EnglishOnline.info Learn English Online

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English. I'm Shirley Griffith.

BOB DOUGHTY: And I'm Bob Doughty. Winter has brought cold weather to many areas in Earth’s northern hemisphere. With the cold comes a danger as old as man’s knowledge of fire -- death or injury by carbon monoxide poisoning. Today, we tell about this ancient and continuing danger.

(MUSIC)

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: A sixty-six year old man and his twenty-nine year old son died last month from carbon monoxide poisoning. The two men shared an apartment home in Queens, New York. Investigators who arrived at the home reported extremely high levels of the gas.

Two weeks earlier, carbon monoxide poisoning was blamed for the death of a fifty year old woman in Hammond, Louisiana. Officials found gasoline cans and an electrical generator working in her home. The house had no electricity.

BOB DOUGHTY: These are just two of the cases of carbon monoxide poisoning that have been reported this winter.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says carbon monoxide kills more than five hundred Americans every year. The CDC has found that the average number of carbon monoxide deaths in the United States is greatest in January. It notes that carbon monoxide poisoning can happen outdoors in fresh air. But the gas also has been linked with electrical generating equipment and engines on houseboats.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is responsible for protecting Americans from unreasonable risks of death or injury from thousands of products. Last month, the commission reported information about deaths linked to carbon monoxide poisoning. It estimated the number of deaths that could be linked with products under the commission’s supervision. There were an estimated one hundred eighty-nine such deaths in two thousand eight – the most recent year for which information is available. The report says forty-nine percent of the deaths involved engine-driven tools. Heating systems were blamed for thirty-seven percent of the deaths. (MUSIC)

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Carbon monoxide poisoning is not only a problem in the United States. It causes many deaths and injuries to people and animals around the world. The gas has been a problem since people first began burning fuels to cook food or to create heat. It is a problem in all parts of the world that experience cold weather.

Carbon monoxide is called the silent killer because people do not know it is in the air. The gas has no color. It has no taste. It has no smell. It does not cause burning eyes. And it does not cause people to cough. But it is very deadly. It robs the body of its ability to use oxygen.

BOB DOUGHTY: Carbon monoxide decreases the ability of the blood to carry oxygen to body tissues. It does this by linking with the blood. When the gas links with the blood, the blood is no longer able to carry oxygen to the tissues that need it.

Damage to the body can begin very quickly from large amounts of carbon monoxide. How quickly this happens depends on the length of time a person is breathing the gas and the amount of the gas he or she breathes in. Another consideration is how much alcohol the person might have to drink.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Carbon monoxide poisoning has warning signs. But people have to be awake to recognize them. Small amounts of the gas will cause a person’s head to hurt. He or she may begin to feel tired. The person may feel sick. The room may appear to be turning around. The person may have trouble thinking clearly.

People develop severe head pain as the amount of gas continues to enter their blood. They will begin to feel very tired and sleepy. They may have terrible stomach pains.

BOB DOUGHTY: Carbon monoxide is measured in parts per million in a normal atmosphere. Breathing in two hundred parts per million of carbon monoxide will cause the first signs of poisoning. It will result in head pain, stomach problems and a feeling of tiredness after two to three hours.

A level of eight hundred parts per million will cause a person to lose consciousness. Victims will not know what is taking place around them. This will happen within two hours of breathing in this amount of carbon monoxide. Twelve thousand parts per million of the gas will cause death in one to three minutes.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Medical experts say carbon monoxide affects people differently. For example, a small child will experience health problems or die much quicker than an adult will. The general health of the person or his or her age can also be important.

An older adult with health problems may suffer the effects of carbon monoxide more quickly than a younger person with no health problems. People with heart disease may suffer chest pains. They may begin to have trouble breathing.

Carbon monoxide does not always cause death. But it can cause many medical problems.  Breathing low amounts of the gas for long periods of time can lead to permanent damage in the heart, lungs or brain. Experts say small amounts of carbon monoxide over a long period of time can greatly harm an unborn baby.

(MUSIC)

BOB DOUGHTY: What causes carbon monoxide gas? Any device that burns fuels like coal, gasoline, kerosene, oil or wood can create the gas. Water heaters that burn natural gas create carbon monoxide. Fireplaces and stoves that burn wood create the gas. Natural gas stoves and gas dryers or charcoal grills also create carbon monoxide. Automobiles create it.

Experts say the leading cause of carbon monoxide poisoning is damaged or misused equipment that burns these fossil fuels. Many people die or are injured by the gas because they do not use these devices correctly. Any device used to heat a home should be inspected to make sure it is working correctly. And, cooking equipment like a charcoal grill should never be used to heat an enclosed area.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Fuel-burning devices can create carbon monoxide gas because not all of the fuel is burned. Most devices used for home heating have a way to expel the gas from the home. For example, a fireplace has a chimney. Natural-gas stoves or gas water heaters are usually connected to a device that safely expels the gas from the home. Automobiles also have a system for releasing unburned fuel.

Anyone who uses a device that burns fossil fuel must inspect the equipment carefully to reduce chances of carbon monoxide escaping. Companies that produce the devices usually provide directions about using the device correctly. These directions should be read and understood before using any equipment that burns fuel inside a home.

A small, portable electric generator can be dangerous. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that such a device can kill within minutes when not used correctly.

(MUSIC)

BOB DOUGHTY: You can do a number of things to protect yourself from the effects of carbon monoxide. First, immediately leave the area if you recognize the signs of carbon monoxide poisoning in yourself or others. Seek emergency medical services after you leave the area where you suspect the gas might be. Usually, the treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning involves breathing in large amounts of oxygen. However, a doctor will know the best method to treat the effects of such poisoning.

Carbon monoxide does not quickly leave the body, even after treatment has begun. It can take several hours before the gas disappears. If you suspect carbon monoxide is a problem in your home, call your local fire department. Many firefighters have the necessary equipment to find or identify the gas.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: In many countries, it is possible to buy and use a special device that will warn when harmful levels of carbon monoxide are in the area. These devices can be linked to a home’s electric system. Others are battery-powered.  Experts say these devices should be placed near sleeping areas in the home and they should be tested at least twice a year.

The most important weapon against carbon monoxide poisoning is the safe use of materials to heat any enclosed area. Safety directions that come with heating equipment must be followed. Older equipment powered by fossil fuels should be inspected every year to make sure it continues to be safe. Knowledge about the dangers of carbon monoxide could be the most important information you ever learn.

(MUSIC)

BOB DOUGHTY: This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by Christopher Cruise and June Simms, who was also our producer. I’m Bob Doughty.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: And I’m Bob Doughty. Join us again next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

People have been growing chrysanthemums for more than two thousand years. Mums make bright and colorful gardens. People in China and other Asian cultures make tea with the flowers. Giacomo Puccini, the great Italian composer, even named one of his works after chrysanthemums, "Crisantemi."

(MUSIC: Manhattan String Quartet)

One basic kind of mum is the hardy or garden mum. The other basic kind is the florist mum. The garden mum is better able to handle different growing conditions.

There are many varieties of mums. The decorative mum is often seen in gardens. Another popular type, the quill mum, has long, straight petals like a tube or needle.

Chrysanthemum blooms can be white, yellow, gold, red or other colors. The plants often grow one meter high.

The soil for chrysanthemums should be kept moist but well drained so it does not get too wet.

Newly planted mums should be watered two or three times a week, depending on conditions. Plants established in the ground may do well just with normal rainfall.

Mums grow best in full sunshine. They produce colorful blooms when days get shorter and nights get longer. The life cycle of the plant depends on the amount of daylight. This is why experts advise against placing mums near nightlights or streetlights. The light may interfere with their normal growth cycle. The plants may develop buds too soon.

In climates where temperatures fall below freezing, plant mums at least six weeks before the first frost is expected. That way, the plants will be well established for cold weather.

Placing mulch around the plants can protect them from the cold. Consider using straw or shredded leaves for the mulch. The material will also add nutrients to the soil.

Some gardeners say the most beautiful presentation comes from planting mums close together. But be sure to leave enough space to let air flow between the plants. If not, there may be a greater chance of disease.

To get more blooms, gardeners pinch back the branches when new growth has reached fifteen centimeters. Squeeze about five to seven centimeters off each branch. Pinch it again when a branch grows another twelve to fifteen centimeters. Stop the pinching about one hundred days before you want the plants to bloom.

And that’s the VOA Special English Agriculture Report. I’m Jim Tedder.

Loanwords are words that are borrowed from another language. But that's an odd thing to call them, says Mike Pilewski. A loan is temporary; we expect it to be repaid.

read more

"They've just bought an expansive piece of land."

clincher: a fact, a remark or an event...

A German pensioner has finally sampled a tin of food which was given to him over six decades ago. Words in the News: 6 February 2012.

This cartoon by Paul Thomas from The Daily Express blends the 60th anniversary of the Queen's accession to the throne with the snowy weather currently sweeping across Britain.

The Queen is building a snowman. She has put her crown on the snowman's head. Prince Philip comments to Prince Charles, "Your mother's had that crown for 60 years—she'll do what she likes with it!"

NOTES
1. The dogs are corgis, the Queen's favourite dog. She currently has five, so the cartoonist is spot on.
2. The flag is the Union Flag (aka the Union Jack), the flag of the United Kingdom.

GRAMMAR
1. Note the construction present perfect + for + period of time, used to refer to an action which began in the past and continues into the present. More examples:
• She's (has) known him for 6 months (since July).
• I've lived in France for 30 years (since 1981).
• They've been married for 15 years (since 1997).
2. She'll is a contraction of she will. 'Will' is used here referring to the present to express willingness or desire. Compare: I will get my way. See here  and here for more uses of 'will'.

Heavenly Path is a religious movement in Nepal. Its followers believe their guru was sent by God to show people how to remove pain and suffering from the world. They say peace is a tree with love as its root. Click to find out what the symbol in the picture means.

read more

Japadog opened its first New York restaurant in January, providing curious New Yorkers a taste of hot dogs with a Japanese flair, with ingredients like seaweed and Kobe beef. Kyoko Gasha reports.

TRANSCRIPT
REPORTER: Japadog opened its first New York location in January, and is already drawing large crowds, as curious New Yorkers come to taste the restaurant's gourmet hot dogs These hot dogs have a distinctly different flavor thanks to ingredients like Japanese seaweed, Teriyaki sauce and Kobe beef. Japadog is the brainchild of Noriki Tamura. He came up with the idea seven years ago while in Canada. With $30,000 in seed money, Tamura set off to achieve his dream - gourmet fast food, combining Eastern and Western tastes.
NORIKI TAMURA, PRESIDENT, JAPADOG: "There are many hot dog stands in Vancouver, and since I am Japanese, I thought if I mix Japanese taste and North American culture, hot dogs, we would get something interesting."
REPORTER: With a baby on the way, Tamura and his wife made and sold the gourmet hot dogs, starting off small.
NORIKI TAMURA: "Even though, we only sold 10 dogs a day, but the conversations with those 10 customers and their encouragement supported us the most."
REPORTER: That support eventually helped Tamura build his business. He has a restaurant and four carts in Canada, and now his first American restaurant. Each hot dog costs between $5 and $10 and some New Yorkers are willing to give it a try.
ERIC HOLT, CUSTOMER: "I think they are higher quality. It's usually very nice gourmet hot dogs."
ALEV BERNAN, CUSTOMER: "This is my first Japadog," ("How was it") "Still good. I like it, a little weird."
REPORTER: But it's not just about hot dogs for Mr. Tamura.
NORIKI TAMURA: "The ingredients has lots of love, I never put less efforts to our ingredients. I also service my customers with love and that is the strongest points, and I want my customers to feel that."
REPORTER: What's next for Japadog? Tamura hopes to expand in the U.S. and also his home country of Japan; bringing full circle, a savory recipe for success. Kyoko Gasha for Reuters.

The U.S. has called for a new international coalition to drive Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power and end an 11-month uprising that looks poised to enter its bloodiest phase yet. Full story >>

VOCABULARY
If someone is ousted from a position of power, job, or place, they are forced to leave it. • Ousted Papua New Guinea prime minister Sir Michael Somare has defended ordering a failed military mutiny.

What do you associate with the colour red? Hear what people in London told us, then join the conversation! Express English: 6 February 2012

Join the fun at a big family dinner in this episode.

Slow dialogue: 1:04
Explanations: 3:16
Fast dialogue: 16:24

My roommate, Jim, invited me over to his house for a family meal. I’m an only child, so I’m not used to a big family dinner. I felt like a fish out of water.
...

Jim’s mother: Sit down, everybody. Dinner’s ready.

Phil: Thank you for having me over, Mrs. Moreno.

Jim’s mother: Don’t mention it. Just sit down and eat. Jim, pass the potatoes, and Dana, don’t hog the peas. Hand them both to Phil.

Phil: Thank you, Mrs. Moreno, but I’ve already taken a helping of each dish.

Jim’s mother: Then you need to have seconds. You’re too skinny. Eat up!

Phil: This food is really good, but I don’t think I have the appetite for more. My plate is already overloaded.

Jim’s mother: All right, no more potatoes or peas, but you need more ham. Laura, serve Phil some more ham, and Jason, round up some more rolls.

Phil: No, no, please. I really couldn’t eat more than what’s already on my plate.

Jim’s mother: Don’t be ridiculous. I know you’re saving room for dessert. There’s an apple pie, a strawberry shortcake, a cheesecake, and some ice cream.
...

I now know why Jim only comes home for meals every once in a while. Eating like this more than once a week would give anybody a coronary!

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

filiopietistic: pertaining to reverence of forebears or tradition, especially if carried to excess.

A good-for-nothing, wasteful person.

Download this story as a PDF

This is the VOA Special English Technology Report.

Google is preparing for changes in its privacy policy beginning March first. The company says it plans to replace more than sixty separate policies for different products with one main policy.

Privacy activists criticized last month's announcement. They are concerned that the new policy will make it easier to track the activities of users across Google's many products -- from Gmail to YouTube.

Marc Rotenberg heads the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington. He says Google's aim is to create a single unified profile of its users.

MARC ROTENBERG: "We believe that not only is that a threat to privacy, we actually believe it is illegal, because last year Google entered into an agreement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission in which they said they would not engage in that kind of data sharing without the explicit permission of their users."

Google says its new policy will make it simpler for users to share information across services like Google Search, Gmail and Google Calendar. And it says the new policy will help personalize each user’s experience. Over time, it says, users can expect to see better search results, fewer unwanted advertisements and more content targeted to their interests.

But Marc Rotenberg says in return, people who choose to use Google will lose control over the information they share.

MARC ROTENBERG: "The type of information you might provide for an e-mail service, for example, such as your address book, which contains private information, is different from the type of information that you might provide for a social network service where people purposely make information publicly available to their friends."  Mr. Rotenberg says these two kinds of services should be kept separate.

MARC ROTENBERG: "By trying to combine these two services, in our view, Google is actually undermining a very well established expectation of privacy, particularly for popular Internet services like electronic mail."

Critics also see a bigger problem with Google's new policy. The plan would not give users a choice to "opt-out" of the data sharing.

MARC ROTENBERG: "In our view, if people want to make their personal information available, they certainly should have the right to do that. What we’re objecting to is the effort by the company to take away from the users that choice that they should have. That just seems unfair."

Google says it will not be collecting any more data than it does now. And it says users will still be able to control many privacy settings. For example, they can disable their search history and set Gmail chat to "off the record."

European Union officials have asked the company to delay the new policy to make sure it would not violate any E.U. data protection laws. Marc Rotenberg thinks the Federal Trade Commission in Washington might also try to block the new policy.

And that's the VOA Special English Technology Report, written by June Simms. I'm Steve Ember.

Download this story as a PDF

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH:Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Shirley Griffith.

JUNE SIMMS: And I'm June Simms. This week on our program, we visit a new exhibit of work by photographer Annie Leibovitz. Then, we tell you about a collection of works by women performing traditional American music. And, later, we go under the streets of New York City to hear the work of subway musicians.

(MUSIC)

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Annie Leibovitz has been a photographer for forty years. She is famous for her photographs of people, especially famous people. She says she will continue doing portraits of people, but also wants to take other kinds of photos.

A new exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington shows a different side to her work. She spent two years taking pictures without any people in them. Many are photos of places in the United States where famous people lived in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. There are photos of homes and personal items that belonged to people including artists, scientists, photographers and a president. The exhibit is called "Pilgrimage."

Ms. Leibovitz explains that from two thousand nine to two thousand eleven, she took photos of places that moved her emotionally. She says the collection represents a renewal of her spirit. Her lover, the author Susan Sontag, died of cancer at the end of two thousand four. Ms. Leibovitz had financial troubles and almost lost control of her photo archives.

ANNIE LEIBOVITZ: "There's some searching going on. I discovered some things about myself which were really comforting."

Ms. Leibovitz says she was inspired by Georgia O'Keefe, the twentieth century artist. She traveled to New Mexico to photograph the houses where O'Keeffe lived and a box of handmade pastels that she drew with.

Ms. Leibovitz also captured images of items that belonged to President Abraham Lincoln. These include his hat and gloves from when he was assassinated in eighteen-sixty-five.

Andy Grundberg curated the exhibit for the museum.

ANDY GRUNDBERG: "What she's really trying to do is evoke the presence of people, in a way, despite their absence."

He calls the exhibit "a portrait of Leibovitz."

ANDY GRUNDBERG: "This is a way of understanding how Annie Leibovitz thinks about the world through the pictures that she's taken of people and places that are important to her."

Annie Leibovitz told reporters that she had not planned to focus on people from the past.

ANNIE LEIBOVITZ: "What really drew me to them, I think that they stand out. I thrive on history. I love it."

One person she focused on was Annie Oakley. Annie Oakley was famous in the late eighteen hundreds for her shooting skills. She appeared in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. Annie Leibovitz photographed Annie Oakley's boots and one of her shooting targets.

She also went to Graceland, Elvis Presley's home in Tennessee. There, she took a picture of his motorcycle. The rock and roll great died in nineteen seventy-seven.

To honor Ansel Adams, the famous landscape photographer, Ms. Leibovitz took a picture of his darkroom. Ansel Adams was known for his photography of the wilderness in the American West. He was also a leader in the nature conservation movement. He died in nineteen eighty-four.

Annie Leibovitz also took photos similar to his pictures of Yosemite Valley in California.

ANNIE LEIBOVITZ: "The best homage you can make was photographing that valley that he saved."

The "Pilgrimage" exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum continues through May twentieth.

(MUSIC)

JUNE SIMMS: American roots music is the collective name for traditional forms like old-time country, blues and folk music. Some of the best-remembered roots musicians include men like Lead Belly, Muddy Waters and Doc Watson. Now, a woman in the Pacific Northwest is trying to get people to think more about female roots musicians.

On a recent day, Dyann Arthur and her husband, Rick, were at the Old-Time Music Gathering in Portland, Oregon. She walked around the performance hall and compared the numbers of male and female players in different groups.

DYANN ARTHUR: "This one's pretty well integrated, and then there are some of them that are primarily the guys."

Ms. Arthur plays piano and guitar but earned her living from mortgage loan banking. She recently retired. So did her husband, a pilot. They talked a lot about what they would do in their retirement. They wanted something meaningful that combined music and travel.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: The result was a trip through thirty of the fifty states. They recorded performances of women making traditional music. And, says Rick Arthur, they also asked the women about their histories as musicians.

RICK ARTHUR: "They don't have mentors. They don't have an image to see themselves in that position. Early on we took that as kind of a philosophical goal to produce those types of images that women could identify with."

The work developed into the MusicBox Project. So far this nonprofit effort has collected material on more than eighty American roots musicians.

DYANN ARTHUR: "All forms of music. We like to say A to Z, Appalachian to Zydeco."

One of the artists is vocalist and guitarist Lauren Sheehan of Portland.

(MUSIC)

Ms. Sheehan trained as a classical musician in the late nineteen seventies. Then, one day, she borrowed some vinyl records of folk music from her college library.

LAUREN SHEEHAN: "When I heard that breadth, I sought out folk festivals even more. That was because there was an archived piece of real music that spoke to me."

The music included recordings from the nineteen thirties, collected by the Library of Congress.

Now, through the MusicBox Project, Lauren Sheehan's own music is in the American Folklife collection at the Library of Congress. The Arthurs donated a copy of their collection to the library.

LAUREN SHEEHAN: "I am only a little drop in the bucket of oral tradition, but I am a drop in the bucket, and wonderful players have passed stuff on to me who have now died. All this being in the Library of Congress is so cool because other people can hear that."

Dyann Arthur, the co-founder of the MusicBox Project, says part of her mission is to present examples for future generations of women.

DYANN ARTHUR: "With the educational piece that we hope to do as this thing goes forward -- I would say three to five years out -- is going to be allowed to go into the schools in a format that says, 'Look at that saxophone player. There's another one. I can do that, too.'"

The Arthurs also have a YouTube channel with more than three hundred performances. You can find a link at voaspecialenglish.com. Dyann Arthur is currently editing some of that material into a documentary.

(MUSIC: Allison Krauss)

JUNE SIMMS: The New York subway system is one of the largest public transportation systems in the world. Each week more than eight million people travel around the city on the subway. But riders can find more than just transportation below the streets of New York. Many subway stations are like free concert halls, with almost every kind of music competing with the noise of the trains.

Rawl Mitchell is an immigrant from Trinidad and Tobago. He began playing the steel drums in the subway in the middle of the nineteen nineties.

RAWL MITCHELL: "The people do appreciate the music. They stand around listening to the music and if it pleases them, they applaud and put their money in the case or whatever. They usually clap and say, 'You know, it's nice’."

A singer and songwriter named Rosateresa has been performing in the subway almost as long.

ROSATERESA: "My mission is to sing like the jilguero. The jilguero is a Puerto Rican bird -- I'm Puerto Rican -- that wakes up the sun."

Players like Rawl Mitchell and Rosateresa perform on their own. They are not part of the transit system's official "Music Under New York" program. That program offers one hundred fifty weekly performances, including American bluegrass and African kora music.

The only money the musicians earn is whatever the people listening choose to give them.

(SOUND)

On this day, Patricia Vital and Tom McNichols are finding a small but supportive audience. They are members of a group called Opera Collective. They say they love performing opera in the subway, even though they do not earn much.

TOM McNICHOLS: "Music in general is not for the money, and music under New York is definitely more about making opera more accessible than it is about making a living."

Folk singer Wendy Sayvetz has performed in train stations for more than twenty years. She has also performed at the White House. She says people who think subway musicians do not like being subway musicians are wrong.

WENDY SAYVETZ: "What they don't get is that we actually love this gig."

In fact, Ms. Sayvetz and a partner are developing a musical play about subway musicians.

WENDY SAYVETZ: "It's not about 'Oh, we don't have to play in the subway anymore.' We want people to go, 'Oh, subway music is the best thing!'"

You can watch a video about subway musicians at voaspecialenglish.com.

(MUSIC)

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Our program was produced by Brianna Blake and June Simms with reporting by Deborah Block, Tom Banse and Carolyn Weaver. I'm Shirley Griffith.

JUNE SIMMS: And I'm June Simms. You can find transcripts and MP3s of our programs at voaspecialenglish.com. And, while you're there, check out the new relationship advice blog for English learners -- where you give the advice. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

"I want to try out a new recipe. Will you be my guinea pig?"

emblazon: to decorate something with a design...

"I hate the way Sue muscles in on other people's conversations."

The battle for smartphone supremacy has reached new heights in recent months, with industry heavyweights Apple and Google leading the charge over long-time mobile powerhouses like Research in Motion and Windows.

Get the low-down on the brief, but constantly developing, history of the smartphone market in this month’s Business English News lesson. We feature lots of great vocabulary for talking about mobile communication, sales and technology. Use the links below to access the free transcript and quizzes for this lesson.

Free Resources: Study Notes | Online Practice