Sunday, July 10, 2011
Activists Say Fishing Limit Not Enough to Save Bluefin Tuna
In Texas, a Museum for a Larger-Than-Life Hero, Sam Houston
From http://voaspecialenglish.com | http://facebook.com/voalearningenglish
Sam Houston was larger than life. The city of Huntsville, Texas, has a 20-meter-tall statue of him. It is said to be the largest statue of any American hero. Nearby, the Sam Houston Memorial Museum holds many of his belongings. Patrick Nolan is the director.
Hope of profit, social change meet in new
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Mobile Devices' Location Tracking Raises Privacy Concerns
This is the VOA Special English Technology Report, from http://voaspecialenglish.com | http://facebook.com/voalearningenglish
American lawmakers have expanded an investigation into the use of location-tracking systems on mobile devices. This follows recent reports about the storing of information on the Apple iPhone, iPad and iTouch. Questions have also been raised about Google Android devices. Some people consider location tracking to be a threat to personal privacy and security.
Radio-Controlled Hummingbird Represents a New Breed of Drone
From http://voaspecialenglish.com | http://facebook.com/voalearningenglish
A California company has developed a drone that looks like a hummingbird. This nano-hummingbird is smaller than drones now used by the United States military. The manufacturer, AeroVironment, develops and tests its drones near Los Angeles. The experimental bird-like aircraft is radio-controlled and has a camera. Matthew Keennon is supervising the project.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Drum Circle Widens Into a United Nations of Beats
From http://voaspecialenglish.com | http://facebook.com/voalearningenglish
People with musical instruments come ready to play. Strangers get up to dance. Crowds gather around. You can find them each Sunday at Meridian Hill Park in Washington, DC. For years, Willy Posey has been part of the Meridian Hill Park drum circle.
A New Life of Hope for a Young Burn Victim
From http://voaspecialenglish.com | http://facebook.com/voalearningenglish
Twelve-year-old Marius Dasianu has found hope, and a new family, in the United States. MARIUS DASIANU: "I do karate, and I'm going to go [out for] basketball." Marius was born in Romania.
Chuck Brown: Still the Go-To Guy for Go-Go Music
Chuck Brown has been called the creator of go-go -- a form of African-American music that developed in Washington. Go-go is part jazz, part rhythm and blues, and part hip-hop. It became popular in the 1970s.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Seeing Stars: Amateur Astronomers Aim Thousands of Eyes at the Universe
p style="text-align: justify;">Astronomer Gus Johnson likes the quiet and the dark. But weather conditions are working against him this night near his home in Maryland.
GUS JOHNSON: "Well, Jupiter went behind a cloud so we have the moon ... "
Johnson has been watching stars for 50 years. He remembers hundreds of star positions and he loves to share what he knows.
GUS JOHNSON: "That planet has a diameter 11 times that of the Earth."
Monday, June 6, 2011
Desert Museum in Arizona Exhibits Native Plants and Animals
The mountain lion is the largest cat native to North America. It is not often seen in the wild. But it can be found at the Arizona-Sonoma Desert Museum in Tucson, Arizona. This realistic-looking area was build with man-made materials. The museum is home to more than three hundred animal species and one thousand two hundred kinds of plants. Craig Ivanyi works at the museum.
An American Cowboy Aims to Help Russia's Beef Herd
From http://voaspecialenglish.com | http://facebook.com/voalearningenglish
American cowboys are helping to rebuild Russia's beef cattle industry. Beef production in Russia collapsed after the break-up of the Soviet Union. The reasons: Cattle breeding and herd management programs fell apart, and people ate most of Russia's beef cows. Today, the beef herd in Russia is less than one percent the size of the American herd. Yet cowboy Darrell Stevenson says Russia has excellent resources.