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하루 10분이면 영어에 대한 두려움을 극복하고 누구나 유창하게 영어를 구사하실 수 있습니다.
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The Woman Behind the Image of the Black Hole Trying to capture an image of a black hole is like trying to take a picture of an orange sitting on the surface of the moon from Earth-- with your smartphone.
That is what Dr. Katie Bouman said two years ago during her TED talk called “How to take a picture of a black hole.”
Bouman is 29 years old. She received her doctoral degrees in computer science and engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She later became a postdoctoral researcher with the international Event Horizon Telescope, or EHT, project. The project’s scientists produced a black hole image from data collected from a series of telescopes around the world. Together, they formed an Earth-sized “virtual” telescope -- one powerful enough to do what had once seemed impossible.
This week, the team of scientists, led by Sheperd S. Doeleman of Harvard University, released to the public the first-ever image of a black hole.
Soon after, another image was spreading over social media and the news. It showed a smiling Bouman with the black hole image on her computer screen. She wrote on Facebook, “Watching in disbelief as the first image I ever made of a black hole was in the process of being reconstructed.”
Bouman led a team that helped create an algorithm, or set of computer processes that turned the huge amount of telescopic data into one image.
Bouman quickly became a symbol for women in science.
One especially popular Twitter post showed a side-by-side picture of Bouman with hard drives of black hole image data next to another woman scientist: Margaret Hamilton. In 1969, Hamilton helped write on-board computer code for NASA’s Apollo space program.
Twitter user Tammy Emma Pepin wrote of Bouman, “Here’s to more women in science -- getting their credit and being remembered in history.”
And Twitter user Pooja Chandraskekar, who recently completed her studies in engineering at Harvard, wrote, “So many young girls will see Dr. Katie Bouman as an inspiration and go on to make their own discoveries in space, physics, and computer science. A historic moment not just for science, but for women in science.”
But Bouman herself quickly noted that she was not the only one responsible for the image of the black hole. She posted on Facebook, “No one algorithm or person made this image, it required the amazing talent of a team of scientists from around the globe and years of hard work…”
After the press event Wednesday, Bouman spoke with members of the media. She said she is looking forward to developing more algorithms and methods that will help lead to an even better, sharper image of a black hole.
Bouman will begin her teaching career at the California Institute of Technology later this year.
I'm Ashley Thompson.View -
More American Pets Are Eating Fresh Food Americans are increasingly feeding their dogs and cats fresh foods.
Most Americans feed their pets with kibble – a kind of food ground into small pieces. But, more American pets are eating fresh food, like chicken, sweet potatoes and spinach.
Sales of fresh pet food in grocery stores and pet stores grew to about $546 million in 2018. That is an increase of about 70 percent from 2015. That information comes from Nielsen, a company that researches what the public buys and uses.
Even with the big increase, fresh food sales still make up a small part of the $25 billion that Americans spend on pet food each year.
Supporters of fresh food diets for pets say these foods keep their nutrients better than canned or dried foods. They also say fresh food diets are similar to the pets' ancestral diets and improve their health.
In America, pet food trends have followed human ones. When gravy, a sauce made from the juices of cooked meat, was popular in the 1950s, Gravy Train dog food appeared. In the 1980s, Fancy Feast cat food showed a growing consumer interest in gourmet food.
Mintel is a company that advises businesses. It said young buyers are fueling the sales increase. They are more likely to choose pet foods that they consider to be safer and more natural.
Amy Zalneraitis is the part-owner of We Feed Raw, a raw food meal plan service for pets based in the northeastern state of Maine.
She said, “Just as people have become skeptical of highly processed foods for themselves, they’re looking critically at their pets’ foods as well.” She added: “They think: How could something with a shelf life of over [a] year be better than real, fresh food?”
But some animal health experts question this way of thinking. They say established pet food companies, like Royal Canin, have researched their food for many years.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that raw pet food has a high risk of bacterial contamination. The agency is also investigating a link between grain-free diets that contain peas, lentils and potatoes and elevated levels of heart disease in dogs.
Lindsey Bullen is a pet nutrition specialist with the Veterinary Specialist Hospital of the Carolinas in Durham, North Carolina.
She said pets need many kinds of important nutrients. If those levels of needed nutrients "are too high or too low," she added, "it can cause significant problems for that pet that the client might not see for months or years to come.”
Seven years ago, Deb Colgan saw that her husband was feeding raw meat to their two dogs. At first, she did not like the idea, but changed her mind after researching it.
She and her husband started buying raw meat and bones from the grocery store. She also talked with a veterinarian and added supplements like vitamin E, salmon oil and probiotics, among others.
One of her dogs stopped vomiting regularly and gained weight. The other stopped getting ear and urinary tract infections. Those dogs eventually died, but the Colgans have continued the diet with two new dogs.
“It’s very much a relief they are so healthy, and we do believe it’s because how they eat,” said Colgan. “I can’t imagine us ever going back to commercial [dog food].”
I'm John Russell.View -
US Charges WikiLeaks Founder Assange after London Arrest British police arrested WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange Thursday at the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
Assange had taken refuge in the embassy in 2012. He went there to avoid being sent to Sweden, where he was wanted for questioning as part of a sexual assault investigation.
Sweden suspended the investigation in 2017, but Assange remained at the embassy over fears he might be sent to the United States. The U.S. Department of Justice wants him in connection with WikiLeaks’ publication of secret government documents.
British police said on Thursday they were invited to the embassy by Ecuador’s ambassador after the Ecuadorian government cancelled its offer of asylum to Assange.
A short time later, the U.S. Justice Department announced it was bringing charges against Assange. It accuses him of conspiring to break into U.S. government computers to read secret documents and communications.
The Justice Department asked Britain to send him to the United States for trial. His next appearance in a British court is set for May 2.
The history of WikiLeaks
WikiLeaks, a non-profit website, was the creation of Julian Assange. Its goal is to get and publish secret information and news leaks provided by individuals who wish to remain anonymous.
The website angered U.S. officials by publishing hundreds of thousands of secret messages from diplomats and other officials.
The U.S. government claims that in March 2010, Assange worked with an army private, Chelsea Manning, to break into Department of Defense computers. Those computers are connected to the Secret Internet Protocol Network, a system used for secret documents and communications. Manning was an intelligence analyst who had permission to use the computers.
The charge can lead to up to five years in prison.
Assange will have the right to argue against the U.S. extradition request in British courts. He will most likely argue that the case is political and not criminal.
Assange is not accused of spying, something many supporters of press freedom are pleased to hear.
Freedom of the press
Assange has always said that WikiLeaks is a press organization. He says it works for government openness.
A lawyer working for Assange, Barry J. Pollack, accused the United States of seeking to extradite a “foreign journalist to face criminal charges for publishing truthful information.”
In 2013, Assange’s organization became involved with Edward Snowden, who once worked for the U.S. government. Snowden released National Security Agency documents and now lives in exile in Russia.
In 2016, WikiLeaks released thousands of emails about the election campaign of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Those emails were taken from computers operated by the Democratic National Committee. U.S. investigators have said that Russian agents broke into the computer systems and gave the emails to WikiLeaks.
Assange says he did not get the emails from Russia.
The Justice Department charge against Assange is not related to the U.S. investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections. The investigation did not lead to charges against Assange. It also did not find evidence that Donald Trump’s presidential election campaign worked with Russian agents on the break in.
During the election campaign, Trump praised WikiLeaks for releasing the damaging Democratic emails.
I’m Susan Shand.View -
Airbnb to Permit Listings in Israeli Settlements in West Bank Airbnb is canceling an earlier plan to bar listings in Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
The home-sharing company announced in November that it would remove about 200 listings in the West Bank, which is territory claimed by Palestinians.
Airbnb announced this week it will now permit properties in Israeli settlements to be listed. The company also said it will donate all of the company’s profits from West Bank properties to humanitarian aid organizations.
Airbnb said it will use the same approach in other disputed territories around the world, such as South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
“We have always sought to bring people together and will continue to work with our community to achieve this goal,” Airbnb said.
Supporters of Airbnb’s initial plan expressed dissatisfaction.
Human Rights Watch said, “Donating profits from unlawful settlement listings … does nothing to remedy the human suffering.” The rights group added that, “By continuing to do business in settlements,” Airbnb remains active in the abuses settlements trigger.”
Others, however, celebrated the news.
Nitsana Darshan-Leitner directs the Shurat HaDin – Israel Law Center, a Tel Aviv-based Israeli rights group. She said, “I believe other companies considering boycotts are going to take real note of the mistake Airbnb made and refuse to act against Israel and the Jewish community.”
Twelve home owners in the Jewish settlements brought legal action in U.S. federal court against Airbnb. All 12 are citizens of both Israel and the United States. The company’s change in plans settles that case.
Lawyer Robert Tolchin represents the 12 American-Israeli citizens. He said, “As a provider of a service to the public, Airbnb is not permitted to refuse to provide services to selected religious groups to engineer who it thinks should be allowed to live where.”
The initial plan did not affect about 20,000 other Airbnb listings throughout Israel, including listings in other disputed areas, such as east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.
Airbnb announced the change in plans late Tuesday Israeli time -- the same day as the country’s legislative elections.
During the election campaign, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that if returned to power, Israel would annex West Bank settlements. That would likely end the remaining hopes of a two-state solution with the Palestinians.
Israel captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war. Today, over 400,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank. About 200,000 Israelis live in east Jerusalem. The Palestinians claim both areas as parts of a future state.
I'm Jill Robbins.View -
In India, Fake News Floods Social Media as Voting Begins Indian voters begin marking ballots this week in a general election that will continue over the next six weeks.
The election will decide seats in India’s lower house of parliament. The winning party or coalition will choose India’s prime minister.
Current Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, is seeking a second term in office. The main opposition Congress Party, led by Rahul Gandhi, is seeking to take control of the government.
The election will be held in several rounds of voting through May 19, with vote counting expected to begin May 23. The country has about 900 million eligiblevoters.
Experts say a high percentage of India’s citizens are getting election-related information from social media. They say this has raised concerns about fake news stories and images influencing the election.
Media watchdog groups say in the run-up to the election, they have seen fake, made up pictures being published by major news media. They have also seen hateful propaganda based on made up comments.
A lot of people seem to be believing the information they are seeing.
Ram Shankar Rai owns a store in the city of New Delhi. Rai told The Associated Press he spends at least two hours a day examining political news and videos shared by others on social media.
On the WhatsApp messenger service, Rai received a series of videos and images that were said to show results of an Indian airstrike in Pakistan. The information included pictures identified as the bodies of dead militants.
But Rai later found out the images were falsely identified. They were not militants. Instead, the pictures showed victims of a 2005 earthquake that killed thousands of people in Pakistan. Rai told the AP he could not tell the pictures were not real. “It’s news,” he said. “How can it be fake?”
Another example of fake news appeared on Facebook in February after a suicide bombing in Kashmir, an area claimed by both India and Pakistan. The bombing killed 40 Indian soldiers and increased tensions between the two sides.
Two weeks after the attack, a Facebook user shared a recording of what he said was a telephone call in which the head of the BJP, Amit Shah, was speaking. Shah was supposedly heard saying, “We agree that for election, we need a war.” But the recording was not real. It was made by putting together different pieces of audio from older stories.
The Facebook post was seen by 2.5 million viewers and shared more than 150,000 times before it was removed by the company.
In India, Facebook has partnered with fact checking companies and increased efforts to block fake accounts. On Monday, Facebook said it had removed 1,126 accounts, groups and pages in India and Pakistan for “inauthentic behavior.”
One of the fact checking companies partnering is Boom. Jency Jacob directs the operation. He told the AP his biggest worry is “the blatant misuse of old videos and images to suggest that one political party or leader is not good for the country.” He added that most people do not take the time “to go back and check whether what they are seeing is true or not.”
Apar Gupta is head of an Indian-based group called the Internet Freedom Foundation. He said many Indian internet users seem to lack the knowledge and skills to judge that “just because it’s on a screen does not mean it’s true.”
I’m Bryan Lynn.View