Japanese Troops Arrive in South Sudan with Expanded Role

  Japanese troops arrived in South Sudan this week to join a United Nations peacekeeping force. The troops are replacing a group of Japanese peacekeepers who served in the U.N. Mission in South Sudan. The main job for the 350 Japanese soldiers will be to help build roads or other infrastructure in the country. They are also under orders to use force if needed. The earlier Japanese peacekeepers were not permitted to use force. Last year, Japan’s government approved legislation to expand the duties of its military members deployed overseas. Under the measure, Japanese troops can use force to protect themselves and other civilians. They are permitted to act on calls for help from people working for U.N. agencies or aid groups. There are also plans to let the Japanese troops guard U.N. bases. Some bases have been attacked in South Sudan’s civil war. Military officials say all the Japanese troops will be in the country by the middle of December. It is the first time that Japanese peacekeeping forces will be permitted to use force while on duty since World War II. The violence in South Sudan started in December 2013. The clashes are between forces supporting President Salva Kiir and those loyal to former vice president Riek Machar. The two sides reached a peace deal in 2015. But fighting restarted in July when forces loyal to Machar launched an attack on the presidential palace in Juba, the capital. The fighting is largely happening along ethnic lines. Tens of thousands of people have been killed. The war has damaged South Sudan’s economy and created a humanitarian crisis. More than 2 million people have been displaced, and nearly 5 million are believed to be lacking necessary food. There are more than 12,000 U.N. peacekeepers in South Sudan. The U.N. mission there has faced criticism for failing to protect civilians. In July, two Chinese peacekeepers died and five others were wounded after their vehicle was attacked in Juba. Critics of Japan’s deployment say the move violates the country's anti-war constitution. Some fear the new powers permitting troops to use force could bring Japan’s military into overseas conflicts. But Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has argued that the broader mandate gives Japan the ability to respond to growing regional threats. Abe spoke about the new duties of Japanese troops during an appearance with a parliamentary committee earlier this year. “South Sudan cannot assure its peace and stability on its own and for that very reason, a U.N. peacekeeping operation is being conducted,” he said. Abe added that the Japanese forces will be “carrying out activities that only it can do in a tough environment.” I’m Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn adapted this story for VOA Learning English. His report was based on information from VOANews.com, the Associated Press and Reuters. George Grow was the editor. What do you think about Japan's decision to give its peacekeeping troops the ability to use force while on duty in South Sudan? Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story mandate – n. official order to do something infrastructure – n. structures such as roads, ports and energy plants needed for society to operate regional – adj. relating to a particular area of the world tough – adj. difficult, not easily done  

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Evan Lutz: Giving Unused Produce A Purpose with Hungry Harvest

  Every year, billions of kilograms of fresh produce are wasted in the United States. The food ends up in landfills, producing harmful greenhouse gases. Meanwhile, millions of poor Americans go hungry, without access to healthy, affordable meals. Evan Lutz is passionate about correcting that social injustice. And he combines that goal with a passion for business. “My entire life I’ve wanted to become a social entrepreneur, not just starting a business that made money but also one that gave back. I'm just an average guy with a passion towards, towards making sure no food goes to waste and making sure no person's ever hungry in America and I want to do that through business.” Lutz is CEO and founder of Hungry Harvest.  Hungry Harvest is a business which collects and sells “ugly” produce. These are fruits and vegetables that most food companies would throw away. Lutz says more than six billion pounds are wasted each year due to surface imperfections and processing inefficiencies. "So I'll give you an example.  If you go to a grocery store and walk down the aisle and see all the produce lineup shiny, perfect, same size and color you might notice that everything, everything if you go to a farm right everything doesn't grow the same way on a farm. But if you go to a grocery store everything is growing the same exact way. Right. So all that stuff that doesn't grow the same way, oftentimes gets wasted, gets thrown out. And so we take all that stuff that normally get thrown out because it's too big too small in odd size of shape, we box it up into a variety boxes and we deliver to our customers once a week.” Lutz established Hungry Harvest in 2014. Its success depends on team work. "Every week on Monday or Tuesday we will decide the contents box which will go into the next weeks box right, so we will call up farmers, we will work with packing houses and wholesalers to give them calls, shoot them emails, shoot them texts even or do in person visits to see what they have available that would normally get thrown away that week. We then place the order when we can accurately project how many customers and how many boxes we will have that weekend and so that's the process on Thursdays.  And on Fridays we will actually make the boxes for Saturdays. Saturdays we’ll make the boxes for Sundays. Sundays will make boxes for Mondays and all of those days we’ll do deliveries so Saturdays we’ll send out drivers they’ll come to our warehouse and make deliveries.” For every purchase and delivery, Hungry Harvest donates healthy food to needy people. Hungry Harvest has recovered 300,000 pounds of produce to date and provided 100,000 pounds to those in need. Lutz was inspired to act after seeing extreme poverty in areas of Baltimore, Maryland. He says he wants to eliminate the so-called food desert in that area. "Our plan for 2016 is actually to eliminate a food desert in Baltimore. And how we're going to do that we already have the infrastructure in place.  We have drivers that make deliveries to our customers every single week. We have an assembly line and we can use recovered boxes. And really what we want to do is have access to certain areas of Baltimore to fresh produce for really cheap and we'll work on accepting EBIT and WIC and food stamps by the end of the year. So people will go on in these food deserts and be able to go online pay a reduced price for those boxes and then we'll have volunteers then actually assemble and deliver the boxes for us. And that's how you limited food desert grant people access to healthy affordable foods.” In January 2016, Lutz appeared on the American business competition television show “Shark Tank.” It connects investors with entrepreneurs.  Lutz sought a $50,000 investment in Hungry Harvest, in exchange for a five percent stake in his company. He got even more than he expected: $100,000 for 10 percent ownership. Lutz is using the money to expand. Right now consumers can receive produce from Hungry Harvest in Maryland, Virginia, Philadelphia and the District of Columbia. "So, we want to be the largest produce delivery service on the East Coast in five years and the largest in the United States in 10 years. And we wanted to do that with a purpose of reducing food from going to waste and feeding hungry families. Like I said there's six billion pounds of produce that go to waste every single year. How amazing would it be if we can reduce 1 billion pounds of that from going to waste and give that to our customers and donate that to hungry families right. Or if there are 50 million people that are food insecure. What if we could eliminate that and make it 25 million people that are food insecure in the next 10 years right. That's the impact. I think this model can make. And that's exactly what we plan to do over the next ten years." For Evan Lutz, giving back to others came from his upbringing. “When I was growing up my parents instilled in me the values of giving back and giving is a lot more powerful than receiving. And so I wanted to bring that to life when I was fulfilling my career dreams of being an entrepreneur.” Lutz says Hungry Harvest has turned that hope into a reality. "I live breathe and literally eat hungry harvest. So this is my entire life. I'm not unsatisfied at all not having a life outside of hungry harvest this is what I do. And I love what I do. It's a dream come true”   But Evan Lutz now has even bigger dreams for Hungry Harvest. Why not end food waste and hunger in America. “We sell produce with purpose and that doesn't just mean we reduce food from going to waste. It doesn't just mean we give back to the community in terms of donations and feeding the hungry. It doesn't just mean we hire people that are getting back on their feet, we hire people that were formerly in prison and we hire people that were formerly injured or were sick they were living in homeless shelters they were really looking to get back on their feet for a second chance in life." And so we live by this mantra of… we want to live a life of purpose. And we do that and we just happen to sell fruits and vegetables. So everything we do has a social purpose, has a social impact in Hungry Harvest and that is reflected in how we live our daily lives. And we're really happy to be fulfilling great mission and to be doing something that's really sustainable and that we think can really revolutionize the food industry in America.” I’m Marsha James. Marsha James wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.  Next time on People in America, meet Athena Zhe, Visual Artist and Bodypainter. Listening Quiz See how well you understand this story by taking a listening quiz. Play each video, then answer the question. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story    produce – ​n. fresh fruits and vegetables landfill – n. a system in which waste materials are buried under the ground affordable – adj. not too costly inefficiency – n. the lack of ability to do something or produce something without wasting materials, time, or energy: the quality or state of being inefficient subscriber – a person who pays money to get a publication or service regularly eliminate – to remove or end (something that is not wanted or needed) food desert – n. a city area in which it is difficult to buy affordable or good-quality fresh food EBIT  – Earnings Before Interest and Taxes (EBIT) measures the profitability of a company without taking into account its cost of capital or tax implications WIC –  Women, Infants and Children (WIC) is a federal assistance program for healthcare and nutrition of low-income pregnant single women, breastfeeding women, and infants and children under the age of five  instill – v. to gradually cause someone to have (an attitude, feeling, etc.)

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International Body Painter Athena Zhe

When she was 14, Athena moved to the United States. Working at a health food store, Athena painted on the menu boards. A customer notice her artistic talents and asked if she would help paint faces at street fairs.From that day on, Athena never looked back.

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Evan Lutz: Preventing Food Waste One Box at a Time

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How Did Thanksgiving 'Turkey' Get its Name?

  The U.S. Thanksgiving holiday is symbolized by its traditional food, a large bird we call a turkey. But turkey is certainly not from Turkey. In fact, its English name is based on one big mistake. We could say it is a case of mistaken identity. Let’s set the record straight. The word “Turkey” has meant “the land of the Turks” since ancient times. The word “turkey” as it refers to the bird first appeared in the English language in the mid-1500s. The misunderstanding over the word happened because of two similar-looking kinds of birds. There is an African bird called the guinea fowl. It has dark feathers with white spots and a patch of brown on the back of its neck. Portuguese traders brought the guinea fowl to Europe through North Africa. This foreign bird came to Europe through Turkish lands. So, the English thought of the bird as a “Turkish chicken.” When Europeans came to North America, they saw a bird that looked like the guinea fowl. This bird was native to the North American continent. Orin Hargraves is a lexicographer, someone who writes dictionaries. Hargraves explains what happened. “Some Europeans saw an American turkey, thought that it was the guinea fowl, which at that time was called the ‘turkey cock,’ and so gave it the same name." Hundreds of years later, we continue to call this North American bird “turkey,” even though it has no connection at all with the country Turkey, or even with Europe. But English is not the only language with interesting -- and even questionable -- names for this North American bird. The Turkish, for their part, call turkey “hindi,” the Turkish name for India. The reference to India probably comes from the old, wrong idea that the New World was in Eastern Asia. The French call it “dinde,” a name that also connects the bird to India. “D’Inde” means “from India” in the French language. “Turkey” has similar names in several other languages. So, what do they call this North American bird in India? Well, in the Hindi language, “turkey” is “tarki.” But wait, there’s more. In Portuguese, the same bird is called “Peru,” after the South American nation. Thanks to our VOA Learning English Facebook friends, we have a few more names for “turkey” to share with you. The Vietnamese word for the bird is “gà tây” or western chicken. Our Facebook friend Nguyen Duc explains that “local chicken is smaller than western chicken.” A Facebook friend in Myanmar explained that the Burmese word for “turkey” is “kyat sin.” The name translates to “elephant chicken” in English. “That animal looks like a big chicken,” Zaw Myo Win explained. The Dari language name for the bird, "fel murgh" also translates to “elephant chicken.” Abdulla Kawer explained to us that “here in Afghanistan this name represents the size of this delicious meal.” He adds that he thinks the descriptive name “elephant chicken” is “better than a country name.” I’m Ashley Thompson.   Ashley Thompson wrote this report, based on an earlier Learning English report by Anna Matteo. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor.    How do you say 'turkey' in your language? Let us know in the comments section! ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   symbolize - v. to represent or express a particular idea or quality translate - v. to change words from one language into another language​

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Report Shows Deaths by Selfie on the Rise

"Selfie," taking a picture of yourself to post on social media, became an official word in the Oxford dictionary in 2013. The idea seems simple, just pose and snap a photo of yourself with your cell phone camera. How difficult could that be? But in 2014 a reported 15 people died while taking selfies. That number has risen each year since then. Thirty-nine deaths connected to selfies were reported in 2015. And, this year has seen more than 70 such deaths. Researchers from universities in the U.S. and India have released findings from the first study of deaths due to selfies. The investigators examined the causes and characteristics of the deaths. The researchers found that people who take selfies for sharing on social media often have narcissistic tendencies. The report says these people "use selfies as a form of self-identification and expression." They may take selfies in more dangerous settings because they seek greater attention. These dangerous situations can lead to injury, and even death. The researchers define a selfie death as "death of an individual or a group of people that could have been avoided had the individual(s) not been taking a selfie." One example of a dangerous selfie in the study involved bicycle races. People sometimes get on the track to take a picture of themselves with the racing bicycles behind them. Crashes and injuries have resulted. Another example described people standing on train tracks trying to get a selfie as a train moves toward them from behind. The most common cause of selfie death was falling from high places. It caused 32 of the 172 deaths during the last two and one-half years. Drowning was another common cause of death. Other risk factors include transportation, such as taking a selfie while walking on train tracks or driving a car. Taking a selfie near electric lines also led to some of the deaths, as did selfies taken with weapons and wild animals. India reported 76 selfie deaths, the most of the countries studied. And it might be more dangerous to be a man with a smartphone. Although women take more selfies, males were far more likely to die during selfies. 75.5% of the reported deaths were of men. About one-third of the 172 reported selfie deaths had a single death while 24 incidents involved the deaths of groups. Two of the incidents killed seven people each. (In this video a person was nearly killed while trying to take a selfie as a volcano erupted.)   Staying Safe While Taking Selfies Efforts are growing to prevent these deaths. The study says there are now 16 places in Mumbai, India established as "No Selfie Zones." The Russian government also has started a "Safe Selfies" campaign to warn people about risky selfies. The website Selfie to Die For asks visitors to take a promise not to risk their lives and the lives of others while taking selfies. The website also has tips for staying safe while taking selfies and gives examples of people who died from taking risky selfies. Their Twitter account @selfietodiefor offers tips for staying safe while taking selfies and reports incidents of selfie deaths and injuries. More Information The full report is available at: Me, Myself and My Killfie: Characterizing and Preventing Selfie Deaths. I’m John Russell.   Carolyn Nicander Mohr wrote this report for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. Do you know anyone who has risked their lives trying to take a selfie? Do you try to stay safe when taking selfies? What do you think should be done to help people stay safe while taking selfies? Share your thoughts in the Comments Section below or on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   characteristic - n. typical of a person, thing, or group : showing the special qualities or traits of a person, thing, or group narcissistic - adj. loving and admiring yourself and especially your appearance too much tendency - n.  a quality that makes something likely to happen or that makes someone likely to think or behave in a particular way incident - n. an unexpected and usually unpleasant thing that happens  

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Make a Traditional Thanksgiving Meal with Learning English

  On Thanksgiving Day, the fourth Thursday in November, most Americans gather with friends and family. They pause, reflect on their blessings, cook up a storm, and eat. A lot. The star of most Thanksgiving dinners is a roasted turkey. Many families add traditional side dishes, too, such as mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberries, and green bean casserole. A casserole is a dish that cooks slowly in an oven. One of the most popular Thanksgiving side dishes is stuffing. Stuffing usually includes bread, celery, onions, and a thin soup called broth. The ingredients are mixed together and then put – or stuffed –into the hollow turkey. Anna Mateo here at Learning English says the smell of turkey and stuffing roasting together is the quintessential smell of Thanksgiving for her. “Quintessential” means the perfect example of something. The meal does not end with the turkey, stuffing, and side dishes, though. The quintessential Thanksgiving dessert is pie. Pumpkin, cherry, apple or pecan pie are all popular ways to finish off Thanksgiving. Before everyone takes a nap, that is. Happy Thanksgiving to all from Learning English! I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.  This report was adapted from the video. Ashley Thompson was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   up a storm – phrase. do something with energy and enthusiasm dish – n. food prepared in a particular way hollow – adj. having nothing inside: not solid nap – n. a short period of sleep especially during the day

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November 23, 2016

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

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A VOA Learning English Thanksgiving

Anna and Jill cook up the perfect Thanksgiving meal and explain the meaning of Thanksgiving in the United States. It its celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November.

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November 22, 2016

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

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Trump: US to Withdraw From Trans-Pacific Trade Deal

  President-elect Donald Trump says the United States will withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal on his first day in office. Trump promised to block the trade deal during his successful campaign for the presidency. In a short YouTube video Tuesday, Trump spoke about plans for his administration. Trump, a Republican businessman, takes office on January 20, 2017. What About the Other TPP Nations? Some questioned whether the other 11 countries in the TPP would move ahead with the trade deal without the United States. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said all 11 nations want to go forward. Turnbull said more trade means “better jobs, and better jobs and stronger economic growth in Australia.” But Japanese Prime Minster Shinzo Abe said the trade deal is “meaningless without the United States.” According to the U.S. Commerce Department, the United States is responsible for about 60 percent of economic production among the 12 TPP countries. Last week, Abe was the first foreign leader to meet with Trump since he won the U.S. presidential election over Democrat Hillary Clinton. In his video speech, Trump said he would give notice of his “intent to withdraw” from the TPP deal on the first day of his administration. He also promised to “negotiate fair, bilateral trade deals that bring jobs and industry back onto American shores.” That means he would seek to reach trade deals with individual nations rather than groups of nations. Rajiv Biswas is chief economist for IHS Global in Singapore. He expects the other 11 TPP nations to negotiate other free-trade deals that will likely give more trade openings to China. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said Trump should not rule out international trade deals during his presidency. “The United States isn’t an island,” Key said. “It can’t just sit there and say it’s not going to trade with the rest of the world.” Obama Says Trade Can Improve Lives President Barack Obama was in Lima, Peru recently for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group meeting.  The meeting was part of his last scheduled foreign trip as president. Obama and other Pacific leaders said they continue to support free trade. Obama said free trade can “improve the lives of billions of people around the world.” But Obama spoke about the message of American voters during the November 8 presidential election. Trump ran on a promise to bring back American manufacturing jobs that he says were lost mainly because of unfair trade deals. Obama said there are benefits to free trade. But, he added that large corporations and the wealthy “often seem to be playing by a different set of rules.” “The gaps between the rich and everyone else grow wider," Obama said. In September, John Kerry, Obama’s secretary of state, spoke about the effects of not approving the Pacific trade deal. “We take away from our ability to shape the course of events in a region that includes more than a quarter of the world’s population -- and where much of the history of the 21st century is going to be written,” Kerry said. The 12 countries that negotiated the TPP with the United States are: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. In his brief video speech Tuesday, Trump said he would direct the Labor Department to look into visa abuses. During the campaign, Trump said some companies use visas to bring foreign workers into the United States. He said this takes jobs away from American workers. Trump also promised to end regulations that he said hurt American energy production. In addition, Trump said he would ask American military officials to develop a plan to protect America from “cyber-attacks and all other form of attacks.” He did not speak about his campaign promises to build a big wall along the United States' southern border or to end President Obama’s health care law -- often called “Obamacare.” I’m Bruce Alpert. And I'm Ashley Thompson.   Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English based on reports from VOA, the Associated Press and Reuters.  Mario Ritter 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   innovation - n. the act or process of introducing new ideas, devices, or methods intent - n. what you plan to do bilateral - adj. involving two groups or countries shore - n. the land along the edge of an area of water scheduled - adj. a plan to do something at a certain time gap - n. divisions between people cyber-attack - n. an attack by people who want to damage, destroy or get information from a computer system

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