country. In November, the rights group released a report on the situation. It said “Syrians described Turkish border guards (stopping) them at or near the border, in some cases beating them, and pushing them and dozens of others back into Syria or detaining and then summarily expelling them along with hundreds of others.” I’m Mario Ritter.   Correspondent Jamie Dettmer reported this story from Athens.  Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the story into VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter 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   predicate on – v. to be a precondition for; to be used as the basis for appalling – adj. to horrify; to cause extreme concern tunnel – n. an underground passage; a passageway that is dug through the earth summarily – adv. without observing usual practices or rules ​

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Is Email Stressing You Out?

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report. Few people would disagree that email makes our lives easier. But misusing email can cause problems. And I’m not talking about hitting the “reply all” button when you didn’t mean to. Answering all those emails and processing all that information can overload the brain, causing stress. So says the Future Work Centre, a business based in London. This company carries out psychological research on people's experiences in their workplaces. The centre’s Richard MacKinnon was the lead writer of a report on messaging habits. He calls email a double-edged sword. In other words, email can be both good and bad. Americans also use the saying cuts both ways for something like a double-edged sword. But back to the culture of emailing. Emails provide a useful way to communicate. But they could add to tension in the mind, causing stress. Come rain or shine, some office workers are under pressure to read and answer emails all day long. Jonathan Rowe has an office job in London. His complaint is a common one: too many emails. He says reading work emails when you’re at home blurs the boundaries between work and leisure. "Just general day-to-day pressure to be available all the time, to answer emails all the time, to perhaps eat into people's leisure time and blur the boundaries between work and leisure…" Psychologists are concerned about the pressure that workers bring on themselves. Dr. Richard MacKinnon spoke with VOA News on Skype. He says that email can be a valuable, time-saving communication tool. But it can also be a source of stress and even anger for many of us. He adds that the stress does not come from the number of emails you get. The problems result from when and how you deal with them. According to the study, there are two very stressful email behaviors. One is leaving email on all day – and never signing off. The other is reading and answering emails early in the day and late at night. "Checking your email very early in the morning, or checking it late at night, or leaving your email on all day, that has a much stronger relationship with email pressure. So it's not necessarily about how many emails we receive..." Which jobs are most affected by email stress? But not all jobs are equally stressed by email. The jobs most affected by email stress are: marketing, public relations, media and Information Technology Educational experts have also written several reports on how email overloads are stressing out teachers. Ways to cut down on your email stress MacKinnon says bad email behaviors are linked to higher levels of stress in office workers. The Future Work Centre report gives several suggestions on avoiding email stress. Use email with a plan. Do not just react to endless email alerts. If you use an email application, or app, on your device, close it down when you want to be left alone. Use your “Out of Office” reply more often. If you need to communicate with a co-worker, call or better still walk to their office and talk about it. Be careful with the “reply all” option. For example, if you are accepting an invitation to attend training, just write back to those who need to know. Trust me. Other workers on that mailing list will thank you. And accept the fact that if a matter is urgent employers will call you about it.   The Future Work Centre report claims that in 2014, people sent an estimated 196.3 billion emails. The average adult spent more than an hour a day answering emails. Email is certainly not going anywhere. So, it is important to control your emails and not the other way around. I’m Anna Matteo.   VOA’s Martin Secrest spoke with Dr. MacKinnon for this story. Anna Matteo adapted his report and added other information for Learning English. ____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   stress – n. a state of mental tension and worry caused by day-to-day problems double-edged sword – idiomatic expression something that has both good and bad parts or results cuts both ways – idiomatic expression to have a mixed effect. day-to-day – idiomatic expression happening every day eat into – idiomatic expression to use or take away a large part of something valuable, such as money or time come rain or shine – idiomatic expression no matter whether it rains or the sun shines; in any sort of conditions complaint – n. the act of saying or writing that you are unhappy or dissatisfied with something blur – v. make or become unclear; often used in the expression to blur the boundaries between two things leisure – n. time when you are not working; time when you can do whatever you want to do

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