뉴스&스피킹(영자신문)
하루 10분이면 영어에 대한 두려움을 극복하고 누구나 유창하게 영어를 구사하실 수 있습니다.
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How Much Money Should be Spent on Historic Buildings? The fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris has raised questions about the condition of thousands of other cathedrals and historic structures across Europe. It also raises questions about whether European governments are doing enough to keep up and care for such buildings.
Critics suggest that a culture of indifference to aging, world famous buildings could undermine a shared history and Europe’s tourism industry.
Tibor Navracsics is the European Union’s top culture official. He told The Associated Press that "we are so used to our outstanding cultural heritage in Europe that we tend to forget that it needs constant care and attention."
Some people say the fire last week was a wake-up call, not just for Europe, but the whole world.
Sneska Quaedvlieg-Mihailovicis heads the heritage group Europa Nostra. She said it was “as if Notre Dame decided to set itself on fire to ring the alarm bell. As if she wanted to sacrifice herself for the cause.”
Large fires have long robbed humanity of knowledge, art and treasures. One example is the fire at the famous library of Alexandria in northern Egypt.
Didier Rykner works for the French magazine La Tribune de l'Art. Rykner knows of no actual list of historic buildings destroyed by fire. But he added that France sees "several fires every year in historic buildings, which is already way too much."
In 2015, the German engineering company Siemens found that Scotland had about 10 damaging fires a year, while England lost at least a dozen listed buildings a year. In Germany, 70 historic buildings have been destroyed since 2000.
And all too often, fires happen while old structures are being repaired.
The Glasgow School of Art’s Mackintosh Building, for example, was heavily damaged by fire last year. It was the second large fire in four years as workers neared the end of a multimillion dollar restoration project.
Experts say that what is needed is continuous attention and maintenance. These steps, if taken, could help avoid the need for major restoration work.
But regular attention and maintenance costs money.
Part of the problem comes from austerity budgets approved by governments after the 2008 financial crisis and Europe's subsequent debt crisis.
The EU itself set aside $5.28 billion for restorations in the 2014-2020 financial budget. Individual EU states also spend money on repairs.
But as state financing dries up, governments are increasingly looking for private donors to keep up historic structures.
In recent years, Tod’s luxury shoes provided money for repairs at Italy’s Coliseum. Fendi fashion house helped the Trevi Fountain in Rome, and Diesel backed improvements for the Rialto bridge in Venice.
“We do need to invest more, but this is a shared responsibility for governments, businesses and citizens across Europe,” said the EU’s Tibor Navracsics.
Some say world-renowned monuments like Notre Dame are the driving force behind tourism and should get more respect.
Quaedvlieg-Mihailovicis noted the importance of such respect. “Cultural heritage is a gold mine. You cannot exploit it and then just leave the mine and go to another one. It is something you really have to cherish,” she said.
I'm John Russell.
And I'm Alice Bryant.View -
Putin Meets Kim, Urges International Nuclear Efforts Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met Thursday in their first-ever face-to-face meeting.
The two men met for nearly two hours on an island off the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok. After the talks, Putin described Kim as “quite open” and “thoughtful.”
The Russian leader said his country, just like the United States, supports the goal of removing nuclear weapons from the Korean Peninsula.
Putin said Kim confirmed his willingness to give up North Korea’s nuclear arms, but only if he first receives strong security guarantees. He added that such guarantees would require the agreement and support of other countries.
Such an effort would likely involve the six nations that took part in international talks on the denuclearization issue over the years. The six are North and South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States.
Kim has held two face-to-face meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump. But the last Trump-Kim meeting ended with no agreements announced.
North Korea has sought immediate U.S. easing of economic restrictions on the country. Trump has said he is seeking a “big deal” in which North Korea would give up all its nuclear activities in exchange for normalized relations with the U.S.
Putin told reporters after the meeting Thursday that North Korea is seeking to receive “international guarantees” of its security and sovereignty.
“That’s it. All of us together need to think about this,” the Russian leader said. He added: “It’s unlikely that any agreements between two countries will be enough.”
The North Korean leader did not speak to reporters after the meeting. Earlier, Kim said he planned to share his ideas on the current political situation on the Korean Peninsula. He said the situation had “garnered the urgent attention of the world.”
Kim told Russian state television he hoped his visit would be “successful and useful” to help strengthen ties. He also spoke about his father’s “great love for Russia.” During his rule, Kim Jong Il made three trips to Russia, the last one in 2011.
In addition to his meetings with Trump and Putin, Kim has met with Chinese President Xi Jinping four times. He also held three meetings with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
Putin’s meeting with Kim came a day before he goes to Beijing for a two-day visit. “I will talk about it tomorrow (on Friday) with the leadership of China,” the Russian leader said.
Putin added: “And we will just as openly discuss this issue with the U.S. leadership. There are no secrets. Russia’s position always has been transparent. There are no plots of any kind.”
I’m Bryan Lynn.View -
New Mexico Ranch Works on Wildfire Recovery as Season Nears The Philmont Scout Ranch is a special place for members of the Boy Scouts of America.
The ranch lies at the base of the Rocky Mountains, in northern New Mexico. More than 1 million Scouts and other people have visited the property over the past 80 years.
Philmont has large stretches of wilderness and is known for its demanding, backcountry trails.
For many people who have spent time on the ranch, they cannot wait until their next visit. One could say the experience gets in their blood. They love every minute of it. That explains why there was so much sadness last year when a wildfire burned through the center of the property.
The fire destroyed many hiking trails and campsites. It will take years and millions of dollars to return the ranch to the way it once was.
The work is necessary. Boy Scout leaders say Philmont is a large part of the scouting experience.
“There’s just a real sense of loss, kind of a grieving process so to speak,” said Roger Hoyt. He is a longtime Scout leader and Philmont’s general manager. But he added, “Nature does renew itself and I think from the tragedy and the heartache comes this sense of renewal and opportunity.”
More than $500,000 already have been raised. The rebuilding effort has begun, with workers setting up 85 new campsites.
Workers had to stop in January because of snowfall. But work has begun again in the lower parts of the mountain as warmer weather returns.
And it will be an exceptional season with a record number of Scouts, possibly as many as 24,000, Hoyt said. Some of them had planned to make the visit in 2018 but stayed home because of the wildfire.
With nearly one-fifth of Philmont destroyed, the ranch owners are not alone in their desire to do a better job of caring for the land. Western land managers now face larger and hotter wildfires caused by overgrown forests and lack of rainfall.
In 2018, fires burned more than 3.5 million hectares of land across the United States. Most of it was in the West, says the National Interagency Fire Center. Many records were set, especially in California, which had its deadliest and most destructive wildfire last November. The fire destroyed the town of Paradise, killing 85 people.
Scientists have said the 2018 fire season was part of a larger trend and more common fires in the western U.S.
In New Mexico, nearly 160,000 hectares burned in 2018. The state has experienced its largest and most destructive fires on record within the past ten years.
Roger Hoyt estimates the Philmont Scout Ranch will spend $1 million in the next year on restoration and fire control projects. While the work is relatively low-cost, it requires a large workforce, Hoyt noted.
In March, 140 volunteers spent over 6,000 hours on fire control and restoration projects.
Hoyt hopes parts of the burned camp can be used as an outdoor classroom for visiting Scouts.
Across the country, in the eastern state of Virginia, members of Scout Troop 715 are preparing for their trip to Philmont. They gathered recently for a 3-kilometer hike so they could learn what equipment to take. They will eventually work up to longer walks, hiking 16 kilometers a day.
Then there is the first aid training and other skills that will help when Scouts are far from civilization, said Scout Master Steve Tyler. He will travel to the Philmont Scout Ranch with his sons.
Aside from being in what Tyler calls “big sky country,” he said another goal is reaching the top of Baldy Mountain — a 3,793-meter high peak on Philmont’s northern side not far from the Colorado border.
“So it’s very, very different out there. It is a special experience,” Tyler said.
I’m Susan Shand.View -
Explainer: Why Spain's Election is So Open Spain will hold national elections on Sunday. It will be the country’s third such election in four years.
The Reuters news agency says the results of the vote are likely too close to call. At least five political parties have a chance to be in the next government.
The general elections are set to mark a few firsts in Spanish politics. It appears clear that the elections will lead to a coalition government. Since it returned to democracy in the 1970s, Spain has yet to be ruled by a coalition.
Also, opinion studies are showing that far-right politicians could be elected in the country for the first time since 1982.
Reuters predicts there will be long coalition negotiations after the voting ends Sunday night. Results are expected within a few hours.
Here is what is important to know:
Who will win?
No party will win enough seats to form a government on its own. Opinion surveys appear to show that the parliament will be fragmented.
One such poll was released on Monday just before the two debates between the leaders of four of the five main parties. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s Socialist party was found to be in the lead. He will most likely win just under 30 percent of votes. That information comes from a poll published in the newspaper El Pais. The Socialists would have the best chance of leading the coalition, if it could find allies. That might be difficult.
If a coalition government fails to take shape, there could be another election. In other words, it could be many months before a new prime minister is chosen.
Why is this so complex?
The most recent polls put the number of undecided Spanish voters as high as 40 percent of the population.
No one seems to know how many votes the new far-right party Vox will receive, but it seems clear the party will win seats. Far-right lawmakers have been largely missing from Spain’s political life for nearly 40 years. The leader of Vox was barred from the two election debates for legal reasons.
Some political observers say the candidate who performed best at the debates was Pablo Iglesias. He is the leader of the anti-austerity party Podemos. But opinion polls show his party has lost a lot of support in recent weeks.
The 350 deputies in Spain’s lower house of parliament are elected from 52 constituencies, whose sizes and economies are very different. Also, predicting who might win is difficult because of the large number of candidates.
Spanish parties are not familiar with coalition-building. And they have little reason to negotiate as they face local elections on May 26. Making compromises in the hope of forming a government may anger local voters.
Also, some of the parties are either having power struggles or have recently had them. There are new political leaders who might make changes or create unusual alliances.
Spaniards will also elect 208 representatives to the Senate. The Senate is less openly political and has been under the control of conservative lawmakers since 2011.
Who will be the Prime Minister?
If the Socialist party wins many seats, Sanchez could remain Prime Minister by forming a coalition with the Podemos party.
But recent polls show that the Socialist party will not do that well. Even if the party joins with Podemos, the coalition would need another ally. That ally would most likely come from one of the small, nationalist parties, perhaps one from Catalonia. The Socialists and Podemos would be forced to make compromises with that party. In the case of the Catalonian party, that might mean talking to Catalan secessionists.
The latest polls also say that the three rightist parties combined probably would not win a parliamentary majority.
The Socialists could form a coalition with the Ciudadanos, but the party’s leader, Albert Rivera, has said he would never join with the Socialists. Sanchez also said he had no plans to work with Rivera.
While the leader in all the polls, Sanchez wants to stay in power, but his coalition choices all have problems.
Only one thing is sure: Spain’s two-party system is dead.
What are the main issues for voters?
The general election campaign has dealt largely with two issues: identity and values. The economy is a distant third issue.
Catalonia’s campaign for independence has become one of the most important issues. Currently, 12 former leaders of the Catalan Independence movement are on trial.
Ciudadanos, Vox and Spain’s People’s Party are competing for the anti-separatist vote. The Socialists will also try to get the anti-separatist vote, but they may have to negotiate with the Catalans for a coalition. In years past, the Socialists have refused to give in to Catalan demands.
All the main parties have traded accusations of corruption. The economy has been a minor issue, since it is growing at a yearly rate of about 2 percent.
Why should we care?
Over the past three years, Spain has had a number of minority or caretaker governments, so decisions on tax reform and other economic issues have been delayed.
And that may endanger Spain’s greatest strength: its growing economy.
I'm Dorothy Gundy and I’m Susan Shand.View -
Could Rising Sea Levels Flood Hawaii Famous Beaches? Rising sea levels could flood Hawaii’s famous Waikiki Beach and the city streets of Honolulu in the next 15 to 20 years.
That information comes from a state climate commission. The commission also shared a video showing how flooding and erosion already affect many parts of Hawaii.
That is not good news for a state where tourism is the main driver of the economy. Hawaiian lawmakers are trying to pass new laws that would involve spending millions of dollars to protect coastlines and cities from rising tides.
State Representative Chris Lee has put forward a bill calling for a coastline protection plan. He said, “The latest data on sea level rise is quite scary and it’s acceleratingfaster than we ever thought possible.”
Lee added that the program would center on Honolulu, Hawaii’s capital. But it could become a test program for other coastal communities around the state.
Hawaii has rarely been directly hit by hurricanes. However, Lee writes in the bill that warming oceans increase the risk of hurricanes for the state. The bill estimates that if a major hurricane made landfall in Hawaii, it would cost $40 billion for the state to recover.
Lee said, “The loss of coastal property and infrastructure, increased cost for storm damage and insurance, and loss of life are inevitable if nothing is done….”
The proposed legislation is similar to action taken by New York City in 2012, after a major storm led to $19 billion in damage in the city. The Hawaii bill also seeks more research into a carbon tax that could raise money and lower the state’s dependence on fossil fuels.
Democrats lead both houses of Hawaii’s legislature. The state traditionally has taken a leading role on climate issues. Lee said state lawmakers are to meet in the coming weeks to discuss final changes before sending the bill to Hawaii Governor David Ige. Ige, who is also a Democrat, has not said whether he would sign the bill.
The bill comes two years after the sea level rise adaptation report was made public as a guideline for future legislative action and planning.
Research included in the report suggests Hawaii will see nearly a one-meter rise in ocean levels by the end of this century. It predicts that more than 6,000 of the state’s buildings and 20,000 people across all of Hawaii’s islands will experience continuing flooding.
The report says roads, bridges and beaches will be washed away. And the state’s seaports and airports will likely also be affected.
The report was updated in September to included newly published research. The new research warns that previous estimates of flooding could be 35 to 54 percent lower.
University of Hawaii researcher Tiffany Anderson led the study. Anderson said she was surprised by the large increase when the effect of beach erosion was added to the study. She said, “We found out it covers a lot more land ... I wasn’t expecting such a large increase…”
State Representative Nicole Lowen said people hoping to build near the coast should already be wary. She also warned that sea level rise and climate change would impact “an economy that’s so heavily based on tourism …”
I'm Pete Musto.View