【990-993】美国企业寻求保护夏威夷语ALOHA&巴西部落土地面临新威胁&美中贸易战是帮还是害越南&尼日利亚双子镇多胎率高
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AS IT IS
US Business Seeks to Protect Use of Hawaiian Word ‘Aloha’
April 21, 2019
This Tuesday, April 16, 2019, photo the Aloha Poke Shop in Honolulu, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)
Is it possible for a business to legally own a word from a native culture and prevent its use by members of the native community?
This question is being considered in the American state of Hawaii. Some Hawaiians were surprised to learn that an American company had trademarked a business name that includes “aloha” -- one of the most common native Hawaiian words.
The Chicago-based eatery’s full name is “Aloha Poke.”
Aloha is a native Hawaiian word commonly used as a friendly greeting. It can also mean love or kindness and is used by Native Hawaiians and others to describe the way of life in Hawaii.
The word “poke” is a traditional Hawaiian salad usually made from pieces of fish, rice and vegetables. American restaurants offering poke meals have increased in popularity in recent years.
Aloha Poke Company operates restaurants in several American cities. The company has sent letters to some other businesses that it discovered were using poke and aloha in their names. The letters stated that Aloha Poke was a trademarked name. It demanded that other businesses stop using the words or face legal action.
One of the targeted businesses was Aloha Poke Shop in Honolulu, Hawaii’s capital. Business co-owner Jeff Sampson told Hawaii’s News Now that at first, he thought the letter must be a joke. “Because I didn't think you could trademark 'aloha' or 'poke' or them together in any shape or form."
Sampson said he ended up ignoring the letter after contacting lawyers and deciding that making a name change or launching a legal effort would be too costly for his business.
Sampson told the Associated Press he also explained to Aloha Poke Company that his Hawaii-based restaurant should not be considered a threat because it was too far away from the U.S. mainland.
Jarrett Keohokalole is a Native Hawaiian state senator. He said he was shocked “at the audacity of people from outside of our community” who seemed to be trying to prevent the use of “symbols and words that are important to our culture.”
Aloha Poke Company issued a statement to Hawaii’s News Now explaining its position. In the statement, business chief Chris Birkinshaw denied that his company had attempted to “own” the words aloha or poke.
However, he said the company does hold two federal trademarks for its company design logo and the words "Aloha Poke" for use with its restaurant business. The statement added that this gives the company the "exclusive right to use those words together in connection with restaurant services within the U.S."
The legal fight over Aloha Poke has increased publicity about a plan by some lawmakers in Hawaii to seek new legal measures that would protect Native Hawaiian cultural intellectual property.
A legislative proposal calls on Hawaiian state agencies and Native Hawaiian organizations to form a group to study legal ways to “recognize and protect” such property. If approved, the group would provide its legislative suggestions within three years.
I’m Bryan Lynn.
The Associated Press reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted it for VOA Learning English, with additional material from Hawaii News Now. Ashley Thompson was the editor.
We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.
______________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
trademark – v. secure an official registration for ownership of a product or idea
greeting – n. something friendly people say to each other when they meet
audacity – adj. showing too much confidence in one’s own behavior in a way that other people find shocking or rude
symbol – n. a sign or object used to represent something
logo – n. design or symbol used by a company to advertise its products
exclusive – adj. not shared with other people or organizations
intellectual property – n. something such as an idea, invention or process that comes from a person’s mind
AS IT IS
Brazil Tribal Lands Facing New Threat
April 21, 2019
Chief Aldenir Lima, the leader of the 70 communities on the Raposa Serra do Sol reservation. (REUTERS/Bruno Kelly)
Ten years ago, the Macuxi people won a legal battle to expel rice planters from their homeland in northern Brazil. Now, their control over ancestral lands is under attack, this time from Brazil’s new president, Jair Bolsonaro.
The 1.7 million hectares of grassland lies along the border with Venezuela and Guyana. The area is called Raposa Serra do Sol. It is home to 25,000 native people, many of whom raise cattle.
But the land is considered highly desirable by farmers and miners. They believe it is rich in minerals such as gold, diamonds, copper and niobium. Niobium is a metal used to strengthen steel that Bolsonaro considers “strategic.”
Chief Aldenir Lima is the leader of the 70 Macuxi communities in Raposa Serra do Sol. He told the Reuters news agency, “In the fight for our land rights, 21 of us died. Since then, we recovered what we had lost and today, the farmers’ rice plantations have been replaced by our cattle...”
But that could change if Bolsonaro follows through on his promise to reexamine the area’s borders. He wants to overturn a ban on industrial farming and mining on indigenous lands.
Bolsonaro’s first move after becoming president in January was to put indigenous land decisions under Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture. That government office is under the control of farm industry representatives who want to open up new areas to extensive farming.
The Macuxi fear the return of illegal gold miners and hunters on their lands.
Community leader Tereza Pereira de Souza told Reuters, “I want to ask the new president, Jair Bolsonaro, to respect indigenous people and our constitutional rights.”
She added: “It took us 30 years to get our land borders legally recognized and registered.”
Brazil’s 900,000 indigenous people make up less than 1 percent of the population. They live on areas of land that make up 13 percent of Brazil.
Any attempt to change the reservation’s legal standing would likely face opposition from the Supreme Court. Brazil’s 1988 Constitution protects indigenous land rights.
Some experts warn that removing that protection would destroy the traditions and languages of the Macuxi and four other tribes in the area.
Martinho de Souza is a Macuxi spiritual leader. He said, “Nature is our life, our blood and our spirit…we were born on this land, we live here and we will die here.”
I’m Jonathan Evans.
Bruno Kelly and Sergio Queiroz reported this story for the Reuters news service. Jonathan Evans adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
_______________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
cattle – n. large farm animals; cows
strategic – adj. related to long-term goals or interests
indigenous – n. produced, living, or existing naturally in a particular region or environment
AS IT IS
Will US-China Trade War Help or Hurt Vietnam?
April 21, 2019
Many Vietnamese shops carry signs in Chinese, a lingering sign of the shared history, though Vietnam and China have taken different turns in the modern economy. (H. Nguyen/VOA)
Vietnam could be one of the biggest winners or biggest losers in a changing global economy. That finding comes from Moody's Investors Services, a financial company.
Recently, Moody's announced findings of a study that looked at 23 countries across the Asia Pacific region. It found that Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam were the most likely to gain from trade moving away from China.
But, Vietnam was among the countries that could be most hurt by a trade slowdown, too.
The Southeast Asian country has been searching for a way to gain from trade tensions between the U.S. and China.
But those gains might not last, especially if a trade war between the world's two biggest economies reduces global trade overall.
Analysts say that Vietnam, a trade-dependent country, needs to be ready.
Sian Fenner is a lead economist at Oxford Economics in Singapore. She wrote that Vietnam's "dependence on foreign investor flows also makes it vulnerable to changing global sentiment."
Fenner added, “As a small, open economy heavily dependent on external trade, an increase in protectionism and slower global trade would have significant … effects for Vietnam, even if it is not the direct target of increased tariffs.”
U.S. President Donald Trump put tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese products last summer, citing the country’s unfair trade practices. China responded with its own import taxes on U.S. goods. Government officials from both sides are supposed to meet this month to resolve the dispute.
However, observers are divided on how likely a resolution to the conflict will be.
The trade war, combined with similar trade protectionism around the world, raises the chances of global economic instability.
While Vietnam cannot do much about the trade policies of other countries, it has received a number of recommendations on how to help itself. Advisers urge Vietnam to make reforms to its economy, for one.
Three experts, Tuan Ho, Trang Thi Ngoc Nguyen, and Tho Ngoc Tran, wrote in a report for Yusof Ishak Institute that the Vietnamese government should get serious about privatizing some state owned companies. They also suggested support for small businesses, such as through loans, and tougher screening of foreign investments.
The three noted that economic reform and wise public investments would help Vietnam deal with economic problems in the future. "That is particularly important in the context of a long-lasting global trade tension," they conclude.
I'm John Russell.
Ha Nguyen reported on this story for VOA News. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.
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Words in This Story
tension – n. a state in which people, groups, countries, etc., disagree with and feel anger toward each other
vulnerable – adj. open to attack, harm, or damage
screening – n. the act of examining people or things in order to decide if they are suitable for a particular purpose
context -- n. the situation in which something happens : the group of conditions that exist where and when something happens
We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.
AS IT IS
Nigeria's 'Twin Town' Has High Number of Multiple Births
April 21, 2019
Identical twins Taiwo Adejare and Kehinde Adejare pose for a picture in Igbo Ora, Oyo State, Nigeria April 4, 2019. Picture taken April 4, 2019. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde
At a dusty playground in southwest Nigeria, school children line up to return to their classrooms. Many of their faces have exact matches within the group. That is because an unusually large number of children in this part of Nigeria are identical twins.
Sights like this can be seen everywhere in Igbo Ora. A sign even welcomes visitors to the “twins capital of the world.”
Twins are common in the Yoruba ethnic group found in this part of the country. A 1970s study by a British doctor found that about 50 sets of twins were born out of every 1,000 births in the country’s southwest. That is one of the highest rates of twin births in the world.
In Yoruba culture, twins are so common that they are traditionally given specific names. They are called either Taiwo or Kehinde -- depending on whether they were born first or second.
But even for Yoruba people, Igbo Ora is considered to be exceptional. Among the nearly 100 school children who gathered at the end of their break, 18 were twins.
“There are so many twins because of the okra leaf that we eat,” said 15-year-old Kehinde Oyedepo, who is a twin.
Many in the town believe this is the reason for the high twin birth rate. The leaves are used to make a hot meal that is popular in Igbo Ora.
Others have pointed to the popularity of Amala - a local food made from yams. One theory is that yams activate the production of a chemical agent that stimulates egg production in women.
Ekujumi Olarenwaju is a doctor based in the Nigerian capital of Lagos, about 160 kilometers from Igbo Ora. Olarenwaju believes the cause must be something else, because the same kind of yam is eaten in many parts of the world -- without the same results.
He suggested the cause may be because the genes that often lead to twins have become highly concentrated in this area.
But the women who sell okra leaves at a town market are quick to disagree with the doctor. They say how locals eat the leaves is critical. For example, a stew made from the okra leaves should be eaten immediately and never stored.
Oyenike Bamimore said she was living proof that diet helped explain the high number of twin births. She said, “because I eat okra leaves a lot, I gave birth to eight sets of twins.”
I'm Ashley Thompson.
The Reuters news agency reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.
_______________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
specific - adj. special or particular
identical - adj. exactly the same
twin - n. either one of two babies that are born at the same time to the same mother
concentrated - adj. existing or happening together in one place : not spread out
stew - n. a dish of vegetables and usually meat cooked in hot liquid for a long time
diet - n. the food that a person or animal usually eats
stimulate - v. to make (something) more active
okra -n. a tall plant whose pods are eaten as a vegetable and are used in soups and stews
yam - n. a long, thick root of a tropical plant that has rough brown skin and usually white or yellow flesh and that is eaten as a vegetable
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