English @ the Movies: 'Fit In'

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What It Takes: Johnny Cash

00:00:02    OPRAH WINFREY: "Hattie Mae, this child is gifted," and I heard that enough that I started to believe it. 00:00:08    ROGER BANNISTER: If you have the opportunity, not a perfect opportunity, and you don't take it, you may never have another chance. 00:00:14    LAURYN HILL: It all was so clear. It was just, like, the picture started to form itself. 00:00:19    DESMOND TUTU: There was no way in which a lie could prevail over the truth, darkness over light, death over life. 00:00:32    CAROL BURNETT (quoting CARRIE HAMILTON): “Every day I wake up and decide, today I'm going to love my life. Decide.” 00:00:35    JOHNNY CASH: My advice is, if they're going to break your leg once when you go in that place, stay out of there. 00:00:40    JAMES MICHENER: And then along come these differential experiences that you don't look for, you don't plan for, but boy, you’d better not miss them. 00:00:53    ALICE WINKLER: This is What It Takes, a podcast about passion, vision, and perseverance. I'm Alice Winkler. Every episode of What It Takes features a revealing conversation with someone who has literally changed the world, whether it's Rosa Parks, Steve Jobs, Jonas Salk, Jane Goodall, or today's guest, Johnny Cash. Their stories are unique, but all of them are inspiring, and after all, it's the Academy of Achievement's mission to show you don't need to be a superhero to make a difference. 00:01:25    Listen to the wisdom in these interviews, and you'll learn what it takes. Here we go. 00:01:29    MUSIC: MAN IN BLACK 00:01:29    Well, you wonder why I always dress in black, Why you never see bright colors on my back, And why does my appearance Seem to have a somber tone? Well, there's a reason for the things that I have on. I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down. 00:01:55     ALICE WINKLER: Hardscrabble farmers, homeless drifters, and men behind bars — these are the people Johnny Cash wrote and sang about for 40-plus years. He lent his entirely original canyon of a voice to the lonesome and the lost, the dispossessed and the disillusioned. In 1993, Gail Eichenthal sat down to talk with Johnny Cash. It was ten years before his death.  00:02:20     JOHNNY CASH: The first time I knew what I wanted to do with my life was when I was about four years old. I was listening to an old Victrola playing a railroad song. The song was called Hobo Bill's Last Ride. 00:02:33     MUSIC: HOBO BILL'S LAST RIDE 00:02:33     Hobo Bill, a railroad bum, was fighting for his life... 00:02:41     JOHNNY CASH: And I thought that was the most wonderful, amazing thing that I'd ever seen. That you could take this piece of wax, and music would come out of that box. From that day on, I wanted to sing on the radio. 00:02:55    MUSIC: HOBO BILL'S LAST RIDE 00:02:55     Ho-bo Billy... 00:03:02    ALICE WINKLER: Johnny Cash’s musical dreams took root on a cotton farm in rural Arkansas during the darkest days of the Depression, but it wasn’t just Jimmy Rodgers or the other singers coming out of the family’s radio that inspired him. 00:03:15    JOHNNY CASH: I grew up in the ’40s, and I heard all these great speeches, like Winston Churchill. His most famous — or infamous — commencement exercise speech was, "Never, never, never, never, never give up." And then somebody else said, "Every day in every way I'm getting better and better." I didn't especially believe that about myself, but I said it every day, and I made myself believe it, and it worked. 00:03:43    But I never — I persevered. I never gave up my dream to, quote, sing on the radio, and that dream came true in 1955. 00:03:56    GAIL EICHENTHAL: Tell us how that dream came true. What — who gave you your first big break? 00:04:02    JOHNNY CASH: Sam Phillips at Sun Records. There was a label called Sun Records in Memphis that was pretty hot, with Elvis Presley and two or three locally well-known country acts, and some black blues and gospel singers, and when I got out of the Air Force, I went and knocked on that door and was turned away. I called back for an interview three or four times, was turned away, so one morning I found out what time the man went to work. 00:04:30    I went down with my guitar and sat on his steps until he got there, and when he got there, I introduced myself, and he said, "You're the one that's been calling." I said, "Yup." You know, I had to take the chance he was either going to let me come in or he was going to run me off, turn me down again, but evidently he woke up on the right side of the bed that morning. He said, "Come on in. Let's listen." So he did. He said, “Come back tomorrow and bring some musicians.” 00:04:59    So I went down to the garage where I worked, where my brother Roy worked, and met — and was introduced to two musicians down there. Brought them back at the studio, and the next day was our first session. We recorded and released the songs that were recorded the second day. 00:05:17    MUSIC: I WALK THE LINE 00:05:17    I keep a close watch on this heart of mine I keep my eyes wide open all the time I keep the ends out for the tie that binds Because you're mine, I walk the line 00:05:40    GAIL EICHENTHAL: Did you ever sense back — sitting on Sam Phillip's doorstep, that you would one day be a household word? 00:05:48    JOHNNY CASH: No. No, I had no idea. Even when my first record was released, I — two or three days later I heard it played over a Shreveport, Louisiana radio station, and I thought, "That's too far away. That doesn't make any difference. That doesn't matter. You know, that's too far away from Memphis." It was a couple of months before I realized that the whole world was out there, available, you know? 00:06:14    GAIL EICHENTHAL: Did you have trouble dealing with success when it came? 00:06:20    JOHNNY CASH: Yeah. 00:06:21    GAIL EICHENTHAL: Can you talk about that a little bit? 00:06:21    JOHNNY CASH: I had a lot of trouble dealing with success. I think it would have — it was harder for me to handle than failure would have been. I don't know. Probably was. Yeah, I had a hard time dealing with it. I lived a simple life, and life on the road as an entertainer's anything but simple. Yeah, I had my ups and downs, as is well documented. 00:06:43    ALICE WINKLER: His ups and downs included drug abuse and alcoholism. Johnny Cash asked not to talk about those periods of his life during this interview with Gail Eichenthal. He was doing well, sitting next to his wife and musical partner, June Carter Cash, and he preferred to stay in the light, but what he was happy to talk about was how he learned to move beyond his mistakes, starting with a book he read when he was 12 years old about an Indian boy named Lone Bull. 00:07:12     JOHNNY CASH: Lone Bull tried to go out and kill a buffalo. He slipped out of the village against his father's wishes and went out. He was going to be a hero, so his family and the other people could have meat. The elders of the village knew about the buffalo herd out there. They knew it was there, and they were making plans to cut into the herd and cut off some buffalo and kill them, and have meat for the whole winter and into the next spring. 00:07:41    Lone Bull wanted to be a hero. He went out with his bow and arrow and killed a calf and ran the herd off. He dragged his calf home. His family was fed, but they were ostracized, and Lone Bull became a wanderer until he found a village that would take him in, and in that next village that he was taken in, he organized the buffalo hunt that winter, and they had more meat than this village had ever had before. 00:08:13    So, I learned from my mistakes. I think it's probably the best way, and it was a very painful way to learn, but you build on it. You build on failure. You use it as a stepping-stone. You don't close the door on the past. You don't try to forget the mistakes, but you don't dwell on it. You don't let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space. 00:08:36    You know, you analyze it as you're moving forward and never fall in the same trap twice, which I can't say that I haven't been guilty of doing, but my advice is don't — if they're going to break your leg once when you go in that place, stay out of there. So, Lone Bull's philosophy was, “I'm kicked out of this village, but I will grow up, and I'll come into another one, and I will do what I set out to do.” And that was feed the people. So, I’m feeding my people right now. 00:09:09    MUSIC: REDEMPTION 00:09:09    From the hands it came down From the side it came down From the feet it came down And ran to the ground Between heaven and hell A teardrop fell In the deep crimson dew The tree of life grew And the blood gave life To the branches of the tree And the blood was the price That set the captives free And the numbers that came Through the fire and the flood Clung to the tree And were redeemed by the blood 00:09:58    GAIL EICHENTHAL: As a songwriter, do you rely a lot on your instinct? 00:10:05    JOHNNY CASH: Songwriting is a very strange thing, so far as I'm concerned. It's not something that I can say, “Next Tuesday morning, I'm going to sit down and write songs.” I can't do that. Can't — no way. If I say, “I'm going to the country and take a walk in the woods next Tuesday,” then the probability is next Tuesday night I maybe can write a song, you know? Creative people have to be fed from the divine source. I do. I have to get fed. I have to get filled up in order to pour out. Really have to. 00:10:38    GAIL EICHENTHAL: What feeds you? 00:10:39    JOHNNY CASH: God and inspiring people. In my little world there in Northeast Arkansas on a cotton farm, it was my brother Jack. He was kind of my inspiration, but he was — and he was two years older than I, and he was killed at the age of 14. I always wanted to be like him, and throughout the year, he was a strong person. He was a Bible student. 00:11:07    He was in perfect shape physically. I always wanted to be like him, and when he died, my best friend was still my mother, and she always encouraged me to do — to sing. Matter of fact, she — we were very poor, and she took in washing from the schoolteachers, washed their clothes to make money to give me singing lessons, voice lessons. After about three lessons, the voice teacher said, "Don't take voice lessons. Do it your way." And she said, "You're a song stylist." 00:11:38    And from the age of 12, I didn’t forget that. That that was the way I had to do it because, you know, it was the way it was with me. I had to do it my way. I couldn’t reach those notes singing those great songs like a lot of those singers could, but I could do it my way, and — the way it felt good to me, and that's what music is all about, emotion. So — 00:12:01    GAIL EICHENTHAL: You didn’t mention a father. Was — what — 00:12:04    JOHNNY CASH: My father was a man of love. He always loved me to death. He — we worked hard in the fields, but my father never hit me, never — I don't ever remember a really cross, unkind word from my father. He was a good, strong man, provided for his family. That was his sole purpose in life when I was growing up. 00:12:25    GAIL EICHENTHAL: Was there a teacher that particularly inspired you? Did school mean something to — in your career? 00:12:04    JOHNNY CASH: Yeah. I graduated from high school in 1950 in a little town in Arkansas. Actually, it was the biggest, what they call, cooperative school in the state. For a small country town — there were 1,100 students in this school, and I graduated as the vice president of my class. I wasn't all that high scholastically because I was writing a lot of poems and stories and songs at the time that I should have been studying more. 00:13:01    But school was really important for me, and I was so disappointed in myself that I didn't make really good grades in math, and in all the other subjects I did very well, but it was — school was really important to me. My parents — my mother had, and father — I think they had an eighth grade education, which was adequate for what they did with their lives then, but they wanted me — and they drilled into me that I had to graduate from high school. 00:13:29    College was another hope that was almost unattainable for a cotton farm boy. There was no money for college, so I joined the Air Force. Korean War was breaking out, and I joined the Air Force. You know, I probably have the equivalent of college in the roads I've traveled since then, but it'd be great to go from being able to — I look back on it, and it would have been great to go from high school right into college to study music and literature. 00:14:01    GAIL EICHENTHAL: Going back to the beginning of your career and Sam Phillips, what do you think he saw in you that made him take that chance and go with you and cut a record? What was he attracted to? 00:14:21    JOHNNY CASH: I think Sam Phillips saw the originality in my difference. He heard something that was different. Not necessarily something that was good or exceptional — or even good — but different. You know, it's like a novelist writing far out things, you know? If it makes a point and makes sense, then people like to read that, you know? But if it gets off into left field and then goes over the edge, you lose it. The same with musical talent, I think. 00:14:55    If you can hold your listener, hold their attention, and be sure you know what you're doing, and know that you're communicating — you know, performance is communicating. You’ve got to communicate. If you’ve got a song you're singing from your gut, you want that audience to feel it in their gut, and you’ve got to make them think that you're one of them, sitting out there with them, too. 00:15:17     GAIL EICHENTHAL: How do you do that? 00:15:19    JOHNNY CASH: I don't know. I don't know how you do that. It just — I just know when I'm doing it, and I know if I'm not doing it, and after 38 years of experience, I pretty well know if it's going to work or not, usually. 00:15:31    MUSIC: FOLSOM PRISON BLUES 00:15:31    I hear the train a-comin’ It's rollin’ round the bend And I ain't seen the sunshine Since I don't know when I'm stuck in Folsom Prison And time keeps draggin’ on But that train keeps a-rollin’ On down to San Antone... When I was just a baby My mama told me, Son, Always be a good boy, Don't ever play with guns But I shot a man in Reno Just to watch him die When I hear that whistle blowin’ I hang my head and cry... 00:16:18     ALICE WINKLER: That conversation with Johnny Cash was recorded in 1993. You can hear more from Johnny Cash at the Academy of Achievement’s website, achievement.org. There are so many tremendous interviews in the collection, with musicians and writers, scientists and entrepreneurs, world leaders and great thinkers. So when you need another dose of inspiration, come find us. This is What It Takes. I’m Alice Winkler. 00:16:43    MUSIC: FOLSOM PRISON BLUES 00:16:43    I bet there's rich folks eatin’ In a fancy dining car They're probably drinkin’ coffee And smoking big cigars Well I know I had it comin’ I know I can't be free But those people keep a-movin’ And that's what tortures me... 00:17:12    ALICE WINKLER: Funding for What It Takes is made possible by the Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation.

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Introducing Let's Teach English

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Lesson 47: How Can I help?

Summary Pete is fixing his car. Can Anna help him? She was fixing cars when she was a teenager.  Speaking In this video, learn how to say the new words. Then learn about how to offer and accept help.  Pronunciation Use this video to learn about the reduced form of "I will" in the future tense. Conversation Anna: Hi, Pete. What are you doing? Pete: Oh! Hi, Anna. Right now, I am fixing my car. Anna: How’s it going? Pete: It’s going … not so good. Anna: How can I help? I was planning to visit some friends. But if you need help, I can help. I like helping. Pete: Anna, I can fix it myself. But thanks. Anna: Pete, I think I found your problem. These are spark plugs. (holds them up) Anna: They start the engine. Pete: I know that, Anna. But there were too many spark plugs … in there. So I took out the extra ones. Anna: There are no extras, Pete. You need all of them. Pete, can you fix a car yourself? Pete: Well, Anna, last night I was watching the online video course, “You CAN Fix a Car Yourself!” Dan: Yes, you CAN fix your car yourself! Pete: And I watched the first 10 lessons. So, I think I know what I’m doing. Anna: How many lessons are there? Pete: Four hundred and fifty. Anna: 450! That'll take too long! If I fix your car, I'll have it running in 10 to 15 minutes. Anna: Where’re your tools? Pete: I have this. (puts a useless tool in her hand). And this. (hands her another useless tool) Anna: Great. Um, I’ll get my tools. I’ll be back in a flash! Pete: But, Anna, I don’t need your ... (She goes and quickly comes back with tools.) Pete: … help. Anna: Pete, when I was a teenager, I was fixing cars -- myself. I learned from a master. Anna: You can trust me. Pete: Okay. Anna: Great! But we need teamwork. You sit in the car. When I say “go,” you start the engine. Anna: Okay, go! ​ Anna: Stop! Anna: Okay, go! Huh.  Pete: It's not starting! It’s not starting! Anna: What’s wrong? Pete: This car is stupid … stupid, stupid! Anna: Pete, kicking the tires will not help. Pete: Well, you did not help, Anna. You did not help!! Anna: Pete, Pete! Pull yourself together, man. Give me the keys. I must feel the key in the ignition and turn it myself. Master: Use the key, Anna. Turn the key, Anna. What are you forgetting, Anna? Anna: Pete. Pete. Pete: What? Anna: You are out of gas. Pete: I can’t be out of gas. (looks at gauge) I’m out of gas. Sorry, Anna. I’ll go get some. Anna: Pete. You relax. Clean your face. You can watch the rest of your online video course. It’ll be faster if I go … in a flash. Until next time … Dan (in the online video course): “Lesson 11. Always make sure you have a full tank of gas!”   Writing In this lesson, Anna helps Pete fix his car. When was the last time you helped a friend or family member? What were they doing when you helped? What were you doing to help them?  Write to us by email or in the Comments section. Click on the image below to download the Activity Sheet and practice talking about common household problems and offering help. Please note, our activity sheets now can be completed on the computer. Learning Strategy Learning Strategies are the thoughts and actions that help make learning easier or more effective. The learning strategy for this lesson is Access Information Sources. In today's computer age, it is easy to learn online. But you can also learn from people who have experience. In this lesson, Pete learns to fix his car by watching an online video course. Anna tells Pete that she learned to fix cars from someone who had many years of experience. She calls her teacher "a master," and she remembers her master's words when she helps Pete with his car. Both Pete and Anna are accessing information sources to learn. What sources of information do you use, or access, as you are learning English? 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 course - n. a series of classes about a particular subject in a school engine - n. a machine that changes energy (such as heat from burning fuel) into mechanical motion face - n. the front part of the head that has the eyes, nose and mouth on it fix - v. to make (something) whole or able to work properly again orto repair (something) flash - n. a sudden appearance or occurrence of something ignition - n. the electrical system in an engine that causes the fuel to burn so that the engine begins working key - n. a device that is used to open a lock or start an automobile kick - v.to hit (someone or something) with your foot master - n. a person who has become very skilled at doing something spark plug - n. a part of an engine that produces a spark that makes the fuel burn stupid - adj. informal. used to refer to something in an angry or irritated way tank - n.a container for holding a liquid or gas tire - n. a rubber ring that usually contains air and that fits around the wheel of a car or bicycle tool - n. something (such as a hammer, saw or shovel) that you hold in your hand and use for a particular task video - n. a movie, television show or event that has been recorded so that it can be watched on a television or computer screen   ​______________________________________________________________ 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 offering help and accept inghelp from a friend with common household problems.​   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: Review of past and present continuous; review of reflexive pronouns Topics: Offering and accepting help Learning Strategy: Access Information Sources Speaking & Pronunciation: Reduced form of "I will" in American English ​_______________________________________________________________ Now it's your turn. 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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Introducing Let's Learn English Level 2

Coming September 3: the fun English course Let's Learn English returns with Level 2.

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August 17, 2017

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

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Academic Writing: Common Patterns, Part 1

  The new school year is beginning in communities across the United States. Many students are busy at work in their new classes. Some are already thinking about all the homework they will face in the weeks to come. Schools often require students to read academic articles -- short or long reports about a class-related subject. Teachers also ask students to write book reports and research papers.    Today on Everyday Grammar, we will explore two grammatical structures that you will see often in academic writing. We will show you how to use these structures. We also will show you when not to use them.  #1 Evaluating an idea If you are writing or reading for academic purposes, you will likely see the following structure: It + is + an adjective + that-clause. This is a common way to express an attitude, opinion or position. It is often used when considering an idea, note grammar experts Susan Conrad and Douglas Biber. Here is an example: "It is clear that the evidence is inconsistent." Here is how you can understand the sentence. The subject in our example is the word it. Then comes the verb is. After is, there is an adjective: the word clear. After clear, there is a that-clause. A that-clause is a group of words, beginning with the word that. It has a subject and a predicate. A predicate is the part of a sentence that expresses what is said about the subject. The that-clause has the idea that the writer is considering. In the example we gave you, the idea under consideration is the following statement: "the evidence is inconsistent." The adjective clear suggests the writer's judgment. By saying "it is clear," the writer is saying that he or she agrees the evidence appears to be conflicting with other information. Note that the writer did not write, "I think that the evidence is inconsistent," even if it has the same meaning as the example sentence. Why? We will explore that issue later in the report. Academic writers often use it + is + an adjective + that-clause to raise questions, note possibility, and express importance. For example, you might read the following sentence: "It is unlikely that the results will be conclusive." Or,  "It is likely that the information was incomplete." In the former case, the writer is using the adjective unlikely to raise questions. In the latter one, the writer is using the adjective likely to express possibility. #2 Evaluating an action A second common structure, it + is + an adjective + an infinitive phrase, is often used to judge an action. The infinitive phrase describes the action. The adjective shows the writer's evaluation.  Consider this example: "It is difficult to define these ideas." In this example, the infinitive to define relates to an action, while the adjective difficult shows the writer's evaluation. Writers often use it + is + an adjective + an infinitive phrase to show possibility, difficulty, importance, and so on. So, for example, you might read the following sentences: "It is hard to understand these effects," or "It is necessary to carry out further research." In the former example, the writer is expressing difficulty, while in the latter the writer is expressing necessity. Other ways to express the same ideas The two structures we have discussed are common in academic writing. You should try using them with your own adjectives, that-clauses, infinitive phrases, and so on. There is one point to keep in mind, however. You should know that sometimes you might not want to use these structures – especially if you are writing for business or even artistic reasons. In those situations, it might be better to use more direct language. Consider the first example we gave you, "It is clear that the evidence is inconsistent." This is a common, acceptable way to write a sentence for academic purposes. It is grammatically correct. However, the statement uses indirect language to express an evaluation. The writer is expressing an opinion without specifically writing "I think...," for example. However, if you are writing for other purposes other than college professors, you could simplify your language. You could give a very direct evaluation by writing "I think the evidence is inconsistent," or simply "The evidence is inconsistent." The structure that you choose to use depends on what kind of writing you are doing.  It is difficult to improve your writing. But with practice, you can do it! I'm John Russell. And I'm Pete Musto. 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   that-clause – n.  a part of a sentence (beginning with that) that has its own subject and verb evaluate – v. to judge the value or condition of (someone or something) in a careful and thoughtful way inconsistent – adj. having parts that disagree with each other conclusive – adj. showing that something is certainly true data – n. facts or information used usually to calculate, analyze, or plan something infinitive phrase – n. an infinitive phrase is a group of words consisting of an infinitive, objects, and modifiers concept – n. an idea of what something is or how it works academic – adj. of or related to a school, especially of higher education article – n. a piece of writing or story about a subject verb – n. a word that expresses an action, event or state of being  

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Social Media Used to Identify Charlottesville Protesters

  People are turning to social media to identify white supremacists who attended last weekend’s violent protest in Charlottesville, Virginia. The white supremacists, including neo-Nazis, skinheads and Ku Klux Klan members, came to protest planned removal of a Confederate statue. Heather Heyer was killed when a man drove his car into a group of counter protesters. Police said the driver was James Alex Fields Jr., described by a former teacher as a Nazi supporter. He is being held in jail on murder and other criminal charges. The Twitter account @YesyoureRacist ran photos of people attending the protest organized under a “Unite the Right” banner. It asks people to identify the people pictured in the photos. At least 10 people have been identified, as of Thursday.  @YesyoureRacist’s followers increased from about 60,000 before the Charlottesville protests to over 400,000. Logan Smith of North Carolina is the man behind the @YesyoureRacist Twitter account. Smith started the account five years ago to report on racist comments about former President Barack Obama. As a white man, Smith said he believes people should be held responsible for racist and anti-Semitic speech. Smith works for a liberal group in North Carolina. Smith said he is receiving threats of violence against him and his family. “The threats are disturbing, but it’s nothing that I consider credible,” he said. “So right now, I’m just trying to get past this. And hold people responsible.” What happened to identified protestors Among the people identified as joining in the violent Charlottesville protests on the @YesyoureRacist Twitter account are Cole White and Peter Cvjetanovic. Soon after the report appeared on Smith’s Twitter page, White gave up his job at Top Dog, a California restaurant. Cvjetanovic told Channel 2 News in Nevada that he did not expect the photo of him marching with a burning stick in Charlottesville to be seen by so many people. He also said he is “not the angry racist they see in the photo.” The University of Nevada, Reno, said Cvjetanovic is a student at the school. Marc Johnson is president of the college. He said America’s guarantee of freedom of speech means Cvjetanovic cannot be dismissed from the school. “It requires us to support the right of people to express views which we sometimes vehemently disagree,” Johnson said. Some reports on social media are false But not everything reported on social media about the Charlottesville violence is true. Smith had to apologize for identifying a person shown in a photo wearing a Nazi armband. The man said the picture was not taken in Charlottesville, but at an earlier event. Other social media sites got it wrong when they identified a man wearing a University of Arkansas College of Engineering shirt as a teacher at the school. The teacher told the New York Times that he was attending an art exhibit in Arkansas and was not in Charlottesville last weekend. This is not the first time social media got things wrong. In 2013, people used social media site Reddit to name a missing student as a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing that killed three and injured nearly 300 people. It was not true. Two brothers, Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, were charged and convicted in the bombing. Reddit later apologized. “The internet doesn’t always get it right” “I think the danger is that the internet doesn’t always get it right,” said Elizabeth Behm-Morawitz. She is an associate professor at the Department of Communications at the University of Missouri. Social media can hold people accountable for racist and anti-Semitic opinions and even identify people who attacked people, Behm-Morawitz said. But for people accused wrongly, it is difficult to correct false reports once they reach thousands, even millions of people, on the internet. The burning sticks carried on the University of Virginia campus Friday night were photographed and shown widely on social media and in television and newspaper news reports. It reminded some people of Nazi Party rallies in Germany before and during World War II. The sticks are made by TIKI Brand. The company put out this statement on Facebook: “TIKI Brand is not associated in any way with the events that took place,” the company said. I'm Jill Robins. And I'm Bruce Alpert.   Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English based on reports by the Associated Press, Reuters 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   white supremacist - n. person who believes whites are better than blacks and other races counter protesters - n. people protesting a protest by a group with different opinions disturbing - adj. very troubling credible - adj. believable accountable - adj. required to be responsible for something uncomfortable - adj. making a person feel bad or uneasy vehemently - adv. very strongly associate - v. connected to someone or something  

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Chinese Activist Faces up to 10 Years in Prison

  A court in China held a closed hearing on Monday in the case of a well-known Chinese activist. Wu Gan faces up to 10 years in prison. Legal observers expect the court to announce its decision in a few days. Wu is said to face up to 12 charges, including “inciting state subversion.” Wu is best known for making fun of official efforts to block his push for justice. Wu Gan is known in China by his online name: “The Butcher.” Wu once served in China’s military. He became famous by using unusual campaigns that combine online speech, street performance, and humor to criticize other people’s actions. Wu was first arrested in May of 2015 after he reportedly swore at the head of a court in Nanchang, a city in Jiangxi province. He was officially charged with “inciting state subversion” two months later. However, his detention was reported to be part of the July 9 Crackdown, a government campaign against rights lawyers that began in July of 2015. Wu did work for the Beijing Fengrui Law Firm, a law office that was a main target of the crackdown. Trial not open to the public His trial on Monday was not open to the public. The court in Tianjin said in a statement that this was because state secrets were involved. The statement said Wu “recognized” his behavior was a crime and that his lawyers presented arguments in his defense. The court added that a decision “would be handed down at a later date.” Before the trial, Wu released a statement that his father published online. In that statement, the activist said he expects a “heavy sentence” because he refused a state-appointed lawyer or to admit guilt in court. Wu said he also refused to admit guilt in front of a television camera for officials’ propaganda purposes. And he said he wanted to show how the police had tortured him. Wu described the trial as a “farce,” and said he would refuse to speak in his own defense. “An innocent man doesn’t need to defend himself,” the statement said. Wu also said he did nothing wrong but to exercise his civil rights guaranteed by China’s Constitution. He said being found guilty would represent an honor awarded to “warriors for liberty and democracy.” Jerome Cohen is a professor at the New York University School of Law. He called the statement a moving and accurate description of the misuse of China’s legal system to limit freedom of speech. Cohen wrote on his blog, “This account of his personal experience encapsulates virtually all the abuses the Xi Jinping regime has been committing against human rights activists.” You Minglei is a legal assistant and a friend of Wu Gan. You said Wu would likely receive a seven-to-10-year sentence. You told VOA that Chinese officials were angry with Wu for his “pursuit of illegal misconduct by local governments or public office holders.” He noted that Wu wrote stories with names like “Guides to Butchering Pigs” and “Guides to Drinking Tea,” which made officials angry. Increased security was reported around the court in Tianjin, where the secret trial was held. Several China-based diplomats and journalists, including a VOA reporter, were barred from observing the trial. I’m Mario Ritter.   Joyce Huang reported this story for VOANews.com. Mario Ritter adapted her report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   online – adj. connected to or involving a computer or telecommunications system crackdown – n. a serious effort to punish people for doing something that is not permitted; an increase in the enforcement of certain laws or rules farce – n. something seen as bad or the object of laughter accurate – adj. free from mistake; problem-free blog – n. web log, someone’s online writing page encapsulates --v. shows the main idea of something pursuit – n. to seek out and follow We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

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UN: Over One Million South Sudan Refugees in Uganda

The United Nations says over one million people have entered Uganda to escape violence in neighboring South Sudan. The U.N.’s refugee agency reported Thursday that an average of 1,800 South Sudanese arrived daily in Uganda over the past year. One million others are reported to have gone to Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic. Recent arrivals to refugee camps have reported “barbaric violence” in their home country. They say South Sudanese civilians are being burned alive in their homes. They report of sexual attacks on women and girls, and kidnapping of boys who are then forced into armed groups. South Sudan’s civil war began at the end of 2013. Aid agencies say there has been increasing violence since a power-sharing agreement collapsed in July of last year. Civilians have suffered the most in the conflict. The International Committee of the Red Cross says one in three people living in South Sudan has been displaced. It also says one in two South Sudanese is severely hungry and in need of food assistance. The New York-based group International Rescue Committee, or IRC, reports that 75 percent of the South Sudanese refugees in Uganda have arrived in the past year.   Amnesty International has called the one-million mark a “wake-up call” for the international community. The group says other countries must act to stop violence and other abuses against civilians in South Sudan. The United Nations has estimated it will need $674 million this year alone to provide for the refugees, but the U.N. says it has received only 20 percent of that amount. The lack of money has forced the World Food Program to cut food supplies for some refugees. Classes have also been affected in the few schools available. Some classes often have as many as 200 students. South Sudanese families continue to arrive, exhausted, in Uganda. Armed rebels keep a close watch on the South Sudanese side of the border as the people cross. The most recent arrivals have suffered through heavy rain, cold nights and the sun’s heat to find safety. Once on the Ugandan side, Lacey Iya and her family stopped to rest. She says they stayed three weeks under trees, with only simple cooking equipment, plates and drinking glasses. She says they need to be taken to a place to find peace, and leave what happened behind them. I’m Anne Ball.   George Grow wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   barbaric – adj. wild; showing a lack of restraint according – adv. as stated by or in wake-up – adj. helping someone or something to awaken plate – n. a flat, usually round object that is used for serving food exhausted – adj. extremely tired We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

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South Korea Says US in Close Communications Over North

South Korean President Moon Jae-in says U.S. President Donald Trump has told him North Korea would not be attacked without South Korea’s approval. Moon said, “The United States and President Trump have declared and promised that whatever military action they would like to take, they will fully discuss it with us and get our consent.” “South Korea and the U.S. are in full communication and discussions,” he added. During a televised news conference, Moon also promised to prevent another military conflict on the Korean Peninsula. The event marked his first 100 days in office. Moon has called for reducing tensions through talks and engagement. This has been different from the U.S. president’s efforts to put “maximum pressure” on North Korea for its missile tests and nuclear program. However, Moon said North Korea should stop the development of a fully operational Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM). Such a development, Moon said, would cross a “red line” and raise the risk of military conflict. Moon said “President Trump is trying to pressure North Korea by showing firm determination.” But he said he considered economic pressure was the main way to persuade North Korea to take part in nuclear talks. Tensions ease as North Korean launch postponed Tensions on the Korean Peninsula eased this week as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un postponed planned missile launches. North Korea had threatened to launch missiles targeting waters near the U.S. territory of Guam in the Pacific Ocean. Trump called the postponement a “wise and well-reasoned decision” in a tweet on the social network Twitter. North Korea’s threat was in reaction to new United Nations Security Council restrictions. The goal of the measures is to ban about $1 billion worth of North Korean exports including coal, iron ore and seafood. The U.S. and other countries have accused North Korea of using export income to fund its banned weapons programs. Moon’s news conference Wednesday came less than one week before the beginning of yearly military exercises between South Korean and U.S. troops. North Korea strongly condemns the exercises calling them preparations for “invasion.” During a visit to Beijing Thursday, the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Cheifs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford said there are no plans to reduce the size of the exercises. And U.S. Vice President Mike Pence again stated that “all options” toward North Korea remain for consideration during his visit to South America. China is North Korea’s main ally and biggest trade partner. On Monday, China announced it would place restrictions on North Korean imports following the U.N. Security Council measures. China has urged North Korea not to carry out missile or nuclear tests that are banned by the Council. It also has said stopping regular South Korea-U.S. military exercises would ease tensions in the area. I’m Dorothy Gundy.   Brian Padden and Richard Green reported this story for VOA News. Mario Ritter adapted it for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   consent –n. giving approval maximum –adj. the most determination –n. to continue to do something in order to reach a difficult goal persuade –v. to convince someone to do something options –n. things that can be chosen between, opportunities to choose We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

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