What Washington Politicians Are Really Saying

It sounds so nice. “My good friend...” It is what some members of Congress say about their fellow lawmakers. But Chuck McCutcheon and David Mark offer the not-so-nice meaning. They explain the real meaning of “my good friend” and other words from American politics in their book, “Dog Whistles, Walk-Backs & Washington Handshakes.” The authors say that members of Congress often use the phrase “my good friend” to refer to a person they do not like. The official may not even be able to stand the good friend. Another example of words that mean something different than they appear is: “I want to spend more time with my family.” Members of Congress often say this when they are resigning or giving up their jobs. While it is true that members of Congress often spend many days away from their families, the authors say that politicians use this expression when they do not want to give the real reason they are resigning. The real reason could be that they did something wrong, or they just found out that they are unlikely to win re-election. However, some government officials say they really mean it when they say they want to spend more time with their family, McCutcheon and Mark added. McCutcheon and Mark explained that words used by government leaders and politicians can be very confusing. They said their book is an effort to explain the hidden meanings. Here are some other examples from their book: Slow walk: Means to delay something from happening. An example: When Senate Democrats brought up a bill to reduce climate change, Republican opponents demanded that every page of the 492-page bill be read out loud on the Senate floor. Officials eventually voted on the bill, but getting there was a slow walk. Revolving door: It does not refer to a real door that moves from the open to closed position. Rather, it refers to the common practice of going from a government agency that regulates a business to working for that same business. Activists say that politicians cannot govern well if they are always passing through the revolving door between government service and private industry. Washington handshake: The authors say this phrase describes talking to a person while looking over his shoulder in case a more important person enters the room. You can be sure that when the more important person arrives, the discussion with the less important person will stop. I'm Bruce Alpert.   Bruce Alpert reported this story for VOA Learning English. ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on our Facebook Page. Do you use any words that have a different meaning to you than what the dictionary says? ___________________________________________________________ Words in this Story whistle - n. a small device that makes a very high and loud sound when a person blows air through it. In this case, the authors are referring to words some politicians use to appeal to voters’ emotions handshake - n. the act of grasping someone's right hand with your right hand and moving it up and down confusing - adj. difficult to understand regulate - v. to make rules or laws that control something shoulder - n. the part of your body where your arm is connected

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News Words: Augmented Reality

You will know this week's news word if you play Pokeman Go.

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LLE31Q4

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Nobel in Chemistry Goes to Makers of “World’s Smallest Machines”

Three scientists have won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work in developing tiny machines. The three men are Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Sir James Fraser Stoddart and Bernard Feringa. They designed extremely thin molecular machines. The machines are said to be 1,000 times thinner than a single piece of hair and have parts that move when energy is added. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said the scientists’ work could lead to developments in new materials and energy storage systems. The science of making things unimaginably small is called nanotechnology. Nanotechnology gets its name from a measure of distance. A nanometer, or nano, is one-thousand-millionth of a meter, about the size of atoms and molecules. Jean-Paul Sauvage of France is a retired professor at the University of Strasbourg. He began the work on a molecular machine in 1983 when he successfully linked together two molecules shaped like a circle or ring. It marked the first time chemists were able to make a molecule act in such a way. Fraser Stoddart is a professor of chemistry at Northwestern University in the United States. In 1991, he built on Sauvage’s work. He found a way to move the molecular ring onto a molecular axle and was able to move the ring along the axle. Bernard Feringa is a professor of organic chemistry at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. In 1999, he developed a molecular motor. It used a molecular blade that turned continuously in the same direction. Sara Snogerup Linse explained the importance of their work to reporters in Stockholm. "Maybe this morning you ground your coffee, maybe you used a motorized vehicle to get here - you used man-made machines operating on the centimeter to meter length scale. It's been a dream of scientists for over half a century to take this development all the way down to the molecular scale - that's nanometers. A nanometer is one million times smaller than a millimeter..." Snogerup Linse is chair of the Nobel Chemistry Committee. Sauvage, Stoddart and Feringa will share a $930,000 prize for their work. They will also receive a medal and diploma at an award ceremony on December 10. I’m Anne Ball.   Joshua Fatzick reported on this story for VOANews.com. George Grow adapted his report for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. ____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   tiny – adj. very small​ ring – n. an object in the shape of a circle axle – n. a long, straight object on which a wheel or other wheels turn blade – n. a flat, turning part that is used on some machines to push air or water medal – n. a piece of metal often in the form of a coin with designs and words in honor of a special event, a person, or an achievement diploma – n. a document given in recognition of something   We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

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Google Launches New ‘Pixel’ Smartphone

  Google has announced its first smartphone designed in-house, the Pixel. The company showed the new phone to the world during a launch event Tuesday in San Francisco, California. “So today, I’m very excited to introduce you to a new phone made by Google, we call it Pixel.” That was Rick Osterloh, head of Google’s newly-formed hardware group. Google’s Android operating system already runs millions of phones worldwide. In the past, the company has sold phones and tablets under the Nexus name.​ But the Pixel smartphone marks a change by Google to design and build its own devices, rather than just supplying software to other manufacturers. In addition to the smartphone, the company also launched several other high-tech devices designed to compete with main rivals Apple and Amazon. One of the main features of Pixel is that it includes the company’s latest artificial intelligence service, called Google Assistant. Users can talk directly to Google Assistant to ask questions, get information or even to perform tasks.  Google Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai said the idea behind Google Assistant is to provide a useful, personal experience for device users.   “Just like we built a Google for everyone, we want to build each user his or her own individual Google.” Google Assistant uses technology similar to that of Apple’s Siri service, and Microsoft’s Cortana system.  Pichai called Pixel the “first phone made by Google, inside and out.” Taiwan-based HTC manufactures the phone but Google says it completely designed and built Pixel. Here are some of the main features of the new Pixel smartphones. Two sizes and prices The phone comes in two sizes, 12.7 centimeters, or 14 centimeters. The price of the smaller phone starts at $649. The larger one, called Pixel XL, will cost $769. Users can upgrade either phone from 32 GB to 128 GB for $100 more. The prices are comparable to Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy models. The phones have an aluminum body and glass case, sold in three colors – Quite Black, Very Silver and Really Blue. Improved camera and video quality Pixel has a 12.3 megapixel camera that the company calls the “best smartphone camera” ever made. Google cited a review from DXOMark, which gave Pixel a rating of 89 out of 100. This is better than the 86 score given the iPhone 7, and the 88 rating for the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. The company said camera speed is also faster, permitting users to take photos without delay. A demonstration showed a user recording video as they walked down a street. The video suggested that the phone’s new video stabilization technology records images smoothly. Processing and OS A Snapdragon 821 processor, run by Android’s newest OS, Nougat, powers the phone. No storage limit Using Google’s cloud system, Pixel phones can store unlimited photos and video.  Battery life Google says Pixel can get users through the day with one charge. It also says the battery can charge for seven hours of use in just 15 minutes.   Easier updates Software upgrades are easier with Pixel because when a new update is available, it is automatically downloaded and installed. The next time the phone is turned on, the update is complete. 24/7 support Google offers a service built into the Pixel phones that lets users talk with helpers at any time to solve problems. The phones have a screen sharing option, so the helper can see exactly what the user is seeing. A highlight of the launch event came when the company’s vice president of product management, Brian Rakowski, showed off some of the Google Assistant’s human-like actions. The Pixel phones are already being sold in the GoogleStore, and will be distributed through mobile carriers throughout the world. I’m Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on the Google launch event, as well as reports from VOANews.com and the Associated Press. Caty Weaver was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   introduce – v. to make someone or something known for the first time hardware – n. the machine or equipment parts of a computer  artificial intelligence – n. the development of computers to perform intelligence-related tasks without human involvement upgrade – v. improve something to a better or newer model cloud system – n. a way to store and regularly access computer data on multiple servers through the internet  

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October 5, 2016

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

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Chess Rules in Film "Queen of Katwe"

  Many films about Africa tell about violence and war. But the new movie "Queen of Katwe" tells a story about a chess expert. The heroine is a young girl from a slum in Uganda who works in a food market. Then she learns to play chess. The film is based on a true story. Robert Katende is the girl’s teacher. He is played by actor David Oyelowo. Katende has seen the girl looking into the room where other children are playing chess and eating free food. Phiona Mutesi is played by actress Madina Nalwanga. “What is your name?” “Phiona.” Katende talks to a young girl in the room. “Can you please show Phiona how to move the pieces?” Learning how to play chess changes Phiona’s life. She learns the game at a place that helps the poor children of Kampala, Uganda. Katende tells her to have big dreams. “What is preventing you from being a grand master?” “I do not know about being a grand master.” “Sometimes the place you are used to, it is not the place you belong. You belong where you believe you belong. Where is that for you, Phiona?” The girl learns that Katende grew up in the same slums where she now lives. He studied engineering at a university. Oyelowo told VOA the film uses the story of a poor girl to tell about Africa and the African people. “Often when we see films coming out of Africa, it’s child soldiers, it’s dictators, it’s poverty, it’s disease. But we very rarely get to see these positive images, we very rarely get to see the self-possession of the people, and the fact that they can take care of themselves from within, they don’t need help necessarily from without.” In the film, Katende tries to convince Phiona’s mother to let her and her brother travel to a private school for a chess competition. Phiona’s mother Harriet is played by Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o. “This is a chance for them to visit the finest school in the country.” “Well, how can I pay school fees?” Harriet’s husband has died and she must work hard to survive. Nyong’o says Harriet is very protective of her children. “…she has to learn that in order to really love her daughter, she has to learn to let her go and risk failure, and that's how Phiona ends up being the champion that she becomes.”  The real Phiona Mutesi defends her mother. “I don’t blame her for what she was doing because of where we were living. She had to protect me because there is a lot of raping, kind of things, so she couldn’t allow me to go out from house. But then after some time she allowed me to go out and start practicing. Right now, she is so happy with whatever is going on, she is excited.”  Today, Phiona Mutesi is a chess grand master and has taken part in two international chess competitions. I’m Caty Weaver. VOA Entertainment Correspondent Penelope Poulou reported this story from Washington. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it into VOA Special English. Kelly Jean Kelly 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 chess - n. a game for two players in which each player moves 16 pieces across a board and tries to place the opponent's king in a position from which it cannot escape​ heroine - n.  the chief female character in a story, play, movie, etc.​ slum - n. an area of a city where poor people live and the buildings are in bad condition​ grand master - n. an expert player in chess who has scored very high in international competition positive - adj. good or useful​  

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Wildlife Convention Protects Animals Great and Small

  Delegates from around the world met this week in Johannesburg, South Africa to discuss how to stop the trade in endangered animals. Representatives from 183 countries attended the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species conference, known as CITES. The delegates discussed about 500 animals. The pangolin, or scaly anteater, was among them. Pangolins are mammals found in Asia, India and Africa. They eat insects. Hunters catch pangolins and sell them for their meat and their scales. Some cultures believe the scales can be used in medicine. They are the most illegally traded animal in the world. While CITES often deals with the protection of large animals like big cats, elephants and rhinoceroses, it also pays attention to smaller animals. One of the first agreements to come from the convention was to reclassify all eight species of pangolins. They are now in the most protected group of animals. This means the CITES considers them in danger of extinction. John Scanlon is the CITES Secretary General. He said they used to call the pangolin “little-known.” But in recent years, Prince William spoke out against the pangolin trade. Scanlon said he is pleased a famous person brought attention to the pangolin. But he noted that there are still hundreds of small, unknown animals that need help. “But, we’ve got the snakes here, we’ve got the lizards here, we’ve got the frogs here. And some really interesting ones, the earless monitor [lizard], the Titicaca frog, the psychedelic rock gecko; there are some really interesting animals there that nobody’s paid much attention to.” Dan Ashe is the director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He said it is hard to make people aware of strange animals. “We’re dealing with things like the Delhi Sands flower-loving fly or the Houston toad. These are things which often the public questions, ‘why is this important, why should we save this?" Jen Creamer is president of Animal Defenders International. She said even a cockroach has a “strange sort of beauty.” Events like CITES provide the chance for discussion of all sorts of animals. “With certain species it takes time to realize that they’re in trouble.” One of the species Ashe is happy to see thriving is a small fish called the Oregon chub. It took nearly 20 years to bring the fish’s population back to strong levels. The Titicaca water frog is another endangered animal that could use the support of a prince, or even a movie star. The Peruvian animal faces the threat of fungal infection and predatory fish. I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise. Anita Powell wrote this story for VOANews.com. Dan Friedell adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. What do you think of the efforts to protect these animals? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   endangered – adj. used to describe a type of animal or plant that has become very rare and that could die out completely mammal – n. a type of animal that feeds milk to its young and that usually has hair or fur covering most of its skin scale – n. one of many small thin plates that cover the bodies of some animals (such as fish or snakes) psychedelic – adj. suggesting the effects of psychedelic drugs by having bright colors, strange sounds, etc. predatory – adj. an animal, fish or insect that lives by eating others aware – adj. knowing that something (such as a situation, condition, or problem) exists reclassify – v. to reconsider an arrangement of people or things that have already been grouped by ways they are alike

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