The wife of a Norwegian pensioner convicted of espionage in Russia has spoken to the BBC about her anger at the intelligence service.(2019/07/17 08:15)
Voice of America is an international news and broadcast organization serving Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Balkan countries
When educators think of literacy -- the ability to read and write -- they often place more importance on students’ abilities to read and fully understand a piece of writing.
But experts say critical and creative writing skills are equally important. And, they say, they are too often overlooked in the classroom.
Compared to reading, writing is more active. It helps students be independent thinkers, take ownership of their stories and ideas and communicate them clearly to others, says Elyse Eidman-Aadahl. She heads the National Writing Project, which offers help for teachers who want to push students to write more.
Eidman-Aadahl said, “Unless we want an education system just focused on making people consumers and not focused on helping them be producers, this emphasis on reading only -- which does happen in so many places -- is very short-sighted.”
She said students’ writing work now usually centers on examining a text, instead of presenting a new idea. Writing, she said, should be “the central thing you’re learning. Not writing on a test, not writing to demonstrate you’re learning what someone has taught you....”
Writing improves reading skill
Teaching reading together with writing improves both skills, says Rebecca Wallace-Segall, who heads a New York City writing center, Writopia Lab.
She said writing affects a person’s ability to read. More than 90 percent of young people in the Writopia program do not trust their writing abilities when they start, Wallace-Segall said.
But she said they learn to enjoy the writing process and become more effective readers, too.
Eidman-Aadahl said employers today seek workers “all the time” who can write well. Digital tools increasingly mean that people are “interacting with the internet through writing,” she said.
Young people are already writing all the time -- through text messages, emails and on social media.
Eidman-Aadahl said every young person today is a writer if they are connected to the internet. So, she added, “we have to help them do it in the best, most responsible, critical, prosocial way.”
Working through problems by writing
Supporters of writing-centered teaching add that writing empowers young people.
“When students own their voices and tell their stories, they become not only stronger and more confident writers, but also stronger and more confident individuals,” says Ali Haider. He is director of the Austin Bat Cave, a creative writing center in Austin, Texas.
Wallace-Segall said that writing also helps students work through difficulties they face in life. Writing lets them work through their problems “subconsciously,” she said.
“They’re not writing a story about a difficult father or directly about a bully in class, but they are creating a fictional scenario that might feel distant enough for them to go deep into it.”
Teaching students to write well can have an effect on the larger world, notes Dara Dukes. She leads Deep Center, an organization in Savannah, Georgia that works with young writers to share their stories with policymakers, judges, politicians and police officers.
Dukes said, “...Those adults can see that the stories they’re telling themselves about those young people are often wrong and doing a lot of harm in the world.”
I’m Ashley Thompson.
The Associated Press reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.
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Words in This Story
focused – adj. giving attention and effort to a specific task or goal
emphasis – n. special importance or attention given to something
short-sighted – adj. made or done without thinking about what will happen in the future
confident – adj. having a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed at something: having confidence
subconsciously – adv. operating from the part of the mind that a person is not aware of
bully – n. someone who frightens, hurts, or threatens smaller or weaker people
fictional scenario – n. a story of the imagination(2019/07/17 07:05)
Walking in public has become a protest for a young Iranian woman who moves through Tehran’s streets without her head covering, or hijab.
She is risking arrest. Iran’s morality police are looking for women like her: women who refuse to follow the rules for women’s appearance. Those rules were put in place after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
“I have to confess it is really, really scary,” the 30-year-old fire safety expert said in a WhatsApp audio message. She would not permit her name to be used because she is afraid of repercussions.
But she also is hopeful. She says she believes the police and other officials find it difficult to stop the protests as more women join.
“They are running after us, but cannot catch us,” she said. “This is why we believe change is going to be made.”
The hijab debate has angered some Iranians. It comes at a time when the country is suffering under strong sanctions placed on the country by the United States. President Donald Trump restarted the sanctions after the U.S. withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers last year.
Now, the exchange value of Iranian money is collapsing, house prices are rising and unemployment is high. So how much can the government really do about the protesting women? And how far will the women go?
There is some evidence that more women are pushing back against the rules. They are trying to test the ruling Shiite Muslim government and their security agencies.
An Associated Press reporter saw about 24 women in the streets without a hijab over nine days. It was mainly in the richer parts of Tehran.
Many other women have decided to test the rules in a different way. They cover a bit of their hair with loose, colorful scarves.
Tehran’s Grand Bazaar attracts traditional women, but even there many women wore a loose hijab. Still, a large number were covered completely in black and wore tight hijabs.
The struggle against wearing the hijab began in December 2017. That was when a woman climbed onto a box in Tehran’s Revolution Street and waved her hijab on a stick. Since then more than 36 protestors like her have been detained. Nine are still in detention, said Masih Alinejad. She is an Iranian activist who now lives in New York.
While police try to silence protesters, public debate has only grown. It has been helped by social media.
Last month, a widely watched online video showed a security agent grab a young girl who was not wearing a hijab and violently push her into a police car. The incident was strongly criticized.
Others have called for punishments, even lashes. They argue that permitting women to show their hair leads to social problems and the collapse of families.
The judiciary recently asked Iranians to inform on women without hijabs. It asked them to send photos or video to government social media accounts.
“The more women dress in an openly sexual way, the less we’ll have social peace,” said Minoo Aslani last week. She is the leader of the women’s part of the paramilitary Basij group.
Reformist lawmaker Parvaneh Salahshouri said that forcing people to obey does not work.
“What we see is that the morality police have been a failure,” said Salahshouri. She wears the hijab because of her religious beliefs.
The laws are unlikely to be changed, she said, urging women to use non-violent civil disobedience.
It will be hard, she said, adding “Iranian women will not give up their efforts.”
The hijab issue goes back to the mid-1930s when police forced women to take off their hijabs. This was part of a Westernization policy of Shah Reza Pahlavi who ruled at the time. Under his son and successor, women could choose. The wealthy dressed like Westerners.
Attitudes have changed. In 1980, about 66 percent believed women should wear hijabs. Today, fewer than 45 percent think the laws should be enforced, an Iranian research group said.
The activists in Iran take risks.
In March, human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh was sentenced to more than 38 years in prison. She has represented women protestors. Her husband said she will serve about 12 years.
In April, activists Yasaman Aryani, her mother Monireh Arabshahi and Mojgan Keshavarz were arrested after posting a video showing themselves without headscarves in the Tehran metro.
Amnesty International said Monday that Iranian officials have used detentions, and threats against families to try to force activists to change their ideas. The “confessions” are videotaped. The group said it had seen six “confessions” since April.
I’m Susan Shand.
The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter Jr. was the editor.
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Words in This Story
hijab – n. a head covering worn by Muslim women which covers the hair
confess – v. to admit that you did something wrong or unlawful
repercussion – n. something, usually bad, that happens as a result of an action
sanctions – n. punishment, usually in the form of restricting trade, that are meant to force a country to obey international law
attitude – n. a way of thinking that affects a person’s behavior
lash – n. to be struck with a whip(2019/07/17 06:58)
People who have repeatedly changing sleep and wake times and get different amounts of sleep each night are more likely to have metabolic health conditions. That is the finding of a new study.
For years, lack of sleep has been linked to a wide collection of metabolic conditions, including obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes. But until the recent study, health researchers did not know much about the effects of inconsistent sleep, including nightly changes in sleep amount and timing.
Tianyi Huang is among the writers of the study. Huang is with the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston.
In an email to Reuters News Agency, Huang said that more inconsistent sleep times are associated with higher metabolic disease risk. And that is “no matter if one has short or long sleep duration or has good or poor sleep quality.”
The researcher explained that night-to-night differences in sleep, either duration or timing, are associated with high risk of having several metabolic problems at the same time.
Huang added that these effects cannot be avoided by having a longer sleep duration on some nights.
For the study, 2,003 patients did home-based sleep studies for one week. They used devices known as actigraphs, which measure nighttime movements and sleep-wake cycles. The study was published in Diabetes Care.
On average, these people got about 7.15 hours of sleep each night and went to bed at around 11:40 p.m. Around two-thirds of them had more than one hour of change in sleep duration. And 45 percent of them had more than one hour of change in their bedtimes.
A total of 707 patients, or 35 percent, had metabolic syndrome – several types of metabolic problems that increase heart disease risks. They included increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, more fat around the stomach, and abnormal levels of some body chemicals.
Compared to people who had less than one hour of change in sleep duration, people whose sleep duration changed by 60 to 90 minutes were 27 percent more likely to have metabolic syndrome. The increase rose to 41 percent for people with 90 to 120 minutes of change in sleep duration. It rose to 57 percent with more than two hours of change in sleep duration.
Compared with people with no more than half an hour of change in their nightly bedtime, people whose bedtime changed by 30 to 60 minutes were similarly associated with metabolic syndrome. But it was 14 percent higher when bedtimes changed by 60 to 90 minutes. It was 58 percent higher when bedtimes changed by more than 90 minutes.
The study was not designed to prove whether or how changes in sleep duration or bedtimes might cause metabolic syndrome. Instead, it showed an association between inconsistent sleep behavior and metabolic diseases.
Kristen Knutson is a researcher at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. She said the reason high inconsistency in sleep affects metabolic health may be about our biological clocks. Knutson was not involved in the study.
She said in an email that the human body has 24-hour rhythms and these rhythms must work together and with the environment for good health.
If a person sleeps at different times and different amounts, she said, the body’s clocks may have difficulty “staying synchronized” which may lead to harm.
One limitation of the study is that researchers only studied sleep for one week. So the patients’ longer-term sleep behavior is unknown. Researchers also lacked information on things that affect sleep consistency, like eating breakfast and meal timing, both of which also affect metabolic health.
This week-long study was part of a longer-term study on sleep consistency and metabolic problems financed by the National Institutes of Health.
Health experts say most adults need at least seven hours of sleep each night.
For the right amount and to avoid sleep-related problems, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers guidelines. They include setting a consistent bedtime, sleeping in a dark room without electronics and avoiding large meals, caffeine and alcohol before bed.
I’m Alice Bryant. And I’m Jill Robbins.
Lisa Rapaport wrote this report for Reuters News Agency. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.
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Words in This Story
metabolic – adj. related to the chemical processes by which a plant or an animal uses food or water to grow, heal and make energy
obesity – n. the state of being very fat in a way that is unhealthy
inconsistent – adj. not continuing to happen or develop in the same way
associate – v. to connect someone or something with something else
cycle – n. a set of events or actions that happen again and again in the same order
rhythm – n. a regular, repeated pattern of events, changes or activities
synchronize – v. to happen at the same time or speed(2019/07/17 06:56)
The hit television series Game of Thrones has broken a 25-year record for Emmy nominations. The Television Academy on Tuesday honored the show’s eighth and final season with 32 Emmy nominations.
A police show, NYPD Blue, had held the record since 1994, the year it received 27 Emmy nominations.
Game of Thrones is set in a fantasy world of dragons, magic, warring rulers and unusual love relationships.
If Game of Thrones successfully defends the best drama series prize and wins a fourth Emmy in the category year, it will join four of the most-honored dramas. They are Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, The West Wing and Mad Men.
The latest praise from the Television Academy sharply differs from reactions from fans to Game of Thrones' last season. There was much internet humor and criticism, for example, over a major mistake in one episode. A modern-day paper coffee cup was left on set during shooting and appeared in the broadcast.
But ratings never weakened for the series, which is based on George R.R. Martin’s novels. Game of Thrones set new highs for HBO.
The show received many acting nominations for cast members and guest stars, including the show’s only past winner, Peter Dinklage.
Series star Emilia Clarke’s decision to seek a best actress nomination -- after a series of supporting actress nominations -- succeeded.
The best actress category is notable for its diversity, including past winner Viola Davis for How to Get Away with Murder and repeat nominee Sandra Oh for Killing Eve. Oh seeks to become the first actress of Asian descent to win an Emmy.
Last year’s best comedy series, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, leads the Emmy comedy group with 20 nominations. Star Rachel Brosnahan is may have a difficult fight for a best actress award against Emmy record-holder Julia Louis-Dreyfus of Veep. That show received a total nine nominations for its final season.
Other top nominees for Emmys include the nuclear disaster HBO miniseries Chernobyl, which earned 19 nominations, and the comedy skit show Saturday Night Live with 18. When They See Us, a Netflix miniseries that dramatized the Central Park Five case, received 16 nominations.
The 71st Emmy Awards ceremony will be held in September 22 in Los Angeles, California, and broadcast live on the Fox network.
I’m Caty Weaver.
The Associated Press reported this story. Caty Weaver adapted it for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.
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Words in This Story
fantasy - n. a book, movie, etc., that tells a story about things that happen in an imaginary world
drama - n. a play, movie, television show, or radio show that is about a serious subject and is not meant to make the audience laugh
comedy - n. a play, movie, television program, novel, etc., that is meant to make people laugh
novel - n. a long written story usually about imaginary characters and events
skit - n. a short, funny story or performance
category - n. a group of people or things that are similar in some way
diversity - n. the state of having people who are different races or who have different cultures in a group or organization
network - n. a group of radio or television stations that usually broadcast the same programs(2019/07/17 06:55)
An aid group called Operation Smile has been helping people born with cleft lips and cleft palates for over 30 years.
The group, based in the United States, works in countries around the world.
In the African nation of Malawi, Operation Smile’s medical team operates on babies affected by a cleft lip or palate for free.
Many parents there feel embarrassed if their child is born with either condition. Agnes Chiotcha is a Malawian. She gave birth to a son with a cleft lip last year.
Chiotcha says she was overcome with emotion and wondered why she had given birth to such a child.
In Chiotcha’s home village, people began to say that her child’s cleft lip resulted from a failed abortion. They claimed that she had asked a doctor to end the pregnancy.
Others accused her of using birth control methods that deformed her baby.
Chiotcha says she denied that any kind of birth control was involved. She said that God created her boy with a cleft lip.
Operation Smile says cleft lips and palates are the world’s third most common birth defect. They reportedly affect one out of every 750 babies.
In Malawi, Operation Smile has performed 1,000 surgical operations over the past seven years. But the group heavily depends on foreign doctors because few local plastic surgeons are available.
Ibrahim Nthalika is program manager for Operation Smile-Malawi.
“We have only two [Malawian] plastic surgeons that...volunteered to work with us, that can do this and volunteer to work with us.”
People born with a cleft lip or palate may have difficulty speaking and eating. They also face unkind treatment and discrimination like the kind James Rice experienced.
Rice says his aunt insulted him a lot. He says she told him that if he had been born when she was there, she would have thrown him away -- into the toilet.
But those who receive the operation have reason to smile. Agnes Chiotcha says now those who used to insult her will feel guilty once they see her child had an operation.
James Rice says now he will be able to do everything without any problem and will not feel badly as before. He adds that he can now tell others who have clefts to have their defect repaired.
Operation Smile estimates that 3,000 people in Malawi still suffer from cleft lips or palates. The group is now training local doctors to perform the operation.
I’m Jonathan Evans.
Lameck Masina reported this story for VOA News. Jonathan Evans adapted the report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
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Words in This Story
abortion – n. a medical procedure used to end a pregnancy and cause the death of the fetus
aunt – n. the sister of your father or mother or the wife of your uncle
cleft lip – n. a split in the upper lip that some people are born with
defect – n. a physical problem that causes something to be less valuable, effective, healthy, etc.
embarrassed – adj. feeling confused and foolish in front of other people(2019/07/17 06:55)
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