News Words: Authentic

In this week's News Words, learn what authentic means with Anne Ball and Johnathan Evans.

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December 7, 2016

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

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Tools to Create Infographics

An infographic is a powerful tool that can help explain something. Infographics present information visually and in an entertaining way. This can help watchers, listeners and readers understand the subject of interest. You can use infographics on social media, in presentations or just for fun. BitRebels.com says the human brain absorbs ideas presented in infographics three times faster than ideas presented in simple text. The easiest way to create infographics is to start with a template you can fill with facts. With most infographic templates, you can add images, icons and also backgrounds. Infographic websites offer free templates and tools to help you create. Just pick the template you want, then drag and drop items onto the infographic. Many of these sites let you add your own images from a computer. Type in text, choose fonts and colors, then save your infographic and/or share it on social media. These sites make creating infographics easy and free. Piktochart Piktochart is a website filled with infographic, presentation, poster and report templates. Register for an account and get started by choosing an infographic template. The free service gives a limited number of templates. Users can pay for more templates, and other help, such as the ability to save in PDF format. Piktochart has a helpful infographics tips page to guide you through creating infographics.   An infographic on Piktochart shows free tools to create your own infographic.                                                                   Canva Canva is a free design website to create infographics, social media cover images, invitations, posters, cards and more. Head to the site, register for an account and click Create a Design. Choose Infographic to find free templates. After choosing one, add background designs, images, text, charts and more. Use Canva's free photos or upload your own. Many of Canva's elements are free, though some cost about $1. Canva also has a free app for iPhone and iPad to create infographics on the go: Canva app.               Venngage Venngage is another website that gives free tools to create infographics, reports, posters, and social media posts. Sign up for Venngage and choose which type of infographic you want to create, such as process, timeline, comparison or charts. The templates are organized by level of difficulty: beginner, intermediate or advanced. Some of the templates are only available for sale. Venngage lets you include charts and their maps for free infographics. Users can create up to five infographics with Venngage for free.     Visme Visme lets you search for templates by keyword. Sign up for an account and search by format, such as comparison, or by subject, such as education. You can also view different templates to choose one that works best for you. Some of the templates are for sale only. A video on YouTube shows how to use Visme:   A very interesting feature of Visme infographics is that you can animate parts of the design. For example, you can make text move in a wave. Visme lets you create interactive maps you can use in the infographic. You can also add a YouTube video to your infographic. You can even add music to your infographic with free tunes from Visme. When you are finished with your Visme infographic, you can keep it to yourself, publish it or lock it with a password you can share. You must pay to use the shared password service.   Visme lets you make up to three projects with a free account.   Easelly Easelly has many free templates to use for infographics. Sign up for a free account and choose a template to get started. Select a background and add text, shapes, charts and objects to your infographic. Add images from Easelly or upload your own. You can add a YouTube video into your infographic.   The video from Easelly shows how to create an infographic using their site:   I’m Dorothy Gundy. And I'm Bryan Lynn. Carolyn Nicander Mohr wrote this report for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. Have you ever wanted to make an infographic? Have you tried any of these infographic tools? Can you suggest any other tools to create infographics? Share your thoughts in the Comments Section below or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story infographic - n. a visual image such as a chart or diagram used to represent information or data text - n. the original words of a piece of writing or a speech template - n. a computer document that has the basic format of something (such as a business letter, chart, graph, etc.) and that can be used many different times icon - n. a small picture on a computer screen that represents a program or function item - n. an individual thing : a separate part or thing font - n. a set of letters, numbers, and punctuation marks that are all one size and style account - n. an arrangement in which a person uses the Internet or e-mail services of a particular company chart - n. information in the form of a table, diagram, etc. intermediate - adj. relating to or having the knowledge or skill of someone who is more advanced than a beginner but not yet an expert advanced - adj. far along in a course of progress or development animate - v. to make (something, such as a drawing) appear to move   

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Athena Zhe: Creating Art on Human Bodies

  “I love to create. I’m very visual person and I love to paint. I love to express myself in doing makeup, special effects, body paintings. I feel like I haven’t worked a day in my life. It seems like I love to do everything that doesn't involve a job from 9 to 5 but by the end of the day I end up working so many more hours but doing what I love. ” That is Athena Zhe, artist. Her canvas is the human body on which she paints beautiful images.  Zhe is also owner of Athena Entertainment. The company provides performances and performers for all kinds of parties and other events. Body art creation is among the possibilities. Athena Zhe was born and raised in Ukraine. Her parents wanted her to become a lawyer or a doctor. But she always knew she wanted to paint. She also realized early in life a career in painting would not be possible if she stayed in her country. “I've been painting my whole entire life as I'm thinking about it since I was a little kid. Everywhere all of all of the walls were painted, my notepads were painted everything everywhere I could paint, I always did. Like there's always doodles and in every single book I was reading, I was always creating stuff since I was a little child. Even though I was painting my whole life and it was my passion but it was only a hobby and I never really took it to the next level because back in the country that I came from all the artists were starving artist. So I know for some reason I never considered art as a career because I would never in a million years wouldn't be able to make money and be successful at it.” So, Athena Zhe came to the United States. She was clear on her goal. “I came here when I was 14 years old to pursue an American dream.” Athena first worked at a health food store. She began to paint on the store’s menu boards. A customer praised her skill and asked if she would help paint faces at street fairs. Athena says it was a good start. "I was doing it for about a year or two and I'm the type of  person that always like to take it to the next level. Like OK what’s next, what's next? I'm already done with facepainting, now what? And I went to FABAIC, its face and face and body art convention in Florida many years ago, and I saw that people were doing body painting and I'm like oh my god this is so exciting and so much better than just face painting because now I can do my all my art with the body painting as well. And I actually end up enjoying body painting so much more because it didn't limit my art to just faces. But now I can do body painting, I can create installations with human canvases which was extremely exciting and actually a little nerve-racking at first because I was really nervous in the beginning. I wasn't even 21 back then I think.  And that's how body painting came along. So face painting led into body painting and body painting led into special effects.” Athena Zhe says painting on the body is very different than painting on a flat canvas. “With body, you work with the human factor and it's not only you, paints and canvas it's you, paint, canvas and the person behind that canvas. When I pick up a brush it almost like  I'm getting into my own zone in my own new world my comfort zone. Very often my models try to talk to me throughout the process, but it's so hard for me to even keep up a conversation because I'm so focused about what I'm doing and I'm so inspired that it totally takes me like out of this world it's almost like a drug. When I paint like very often I can't stop. That's why doing body paintings actually been great for me because I know that I have to start to stop at some point because I'm painting on a human and obviously the model can’t stand still for three or four days. But I can definitely paint for three or four days nonstop if I'm in creative mode.”       Zhe considers the body shape of her models as well as their skin colors. She says the most important part of her work is how it makes the person feel. “When I'm doing a body painting, my goal is not only to create a beautiful piece of artwork, but also very important to make the model feel beautiful, because if the model will feel beautiful with your art work no matter how horrendous your body painting can be, she will rock it and it makes me feel accomplished and happy when I see that the model, my human canvas, is happy with the artwork I created on her." Bodypainting is a much bigger project than face painting. Zhe says it takes 15 to 20 minutes painting a face. A body can take as long as 10 hours to paint, depending on how detailed it is. She has won many awards for her paintings. Her work also has been featured in music videos, publications and on national television. Zhe says she is often inspired by nature, fashion and the world around her when creating her art.  And she is passionate about what she does. She says she believes passion should be everyone’s professional guide. “If you want to be an artist or an actor or a scientist you should do exactly that. Follow your passion and do what you love. Don't be afraid to start an industry that maybe some of your friends didn't succeed in because if you gonna love what you do, you will never work a day of your life and you will be so great at it, that you will be remembered and even to be a great example to the rest of the world about that particular art or field that he will choose.” 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 Matthieu Finot, winemaker at King Family Vineyards. 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      special effects – n. an image or sound that is created in television, radio, or movies to represent something real (such as an explosion) or imaginary (such as a monster) notepad – n. sheets of paper that are attached at one end and used for writing notes doodle – v. to draw something without thinking about what you are doing installation – n. a work of art that usually has several parts (such as a sculpture, lights, and sound) and that is usually shown in a large space canvas – n. a specially prepared piece of cloth on which a picture can be painted by an artist mode – n. a specified way of thinking, feeling, or acting nerve-racking – adj. causing stress or anxiety

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TIME Magazine Names Donald Trump “Person of the Year”

  This is What’s Trending Today. Time magazine named Donald Trump its “Person of the Year” on Wednesday. The magazine called him “President of the Divided States of America” on its cover. Trump is the president-elect. He will take office on January 20, 2017. The magazine calls the U.S. “the Divided States” in part because Trump did not win the most votes in the election. He did, however, easily win enough electoral votes to defeat Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. In its story about selecting President-elect Trump, the magazine said that he won the presidency by inspiring “new levels of anger and fear within his country.” The magazine says the cover goes to the “person (or people) who wielded the most influence in the previous 12 months.” It said Wednesday that American presidents become “Person of the Year” about half the time in election years. The last time someone other than a U.S. president won the title in an election year was 1996. That year, AIDS researcher David Ho won. Time magazine ran its first “Man of the Year” issue in 1928. That year, the honors went to airplane pilot Charles Lindbergh. Wallis Simpson was the first woman Time magazine chose for the yearly award. She was named in 1937, when she married King Edward VIII and became the Duchess of Windsor. That year, the cover said “Woman of the Year.”  But the name of the award was officially “Man of the Year” until 1999. Others who have made the cover include Joseph Stalin, Deng Xiaoping, and Winston Churchill. German Chancellor Angela Merkel was on the cover last year. But, Time magazine does not always name just one person, or even a person at all. In 1988 it named the Endangered Earth. And in 1975, it named “American women.” The choice of Trump had both his supporters and detractors talking on social media. “Person of the Year” was one of the top trending topics on Wednesday. One person wrote: “Whatever you think of him, it’s a fitting choice.”  Other commenters suggested Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Julian Assange of Wikileaks, or Harambe, the gorilla who was killed at a zoo in Ohio after a child fell into his enclosure. Time said it also considered Hillary Clinton, computer hackers, and singer Beyonce, among others, for the title of 2016 Person of the Year. And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Dan Friedell. Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. What do you think of Time magazine’s decision? Who would you select as the Person of the Year? Let us know in the comments section. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   inspire – v. to make (someone) want to do something : to give (someone) an idea about what to do or create entrepreneur – n. a person who starts a business and is willing to risk loss in order to make money wield – v. to have and use (power, influence, etc.) fitting – adj.  of a kind that is appropriate for the situation or purpose

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Islamic State Expanding Schools in Eastern Afghanistan

Arrested Islamic State fighters stand outside Afghan police headquarters in Nangarhar, Afghanistan

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Returning Somali Refugees Rebuild Lives

Abdullahi Mohamed, a former refugee from Somalia, has returned to his country in search of work. Mohamed, now in his 20s, spent many years living in the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. Now he is one of about 18,000 former refugees who live in the Somali city of Kismayo. He is fixing automobiles and learning how to be an auto mechanic. His training will continue into February. Mohamed hopes to have a better future than other former refugees because he is learning how to do a job. Thousands of refugees are returning to Somalia after living in camps in Kenya. When they were away, some went to school but many depended on assistance from aid organizations. They did not get a good education or learn a how to do a job. “At least here, I have got something to learn and do,” Mohamed said. There is a concern that the returnees will have trouble starting new lives without the skills they need for a good job. That is why organizations like the American Refugee Council are supporting job training programs. The council also wants to be sure the young men who did go to school in the camps do not join militant groups like al-Shabab. Abdi Ibrahim Abdi Barre is the deputy mayor of Kismayo. He is concerned young men with a high school education might be asked to work with chemicals and make bombs. “Young people are vulnerable,” he said. “If they are not provided with the skills, education and materials they need to pursue their goals, then people will take advantage of them." At one point, the Dadaab camp was home to more than 300,000 people. Most of them were from Somalia. The Kenyan government said it would close the camps, so many native Somalis went home. The United Nations refugee agency said at least 34,000 refugees have returned to Somalia. But they do not have much to return to. Many have criticized a lack of jobs and other services. In Kismayo, the American Refugee Council is helping 20-year-old Shafii Ali. He is learning to make window frames. He builds the frames and adds the window glass. At first, he did not think he could do the work. After three months of training, the young man said he wants to open his own business and help teach other former refugees how to make windows. Abdullahi Mohamed said that he and the other returnees need to depend on themselves instead of other people. He said they need to forget about how their lives worked in the refugee camp. Abdi Barre said the future of the returning refugees should be a national concern and not limited to aid agencies. “Everyone should be involved,” he said. I’m Dan Friedell. Mohammed Yusuf wrote this story for VOANews.com. Dan Friedell adapted his report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. What do you think Somalia should do about all the refugees coming home? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________   Words in This Story mechanic– n. a person who repairs machines (such as car engines) and keeps them running properly vulnerable – adj. easily hurt or harmed physically, mentally, or emotionally council – n. a group or organization frame – n. the structure that gives shape or strength to something

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Prisoners Find Humanity in Theater Arts

On a recent day in New York City, seven women prepare for a theater production. Their show is not for a Broadway stage, however. And, the actors are not professional. They are prisoners. They will perform in a gymnasium at Rikers Island jail. The correctional center sits on an island in the East River. It holds about 10,000 prisoners, most of them with little time left to serve. The performers range from teen-aged to midlife. They all look a little nervous, just like any actors might before a live show. But they are ready. These prisoners have trained with the famed Stella Adler Studio. It is one of the most respected acting schools in America. The studio launched the acting program at Rikers in 2014.  It hoped to bring some humanity to prison life. Tommy Demenkoff is the studio’s outreach director. He says the program is important to the prisoners. “They lose a lot of humanity when they come to jail,” he says. “We are allowed to come in and reinvigorate that humanity.” The Stella Adler prison program has grown. Today, film and stage professionals train prisoners at six Rikers Island centers. They do eight different programs each week. And, several former Rikers inmates now work with the studio on the prison program. The show today is called “The Compassion Project.” The audience includes about 50 prisoners, correction officials and invited guests. The crowd shows its support with loud cheers and by stomping on the floor. “The Compassion Project” combines movement and poetry written by the performers. The poems express the ideas of compassion and understanding between people. Performer Deanna Rhett’s piece describes her passion to be the best she can be, to love unconditionally and to let the past be the past. Rhett praises what the Stella Adler program has done for her. “It has let me escape to another dimension. It has changed me to be whatever and whoever I want to be, whenever I want to be.” Rhett says that she would like to work with the Stella Adler Studio when she gets out of prison. She wants to keep writing and improving her writing skills. She says she has hope for the future. “The Compassion Project” is a hit with the audience. Just as on Broadway, the prisoner-actors get a curtain call. Each steps forward to loud cheering from the crowd. Entertainment industry supporters of the Adler program at Rikers include Benicio Del Toro, Julianne Moore and Pauletta Washington. Washington introduced “The Compassion Project” to the audience. She says the Rikers program is important. “Anybody that can survive this, and come out on the other side, just to come out period, and then to come out with hope, that’s somebody we really need in our communities.” I’m Caty Weaver. Bernard Shusman wrote this story for VOANews.com. Bruce Alpert adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. What kind of program do you think might help prisoners serve their time and improve their futures? Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on our Facebook Page. __________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story gymnasium – a large room or a building used for sports activities or exercise compassion – n. feeling of wanting to help and be kind to someone allow – v. to permit something inmate – n. a prisoner stomp – v. to put your foot or feet down forcefully and noisily reinvigorate – v. to give life and energy to someone curtain call – n. at the end of a show, when performers come forward to accept the cheers of the audience

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Trump Names US Defense Secretary Nominee

American President-elect Donald Trump named retired Marine General James Mattis to be his secretary of defense this week. Mattis left military service three years ago. At the time, he led the U.S. Central Command, which carries out U.S. operations in the Middle East. He was also the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO forces. His leadership in the fight against enemy forces in Afghanistan and Iraq won him respect among many military leaders. General John Nicholson is the commander of international forces in Afghanistan. “I first met him in Nangahar province in Afghanistan, where we were in a tough fight in 2006, and he’s a very inspirational leader -- I know he inspired me.” Michael O’Hanlon writes about military affairs at the Brookings Institution, a research group in Washington. “He’s thought of as one of the best-read, best-informed and most-experienced generals of his generation.” O’Hanlon says Mattis knows the limits of military power. He says he believes the former general’s battlefield experience gives him persuasive power with Trump. O’Hanlon says Trump will be more likely to listen to an argument for restraint, for example, if it comes from Mattis. Currently, Mattis is not permitted to take the office of defense secretary, however. A U.S. law bans military officers from the position who have fewer than seven years in retirement. Congress would have to change that law. The 1947 law first called for a 10-year ban. But Congress cut it to seven years in 2008. Congress has let only one general serve as secretary of defense before the time permitted by law. In 1950, Congress voted to let General George Marshall serve as secretary of defense. Marshall had been a top general during World War II. I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.   VOA Pentagon reporter Carla Babb wrote this story. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver 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   tough – adj. physically and emotionally strong; able to do hard work, to deal with harsh conditions, etc. inspirational – adj. causing people to want to do or create something; giving inspiration generation – n. a group of people born and living during the same time      

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American Company Helps Small Farmers Make Money

Five years ago, American James Faison could not imagine what he is doing today. Faison worked in the state of Florida as a lawyer for large companies until 2012, when he moved to Virginia to start a farm business. But now, instead of raising crops, he is raising the earnings of local farmers. Faison seems at ease with life on a farm. Members of his family have been farming for many years. When his grandparents died, he and his brothers and sisters inherited their farm. He says that began the process of trying to decide what they were going to do with it. Four years ago, Faison left his job as a lawyer in Miami and returned to the family farm in Virginia. Slowly, he began to learn about the economic issues farmers face. “A lot of small farmers are struggling. And they’re working very hard, but they’re not able to drive the income from farming to sort of make it economically viable. The issue with agriculture in America is we only spend 6.8 percent of our income on food, which is the lowest in any industrialized nation. And so, since we spend so little on food, we expect food to be inexpensive, which means in order to make a living doing it, you have to have really, really big volumes. And so having big volumes of, of, of anything can be very expensive in terms of having enough cattle, having enough hogs or having enough infrastructure to support having those animals.” Faison said he met with several farmers who raise animals naturally -- in other words, they do not give them hormones, antibiotics or steroids. After the meetings, Faison created a company called Milton’s Local, named for his grandfather. Today, his work day is very different from his work as an attorney. Milton’s Local markets and transports all-natural meat from local farms to stores and restaurants. Faison says the company helps farmers increase their earnings, supports the local economy and satisfies the buyers of these meat products. “When you’re eating locally, you’re able to sort of support that farmer who raised it, you support that store who sold them the feed -- where you’re keeping more dollars in your community. The other part I, I think is people are really concerned about what’s being put in, into animals. So I think about 73 percent of all antibiotics used in the U.S. are used on animals. So that’s a really big problem -- especially in terms of antibiotic resistance. So I think that both movements will, will continue to, to grow and hopefully we’ll be able to grow with ‘em.” Milton’s Local products are sold at MOM’s Organic Market in Arlington, Virginia. Chris Wolfe is the head of the store. He says it and other stores like it seek to sell all natural, organic products. Milton’s Local products have been sold at the Arlington store for more than a year. People like the products, not just because they are natural but because they come from local farms. “The farm is growing because we are demanding more because our customers are demanding more.” That is good news for James Faison. He now works with more than 30 small farms in Virginia and North Carolina. He hopes Milton’s Local will expand, become more profitable and help more small farmers. I’m Jill Robbins.     VOA’s Faiza Elmasry reported this story. 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   viable – adj. capable of succeeding volume – n. an amount of something infrastructure – n. the basic equipment and structures (such as roads and bridges) that are needed for a country, region, or organization to function properly hormones – n. a natural substance that is produced in the body and that influences the way the body grows or develops antibiotics – n. a drug that is used to kill harmful bacteria and to cure infections steroids – n. a drug that is sometimes used illegally by athletes to help them become stronger and more muscular and by farmers to help their animals grow larger more quickly

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Germany’s Merkel Calls for Ban on Full-Face Covers

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for a ban on full-face veils worn by some Muslim women. Merkel announced her position Tuesday at a conference of her Christian Democrat Union (CDU) in the central German city of Essen. Her comments were part of a speech she gave before her reelection as party leader. “In communication between people, which is of course essential to our living together, we have to show our faces,” Merkel said. She said veils that fully cover the face should be banned “wherever legally possible.” Merkel’s CDU party has previously discussed banning them in schools, courts and other public buildings.   A small minority of Muslim women in Germany wear full-face veils.  In the past, Merkel has said she believes Muslims who completely cover their faces have little chance of fully mixing into German society. Legal experts said it is unclear whether a veil ban would violate Germany’s constitution. Three European nations - France, Belgium and the Netherlands – already have bans on the face-covering veils. Merkel recently announced she would seek a fourth term as chancellor in elections expected to be held in fall 2017. Her popularity has dropped since Germany decided to accept about one million refugees. German public opinion studies show Merkel’s CDU party is currently leading among voters. But even if the CDU wins, the Chancellor would likely have to form a coalition government with competing parties.  “The 2017 election will be more difficult than any election before, at least since German reunification,” Merkel said. Merkel also faces strong opposition from the anti-immigration Alternative for Deutschland (AFD) party. The AFD has been critical of Muslim migrants entering Germany. The group recently said Islam is not compatible with Germany’s constitution. I’m Anne Ball. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English with reporting from the Associated Press and Reuters. Caty Weaver was the editor. We want to hear from you. What do you think about governments banning face covers? Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story veil – n. thin piece of material that covers the face essential – adj. extremely important or necessary compatible – adj. able to exist or be used together  

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