As Diabetes Increases, a Vegetable Could Help

(Download MP3, Mirror) From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

Diabetes is a serious, chronic disease on the rise around the world. And, not everyone can take the medication that treats it. However, researchers have discovered that a compound found in a common vegetable might help treat diabetes.

In 2016 the World Health Organization published its Global Report on Diabetes. It says the number of diabetic adults rose from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014.

Diabetes happens in two ways. If the body does not produce enough of a hormone called insulin it is called Type 1. Type 2 diabetes is when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces.

Insulin controls levels of sugar in the blood.

Over time, diabetes can damage the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys and nerves. Diabetes is a major cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke and lower limb amputation. It can lead to an early death.

India is one of the countries that could be facing a public health crisis as cases of diabetes increase. Amit Jain is a children's doctor in that country. He says obesity is one of the main reasons people get Type 2 diabetes.

However, children who are not obese can also get diabetes.

Rohin Sarin is a regular 15-year old kid. He goes to school. He likes sports. But unlike most children, four times a day he has to take a shot of insulin.

Rohin has type 2 diabetes.

"Sometimes it affects me negatively like if I just play a lot and I don't eat my food properly; then my sugar goes down. So, then I feel dizzy and I am not able to play the sport properly."

About 300 million people around the world have type-2 diabetics. A large percentage of these people cannot take a drug used to treat this disease.

The drug metformin is a first-line therapy. This means it is often the first drug doctors give their patients. However, the drug has side effects. It can damage the kidneys and upset the stomach.

Enter broccoli.

Purple broccoli

This vegetable has a chemical compound called sulforaphane. And in testing, this compound appears to work as well as the drug metformin at reducing blood sugar levels in diabetics.

Anders Rosengren, a doctor at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, led the study.

"We think this is very exciting because there have been so many claims over the years of different food, dietary components having different health effects. But here, we have really scientifically-based proof that it has an effect on type-2 diabetes."

Dr. Rosengren and his team experimented with 97 type-2 diabetes patients. All were treated with metformin. But one group of the patients were also given sulforaphane every day for three months. The other patients were given a placebo.

On average, the participants who were given the broccoli medicine saw their blood glucose drop by 10% more than those who took the placebo. The broccoli pill was most effective in the patients who were obese. They started with higher glucose levels than the others.

Dr. Rosengren says that next he wants to study the effects sulforaphane has on pre-diabetic patients. These are people who have not yet taken the drug metformin.

"If you were to have people without metformin at all, it might be that the sulforaphane effect might be even stronger."

The researchers published their finding in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

But do not think that just eating broccoli is enough to prevent or treat diabetes. You would have to eat about five kilograms every day to get enough sulforaphane.

The study patients got a pill containing a concentrated form of the broccoli compound. It is about 100 times stronger than the amount found in broccoli.

But, for diabetics who hate broccoli, that could be welcome news.

And that's the Health & Lifestyle report. I'm Anna Matteo.

Reports from VOA’s Kevin Enochs and Jessica Berman contributed to this story adapted by Anna Matteo for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

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Words in This Story

insulin – n. a substance that your body makes and uses to turn sugar into energy

pancreas – n. a large gland of the body that is near the stomach and that produces insulin and other substances that help the body digest food

negatively – adv. harmful or bad : not wanted

sugar – medical noun the amount of sugar present in a person's blood at a particular time

dizzy – adj. having a whirling sensation in the head with a tendency to fall : mentally confused

dietary – adj. of or relating to a diet

component – n. one of the parts of something (such as a system or mixture) : an important piece of something

concentrated – adj. made stronger or more pure by removing water

placebo – medical noun a pill or substance that is given to a patient like a drug but that has no physical effect on the patient

First American Woman Climbs K2

(Download MP3, Mirror) Vanessa O’Brien has become the first American woman to reach the top of the world’s second highest mountain known as K2. The mountain reaches 8,611 meters above sea level.

O’Brien is a 52-year-old former banker from New York. She led a 12-member team of international climbers. She placed the United States flag on K2’s top - or summit - on July 28.

K2 is on Pakistan’s border with China. It is one of the world’s most dangerous mountains to climb.

“A proud day for #woman everywhere at the top of #K2, the world's second highest mountain,” O’Brien announced on Twitter shortly after reaching the top on Friday.

This was the third time O’Brien had tried to climb K2.

K2 in Pakistan, second highest mountain in the world

In 2015, bad weather stopped her. In 2016, an avalanche, buried all the climbing team’s equipment at its high operational base.

This year O’Brien’s team made it to the top. It took them a long time, 16 hours, from their CAMP-4 at 7681 meters.

The American climber spoke to VOA Monday, after she had made it back down the mountain to the K2 base camp.

She said she was very tired, but also very grateful for her team’s success.

“This was by far the hardest undertaking I have ever come across,” she said. “Not just the 50 kilometer winds and snow pushing against you, but the pure blue ice underneath your feet that threatened to pull you off balance at any second.”

O’Brien has already climbed the world’s highest mountain - Mt. Everest - which is 8,850 meters high. But speaking before her climb, she said K2 is more difficult and interesting for mountaineers.

“K2 is the perfect triangle. Mountains are not shaped that way.” She said most mountains have many places to rest, and then go higher and stop. But not K2. “It is asking for 110 percent effort day one.”

While snow avalanches are risky, she said, climate change has brought a new risk. Rocks on K2 that used to be fixed to earth and frozen are now just broken and they come down in rock avalanches.

So, she said, there is much danger, “and that is probably why for every four that climb, one dies.”

O’Brien holds both American and British nationality. She said she was thinking about the 84 people who came before her but lost their lives climbing K2.

The first American men’s team made it to the summit 39 years ago.

Nazir Sabir is the chief organizer of O’Brien’s climbing team. He said heavy snowfall and bad weather were problems on the mountain. O’Brien’s team was the only one to reach the top.

Sabir praised O'Brien for her bravery, saying that even the best climbers from the area give up after a second try. He said “her determination paid off,” but there was smart planning too.

O’Brien is the 19th woman to have survived the climb to the top. And even before this climb, she was the fastest woman to climb the seven summits. Those are the highest mountains on each of the seven continents.

I’m Anne Ball.

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Words in This Story

avalanche –n. a large amount of snow and ice or of dirt and rocks that slides suddenly down the side of a mountain

grateful –adj. feeling or showing thanks

triangle –n. a shape that is made up of three lines and three angles

determination –n. a quality that makes you continue trying to do or achieve something that is difficult

Barbecue: An American Food Tradition

(Download MP3, Mirror) For some Americans, summertime means visiting the beaches or national parks. For others, it means attending baseball games.

And for many, it means cooking, eating, and generally enjoying American barbecue. Barbecue, or BBQ for short, is a style of cooking meat at a low temperature for a long time.

But, not all American barbecue is the same.

Mike Sargent recently drove almost 2,500 kilometers from Texas to Washington, D.C., to compete in the National Capital Barbecue Battle.

As a Texan, Sargent says his home state makes the best barbecue. But he adds, “The style of barbecue going across the nation is just totally different. And it’s interesting to see, you know, because it’s the culture on what people were raised on.”

Barbecue Belt

Texas is part of America’s so-called “Barbecue Belt.”

The area stretches from Texas to the East Coast. Many people divide it into four main styles of American barbecue: Carolina-style, Memphis-style, Kansas City-style and Texas-style. Each is named after the state or city where the style was formed.

But American barbecue is not actually that straightforward.

Robert F. Moss is a barbecue expert and historian. He wrote the book Barbecue: The History of an American Institution.

Moss says American barbecue is much more than just the four main styles. He says many areas within the Barbecue Belt have their own styles and flavors.

The state of Alabama, for example, has its own special white-colored barbecue sauce. And California, a state far from the Barbecue Belt, has its own barbecue style called Santa Maria.

“Some people sort of point to like four main regions but it’s really much more.”

“Regional pride”

David Robbins is with Old Town Smokers, a restaurant in Alexandria, Virginia. He is their pitmaster -- the person who operates the barbecue cooking “pit.”

He says that, for people who come from places where barbecue is popular, there is a lot of “regional pride.”

“Usually not because it’s the favorite flavor, it’s because it’s the thing they grew up with.”

Even Moss, the barbecue historian, says South Carolina’s style of barbecue is still special to him. He grew up in Greenville, in the western part of the state.

“These days it’s hard for me to say I have one particular favorite barbecue style, because having traveled around to eat so many, I’ve sort of come to appreciate them all. I still am a little bit partial to the South Carolina style, just because it is my home state.”

A brief history of barbecue

Moss says American barbecue developed from several cultures in the Caribbean.

Early European explorers observed Taino Indians in the Caribbean cooking whole animals over fire and smoke. They called it “barabicu,” or “sacred pit” in the Taino language.

Spanish explorers called this cooking method “barbacoa.” As they traveled north, they spread barbacoa into the present-day southern American states, like Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

There, “barabacoa” became “barbecue.”

In the 1920s, the restaurant industry grew quickly in the United States. It was this rise in restaurants, Moss says, that helped lead to the creation of regional barbecue styles.

Carolina-style

Carolina-style barbecue is named after the states of North Carolina and South Carolina. Carolina barbecue today is the closest to the early, colonial-style of barbecue of the 1700s, Moss says.

All across the Carolinas, pork is the main barbecue meat. They cook the whole hog over a pit. The pork meat is then shredded or chopped or “pulled.” Pulled pork is meat that is tender - or soft - enough to be pulled from the bone with little effort.

Sauce is a key part of American barbecue. Most sauces in North Carolina have a vinegar base. In South Carolina, the sauces are made with mustard. They are yellow in color. The mustard-based sauce is known as “Carolina Gold.”

From the Carolinas, barbecue traditions moved west, all the way to Texas.

Texas-style

While Carolina-style barbecue is all about pork, Texas-style barbecue is all about beef. Texas is especially known for its smoked brisket. Brisket is a cut of meat from the lower chest of a cow, as pitmaster Mike Sargent explains.

“It’s the chest and shoulder muscle. It’s a very thick, tough piece of meat. It has to be cooked for long periods of time at lower temperatures.”

Most Texas barbecue cooks do not use much barbecue sauce. Instead, they flavor their meat with a mix of herbs and spices called a “rub.”

“We don’t put a lot of sauce on anything down here. We’d rather you taste the meat and the seasonings and the woods that we use.”

Texas-style barbecue is often cooked over pecan wood. Pecan trees are found across much of Texas.

Memphis-style

The city of Memphis, Tennessee, is home to another well-known style of American barbecue. Memphis-style BBQ may be best known for its pork ribs. The ribs can be served dry, without sauce, or wet, with sauce.

Memphis-style sauce is sometimes very sweet, thanks to molasses – a thick, dark syrup made from raw sugar. Because the city sits along the Mississippi River, it was easy for locals to get molasses from steamboats that regularly carried goods up and down the river.

Memphis-style barbecue led to the creation of Kansas City-style barbecue, because of one man, Henry Perry. The Memphis local worked as a steamboat cook. In the early 1900s, he moved north to Kansas City.

Perry soon began cooking and serving barbecue for people in his new city. He went on to build a very successful Kansas City barbecue business.

Kansas City-style

Kansas City is where Carolina and Memphis pork barbecue meet Texas beef barbecue.

It is, as some food experts say, the best of both worlds.

While it is best known for its pork ribs, Kansas City also does beef brisket. It is known for its thick, tomato-based sauce that is both sweet and spicy.

Barbecue has become serious business in Kansas City. It holds the so-called “World Series” of barbecue every fall. The huge contest is called the American Royal.

The fun of barbecue

But barbecue is not about the competition. It is about eating.

If cooked right, barbecued meat falls off the bone. You do not need to use a fork or knife to eat it. Usually, you can eat with your hands.

Rebecca Sansale is from Pennsylvania. At the National Capital Barbecue Battle in Washington, D.C., she said barbecue is one of her favorite kinds of food.

“It’s one of the foods that you can eat that’s really messy and it’s okay to kind of get it all over your face and it’s just really fun to eat.”

A traditional American barbecue usually includes side dishes like potato salad, cole slaw, baked beans or macaroni and cheese.

Chuck Smith is a cook at Smoke Shack, a barbecue restaurant in Columbus, Ohio.

“I got potato salad, cole slaw, greens, beans, macaroni and cheese. The macaroni and cheese is off the hook. It’s off the hook. It’s so cheesy and it's good.”

“Off the hook” means really, really good.

In summer months, people in the United States often invite friends and family members over for a barbecue. They cook meat outside on a grill and prepare side dishes similar to Chuck Smith’s.

Pitmasters like Sargent and Robbins did not learn their trade at cooking schools. Instead, they learned through family barbecues in their own backyards.

Sargent says, in Texas, everybody has a grill in the backyard.

“That's where I learned my passion [from] it. My dad taught me from an early age how to cook on the grill...and that’s where I found my passion for it.”

I’m Ashley Thompson.

And I’m Dan Friedell.

Do you have a special kind of barbecue in your country or city? Tell us about it in the comments section.

Ashley Thompson and Olivia Liu reported and wrote this story. Hai Do was the editor. Dorothy Gundy produced the video.

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Words in This Story

barbecue - n. an outdoor meal or party at which food is cooked on a barbecue; food that has been cooked on a barbecue grill

straightforward - adj. easy to do or understand : not complicated

pit ​- n. ​ an outdoor area where food is cooked

regional - adj. relating to a part of the country that is different or separate from other parts in some way

appreciate ​- v. to understand the worth or importance of (something or someone) : to admire and value (something or someone)

sacred - adj. ​highly valued and important : deserving great respect

hog ​- n. ​a pig

tender - adj. ​easy to chew or bite : not tough

brisket ​- n. ​ beef from the chest of a cow

shred ​- v.​ to cut or tear (something) into long, thin pieces

chop ​ ​- v.​ to cut (something) into pieces by hitting it with the sharp edge of an ax, knife, etc.

flavor ​- v. ​to give or add taste to something

best of both worlds - expression.​ a situation in which you can enjoy two very different things at the same time

passion ​- n. ​a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement for something or about doing something

Chinese Billionaire’s Company Faces Investigation

(Download MP3) Wang Jianlin is one of Asia’s richest men. He is chairman of Dalian Wanda Group, a large property business which owns many foreign companies.

However, Wang is now facing a number of actions from Chinese authorities.

The latest actions include Chinese authorities asking banks to stop financing Wanda Group’s purchases of foreign companies.

Wanda Group currently owns a studio in Hollywood and AMC Theaters, among other foreign businesses. AMC Theaters has the most movie theaters in the United States.

Earlier this year, Wanda Group faced an investigation into its finances. Soon after, Wanda Group sold part of its business for $9.3 billion to a real estate developer based in Tianjin.

Wang Jianlin, the founder of Wanda Group, is known for his strong connections with the Communist Party. The Chinese government’s actions have surprised some experts.

Christopher Balding is an associate professor of economics at Peking University. He said, "That is a surprising development in a lot of different ways. Wang Jianlin has many friends all through the political establishment in China."

While some people believe the government targeted Wang, other people believe the government was taking action against many companies.

Peng Liu is a professor of real estate and hotel management at Cornell University. He said the government actions were consistent with the desire to control financial risks.

In the past few years, Wanda Group has bought Nordic Cinema Group, a theater operator in northern Europe, for $930 million, and Carmike Cinemas for $1.1 billion. Carmike Cinemas is the fourth-largest theater operator in the United States.

However, earlier this year, Wanda Group was unable to buy Dick Clark Productions, a company that develops television shows. The deal was valued at $1 billion.

The government is asking companies to cut their financial risks. But it is unclear if there are other reasons it wants companies to limit the buying of foreign companies.

Balding said, “It is not far-fetched to say that there is definitely a political message being sent, and they are using Wanda as an example to other companies, (to say) 'don't do this'."

He added that the actions involving Wanda could be a sign of hidden political disputes.

Yue Su is an economist with The Economist Intelligence Unit. She said the government is also investigating Fosun and Anbang. Those two companies have bought overseas businesses.

She said, “The government is also worried that these companies are trying to move assets abroad and keep their debt within the country, which is worsening domestic economic conditions.”

Christopher Balding said that in the past few years, regulators were encouraging Chinese companies to buy foreign companies.

He said, “So while Wanda may have pushed the limits, they were doing nothing more than what they were being encouraged to do by Chinese regulators.”

Currently, the Chinese government appears to not want companies to buy foreign businesses. However, Liu said that he believes they will allow overseas investments under the Belt and Road program. That program is a development project that supports trade across countries in Asia and Europe.

“The Belt and Road program is the government's strategy. I think that is different.” he said.

I’m Olivia Liu.

And I’m Mario Ritter.

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Words in This Story

authorities – n. people with power to give orders or make decisions

far-fetched – adj. unlikely

regulators – adj. officials who enforce rules for a public activity or industry

encouraging – adj. to cause something to be more likely to happen


strategy – adj. a plan for reaching a larger or long term goal

US Education Secretary Studying Sexual Assault Policies

(Download MP3) American Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is examining federal guidance on how schools should deal with sexual assault.

The guidance was written during the presidency of Barack Obama. It advises school officials on a U.S. law known as Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972. The law requires schools to take action to deal with issues like hostile educational environments and illegal sexual contact.

On July 13, DeVos spoke at a conference in Washington, D.C.

DeVos said she is considering how to balance the interests of sexual assault victims against those accused unfairly of sexual assault.

Demonstrators warn about weakening federal rules

The education secretary met at the conference with sexual assault victims and people who said they were falsely accused of sexually attacking others.

At the same time, Maya Weinstein, 23, and others demonstrated outside the headquarters of the Department of Education. Weinstein was raped by another student during her first year at George Washington University.

“It is interesting to me how sexual assault is viewed as a different issue than any other crime,” Weinstein told VOA. “The false reporting statistics are comparable to that of someone saying they were robbed and we don’t question those who come forward to say they were robbed.”

The National Sexual Violence Resource Center reports that between two percent and eight percent of sexual assault charges are proven false. It says those rates are comparable to other crimes.

DeVos told the conference that existing rules might not protect the rights of people falsely accused. She spoke about meeting with students who say they were falsely accused.

Devos said, “It was clear that their stories have not often been told, and that there are lives that have been ruined and lives that are lost in the process.”

DeVos also said that sexual assault is a serious problem.

“We can’t go back to the days when allegations were swept under the rug,” she said.

Last year, the company International Student Insurance made a video about sexual assault for international students at American colleges. It said countries have different ideas about what is acceptable and what is not.

In the United States, a sexual relationship requires consent, the video says. It describes consent as when both people agree to sexual activity “without feeling pressured or intimidated and without being under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”

Sexual assault victim says not enough done for victims

Alyssa Peterson was a victim of sexual assault while attending Georgetown University in Washington. Like many victims, she decided not to bring charges against her attacker because she was not sure the process would be fair.

In 2015, the Association of American Universities said that half of college students did not report incidents of sexual assault because they did not think it was "serious enough." Others said they were embarrassed or thought "nothing would be done."

Even with the stronger federal guidance, punishment for sexual assault remains weak, Peterson said. She said few students are removed from college for sexually assaulting fellow students.

Peterson is now a Yale University law school student. She works with a group called Know Your Title IX, which supports victims of sexual assault.

Before the July 13 conference, the Education Department’s acting assistant secretary for civil rights apologized for comments she made about sexual assault.

The official, Candice Jackson, had spoken to the New York Times newspaper. She said that 90 percent of sexual assault cases involve two drunken students and a student deciding “our last sleeping together was not quite right.”

In her apology Jackson said, “What I said was flippant, and I am sorry.” Jackson also said that she was a rape victim.

University settles case brought by student accused of rape

Columbia University in New York recently settled a case dealing with allegations of sexual assault. The case was brought by a former international student.

The former student, Paul Nungesser of Germany, had accused Columbia officials of failing to protect him.

The German man had been accused of raping another student, but the university cleared Nungesser of wrongdoing.

Nungesser’s lawyers said the university permitted his accuser to carry a mattress around on Columbia’s grounds as part of a school-approved art project.

The accuser said the mattress represented the school’s failure to punish Nungesser for raping her. She even carried it to her graduation ceremonies in 2015.

The university said Nungesser’s time at Columbia had “become very difficult for him and not what Columbia would want any of its students to experience.” It added that Nungesser is now attending a film school in Germany.

The woman who accused Nungesser of rape had criticized Columbia for being “more concerned about their public image than keeping people safe.”


I’m Caty Weaver. And I'm Bruce Alpert.

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Words in This Story

assault - n. the crime of trying or threatening to hurt someone physically

toll – n. the price for a service; a tax paid for some right

view - v. an opinion or way of thinking about something

statistics - n. number that represents a piece of information such as information about how often something is done, how common something is

allegation - n. charges against someone

swept under the rug - expression to hide something unpleasant or embarrassing

intimidate - v. to make someone afraid

embarrass - v. to make someone feel confused and foolish in front of other people

flippant - adj. lacking proper respect or seriousness

mattress - n. a cloth case that is filled with material and used as a bed

Program Pays Ugandan Farmers to Not Cut Trees

(Download MP3) Researchers say a pilot program that paid Uganda landowners to not cut down trees, successfully reduced deforestation.

For the program, researchers from Northwestern University and Porticus, a Dutch organization, studied 121 villages over two years. In 60 villages they offered landowners $28 a year for every 10,000 square meters of forest they did not cut down.

To collect their data, the researchers used interviews, site inspections and satellite images to monitor forests around the villages.

Uganda had one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world. It loses about 2.7 percent of their forest each year between 2005 and 2010.

The study, published in the journal “Science,” found that villages in the payment program had saved 55,000 square meters of forestland more than other villages. In addition, there was not a rush to cut down trees after the program ended.

However, because the study was small compared to the size of the timber and charcoal markets, researchers were not able to see its effect on the markets. Without that information, they were not able to demonstrate that reduced deforestation in the study region didn't lead to increased deforestation elsewhere.

Reasons for the program

The researchers hope that this study will provide options for governments trying to meet their carbon emission targets under the 2015 Paris Agreement.

A carbon emission is a gas caused by the combustion of carbon. The gas is released into the atmosphere, and is considered harmful to the environment. Researchers say more carbon emissions contribute to global warming.

The Union of Concerned Scientists say deforestation causes about 10% of global carbon emissions. They say that not cutting down trees is one of the least expensive ways of capturing carbon. Trees absorb carbon and need it to grow. This helps keep the carbon levels in the air low.

Seema Jayachandran is one of the study leaders from Northwestern. She feels that the program will be most effective in partnership with others to address the reasons for deforestation.

One example could be helping people in cities get stoves, so they are not cooking with charcoal. Another idea is teaching farmers how to grow more food in less space, so they don't need to clear as much forest for land to grow food.

I’m Phil Dierking.

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Words in This Story

deforestation - n. the act or result of cutting down or burning all the trees in an area​

combustion - n. a chemical reaction that occurs when oxygen combines with other substances to produce heat and usually light​

charcoal - n. a hard black material that is made by burning wood with a small amount of air​

timber - n. wood that is used to make something​

Are Friends Better Than Family for Your Health?

(Download MP3) From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

“You can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family.” That line comes from American writer Harper Lee’s book “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

Now compare her words to another famous expression: "Blood is thicker than water." This means that family will always be with you while other people -- with no blood connection -- may come and go.
Having strong ties to family and friends has long been identified as an important part of being happy and healthy. People need people.

However, if forced to choose which is more important, American researchers now say friendship is more important than family. Their new study suggests that friends may be more important than family members, especially as we age.

The study comes from researchers at Michigan State University. They found the importance of friendship on health and happiness grows as people get older.

William Chopik is an assistant professor of psychology at Michigan State and was one of the lead researchers in this study. He says, “friendships become even more important as we age.”

He adds that “keeping a few really good friends around can make a world of difference for our health and well-being."

Chopik notes that we need to think of friendships as an investment in our future happiness.

The study

The Michigan State researchers considered information from two separate surveys. The first involved just over 271,000 subjects. They participated in a study on health and happiness.

The second survey had nearly 7,500 participants. Its purpose was to study “relationship support” in older adults suffering from chronic, or long-term, conditions.

In the first group, both family and friendships influenced overall health and happiness.

However, in the second, researchers said that friendships “became a stronger predictor of health and happiness” as people get older. Also in the second group, unhealthy friendships led to increased chronic conditions. But with supportive friends, Chopik noted, participants reported being happier.

One reason: people can keep the friendships that make them feel good and move on from the ones that don't. Family, on the other hand, will always be with you. They can be helpful and enjoyable, but can also cause troubles.

Chopik explained that “there are now a few studies starting to show just how important friendships can be for older adults.”

In general, he said, they show that friendships affect our day-to-day happiness and how long we live more so than relationships with spouses and family.

Friendships, he added, keep us from being lonely. But keeping a friendship for a long time takes work.

“If a friendship has survived the test of time,” he said, "you know it must be a good one, a person you turn to for help and advice” and a person you want in your life.

This may be good news for people who don't have strong ties with family members. Not all of us are born into the families we need. But we all have the ability to make the friendships that we need.

And that's the Health & Lifestyle report. I'm Anna Matteo.

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Words in This Stories

a world of difference phrase : to cause a change : to be important in some way

well-being – n. the state of being happy, healthy, or prosperous

survey – n. an activity in which many people are asked a question or a series of questions in order to gather information about what most people do or think about something

chronic medical adj. continuing or occurring again and again for a long time

spouse – n. someone who is married : a husband or wife

test of time phrase : to continue to be important, respected, etc., for a long period of time

What’s in a Name? South China Sea Claimants Seek to Remove ‘China’

(Download MP3) Some nations have renamed parts of the South China Sea to strengthen their claims over the disputed waterway. But how much effect do such changes have on territorial disagreements?

Indonesia is the latest country to take such action. Officials there recently released a new map showing the renamed North Natuna Sea. The sea, northwest of Borneo island, includes an internationally recognized economic zone belonging to Indonesia.

China claims territory that overlaps part of Indonesia’s economic zone. Last month, Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo visited the disputed sea area. His visit came a week after an Indonesian navy ship fired warning shots at Chinese fishing boats in the area.

The visit was seen as an attempt to send China a message that Indonesia is committed to protecting its economic zones. Foreign policy experts say Indonesia’s renaming of part of the South China Sea was also meant to send that message.

The name change drew immediate criticism from China. A foreign ministry spokesman said it was “meaningless” for any nation to change the sea’s name. The spokesman added that “South China Sea” was widely accepted by the United Nations and international community.

China’s claims are based on its so-called “nine-dash line.” China says the line, first added to a Chinese map 70 years ago, dates back about 2,000 years. It uses the line to define its historical territorial claims, which cover most parts of the South China Sea.


But last year, a world arbitration court ruled China had “no legal basis” for its claims. That ruling was based on the United Nations Law of the Sea.

Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Brunei and Vietnam also claim parts of the South China Sea. This has led to disputes between China and some of its neighbors. In some areas, China has created artificial islands and built military facilities.

Indonesia is not considered an official claimant in the South China Sea dispute. But it has clashed with China over fishing rights around the North Natuna Sea area.

Le Hong Hiep is a researcher at the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. He says Indonesia’s name change is another example of South China Sea claimants responding to continued Chinese expansion.

“To some people, especially in China, when the sea is called the South China Sea, it naturally entitles China some rights, which is false. If the South China Sea belongs to China, then the Indian Ocean belongs to India, for example.”


Le noted that other countries in the region have also used different names for the South China Sea. Vietnam calls it the East Sea, while the Philippines calls it the West Philippine Sea.

Calling the sea by any other names has not slowed China’s South China Sea expansion. But some experts do believe the names can have symbolic value.

Euan Graham is with the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney, Australia. He says if more nations change names, it could show more of a unified effort to resist Chinese moves.

“If you connect the dots, China I think will receive the message that Southeast Asia has not rolled over in the way that it might have hoped and expected.”

Another example of a sea name dispute is the Sea of Japan. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. It also borders on South Korea, North Korea and Russia.


South Korea calls the waters the East Sea, while North Korea uses the term East Sea of Korea. Seoul argues that “East Sea” dates back some 2,000 years, but Japan renamed it during its decades-long colonial rule of Korea.

South Korea sent the issue to the International Hydrographic Organization, which considers territorial sea disputes. But the organization has not chosen to order an official name change.

According to Japan’s foreign ministry, “Sea of Japan” is “the only internationally established name” for the area.

The issue even entered U.S. politics in 2013. Korean Americans pushed for legislation requiring that school textbooks note that the Sea of Japan is also called the East Sea. The state of Virginia approved this textbook requirement in 2014.

I’m Bryan Lynn.

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Words in This Story

arbitration – n. process for people or groups to settle disputes

artificial – adj. not natural or real

entitle – v. give rights to a person, country, etc.

symbolic – adj. serving as a symbol or representing something

connect the dots – idiom way to understand the relationship between different ideas or experiences

Chester A. Arthur: Surprisingly Good

(Download MP3) VOA Learning English presents America’s Presidents.

Today we are talking about Chester A. Arthur. (The letter “A” is for Alan, his middle name.)

Arthur took office because because of an unexpected event. He was sworn in as Vice President in March 1881 under James Garfield.

But only 100 days into Garfield’s term, the president was shot. He suffered for months.

Arthur was not close to Garfield. The two men belonged to the same party, but they had different ideas on the issues of the day. They publicly disagreed on a number of subjects.

If Garfield lived, Arthur would probably not have much power in his administration.

But Garfield eventually died.

By this time, it was well-established that if the president of the United States dies in office, the vice president becomes the president.

So, in September 1881, Arthur became the country’s chief executive. He served the remaining three and a half years of Garfield’s term.

Historians say that, for the most part, Arthur performed ably and well.

Early life

Chester Arthur was raised in the northeastern states of Vermont and New York. He was one of eight children in his family. Their father was a religious leader and anti-slavery activist.

Arthur attended college in New York, then taught school and studied law. But he never wanted to stay in a small town and live modestly. He wanted to live in New York City, work as a lawyer and public official, become wealthy, and enjoy the lifestyle of a gentleman.

And that is what he did.

Arthur advanced from an entry-level job in a law office, to a leadership position in the military during the Civil War. After the fighting stopped, he worked in a good-paying job as a lawyer, and then accepted a top position in the government.

For seven years, Arthur served as the collector of the port of New York. His job involved supervising 1,300 people. They collected large amounts of money that came from taxes on imported goods.

The job had a political element, too. It was under the control of a U.S. senator from New York, Roscoe Conkling. Conkling was known as a Republican Party chief, who traded political support for financial and other benefits.

Arthur was never found guilty of accepting money or gifts in exchange for the help of his office. But he was closely linked to Conkling’s political machine.

When Rutherford B. Hayes became president in 1878, he tried to fight corruption in government jobs. He targeted Conkling and Arthur.

Election of 1880

Arthur’s position as the collector of the port of New York was one of the issues in the election of 1880.

President Hayes had suspended Arthur from the job. To get it back, Arthur and Conkling supported an effort to re-elect former president Ulysses S. Grant.

But another candidate won the Republican Party’s presidential nomination: James Garfield.

Garfield and Arthur were not natural allies. Although they were both Republicans, they represented different points of view.

Political leaders hoped to unite the party. So, when Garfield was chosen as the presidential candidate, they added Arthur as the vice presidential nominee.

The effort to unite the party worked well enough to win the election. But relations between the two men were uneasy.

One of Garfield’s first acts was to appoint someone for Arthur’s old job in New York. The new president wanted someone who was not loyal to Conkling. So he gave the position to one of his supporters, instead.

In protest, Conkling resigned from the Senate.

But then events took an unexpected turn. Garfield was shot by a mentally unbalanced man who believed the president owed him a government job.

And Chester A. Arthur became president.

Presidency

When Arthur took office, he had the public image of being an experienced political operator. Most people believed he cared only about supporting the aims of a small part of the Republican Party.

Instead, President Arthur took an independent position on several issues. In opposition to most of his party, Arthur supported legislation to reform the country’s civil service. It aimed to clean up corruption in government and took away some of the ability of politicians to give government jobs to their supporters.

(To be fair, in the short term, the act helped Arthur’s party.)

Arthur also broke with the Republican Party leadership to support a reduction in tariffs. And he strongly argued to limit spending federal money on projects that helped only a few areas or businesses. Instead, he wanted to cut taxes so more people would profit from the government’s surplus.

Finally, Arthur vetoed an anti-immigration act from Congress. The measure proposed banning Chinese immigrants for 20 years.

Arthur argued that the Chinese had improved the American economy by helping build a railroad across the country. He also did not want to hurt potential trade with China.

However, when Congress offered to ban Chinese immigrants for only 10 years, Arthur agreed. In addition, his administration banned immigrants who were considered poor, criminal, or mentally insane.

Perhaps Arthur’s most memorable act as president, however, was to re-decorate the White House. He did not like its appearance inside. So he asked one of New York’s top designers, Louis Tiffany, to make the home brighter and more stylish.

In the newly remodeled rooms, Arthur held parties, with fine food and drink, for elite guests. He was known as “The Gentleman Boss.”

Legacy

Observers then and now say that Arthur served well as president. He was a solid leader after the difficult years of the Civil War and Reconstruction.

But Arthur did not live much beyond his presidency. Shortly into his term, he learned he had a serious kidney disease that would likely kill him.

As a result, he did not try hard to get re-elected.

Instead, after finishing his term he returned to his home in New York. Arthur tried to work as a lawyer, but he soon became too sick.

His wife had died of malaria before he became president. And he liked to spend his free time fishing or with friends instead of with his children. But, in his last months, he could not enjoy those activities either.

He died at home at the age of 57.

I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.

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Words in This Story

chief executive - n. the president of a country
modestly - adv. not very large in size or amount
advanced - v. moved forward
element - n. a particular part of something
benefits - n. a good or helpful result or effect
tariffs - n. taxes on goods coming into or leaving a country
stylish - adj. following the popular style: fashionable
elite - adj. the people who have the most wealth and status in a society

Reconstruction - n. the period from 1867 to 1877 when the southern states joined the northern states again after the American Civil War

Trump's Son-in-Law Denies Collusion with Russia

(Download MP3) Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and a top White House adviser, Monday denied he colluded with Russian officials.

He spoke behind closed doors with staffers for the Senate Intelligence Committee for more than two hours. But before his appearance, Kushner’s representatives released an 11-page statement prepared for the committee.

In the statement, Kushner said he met with Russian officials four times during last year’s presidential campaign. But Kushner said he did not collude with officials connected to Russia or any other foreign government.

To collude, means to work with others secretly, particularly for something illegal or dishonest.
Kushner spoke to reporters from the White House after his meeting with Senate Intelligence Committee staffers.

“Let me be very clear -- I did not collude with Russia, nor do I know of anyone else in the campaign who did so. I had no improper contacts. I have not relied on Russian funds for my businesses. And I have been fully transparent in providing all requested information. Donald Trump had a better message and ran a smarter campaign, and that is why he won. Suggesting otherwise ridicules those who voted for him."

Kushner did not answer reporters’ questions.

In the statement to staffers for the Senate Intelligence Committee, Kushner said he did not know a June 9, 2016 meeting was set up to provide damaging information about Hillary Clinton.

Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., had released emails that he sent to Kushner and campaign manager Paul Manafort about promises for damaging information about Clinton.

Kushner said the meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, Trump Jr., and Manafort was a waste of time.

Kushner said he arrived late for the meeting. When he heard discussions going on about a ban on U.S. adoptions of Russian children, he determined “my time was not well-spent at this meeting.”

“I actually emailed an assistant from the meeting after I had been there for 10 or so minutes and wrote, “Can u pls (short for please) call me on my cell? Need excuse to get out of meeting.”

In the statement, Kushner also confirmed that he had three other meetings with Russian officials and representatives.

• Kushner said he was introduced on April 27, 2016 to four ambassadors, including Russia's ambassador to the U.S. The meeting occurred after a foreign policy speech from then-candidate Donald Trump.

• After the election, Kushner met with the Russian ambassador again on Dec. 1 in Trump Tower. The meeting involved Michael Flynn who became Trump’s national security advisor. Flynn resigned after failing to disclose the meeting.

• Kushner said he also met on Dec. 13, 2016 with Russian banker Sergey Gorkov after repeated requests from the Russian ambassador.

Kushner is to answer questions from the House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday. Like the Senate intelligence meeting, it will not be open to the public and reporters.

In his written statement, Kushner repeated what his lawyers had said earlier -- that his report on contacts with foreign officials was incomplete. The mistake was turned in before it was ready -- a result of “a miscommunication,” Kushner said.

Meetings with foreign officials are not unusual for top aides to a candidate, particularly after the candidate wins a presidential election. But Kushner’s meetings drew interest because he had not disclosed them as part of information required for security clearance and because of reports of Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election.

Besides congressional investigations, Special Counsel Robert Mueller is also looking into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

President Trump went on Twitter Monday to say that the investigations are a waste of time. He called it “the phony Russian Witch Hunt,”


Trump also questioned why congressional committees, investigators and "beleaguered" Attorney General Jeff Sessions are not "looking into" Clinton's "crimes & Russia relations."

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Words in This Story

collude - v. to work with others secretly especially in order to do something illegal or dishonest

transparent - adj. honest and open

ridicule - v. the act of making fun of someone or something in a cruel or harsh way

contacts - n. people you know or meet with

transition - n. the putting together a government after a candidate wins an election but before he/she takes office

impactful - adj. having a big effect

beleaguered - adj. a person facing constant or repeated trouble or problems

Poland’s President Vetoes Changes to Judicial System

(Download MP3) Poland’s president has vetoed two of three laws designed to change the country’s judicial system.

Opponents of the laws have argued that they will harm the independence of the judicial system.

Supporters say the country’s judicial system is slow and needs to reform.

Andrzej Duda announced his decision on national television.

Duda said, “I have decided to send back to the parliament, which means I will veto, the law on the Supreme Court, as well as the one about the National Council of the Judiciary.”

His decision followed more than a week of street protests across the country.

Law would give ruling party too much power, critics said

The first law would permit the justice minister to choose Supreme Court justices. The justice minister also serves as the top lawyer for the government or the prosecutor general.

Under Poland’s political system, the bill would have put the Supreme Court under the control of the ruling political party.

The president said the prosecutor general has not traditionally had such powers and that he could not permit them now.

A second law would give lawmakers the power to choose who sits on the National Judiciary Council. That council nominates Supreme Court Judges.

The vetoes appeared to surprise members of the ruling Law and Justice Party. Duda has been considered an ally of the ruling Law and Justice Party although he ended his membership in it when he took office.

There had been unconfirmed reports of conflict between the president and party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski.

Duda said he would sign a third law which would change how judges in lower courts are appointed.

American and European officials expressed concerns about the laws after the full legislature approved them.

At the time, the U.S. State Department urged all sides to make sure such reforms would not violate Poland’s constitution or international laws. It also said the reforms should respect the ideas of judicial independence and separation of powers.

The European Union threatened to start the process of ending Poland’s EU voting rights if the laws were passed.

Earlier, European Council President Donald Tusk said that he was “disappointed” that Duda had not accepted an invitation to discuss the laws with him before they were passed. Tusk is a former prime minister of Poland.

The Associated Press reported that Duda said he would present new versions of laws reforming the Supreme Court and the National Council of the Judiciary within two months. He said he would discuss the changes with experts.

The legislature could reject the veto but only with support from minority parties.

The Polish president said he did not discuss the legislation with either the ruling party leader or the prime minister.

He said a former leading anti-communist activist, Zofia Romaszewska, most influenced his decision to veto.

Duda said the activist told him, “Mr. President, I lived in a state where the prosecutors general had an unbelievably powerful position and could practically do everything. I would not like to go back to such a state.”

The Nobel Peace Prize winner and former Polish president Lech Walesa called Duda’s move “a difficult and a courageous decision.”

I’m Caty Weaver.

And I’m Mario Ritter.

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Words in This Story

judiciary – n. The branch of government that includes courts of law and judges

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

disappointed – adj. feeling sad, unhappy, or displeased because something was not as good as expected or because something you hoped for or expected did not happen

practically – adv. nearly

US Face Scanning Program Concerns Privacy Groups

(Download MP3) U.S. officials want to scan the faces of all air travelers, including American citizens, leaving the country.

The Department of Homeland Security, or DHS, says it is the only way to successfully track non-immigrant foreigners. But privacy activists say it takes surveillance of innocent citizens to a new level.

DHS wants to expand face scan program

Since 2004, visitors to the U.S. have been required to submit to biometric identity scans. Currently, fingerprints and photographs are collected before entry into the country.

DHS now says it is ready to use face scans. The agency says the goal is to better follow people who overstay their visas and to strengthen security.

The agency says nearly 700,000 people overstayed their visas in 2016. That includes people who left the country one day late, or those for whom there is no departure record.

In May, DHS said in a privacy study of its Traveler Verification Service that it has been working on a biometric system for departing travelers since 2013. The agency has carried out tests at six U.S. airports in Boston, Chicago, Houston, Atlanta, New York City and Washington, DC.

During the tests, passengers were permitted not to take part. But the DHS report says that will not always be the case.

“The only way for an individual to ensure he or she is not subject to collection of biometric information when traveling internationally is to refrain from traveling,” the report says.

John Wagner is head of the program. He told the Associated Press that U.S. citizens leaving the country will have to submit to face scans.

Wagner says the agency has no plan to keep the biometric information longer than 14 days. However, that could change in the future with “privacy reviews and approvals.”

Jennifer Gabris is a spokesperson for Customs and Border Protection. She says officials have not examined if laws need to be changed to permit keeping the information longer.

Democratic Senator of Massachusetts Edward Markey said U.S. citizens should be able to choose to have their face scanned.

In an email message to the AP, Markey said he will closely watch the program. He wants to ensure that Americans can choose if they want to be subject to it.

Privacy activists concerned about the system

Alvaro Bedoya is the executive director of the Center on Privacy and Technology at Georgetown University. He says the government is ignoring privacy rules.

He said, “Congress authorized scans for foreign nationals. DHS heard that and decided to scan everyone. That’s not how a democracy is supposed to work.”

The Center on Privacy and Technology notes that many state and local law enforcement agencies in the U.S. have used face-recognition searches. Last year, half of all American adults, more than 117 million people had their information stored in a face recognition network.

Several federal agencies have had access to some of the face recognition network. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, or FBI, has already collected 30 million pictures in one database.

Dan Stein is president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform. His group supports greater immigration restrictions.

He said privacy concerns or concerns about the technology should not prevent the government from moving ahead with the program. U.S. citizens have already sacrificed much of their privacy as the price of fighting terrorists, he said.

Scanning all those faces is very complicated

The Department of Homeland Security’s program to scan faces of people leaving the country is expected to cost billions of dollars. And airports do not have a system to separate Americans from foreign visitors as they prepare to take flights out of the country.

Customs and Border Protection, part of DHS, says it is not practical to have separate boarding systems for citizens and non-citizens. It also says that combining U.S. citizen’s passports with face scans will ensure that no one travels on a passport that is not their own.

Face recognition technology, however, is not perfect. Different expressions on people’s faces could cause mistakes.

Anil Jain is a computer science professor at Michigan State University. He has said the most accurate systems fail 5 to 10 percent of the time.

Some experts say such a high rate of failure would cause big problems for airlines.

Australia offers facial recognition for travelers as an option for avoiding regular immigration controls for arriving and departing air travelers.

The European Union also is seeking limited use of face scans and fingerprint collection for some departing foreigners.

I’m Ashley Thompson. And I'm Mario Ritter.

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Words in This Story

surveillance –n. the act of watching people or developments often for law enforcement purposes
biometric –adj. involving the use or study of biological measurements such as appearance, height, weight, etc.
scans –n. the act of taking a digital picture of something with detailed information that can be shared
fingerprints –n. the impression of a person’s fingertips used for identification
authorize –v. to permit
database –n. a collection of information, usually digital, that can be searched and studied
hacking –n. secretly accessing digital information to take it or cause damage
option –n. to opportunity to choose between two or more possibilities

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