this is voa1 the hits [Music] welcome to learning English a daily 30-minute program from The Voice of America I'm Ashley Thompson and I'm Dan Novak this program is designed for English Learners so we speak a little slower and we use words and phrases especially written for people learning English [Music] today Andrew Smith has a story on the U.S reopening visa and Consular services in Cuba Brian Lynn tells us about some exciting new products in this week's technology report we close with the next part of our U.S history series but first here is Andrew Smith the United States Embassy in Cuba is reopening visa and Consular services on Wednesday the embassy says it will prioritize immigration permits to help Cubans join their families in the U.S the move comes during one of the largest waves ever of Cuban migration to the U.S economic and political problems on the island are among reasons Cubans are
leaving the embassy expects to give out at least 20 000 visas a year but that is just a small part of the total number of Cubans migrating towards the U.S in late December U.S officials reported stopping Cubans 34 675 times along the Mexico border in November up 21 from 28 848 times in October that number has slowly risen each month Cubans are now the second largest nationality after Mexicans appearing on the border U.S Customs and Border
Protection data shows most Cuban migrants come to the U.S after first traveling to Nicaragua by air and then going by land to the U.S border with Mexico however others make a dangerous trip by sea they travel 90 miles to the Florida coast in unsafe boats filled with migrants the renewal of Visa work at the embassy comes after a series of migration talks and visits by U.S officials to Cuba in recent months it may be a sign that relations between the two governments are slowly improving visa and Consular Services were closed on the island in 2017. after Embassy staff were
struck by many health problems possibly caused by Sonic attacks however the attacks remain largely unexplained the administration of U.S President Joe Biden has reduced some of the restrictions on things like money sent to Cubans from family living in the U.S and travel from Miami to Cuba but restrictions on tourists travel to Cuba remain in place so do restrictions on imports and exports of many Goods the U.S has also disagreed with the Cuban government's treatment of protesters
in 2021. at that time people were protesting a lack of food and medicine and the government's response to the covid-19 pandemic however Cuban officials have repeatedly said they are hopeful about talks with the U.S and steps to reopen Visa services Cuban Deputy foreign affairs minister Carlos coccio said in November that making sure migration is safe and legal is a shared goal of both countries but kosio also blamed the migration of tens of thousands from the island on U.S sanctions he said U.S policies that aim to lower the quality of life in Cuba are a direct cause of migration I'm Andrew Smith foreign [Music] biggest technology shows CES opens this week in Las Vegas Nevada the show produced by the consumer technology Association presents some of the latest technology offerings from companies of all sizes here is a look at some top products presented at CES 2023 several companies notably Facebook parent meta have been working on Technologies to support a future digital world called the metaverse metaverse is a term used to describe a non-physical World in which individuals interact through different kinds of digital technology people would use Virtual Reality VR glasses and other devices to interact with each other in the metaverse a company called OVR technology launched a new wearable device that produces smells or scents designed for VR technology in a video explaining the device OVR Chief Aaron wisnevsky said it is designed to copy the human sense of smell the device links smells to elements a person can experience in a digital VR powered world for example smelling a flower would make the device produce a scent for it outdoor environments such as being in the middle of a field can also be digitally smelled the device could also produce the smell of tasty Foods as a person in the metaverse walks through shops or restaurants OVR technology says its device is able to produce thousands of different smell combinations but it adds that it is not designed to exactly produce smells found in the real world instead the device aims to offer users a whole new world of possibilities in digital scent technology developers of this kinetic wearable device say it is designed to help users experience another basic human sense touch kinetic is a vest equipped with 20 small motors designed to produce many different touch Sensations it is designed for gamers and users of VR technology the company said its Engineers closely studied the sensitivity of the human body in order to map the vests numerous touch points this was done to recreate the feelings of touch that can be experienced in video games and digital environments French startup Atmos gear launched a new pair of electric in-line skates at CES the company's Chief Mohammed Solomon told the Associated Press the skates permit users to ride about 32 kilometers on a single charge Atmos gear said the skates are very fun to ride but the company also hopes they will be used as another form of transportation along with the electric bikes and scooters that help keep many people moving in cities a power bag that holds the battery and electrical connections can be worn around a person's waist the 500 skates can be operated without power as well a handheld device presented by South Korean company prinker permits a person to quickly and easily create temporary tattoos the device uses high quality ink to print thousands of existing designs but also permits users to create their own the device can be positioned over the skin where the tattoo is desired the tattoos are waterproof but can be washed off with cleanser the main tattooing device sells for 279 dollars and enough ink to produce 1 000 tattoos costs 119 dollars South Korea's TT care presented a device that uses artificial intelligence AI methods to identify early health conditions in dogs and cats users take pictures of their pet with their smartphone next the AI software closely examines the images for signs of possible eye skin or joint related diseases and conditions the company explains TT care said the system's software was tested and approved by the country's Ministry of Agriculture food and Rural affairs creators of the Nyla black line of toothbrushes showed off their new products at CES the company ybrush claims the devices can produce a full and effective Brushing in just 10 seconds the toothbrush is designed in the shape of a y in order to fit naturally in the mouth why brush says the nylon black toothbrushes are fast and effective because each contains 35 000 small brushing tools made out of the soft material nylon the battery operated devices are equipped with vibration technology designed to remove plaque and other substances without damaging teeth or gums I'm Brian Lynn [Music] [Music] Brian Lynn joins me now to talk about this week's technology report hi Brian thanks for being here sure Ashley thanks for having me today we learned about some interesting new products being presented at this year's CES Show in Las Vegas Brian do you think some of these products signal any new technology Trends we can expect in the coming year well Ashley at least two of the products described in today's technology report could be very interesting for serious Gamers as well as users of virtual reality VR technology one of the products is designed to produce smells in digital VR worlds the other is a wearable vest built to help VR users experience touch Sensations and I know you mentioned the metaverse in the report as it related to new VR products do you think we are likely to hear more about the development of the metaverse this year this is very likely Ashley so far Facebook's parent meta has done the most talking about the idea of a metaverse this is because meta has positioned itself as a company that wants to be heavily involved in building this kind of digital world but meta had some highly publicized business difficulties last year that might have kept it silent on some of its ongoing development activities but I would expect next year to be different yes is also known for presenting some unusual technology devices and this year was no different right yes that is correct I tried to include a couple of those products in there too to me the AI device built to identify health issues in dogs and cats was very interesting and of course who would not like a device to help them brush their teeth in just 10 seconds yeah I might like to try that one thanks again Brian for joining me today on the show you're welcome thank you Ashley [Music] welcome to the making of a Nation American history in VOA Special English in November of 1863 President Abraham Lincoln traveled to Gettysburg Pennsylvania he went there to make a speech at a ceremony establishing a military burial ground five months earlier Confederate General Robert E Lee had marched his army up from Virginia to invade the North the Union Army of the Potomac went after him they met at Gettysburg in the bloodiest battle of the Civil War K gallant and Frank Oliver tell the story of Abraham Lincoln's speech the Gettysburg Address the Battle of Gettysburg lasted three days General Lee threw his men against the Union Army the northern soldiers refused to break Lee at last had to stop fighting badly hurt his army went back to Virginia Lee left behind a battlefield covered with confederate dead more than 3 000 Confederate soldiers had been killed Union losses were almost as heavy 2 500 Union Soldiers had been killed terrible job of clearing the battlefield fell to the Union Soldiers who had won the battle many thousands on both sides had been wounded the wounded were moved to medical centers for treatment the dead were buried most of the bodies were buried where they fell the Confederate dead generally were buried together in large shallow Graves Union troops who fell were buried in separate Graves all over the battlefield a few weeks after the battle the governor of Pennsylvania visited Gettysburg as he walked over the battlefield he saw where Reigns had washed away the Earth covering many of the Fallen Soldiers he said men who died so bravely should have a better resting place than that the governor said a new Cemetery should be built for the bodies of the Union Soldiers he asked the governors of other northern states to help raise money for the cemetery within a month there was money enough to buy a large area of the battlefield for a military cemetery work began almost immediately the human remains were moved from other places on the battlefield and put into graves in the new Cemetery the governor planned a ceremony in November 1863 to dedicate the Gettysburg Cemetery he invited Governors and congressmen from each state in the Union he asked a former Senator and governor of Massachusetts Edward Everett to give the dedication speech an invitation was sent to the White House too the governor asked President Lincoln to come to the ceremony he asked Lincoln to say a few words Lincoln agreed to do so he felt it was his duty to go he wanted to honor the brave men who had died at Gettysburg Lincoln hoped his words might ease the sorrow over the loss of these men and lift the spirit of the nation Lincoln was advised to talk about democracy he recently had received a letter from a man in Massachusetts the man had just returned from a visit to Europe the man told Lincoln that Europeans saw the war more clearly than Americans who were in the middle of it he said they saw it as a war between the people and an aristocracy the South he said was ruled by a small group of aristocrats he said once the people understood that it was a war for democracy they would win it quickly the man urged Lincoln to explain to the common people that the war was not the north against the South but democracy against the enemies of democracy Lincoln was busy during the two weeks before the ceremony at Gettysburg he did not have much time to work on his speech he decided what to say but he did not choose the exact words he would use Lincoln left Washington November 18th for the train ride to Gettysburg the train stopped in Baltimore a crowd waited to see him an old man came up and shook Lincoln's hand he told the president that he had lost a son in the fighting at Gettysburg Lincoln said he understood the man's sorrow Lincoln said to the old man when I think of the sacrifices of Life still to be offered and the hearts and homes to be made lonely before this terrible War is Over my heart is like lead I feel at times like hiding in a deep Darkness [Music] Lincoln arrived at Gettysburg at sundown he had dinner then he went to his room to complete the speech he would give the next day he worked for several hours finally it was done the next morning Lincoln on Horseback let a slow parade to the new Cemetery a huge crowd waited before the place where Lincoln and the other important visitors would sit military bands played soldiers saluted ceremonies began with a prayer then Edward Everett Rose to speak Everett stood silent for a moment he looked out across the battlefield and the crowds that now covered it he began to talk about the Civil War and what had caused it he spoke about Lee's invasion of the North he told how Northern cities would have fallen had Lee not been stopped at Gettysburg he praised The Men Who had given their lives in the great battle Everett spoke for almost two hours he closed his speech with the hope that the nation would come out of the war with greater Unity than ever before then Lincoln stood up he looked out over the valley then down at the papers in his hand he began to read [Music] four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal now we are engaged in a great civil war testing whether that Nation or any Nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure we are met on a great battlefield of that war we have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that Nation might live it is all together fitting and proper that we should do this but in a larger sense we cannot dedicate we cannot consecrate we cannot hallow this ground the brave men living and dead who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract the world will little note nor long remember what we say here but it can never forget what they did hear it is for us the living rather to be dedicated here to The Unfinished work for which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced it is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us that from these honored dead we take increased Devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion that we hear highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the People by the people for the people shall not perish from the Earth the crowd applauded for several minutes then the people began to leave Lincoln turned to a friend he said he feared his speech had been a failure he said he should have prepared it more carefully Edward Everett did not agree with Lincoln he said the president's speech was perfect he said the president had said more in two minutes than he Everett had said in two hours newspapers and other Publications praised Lincoln's Gettysburg Address said one the few words of the president were from the heart to the heart they cannot be read without emotion Abraham Lincoln went back to Washington that night he was very tired within a week his secretary announced that the president was sick he was suffering from smallpox and that's our program for today join us again tomorrow to keep learning English through stories from around the world I'm Ashley Thompson and I'm
2023-01-11