DC Club Gives Learners Chance to Practice Japanese, Other Languages

  As a language learner, what is one thing you wish you had more of a chance to do? For many, the answer is having people around to practice with in the target language. One club in Washington, D.C., is offering language learners a chance to do just that. Conversational DC plans informal, free events in seven languages. The gatherings take place at Washington-area cafes or bars. Participants buy a drink and practice the language as much as they can. Speaking English is discouraged. Lauren Aitken started Conversational DC last year. She describes it as a “language immersion social club.” The club welcomes learners of all levels. Some are just beginning their studies. Others are already fluent speakers of the language. They can wear stickers that say “facilitator.”  They are there to answer questions and help guide conversations if needed. Aitken described Washington as the “perfect city” for a club like Conversational DC. In America’s capital city, many people are learning one or more new languages, either for work or just for fun. “I think DC is a place that attracts people that are curious about the world. Because of that, I think it's one of these perfect cities for something like this, where it requires you to to get out of your comfort zone a little bit and take a chance by speaking in another language.” Conversational DC has held more than 30 events in seven languages, including French, Spanish and Arabic. Spanish is its most popular language, Aitken said. Its newest language? Japanese. VOA Learning English intern Rei Goto is an international student from Japan. Last month, he attended the club’s first-ever Japanese event. Like many Conversational DC events, it took place at Colony Club, a bar and coffee shop in D.C.’s Park View neighborhood. Goto spoke with Japanese learners and speakers. Steve Pelcovits attended the Japanese event. He is an alum of the Japanese Exchange and Teaching program, or JET. The JET Alumni Association sponsored the Conversational DC event. Pelcovits has lived in Japan two times. He first became interested in the language through Japanese video games when he was young. He decided to begin studying Japanese with a tutor. Pelcovits is now a graduate student living in D.C. He says he does not get that many chances to practice or use his Japanese. He plans to return to Japan this summer. In Japanese, he told Goto, “I will move back to Japan next summer for work. So, I want to practice speaking Japanese before moving back.” Vishal Jani is also a JET program alum. He came to the Conversational DC event with his girlfriend, who is Japanese. He said he enjoyed the event because it offered a fun, relaxed environment for practicing Japanese. “This event has good beer, good people and ping pong. It’s really fun,” he said in Japanese. Jani added that Conversational DC offers him a chance to talk with and meet people who “know Japan.” “I feel more connected to Americans that know Japan than I do connected to Americans that don't know Japan. I know it sounds very cliché, but that is the reality of my situation because I was there for so long.” Aitken said she hopes the club will hold another Japanese event in the future. And she says the club will continue to add new languages, including Mandarin Chinese and Russian. Aitken added, “I love languages, I love their abilities to connect people  across cultures and connect people around the world.” I'm Ashley Thompson.   Rei Goto wrote this report for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. Are there clubs or events like Conversational DC where you live? Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. ____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   immersion­ – n. complete involvement in some activity or interest host – v. to be the host for (a social event, a group of people, etc.) discouraged – v. to try to make people not want to do (something) fluent ­– adj. able to speak a language easily and very well facilitator – n. someone who helps something run more smoothly and effectively. [facilitate - v. to make (something) easier : to help cause (something)] alum – n. someone who attended or graduated from a particular school (or taken part in a particular club/organization) tutor – n. a teacher who works with one student​ graduate –n. a holder of an academic degree or diploma relaxed – adj. calm and free from stress, worry, or anxiety : not worried or tense cliché – n. an idea or phrase that has been used so much that it is not effective or does not have any meaning any longer.

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After Victory, Putin Voices Desire for Better Ties with West

  Russian President Vladimir Putin says he has no desire for an arms race. The Russian leader spoke in Moscow on Monday, one day after he was elected to a fourth term as president. “Nobody plans to accelerate an arms race,” he said. Putin added that he would do everything he could to settle differences with other countries. “We will do everything possible to resolve all the differences with our partners using political and diplomatic channels,” he said. His comments mark a change from some of his recent statements. During the election campaign, Putin talked about new nuclear weapons he claimed could strike almost anywhere in the world. Russian denies poisoning former spy His election win came as the British government accuses Russia of poisoning a former Russian spy living in Britain. The man, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter Yulia are listed in critical condition at a English hospital. British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson spoke to European Union ministers in Brussels Monday. Johnson said Russia’s continued denial of involvement in the poisoning was growing, in his words, “absurd.”  He added that “technical experts” from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons plan to study samples of the suspected nerve agent. The apparent poisoning of Skripal and his daughter has led to a diplomatic dispute between the two countries. Last week, Britain expelled 23 Russian diplomats over the incident, causing Russia to answer by expelling an equal number of British officials. British lawmakers are urging Prime Minister Theresa May to seize the assets of wealthy Russians with ties to Vladimir Putin. European group says election not “competitive” The Reuters news agency described the vote on Sunday as Putin’s biggest ever election victory. He defeated seven other candidates to win re-election. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said the election lacked “genuine competition.” Putin received more than 76 percent of the votes. The second-place candidate received almost 12 percent of the vote. Well-known opposition leader Alexei Navalny was barred from running as a candidate. The Russian government had sought to get 70 percent of registered voters to mark ballots in the election. A little less that 68 percent actually voted. Several world leaders called Putin to congratulate him on his victory. The callers included China’s president, Xi Jinping. French President Emmanuel Macron also spoke with the Russian leader. Agence France Presse reported that Macron wished him “success for the political, democratic, economic and social modernization” of Russia. He also pressed Putin to provide information about the poisoning dispute with Britain. Putin also received a call from German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who noted “challenges” in the countries’ relationship. He also heard from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Abe called for close cooperation in reaching an agreement to end North Korea’s nuclear activities. After his victory, Putin said he wanted to reduce spending on Russia’s defenses. He said he wanted to direct his attention to raising the quality of life of average citizens and investing more in education, healthcare and public services. Sanctions weigh on Russia’s economy A number of Western nations have approved economic actions against Russia for taking Crimea from Ukraine and continued Russian involvement in that country. The international community also has criticized Russia for its support of Syrian President Bashar al Assad, most recently for continuing violence near the Syrian capital Damascus. Last week, the United States Treasury Department announced sanctions against five Russian groups and 19 individuals for interfering in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. U.S. officials say Russian organizations and individuals sought to divide Americans with false or misleading news stories during the election campaign. Putin’s reelection would keep him as Russia’s president until the year 2024. The former intelligence officer has been either president or prime minister of the Russian Federation since 2000. He took power in 1999 after Boris Yeltsin resigned as president. I’m Mario Ritter.   Jaime Dettmer and Fern Robinson reported this story for VOA News. Mario Ritter adapted their report for VOA Learning English. His story includes with additional information from AP and Reuters. George Grow was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   channel –n. a system or way to communicate between people or groups accelerate –v. to cause to speed up critical –adj. very serious, involving danger of death absurd –adj. unreasonable, making no sense sample –n. a small amount of something often to be studied or tested asset –n. a valuable person or thing genuine –adj. real or true challenge –n. things that are difficult to accomplish sanctions –n. punishments usually in the form of trade restrictions meant to force a country to obey international law We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

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Critics Want Facebook Regulation after Data Misuse

  United States lawmakers are calling for more regulation of Facebook. The move comes after reports that the social media company may have let a political organization have access to personal data from around 50 million Facebook users in 2014. Facebook wrote about the issue on Friday in a public online message, just before news media began reporting on the story. Reports said that Cambridge Analytica was given access to the data. The data company is linked to conservatives and is known for its work on Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. The reports also say the company may not have deleted, or removed, the data. Democratic U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar wrote on Twitter that it is clear that companies like Facebook cannot “police themselves.” She added that Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg should speak before the Senate Judiciary committee. Facebook announced late Friday it was banning Cambridge Analytica from its service for misusing data. The reports are the latest threat to Facebook’s public image. It has been criticized over Russia’s use of Facebook to influence American voters during the 2016 election. Facebook said researchers and Cambridge Analytica lied to the company and abused its policies. Yet critics are blaming Facebook. They are also demanding answers for users whose information was given to Cambridge Analytica. Facebook claims the data was misused, not stolen. It says users gave it permission. The company’s position has led to a debate about what is considered a “hack” that users must be told about. How to keep online information safe Frank Pasquale is a University of Maryland law professor. He has written about Silicon Valley’s use of data. He said that Facebook’s explanation that data had not been stolen avoided the central issue that data was used in a different way than users expected. Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat, said the event proves the need for new regulations about internet advertising. He described the industry as the “Wild West.” He said that without new regulations, the market will continue to deal with deception and secrecy. Both The New York Times and London’s Observer reported Saturday that private information from more than 50 million Facebook users was wrongly given to Cambridge Analytica. They also reported that the company had not deleted the data, even though Facebook told them to beginning in 2015. The reports say that about 270,000 Facebook users gave a researcher permission to use their data. The researcher also took the data of all their friends, a move that was permitted based on Facebook’s rules until 2015. The researcher then sold the data to Cambridge Analytica. That move was against Facebook rules, the newspapers said. Cambridge Analytica worked on Trump’s 2016 campaign. However, a Trump campaign official said they used Republican data sources, not Cambridge Analytica, for voter information. Calls for new regulation Facebook said in a series of statements over the weekend that researchers and Cambridge Analytica broke Facebook rules. It said it was considering legal action against them.  In answer, Cambridge Analytica said that they had, in fact, deleted the data. It also said the company supplying the data was responsible for obtaining it. Andrew Bosworth, a Facebook vice president, said the company could make more changes to demonstrate that it values privacy. “We must do better and will,” Bosworth wrote on Twitter. Nuala O’Connor is president of the Center for Democracy & Technology in Washington, D.C. She said Facebook was depending on the honesty of people rather than preparing for the planned misuse of data. O’Connor also added that Facebook knew about the abuse in 2015 but did not inform users until Friday. “That’s a long time,” she said. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healy said on Saturday she was launching an investigation into the use of Facebook data. Healey’s office said she wants to understand how the data was used, what policies may have been abused, and what the legal effects are. I’m Phil Dierking.   This story was originally written by David Ingram for the Reuters News Agency.  Phil Dierking adapted it for VOA Learning English with additional information. Ashley Thompson was the editor. What kind of security polices do you think Facebook should have?  We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   regulation - n. an official rule or law that says how something should be done​ access - n. a way of getting near, at, or to something or someone​ delete - v.  to remove (something, such as words, pictures, or computer files) from a document, recording, computer, etc.​ hack - v. to secretly get access to the files on a computer or network in order to get information, cause damage, etc.​ Wild west - expression. meaning wild or having no laws deception - n. the act of making someone believe something that is not true​ source - n.  someone or something that provides what is wanted or needed​ obtain - v.  to gain or get (something) usually by effort​

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Illegal Immigrants Often Sent Home Without Much Planning

In July 2016, United States lawmakers met with former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Deputy Director Daniel Ragsdale. He told them about the rules for expelling a foreign national. “Two things are generally required,” Ragsdale said. They are “an administrative final order of removal, and a travel document issued by a foreign government.” An order of removal is also called a deportation order. Of the two, the travel document is the hardest to get. Travel documents can be permission from the deportee's country or a legal passport. But both require cooperation from countries. Usually, there are written repatriation agreements. They describe how foreigners are to be returned to their home country. But often a deportation is done without planning, on what Leon Fresco calls an “ad-hoc” basis. Fresco, a former Department of Justice immigration official, explained how a U.S. citizen living overseas would be deported to the United States. “What we might be able to do, if we couldn’t land a flight in America, is to land a flight in, like, Tijuana and walk the person up to the border. And sometimes they take that person at that point. And so, we do some of that.” Fresco added that if deportees are to be sent back on an airplane, permission from the other country is required, and that is where repatriation agreements are helpful. "The countries, receiving these removals, see…the list of people who are on the flight — and approve,” an official from ICE explained. The official added there are many steps to the process. As VOA reported earlier this month, President Donald Trump’s administration has removed over 10 nations from the list of it calls “recalcitrant” countries. Officials describe recalcitrant countries as ones that refuse to take back their nationals when the U.S. government wants to expel them. That would seem to say that more countries are accepting their citizens. And an ICE official told VOA that it and other government agencies are making new repatriation agreements. But negotiating such an agreement can be difficult. Talks with Laos VOA has gathered documents that offer a look into the process of establishing a deportation agreement between the U.S. and Laos. Two embassy cables from 2008 and 2009 describe attempts by U.S. and Laos officials to work out a repatriation agreement. The documents were published earlier on the WikiLeaks website. They show that in February 2009, three U.S. officials traveled to Vientiane, Laos’s capital, to find ways to repatriate Lao nationals. While the State Department was invited to this meeting, ICE is the government agency that takes part in diplomatic efforts to remove people, Fresco explained. He added that, in his opinion, only the State Department has the ability to “get countries to do things.” “We end up with situations where we don't have these very formal diplomatic agreements,” he explained. Notes of the 2009 meeting show that Laos repeatedly requested that deportation agreements be negotiated one-by-one. The U.S. side was hoping that each case could be completed in 60 days. But Laos said that confirming the identity of its citizens could be a problem because the names of villages in the countryside were often changed. The individual may only remember the name of his childhood village, but that name may have disappeared, said Mai Sayavongs, then-deputy director of the Europe and Americas office for the Laos government. Another problem for Laotian deportees: Expired citizenship from their home country. Laotians were required to register with the embassy in the country in which they were living or lose their citizenship after 10 years. The 2009 embassy cable said the two countries were still trying to reach an agreement by the end of 2009, but it never happened. Laos was not on the recalcitrant list during former President Barack Obama’s time but has been added to the list under President Trump. A State Department spokesperson told VOA the agency could not confirm or comment on the documents. When talks fail When a travel document is not available, ICE then tries other actions, such as sending letters to the nations’ embassies in the United States. The letters ask for cooperation with the removal process or asking for the country to be put on the recalcitrant list. "If the United States could just fly a plane whenever it wanted and drop people off, there wouldn’t be recalcitrant countries,” an ICE official said.   If nothing works, ICE asks the Department of State to approve formal instructions for dealing with the uncooperative country. The State Department can then call for visa sanctions under the Immigration and Nationality Act. That is exactly what the Trump administration did last September when it set visa sanctions on Cambodia, Eritrea, Guinea and Sierra Leone for failing to accept removable nationals. In the 2009 cable released by WikiLeaks, Sayavongs noted that in 2007, during the presidency of George W. Bush, the U.S. had tried to send 26 people back to Laos. But there were problems, such as when the Laotian government was informed of a deportee only when he arrived at the airport. Quyen Dinh is head of the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center. She said recent enforcement actions show a more aggressive policy on the part of the U.S. government, especially toward Southeast Asian countries. There’s nothing that stops “the U.S. from deporting folks who are not U.S. citizens back to different countries,” she said, adding that ICE has the right to expel people, even if they don’t have an agreement with a country.   Aline Barros reported this story for VOANews.com. Susan Shand adapted her report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   deportation - n. the act of removing from a country someone who presence is considered unlawful repatriation - n. returning someone to his or her home country expire – v. to come to an end instruction – n. order; direction sanctions - n. a punishment or other action that results from failure to obey a rule or order folk – n. a group or class of people  

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How to Pronounce /ch/ and /j/

Follow John Russell to learn how to pronounce /ch/ and /j/.

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Vernal Equinox: The Arrival of Spring

  The vernal equinox this year falls on Tuesday, March 20. In the Northern Hemisphere, the day marks the start of spring. In the Southern Hemisphere, the same day marks the start of the autumnal equinox, or the beginning of fall. The word vernal comes from the Latin word vernalis, meaning “of the spring.” And equinox comes from the Latin words aequus, meaning equal, and nox, meaning night. The day has 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night time. On this day, people living in colder areas of the Northern Hemisphere hope they can put away their winter coats until next year. They also may hope to begin planting flowers and vegetables in a garden. But for those of us in the northeastern United States, it may not exactly feel like the start of spring on March 20. Here, the first day of spring is expected to bring a snow storm. Identifying and celebrating Spring Ancient sites around the world were built to signal the start of spring. Around the year 1000 A.D., for example, the Maya built a pyramid in what is now Mexico’s Yucatan. It sits within an ancient city called Chichen Itza. On the spring equinox, the sunlight hits in such a way that makes the structure look like a snake. The Maya called this day “the return of the Sun serpent.” Today, cultures around the world have their own ways of identifying and celebrating the arrival of spring. Cherry blossoms In Japan, spring is marked with a huge cherry blossom festival, known as hanami. The tradition dates back more than a thousand years. People gather under the blooming trees to eat, drink tea, celebrate and enjoy the cherry blossoms, known as sakura in Japanese. Artists and poets celebrate the short-lived blooms as a symbol of beauty. In 1912, Japan gave 3,000 cherry trees to the U.S. capital city of Washington, D.C. The gift was to honor the lasting friendship between the United States and Japan. The cherry blossoms have become a signal of the start of spring in Washington. The city’s National Cherry Blossom Festival draws millions of visitors every year. Nowruz For many countries in Central Asia and the Middle East, the beginning of spring also marks the beginning of a new year. The celebration is called Nowruz. The words "now" and "ruz" means “new day” in Farsi. Countries along the ancient Silk Road trading path, including Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and other Central Asian nations, celebrate Nowruz. In the past, Iran was the only country where Nowruz was an official holiday. But after countries gained their independence following the fall of the Soviet Union, many made Nowruz a national holiday, as well. During Nowruz, people visit family members and friends and exchange gifts. Iranian families set up a “haft seen” display of seven special items that represent spring and new beginnings. ​ ​ In Uzbekistan and other places in Central Asia, people watch wrestling events, horse races and a special horseback game called, in Uzbek, Kopkari. In this game, two teams of players on horseback try to get the body of a headless goat into a goal. A similar game is called buzkashi in Afghanistan and oghlak tartish in Kyrgyzstan and Uyghur-speaking areas. Holi festival Many in India and Nepal mark the arrival of spring with the Holi festival, known also as the festival of colors or festival of love. People celebrate the festival by covering each other in -- you guessed it -- colors! Children especially enjoy the festival, as they get to throw colored powder and water-filled balloons at others. Some say the festival comes from a story of the burning of the devil Holika. It represents the victory of good over evil, or the arrival of spring after a long, dark winter. Others say the celebration was inspired by the story of two young lovers with different skin colors. Krishna, who has blue skin, was in love with Radha. So, he colored Radha with paint leading to the modern-day colorful festival of love. Las Fallas People in Valencia, Spain, have their spring celebration called Las Fallas. It is a wild, five-day street festival involving fire. The festival centers on the creation – and burning – of huge colorful statues made of wood, paper and plastic. The statues are meant to look like real people. Often, they are modeled after Spanish politicians or stars. Valencian communities and organizations work all year to create their structures. As many as 700 of them are then placed throughout the city, with fireworks inside of them. Las Fallas begins March 15, with events like bullfights, parades, cooking and beauty competitions. Then, at midnight on March 20, the city turns off all streetlights and the statues are set on fire. This marks the end of the festival, and the beginning of spring. I'm Ashley Thompson. And I'm Caty Weaver.     Hai Do wrote this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   serpent - n. a large snake pyramid - n. a very large structure built especially in ancient Egypt that has a square base and four triangular sides which form a point at the top blooming - adj. producing flowers display - n. an arrangement of objects intended to decorate or inform people about something powder - n. a dry substance made up of very tiny pieces of something  

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Ancient People in South Africa Unharmed by Volcanic Eruption

About 74,000 years ago, the Mount Toba volcano erupted on what is now the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The eruption caused a worldwide environmental disaster. It may have destroyed ancient human populations in many parts of the world. But experts say some groups may have survived the disaster unharmed. Earlier this month, scientists announced that they had found tiny pieces of volcanic glass from the Mount Toba eruption. Their discovery, however, was 9,000 kilometers away on South Africa’s southern coast. Some researchers believe the eruption may have caused world temperatures to drop causing a so-called “volcanic winter” that lasted for many years. Scientists suggest this cold period damaged ecosystems and reduced food resources for people around the world. But, the researchers in South Africa found evidence that the hunter-gatherers there continued to thrive. Pieces of volcanic glass were found in a rock shelter at a place called Pinnacle Point near the town of Mossel Bay. Ancient people lived, cooked food and slept there. They made tools out of stone, bone and wood. Glass pieces were also found in an area about 10 kilometers away. The researchers said people lived in the rock shelter from 90,000 to 50,000 years ago. They found no sign that people left the area at the time of the eruption. They said the seaside location may have provided a refuge. Marine food sources like shellfish may have been less affected than inland plants and animals to the environmental effects of the eruption. The Mount Toba eruption sent large amounts of volcanic particles into the atmosphere. The particles dimmed the sunlight and possibly killed many plants. Scientists say it was the most powerful eruption in the past 2 million years. But they are divided over the eruption’s effects. Some think it may have caused a human population collapse that became a near-extinction event. Others believe its effects were less severe. Curtis Marean is a paleoanthropologist with Arizona State University’s Institute of Human Origins and Nelson Mandela University’s Centre for Coastal Palaeoscience in South Africa. He spoke to the Reuters news service about the findings. He said, “On a regular basis through time, humans faced dire threats from natural disasters. As hunter-gatherers endowed with advanced cognition and a proclivity to cooperate, we were able to make it through this disaster, and we were very resilient.” He added, “But this may not be the case now with our reliance on our highly complicated technological system. In my opinion, a volcano like this could annihilate civilization as we know it...” The researchers’ findings were published in the journal Nature.   I’m Jonathan Evans.   Will Dunham reported this story for the Reuters news service. Jonathan Evans adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Quiz Now, test your understanding by taking this short quiz. ________________________________________________________________ Words in this Story   ecosystem –n. everything that exists in a particular environment thrive –v. to grow or develop successfully; to flourish or succeed location –n. a place or position marine –adj. of or relating to the sea or the plants and animals that live in the sea annihilate – v.  to destroy something or someone completely dire – adj. very bad; causing great fear or worry endowed – v. freely or naturally provided something erupt – v. to send out rocks, ash, lava, etc. in a sudden explosion proclivity – n. a strong natural liking for something that is usually bad; a tendency to do something that is usually bad. resilient – adj. able to become strong, healthy or successful again after something bad happens

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The Rise of the US Supreme Court

Editor’s Note: This story is the first in a series about the Supreme Court of the United States. In the coming months, watch for text, audio, and video that explain what the Supreme Court is, why it is important (and disputed) in American culture, and how the justices ruled on some of the most important cases in modern U.S. history.     When Americans are angry and believe they are right about an issue, they might use this expression: “I’m going take it all the way to the Supreme Court!” ​These words capture two important ideas. First, the Supreme Court of the United States has the final say in legal disputes. The high court is sometimes called the “court of last resort.” The expression also suggests that taking a case “all the way” to the Supreme Court is hard. Each year, the court receives about 7,000 requests to consider cases. The judges – called justices – rule on only 100 or so. Their job is to strike down laws or actions that violate the U.S. Constitution. Linda Greenhouse reported on the U.S. Supreme Court for 30 years. She points out that although the justices hear only a few cases every year, the court plays an important role. “It sits there as a symbol that there is rule of law in the country that people can turn to, and I think it’s a very important part of American culture.” “Something that the world had never seen” The idea for the Supreme Court dates back to 1787. At that time, the men who wrote the U.S. Constitution described a court system with a number of lower courts and one high court. The judicial branch, as it was called, would be one part of a three-part system of government. ​Reporter Linda Greenhouse says the idea of the U.S. Supreme Court was unusual because it was designed to be independent from Congress and the president. “And so from the beginning the U.S. had a supreme court that could talk back, push back, and actually define the boundaries of the law. And that was something that the world had never seen.” How the Supreme Court became supreme At first, Americans were not sure how important the Supreme Court would be. Not very, some thought. The court did not even have its own building, but moved from place to place. For a while, it operated out of the U.S. Capitol building in a meeting room lawmakers were not using. And the position of Supreme Court justice was not highly valued. One of the first justices, John Jay, resigned from the Supreme Court to become the governor of New York. Later, the president asked Jay to return to the high court. Jay said no. The idea of the federal judiciary had too many problems, he said. He did not think the Supreme Court could ever earn the public’s trust. So the president at the time, John Adams, asked someone else, John Marshall, to be a Supreme Court justice. That decision turned out to be very important. During his 34 years in office, beginning in 1801, John Marshall helped shape and strengthen the Supreme Court. One of his most historic decisions came in 1803. That year, Marshall wrote the opinion on a case called Marbury versus Madison. The case related to a man named William Marbury. He had been offered a government job at the last minute by an outgoing president. The new president and his secretary of state, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, did not want to give Marbury the position for political reasons. But Marbury believed an earlier act of Congress required the president to appoint him. So Marbury took the dispute all the way to the Supreme Court. The justices at the time agreed that Marbury should get the job. But they did not order Jefferson and Madison to give it to him. Instead, the justices believed, the earlier act of Congress violated the Constitution. So the whole idea behind Marbury’s case could not be justified. That decision was historic, not because Marbury lost his case, but because of what it said about the Supreme Court. The chief justice claimed the court’s right to tell the rest of the federal government what the Constitution permits them to do. Michael Trachtman, a lawyer and writer, puts it this way: “Marbury versus Madison established that it is the Supreme Court who makes the final rules. The Supreme Court gets to say to the president of the United States, ‘You cannot do that.’ The Supreme Court gets to say to the Congress of the United States, ‘You passed this legislation, it took you 10 years to do it, the president signed it. No. It’s invalidated because it violates the Constitution.’” Dignity and importance Of course, the Supreme Court does not have any power to enforce its decisions. It does not have money or an army. Instead, it depends on Americans’ respect for the Supreme Court and the rule of law. As a sign of the respect it commands, in 1935 the Supreme Court finally moved to its permanent home. The building is made of white marble, with tall columns and a long staircase. The chief justice who pressed Congress to approve money for the building, William Howard Taft, did not live to see it completed. But his dream for it was realized. Taft said he wanted it to show the “dignity and importance” of the Supreme Court in American life. I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.   Kelly Jean Kelly wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.   _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story resort - n. something that you choose for help role - n. the part that someone has in a family, society, or other group symbol - n. an action, object, event, etc., that expresses or represents a particular idea or quality boundaries - n. unofficial rules about what should not be done : limits that define acceptable behavior outgoing - adj. leaving a particular position invalidate - v. to show or prove (something) to be false or incorrect column - n. a long post made of steel, stone, etc., that is used as a support in a building staircase - n. a set of stairs and its supporting structures dignity - n. the quality of being worthy of honor or respect

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In Bhutan, Gross National Happiness More Important

  Prayer flags fly high in the wind across steep valleys and roads in the Kingdom of Bhutan. Many visitors remember seeing Bhutan’s Buddhist religious centers and stately looking defenses called zhongs. Others might recall large water-powered prayer wheels spinning near waterfalls or farmers watching over long-haired yaks in the countryside. Bhutan is the last remaining Buddhist kingdom in the Himalayas. The country lies between India and China, but it has never been captured or colonized. Bhutan still has much of its ancient culture. But it is attempting to become more modern without sacrificing its independence, culture or natural environment. Bhutan advertises itself as an “exclusive” place to visit through “high value, low impact” tourism. Foreign visitors usually travel there by way of India or other nearby countries. Tourists can only visit Bhutan by signing up with licensed tour operators. The cost is between $200 and $250 a day, depending on the time of year. The government uses some of that money to pay for health care, schools and public services.   In the 1970s, the fourth king of Bhutan proposed an unusual method for measuring the country’s success. Unlike traditional measures, like the gross domestic product, the king suggested what he called gross national happiness. Gross national happiness means efforts in support of sustainable development, education and health, and valuing societal good over economic growth. The smoking of cigarettes is banned in the kingdom. In addition, Bhutan is the world’s only carbon-negative country. That means it produces less carbon than its forests and other plants take in. In 2016, the fifth and current king created the Laya Royal Highlander Festival, an event designed to bring tourists. The celebration takes place in October. It includes events like yak judging, wrestling competitions, pony races and native dancing. Tourists attending the highland festival have to travel a total of 58 kilometers, from a height of 1,830 meters to more than 3,800 meters above sea level. Many paths along the way are rocky. Tour groups use donkeys to carry fuel, tents and other supplies. Rain can make those trails dangerous for both the animals and festival goers. But the difficult conditions did not stop Bhutan’s king from attending the event last October. He made the trip in only a few hours. Most tourists, however, compete the trip in two days. One popular festival event is a race called the nyagay. Six women wearing yak-wool skirts pull large pieces of wood halfway across a field. They then drop the wood and place 23 kilogram sacks of grain on the backs of their male partners. The women then climb on the men’s backs. The men pick up the wood, then race back to the starting line. Festival organizers covered a tent with gold and set up a throne-like chair for the king. But he spent most of his time greeting people. Before the start of the pony race, food was served. Hundreds of villagers and visitors sat cross-legged as helpers served rice, vegetable curries and hot butter tea. All of the food was provided by the king. And everyone seemed very happy. I’m Jonathan Evans.   Ellen Hale reported this story for the Associated Press. Jonathan Evans adapted her report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   exclusive – adj. not shared; available to only one person or group gross domestic product – n. the total value of the goods and services produced by the people of a nation during a year not including the value of income earned in foreign countries. promote – v. to make people aware of something; to make something more popular steep – adj. almost straight up and down; rising or falling very sharply license – n. an official document; a card or paper that gives you permission to do something impact – n. a major influence or effect tourism – n. the custom of traveling for recreation throne – n. the ceremonial chair of a ruler yak – n. a large, long-haired animal pony – n. a small horse

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Syrian Refugee Baby Gets Life-saving Surgery, Others Wait

  Sara al-Matoura watched her daughter through a window as her daughter’s chest moved up and down under a tangle of medical wires. The mother from the Syrian city of Homs had not eaten for a day. She was up all night by her one-year-old daughter’s side at a hospital in the Jordanian capital of Amman. Al-Matoura had fled the Syrian war for Jordan in 2012. She was only four months pregnant when she found out the baby had a congenital heart condition known as tricuspid atresia. Ninety percent of children with the condition would die before the age of ten. Doctors advised her to end the pregnancy but Al-Matoura refused. “She is my gift from God,” she said. She named her daughter Eman. It means “faith” in Arabic. Eman recently received a life-saving open heart surgery. The surgery was one of eight heart operations performed by surgeons from the Vatican’s Bambino Gesu Hospital. The Italian surgeons performed the operations for free. But U.N. officials say many refugees with medical problems do not get treatment because of financial difficulties. The more the treatment costs, the more likely their requests will be denied. Even services such as childbirth have become too costly. Some 5.5 million Syrians have fled their homeland since 2011. Jordan now has more than 650,000 Syrians registered with the U.N. refugee agency. Jordanian officials say the number of Syrians in the country is actually two times higher. Additionally, they do not have enough money to take care of their own citizens. The situation is getting worse as Europe and the U.S. are closing the borders to refugees and there are no signs of peace in Syria. While Eman was in the operating room, another Syrian mother tried to keep her 12-year-old son Tamer from moving. Tamer also has a congenital heart condition. When he moves too much, he loses his breath and turns blue. Dr. Iyad al-Ammouri is a children’s heart surgeon at the University of Jordan Hospital. He said children with Tamer’s  condition should receive an operation at age five or six. But Tamer’s surgery will cost up to $28,000, far more money than his mother has. Tamer’s mother supports him alone as his father is still trapped in Syria. Jordan used to help pay for Syrian refugees' medical care. But that was stopped in February. Now, a special committee of doctors reviews hundreds of cases each month and decides which one to help. Late-stage cancer treatment, for example, is usually denied. Costly surgeries are also delayed or denied. “Of course people come back month after month,” said Dr. Adam Musa, a U.N. public health officer who sits on the committee. He said people would appeal again and again because the need is urgent. “It’s painful,” he added. In January, 60 out of 143 refugee appeals for emergency help were approved. The United Nations gave them about $2,000 each. There wasn’t enough money for the rest, Musa said. Across the area, the decreased support and the lack of aid have left millions of refugees on the edge of survival, even pushing some to return to Syria. The U.N. refugee agency spent $51 million in Lebanon last year. Yet it could not cover most life-saving surgeries. “There are very few NGOs that are able to provide support for some of these cases and we know that people have taken difficult decisions to return to Syria for care,” said Dr. Michael Woodman, a senior public health officer with the UN. After Eman’s surgery, doctors told her parents she would likely need another, more difficult surgery in two to five years. “I don’t know where we will get the money then,” al-Matoura said. “But thank God for healing her today.” I'm Susan Shand.   Alice Su reported this story for the AP. Susan Shand adapted this story for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   chest - n. the front part of the body between the neck and the stomach tangle - n. a twisted knot of hair, thread or wires congenital - adj. existing since birth heart – n. the organ in your chest that pumps blood through your veins and arteries surgery - n. medical treatment in which a doctor cuts into someone's body in order to repair or remove damaged or diseased parts NGO -  n. a non-governmental organization, such as a charity

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Everyday Grammar: Assure, Ensure, Insure

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