【788-790】美军研制新型“作战体能测试”&空手道冠军为性暴力受害者而战&美国计划出售圣园附近的石油租约
AS IT IS
Karate Champion Fights for Victims of Sexual Violence
February 10, 2019
Laurence Fischer of France is a three-time world karate champion.
Fischer has fought against strong opponents. But today she is fighting a different battle. This opponent cannot be seen and is hard to defeat. It is the trauma -- the emotional harm -- that comes from sexual violence.
Just outside Paris, Fischer teaches karate at La Maison des Femmes, or The Women’s Home. It is a special center for women who have lived through sexual violence. The center offers medical treatment and training for the mind — but also therapeuticclasses, like karate.
Fischer hopes she can help her students heal through the sport.
"Karate is a way to reconnect ourself to ourself. Because of the trauma, there's a kind of disassociation ... because of the suffering, they are not connected."
Fischer began teaching karate to women after she retired from competition more than 10 years ago.
Her work in the DRC
Since 2014, she has traveled every year to the Democratic Republic of Congo. There, sexual violence is so common that it is sometimes called the rape capital of the world.
Two years ago, Fischer set up a non-governmental organization called Fight for Dignity. She says karate not only helps women to heal, but to regain the ability to believe in one’s self.
“It's incredible how it can impact, also, their relations with their children, with their boyfriend, with the way to find job after, the relations with the others. It's more than just practicing because we are not only brain, we are also body. And when the both are connected, it's very powerful."
A year ago, Fischer met M’bamoussa Soumare at The Women's Home. At the age of 12, Soumare was raped by a relative in her native Mali. Her family forced her to marry the man. She had four children, while he continued to beat her. Finally, last year, she was able to escape to France with help from a sister living there.
Ghada Hatem is a gynecologist and the founder of The Women’s Home.
"Some of them are victims of …violence, others of incest. All kinds of violence in fact. We try to help them," she says.
Hatem believes Fischer’s work with the women is important.
"I think that karate is a very good sport for these women…and it's very important for our patients to work on their own body through these trauma[s]."
Drinking tea after karate class
Fischer and her students gather together and drink tea after every class. It is a time to make friends.
Thirty-year-old Aissata Djiakite has been going to The Women's Home for more than a year. She says that when a woman is sexually assaulted, she feels weak. She says Fischer helps the women leave behind their pain and gives them back reasons to live.
"When you're sexually attacked, you feel weak… but with Karate you really want to live... Laurence gave us back our smiles," she says.
Fischer plans to return to the Democratic Republic of Congo. She wants to help some of her female students there to start karate classes in their villages — so they can help other women fight against sexual assault.
I’m Susan Shand.
Lisa Bryant reported this story for VOANews.com. Susan Shand adapted her story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.
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Words in This Story
karate – n. a form of fighting that was developed in Japan in which your feet and hands are used to kick and hit an opponent
trauma – n. a very difficult or unpleasant experience that causes someone to have mental or emotional problems usually for a long time
assault – n. a violent physical attack
therapeutic – adj. producing good effects on your body or mind
dignity – n. the quality of being worthy of honor or respect
confidence – n. a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed at something
gynecologist – n. medicine that deals with the diseases and routine physical care of the reproductive system of women
incest – n. sexual intercourse between people who are very closely related
AS IT IS
US Plans to Sell Oil Leases Near Holy Park
February 10, 2019
In this photo, tourist Chris Farthing of Suffolks County, England, takes a picture while visiting Chaco Culture National Historical Park in northwestern, New Mexico.
In March, United States officials will move forward with plans to sell leases for oil and gas exploration in two states: New Mexico and Oklahoma.
The leases include land near the Chaco Culture National Historical Park and other areas that Native American tribes consider holy.
The sale comes against the wishes of tribal leaders, environmentalists and Democratic Party lawmakers. All three groups have criticized the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for pushing ahead with drilling permit inspections and preparations for energy leases.
The bureau had few people working when the federal government was partially closed for five weeks in December and January.
Critics have said that they were barred from the process because the government failed to release any information about the sale. Critics also questioned if the bureau would be able to effectively examine the land available for leasing and whether it would consider objections to the plans.
Tom Udall is a U.S. Senator and Democrat from New Mexico. He told The Associated Press in an email that he is concerned about the latest attempt to lease culturally important land without a more complete plan.
Udall said it was a mistake for the agency to move forward with such an unclear process since critical government services were closed for 35 days.
An agency representative said officials decided to delay the sale by a few weeks to provide time for a public protest period that was delayed during the government shutdown. It confirmed on its website that it would take comments starting February 11, and that the sale was set for March 28.
Depending on the result of the protests, it is possible for the agency to delay or withdraw nine pieces of land that lie within 16 kilometers of Chaco. The park is a world heritage site -- a place chosen by the United Nations as having cultural, historical, scientific or other importance.
Chaco has massive stone structures as well as kivas – centuries-old rooms that native Pueblo people have used for spiritual ceremonies and political meetings.
For tribes, the fight centers on protecting what remains of a ceremonial and economic center that goes back hundreds of years.
In all, more than 50 pieces of land in New Mexico and Oklahoma will be up for lease.
Kurt Riley is a former governor of the Acoma Pueblo. Last week, during a congressional gathering, he spoke of protesting the bureau’s support for oil and gas development over other interests.
Riley and others said the government shutdown worsened the already worrisome situation of oil and gas expansion in northwestern New Mexico.
In recent years, U.S. land officials have rejected oil and gas exploration on land near Chaco, creating a kind of unofficial protective barrier. In early 2018, for example, Ryan Zinke stopped a lease sale because of cultural concerns after hundreds of people protested. At the time, Zinke was heading the Department of the Interior.
The battle over energy development around Chaco has been around for years. Chaco is bordered by the Navajo Nation and a number of state and federal lands. In 2015, government officials visited the area in hopes of making an agreement between the tribes and energy companies.
The Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Indian Affairs began working together to improve the resource management plan for the San Juan Basin. It covers a large part of northwestern New Mexico and parts of southern Colorado.
The partnership aimed to ensure tribes would be part of the decision making, and that scientific and archaeological studies would be done to ensure cultural sensitivity.
The nine pieces of land are on the outer edge of the informal barrier area near the park. Critics have warned that park visitors might see drilling equipment in some places if those areas were leased. Whether the sound of the equipment could be heard would depend on wind direction. There are also concerns about light pollution affecting Chaco’s night sky.
Paul Reed is with Archaeology Southwest, a research group. He said many communities within the 16 kilometer area need a greater level of protection.
I’m Alice Bryant. And I'm Jonathan Evans.
Susan Montoya Bryan reported this story for the Associated Press. Alice Bryant adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
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Words in This Story
lease – n. a legal agreement that lets someone use a car, house, etc., for a period of time in return for payment
drill – v. to make a hole in something using a tool or equipment
critical – adj. extremely important
site – n. the place where something is, was or will be located
basin – b. the area of land around a large river and the small rivers that flow into it
archaeological – adj. relating to a science that deals with past human activities by studying the bones, tools and other objects
AS IT IS
US Army Develops New ‘Combat Fitness Test’
February 10, 2019
U.S Army 1st Lt. Mitchel Hess participates in a weight lifting drill while preparing to be an instructor in the new Army combat fitness test at Fort Bragg, N.C., Jan. 8, 2019. The new test is designed to be a more accurate test of combat readiness than th
The United States Army has developed a new physical fitness test that aims to prepare soldiers for real-life combat situations.
The Army's current physical fitness test covers three main activities: sit-ups, push-ups and a 3.2-kilometer run. It has to be completed in two hours.
The new test will include six events to complete in 50 minutes. The exam adds more difficult and complex exercises, including a strength dead lift, standing power throw and “drag and carry.”
The new test comes after many Army commanders expressed concerns in recent years that new soldiers are not physically fit. A public opinion study last year looked into the situation. It found almost half of commanders questioned said that newly arriving soldiers could not meet the physical demands of combat.
Army officials have also said about 12 percent of soldiers at any one time cannot deploy to combat areas because of injuries.
General Stephen Townsend is head of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. He told the Associated Press that many top officials have long thought that the existing fitness test does not effectively measure the physical qualities needed for battle.
Townsend said the new test “may be harder, but it is necessary.”
For many, meeting the new fitness levels will be difficult. The old test rated soldiers differently based on their age and gender. The new one will be far more physically demanding and will not consider age or sex.
Townsend said the new test was designed based on scientific research that attempts to link exercises to actual combat activities. Such things could include running away from fire, carrying a wounded soldier or carrying heavy equipment.
The scoring is divided into three levels that require soldiers with more physically demanding jobs to score higher.
Sergeant Major Harold Sampson told the AP he does not have a physically demanding job. As a military intelligence specialist stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, he spends a lot of time sitting inside an office.
He expressed concerns about being fit enough to pass the new test. After attending a preparation exercise two days before he was to take the test, Sampson said he felt prepared to be “embarrassed.”
Army Major General Malcolm Frost is commander of the Army’s Center for Initial Military Training. He was in charge of developing the new fitness test. “We needed to change the culture of fitness in the United States Army,” Frost said. “The goal is about having a more combat-ready army,” he added.
Frost said a major problem has been that about one-third of soldiers entering the service leave before their third year. Many do so because of muscular or skeletal injuries. The new test, he said, will help identify those who are less physically fit or lack the necessary mental discipline.
The new test will clearly add difficulty for officers like Harold Sampson and others with non-physical jobs. “It breaks the mindset of ‘I am an intel soldier,’” Sampson said. “It changes it to ‘I am a soldier,’ because bullets on the battlefield don’t discriminate.”
I’m Bryan Lynn.
The Associated Press reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English, with additional information from online sources. Caty Weaver 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
combat – n. a fight, especially in war
drag – v. pull someone or something across the ground
embarrassed – adj. feeling or showing shame or awkwardness
discipline – n. the control of people's behaviour using rules and punishments
discriminate – v. to notice a difference between two things