Pregnant Serena Williams Poses Naked on Magazine Cover

This is What’s Trending Today. Everyone is talking about tennis star Serena Williams, although she has not played a match for months. Williams last played in January. She won the Australian Open against her sister, Venus. A short time later, she told the world she was pregnant. Even people who do not follow sports were impressed Williams could win a major tennis tournament while pregnant. Now, Williams is in the news for a different reason. Her picture is on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine. And she is not wearing clothes. Many people remember a similar Vanity Fair cover in 1991 that showed a pregnant, unclothed Demi Moore. Williams spoke to Vanity Fair about her relationship with businessman Alexis Ohanian. She described how the pair met in Italy. Williams also said she could not believe she was pregnant until she took six pregnancy tests and they all came up positive. Vanity Fair published the article on Tuesday. People are reacting to the photo. Serena even tweeted to her fans, posting a photo of the cover and asking them to guess if the baby will be a boy or a girl. Many people agreed with one fan, who wrote: “The shape of the belly makes me think it’s a boy, but I hope it’s a girl.”  But the magazine cover is not the only reason Williams is in the news this week. Tennis great John McEnroe spoke of Williams over the weekend. McEnroe was a star in the 1970s and 1980s. He is also known for speaking his mind. McEnroe is on TV and radio talking about his new book, “But Seriously.” McEnroe was speaking with Lulu Garcia-Navarro of National Public Radio on Sunday morning. Garcia-Navarro noted that in his book, McEnroe wrote that Williams was the best female player in the world. But she asked why would he not consider her the best player – male or female – in the world? McEnroe said “Well, because if she was in, if she played the men’s circuit, she’d be like 700 in the world.” McEnroe went on to say that he thought Williams was great, and she could do well on some days, but if she played a full schedule against men, it “would be an entirely different story.” Later in the conversation, McEnroe said “maybe at some point a women’s tennis player can be better than anybody … I suppose anything’s possible at some stage.” On Monday, Williams answered McEnroe on Twitter. She wrote: “please keep me out of your statements that are not factually based.” She noted her pregnancy and asked him to respect her privacy.  Some people agreed with McEnroe’s comments, saying they do not think Williams could beat men often. Others thought Williams should be considered the best tennis player in the world right now. But one sports commentator seems to have the controversy figured out. Dave Zirin wrote that Williams “is perhaps the most dominant player to ever pick up a racket,” and “it’s being talked about because this is the dead season for sports commentary.”  And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Dan Friedell.   Dan Friedell wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. Do you think Serena Williams is the best tennis player in the world? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   tournament – n. a sports competition or series of contests that involves many players or teams and that usually continues for at least several days match – n. a contest between two or more players or teams impress – v. to cause (someone) to feel admiration or interest pose – n. to stand, sit, or lie down in a particular position as a model for a photograph, painting, etc. positive – n. completely certain or sure that something is correct or true belly – n. a person's stomach or the part of the body that contains the stomach circuit – n. a series of performances, sports events, lectures, etc., that are held or done at many different places — usually singular controversy – n. argument that involves many people who strongly disagree about something dominant – adj. more important, powerful, or successful than most or all others

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African Development Bank President Wins World Food Prize

  Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank, has won the 2017 World Food Prize. The award is often called the Nobel Prize for food and agriculture. Adesina has worked for many years to increase food production in Nigeria. He has increased access to credit for small farmers, and influenced agricultural policies throughout Africa. “I believe that what Africa does with agriculture and how it does it is not only important for Africa, but it’s important for how we’re going to feed the world by 2050, because 65 percent of all the uncultivated arable land left in the world is in Africa,” Adesina said. “To help Africa get it right in agriculture is also going to be a key part of securing food for the world.” World Food Prize President Kenneth Quinn said those goals are one reason the World Food Prize Federation chose Akinwumi Adesina for the $250,000 prize. “When I look at Africa today, I see that many rural areas unfortunately have become zones of economic misery,” Adesina told the Reuters news agency. The African Development Bank chief is the son of a Nigerian farm worker. He worked his way out of poverty through education. He was able to go to college after his father was chosen for a government job. The young man continued his studies in the United States. He earned graduate degrees in agricultural economics from Purdue University. Adesina said agriculture has the greatest chance to improve lives in areas that are suffering. But he said investments are needed to make young people want to become farmers. He noted that many young people risk their lives by leaving Africa for Europe in search of work. “We must make agriculture cool for young people,” he said. “The key is to make agriculture a business. Agriculture is not a way of life, (it) is not a development activity -- it’s a business.” Adesina said he often thinks of the hundreds of millions of young, rural Africans whose chances for economic success are limited. “So in a way for me this is not a job. This is a mission,” he said. I’m John Russell.   VOA’s Smita Nordwall wrote this story. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   access – n. a way of being able to use or get something cultivate – v. to prepare and use (soil) for growing plants arable – adj. suitable for farming; able to produce crops key – n. something that is necessary in order to do or achieve something misery – n. extreme suffering or unhappiness cool – adj. appealing in a way that is generally approved of especially by young people mission – n. a task that you consider to be a very important duty    

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22 Million Americans Could Lose Health Insurance Under Senate Bill

The Congressional Budget Office says the number of uninsured people in the United States would rise to 22 million within the next ten years under the Senate health care bill. The Senate’s bill would replace the Affordable Care Act, a law that former President Barack Obama supported. The Affordable Care Act is often called Obamacare. Republicans have spent about seven years attempting to cancel Obamacare. The CBO said in a study released Monday that the Senate bill would decrease the federal budget deficit by $321 billion by 2026. This is the second health care bill to be considered in Congress. Both the House and the Senate have different health care bills. In order for a bill to become law, it needs to pass both the House and the Senate and be signed by the president. Senate leaders plan to vote after the July 4th holiday on their version of the bill. Currently, Americans are required to buy health insurance or pay a fine if they do not. The Senate’s bill would end that requirement. In addition, the bill would end subsidies meant to help lower-income people buy insurance. It would also decrease some taxes on higher-income people. And it would cut billions of dollars of government funding for the health care program for poor and disabled people over the next few years. Opposition to the bill To pass a bill in the Senate, a majority of senators must vote for the bill. If there is a tie, the vice president can vote to break the tie. Currently Republicans hold 52 of the 100 seats in the Senate. All 46 Senate Democrats are expected to vote against the bill. In order for the bill to pass, Republicans can risk losing only two of their senators. A group of Republican senators has already said they will not vote for the bill in its current form. When Obamacare became law in 2010, it passed without any Republican votes. Since the 2016 elections, Republicans gained control of the presidency, the House and the Senate. A change to Obamacare could be possible now. About 20 million people have received insurance with Obamacare. Many of those people are covered under the government’s Medicaid program for the poor and disabled. The two bills to change Obamacare propose to cut about $800 billion in federal funds for Medicaid over the next few years. President Donald Trump had stated during his campaign for office that he would not cut Medicaid funding. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer told ABC that he hopes that Republicans will talk with Democrats and work together on a solution to make Obamacare better. I’m Mario Ritter. And I’m Olivia Liu   Olivia Liu adapted this story for Learning English from VOA News and AP reporting. Mario Ritter was the editor. ____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   uninsured –adj. not having an agreement with a company or agency that helps pay for the cost of a service such as health care subsidies – n. government payments to producers or individuals that reduce the cost of a good or service to make it easier to get We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

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US Supreme Court Rejects Gun Rights Appeal

  The United States Supreme Court has rejected another call to decide whether Americans have a legal right to carry guns outside their homes. The high court released rulings on a number of cases Monday. But it refused to hear a case against a California law that sets limits on carrying guns in public. The high court left in place an appeals court ruling in the case. The appeals court confirmed the legality of a measure to limit permits for concealed weapons -- those placed out of sight. The Supreme Court ruled in 2008 that the United States Constitution guarantees the right to carry a gun, at least for self-defense at home. But the court has refused repeated requests to expand on its understanding of gun rights. More than 40 states already have rules giving gun owners a right to be armed in public. A new study shows that Americans are as deeply divided about gun policy as they are about immigration, health care and other issues. The Pew Research Center questioned 3,900 people nationwide. The resulting study found sharp differences of opinion between gun owners and those who do not own guns. The study found that more than half of owners support creation of a federal database for recording gun sales. Eighty percent of those who do not own guns also support such an effort. About half of gun owners support a ban on assault weapons, compared to almost 80 percent of non-gun owners. Assault weapons have been compared to guns used in armed conflicts. Gun control activists say such weapons are meant to kill multiple people quickly, and not for civilian use. Yet there was common ground among gun owners and non-gun owners on other issues. Nearly 90 percent of all those questioned believe the government should bar the mentally sick from purchasing guns. Also, about 80 percent of those who own guns believe people named on federal no-fly or watch lists should be prevented from buying guns. Strong majorities of both groups support background investigations of those who buy guns from an individual or at gun shows. The study also found that at least two-thirds of Americans have lived in a home with a gun. About half of those questioned who have never owned a gun said they had fired one. About 1,300 of the 3,900 people questioned said they own guns. The rest said they did not. Most of the gun owners described themselves as white males who are members of the Republican Party. The study found that people who live in the Northeastern United States are less likely to own a gun than are people in other parts of the country. I’m Caty Weaver.   Wayne Lee wrote this story for VOANews.com. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   concealed – adj. hidden from sight database – n. a collection of pieces of information that is organized and used on a computer assault weapon – n. a gun that can shoot many bullets quickly and that is designed for use by the military multiple – adj. more than one​; many background – n. the experiences, knowledge, education, etc., in a person’s past  

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June 27, 2017

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

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Explainer: US Census 2016 Population Update

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Kidnapped Reporter Found Dead in Mexico

The burned remains of a missing journalist have been found in Mexico’s western state of Michoacan. Salvador Adame was director of the local television station 6TV. He was kidnapped May 18 in the city of Nueva Italia, 400 kilometers west of Mexico City. State officials said Monday the man’s remains were found in the middle of June. Officials identified the victim by genetic tests. Seven journalists have been murdered in Mexico this year. Adame's kidnapping came three days after the murder of leading journalist Javier Valdez in Sinaloa state. He was pulled from his car and shot to death in the middle of the day near his office in the city of Culiacan. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists says 40 reporters have been killed in Mexico for reasons linked to their work since 1992. At least four of the reporters killed this year were murdered as direct punishment for their work, according to the CPJ. The group says Mexico is the most dangerous country in the Western Hemisphere for media workers. On Monday, federal prosecutors in Mexico said they would ask for help from the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation and other international groups. The prosecutors want assistance in investigating reports of high-tech spying against journalists and human rights defenders in Mexico. I'm Caty Weaver. Smita Nordwall wrote this report for VOANews.  We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. ______________________________________________________ Words in This Story journalist – n. a person who works collecting, writing, and editing news stories for newspapers, magazines, television, or radio​ prosecutor – n. a lawyer who represents the side in a court case that accuses a person of a crime and who tries to prove that the person is guilty​

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Sleep Helps Us Learn

  From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report. We humans spend about one-third of their lives asleep. This may sound like a lot of time, but it is not wasted. Sleep helps us stay healthy, but it also helps our brains remember. Our brains need good sleep to remember what we do and learn during the other two thirds of our lives when we are awake. Besides keeping us healthy, some new research shows that a good night’s sleep helps make us more intelligent. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin - Madison have found that sleep helps improve brain performance by shrinking synapses in the brain. A synapse is the area where cells pass messages to other cells. Scientist Chiara Cirelli is a lead investigator at the school’s Center for Sleep and Consciousness. She told VOA that sleep is when the human brain mixes information it has learned while awake into its general collection of knowledge. However, the brain forgets unimportant details. This forgetting is important. It makes space for new learning and new memories. Cirelli said that the Center’s research began with this hypothesis: We sleep so that our brain can repair and refresh itself. She said the idea seems simple and reasonable. However, testing and discovering how it works has been extremely difficult. Cirelli and Center director Giulio Tononi have been trying to prove the connection between sleep and the brain’s synapses since 2003. Cirelli said the researchers knew "that stronger synapses are also bigger." So, they began their study by “measuring the size of the synapses" in the brain. They also knew that during sleep, the brain checks on all its synapses and resets itself for the next day. The team wanted to see if the synapses of the brain are bigger after being awake all day and smaller after a good night's sleep. How do you measure a synapse? Synapses are only about 20-40 nanometers wide. So, the team looked for changes in these already tiny spaces between nerve cells. Cirelli says the process is difficult because "all the actual measurements of the synapses have to be done manually." The team had to wait until improvements in laboratory technology made it possible to see these tiny changes. A University of Wisconsin press release called the research a “huge job.” Many research specialists worked for four years to photograph, rebuild and study certain areas of a mouse brain. The report also said the scientists measured 6,920 synapses. Cirelli says they found that synapse size and strength are upset by being awake and restored by sleeping. The study found that sleep keeps our brains malleable and able to keep learning new things. She says our synapses shrink as our brains clean themselves during sleep. We wake up refreshed and ready to fill those synapses with new information. Earlier findings suggest that without sleep our synapses never shrink. The researchers say the concern is that "if synapses continue to strengthen,” neurons -- which use synapses to communicate -- “will start responding too often and too much.” This may result in too much noise in the brain. The real and important signals might get lost. The research findings are the result of more than ten years of work at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. The researchers published their findings in the journal Science. Tips for better sleep The Mayo Clinic is a respected research hospital in Rochester, Minnesota. It gives these six suggestions for getting a good night’s sleep. Stay on schedule. Pay attention to what you eat and drink. Don’t go to bed hungry or stuffed. And avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol before bed. Create a calm, restful sleep environment. Make your room as cool, quiet and dark as possible. Limit daytime naps. Exercise during the day. Manage your worries. Try to calm any worries or concerns you might have before going to bed. You could write them down so that they are out of your head and on paper. You could spend a couple minutes getting organized for the next day. Or you could try some meditation and deep breathing to calm your brain. And that’s the Health & Lifestyle report. I’m Anna Matteo.   VOA’s Kevin Enochs reported on the research at University of Wisconsin - Madison. Anna Matteo adapted his report and added additional information for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Now, test your understanding with this short quiz. ​ ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Stories   synapse – n. the point at which a nervous impulse passes from one neuron to another hypothesis – n. an idea or theory that is not proven but that leads to further study or discussion refresh – v. to restore or maintain by renewing supply reset – v. to set again or anew manually – adv. of or relating to using the hands upset – v. to disturb or overturn a natural or stable order malleable – adj. capable of adapting to varying conditions respond – v. to have a particular reaction to something stuffed – adj. informal describes a feeling that you have eaten too much : v. to fill (something) so that there is no room for anything else

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Worst Case Possible Comes True: Louisiana Sinking Fast

For the last 80 years, the coast of the U.S. state of Louisiana has been losing land to water in the Gulf of Mexico. The land has been disappearing through a natural process called subsidence. But scientists now say Louisiana is sinking faster than they thought. Worst-case scenario A new study shows that the Louisiana coast is sinking at an average rate of nine millimeters – almost one centimeter – per year. Torbjörn E. Törnqvist is a geologist at Tulane University in New Orleans.  He is one of the writers the study, published June 14 in the Geological Society of America’s GSA Today. He says the new rate is higher than other recent studies have shown. And, he adds, the finding is not good news. “That rate is about the same as what in previous studies has been cited as the worst case scenario. So the more pessimistic numbers that people have used in the past. Well, it turns out that those are the rates that are actually happening.” And the news gets worse. Törnqvist says that, in addition to the land dropping into the water, climate change is causing sea levels to rise at a rate of about 3 millimeters a year in the area.  He says the sea level rise is “almost certain to increase in the future,” and at a faster rate by the end of the century. The combination of the land sinking and the sea rising means the Louisiana coast “has one of the highest rates of sea level rise to the land anywhere in the world.” “You can look at maps or satellites images of parts of the coast and see what it looked like, 20, 30, 40,  50 years ago and compare that to what it looks like today and the differences are staggering in many cases. There are areas that were still solid marshland 50 years ago and now it’s entirely open water.” For their study, the researchers used a new method. They combined GPS, or satellite system measurements, rods and instruments to measure both deep underwater and surface rates.  They measured 274 sites along the Louisiana coast. While they found the average loss rate was 9 millimeters a year, some areas lost more than 2 centimeters, and others almost none. Researchers created a map showing where – and by how much – land is sinking along the coast. Why is Louisiana so vulnerable? Louisiana sits where one of America’s largest river, the Mississippi, empties into the Gulf of Mexico. The river has been naturally dropping mud and sediment along the coast for probably thousands of years. However, the coastline lacks strong bedrock, so the land washes away easily. Jimmy Frederick works for the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL). He explains that human activities have changed the natural process of the river adding and removing sediment. For example, the levees built to protect New Orleans and other cities changed the flow of sediment. Now the sediment moves farther into gulf waters instead of along Louisiana’s coast. The state of Louisiana is also rich in oil and gas. Half the nation’s oil refining ability is in the state. Its busy ports carry goods up and down the river. Trucks then carry them across the country. Frederick says extracting the oil and gas has meant cutting into the marshland and harming some areas along the coast. At the same time, losing coastline affects the oil, gas and other industries – and, therefore, the U.S. economy. When Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana in 2005, oil production was shut down for three days. As a result, the price of gasoline nationwide rose an average of 46 cents. What can be done? Jimmy Frederick’s organization, the CRCL, worked on a state plan to stop the land loss. The $50 billion plan aims to restore Louisiana’s coast. It also aims to protect the state from its frequent tropical storms and hurricanes. Just last week, Tropical Storm Cindy damaged the levee on Grand Isle, Louisiana, and left a highway covered in water. The Louisiana state plan is to move sediment back into the wetlands. Frederick explains that, simply said, the engineers would cut holes in the levees. “So that at times the river can then flow as it naturally would and replenish the wetlands, and that will help a couple of things. That will help keep up with sea level rise a little bit better because Louisiana, as you know, is sinking very, very quickly, because of our geology but also because of sea level rise.” When the projects are completed, they will add or maintain almost 1,300 kilometers of coastal land and wetlands. The project is delayed until the U.S. government approves the plan. The CRCL says help cannot come soon enough because, on average, Louisiana loses 91 meters of land to the gulf every hour. Since 1932, the state has lost over 3,050 kilometers. Geologist Torbjörn E. Törnqvist says the most important way to fix the coastline is to do something about climate change. If we do not, he warns, “then it’s going to be an unfixable problem,” and sea levels will rise at much higher rates than we see today. I’m Anne Ball.   Anne Ball wrote this story for Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   subsidence – n. the sinking or lowering of an area of land. worst case scenario – phrase. the most serious or damaging thing that could happen in a situation pessimistic – adj. having or showing a lack of hope for the future : expecting bad things to happen staggering – adj. very large, shocking, or surprising marshland – n. an area of soft and wet land  rod – n. a straight, thin stick or bar sediment – n. material that sinks to the bottom of a liquid bedrock – n. the solid rock that lies under the surface of the ground levee – n. a long wall of soil built along a river to prevent flooding extract – v. to remove (something) by pulling it out or cutting it out replenish – v. to fill or build up (something) again

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Supreme Court Allows Trump Travel Ban to Take Effect

The U.S. Supreme Court is allowing parts of President Donald Trump’s ban on travelers from six mostly Muslim countries to be enforced. The court said Monday it will consider the case in October after its summer break. The Trump administration had requested that the ban be put in place while the case is considered in the courts. The restrictions halted travel from Libya, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days. It also barred all refugees from entering the United States. The latest travel ban came about through an executive order signed by Trump. But it was blocked by lower courts. In its 6 to 3 ruling, the Supreme Court made an exception for one group of foreigners. It said the travel ban cannot be enforced against any "foreign nationals who have a credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity” in the U.S. The court also said it would allow a 120-day ban on all refugees entering the United States to go into effect with the same exception. Three of the court's conservative justices said they would have allowed the full travel bans. Justice Clarence Thomas said the government's interest in ensuring national security should outweigh any hardship to people denied entry into the U.S. The court’s decision was seen as a victory for Trump, who had repeatedly criticized federal courts for blocking his order. He has said the temporary travel ban was necessary to keep dangerous people out of the country while stronger vetting policies were created. Trump praised Monday's Supreme Court decision, calling it a “clear victory for our national security.” In a statement, he said his “number one responsibility” is to keep Americans safe. Some immigration lawyers said the limited nature of the ban raises questions about how much impact it will have. They noted that most people coming to study, work or visit family members in the U.S. already have sufficient relationships with others already in the country. Even though the Supreme Court is expected to hear the travel order case in October, it noted that the case could be moot at that time. This is because measures in the order are meant to be temporary, while the government reviews its security procedures. Trump said last week the travel ban would take effect 72 hours after being cleared by courts. A statement by the Department of Homeland Security said the order will be implemented “professionally, with clear and sufficient public notice, particularly to potentially affected travelers.” I’m Bryan Lynn.   Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from VOA News, the Associated Press and Reuters. Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   credible – adj. reasonable to trust or believe bona fide – adj. real or genuine entity – n. something that exists apart from other things exclusion – n. leaving out ensure – v. make certain something happens vetting – n. thorough investigation of someone or something   impact – n. major effect on something moot – n. no longer important or relevant implement – v. put in place  

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J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Books Turn 20 Years Old

  This is What’s Trending Today. The world met Harry Potter, the boy wizard, 20 years ago. J.K. Rowling’s first book about Harry and his friends at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was released on June 26, 1997. The publisher, Bloomsbury, only released 500 copies to stores in Britain and sent 500 to British libraries. Now, thanks to 450 million more copies of the first book and six others, Harry Potter and his friends are known around the world. Adults and children loved the books. But 12 publishers rejected the first one, known in many countries as “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.” That book, and the six others that followed, also became movies. The actor Daniel Radcliffe played Harry. Emma Watson played his friend Hermione. Rowling wrote the first book when she was unemployed and receiving assistance from the government. Her marriage had ended in failure, and she had a young child. Things have changed. Some observers believe Rowling is now one of the richest women in the world. She gives a lot of her money to good causes. On Twitter, Rowling noted the anniversary of the first Harry Potter book. She wrote: “20 years ago today a world that I had lived in alone was suddenly open to others. It’s been wonderful. Thank you.” The Huffington Post website called it “A Perfect Tweet.” The comments were re-tweeted and liked about 800,000 times on social media. Many other people also posted messages about Harry Potter. If they used the hashtag #HarryPotter20, Twitter added an emoji of Potter’s well-known glasses and lightning bolt scar. People wrote things like “Harry Potter is eternal,” and, “happy anniversary to the book series that forever changed my life in more ways than one.”  Some young women called Hermione “my hero.” The College Board produces the SAT, a test widely used for college admissions. Even the College Board tweeted about Harry Potter, writing: “These books will always be magical.” Many teachers wrote that the series helped their students get interested in reading books. And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Dan Friedell.   Dan Friedell wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. Do you remember reading your first Harry Potter book? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   wizard – n. a person who is skilled in magic or who has magical powers : a sorcerer or magician magical – n. used to describe people or things that do things that seem to be impossible emoji – n. a small image used to express an idea by people writing on computers or mobile phone scar – n. a mark that is left on your skin after a wound heals eternal – adj. lasting forever

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