【321-324】Yosemite National Park Reopens, But Tourism Still Down

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AS IT IS

US Defense Chief Urges Closer Ties with Brazil in Space Research

August 14, 2018

Brazil's Defense Minister Joaquim Silva e Luna, left, and U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, smile as they pose for photos after their meeting in Brasilia, Brazil, Monday, Aug. 13, 2018.

United States Defense Secretary Jim Mattis spoke in Brazil Tuesday calling for closer ties with the country in defense issues and in space.

Mattis urged military students in Rio de Janeiro to remember Brazil’s long tradition of working with the U.S. military since World War II.

The defense secretary’s visit comes at a time when unrest continues to increase in Venezuela and several of the area’s economies are struggling. The U.S. also is concerned about the growing influence of China and Russia in South America.

Mattis discussed U.S. interest in partnering with Brazil in space research. China has increased its influence in South America’s space research efforts; it operates a space center in Argentina’s Patagonia area.

Mattis said, “We choose Brazil not because it lies along the equator in a happy accident of geography, but because we want to work with Brazilians.”

Brazil has developed the Alcantara space center in the state of Maranhao. The center is in a good place because it is close to the equator. Experts say rockets launched close to the equator gain extra velocity from the Earth’s rotation.

Mattis also said he wants the United States to be the “partner of choice” in South America.

After his speech, Mattis was asked about the proposal by the administration of President Donald Trump to create a U.S. Space Force. A civilian asked the defense secretary whether such a force would risk opening the door to the militarization of space.

Mattis answered, “We don’t intend to militarize space. However, we will defend ourselves in space, if necessary.”

The defense secretary will continue his South American trip with visits to Argentina, Chile and Colombia.

Mattis’s trip follows a visit to the area by the chief of U.S. Navy Operations, Admiral John Richardson.

The U.S. Navy has worked with Latin American allies to fight illegal drug trafficking. Allies are also concerned about other threats that affect countries in the area, such as piracy.

Officials say there are many other chances for cooperation in the Americas – from humanitarian missions to cybersecurity.

I’m Jonathan Evans.

Mario Ritter adapted this AP story for VOA Learning English with additional material from VOA News. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

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Words in This Story

hemisphere –n. half of the Earth

orientation –n. a main interest, quality, or goal

velocity –n. quickness of motion

missions –n. a task that is considered to be a very important duty

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AS IT IS

Survivors Remember Horror of Laos Dam Collapse

August 14, 2018

A girl uses a mattress as a raft during the flood after the Xe Pian Xe Namnoy hydropower dam collapsed in Attapeu province, Laos July 26, 2018.

Samled Inthavong of Attepeu Province, Laos, was trying to get his family into a boat when a building hit his house.

A dam had collapsed several kilometers away and water was speeding toward Attepeu, pulling down buildings along its path.

Floating in the water in the middle of the night, Inthavong watched as his house collapsed with his grandparents trapped inside.

“My grandparents couldn’t move. They died in the house,” he said. He spoke at a rescue center to which he arrived with his family and few possessions. Among those possessions was a photograph of his grandmother.

As his house collapsed, Inthavong’s boat hit his sister’s house, which sat next to his. There he, his wife and three children climbed onto the roof. But, the floodwaters kept rising, to more than 10 meters, and then his sister’s home was gone too.

He said, “At 2 o’clock in the morning, I was looking around the neighborhood. People were crying and the water was over the whole village. All the houses were gone. Some people were holding on to trees, some people were holding on to power poles.”

Inthavong and his family moved to the steel structure and held on firmly. Violent waves crashed beneath them. It was hours before a rescue boat arrived.

Thousands rescued

Thirteen villages were flooded and destroyed in Attapeu province. The dam that broke July 23 was part of the Xe Pian Xe Namnoy (PNPC) hydropower complex.

The water moved with such force that it caused the evacuation of a town more than 100 kilometers away in Cambodia.

Lieutenant Colonel Khamsouk Khamleuangthep led the rescue team that saved Inthavong’s family and more than 1,500 other people.

The officer said, “I am really upset about this and I’ve been working from the beginning until now without stopping and I’m very happy to be helping the people.”

There are more than 6,500 survivors in shelters at five rescue bases, the local government says. In total, officials say 7,095 people have been displaced in Laos. State media report 35 dead and 99 missing.

Trauma, exhaustion, fury

The survivors are experiencing a mix of feelings: anger, severe shock, and extreme tiredness.

Sommay Keosuvanh is a 60-year-old man from Ban Mai village. He said SK E&C which operates the dam had told the village a large amount of water would be released. But, Keosuvanh said, the South Korean company did not warn of a possible collapse.

“When the water came, it came quick like a tsunami and people were scared,” he said, describing the first wave as at least one meter high.

He said the floodwaters destroyed 95 percent of the homes in the village.

SK E&C, which is building the dam jointly with PNPC, refused several requests for an explanation or statement.

But the Laos government this week said SK E&C’s careless construction was likely the reason for the collapse.

The government also announced inspections of about 50 hydropower projects before any more are approved.

Conservation groups have long criticized the Laotian government’s plan to use hydropower to turn Laos into “the battery of Asia.”

Ruined villages

Ban Mai and the village of Kokkong are destroyed. Along the road that connects them, the fields are filled with water. This year’s harvest disappeared with the flood.

Those who still have houses returned to look through the wreckage for objects to save. Sovampheng, a 38-year-old shopkeeper, was among the lucky few.

She said, “After spending the second night on the roof I moved to Ban Bok village and somebody came to steal from my shop in the eveningby entering from the roof."

Sovampheng said she and her husband felt they had to protect the little they had left. So they returned to their house in Kokkong and slept on its roof.

“I’m feeling very sad as I just bought new supplies for my shop and I lost everything,” she said.

Back at the rescue center, Inthavong and other survivors wait to find out what the government will do for them.

I’m Jonathan Evans.

And I'm Caty Weaver.

VOA’s David Boyle reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

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Words in This Story

roof – n. the top of a building

pole – n. a long, straight piece of wood, metal, etc., that is often placed in the ground so that it stands straight up

hydropower – n. electricity produced from machines that are run by moving water

evacuation – n. to remove people from a dangerous place

tsunami – n. a very high, large wave in the ocean that is usually caused by an earthquake under the sea and that can cause great destruction when it reaches land

construction – n. the act of building something

evening – n. early nighttime

battery – n. a device that is placed inside a machine (such as a clock, toy, or car) to supply it with electricity

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AS IT IS

Yosemite National Park Reopens, But Tourism Still Down

August 14, 2018

Mara Schumann photographs a plume of smoke from the Ferguson Fire in Yosemite National Park, Calif., July 24, 2018. Parts of the park, including Yosemite Valley, closed as firefighters worked to stop the blaze.

Yosemite National Park reopened on Tuesday after a being closed for 20 days because of severe wildfires.

The park is in the western state of California and has been suffering from some of the worst forest fires in its history. The fires have burned 389 square kilometers of land and killed two fire fighters since they started on July 13.

The fires did not reach the center of Yosemite Valley, but they still burned far away areas of the park and filled popular places with smoke.

Not soon enough

The reopening of Yosemite National Park cannot come soon enough for Douglas Shaw. He estimates that the closure cost him $200,000 in lost profits at his hotel near Yosemite. That is because the summer months are the busiest part of the tourist season there.

In recent weeks, Shaw used all the money he had saved. He had to let go of eight of his 43 employees. Now, he is considering retiring early to avoid a possible future with similar damaging wildfires.

Park Ranger Anne Simmons passes maps out and directs visitors at the Hwy 140 gate as Yosemite National Park reopens after a three-week closure from smoke and fires that led to most tourists canceling their trips, Aug. 14, 2018 in Yosemite, California.

“If I hadn’t had savings, which is depleted, I’d be scrambling for money or I wouldn’t have a business,” Shaw said Monday.

Shaw is among hundreds of business owners in small communities surrounding Yosemite who depend on tourist money. Tens of thousands of visitors from around the world canceled trips because of the park’s closure, which began on July 25.

Worst in state history

Fires in several areas in California have killed at least a dozen people. The most recent victim was a firefighter from Utah who died Monday while battling the largest fire north of San Francisco.

In Yosemite, the wildfires were most severe during the busiest month for tourism. The National Park Service says Yosemite usually gets more than 600,000 visitors during the month of August.

A sign warns departing campers of closures, July 25, 2018, in Yosemite National Park, Calif. Parts of the park closed Wednesday as firefighters work to contain the Ferguson Fire.

Steve Montalto is creative director at Visit Yosemite Madera County. He said visitor centers in the area and the park are estimating they have lost about $50 million in combined tourism income.

Hotel owners and other businesses are happy about the reopening. But it will likely be weeks before their business recovers.

Shaw said rooms in his hotel probably will not be more than 45 percent reserved this week. Usually, he said, the hotel is completely reserved for weeks. There were just 10 people staying there Monday night, he added.

Tom Lambert rents an apartment within the park. He said he and his wife have lost about $20,000 in profits because of the closure. He said his next reservation is not until the end of August. That is because the apartment is near the only entrance to Yosemite Valley that will remain closed for at least another week.

“The summer is pretty much lost,” he said.

Spreading the message

Officials are trying to spread the message that the park is open again. They have posted pictures of themselves and visitors holding red paddleboards that say #YosemiteNOW online. They have asked visitors to do the same.

Scott Gediman is a park ranger. He said the loss in visitor money will affect park improvements, such as fixing roads and updating buildings.

Because those projects are planned years ahead, all improvements for this year will be covered. But projects in the future will be affected.

Gediman says that in Yosemite, visitors likely will see some smoke and even fire as they come to the park. However, the fire is almost completely under control.

“People won’t have the crystal clear blue skies they’re used to,” he said, but added that the smoke “is the best I’ve seen it in several weeks.”

I’m Phil Dierking.

This story was written by Amanda Lee Meyers for the Associated Press. Phil Dierking adapted the story for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.

Have any national parks in your home country been affected by wildfires? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

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Words in This Story

deplete - v. to use most or all of (something important)

dozen - n. a group of 12 people or things

let go - v. to end someone's employment

paddleboard - n. A surfboard or similar long narrow board that a rider propels over the water, often in a standing position by means of a long-handled paddle. intransitive verb.

reserve - v. to make arrangements so that you will be able to use or have (something, such as a room, table, or seat) at a later time

scrambling - v. to move or act quickly to do, find, or get something often before someone else does

crystal clear - adj. perfectly clear; able to be seen through completely

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AS IT IS

Turkey's Erdogan Threatens Boycott of US Goods

August 14, 2018

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gestures as he delivers a speech in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2018. Erdogan said his country will boycott U.S.-made electronic goods amid a diplomatic spat that has helped trigger a Turkish currency crisis.The Turkish lira has nosedived in value in the past week over concerns about Erdogan's economic policies and after the United States slapped sanctions on Turkey angered by the continued detention of an American pastor. (Pool Photo via AP)

Turkey’s President threatened Tuesday to boycott U.S. electronic goods because of what he calls an economic war against Turkey by the United States.

President Erdogan told political supporters in Ankara that he would start “a boycott against America’s electronic goods.” He urged Turks to buy local or Korean mobile phones, instead of American iPhones.

Erdogan, however, did not announce any government action towards a boycott.

The president’s comments came after diplomats from both sides met Monday to calm tensions.

The call for a boycott appears to be Erdogan’s answer to the U.S. decision to double tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminum imports. In addition, the U.S. has placed sanctions on two Turkish ministers over the arrest of an American pastor who is charged with having links to terrorism.

Erdogan also has called on people to exchange their U.S. dollars for Turkish lira to help strengthen the exchange value of the country’s currency.

“If we divert our money to foreign currency...then we will be in the position of having surrendered to the devil,” Erdogan said.

The dispute between the U.S. and Turkey has started an economic crisis in Turkey that has pushed its currency to historic lows. The exchange value of the lira has fallen about 40 percent against the U.S. dollar since January. Last week it dropped 16 percent in one day.

However, severe changes in the value of the currency calmed Tuesday after news that U.S. national security adviser John Bolton had met with the Turkish ambassador to Washington Monday.

International investors are worried about Turkey’s high amount of debt held in foreign currencies, especially the dollar. Most economists say Erdogan should raise interest rates to support the Turkish lira, but Erdogan wants to keep rates low to support growth. Investors are also worried about the effects of the dispute between two NATO allies.

In a statement released Tuesday, Turkish business groups called on Erdogan to let the Turkish central bank raise interest rates to stop the currency crisis. They also called on Turkey to work with the United States to improve relations.

The Turkish central bank has promised that Turkish banks will have all the money they need. But, foreign investors are concerned that the central bank may not act because of political interference. Central banks try to ignore politics when making economic decisions.

In the case of the American pastor, the lawyer representing Andrew Brunson again asked a Turkish court to release him from house arrest. The 50-year-old pastor is charged with terrorism links and spying. He denies the charges. Brunson faces a possible prison sentence of 35 years.

I’m Susan Shand.

This story was reported the Associated Press and by VOA’s Chris Hanna. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.

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Words in This Story

currency – n. the kind of money a country uses

tariffs – n. a tax on goods coming into or leaving a country

sanctioned – adj. an action that is taken or an order that is given to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country

pastor – n. a minister or priest in charge of a church or parish

divert – v. to move in a different direction

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