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Thursday, April 27, 2017

31 Years Later, Chernobyl Disaster Remembered

Thirty-one years ago this week, the world eyes focused on the Ukrainian city of Chornobyl, where the world's worst nuclear accident was contaminating large swaths of what was then called the Soviet Union. Three years ago, VOA's Steve Herman visited the area, photographing monuments and artifacts near the Chernobyl reactor site.

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America's President - James Polk

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Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Short Supply of Drug Leads to Hurried Executions in Arkansas

The U.S. state of Arkansas has put three people to death in less than a week and another execution is planned for Thursday. Two of the prisoners were executed Monday – the first double execution to be carried out in the southern U.S. state in 17 years. Officials in Arkansas recently announced plans to execute eight inmates over the course of four days by the end of April. Four of the planned executions have been blocked by legal action. The reason for so many executions in a short time is the state is running out of a drug used to carry out death sentences. The shelf life of the drug, called midazolam, is set to end at the end of April. Midazolam is one of three drugs used in a combination to carry out lethal injections in Arkansas. The drug is usually used by doctors to relax people and treat anxiety. In executions, it is used for the same purpose and is the first drug administered. The second drug, pancuronium bromide, is used to paralyze the body and stop breathing, while a third, potassium chloride, is given to stop the heart. State officials have said it is unclear when they would be able to replace the current supply of the drug for future executions. Megan McCracken is a lawyer and lethal injection expert at the Death Penalty Clinic at the University of California at Berkeley Law School. She says planning so many executions in such a short time opens up many possibilities for dangerous mistakes to happen. “To schedule two executions back-to-back four times in a very short amount of time just loads all the pressure into this very tight time frame. Really increasing the risk of mistakes and errors, and needlessly upping all of that pressure and risk.” McCracken noted that the last time a state tried to execute two prisoners on the same night, one of the attempts ended up in a botched procedure. That execution involved the use of midazolam during a lethal injection execution in the state of Oklahoma in 2014. Officials admitted later that people performing the execution felt hurried in the procedure to get it done quickly and made mistakes. McCracken said she does not think Arkansas state officials had a good reason to plan eight executions over a period of a few days. “The schedule was made based on the expiration date of the drug, which should not be the driving force for planning.” The main reason for a shortage of execution drugs in Arkansas – as well as many other states - is because most manufacturers do not want their drugs used to kill people. Many companies have requested that states do not use their drugs for this purpose. Some have even taken legal action in a bid to force states not to use their drugs for executions. McCracken says some states have passed laws keeping their source of execution drugs secret in order to avoid protests by companies and the public. She said the problem with this is that it “takes away a level of oversight and accountability.” She added that a problem with the three-drug method is that it creates a paralyzed state in which prisoners cannot really show any signs of trouble during the execution process. “Once that prisoner is paralyzed, it’s impossible to see if he or she is conscious, suffering, struggling, in pain, etc. So no matter what, everything is going to look like it is going fine.” Lethal injection is by far the most common method of execution in the United States. Some states also use electrocution, gas chamber, hanging or firing squad. Overall, the number of executions and level of support for the death penalty has dropped greatly over the past two decades. There were 20 executions carried out in the United States in 2016, the lowest level recorded in any year since 1991. This is half the number in 1996, and nearly five times lower than in 1999. Robert Dunham is the executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center in Washington. He said a drop in support for executions has been seen among all demographics, as well as across political and religious groups. However, public opinion surveys have shown that about 49 percent of Americans still favor the death penalty, while 42 percent oppose it. Dunham added that since 1973, 158 people have been released from death sentences after new evidence proved they were wrongly convicted. He said most research does not show clear evidence that the death penalty acts as a deterrent to murder. America’s death penalty has been criticized by some countries and international activist groups for being a violation of human rights. Dunham said this can lead U.S. diplomats to face questions on the issue when in discussions with other countries. “When the United States has sought to get other countries to address human rights violations in their borders, the response that diplomats have frequently received is, ‘Well when you stop executing people, we will maybe listen to you.” I’m Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn reported this story for VOA Learning English, with additional material from VOA News, the Associated Press and Reuters. Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. What are your thoughts on the death penalty and the methods used to carry it out? Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story shelf-life – n. length of time something remains usable lethal injection – n. shot administered as a means of carrying out the death penalty anxiety – n. feeling of nervousness or worry botch – v. do something badly due to carelessness of lack of skill accountability – n. required to be responsible for something paralyzed – adj. unable to move or feel part of the body conscious – adj. to be awake and aware of things around you electrocution – n. method of killing by electric shock chamber – n. room used for a specific purpose deterrent – n. something that makes someone decided not to do something

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Facebook Developer Conference: Improving on Reality

Last week, we reported about Facebook’s efforts to develop a system to permit people to type “directly with their brains.” Such technology could help hundreds of millions of people who cannot read or write get their thoughts in print. It could also make communication easier for people with limited movement ability. The possibility is interesting. But it is far from the only plan announced last week at the Facebook’s developers' conference, or F8. Facebook officials also offered similarly wild ideas. How about technology that permits you to hear with your skin instead of your ears, for example. Or maybe you would be more into a system that lets you playing games and visiting your friends in augmented and virtual reality. Facebook says it plans to make these activities a reality within the next 10 years. Or not. Not every Facebook venture is a success. You do not see many Facebook phone users, for example. Hearing with your skin Some day we may tell our grandchildren that we used to hear through our ears. That is because Facebook might make it possible for use to hear through our skin. This technology could help people with limited or no hearing ability. Facebook hopes to have your skin hear the same way your ears hear. The company says one test subject was able to hear nine words through her skin. Facebook augmented reality Facebook wants to improve your reality by adding to it through the use of special glasses. The glasses are designed to show users things that are not physically present. You could be sitting in your living room, looking at an empty table, then put on Facebook glasses and see a chess set on that table. You and a friend could play chess on that set using Facebook glasses, as if you were sitting across the table from each other. You could also control what your friends are seeing when you live stream video to them on Facebook Live. Add an image of a cup of coffee to your table. Make it steaming hot. Then, add a second cup so you do not look as if you are alone. Facebook says you will be able to add frames, sports equipment, drawings and more to your videos and photos. It says you could even create your own frames to share. Facebook Spaces - Virtual Reality Facebook Spaces is a new virtual reality tool designed to let users hang out with their friends around the world, as if they are together in the same place. Spaces will use avatars people create from a photo of themselves on Facebook. These avatars will appear in Spaces so you can hang out with kind of a cartoon version of your friends. You view Spaces through a virtual reality viewer and can invite others via Facebook Messenger. Spaces lets you visit with your friends in virtual places around the world. A video shows how Spaces lets friends get together in virtual worlds. I’m Caty Weaver. Carolyn Nicander Mohr wrote this report for VOA Learning English. Catherine Kelly Weaver was the editor. Would you like to type using your mind instead of your hands or voice? Would you try hearing with your skin? Would you like to hang out with your friends in augmented or virtual reality? Share your thoughts in the Comments Section below or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story augmented reality - n. an enhanced version of reality created by the use of technology to add digital information on an image of something virtual reality - n. the use of computer technology to create a simulated environment venture - n. a new activity, project, business, etc., that typically involves risk implant - n. something placed in a person's body by means of surgery scan - v. to look at the inside of (something) by using a special machine convenience - n. something (such as a device) that makes you more comfortable or allows you to do things more easily random - adj. chosen, done, etc., without a particular plan or pattern decode - v. to change signals for a radio, television, etc., to a form that can be heard or seen correctly grandchild - n. a child of your son or daughter glasses - n. a pair of glass or plastic lenses set into a frame and worn over the eyes to help a person see chess set - n. a chess board and a set of chess pieces live stream - v. transmit or receive live video and audio coverage of (an event) over the Internet avatar - n. a small picture that represents a computer user in a game, on the Internet, etc. cartoon - n. a design, drawing, or painting made by an artist of a model, often in a humorous way

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Small Businesses in US Struggle to Find Workers

In many areas of the United States, tourist season lasts less than half the year. Businesses that operate only a few months out of the year say they make most of their profit when tourists visit, called “peak season.” The owners of many of these businesses say they are unable to get Americans to work for them. That is probably because the wages are low and the work is temporary and mostly unskilled. Many of these jobs are in restaurants and hotels. Many years ago, American teenagers filled these positions. But fewer do so now and they are only available for three months during the summer. In many tourist areas of the country, there also are few young people. Many people have retired and do not want to work anymore. So these businesses depend on foreign workers. These workers are permitted to come to the United States and work using an H2B temporary visa. This year, however, the limit on H2B visas has been reached. And some employers are worried that they will not be able to continue operations. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has said the H2B program hurts the “wages and job opportunities of American workers.” However, before he was president, Donald Trump employed H2B workers at his golf club in Florida. VOA recently went to the coast of the eastern state of Massachusetts, where spring and summer arrive later than in other parts of the country. Jane Nichols Bishop operates an employment company. She helps business owners find workers from places such as Jamaica and the Philippines. She says without these workers, it is difficult for some companies to care for their customers. “Who’s going to make the beds, clean the bathrooms, serve the food, cook the food, do the dishes? There isn’t anyone here to do it -- not enough, anyway.” Bishop submitted 171 applications for businesses for H2B workers. Only 24 were approved before the limit on the number of such visas was reached. She says, she is bringing just 300 H2B workers to the area instead of 3,000. Allen Sylvester operates American Tent and Table, a company owned by his family. He says the company earns 80 to 90 percent of its profits in five months during the spring and summer. That is when many outdoor weddings take place. He employs 7 to 8 Americans and 13 H2B visa workers. He says it is difficult to find Americans willing to work for just five months of the year. He says the lack of American workers, and the lower number of H2B visa holders, may cause his yearly revenue to fall by up to 20 percent. He says it is difficult to hire foreign workers. “There’s a stack of paperwork like this you have to fill out. It’s nothing anyone would do -- I would say anyone who’s smart enough to own their own business wouldn’t be dumb enough to use the H2B program to fill their employees if there was another way to do it.” Before companies can hire foreign workers using the H2B visa program, they must show that they have first tried to hire Americans. Jim Underdah is the general manager of the Coonamessett Inn. He says problems with the system has caused a delay in the arrival of the workers. As a result, he says businesses like his have decided to employ full-time workers even when travelers are not visiting. Businesses call this the off-season. “I don’t want to lose those employees, so I have people in the kitchen that we work 40 hours for the winter, so they’re not going to leave me. They’re gonna say ‘Hey, they’re treating us good.’ They’re going to be here this spring. They’re going to get me through.” If the businesses are not able to find more workers, they may have to open later, reduce services or change the way they operate. Businesses in the state of Maine, just north of Massachusetts, are also having problems finding workers. The state, which calls itself “Vacationland,” needs thousands of foreign workers every summer. Greg Dugal is the president of the Maine Innkeepers and Restaurants Association. He told WCSH-TV that businesses in the state may only get one-third of the 3,000 workers with H2B visas that they have asked for. Businesses hope Congress will make changes to the H2B program to expand the number of foreign workers permitted before April 28th as part of federal budget legislation. Currently, the program permits 66,000 foreign workers to come to the U.S. with H2B visas. The limit was reached in March. Some bills being proposed would permit workers who are returning to some jobs to not be counted in the 66,000 worker limit. If the legislation is approved, as many as 264,000 H2B workers could be filling jobs in the U.S. this year. I’m Jonathan Evans. VOA Correspondent Ramon Taylor reported this story from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the report for VOA Learning 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 tourist season – n. a time of year in which people travel to a place to have fun and enjoy themselves peak – adj. the highest point, the period with the most of something tourist – n. a person who travels for pleasure customers – n. people who buy goods or services applications – n. a formal written request for something such as a permit, job or admission to a school revenue – n. money paid to a business or organization stack – n. an orderly pile of something such as papers or other things

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Pope Francis to Meet with Christian, Muslim Leaders in Egypt

Pope Francis is making final preparations for a trip to Egypt. His visit begins on Friday. It comes just weeks after deadly attacks against the country’s Coptic Christian minority. This will be the second time a leader of the Roman Catholic Church has traveled to Egypt, the most populous Arab country. Pope John Paul II visited Cairo in 2000. Earlier this month, two terror attacks targeted Coptic churches in Alexandria, Egypt’s second largest city, and the northern city of Tanta. More than 40 people were killed and more than 100 others were injured. The attackers exploded bombs as they stood among people gathered for prayers at religious services. The bombings took place on the Christian observance of Palm Sunday. They were the latest in a series of attacks against Egyptian Christians. Recently, Islamic militants carried out an attack on Christians in El Arish, a town in the northern Sinai Peninsula. The violence caused some Christian families to leave the area. Pope to meet with other religious leaders Egyptian editor and publisher Hisham Kassem spoke to VOA about Pope Francis’ visit. He said the trip was planned before the recent suicide bombings. Kassem noted that it takes place at a time when “Christians are facing the brunt of terror attacks and their security in the country is in jeopardy.” Pope Francis is expected to meet with Egypt’s President, Abdel Fattah al Sisi. The pope will also meet with religious leaders, including the head of Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church, Pope Tawadros II. Francis and Tawadros will then meet with Egypt’s Grand Imam, Sheikh Ahmed al Tayeb, at al Azhar University. The Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew, is also expected to attend the gathering. A papal spokesman told Italian media that Pope Francis would not be using an armored vehicle because of concerns that it would keep him from meeting the Egyptian people. A spokesman for the Catholic part of Egypt’s main Coptic Orthodox church discussed the visit with local media. He said Egyptian Christians were “expecting a message of peace and solidarity [as well as] a message of hope.” Egypt has the largest Christian population of any Arab country. About 10 percent of Egypt’s 90 million people are said to be Christian. Egyptian political sociologist Said Sadek told VOA that the papal visit will be good for Christians and the government. He said it “will show the world that Egypt is stable.” He said this would help the country’s travel industry. The effect of the attacks on Coptic Christians has been to increase distrust. Both the president and Prime Minister Sherif Ismail have accused other countries in the area of involvement in the attacks. However, they would not name those countries. Arab media reported that the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the bombings at the Coptic churches. Egyptian government media said terrorists in the Sinai have ties to the Muslim Brotherhood group and the Palestinian group Hamas. They have stated that both groups have support from several countries in the area. I’m Mario Ritter. Ed Yeranian reported this story for VOA News. Mario Ritter adapted his report for Learning English. 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 brunt – n. the main force or effect jeopardy – n. a situation in which someone is in danger solidarity – n. a feeling of unity between people with the same interests stable – adj. not likely to change too much armored – adj. equipped or protected with flat pieces of metal

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World's Last Male Northern White Rhino Gets Internet Dating Profile

This is What’s Trending Today. Do you know you can find the profile of Sudan, the world’s only male northern white rhinoceros on Tinder? Tinder is a smartphone app people use to find a date. Sudan’s profile says “the fate of the species depends on me,” and he enjoys travel and the outdoors. Since rhinos cannot use smartphones, who wrote the profile? Sudan lives in a wildlife conservancy in Kenya called Ol Pejeta. The conservancy created the profile to draw attention to the endangered species. There are only three northern white rhinos alive. Many were killed by poachers who took their horns to sell. In some cultures, the horns are used as special medicine. That is why they can be worth up to $50,000 per kilogram. The two female northern white rhinos are named Fatu and Najin. Conservationists said they have tried to get him to mate with the female rhinos. But neither of them has gotten pregnant. Animal experts are worried that the northern white rhino might become extinct. Sudan is 43 years old and may not live long. Most northern white rhinos only live between 40 and 50 years. That is why Ol Pejeta is working with Tinder to raise money for what are called Assisted Reproductive Techniques. One of these well-known techniques is in-vitro fertilization. That is where the egg of a female rhino is fertilized by the sperm of a male rhino. It becomes an embryo and then is implanted into a female’s uterus. In this case, they are hoping to use the more common southern white rhino to carry the embryo and hopefully give birth to a baby rhino. When people see Sudan’s profile on Tinder, they can give money to support the project. The conservancy hopes to raise $9 million for the project and to have 10 northern white rhinos in five years. Richard Vigne is the head Ol Pejeta. He says the eventual goal of the program is to introduce northern white rhinos back into the wild. And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Dan Friedell. Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on reports by the Associated Press and Reuters. Hai Do was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story date – n. an occasion when two people who have or might have a romantic relationship do an activity together profile – n. a brief written description that provides information about someone or something fate – n. the future that someone or something will have conservancy – n. an organization that works to protect animals, plants, and natural resources especially by purchasing and caring for areas of land endangered – adj. used to describe a type of animal or plant that has become very rare and that could die out completely mate – v. of animals : to have sexual activity in order to produce young embryo – n. a human or animal in the early stages of development before it is born, hatched, etc. sperm – n. a cell that is produced by the male sexual organs and that combines with the female's egg in reproduction uterus – n. the organ in women and some female animals in which babies develop before birth

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Jason Sturm: Pushing Adaptive Athletes Forward

Jason Sturm says he cannot remember what it was like to have two legs. For 14 years now, Sturm has used an artificial limb, called a prosthesis, where the lower part of his left leg once was. The metal leg attaches about eight centimeters below his knee. “It was just 14 years ago. And the reason why is because I know that that is the old me, that is not the new me. The new me is what is here now.” The “new” Sturm is athletic, fit and strong. He has a beard, short hair, and a tattoo on his right arm that reads “Reject your sense of injury and the injury itself disappears.” Sturm’s injury happened in March of 2002. He was 22 years old. He had joined the U.S. Army after high school, and was taking part in a military training exercise at Fort Drum in New York. An artillery round missed its target. Instead, it exploded less than two meters behind Sturm. The explosion killed two soldiers. Sturm survived, but his left leg was severely injured. For eight months, Army doctors tried to save Sturm’s leg. They performed surgeries and other treatments. But nothing made it work again. So Sturm chose to have a medical operation to remove his leg. “I had already disassociated with my leg. I had already seen it as its a dead limb, it's doing nothing but holding me back.” Two months after the surgery, Sturm tried on his first prosthesis. Physical therapy treatments helped him return to basic everyday activities. After the accident, Sturm gained more than 20 kilograms. He was out of shape and overweight, like he was when he was a kid. He decided to change. Sturm slowly returned to doing sports and activities that he had always enjoyed, like weightlifting and running. He even started learning new sports. In 2011, a friend sent Sturm a list of workouts. His friend said to him, “Hey, you should try this stuff. It’s called CrossFit.” “And I looked at all the things that these people were doing and I was like, there’s no way I can do that as an amputee...” But as he often does, Sturm decided to push himself. Within one day, he says, he was “hooked.” Still, it took months – even years – for Sturm to learn how to do some of the difficult exercises with his prosthesis. CrossFit is an intense exercise program. It combines movements from several different sports and activities. It is meant to strengthen a person’s core and work on conditioning. Just one year after he first tried CrossFit, Sturm became a CrossFit coach. He started training people known as “adaptive athletes,” like himself. “What an adaptive athlete is it's someone that requires a permanent adaptation to do specific movements. So I require a prosthesis to do the movements that I do in CrossFit. So therefore I am an adaptive athlete...” He says one of the most important parts of coaching amputee athletes is helping them trust their prosthetic device. “There’s just a level of mistrust and discomfort.” Sturm also tries to give his athletes the “tips and tricks and tools” that they need to get stronger. It did not take long for Sturm to notice that CrossFit felt similar to the Army. CrossFit is a group workout. People in the classes motivate each other to finish the exercises, just as soldiers push each other in the Army. Sturm says he hopes more injured Army veterans give CrossFit a try. “What we’re trying to do is we’re trying to get vets to have an understanding that, that same social comradery, that same feeling you got when you worked out with your entire unit in the military, can be re-enacted by coming into a CrossFit gym and work.” At first, Sturm coached CrossFit while also working a full-time job. Then, in 2013, he decided to go back to school to study Kinesiology and Exercise Physiology. Kinesiology is the study of how the body moves. And in 2014, Sturm decided to quit his job and spend more of his time coaching CrossFit athletes. Sturm calls working with adaptive athletes one of the most rewarding parts of his what he does. “Every amputee is different, even if you find someone that is set up exactly like me and looks like me. Their adaptation and their needs are different. So working with adaptive athletes is something that literally is a driving force to make me a better coach.” Today, Sturm lives in northern Virginia. He is vice chairman of Crossroads Adaptive Athletic Alliance. The non-profit group helps bring together amputee athletes and their coaches. Last year, Sturm and his wife, Rachel, opened their own CrossFit gym in Ashburn, Virginia. It is called Old Glory Gym. The sign on the gym was inspired by Sturm’s Army unit’s official sign. He replaced two swords with two bench press bars in the design. CrossFit is not the only sport Sturm has learned since his accident. He also learned how to bobsled. The winter sport involves guiding a big, fast sled down a steep, curvy, icy path. Just as he did with CrossFit, Sturm took to bobsledding quickly. “One day, a gentleman out of Park City, Utah, just sent me a message and said, ‘hey, would you like to try out as a brake man for the U.S. para-bobsled team?’” A “brake man” pushes the sled at the beginning of a race and then stops it – with brakes -- after it crosses the finish line. Brake men do not steer or drive the sled. Just months after trying out for the U.S. team, Sturm traveled to Europe in early 2015 for his first-ever bobsled races. He was surprised to learn that the competitions would only involve one-person teams. That meant Sturm would have to drive the sled himself. In two races, Sturm placed second and then first. Those results made him the para-bobsled World Champion. Sturm hopes to grow the sport among adaptive athletes. “So my goal is, get us noticed, compete when I can, and recruit as many people into the sport as I can.” Sturm’s goal for bobsledding is similar to his goal with nearly everything he does in his life. “Being able to do this work, being able to get up in the morning and effect a positive change in people’s lives is hands down what I live for and why I do this. What drives me and what is the most impactful part of my life and is my life is helping people.” I’m Marsha James. Marsha James wrote this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story artificial limb - n. a replacement for a missing leg or arm prosthesis – n. an artificial device that replaces a missing or injured part of the body artillery round – n. ammunition consisting of metal casing containing an explosive charge fired from a large gun disassociated – v. to end your relationship with or connection to someone or something hooked – adj. very interested in and enthusiastic about something core - adj. relating to the muscles of the torso comradery – n. a feeling of good friendship among the people in a group rewarding – adj. giving you a good feeling that you have done something valuable, important, etc. curvy – adj. having a continuous bending line took to – phrasal verb. to begin to be interested in something para – sports played by persons with a disability or adaptive athletes

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