The cost for homes in the United States to "go solar" has dropped by more than 60 percent over the last 10 years. “Going solar” means changing to an electrical source powered by the sun instead of coal or other dirty fuels. The dropping costs helped persuade more than a million Americans to put solar panels on top of their homes. Now, some public school systems are doing the same, including the schools in Fremont, Indiana. The people in this small town have always depended on sunshine to grow their crops and help bring visitors to their lakes. William Stitt leads Fremont’s school system. "The technology has advanced so much in the last couple of years that it’s become more energy efficient, more cost effective for schools to get solar energy.” Start-up costs Fremont will spend $3 million to build the solar project. When the system is in place, it will fully power the elementary, middle and high school buildings. It may even produce additional electricity that the school can sell to the power company. Several lines of 3,000 to 4,000 panels will be placed in a 2.5-hectare solar field behind the middle school. The school system will pay the local electricity company for use of its solar equipment. That periodic fee is to remain the same for 20 years. Free electricity, one day Kim Quick is the head of building operations for the Fremont school system. He said Fremont schools will save money even with equipment fees. Unlike electricity costs, the equipment use fees will not go up. And, Quick said, the panels should last 40 years. After the 20 years of fees, the school district will fully own the panels. Then, the electric power they create will be free of cost. Some solar schools cost more Just three percent of the nation’s 125,000 schools use some form of solar power. Some have higher related costs than others. But, a recent report from the Solar Foundation, a non-profit interest group, says that 72,000 U.S. schools, or 60 percent, could save money with solar. Schools could put panels on their buildings or place a field of panels over a car park. The Solar Foundation says those methods would save most schools an average of $1 million over 30 years. Educational opportunities Going solar might also offer schools valuable educational possibilities. It gives teachers a reason to teach related lessons on science, technology, engineering and math. All three schools in Fremont will have a display that kids can visit daily to learn how much energy is being used and saved. Fremont school system’s William Stitt is already looking to the future. "I’d love the community and the kids in 40 years to go, 'Man, they made a great decision 40 years ago by creating this solar project!'” If all goes as planned, the Fremont school system’s new solar field will be in operation by July. I’m Alice Bryant. Erika Celeste reported this story for VOA News. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story solar panel - n. a large, flat piece of equipment that uses the sun's light or heat to create electricity advanced - adj. having or using new and modern methods efficient - adj. capable of producing desired results without wasting materials, time, or energy display - n. an arrangement of objects intended to decorate, advertise, entertain, or inform people about something
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Friday, March 31, 2017
S. Koreans Look Ahead After Removal, Arrest of Former President
South Koreans are thinking about electing the country’s next leader after the arrest of former President Park Geun-hye. Park is the first democratically elected president of South Korea to be ousted from office. She was sent to jail early Friday. Her detention began after a court approved a warrant calling for her arrest. She is accused of bribery, extortion and abuse of power. The charges against Park are linked to the series of events that forced her from office. Government lawyers believe that Park and a longtime friend, Choi Soon-sil, pressured businesses to make donations to two organizations they controlled. They say South Korean companies gave over $69 million to the two groups. South Koreans were divided for months as lawmakers considered the case against the president. Park’s opponents held large protests calling for her ouster or resignation. Her supporters organized demonstrations to try to keep her in office. South Korean conservatives express regret But in Seoul on Friday, no one celebrated Park’s arrest, and there were no angry groups of Park supporters demanding her release. A pro-Park gathering is expected this weekend, but her party, the Liberty Korea Party, seems to want to distance itself from its former leader. In a statement, the party’s spokesman called Park’s arrest “regrettable.” He said “We hope such a painful history of arrest of a former president will not repeat itself in South Korea.” An election for a new president will take place on May 9th. After Park’s removal from office, many South Koreans have seemingly turned against conservative politicians. They blamed Park’s policies for increasing tensions with China and with North Korea over its weapons program. Chinese officials are angry about Park’s decision to accept an American anti-missile system. The Liberty Korea Party has been struggling to find a strong candidate for president. South Gyeongsang Province Governor Hong Joon-pyo is said to be a leading candidate. But his public approval rating in a recent Gallup Organization survey was just four percent. The Bareun Party was once part of the Liberty Korea Party. In a statement, Bareun said it respects the Supreme Court’s decision against Park. But the party questioned whether her arrest was necessary. It said the arrest harmed efforts to heal divisions within the country. Yoo Seung Min -- the Bareun party’s candidate for president -- has a two percent approval rating in the Gallup opinion poll. Victory for South Korea’s liberals The liberal Democratic Party of Korea had called Park’s removal from office a triumph of democracy. It also called her arrest a victory for the rule of law. The party’s spokesman said “Considering the fairness of law and principles, the arrest of former President Park is an obvious conclusion.” Democratic Party candidate Moon Jae-in has a 31 percent approval rating in the latest poll. That is more than any candidate for president. Ahn Cheol-soo – the leading candidate for the centrist People’s Party -- has a 19 percent approval rating in the poll. In a statement, Ahn said Park’s arrest, “is of her own making because she repeatedly gave false explanations without expressing apologies or regrets.” Prison time Park says she is innocent. She has yet to talk publicly about the charges. But after agreeing to cooperate with the government, she was questioned by investigators for 14 hours. Park can be held in prison for up to 20 days while she is being investigated. During this time, she must be charged or released. Her lawyers say she will not leave the country. But the Seoul Central District Court judge in charge of the case ordered her arrest, possibly concerned that she might destroy evidence. Park could be sent to prison for 10 years on charges of accepting bribes from heads of large South Korean companies in exchange for favors. The business chiefs include Samsung Group chief Jay Y. Lee. He denies charges that he provided bribes in exchange for special treatment. I’m John Russell. And I'm Caty Weaver. VOA Correspondent Brian Padden reported this story from Seoul. Youmi Kim contributed to the report. John Smith adapted the 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 bribe – v. to try to get someone to do something by giving or promising something valuable (such as money); to give or offer a bribe to (someone) extort – v. to get (something, such as money) from a person by the use of force or threats poll – n. an activity in which several or many people are asked a question or a series of questions in order to get information about what most people think about something triumph – n. a great or important victory; a great success or achievement favor – n. a kind or helpful act that you do for someone
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English @ the Movies: 'Ahead Of Your Time'
Today on English @ the Movies we talk about the saying "ahead of your time" from the movie "Beauty and the Beast." The movie is about a bright girl, her father and a Beast. Do you know what the saying "ahead of your time" means? Watch our video, take the quiz, and see if you guessed right!
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Thursday, March 30, 2017
Take a Break with Commas
From VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar. Imagine you are taking a trip in a foreign country. You are driving a rental car that you got at the airport. What could help you find your way in this strange land? Signs, for one thing. Think of punctuation as a series of signs. These signals clarify your writing. They show your reader what words are important, and what belongs together. Punctuation marks, like traffic signs, show your reader what is coming: a full stop, a minor turn or a sudden change of direction, for example. One of the most important – and most debated – punctuation marks is the comma. Today on Everyday Grammar, we will report on common uses of the comma. We will also tell about the importance of commas in American law, and how they still influence the meaning of laws. Do not fear: unlike driving on busy American roads, this report will be fun! Common uses of commas The comma has many uses. Teaching guides say there are lots of ways to use commas in writing. Luckily, we can find patterns among all of these stylistic rules. The first, and perhaps most common, use of commas is to show a pause. Pauses are important in creative writing, such as poetry, and in speechwriting. In these kinds of writing, the relationship between written and spoken language is very strong. Historically, commas were used as a way to mark a short stoppage or break, instead of showing grammatical differences. However, in many kinds of modern writing, the comma serves a different purpose: to show what is different and what belongs together. Ann Longknife and K.D. Sullivan are writing experts. In their book, The Art of Styling Sentences, they note that commas generally serve two purposes: separating the main parts of a sentence and enclosing words and expressions. Consider the words you heard earlier in this report: "Today on Everyday Grammar, we will report on common uses of the comma. " The comma appears after the word "Grammar." Why is that? First, it shows the reader (in this case, Dr. Jill Robbins) that she needs to pause her voice. Second, the comma shows that what comes before it is serving a different grammatical purpose than what comes after it. In the example you heard, the phrase "In today's Everyday Grammar" gives information about what comes after the comma: "we will report on common uses of the comma." You could remove the words that come before the comma. So the independent clause, "we will explore common uses of the comma," could be its own sentence. Stylistic considerations and editing In The New York Times newspaper, Carmel McCoubrey writes that the difference between comma usage styles is not always clear. Even when operating under the same stylistic guide, McCoubrey writes, different people will want to put commas in different places. In other words, there is some level of personal choice when it comes to comma placement. Comma placement is important - not just for writing papers and stories. Consider these two following examples: Part of the dispute in a recent legal case was related to the meaning of an Oxford comma. An Oxford comma is a comma that is used before the conjunction in a series of nouns. In other words, the comma makes clear that the final term is different than the others on the list. A second - and perhaps more famous - debate involves the second amendment to the United States Constitution. Both supporters and opponents of gun rights have argued about the meaning of the law. They have argued that the use of commas in the amendment changes the meaning. "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." Some writers, such as Adam Freedman, say the commas in the law are arbitrary, and that the sentence is best understood by taking the commas out. He points out that different versions of the law may have different numbers of commas. He adds that historically, punctuation was not used in the same way it is today. These disputes center around one common idea: commas are supposed to make language clearer. However, the commas in the laws created misunderstanding. To go back to our examples of traffic signs, it would be like reading a road sign pointing in two different directions. Both directions cannot be correct. What can you do? So, if comma usage can be difficult for native speakers, what hope do English learners have? Luckily, there are two simple steps that can help you overcome problems with commas. #1 Put yourself in the reader's position The first is to put yourself in the reader's position. Ask yourself if you are using commas that send clear signals to your reader. Are you always using commas in the same way? If you were driving on a road, you would expect the same signs to be used in the same way over and over again. With that in mind, you should always try to use punctuation consistently so that you do not confuse your reader. #2 Use short, declarative sentences Another idea is this: write short sentences. In other words, limit the amount of information you include in each sentence. If your sentence has many pauses, then you are increasing the chances that you will confuse your reader. The next time you are reading in English, look for the commas. When and why does the writer use a comma? Is there a stylistic or grammatical reason they use the comma? How does the comma separate the different sentence elements? With time and effort you will learn how to use commas effectively. We will leave you with a song about punctuation from the American musician and actor, LL Cool J: A comma means you slow down, Pause, take a breath, When I want to go to Spain, I hop onto my plane I’m Jill Robbins. And I'm John Russell. John Russell wrote 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 rental – adj. of or relating to paying money in return for being able to use something that belongs to someone else enclose – v. to put something around (something) clause – n. part of a sentence that has its own subject and verb arbitrary – adj. not planned or chosen for a special reason punctuation – n. the act of adding marks or signs to clarify the meaning of sentences pause – n. a temporary break or stoppage conjunction – n. words that join together other words or groups of words overcome – v. to defeat; to reduce or overthrow confuse – v. to make someone unable to understand something consistently – adj. always acting in the same way
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State Department Directives Describe New Steps for US Visas
The United States has told its diplomats overseas to identify groups whose members should be thoroughly investigated when they request a visa. The State Department sent a series of directives to U.S. embassies and diplomatic offices earlier this month. The department told them to investigate the social media messages and activities of visa applicants. It said officials should be looking for people who are suspected of terrorist ties or of having been in areas controlled by the Islamic State group. Another directive ordered embassies to set up security and intelligence working groups to establish guidance for “population sets.” It said these measures would identify which people require a detailed investigation before they are permitted in the United States. Even if someone is qualified for a visa, they could still be barred from entering the country if they do not meet the rules set by the working groups. The directives are the first evidence of a Trump administration plan for the “extreme vetting” of foreigners before they are given visas. Before becoming president, Donald Trump promised such a plan to American voters during the 2016 election campaign. The four documents sent between March 10 and March 17 do not tell which “population sets” are to be given additional examination. But one document says investigators should ask visa applicants about where they worked, who they worked for and where they traveled over the past 15 years. The document also tells investigators to ask applicants for all email addresses and social media names used over the past five years. The State Department said later it was withdrawing the questions until they are approved by another federal agency. The Reuters news agency first reported on the series of directives last week. Rights groups and others have criticized the directives and accused Trump of discriminating against Muslims. They note his recent executive order to block travelers from six countries: Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. A federal judge has suspended the government’s enforcement of the ban. The rights group Amnesty International wrote a letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson last week. It said the documents “could provide license for discrimination based on national origin and religion. They could provide a pretext for barring individuals based on their nonviolent beliefs and expression. Social media checks, as well as demands for social media passwords at U.S. borders, have significant implications for privacy and freedom of expression.” Law professor Anil Kalhan leads the international human rights committee of the New York City Bar Association. He said the documents “will needlessly worsen visa processing backlogs” and may lead to applications for visas being wrongly denied. Some refugee aid groups and even State Department workers have said the visa investigation process is already very strong. Stephen Yale-Loehr is an immigration law professor at Cornell University’s law school. Last month, he told CBS News “we have a terrorist watch database. We have known immigration violators database. We have a criminal background check database that they have to go through. They don’t just take the visa applicant’s word. They do go through all of these computer databases to verify for themselves that it’s appropriate to issue the visa to a particular individual.” I’m Dorothy Gundy. VOA’s Victoria Macchi and Smita Nordwall reported this story from Washington. VOA State Department Correspondent Cindy Saine provided information for the report. John Smith adapted the 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 applicant – n. someone who formally asks for something (such as a job or admission to a college); someone who applies for something qualify – v. to have the right to do, have or be a part of something vet – v. to investigate (someone) thoroughly to see if they should be approved or accepted for a job license – n. freedom to act however you want to (usually followed by to + verb) pretext – n. a reason that you give to hide your real reason for doing something implication – n. a possible future effect or result (usually plural) backlog – n. a large number of jobs that are waiting to be finished database – n. a collection of pieces of information that is organized and used on a computer verify – v. to prove, show, find out or state that (something) is true or correct issue – v. to give (something) to someone in an official way
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Tillerson, Turkish Officials Discuss Plans to Defeat Islamic State
American Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was in Ankara on Thursday for talks with Turkish leaders. Tillerson met with Turkey’s president and foreign minister. They talked about efforts to defeat the Islamic State (IS) group and how to reduce the number of refugees in the Middle East. United States-led forces are increasing their offensive to retake the Syrian city of Raqqa from the militant group. Anti-Islamic State coalition partners are looking for ways to return security to areas from which militants have fled. They also want to give refugees a chance to return home. The talks in Ankara were held a day after Turkey declared an end to its seven-month-old military operation in northern Syria. The operation was aimed at clearing IS militants and Syrian Kurds from along the border between Syria and Turkey. Turkish officials have described the operation as a success. They did not rule out the possibility of future raids. It is not clear how the Turkish actions will change northern Syria, where the Syrian government, Islamic State, Kurdish forces and rebel groups are all competing for territory. Turkish troops are still guarding security areas, where the government also hopes to keep Kurdish forces from creating a self-governing territory. The government considers the Kurdish fighters an extension of the Kurdistan Worker’s Party, or PKK. The group has been fighting for 30 years against government forces in southeastern Turkey. The Turkish operations in northern Syria are ending two weeks before Turkey’s planned constitutional referendum. Turkish voters are being asked whether to give new powers to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Professor Jonathan Adelman is with the University of Denver in the United States. He told VOA there is a good chance that the Turks are ending their campaign, but will keep their soldiers right where they are. “What really matters in Turkey right now is the feeling that Erdogan wants to win the upcoming election, and this could be, and probably is, tied to that, to say, ‘You see, I won. It’s all over. No more Turks are dying…’” Adelman says Turkish announcement also takes attention away from the fact that many extremists entered Syria from Turkey. “It also helps take attention away from the fact that thousands of terrorists went through Turkey on their way into Syria because Erdogan has failed in his basic effort, which was to destroy the Bashar al-Assad government.” Relations between Turkey and the United States have been tested by U.S. support for the Kurdish militia force YPG, which is fighting in Syria. In addition, Turkey wants the U.S. government to expel Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim clergyman living in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Turkish officials accuse him of plotting last year’s failed attempt to overthrow the government. I’m Caty Weaver. This story was based on reports from VOANews.com. George Grow adapted the information for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story basic – adj. of or relating to the main idea affairs – n. work or activities done for a purpose We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.
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South Korean Golfer Hits a Strike at Bowling Alley
This is What’s Trending Today. Minju Kim is a young golfer from South Korea. Recently, she posted a number of photos of herself playing in California on Instagram. She even posed for a photo with professional golfer Adam Scott of Australia. Kim is not yet a famous player. She works as a golf teacher in South Korea. However, she has almost 15,000 followers on Instagram. Those followers and many golf fans around the world are reacting to a trick shot video she posted the other day. It already has over 40,000 views on her Instagram page, and other media organizations have posted it, too. It is a video of Kim hitting a golf ball while in a bowling alley. She drives the ball towards the pins, and knocks them all down. In bowling, that is called a “strike.” Golf.com posted the video on its Facebook page, and in less than a day, it had almost 600,000 views. The same video on Golf Digest’s Instagram page was played over 100,000 times. Some people think the video is great. They say it combines their two favorite sports. One Facebook commenter proposed it as a way for his friend to get a better bowling score. Golf Digest suggested the new sport could be called “gowling.” The video does have its critics. People are saying it is not real. They think the golf ball is not heavy enough to knock down the bowling pins. They also say the video is edited to show the pins falling down, but it is not clear that Kim hits them with the golf ball. On Facebook, Mark Brennan wrote: “everyone knows this is fake, right?” Kim took another shot and one pin remained. The next part of the video showed a close-up of a third shot knocking down the 10th pin, for what is called a “spare” in bowling. And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Dan Friedell. Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. Do you think Kim’s bowling-alley golf shot was real? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story drive – n. to hit or kick (a ball or puck) with a lot of force or speed edit – v. to prepare (a film, recording, photo, etc.) to be seen or heard : to change, move, or remove parts of (a film, recording, photo, etc.) fake – adj. meant to look real or genuine but not real or genuine
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March 30, 2017
A look at the best news photos from around the world.
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