November 14, 2016

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

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Facebook CEO Denies False News Influenced US Election

  Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has denied that untrue stories appearing on the social media site affected the results of the American presidential election. In a Facebook post, Zuckerberg said many people were questioning whether fake news had influenced the election results. He said he takes such questions seriously and that Facebook has a responsibility to try to prevent fake stories from spreading. Last week, businessman Donald Trump became president-elect of the United States after defeating former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The voting was very close. Many opinion surveys in the days before the election had predicted that Clinton would win.       Zuckerberg said that, of all the stories and other content posted on Facebook, about “99 percent” of what people see is real. “Only a very small amount is fake news and hoaxes. The hoaxes that do exist are not limited to one partisan view, or even to politics,” he said.   The Facebook founder said this makes it “extremely unlikely” that fake news stories changed the election results in one direction or the other. But he added that he doesn’t want such stories to appear on Facebook. “Our goal is to show people the content they will find most meaningful, and people want accurate news,” he said. Zuckerberg also commented on the issue while attending a technology conference last week in California. He said he found it “a pretty crazy idea” that people would be influenced by fake news on Facebook. “Voters make decisions based on their lived experiences,” he said. “You don’t generally go wrong when you trust that people understand what they care about and what’s important to them, and you build systems that reflect that.” In his post, Zuckerberg said Facebook depends a lot on users to identify and inform the company about fake stories appearing in users' News Feeds. He said the service is working on new ways to prevent untrue news from spreading, but admitted that “identifying the ‘truth’ is complicated.” He explained that some stories are clearly false. But others get part of a story right, and then add wrong details or leave out important facts. “I believe we must be extremely cautious about becoming arbiters of truth ourselves,” Zuckerberg said.   Recently, Facebook teamed up with members of the First Draft Coalition to come up with ways to prevent fake news. The coalition includes companies such as The New York Times, Twitter and the broadcaster CNN. The group was formed to answer the growing number of fake news stories on social media sites. Facebook has said it uses an algorithm, not human beings, to choose its “trending news.” An algorithm is a series of steps used to complete a computer process or solve a mathematical problem. This method has been questioned because many untrue stories are still getting published. Media experts say much of the fake news is posted to generate advertising, while other stories are designed to influence political opinion.  Zuckerberg was asked whether Facebook could have predicted the election results based on its large amount of user data. Hedid not answer the question directly. But he did say that no one should be surprised that Donald Trump had more followers on Facebook than Hillary Clinton. He said this is because Trump’s posts got a lot more engagement – both support and opposition – from Facebook users. Overall, Zuckerberg said he is pleased that Facebook was able to connect people with each other and with their candidates during the campaign. He noted that the company helped more than 2 million people register to vote, and helped users share billions of posts and comments about the election.   I’m Ashley Thompson. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for Learning English, based on reports from VOA News and the Associated Press. George Grow 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   fake - adj. not true or real hoax – n. trick meant to make people believe something false partisan – adj. strongly supporting a particular leader, group, or cause accurate – adj. correct or exact complicated – adj. hard to understand or deal with cautious – adj. taking care to avoid risk or danger arbiter – n. person who decides what is right or proper team up – ​phrasal verb. to join with someone to work together engagement – n. – level of involvement in something  

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Immigrants Keep U.S. Birth Rates from Dropping

In the United States, immigrants are keeping birth rates from dropping. That information comes from a new study. The Pew Research Center, an independent research group, reported the finding. According to the study, U.S.-born women gave birth to 3.10 babies in 2014. That is down from the 3.46 million born in 1970. Since that year, births to immigrant women have jumped by more than 300 percent. It reached 901,000 births in 2014. More Babies Born to Asian Immigrants Pew’s researchers say more than half of the foreign-born mothers are from nine countries and one U.S. territory. Those countries include Mexico, China, India, El Salvador, Guatemala, and the Philippines. Also on the list are Honduras, Vietnam, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Asian immigrants now represent 22 percent of U.S. births by foreign women, up from 16 percent in 2010, the Pew study found. It is not just that there are more immigrant women living in the United States. Foreign-born women are having more children than U.S.-born women, Pew said. In 2014, there were 58.3 births for every 1,000 U.S.-born women of childbearing age. The number is 84.2 per 1,000 foreign-born women. Birth Rates Down Generally Birth rates for both U.S.-born and foreign-born women are down since 1970. But the 2014 rate for foreign-born women is similar to the rate for U.S.-born women 40 years ago, Pew said. The drop in total fertility rates has been sharp since the economic recession of 2008, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The term total fertility rates mean how many children the average woman will have in her lifetime. Among immigrant women, the fertility rate dropped from 2.7 in 2008 to 2.2 in 2014, the Census Bureau said. For American-born women, the rate dropped from 2.1 to 1.8. According to the Pew report, 51 percent of foreign-born mothers spent at least 11 years in the United States before having a baby. Just nine percent had arrived less than two years earlier, it said. The report found that 275,000 babies were born to undocumented immigrants in 2014. William Frey is with the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. If it were not for immigrants, Frey said, the U.S. birth rate would be much lower and that could result in shortages of workers. “My view is that we actually need more young people in this country and that immigrants and their children are going to fill that need,” Frey said. Steven Camarota is director of research for the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington. The center supports calls to limit immigration. Camarota said it is true immigrants are generally young. That means they can fill jobs and help support programs that provide health and retirement assistance for older Americans. Those retirement programs are projected to run short of money in coming years as more Americans grow older and leave the workforce. But Camarota said immigrants also generally earn less money than native-born Americans and, as a result, use more social welfare programs. That takes tax money away from other services, he said. He added that lower birth rates for immigrants are offset by higher yearly immigration totals. Fewer Unmarried Women Having Babies The Pew Research Center report also reported a drop in the percentage of births to unmarried foreign-born mothers. It is down from 37 percent in 2008 to 33 percent in 2014. At the same time, the rate has held steady for U.S.-born women, Pew reported. It now stands at 42 percent. I’m Bruce Alpert.   Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on our Facebook Page. ____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   childbearing - adj. the age in which women can give birth actually - adv. used to refer to what is true or real welfare - adj. a government program for poor or unemployed people that helps pay for their food, housing, medical costs according – adv. as stated by or in steady – adj. unchanged; direct or sure in movement  

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President-elect Trump to Meet with China's Xi

  American President-elect Donald-Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are reported to be planning a meeting to discuss relations between their countries. Chinese state television said the two men agreed on Monday to meet “at an early date.” The two spoke by telephone. The Chinese leader congratulated the businessman on his recent win in the U.S. presidential election. Chinese state television said Xi told Trump that “the only correct choice for China and the United States” is to cooperate. Trump’s office in New York said that “During the call, the leaders established a clear sense of mutual respect for one another.” In addition, “President-elect Trump stated that he believes the two leaders will have one of the strongest relationships for both countries moving forward.” During the campaign, Trump was critical of Chinese trade policies and efforts to influence the value of China’s currency on foreign exchange markets. He also threatened new taxes on Chinese goods being sold to the United States. Joseph Cheng formerly served as a professor at City University of Hong Kong. Cheng told VOA that Trump’s election comes at a time when China’s economy is slowing. He said that Chinese experts are hopeful over what they see as Trump’s isolationist ideas. They believe that, after he becomes president, the United States might reduce its security guarantees to Japan and South Korea. Cheng also said China is worried that Trump will put in place protectionist trade policies at a time when the Chinese economy is dependent on foreign trade. South China Sea Disputes During the campaign, Trump did not talk much about territorial disputes in the South China Sea. So it is not clear how he feels about China’s recent moves to develop the waterway. But some experts believe Trump will make a few strong military moves in the area to prove a point. They think he then will stop doing so and begin working with China on economic issues. China claims about 95 percent of the South China Sea, which covers an area from Taiwan to Singapore. In 2010, China began expanding its control in the sea. Sean King is a senior vice president at Park Strategies, a political advisory service. He says experts believe Trump may order U.S. naval ships to sail through the 3.5 million-square-kilometer sea to show it is open to all countries. These experts believe such a move would support anti-China statements Trump made during the campaign. And they say it would make him appear stronger than President Barack Obama, who leaves office in January. Trump has yet to announce his policy on the South China Sea. The United States is not among the six countries that claim control of some parts of the sea. But Obama has used warnings and has moved military resources into some areas to push China back. On his campaign website, Trump said a larger deployment of American military resources would slow Chinese “adventurism.” Trump also criticized China for taking control of disputed islands in the sea and reclaiming land for others. China has reclaimed an estimated 1,295 hectares. Trump’s policy on Asia might become clearer when he announces who will serve in high-level positions in his administration. Trump has called China a “cheater” and a “currency manipulator.” But experts believe he will seek to work with the Chinese leadership because China’s large market and many factories are important to American businesses. Exports of American goods to China totaled $113 billion in 2015. The US-China Business Council, a not-for-profit group, reported that China is the third-largest importer of American products after Canada and Mexico. Lin Chong-pin is a retired strategic affairs professor in Taipei. He says Trump may reduce the military budget as he deals with domestic issues. That would limit U.S. military action in the South China Sea. And that, he says, would make China very happy.   I’m Jonathan Evans.   VOA’s Fern Robinson and Victor Beattie reported this story from Washington. Ralph Jennings reported from Taipei. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted their stories for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.   We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   currency – n. the money that a country uses isolationist – adj. of or relating to the idea that a country should not be involved with other countries benefit – n. a good or helpful effect

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New Test Could Find Cancer Earlier

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report. Cancer is a leading cause of death around the world. When it comes to cancer, the sooner you know you have it, the better your chances of surviving. A new blood test could change the way doctors and researchers find cancer in patients. Researchers say the test could provide clues to the early forms of the disease. Scientists at the University of Swansea in Wales came up with the idea. Gareth Jenkins is a professor at the university. He says he and his team did not look for cancer. They instead looked for a by-product of cancer. They looked for, what Jenkins calls, the collateral damage of cancer – the damage left by the disease. In this case, the by-product was mutated red blood cells. "In this blood test we don't measure the presence of cancer, we measure the presence of mutated red blood cells which are the collateral damage that occurs -- a by-product of the cancer developing." The researchers used normal laboratory equipment to perform the tests. This equipment looks for changes in the structure of millions of red blood cells. Those mutated cells lack a surface protein that healthy cells normally have. "The essence of the test is looking for very rare cells which have picked up a mutation. The number of mutated red blood cells in a healthy person are around 5 or so mutant cells per million; so, you have to look at millions of red blood cells to detect those rare events. These numbers increase in cancer patients -- they go up to 40 or 50 mutants on average." The researchers tested blood from about 300 people, all of whom have cancer of the esophagus. Patients with esophageal cancer have high levels of mutated red blood cells. Jenkins says that at this point he is not sure if other cancers would produce similar results. "We've only been looking at esophageal cancer patients. ‘Do other types of cancer patients have high levels of these mutant red blood cells as well?’ We don't know the answer to that question at present." The hope is that the new test and other non-invasive methods could one day become part of commonly used medical methods. He says that using a battery, or series, of tests will be the best way to find out if a person has cancer. "A battery of tests, based on different principles looking at blood, looking at different bodily fluids -- breath, urine -- will be the best way of getting a comprehensive view of whether an individual might or might not have cancer." These new technologies could save millions of lives. I’m Anna Matteo. Deborah Block reported this story from Washington for VOANews.com. Anna Matteo adapted her report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ___________________________________________________________ Words in This Story non-invasive – adj. medical : done without cutting the body or putting something into the body collateral damage – n. injury inflicted on something other than an intended target; specifically : civilian casualties of a military operation mutate – v. biology : to cause (a gene) to change and create an unusual characteristic in a plant or animal : to cause mutation in (a gene) mutation – n. a significant and basic alteration essence – n. the basic nature of a thing : the quality or qualities that make a thing what it is battery – n. a group or series of tests; especially :  a group of intelligence or personality tests given to a subject as an aid in psychological analysis principle – n. a law or fact of nature that explains how something works or why something happens comprehensive – adj. including many, most, or all things view – n. an opinion or way of thinking about something

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Earth’s Arctic Ice Disappears, Scientists Study Nearest Exoplanet

Each year, more ice disappears from the Arctic Ocean. A new study blames human activity for the loss. The damage is caused, the study says, by greenhouse gases coming from vehicles, airplanes and other human activities. These gases capture heat and warm the atmosphere, melting the ice. The study was published in the journal Science.   Greenhouse gases are produced when fuel is burned to take a passenger on a flight from New York to Europe, or a person driving 4,000 kilometers in a gasoline-powered car. These activities emit enough heat-trapping gas to melt three square meters of ice on the Arctic Ocean, according to the study. Carbon dioxide emissions warming the planet There is a “very clear linear relationship” between carbon dioxide emissions and sea ice retreat in September, according to Dirk Notz. He is a climate scientist at Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Germany, and the study’s lead author. He said this is especially the case at the southern boundaries of the Arctic Ocean. “It’s very simple.  Those emissions from our tailpipes and our coal-fired power plants are all going into the atmosphere,” said Julienne Stroeve, a co-author of the study. She is a climate scientist at both the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado, and University College in London. The study said limits on the increase in the world’s temperature called for in the Paris Agreement on climate change are not enough for the Arctic summer sea ice to survive. The Paris Agreement calls for keeping the global rise in temperature to below two degrees Celcius. The study said at current carbon emission amounts, the ocean around the North Pole would likely be ice-free in September in about 30 years. Closest planet may be able to hold life Our next story comes from a star not too far from our own sun. More details are coming out about the nearest exoplanet to our own solar system.     In August, a team of astronomers announced that they had discovered a small planet. They called the planet Proxima b. It orbits the star Proxima Centauri. It is the closest planet to our solar system, a little more than four light years away from our sun. The scientists said the planet appears to be in the so-called Goldilocks zone—meaning the conditions there could support life. Last Monday, a group searching for intelligent life beyond Earth called Breakthrough Listen, announced a new effort. Breakthrough Listen said it is using the Parkes Radio Telescope in Australia to listen for possible life on Proxima b. Because the telescope is in the southern hemisphere, it has a direct line to try to reach the planet. “The chances of any particular planet hosting intelligent life-forms are probably minuscule,” said Andrew Siemion, director of UC Berkeley SETI Research Center. “But once we knew there was a planet right next door, we had to ask the question, and it was a fitting first observation for Parkes. To find a civilization just 4.2 light years away would change everything.” As the closest known exoplanet, Proxima b is also the main target for Breakthrough Listen's partner program, Breakthrough Starshot. That program is developing technology to send small spacecraft to explore our nearest stars. More details on Proxima b A recent study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters provided more details about Proxima b. It says that the conditions on the planet increase the chances that it can support life. Researchers say Proxima b could be an ocean planet. It may be covered with the same kind of oceans below its surface that might exist on some of the moons orbiting the planets Jupiter and Saturn. A team of researchers from the Marseille Astrophysics Laboratory said Proxima b could be an “ocean planet with an ocean covering its entire surface.”  The size and qualities of the planet “favor its habitability,” they said. The study also finds that the Proxima b, like Mercury in our solar system, has a metal core—the inside part of the planet. Researchers say its core accounts for two-thirds of its mass. They add that its mass is similar to Earth. The U.S. space agency, NASA, says it looks forward to additional research to know about the radius of the planet. Without knowing the radius, it is “impossible to know what the planet looks like, or what it is made of.” The radius of a planet sometimes is measured during transit, when it passes in front of a star. But Proxima b is not known to transit. I’m Bryan Lynn, and I'm  Anne Ball. Smita Nordwall, Rick Pantelo and others reported on this story for VOANews.com. Anne Ball adapted this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and find us on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________   Words in This Story emit – v. to send (light, energy, etc.) out from a source linear – adj. forming a straight line solar system – n. our sun and the planets that move around it minuscule – adj. very small Goldilocks zone – n. a place in outer space that is not too hot, or too cold and could hold life exoplanet – n. a planet outside our solar system radius – n.  a measure, taken from a straight line from the center of a circle or sphere to a point on the outer edge

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American Voters Decided More Than Just the Presidency

On Election Day, American voters decided more than who would go to the White House next year. Voters in 35 states were asked to decide more than 150 policy questions, such as legalizing use of the drug marijuana and restrictions on gun ownership. Marijuana use Voters in Arkansas, Florida, Montana and North Dakota approved measures to permit marijuana use for medical purposes. A majority of states now let patients use the drug for some medical conditions. In California, Maine and Massachusetts, people over 21 may now use marijuana even without a medical need. But voters in Arizona rejected the legalization of recreational marijuana. Gun control California voters approved a measure to severely limit people’s ability to buy ammunition for large guns. In the state of Washington, voters approved a plan to temporarily ban people who show signs of mental problems or violence from possessing a gun.     In Nevada, voters passed a measure to expand investigations into individuals taking part in nearly all private sales and exchanges of guns. But a similar measure failed in Maine. Minimum wage The federal government currently requires all American businesses to pay workers at least $7.25 an hour. Three states agreed to raise that rate to as much as $12 an hour by 2020. In the state of Washington, voters approved a measure to raise the minimum wage to $13.50 an hour, also by 2020. But in South Dakota, voters lowered the minimum wage for people under age 18 by about one dollar. Death penalty Californians rejected a measure to end the state’s right to use execution as a way to punish criminals.  In Nebraska, voters agreed to re-establish a court’s right to sentence some prisoners to death. And in Oklahoma, residents approved a measure to make it harder to cancel the death penalty. Education California voters made it easier for schools to teach in languages other than English. And in Georgia, voters said the state cannot take control of public schools that fail year after year. Other measures In California, voters rejected a measure that would require people in adult films to wear condoms during sex scenes. Coloradans voted on a measure related to adults with a life-threatening health disorder. Voters agreed to let such individuals end their life with doctor-approved medication. The measure will require three health experts to confirm that natural death is near and also confirm that the patients are making the decision for themselves. Voters in the District of Columbia approved a measure to make the U.S. capital the 51st state. The decision has no immediate effect. Instead, voters say they hope their opinion puts pressure on the next government to end D.C.’s lack of representation in Congress. I’m Jonathan Evans Kelly Jean Kelly wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story minimum – adj. the lowest amount of number of something condom – n. a thin rubber that a man wears during sex to prevent pregnancy or to the spread of disease penalty – n. punishment scene – n. a part of a movie or play in which a certain activity takes place

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Climate Change, Dams Threaten Vietnam Rice Industry

The government of Vietnam is seeking to help the main rice-producing part of the country deal with difficult agricultural issues. The area is known as the Mekong Delta. It is home to 18 million of Vietnam’s 94 million people. More than half of the country’s rice is grown in the area, which feeds more than 145 million people in Asia. The Mekong begins in Tibet. It passes through six countries: China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Some of these countries are building dams that are affecting the river. Climate change Worries about the future of the Mekong Delta increased after an extreme lack of water this year caused the area to become saltier than normal. The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization, or FAO, said rice production fell by 1.1 million tons. Philip Hirsch is a professor at Sydney University. He says climate change is causing sea levels to rise and bringing more storms to the area.  “One of the big concerns is the amount of salt water and the distance the salt water moves up various Mekong tributaries into the Delta, which again threatens the viability of rice farming,” he said. International scientists are working with scientists in Vietnam to find solutions to the problems. Their project is called CLUES, which stands for climate change affecting land use in the Mekong Delta. N.D. Phong is one of the leaders of the project. He said among the issues the Mekong Delta faces are rising levels of salt and fresh water, higher temperatures, rising greenhouse gases and a large population. The Delta also faces the possibility of lower rainfall, reduced numbers of farm laborers and reduced valuable land. CLUES scientists are developing kinds of rice that can grow in areas of rising salinity, when water levels are too high, and in dry conditions. Australia’s Center for International Agricultural Research, or ACIAR, is also helping Vietnam improve rice production. ACIAR scientists say Vietnamese rice farmers have adapted to changing conditions over the past 30 years. They are still worried about the future however. Leocadio Sebastian is based in Vietnam as a regional program leader for South East Asia for the International Rice Research Institute, or IRRI. He says Vietnam is going to try to increase farm incomes and rice quality. He says IRRI and the Vietnamese government are going to try to get farmers to grow two crops a year instead of three. They also want them to grow higher-value grain. Sebastian told VOA “they have to position the Vietnam rice to a higher quality and higher priced level so that the farmers now and in the future can have a better income from rice production.” Hydropower dams Scientists say the area also faces a threat from the increasing numbers of hydroelectric dams being built on the Mekong River in China, Laos and Cambodia. Chris Barlow is an ACIAR fisheries expert. He says the dams will have a severe effect on the lower Mekong area. In a report about the conflicts between hydro-power and fisheries, he wrote that “China has completed three large dams on the Mekong and five (more) are being built or being planned. These dams have major impacts on hydrology and completely block fish migration in the Upper Mekong.” He said plans for nine high-level dams in Laos and two being built in Cambodia will have “severe impacts” on fisheries and food security. Scientists say the dams will change the flow of rivers and tributaries and lower water temperatures, among other effects. Barlow says hydro-power may produce economic gains, but “the fishery and other ecosystem services provided by the river will be permanently degraded.” Le Anh Tuan is the deputy head of the Institute of Climate Change Research at Can Tho University. Le told Vietnamese media that damming threatens the future of the Mekong Delta. Sydney University’s Hirsch says Vietnam’s government needs to be “more assertive” with members of the intergovernmental Mekong River Commission. He says the group should “try and put a brake on the very rapid pattern of hydrological development in the upstream countries.” Hirsch fears the area’s most-productive years may have been before damming on the river began. He says in the early 1990s, Vietnam, once a large importer of rice, became the world’s second largest exporter. Hirsh says efforts by China, and more recently Laos, to put dams on the river may have started a drop in food production in the Mekong Delta area. I’m John Russell.   Correspondent Ron Corben reported this story from Bangkok. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it into VOA Special 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   tributary – n. a stream that flows into a larger stream or river or into a lake viability – adj. capable of succeeding adapt – v. to change your behavior so that it is easier to live in a particular place or situation value – adj. the amount of money that something is worth; the price or cost of something degrade – v. to make the quality of (something) worse assertive – adj. confident in behavior or style brake – n. something used to slow or stop movement or activity (usually + on) pattern – n. the regular and repeated way in which something happens or is done

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Growing Vegetables Without Soil Inside the Home

  Have you ever wanted to grow your own food inside your home? Scientists in Finland have developed a device that may do just that. It lacks soil and does not look like a normal vegetable garden. But, the small device, called the Cell Pod, grows edible plant cells in the home. Lauri Reuter is a biologist with the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. He says that instead of using the complete plant as food, scientists take only a small part of it – cells – and grow them in a bio-reactor. These plants have much of the same nutritional value that a real plant has. The edible plant cells, once fully grown, do not look very good. The Finnish researchers say they also need to improve the taste. However, the Cell Pod can provide important vitamins and antioxidants, which are substances that help your body to be healthy. Lauri Reuter adds that the new technology will not replace fields for growing fruits and vegetables. However, the Cell Pod can help people eat foods that are hard to find or that cannot be made in a sustainable way. In other words, the device could help save natural resources. All you would need to do is add the seed culture to the device, sit back and then wait. Reuter says the seed culture looks a lot like a very small container filled with coffee. You put it into the device and give it water. The machine does the rest of the work. The researchers hope to have a version of the Cell Pod on the market in the next 10 years. I’m John Russell. Kevin Enochs reported on this story for VOANews.com. John Russell adapted this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story edible – adj. suitable or safe to eat nutritional – adj. eating the right kind of food so you can grow properly and be healthy antioxidant – n. a substance that is added to food and other products to prevent harmful chemical reactions in which oxygen is combined with other substances sustainable – adj. able to be used without being completely used up or destroyed culture – n. the process of growing living material is a prepared mixture

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Washington Show Celebrates the Art of the Quran

A show with more than 60 of the most important manuscripts of and about the Quran opened recently in Washington, DC. The books and documents were created over more than a thousand years in countries across the Islamic world -- from North Africa to Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan. “The Art of the Qu’ran” is the first major exhibition of its kind in the United States. It can be seen at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, which is part of the world famous Smithsonian Institution. Massumeh Farhad is the chief curator of the Sackler Gallery. She is also responsible for its collection of Islamic art. She talked about the first thing visitors to the exhibit see -- a very colorful, large manuscript. “It certainly is one of the biggest and certainly the heaviest. It weighs some 60 kilos and it is quite remarkable. Many of these manuscripts were created primarily for display. They were given as gifts to mosques and, and mausolea.” Most of the exhibit’s manuscripts are from The Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts in Istanbul. Others are from the Smithsonian’s permanent collection. The oldest were produced in 7th-century Damascus, Syria, while the most recent works are from 17th-century Istanbul. Some works come from the burial places of Ottoman sultans in what is now Turkey. The sultans’ power once extended from southeast Europe to northern Africa and the Middle East. “They were created for some of the most powerful sultans -- rulers in these regions. And eventually, after many years, they were acquired by the Ottoman royal family.” Massumeh Farhad says although each book or document has the same wording, they look different in appearance. She says the skill of the artists has made each manuscript a special work of art. “For instance, there is a manuscript by the calligrapher Yaqut, who is probably one of the greatest calligraphers to have ever worked in the Islamic world, from the late 12th -- early 13th century.” The exhibit shows the beauty of the calligraphy and the extremely fine details of the Qurans. It also tells the stories of some of the manuscripts, their makers and earlier owners. “We hope that visitors, whatever their interest, will come and take away some of these stories. Some, some may be interested in the calligraphy, some may be interested in particular calligraphers, or in the art of Illumination, and the way that the exhibition is organized we hope that we have something for all of the visitors.” The Quran exhibit continues at the Sackler Gallery through February 20, 2017. Many parts of the show can be seen online. I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise. VOA’s June Soh reported this story from Washington. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted her report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story manuscript – n. the original copy of a play, book, piece of music, etc., often before it has been printed exhibition – n. an event at which objects (such as works of art) are put out in a public space for people to look at; a public show of something curator – n. a person who is in charge of the things in a museum remarkable – adj. unusual or surprising; likely to be noticed mausolea – n. plural of mausoleum a stone building with places for the dead bodies of several people or the body of an important person calligrapher – n. a person who writes with beautiful and artistic handwriting particular – adj. used to indicate that one specific person or thing is being referred to and no others Illumination – n. a gold or colored decoration in an old book  

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Everyday Grammar: Provide For/With/To

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