Three powerful ocean storms threaten the Caribbean, the coast of the southeastern United States and southeastern Mexico. Hurricane Irma has struck Cuba and now threatens the state of Florida with strong winds and rain. The storm has caused deaths and widespread destruction on several Caribbean islands. Hurricane Katia is in the southern Gulf of Mexico. It is nearing Mexico’s eastern coast. And Hurricane Jose is gaining strength in the Atlantic Ocean. The three hurricanes come as the state of Texas recovers from Hurricane Harvey. The huge storm caused severe flooding and billions of dollars in damage in Houston, the country’s fourth-largest city. Hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean goes from June 1 to November 30. And the month of September is the peak of storm activity. Hurricanes: a weather engine fueled by warm, moist air Hurricanes are the most powerful storms in the Earth’s atmosphere. The storms have different names depending on where they take place. Scientists call all these storms tropical cyclones. If the storms form over the Atlantic Ocean or eastern Pacific Ocean, they are called hurricanes. Storms that form in the western Pacific Ocean are known as typhoons. In the Indian Ocean, they are called cyclones. Although they have different names, all these storms form in the same way. Scientists at the American space agency NASA describe tropical cyclones as huge weather “engines” that use warm, moist air as fuel. They can only form over warm, tropical waters near the equator. A tropical cyclone develops when warm moist air near the surface of the ocean rises. This creates an area of unusually low air pressure. Higher-pressure air from surrounding areas pushes in to take the place of the warm, rising air. It becomes warmer and moister and rises, too. The rising, moist air goes high into the atmosphere, where temperatures are low. This creates wind. The moisture forms clouds. The developing weather system begins to spin because of the Earth’s rotation. As the storm spins faster and faster, what is called an “eye” of the storm develops at its center. This is a calm area of very low pressure. Higher pressure air from above flows down into the eye. Tropical cyclone categories—it’s about wind speed When wind speeds reach about 63 kilometers per hour, meteorologists say a tropical storm has formed. When winds in the storm are measured at 119 kilometers per hour or above, a tropical storm officially becomes a category one “tropical cyclone,” or in the Western Hemisphere, a hurricane. Meteorologists use measurements of wind speed to place tropical cyclones in categories. When a hurricane’s wind speed reaches 155 kilometers an hour, it is called category two. The categories go up to category five, the most dangerous and catastrophic storm. A category-five storm has wind speeds measured at over 250 kilometers per hour. They can cause a storm surge, or a rise in water levels of more than five meters. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, operates two satellites that track weather and storms in the eastern Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. NOAA provides maps from the (GOES) satellites online. I’m Mario Ritter. Mario Ritter adapted this story for VOA Learning English from materials provided by NASA and other sources. Ashley Thompson was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story Moist –adj. containing water or moisture Spin –v. to move in a circular way Rotation –n. the state of turning on an axis Meteorologist –n someone who works in the field of weather science We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.
from Voice of America http://ift.tt/2jaAfzV
via IFTTT
Friday, September 8, 2017
'Transients in Arcadia' by O. Henry
We present the short story "Transients in Arcadia," by O. Henry. The story was originally adapted and recorded by the U.S. Department of State. There is a certain hotel on Broadway that is very pleasant in the summer. Not many people have heard about it. It is wide and cool. Its rooms have walls of dark wood. There are green trees around it, and soft winds. It has all the pleasures of mountain living, and none of the pains. You will eat better fish there than you could catch for yourself in streams in the hills. You will have better meat than a hunter brings home from the forest. A few have discovered this cool spot in the hot summer of New York. You will see these few guests, eating dinner in the hotel restaurant. They are happy to be there, and happy to know that they are very few. They feel especially wise because they have found this delightful place. More waiters than necessary are always near. They bring what is wanted before anyone asks for it. The pleasing distant noise of Broadway sounds like running water in a forest. At every strange footstep, the guests turn quickly and look. They are afraid that the restless pleasure-seekers will find their hotel and destroy its pleasant quiet. And so these few live during the hot season. They enjoy the delights of mountain and seashore. All is brought to them in their Broadway hotel. This summer a lady came to the hotel giving this name: “Madame Héloise D’Arcy Beaumont.” The name was like a name in the story of a great romance. And Madame Beaumont was the kind of lady the Hotel Lotus loved. She was beautiful and her manner was very fine. Everyone wished to serve her. The other guests believed that as a guest she was perfection. This perfect guest did not often leave the hotel. In this, she was like the other guests of the Hotel Lotus. To enjoy that hotel, one needed to forget the city. New York might have been miles away. At night sometimes one might go out. But during the hot day one remained in the cool shade of the Lotus. Madame was alone in the Hotel Lotus. She was alone as a queen is alone, because of her high position. She rose from bed late in the morning. She was then a sweet, soft person who seemed to shine quietly. But at dinner she was different. She would wear a beautiful dress. I cannot find words fine enough to tell about it. Always there were red flowers at her shoulder. When the head waiter saw a dress like this, he met it at the door. You thought of Paris when you saw it, and of the theater and of old romances. A story about Madame Beaumont was told among the guests in the Hotel Lotus. It was said that she was a woman who had traveled all over the world. It was said that she knew the most important people everywhere. It was said that in her white hands she held the future of certain nations. It was no surprise, they said, that such a lady should choose the Hotel Lotus. It was the most desirable and the most restful place in America during the heat of summer. On the third day of Madame Beaumont’s stay in the hotel, a young man entered as a guest. His clothes were quiet but good. His face was pleasant. His expression was that of a man who had traveled and could understand the world. He said that he would remain three or four days. He asked about the sailing of certain ships. He seemed to like this hotel the best of all he had known. The young man put his name on the list of hotel guests: Harold Farrington. It was a name with a fine sound. And the young man belonged perfectly in the quiet life of the Lotus. In one day he became like all the other guests. Like them he had his table and his waiter. He also had the same fear that the wrong people might suddenly discover this hotel and destroy its peace. After dinner on the next day, Madame Beaumont dropped something as she passed Harold Farrington’s table. He picked it up and, following her, returned it. He spoke only a few quiet words as he did this, and she was pleased by his good manners. She knew that he was a gentleman. Guests of the Lotus seemed to understand each other very easily. Perhaps it was the result of having discovered this Broadway hotel. Guests felt sure that only especially fine people would enjoy the cool delights of the Lotus. Now, very quickly, a sudden friendship grew between Farrington and Madame Beaumont. They stood and talked for a few moments. “I have seen too much of the usual summer hotels,” said Madame Beaumont, with a small but sweet smile. “Why go to the mountains or the seashore? We cannot escape noise and dust there. The people who make noise and dust follow us there.” “Even on the ocean,” said Farrington, sadly, “those same people are all around us. What shall we do when they discover the Lotus?” “I hope they don’t discover the Lotus this week,” said Madame. “I only know one other place I like as well. It is the beautiful home of a prince in the mountains in Europe.” “The best people,” said Farrington, “are seeking for the quiet places, like this one, where they can escape the crowds.” “I promise myself three more days of this delightful rest,” said Madame Beaumont. “The next day my ship sails.” Harold Farrington’s eyes showed that he was sorry. “I too must leave then,” he said. “But I am not sailing for Europe.” “We cannot stay here forever, though it is so delightful,” said Madame Beaumont. “I like it better than my usual life, which is too full of people. I shall never forget my week in the Hotel Lotus.” “Nor shall I,” said Farrington in a low voice. “And I shall never like the ship that carries you away.” On their last evening the two sat together at a little table. A waiter brought them something cool to eat. Madame Beaumont was wearing the same beautiful dress. She seemed thoughtful. When she had finished eating, she took out a dollar. “Mr. Farrington,” she said, with the smile that everyone in the Lotus loved, “I want to tell you something. I’m going to leave early tomorrow morning because I must go back to work. I work selling women’s clothes at Casey’s shop. That dollar is all the money I have. I won’t have any more until I get paid at the end of the week. You’re a real gentleman and you’ve been good to me. I wanted to tell you before I went. “For a year I’ve been planning to come here. Each week I put aside a little of my pay, so that I would have enough money. I wanted to live one week like a rich lady. I wanted to get up in the morning when I wished. I wanted to be served by waiters. I wanted to have the best of everything. Now I’ve done it, and I’ve been happier than I ever was before. And now I’m going back to work. “I—I wanted to tell you about it, Mr. Farrington, because I—I thought you liked me, and I—I liked you. This week I’ve told you many things that weren’t true. I told you things I’ve read about. They never happened to me. I’ve been living in a story. It wasn’t real. I wanted you to think I was a great lady. “This dress I’m wearing—it’s the only pretty dress I own. I haven’t paid for it yet. I’m paying for it a little at a time. “The price was seventy-five dollars. It was made for me at O’Dowd and Levinsky’s shop. I paid ten dollars first, and now I have to pay a dollar a week until it’s all paid. “And that’s all I have to say, Mr. Farrington, except that my name is Mamie Siviter, and not Madame Beaumont. Thank you for listening to me. This dollar is the dollar I’m going to pay for my dress tomorrow. And now I’ll go up to my room.” As Harold Farrington listened, his face had not changed. When she had finished, he took out a small book and began to write in it. Then he pulled out the small page with his writing on it, and gave it to her. And he took the dollar from her hand. “I go to work too, tomorrow morning,” he said. “And I decided to begin now. That paper says you’ve paid your dollar for this week. I’ve been working for O’Dowd and Levinsky for three years. Strange, isn’t it? We both had the same idea. I always wanted to stay at a good hotel. I get twenty dollars a week. Like you, I put aside a little money at a time, until I had enough. Listen, Mamie. Will you go to the pleasure park on Coney Island with me on pay day?” The girl who had been Madame Héloise D’Arcy Beaumont smiled. “I’d love to go, Mr. Farrington. Coney will be all right, although we did live here with rich people for a week.” They could hear the night noises of the hot city. Inside the Hotel Lotus it was cool. The waiter stood near, ready to get anything they asked for. Madame Beaumont started up to her room for the last time. And he said, “Forget that ‘Harold Farrington,’ will you? McManus is the name—James McManus. Some call me Jimmy.” “Good night, Jimmy,” said Madame. Download activities to help you understand this story here. Now it's your turn to use the words in this story. Have you ever lied to people about who you are or where you are from? Do you dream of living a different life? Let us know in the comments section or on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ QUIZ ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story guest(s) – n. a person who pays to stay at a hotel or eat at a restaurant waiter(s) – n. a man who serves food or drinks to people in a restaurant or hotel footstep – n. the sound of a foot making a step seashore – n. the land along the edge of the sea that is usually covered with sand or rocks romance – n. a love story manner – n. the way that a person normally behaves especially while with other people dress – n. a piece of clothing for a woman or a girl that has a top part that covers the upper body and a skirt that hangs down to cover the legs shop – n. a building or room where goods and services are sold
from Voice of America http://ift.tt/2jdQ9d1
via IFTTT
from Voice of America http://ift.tt/2jdQ9d1
via IFTTT
Portuguese Food: Influencing Americans, People around the World
When you ask Americans about European foods, many people talk about their favorite meals from Italy, France, or even Germany. But food and drink from another European country – Portugal -- is growing in popularity, both in the United States and other areas. In fact, while Portugal may not have as many famous dishes as its European neighbors, Portuguese tastes have influenced food and restaurants from Europe, to Asia, Africa and the Americas. Many areas have been touched by Portuguese tastes in some way. With Portugal’s long colonial history and immigrant population around the world, Portuguese cooking is finding an important place in many homes. The story of Portugal’s influence on food is tied to its centuries as a colonial power. Portugal was one of the first European countries to start exploring the world. At one time, Portugal controlled territory on almost every continent. Along their travels, Portuguese explorers, sailors, businessmen and clergy left their mark on the cultures and food they encountered. A Portuguese tradition of food To understand the effect Portuguese cooking has had, it is important to describe some of the food itself. Fish and Seafood There are many different Portuguese foods. However, Portugal is perhaps most famous for its fish. With a coastline nearly 1,800 kilometers long, fish and seafood are not hard to find. Portugal actually has the fourth highest fish consumption per person of any country in the world. The most common kind of fish in Portuguese cooking is cod. Portuguese crews have been fishing for cod since the 15th century. Because this tradition started long before the invention of refrigeration equipment, the cod is almost always dried and salted. Most fish in Portugal is then served either dried, as is, boiled in water, or roasted over a fire. Sardines are another popular fish. Other Portuguese dishes use seafood like octopus, squid, crabs, and shrimp. Pastries In the past, many of Portugal’s pastries were made by Catholic religious workers. The main ingredient for any pastry is egg yolks. One of the most famous tasty treats is called Pastéis de Nata. They are small, rich creamy tarts. These baked goods can be found all over Portugal, and also in many of Portugal’s former colonies, like Brazil. Wine Portugal is famous all over the world for its alcoholic drinks. Perhaps the most famous wine is a sweet, dark-red Port, made from grapes in northern Portugal. Another important wine is Madeira. Madeira was probably the most popular wine in North America from the time the first Europeans arrived, until the middle of the 1800s. It comes from the islands of Madeira, a popular stopping point for European ships on their way across the Atlantic Ocean. During the American Revolution against British rule, Britain restricted foreign imports to its American colonies. Yet the British did permit imports from the islands of Madeira. General George Washington was known to drink Madeira wine. He is reported to have celebrated with drinks after the signing of the Declaration of Independence and his swearing-in as the first president of the United States. Meat and Meat-Based Soup Pork, beef, and chicken are also all popular in the Portuguese diet. They are often cooked on a grill. The meat is often seasoned with spices that the Portuguese collected from their travels around the world. A popular dish that many Portuguese have at the beginning of a meal is a soup called Caldo Verde. This is made from potato purée, sliced kale, and cuts of sausage. The Portuguese global food influence While Portuguese food is important by itself, what is most interesting is how it influenced food in other countries. One example can be found on the other side of the world -- in Japan. The Portuguese started trading with Japan in 1543. The two sides continued trading for almost a century. During that time, a Portuguese fried green bean specialty, called peixinhos da horta, was passed on to the Japanese. Today in Japan, that kind of cooking is called tempura. It is used with green beans, shrimp, and other foods. The Portuguese also left an influence on Goa, in western India, which they controlled from 1510 until 1961. The Portuguese in Goa cooked a dish using pork and a topping made from wine and garlic. This dish later become popular with many Indians. Now called vindaloo, it remains popular in the country today. Portuguese food has not been as well known in the United States until recently. That began changing with the rise of the popular fast-food restaurant Nando’s Peri-Peri. The eatery’s main offering is chicken served with a spicy seasoning that comes from Mozambique, a former Portuguese colony. The very first Nando’s Peri-Peri opened in South Africa, but the restaurant chain now has eateries all over Africa, Australia, and North America. The chain also sells the spicy peri-peri sauce, which has become famous. Portugal is no longer known just for its cooking, but also for its many foods. It is important to recognize that many of the things you eat today could have already been influenced by the Portuguese many years ago. I’m Phil Dierking. Phil Dierking wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. Does your country have food that has been influenced by Portuguese cooking? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story cuisine - n. a style of cooking colonial - adj. of or relating to a colony empire - n. a group of countries or regions that are controlled by one ruler or one government pastry - n. a small, baked food made from pastry purée - n. a thick liquid made by crushing usually cooked food, such as fruits or vegetables) roast - v. to cook (food such as chicken, potatoes, or beef) with dry heat in an oven or over a fire
from Voice of America http://ift.tt/2wPGCgV
via IFTTT
from Voice of America http://ift.tt/2wPGCgV
via IFTTT
Cambodian Native Groups Fight Loss of Land to Dam Project
Cambodian groups are asking the government to stop the controlled flooding of their villages as a hydroelectric dam goes into operation. The floodgates of the Lower Se San 2 hydropower dam are being closed and water levels are rising in Stung Treng province. In time, many villages will be under water. The villages are in eastern Cambodia near a river that flows into the Mekong, one of Southeast Asia’s longest rivers. Some villagers unhappy with relocation Government officials have urged people living in the area to move to new homes set up for them. Many people have already accepted compensation plans. But, about 143 families remain. They say they stay where they have lived for generations. They also argue they want to remain near the burial places of their ancestors. The villagers have called on Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Ministry of the Interior to help them. A group from the village of Kbal Romeas and an ethnic minority recently met with an official of Cambodia’s interior ministry in Phnom Penh. The group said they did not want to leave their homes. Instead, they wanted the government to give them official recognition of their ownership of the land. Some people have willingly moved. Sah Ponh took a compensation offer and left Stung Treng province. “If we do something wrong, we pray in accordance with our traditions,” he said. “And we pray so that we can be recovered.” He used to be a fisherman. But many people in the area say fish catches have decreased on the river. So, Sah Ponh has built a new business selling household goods. He said he is doing well. “Before I could not transport any goods. Now I can. The truck can get into our home to transport goods. Whatever I need, they can reach my home.” But not everyone from the flooding villages is happy about having to move. Sah Ponh’s brother says the government wants to move them to poor quality land. “I really don’t want to live there. The situation is difficult, there’s not enough water. It’s mountain land and it’s rock and sandy and very difficult to do agriculture,” he said. Yun Lorang is a secretary-coordinator for the Cambodian Indigenous People’s Alliance. He is one of several activists who has been calling on native, or indigenous, people to reject compensation and fight relocation efforts. He said relocation will result in the death of native ways of life and their connection with the land. Dam provides electricity but hurts local fishing industry The dam is estimated to have cost more than $800 million. It is to be Cambodia’s biggest dam producing 400 megawatts of electricity. However, the dam will flood 335 square kilometers and with it the way of life of many native people. Environmentalists argue that the dam will affect the local fishing industry. A report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2012 warns of a drop in fish stocks. It says the Mekong River will lose more than nine percent of its fisheries because of the Lower Se San 2 dam. An environmental study sought by the developer of the dam and approved by Cambodia’s government also found problems. In 2010, it said that fish populations would be severely hurt because the dam would block migratory species of fish. A debate continues over whether the economic gains and electricity produced by the dam will be greater than the loss of fish and water. The Ministry of Mines and Energy has not answered requests for comments about the project. Cambodia’s energy needs are increasing quickly. The dam is supposed to provide electricity for five Cambodian provinces. The project is a joint effort by Cambodian, Chinese and Vietnamese companies. I’m Mario Ritter. David Boyle reported this story for VOA News. Mario Ritter adapted it for VOA Learning English with additional material from RFA. Caty Weaver was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story compensation –n. payment of some kind given in return for damage or a loss of some kind relocate –v. to be moved to a new place We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.
from Voice of America http://ift.tt/2xS0zkD
via IFTTT
from Voice of America http://ift.tt/2xS0zkD
via IFTTT
English @ the Movies: 'Wait For Backup'
Our saying at English @ the Movies today is "wait for backup." It is from a movie called "Wind River" about a girl who dies in a remote part of Wyoming. Watch the video, take the quiz and see if you get the right answer!
from Voice of America http://ift.tt/2gQe7Xi
via IFTTT
from Voice of America http://ift.tt/2gQe7Xi
via IFTTT
What It Takes: Oprah Winfrey, Part 2
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. 00:00:52 ALICE WINKLER: This is What It Takes, a podcast about passion, vision, and perseverance from the Academy of Achievement’s recorded collection. On this episode, we bring you the second part of our conversation with Oprah Winfrey. It was recorded in 1991 by the Academy of Achievement. If you haven’t heard Part One, you might want to go back and take a listen first, but to recap, Oprah described her early childhood in Mississippi, her precocious ability to speak in public, her multiple traumas of rape and molestation, and the life lesson she finally learned and feels is her greatest success, the ability to say no. 00:01:30 Now onto the stories of her life in broadcasting, with wisdom, humor, and inspiration sprinkled throughout. It is Oprah, after all. 00:01:39 OPRAH WINFREY: Who really did give me the break? Well, there were several people. I was one of two students picked from each state in 1971 to go to the White House Conference on Youth. I don't know who sponsored it, but there was this big White House Conference on Youth, and they picked two people from each state all around the world, and so you were put in this whole big convention with all these people from all over the world. 00:02:00 Well, I was being interviewed by a local radio station, and a year later — this was — I was 17 at this time — there was a contest being sponsored in town called the Miss Fire Prevention Contest, and the guy who'd interviewed me at the radio station — his name was John Heidelberg — remembered me. He thought — he just remembered that I'd given him a nice interview and I was a kid, and they needed a teenager, so he said, "Why — what about that girl that was here last year?" 00:02:30 Yes. And so I was all of a sudden representing this radio station in the Miss Fire Prevention Contest, where all you had to do is walk, parade around in an evening gown, answer some questions about your life. You know, it was just — it was one of those little, teeny, tiny beauty pageants. Well, nobody expected me to win the pageant because we were still Negroes at the time, and — I've been colored, Negro, black, now I'm African American. So we're still Negroes, and I was the only Negro in a pageant of all red-haired girls, and it's the Miss Fire Prevention Contest, so the Lord knows I'm not going to win, so I was very relaxed about it. 00:03:05 I thought, "Well, I got a new gown, and this is great." So when it came time for the question-and-answer period, they asked, "What would you do if you had a million dollars?" And one girl said, "If I had a million dollars, I'd buy my mom a Frigidaire, my dad a truck." Someone else, if they had a million dollars, they'd buy their brother Bubba a motorcycle “because he's always wanted one,” and they'd give it to the poor. And I said — all totally relaxed because I'm not going to win anyway — "If I had a million dollars, I would be a spending fool. I'm not quite sure what I would spend it on, but I would spend, spend, spend. Spending fool." 00:03:41 Well, I ended up winning, and there was another question about what I would like to do with my life, my career. Well, everybody wanted to be a nurse or a teacher, and I made this big speech about broadcast journalism, mainly because I had seen Barbara Walters that morning on The Today Show. So I thought, "Now, see, what can I be? I can't be a nurse. Can't be a teacher because that's what they were," so I said I wanted to be a broadcast journalist because I believed in the truth, was interested in proclaiming the truth to the world. 00:04:10 Now, I won the contest. Well, what a shock, Negro me! And that was the beginning of my broadcasting career, because when I went back to the radio station to pick up my Longines watch and my digital clock, they asked me would I like to hear my voice on tape. They said, "Would you like to hear your voice on tape?" Just sort of as a little treat for me. "Come here, and let's listen to your voice now," and I started to read. Now I've been reading since I was three. They couldn't believe how well I read, and I was hired there. 00:04:37 Somebody said, "Sit down and read," and they said, "Come hear this girl read," and then someone else — and before I knew it, there were four guys standing in the room listening to me read, and I was hired, 17 years old, in radio. At the time, I was still a senior, so I had to only work after school, so I’d finish, get there by 3:30, and I’d do on-the-air newscasts. Well, all my friends just hated me because they're cutting grass. 00:05:00 And my sophomore year in college, someone heard me on the radio and said, "We heard you on the radio. Would you be interested in working in television?" And I turned them down three times, and the third time... I had a college professor; I said, "They keep calling me to be on television, and I know if I do television I'll never finish school." So he said, "Don't you know that's why people go to school? So that somebody can keep calling them. You nitwit." 00:05:28 So I went and I interviewed for the job, and Chris Clark gave me the job. I interviewed for the job in television. Never — I've never even been behind-the-scenes of television. I was 19 at the time, so I decided to pretend to be Barbara Walters because that's how I'd gotten into this in the first place. So I sat there pretending, with Barbara in my head, did everything I thought she would do, and I was hired. It was amazing. 00:05:53 GAIL EICHENTHAL: Funny, you don’t look like Barbara Walters. 00:05:55 OPRAH WINFREY: I don’t look like Barbara! 00:05:56 ALICE WINKLER: That other voice you hear belongs to Gail Eichenthal, who did this interview with Oprah for the Academy of Achievement. Gail followed up by asking whether Oprah felt she’d faced a lot of racism or sexism in her career. 00:06:10 OPRAH WINFREY: I would have to say that I, for the most part, have not been, as far as I know, affected. I — as a matter of fact, it was because of the riots of the '70s that, I think, they were looking for minorities. They were trying to fulfill all of their quotas in programs, and so I was hired as a token and had to take the heat from my college classmates. I went to an all-black college, with them calling me a token, and I used to say, "Yeah, but I'm a paid token." 00:06:40 And I recognized that — and at the time, I didn’t even know it was a pun. I was thinking, "Yeah, but they pay — yeah, they pay me," and was very defensive about it because I've always had to live with the notion of other black people saying, "Oh," for any amount of success that you achieve, they say, "Oh, you're trying to be white. You're trying to talk white. You're trying to be white," and so forth, which is such a ridiculous notion to me, since you look in the mirror every morning and you're black, there's a black face in your reflection. 00:07:11 So I, you know, had to live with that whole thing of, you know, trying to — and it was very uncomfortable for me at first because when I first started as a broadcaster, I was 19, very insecure, thrown into television, pretending to be Barbara Walters, looking nothing like her, and still going to college. So I do all my classes in the morning, from eight to one, and in the afternoon I work from two to ten, and did the six o’clock news, and would stay up and study and all that stuff, you know, until one-, two-, or three o’clock in the morning, and then just start the routine all over again. 00:07:45 And my classmates were so jealous of me that I remember, like, taking my little $115 paycheck and — at the time I thought it was really a lot, but taking $115 and trying to appease them. I would, like, any time anybody needed money, I was always offering, "Oh, you need ten dollars?" Or taking them out for pizza, ordering pizza for the class and things like that, trying to — that whole disease to please. 00:08:09 That's where it was the worst for me, I think, because I wanted to be accepted by them and could not be because, first of all, I didn’t have the time. They wanted me to pledge, and I didn’t have the time to pledge. I was — I didn’t have the time to be a part of all the other college activities or a part of that whole lifestyle, and it was very difficult for me socially. Really, one of the worst times in my life because I was trying to fit in, in school, and be a part of that culture, but also trying to build a career in television. 00:08:37 ALICE WINKLER: That career would build with jobs as a reporter on local TV and radio, and then as host of a Chicago TV talk show. By the time it went national, it seemed to most of America her career was just exploding out of nowhere. She had also, by the way, just been nominated the year before for an Academy Award for playing Sofia in the movie version of The Color Purple. It was her first movie role, and the film was directed by Steven Spielberg. Oprah says her sudden fame was just an illusion. 00:09:08 OPRAH WINFREY: My first Easter speech in the Kosciusko Baptist Church at the age of three-and-a-half was the beginning, and every other speech, every other book I read, every other time I spoke in public was a building block, so that by the time I first sat down to audition in front of a television camera and somebody says, "Read this," what allowed me to read it so comfortably and be so at ease with myself at that time was the fact that I'd been doing it awhile. 00:09:39 If I'd never read a book or I'd never spoken in public before, I would have been traumatized by it. So the fact that we went on the air with the Oprah Winfrey Show in 1986 nationally, and people would say, "Oh, but you're — God, you're so comfortable in front of the camera. You can be yourself." Well, it's because I've been being myself since I was 19, and I would not have been able to be as comfortable with myself had I not made mistakes on the air and been allowed to make mistakes on the air and understand that it doesn't matter. 00:10:14 You know, I — there's no such thing to me as an embarrassing moment, no such thing. If I tripped and fell, if my bra strap showed, if my slip fell off, if I fell flat on my face, there's no such thing as an embarrassing moment because I know that there is not a moment that I could possibly experience on the air that somebody else hasn't already experienced. So when it happens, you say, "Oh, my slip fell off," and it's no big deal. 00:10:39 I mean, like, I was on TV the other day and somebody says, "Oh, Oprah, you have a run." Have you not seen a run before in your life? Well, I get them too. Let me tell you. So, I mean, see, I can't be embarrassed. I can't be embarrassed. Now when I first started out, that was not true because I was under the — I was pretending to be somebody I was not. I was pretending to be Barbara Walters, so I'd go to a news conference, and I was more interested in how I phrased the question and how eloquent the question sounded as opposed to listening to the answer. 00:11:11 I was so — which always happens when you're interested in impressing people instead of doing what you're supposed to be doing, and it took me awhile. It took me messing up on the air, on — during a live newscast. I was doing a list of foreign countries, and I — there were all these foreign names, and then Canada was thrown in, and I called Canada “Cuh-nah-da,” and I got so tickled that I called — I go, "That wasn't Cuh-nah-da. That was Canada. Excuse me. That wasn't Canada. That wasn't Cuh-nah-da. That was Canada." 00:11:39 And then I started laughing. Well, it was — it became the first real moment I ever had, and the news director later said to me, "Well, if you do that then you should keep going. You shouldn’t correct yourself and let people know." Well, I know, well, who's ever heard of Cuh-nah-da? So that was, for me, the beginning of realizing that, oh, you can laugh at yourself, and you can make a mistake, and it's not the end of the world. You don't have to be perfect. 00:12:04 Biggest lesson for me for television. Didn't matter. "Oh, sorry. Bra strap's showing." 00:12:08 ALICE WINKLER: But Oprah's newfound desire to be herself wasn’t a big hit with news management, that and her reluctance to thrust a mike into the faces of people in crisis just for a story. 00:12:20 OPRAH WINFREY: I only came to co-host a talk show because I had failed at news, and I was going to be fired, and the news director was paying me 22,000 a year. God only knows what my co-anchor was making. But — was paying me 22,000 a year, and they thought they were paying me too much money to only just do news stories, and so I had been taken off the six o’clock news and was put on the early morning, like, five-thirty cut-ins, and they tried to convince me at the time — they said, "You know, you are — you're so good that you need your own time period, so we're going to give you five minutes at five-thirty in the morning." 00:13:03 And I was devastated because up until that point I had sort of cruised. I really hadn't thought a lot about my life or the direction it was taking. I just — because I had happened into television, happened into radio, sort of happenstanced. I don't believe in luck. I think luck is preparation meeting opportunity, but I felt like I had somewhat prepared myself, but that I had happenstanced into it. 00:13:30 So I thought, okay, I was working in Nashville, and so I moved to Baltimore, and now I'll do this for a while, and then I don't know what I'll do. And so when I was called in and put on the edge of being fired and certainly demoted and knew that firing was only a couple weeks away, I was, like, devastated. I was 22 and, I mean, embarrassed by the whole thing because I'd never failed before. 00:13:54 And it was that failure that led to the talk show. Because they had no place else to put me, they put me on a talk show one morning, and the — I'm telling you, the hour — I interviewed — my very first interview was the Carvel Ice Cream Man and Benny from All My Children. Never forget it. And I came off the air thinking, "This is what I should have been doing," because it was like breathing to me, like breathing. You just talk. 00:14:21 ALICE WINKLER: It came easy and struck a remarkable chord with audiences and guests, who opened up to her, just as she opened up to them. The press, however, was occasionally a little less forgiving, but Oprah told interviewer Gail Eichenthal that her critics have helped her to get better. 00:14:39 OPRAH WINFREY: Now I take criticism very seriously. There have been — I can't say that I'm one of those people who does not read criticism, because I do, and if someone criticizes something and it strikes a nerve with me, I will then move to correct it. I mean, I have written critics who have said things that I thought were very valid. Recently someone criticized us for airing a show on mothers who had gone through postpartum depression and had killed their children, and they were saying that the show should not have aired in the afternoon because there were children watching. 00:15:11 And I have — I mean, I absolutely agree with that. I think that's a very valid point. We should have considered that. That's one of the things I did not think about. I'm thinking that I'm going to help all these mothers who are going through this, but that person was absolutely right, and I've reached a level of maturity in this work myself. There was a time when I first started out that I would say I was far more exploitive. You just put a person on for the purpose of having — I wouldn't do that anymore. 00:15:34 I was in the middle of a show with some white supremacist skinheads, Klu Klux Klan members, and in the middle of that show I just had a flash. I thought, "This is doing nobody any good. Nobody. This is — " I mean, and I had rationalized the show by saying, "Oh, people need to know that these kinds of people are out here." I won't do it anymore. I just won't do it. There are certain things — I won't do Satanism of any kind, any kind of Satan worship, I won't do — I no longer want to give a platform to racists. I just don't, because I think no good can come of it. 00:16:07 And so if you don't know that it exists, I'm sorry, you won't hear it here. But that's growth for me. I did a show — I taped a show last year with a guy who was a mass murderer who killed 80 people, and I did the whole interview, and I had the families on of some of the people he killed. In the middle of it I thought, “I shouldn’t be doing this. This is not going to help anybody. It's a voyeuristic look at a serial killer, but what good is it going to do anybody?” And we didn't air it. 00:16:34 GAIL EICHENTHAL: You obviously are in the public eye, and in a way that most people cannot relate to, and I'm just wondering how you've adjusted to that, to the fact that when Oprah sneezes, it's usually printed in People magazine, you know, or whatever... 00:16:48 OPRAH WINFREY: Oh, it's certainly “Oprah Eats a Piece of Bacon.” I don't know about sneezing, but if she eats a piece of bacon, it's an — I think I've adjusted pretty well. I think I'm really — actually I'm probably one of the most balanced people I know to live under such a microscope, I think. And I think that you have to put it all in perspective and understand who you really are, and who I really am is not some person who's, you know, just on television every day. 00:17:12 That is something that I do, and what I think is important is for people to — not to look at my life or anybody else's life, particularly celebrities, because I think adoration is unhealthy. And, you know, when you look at the list of people that students choose to admire in this country, I think that there are so many people who do such incredible things! Incredible things. I mean, I was — you know, last year I met the guy who split the neutrons in two, and they do things, you think, "My God." 00:17:12 They do things to atoms that you can't even pronounce, and I think, "Well, you know, wouldn't it be wonderful if those kinds of people got publicity. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we paid attention to some of the more humanitarian things that are going on. Things that are really of value," and I think just because, you know, you can do a video and you can dance really well or you can sit on a talk show and you can talk to people, that is not necessarily to be held in the highest of esteem, you know, because that isn't what makes life meaningful. It really is not. 00:18:17 GAIL EICHENTHAL: What characteristics do you think are most important for having a fulfilling life? And I'm not going to say successful because I really don't mean financially successful. But I mean a fulfilling life, successful life, in a profession. 00:18:30 OPRAH WINFREY: I think the most important thing to get ahead falls back to what I truly believe in, and then that is the ability to seek truth in your life. You can be pursuing a profession because your parents say it's the best thing. You can be pursuing a profession because you think you'll make a lot of money. You can be pursuing a profession because you think you're going to get a lot of attention. None of that will do you any good if you're not being honest with yourself, and the honesty comes from — your natural-born instinct will tell you when you're doing something, whether or not this feels right. 00:19:01 You feel a sense of accomplishment and a fulfillment and worthiness to the world in such a way that you know you're doing the right thing. You don't have to ask anybody. When you're doing the right thing you don't have to say, "Do you think this is okay?" It's like — and it works on every level, whether or not you're going to a party or you're choosing a dress or you're choosing a friend. If you ever have to say, "Do you think this is okay?" — chances are it is not, because that's your instinct trying to get you to ask yourself that question: “Maybe this isn't okay?” 00:19:35 And so from the very first day I did my very first talk show, I felt — I knew it. I knew it was the right thing to do. I felt the same thing about acting, too, only I was so terrified that it was a little more difficult for me. 00:19:52 GAIL EICHENTHAL: What’s the turn-on for you in acting? 00:19:55 OPRAH WINFREY: For me, the turn-on is the ability to express another person's life. I think if you can internalize and then manifest externally the essence of another being, that is the ultimate in understanding. What it takes to take somebody else's life, make it your own, and put it out there is the ultimate — you understand things about people that you could never imagine. You — it's like, almost for a while getting to live somebody else's life. 00:20:33 The most powerful scene in The Color Purple, for me, was the scene where Sofia walks through the cornfield and proclaims herself to Celie, defines and proclaims herself, where she says, "All my life I had to fight. I had to fight my cousins. I had to fight my brothers. I had to fight my uncles, but I ain't never thought I had to fight in my own house." 00:21:00 I did that scene in one take because it was the essence, I thought, of my life. And very liberating to live it through Sofia because, at the time that I spoke it, I wasn't there yet, because what she is saying is, “I fought people all my life, and I'm not going to fight in my own house anymore, in my own space anymore. I'm going to have what I deserve.” And it's taken me awhile to get to where Sofia was, but it was so liberating. 00:21:34 It was all, I think, a part of the process of growth for me to recognize it can be done. 00:21:40 ALICE WINKLER: And the person who gave Oprah that opportunity to act for the first time, to embody characters, and to continue her process of healing from childhood trauma, was none other than Quincy Jones, music and film producer extraordinaire. 00:21:56 OPRAH WINFREY: Quincy Jones discovered me, and it's so interesting to me because when I was working as a television newswoman in Baltimore — and, really, all I wanted to do was be an actress, but I was doing television, and I felt at the time, "Well, I can't quit this job because this is what everybody else wants to do, and if I quit this job, what am I going to do?" And I was going to a speech coach at the time that the station had sent me to. 00:22:24 They — you know, they — the broadcasting school, they sent everybody to the same woman, and I was telling her, "You know, I really don't want to do this. What I really want to do is act." And she says, "My dear, you don't want to act because if you wanted to act you'd be doing it. What you want to be, my dear, is a star, because if you wanted to act, you'd be waiting tables in New York. You'd be — " and I thought, "Now why am I going to wait tables if I'm already working in TV?" So I said, "Well, what I think is going to happen is I will be discovered, because I want it so badly somebody's going to have to discover me." 00:22:54 And she said, "You just dream. You dream. You're a dreamer." So when it happened, I called her up. I said, "You will not believe this! I got discovered!" And it really was a discovery. It's like one of those Lana Turner stories, only it wasn't a drugstore. He was in his hotel room, saw me on TV. It was unbelievable. So the interesting thing about that is that I truly believe that thoughts are the greatest vehicle to change, power, and success in the world. 00:23:28 Everything begins with thoughts. I mean, the chairs that we're sitting in, the room that we're in, all started because somebody thought it. So I thought up The Color Purple for myself. I know this is going to sound strange to you. I read the book. I got so many copies of that book. I passed the book around to everybody I knew. If I was on the bus I'd pass it out to people. And when I heard that there was going to be a movie, I started talking it up for myself. I didn't know Quincy Jones or Steven Spielberg or how on earth I would get in this movie. 00:24:01 I'd never acted in my life, but I felt it so intensely that I had to be a part of that movie. I just — I really do believe I created it for myself. 00:24:10 ALICE WINKLER: After spending so much time listening to this interview with Oprah, it is not hard to believe that she willed herself into a part in The Color Purple, that she willed herself into becoming the preeminent talk show host of all time, and everything that came after for her: the studio, the magazine, the TV network, and the tremendous wealth. Oprah Winfrey is one of the wealthiest people in America. Yet still, she said... 00:24:37 OPRAH WINFREY: What other people view as successful is not what my idea of success is, and I don't mean to belittle it at all. I think it's really nice to be able to have nice things. What material success does is provide you with the ability, I think, to concentrate on other things that really matter, and that is being able to make a difference not only in your own life but also in other people's lives. That's really all it's good for. It's because you don't — you no longer have to focus your attention on how you're going to pay your car note and whether or not you're going to sign your last name so that when the check gets there, they can send it back to you, and you can say, "Oh, forgot to sign it." 00:25:13 You know, you don't have to play those games anymore, so you really have the time and the attention to focus on other things. And the big question for me in my life is, now that I have achieved some material success, is what do I do with it? How do I use this to make a difference? 00:25:32 GAIL EICHENTHAL: And? 00:25:33 OPRAH WINFREY: And, for me, education is about the most important thing, because that was — that is what liberated me. Education is what liberated me. The ability to read saved my life. I would have been an entirely different person had I not been taught to read when I was, at an early age. My entire life experience, my ability to believe in myself, and even in my darkest moments of sexual abuse and being physically abused and so forth, I knew there was another way. 00:26:11 I knew there was a way out. I knew there was another kind of life because I'd read about it. I'd read about it. I knew there were other places, and there was another way of being, and so it saved my life. So that's why I now focus my attention on trying to do the same thing for other people. 00:26:37 ALICE WINKLER: Oprah Winfrey talking to the Academy of Achievement in 1991. Thank you for listening. Next time you find yourself looking for a shot of inspiration or some great life stories from another towering figure, visit us again. I’m Alice Winkler. This is What It Takes. And I can’t resist leaving you with one last little clip of Oprah talking about one of her favorite things. Who knows? I just like to think maybe it’s where the idea for her famous segment started. 00:27:12 OPRAH WINFREY: I love bubbles. Now that's the one big luxury I've given myself, is that now that I've attained some material success, I will use an entire half a bottle of bubble bath at one time, and I'm really particular about the kind of bubbles too. Like, I don't want the kind that drip down off of your arm, poor quality bubbles. I like the kind that covers your arm and stays. 00:27:39 ALICE WINKLER: Funding for What It Takes comes from the Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation.
from Voice of America http://ift.tt/2wfiOzz
via IFTTT
from Voice of America http://ift.tt/2wfiOzz
via IFTTT
September 8, 2017
A look at the best news photos from around the world.
from Voice of America http://ift.tt/2jbaxew
via IFTTT
from Voice of America http://ift.tt/2jbaxew
via IFTTT
Powerful Earthquake Shakes Southern Mexico
One of the most powerful earthquakes ever to hit Mexico shook the southern part of the country Thursday night. Mexican officials said Friday at least 32 people had died. The 8.2-magnitude earthquake was stronger than the 1985 quake that killed thousands and destroyed large parts of Mexico City. Hundreds of buildings collapsed or were damaged. Smaller quakes have followed. Officials closed schools Friday in at least 11 states to check them for safety. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was centered in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Chiapas state. It was near the point of collision between three tectonic plates, the Cocos, the Caribbean and the North American. The USGS said the quake struck at 11:49 p.m. local time Thursday. Rodrigo Soberanes, who lives near San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas, told the Associated Press that his "house moved like chewing gum." The quake caused buildings to move violently in Mexico’s capital more than 1,000 kilometers away. In neighboring Guatemala, President Jimmy Morales spoke on national television to call for calm while emergency crews checked for damage. “We have reports of some damage and the death of one person, even though we still don’t have details,” Morales said. I'm Ashley Thompson. The Associated Press reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story magnitude - n. a number that shows the power of an earthquake chewing gum - n. a type of soft candy that you chew on but do not swallow collision - n. a crash in which two or more things or people hit each other
from Voice of America http://ift.tt/2jbb8Nz
via IFTTT
from Voice of America http://ift.tt/2jbb8Nz
via IFTTT
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Common Transition Words
In 1963, President John Kennedy gave a famous speech at American University. In the speech, Kennedy said the following lines: "Our problems are manmade; therefore, they can be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings." Today's report is not about global problems. Nor is it about human destiny. Instead, it is about something much more exciting: transition words. What are transitions? Transitions are words that show relationships between ideas. According to grammar experts Susan Conrad and Douglas Biber, transitions are most common in academic writing. These transition words have different uses. They can suggest that a result, clarification, or example is coming. We will now look at each of these uses in greater detail. #1 Expressing a result Transition words that show a result include therefore and thus. The words you heard at the beginning of this report give you one example of therefore: "Our problems are manmade; therefore, they can be solved by man." In the quote, the word therefore connects two statements: "Our problems are manmade" and "they [our problems] can be solved by mankind." The word therefore suggests "for that reason" or "because of that..." Thus has a similar meaning. Academic writers often use it as a way to show a summary or conclusion. You might read a paragraph that begins with the words "Thus, we conclude that..." In this case, the word thus is referring to ideas or arguments presented earlier in the written work. In general, the writer is saying that the reasons already presented lead them to their conclusion. #2 Restating or clarifying an idea A second use of transitions is to restate or clarify ideas. Common examples include in other words and i.e. Consider this example from a past Everyday Grammar program: "Adverbials can appear at different places in a sentence. In other words, they are movable." In the example, the second sentence restates and clarifies the idea that comes in the first sentence. This added example helps to make the point more memorable and easier to understand. I.e. can also restate or clarify an idea. Writers often use it in parenthetical statements or phrases. The Everyday Grammar writer could have written the following words: "Adverbials can appear at different places in a sentence (i.e. they are movable). This sentence has a similar meaning to the first sentence, although it is different stylistically. #3 Giving an example A final group of transition words show that the writer is about to provide an example. Common words include for example and for instance. Consider how President Ronald Reagan uses for example in his address to the United Nations in 1988: "That is why when human rights progress is made, the United Nations grows stronger-and the United States is glad of it. Following a 2-year effort led by the United States, for example, the U.N. Human Rights Commission took a major step toward ending the double standards and cynicism that had characterized too much of its past." Reagan's second sentence, although lengthy, supports the point that he makes in the first sentence. This is a useful pattern to use both in writing and formal speaking. Movability The transitions we have discussed today can appear at different places in a sentence.* This movability is important to understand for students of writing. Think back to Reagan's speech. He used for example in the middle of his sentence. "Following a 2-year effort led by the United States, for example, the U.N. Human Rights Commission took a major step toward ending the double standards and cynicism that had characterized too much of its past." Reagan could have used for example at another place in the sentence – the very beginning, for one. Such a sentence would have sounded like this: "For example, following a 2-year effort led by the United States, the U.N. Human Rights Commission took a major step toward ending the double standards and cynicism that had characterized too much of its past." Do not use transitions too often Now that you have learned about transitions, you should practice using them. However, do not use them too often. Your reader or listener might lose interest if you use too many transitions. Also, you should be careful about using the transitions we have talked about today while speaking. They are polite and acceptable; however, they can make you sound very formal. With time and practice, you will learn how and when to use transitions correctly. And now, it is time for us to transition to the end of our report. I'm John Russell. And I'm Alice Bryant. John Russell wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. * Transitions such as i.e. and e.g. are less movable because they often appear in parenthetical statements. _____________________________________________________________ Words in the Story transition – n. writing words or phrases that provide a connection between ideas, sentences and paragraphs. academic – adj. of or relating to schools and education restate – v. to say (something) again or in a different way especially to make the meaning clearer adverbial – n. a word that describes a verb, an adjective, another adverb, or a sentence and that is often used to show time, manner, place, or degree double standard – n. a situation in which two people, groups, etc., are treated very differently from each other in a way that is unfair to one of them cynicism – n. cynical beliefs: beliefs that people are generally selfish and dishonest movability – n. capable of being moved
from Voice of America http://ift.tt/2wNIdSK
via IFTTT
from Voice of America http://ift.tt/2wNIdSK
via IFTTT
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
