Senator John McCain Has Brain Cancer

Senator John McCain has brain cancer. McCain, 80, is a Republican who lost the 2008 presidential election to Democrat Barack Obama. He is considered a war hero from his service in the Vietnam War. His office and the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, provided the medical information about McCain on Wednesday night. McCain was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of cancer. It forms tumors in the brain and spinal cord, according to the American Brain Tumor Association. The American Cancer Society estimates that people who develop glioblastoma after the age of 55 have a five-year survival rate of 4 percent. McCain’s Senate office said the senator is in “good spirits” as he continues to recover from surgery at his Arizona home. Praise for McCain came from leaders of both political parties. Former President Obama tweeted: “John McCain is an American hero & one of the bravest fighters I've ever known. Cancer doesn't know what it's up against. Give it hell, John.”   Republican President Donald Trump, who once questioned whether McCain was really a war hero, also offered best wishes. “Senator John McCain has always been a fighter. Melania and I send our thoughts and prayers to Senator McCain, Cindy, and their entire family. Get well soon.” Before entering politics, McCain was a Navy fighter pilot. He was imprisoned and tortured by the North Vietnamese for five years after his plane was shot down. McCain refused the North Vietnamese offers to leave early from a prison known as the “Hanoi Hilton.” McCain said he would not leave unless fellow American prisoners of war were also released. When McCain was finally released in 1973, he was badly injured and weakened. In 1982, McCain was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Four years later, he was elected to the Senate. McCain has survived other health issues, including melanoma -- the most dangerous form of skin cancer. He also faced a variety of health problems caused by his five years of imprisonment in Vietnam. His daughter, Meghan, said her father is demonstrating his usual strength and bravery. “It won’t surprise you to learn that in all this, the one of us who is most confident and calm is my father,” she said. “He is the toughest person I know.” McCain’s office said his doctors will decide when he can return to the Senate. A lengthy absence will make it more difficult for the Trump administration and Republican congressional leaders to pass bills. Republicans had already delayed a vote on eliminating and replacing the health law, known as Obamacare. The delay was announced after McCain had surgery last week to remove a blood clot from behind his left eye. On Wednesday night, the Mayo Clinic and the Arizona Republican's office announced McCain's diagnosis of a brain tumor. McCain's doctors said the senator's next treatment may include a combination of chemotherapy and radiation. Republican Senator Jeff Flake also represents the state of Arizona. He found out about the cancer during a telephone discussion with McCain. “Only at the end of the conversation, I asked him how he was feeling today, and he said, 'I'm feeling fine, but I might have some chemotherapy in my future,'" Flake said on ABC television. “And that's how I learned of it. So it was almost in passing about his diagnosis.” Flake went on to say that McCain sounded “optimistic.” “He's John McCain -- that's what we expect,” Flake said.   VOA News reported this story. Bruce Alpert adapted the story for Learning English, with additional material from Reuters, the Associated Press and other sources. Hai Do 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   diagnose - v. to recognize a disease or injury by examining someone tumors - n. a mass of tissue found in or on the body that is made up of abnormal cells spinal cord - n. the large group of nerves which runs through the center of the spine and carries messages between the brain and the rest of the body confident - v. having a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed at something toughest - adj. physically and emotionally very strong chemotherapy - n. the use of chemicals to treat or control a disease such as cancer conversation - n. a discussion with someone optimistic - adj. having or showing hope for the future  

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News Words: Pristine

If something in the environment is pristine, what does that mean? Learn the answer with Anne Ball and Jonathan Evans in VOA's News Words.

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America's Presidents - Chester A. Arthur

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Lesson 34: What Will I Do?

Summary In this lesson, Anna wants to go to a Halloween party. But she needs a costume. Will her friend Genie help her find the right one? Speaking Learn the new words for this lesson. Then, learn how to talk about the future in two ways.  You can use the modal verb "will" or the modal verb "might." ​ Pronunciation Use this video to learn a stress pattern to show strong emotion with the modal "might."​ Conversation   Anna: Hello! Halloween is very popular in the United States. Anna: Children trick-or-treat. They ask people for candy. Children and adults wear costumes and go to parties! Anna: In fact, there is a Halloween party tonight. I need my friend, Genie. Genie! Anna: Hi! Genie: Hi, Anna! What do you need? Anna: Tonight, there is a Halloween party. Genie: I love Halloween! Are you going? Anna: I might go. I might not go. I don’t have a costume. Can you help me? Genie: Dress as a genie! Anna: Great idea! I can do a genie trick like read minds! Genie: Anna, be careful. Things might go wrong. Anna: What can go wrong? Genie: Okay. Anna: Hey, look! I’m a genie! This is going to be fun! Genie: Remember, Anna. Be careful! Anna: Don’t worry, Genie! I will! Rebecca: Excuse me, are you really a mind reader? Anna: I might be. Rebecca: Okay, tell me what I am thinking. Anna: Sure! First, what do you do? Rebecca: I study. I'm a junior in college. Anna: What do you study? Rebecca: I study journalism. Anna: Okay. Wait. You are thinking … you will graduate from college in about one year. Rebecca: Well, yeah. That’s the plan. I told you, I’m a junior in college. Anna: Right, um, wait. There’s more. You are thinking … you might get a job writing the news. Rebecca: I MIGHT get a job writing the news? I MIGHT! That means I might not. And I'm studying really hard. Anna: No, no, no, no. Uh, no, you will! You WILL get a job writing the news. Rebecca: I will? Anna: You will. Rebecca: I will. I think. Anna: 'Bye. Happy to help! Kaveh: Can you really read minds? Anna: I might. Kaveh: Well, today, I will ask my girlfriend to marry me. What am I thinking? Anna: Wait. Wait, you are thinking ... you might have a wedding very soon! Kaveh: Might? MIGHT? She won’t say "no," will she? Anna: No, no! She WILL say “yes”! Kaveh: I will have a wedding, won’t I? Anna: You will. You will! Kaveh: Thanks. I think. Anna: Good luck! Anna: This is hard. Genie! Genie! Genie: Anna, what’s wrong? Anna: I don’t want to be a genie for Halloween. I might not go to the party. Genie: Of course you will go. I have another costume for you! Anna: I’m a rock star! You read my mind! Genie: No. You told me you like rock music. Anna: Oh, right. Well, I love it! Genie: Have fun, Anna! Anna: Thanks, Genie!! Anna: I am ready for the Halloween party! But I am not going to read minds. I might play some rock music! Or I might not. Until next time … Writing What do you think about your future? Where might you live and work in five years? What might happen in your life? Write to us by email or in the Comments section. Click on the image below to download the Activity Sheet and practice talking about the important things that happen in our lives. Learning Strategy Learning Strategies are the thoughts and actions that help make learning easier or more effective. The learning strategy for this lesson is Make Your Best Guess​.  That means using what you know about the world to make a guess.  When we do this with language, it can help us understand and speak more fluently.  For example, Anna says she might be able to read minds. But she is really guessing. After she hears Rebecca say, "I'm a junior in college." Anna says, "You are thinking … you will graduate from college in about one year." She knows that "junior" means a student in the third year at a four-year college, so she can make a good guess that Rebecca will be graduating in one year. Can you find another example in the lesson of Anna making a guess? Write to us about it in the Comments section or send us an email. Teachers, see the Lesson Plan  for more details on teaching this strategy. Quiz Listen to short videos and test your listening skills with this quiz. ​______________________________________________________________ New Words candy - n. a sweet food made with sugar or chocolate college - n. school that offers courses leading to a degree (such as a bachelor's degree or an associate's degree) costume - n. the clothes that are worn by someone (such as an actor) who is trying to look like a different person or thing dress - v. to put clothes on (yourself or someone else) girlfriend - n. a woman with whom someone is having a romantic relationship graduate - v. to earn a degree or diploma from a school, college, or university Halloween - n. the night of October 31 when children dress up as ghosts, witches or monsters, and go to houses to ask for candy journalism - n. the activity or job of collecting, writing, and editing news stories for newspapers, magazines, television, or radio junior - n. US:a student in the third of four years in a high school or college marry - v. to become the husband or wife of (someone)orto become joined with (someone) in marriage might - modal. used to say that something is possible mind - n. the part of a person that thinks, reasons, feels, and remembers rock star - n. a person who plays a kind of popular music with a strong beat that is played on instruments that are made louder electronically think - v. to form or have (a particular thought) in your mind trick - n. something that causes confusion or that makes something seem different from what it actually is trick-or-treat - expression. a custom on Halloween in which children knock on people's doors and say “trick or treat” when the doors are opened to ask for candy wedding - n. a ceremony at which two people are married to each other ______________________________________________________________ Free Materials   Download the VOA Learning English Word Book for a dictionary of the words we use on this website. Each Let's Learn English lesson has an Activity Sheet for extra practice on your own or in the classroom. In this lesson, you can use it to practice talking about life events. For Teachers ​ See the Lesson Plan for this lesson for ideas and more teaching resources. Send us an email if you have comments on this course or questions. Grammar focus: Modal verb "might" Topics: Asking about the future; Talking about life events Learning Strategy: Make Your Best Guess (Inferencing) Speaking & Pronunciation Focus: Using modal verb​s "will" and"might;"  ​patterns of intonation with modal verbs   ____________________________________________________________ Now it's your turn. What do you like best about using Let's Learn English? Send us an email or write to us in the Comments section below or on our Facebook page to let us know what you think of this lesson.

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Study: Republicans See Colleges Hurting America

A majority of Republicans and Republican-leaning voters say American colleges and universities have a negative effect on the United States. That is one of the findings of a new report by the Pew Research Center. The report was based on phone interviews with more than 2,500 adults across the United States and the District of Columbia. Over the past two years, Pew found the share of Republicans and Republican leaners who view the effect of colleges and universities positively has dropped 18 percentage points. In the past, a little more than half had a positive view. Now only about one-third do. Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents see the value of colleges and universities very differently. Pew said 72 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaners say colleges have a positive effect on the United States -- little changed from recent years. Younger Republicans see colleges more positively Some of the opinions about the value of college differ based on age. Pew reported that half of Republicans and Republican-leaners aged 18 to 29 say colleges have a positive effect on the country. But only about one-quarter of Republican and Republican-leaners 65 and older say colleges have a positive effect. Anger, distrust and debt A former Republican congressman from Louisiana, Billy Tauzin, said he believes many Republicans are unhappy that at some colleges conservative speakers are not only unwelcome, but blocked from speaking. This year some students at the University of California - Berkeley and Middlebury College in Vermont demonstrated violently against conservative speakers. The demonstrations drew wide coverage and criticism by news media favored by conservatives. David Andersen, who teaches political science at Iowa State University, said he is not surprised Republicans and Republican-leaning adults have a negative opinion of American higher education. “One of the things going on is that there is an anti-elitism and anti-intellectualism among some in the Republican Party,” Andersen said. Andersen said he sees distrust in his own classroom among students from largely Republican and conservative communities in Iowa. “Students are very willing to push back as we discuss issues,” he said. “But that’s the whole point of being at a university. Let’s talk about what you believe and see how it matches up with the facts." On some issues, such as climate change, Andersen offers information about the big majority of scientists who say climate change is real and caused by man-made activities. When they get home, some students talk with their families about classroom discussions that conflict with the ones at home. Sometimes, those conversations do not go well. “One student said, ‘My uncle yelled at me for two hours because he thought I had become a godless liberal,’” Andersen said. Andersen said he believes most Americans without a college education still want their children to go to college, hoping they will gain better job opportunities. William Eveland Jr., a professor at the School of Communication and the Department of Political Science at Ohio State University, said there may be other reasons Republicans do not favor colleges and universities. One of them is the increased cost of college, and the increasing number of students and parents who go into heavy debt to pay off loans. College is still preferred over the media The Pew Research Center report found Republicans have an even worse opinion of the news media than they do of American colleges. Pew found 85 percent of Republicans and people who lean Republican say the news media has a negative effect on the United States. Democrats and Democratic-leaning adults are divided -- with 44 percent saying the news media has a positive effect and 46 percent saying it has a negative effect. I'm Bruce Alpert. And I'm Jill Robbins.   Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly 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   leaning - n. a preference for something or tendency to do something elitism - n. people who are considered more powerful, smart, or wealthy intellectualism - n. valuing study and knowledge match - v. to go well with something or someone conversation - n. an informal talk involving two people or a small group of people yell - v. to say something very loudly especially because you are angry, surprised, or are trying to get someone's attention  

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New App Helps Blind People Know the World Around Them

One of the best uses of technology is to make life easier. A new product from Microsoft Corporation can do just that for people who have trouble seeing. They may be blind or visually impaired. The product, an app, is currently available for free for Apple’s iPhone and iPad. The app is called Seeing AI. “AI” is short for artificial intelligence, a term for computers with an ability to think and learn like human beings. Seeing AI uses both a camera and artificial intelligence to identify places, objects and people. The app then announces what the camera sees so users will know what is in front of them. People can also use Seeing AI to learn words in English. With the app open, you can point your iPhone or iPad at any object and it will say what the object is. With Seeing AI, users can hear a description of not just objects, but other people. It can even tell you about their emotions. It will not just say that someone is smiling. The app will say that the person is happy. Or surprised. Or angry. People can use the app when going to a store or supermarket. It can read product bar codes so users will know whether a can is filled with fruit or dog food. Microsoft says Seeing AI will soon be able to identify banknotes so people know whether they are holding a bill that is worth $100 or $1. At restaurants, diners can use the new app to hear a list of drinks and other menu offerings. It can recognize both food choices and prices. People can use the app to read signs and get directions, although Microsoft warns against using it for navigation purposes. One of the more interesting tools of Seeing AI is its ability to read documents. The app can read documents aloud and even help a user position them on the center of the electronic device. The app looks for the edges of the document so it knows that it is reading all of the wording. Seeing AI can also identify images in other apps. When you are using another app, hit the Share icon and choose "Recognize with Seeing AI." The app can identify what is in the image, as if it were right in front of you. How to use Seeing AI The Seeing AI app has four Channels: Short Text, Document, Product, and Person. After you download it, the app will show video directions for each channel. With the Document and Person channels, the app takes a picture of the object or person, then examines the image and announces what it is. The Short Text channel can be used to read things such as signs that have a few words that will fit on a screen. Hold the camera over the text and the app will start reading the wording out loud. The Documents channel is for longer, printed pages. The app will tell the user how to center the camera so it can read all the text. Users should put the document on top of something with a different color, such as a white sheet of paper on a dark surface. This helps the app identify the edges of the paper. The Product channel reads bar codes to help users recognize what the product is. The app may also provide more information about the product, such as cooking directions. Seeing AI will guide users with sound – short beeps -- to let them know when the camera is getting closer to, and then scanning the bar code. When the app scans the bar code, it will read the name of the product. If more information is available about the product, a More Information button will appear in the program. The Person channel helps users identify people, who they are and what they are doing. The app can identify more than one person in a photograph. Users can teach the app names of people so it can announce who they are by name. The app will help guide users while taking a photo of people so that their faces are in the center of the image. This channel also helps identify the emotions of people. The app will tell how the person is feeling, based on their faces. The app will also predict the person's age and sex. Experimental channels The app also has an experimental channel called Scene. With that channel, the app guesses what is happening in the photo. Microsoft also says a Currency channel is coming soon to the app. That area will help users the value of banknotes. What else you need to know Seeing AI is a new app and will not be correct 100% of the time. For example, just because someone is smiling does not necessarily mean they are happy. The app recognizes text, but not handwriting yet. That feature may be available in the future. Also, Seeing AI needs to be connected to the Internet to work. For more information about the app, including the informational videos, go to Microsoft's Seeing AI website. Availability As we said earlier, Seeing AI is a free app and available for Apple’s iPhone and iPad in the iTunes App Store. Microsoft has not yet said whether it will be available on Android in the future. The app is currently available in Canada, Hong Kong, India, New Zealand, Singapore and the United States. I’m Ashley Thompson. And I'm John Russell.   Carolyn Nicander Mohr wrote this report for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.   Do you like the idea of Seeing AI to help blind and visually impaired people identify what is in front of them?How do you think Seeing AI will be helpful to others? What would you like to see the app be able to do? Share your thoughts in the Comments Section below or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   visually impaired - adj. eyesight that cannot be corrected to a normal level. artificial intelligence - n. the ability of a computer to think and learn like a human bar code - n. a group of thick and thin lines that is placed on a product so that a computer can get the price of the product and other information about it menu - n. a list of the foods that may be ordered at a restaurant navigation - n. the act, activity, or process of finding the way to get to a place when you are traveling in a ship, airplane, car, etc.​ icon - n. a small picture on a computer screen that represents a program or function screen - n. the usually flat part of a television or computer monitor that shows the images or text : the part of a television or computer that you look at when you are using it frisbee - n. a plastic disc that you throw to someone who tries to catch it as part of a game

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Watch the US Navy’s New Laser Weapon in Action

  The United States Navy has demonstrated a new laser weapon operating in the Persian Gulf. The Laser Weapons System, or LaWS, is deployed on the USS Ponce transport ship. A live test firing of the weapon was recently carried out for Cable News Network (CNN). In the latest test, a drone aircraft was launched from the ship and then shot down by the laser.  Lieutenant Cale Hughes is a laser weapons expert on the USS Ponce. He told CNN that because the weapon operates at the speed of light, it can immediately hit and destroy a target. This is about 50,000 times faster than an incoming intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM. “We don't worry about wind, we don't worry about range, we don't worry about anything else,” Hughes said. “We're able to engage the targets at the speed of light.” The technology is also called “directed energy.” The laser contains large amounts of photons that shoot intense energy.  It destroys its targets with fire and heat thousands of degrees in temperature. The system is powered by electricity. It costs much less to build and operate than other weapons. The Navy said the cost of a single laser shot is about one dollar. Captain Christopher Wells said the laser weapon is far more exact than most systems. Inez Kelly is an advisor with the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. She says the laser's exactness results in less damage and could reduce the number of human deaths and injuries during war. “If you’re looking at a boat coming in over the water, you can target exactly the engine and take out exactly the engine, and not necessarily damage anything else,” she told CNN. Military officials have tested the ship-based weapon against boats and small aircraft. The Navy says the system has performed well against drones, which military forces are increasingly using around the world. The Navy has said it plans to deploy laser weapons to additional ships by the early 2020s. It is also developing laser technology to be used against more powerful weapons, such as missiles. Military contractor Lockheed Martin is currently developing laser technology to protect against possible attacks by missiles and drones. The company is working on a 60-kilowatt system combining multiple lasers to form a “high power weapon beam.” This system could protect against an attack by many drones – or even missiles - at the same time. Lasers can be an effective defense against such an attack because the system is not easily destroyed as long as it has power, the company says.  “The laser weapon system can fire over and over, essentially creating an unlimited magazine of “bullets,” says a description on Lockheed Martin’s website. In January, Britain confirmed its military had signed a $39 million deal with European defense companies to build a prototype laser weapon. British military officials said the Dragonfire system will not be developed to be used against any single target. Instead, it will be tested to see how well it can identify and follow a mix of targets in many different environments and situations.  I’m Bryan Lynn.   Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on a report from CNN and other sources. Caty Weaver was the editor. We want to hear from you. Do you think laser weapons should be used for military purposes? Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   laser – n. strong, focused line of light or energy drone – n. small flying machine flown remotely by a pilot range – n. a specified distance engage – v. start an action against someone or something beam – n. line of light or energy magazine – n. part of a gun that holds bullets prototype – n. original or first model of something from which others are developed or made  

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Melting Ice Reveals Couple Lost in Mountains for 75 Years

  This is What’s Trending Today. It turns out the warming climate is good for something. The children of Marcelin and Francine Dumoulin of Switzerland finally might find out what happened to their parents 75 years ago. One daughter, 79-year-old Marceline Udry-Dumuolin, says her parents left their house to milk their cows one day in 1942. But, she says they did not return. The family lived high in the mountains, at an elevation of about 2600 meters. People from nearby villages searched for the man and woman for over two months. But the search was unsuccessful. Many people believed the couple fell into a crevasse, or a deep divide in the land. Young Marceline and her five siblings went to live with other families. She said she and her brothers and sisters spent their entire lives looking for their parents so they could have a proper funeral. Now, people who work for a company that operates ski lifts may have found the Dumoulins in melting ice. An employee was doing work on one of the lifts last week when he says he saw something strange. He found two bodies, a man and a woman, close together in the Tsanfleuron glacier. They were wearing clothing from the 1940s and had items like a backpack and food container. Police said they will do a DNA comparison to find out for sure if the bodies are the missing Doumoulins. The director of the ski lift company said the bodies were “perfectly preserved.” Many people around the world reacted to the news. One Twitter user, Amber, wrote: “Wow! This now ends the agony of the family left wondering how/where the couple disappeared.” The newspaper Le Matin reported that daughter Marceline said “this news calms me deeply.” She also said if the bodies turn out to be those of her parents, she will not wear black to their funeral. She said, “I think white will be more appropriate. This represents hope, which I have never lost." And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Dan Friedell. Dan Friedell wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. Do you think the bodies are the missing parents? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.   ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   sibling – n. a brother or sister proper – adj. correct according to social rules agony – n. extreme mental or physical pain

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Young Indonesian Urged to Ignore Dating, Move Straight to Marriage

  Some Indonesians believe the country would be better off if single people stopped wasting time on dating. Writer La Ode Munafar started a group called Indonesia Tanpa Pacaran, or Indonesia Without Courtship, about two years ago. He and his group say Indonesians spend too much time and energy on trying to find the perfect mate. They want young people to stop looking around for such a person, and go straight to marriage. When asked why he started the group, Munafar said, “I was concerned about the younger generation, who are victims of the doomed culture of courtships.” Munafar is married. A native of Southeast Sulawesi, the 26-year-old now lives in Yogyakarta on the island of Java. His website says he has written 60 books since the age of 20. He also directs a “quick-write” training program. It promises that students will be able to write a book with only eight hours of training. His group, Indonesia Tanpa Pacaran, has received over 200,000 likes on Facebook and over 300,000 Instagram followers. Its social media posts are often related to Islam. Many have messages critical of dating and photographs of women wearing head coverings. The social movement has been gaining popularity. Its popularity has increased concerns about child marriage in the country. Depending on the province, between 14 and 35 percent of Indonesian girls get married before the age of 18, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).  Some children’s activists are worried that the movement will lead to more child marriages. Indonesia is one of the top 10 countries with the largest number of child brides. With permission from their parents, Indonesian girls can legally marry at age 16, but boys must wait until they are 19. Children younger than 16 can get married secretly. Nikah siri is a secret marriage carried out under Islamic law. These marriages are not registered with the government. Emilie Minnick is a child protection specialist at UNICEF Indonesia. She said that when two people are married through nikah siri, it is easy to make the marriage official. She said many child marriages take place because people use forged identification documents. Those documents often list the wrong ages. Minnick said girls who marry before they turn 18 are six times less likely to finish secondary education than those who marry after they turn 18. She said those numbers come from Indonesia’s Central Bureau of Statistics. She added that problems during pregnancy and childbirth are the second leading cause of death for girls between the ages of 15 and 19 worldwide. Poverty is a big issue when looking at child marriages, Minnick said. Indonesian girls are four times more likely to be married before 18 if they are poor. Cultural pressure is not the only reason for more child marriages. Poverty and a lack of social services are other possible reasons. The anti-dating movement appears to be a product of Indonesia’s cultural and religious environment. The founder of Indonesia Tanpa Pacaran told VOA that his group offers advice to concerned individuals and holds discussions in WhatsApp groups. It also broadcasts relationship advice on social media and has launched online campaigns like #TolakValentineDay. The campaign urges Indonesians to reject Valentine’s Day, the traditional holiday for lovers. "Dating only wastes time, energy and money for a moment's pleasure," said Munafar. "It's not for serious relationships or building a house." The group suggests unmarried people try ta’aruf, an Islamic cultural tradition, instead of dating. Ta’aruf is a way of getting to know a future husband or wife through family members. Indonesia Tanpa Pacaran is not the only anti-dating group in the country. Accounts such as @nikahasik and @muliatanpapacaran praise the value of Islamic marriages. Nikah Asik means “cool marriage” and Mulia Tanpa Pacaran means “nobility without dating.” Indonesian law makers and law enforcement have also tried to fight dating. In parts of West Java, security cameras are used to watch social interactions between men and women. Last year, conservative politicians proposed banning all extramarital sex. The nation’s highest court has yet to rule on the measure. I’m Mario Ritter. And I’m Olivia Liu. Olivia Liu adapted this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   date – v. to go out with someone in hopes of developing a love relationship courtships – n. the activities that could lead to marriage doomed – adj. of or related to an unhappy ending post – n. a message that is published on social media bride – n. a woman who has just married forged – adj. of or related to a copy, something that is not the real thing online – adj. connected to a computer or telecommunications system nobility – adj. great admirable qualities extramarital – adj. sexual or romantic relations between a married person and someone who is not that person’s husband or wife We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

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July 19, 2017

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

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July 18, 2017

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

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