12.26 VOA
12.26 VOA
Christmas is a festive time, especially for children. Families gather to celebrate the holidays with delicious meals and wrapped gifts. But for children whose families have no home of their own, Christmas can be a sad time.
To put a smile on homeless children's faces at this time of year, one man in New Orleans, Louisiana, organizes a Christmas party for what he calls the "Forgotten Angels."
Getting started
When Clarence Adams applied to be a counselor at a New Orleans homeless shelter 16 years ago, he knew very little about homelessness.
"After the interview, they gave me a tour in the building and it was lunch time," Adams says. "And I saw children there. That really bothered me. I just never thought about a child being homeless."
Adams got the job and took it upon himself to help the kids coming to the shelter in any way he could. He went with their parents to register them for school and organized donation drives for school supplies. One day as the holidays neared, he talked to a friend about what it might be like for homeless children to celebrate Christmas.
"Basically the only thing that these kids had to look forward to was having their Christmas dinner in the shelter with hundreds of people who they didn't know," he says. "I mentioned to my friend that if I ever got rich, I would just have a big party for homeless children. She said, 'Well, let's do it.'"
That's how the Christmas for Forgotten Angels party started 12 years ago. Christmas for Forgotten Angels
"The first year we had approximately 50 children. And I had my food service
manager from the shelter cook the meal," Adams says. "We had fried chicken and macaroni and cheese. We had some desserts and we were able to give all the kids toys and we had Santa Claus."
But organizing that party all alone, he says, was overwhelming.
"I swore I would not do that again because it was too much work," he says. "But at the party, seeing the faces on these kids, having them come up and give me a hug and say, 'Thank you,' to see how much joy this brought to these children who would otherwise have nothing. I determined at the end I had to do this every year."
Reports about his Christmas party now appear in local newspapers every year. That's resulted in having dozens of volunteers contact Adams to donate their time as well as clothing, toys and food. This year, however, a weak economy has impacted the party.
"I do see the donations this year down somewhat from last year but people are still very generous," Adams says. "We had a group of volunteers that came for like three years in a row from Georgia. I know that last year, we got checks from four different states. I had a family that brought some toys last week. Their
7-year-old son had a $20 bill that he had saved up money from his allowance all year so he could help."
Helping out
Volunteers who can't afford to donate money come and help wrap the gifts and prepare for the party. Tiffani Hicks, a 29-year-old single mother, helped out for the first time this year.
"It's a very family atmosphere," she says. "We have other volunteers that are helping. We're all sitting around, talking. It's a very warm, loving atmosphere."
Doing something to make homeless children happy is important to Hicks. She says she knows exactly how they feel at Christmastime, because she was homeless as a child herself.
"I felt like I wasn't loved. I felt like I didn't deserve it," Hicks says. "I just felt like nobody cared about me. My Mom died when I was five years old and my aunt, she took care of us. She did what she could do for us. So we never really had a Christmas or whatever like that. It just makes you feel awful. Then after the holidays you have to go back to school and everyone is talking about what they got for Christmas, so you're kind of making up things that you wish you would have gotten, so you can fit in."
With dozens of volunteers like Tiffani Hicks, Clarence Adams says they were able to serve more than 200 homeless kids this year. The Christmas for Forgotten Angels organizer says he'd like to see his community's support and commitment to making homeless children feel special continue all year round and not just during the holidays.
VOA听力文稿
一.Scientists: Rising Sea Levels to Continue Scientists say sea levels are rising and will continue to do so into the future. Coastal communities around the world are already experiencing the impact of rising seas. Many cities and towns are taking steps to deal with this new reality. Photographers have taken pictures to document those efforts. Their photos are part of an exhibit called "Sink or Swim: Designing for a Sea Change." It can be seen at the Aquarium of the Pacific, in Long Beach, California. There, experts explain the causes of the rising seas and how people are trying to adapt to the changes. Disastrous storms and floods could be a new reality around the world. That is the opinion of oceanographer Jerry Schubel. He is president of the Aquarium of the Pacific. 二.Robots Ready to Work in Restaurants For many years, machines have been doing work that people once did, including some difficult jobs. Search and rescue operations in dangerous environments are often seen as the first areas that will employ high technology robots. But there is another area that may soon take jobs traditionally held by human beings: the restaurant industry. Teams from around the world competed in early June at the DARPA Robotic Challenge Finals in California. A team from South Korea and its robot, called DRC-Hubo, won first place in the competition. The second and third place finishers were from the United States. The robots were required to drive a vehicle, climb up steps and do mechanical work. Such activities are easy for humans to perform, but more difficult for machines. Not all of the competitors were successful. The failures showed how difficult it is to design effective walking machines.
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This week, we look back on a few of the big economic stories of twenty eleven. The debt crisis in Europe spread from it’s started in Greece and Ireland last year. Portugal needed a financial rescue of over 100 dollars in this spring. And Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi lost support because of his country’s debt troubles. Greek debt continued to hurt European banks. As a result, European finance officials have called for tighter financial cooperation and new rules. Steve Jobs brought the world the iPhone, iPod and iPad. He stepped down in August because of health problems. He helped make Apple into one of the world's most valuable companies. Steve Jobs died in October at the age of fifty-six. Protests for political freedom swept North Africa and the Middle East in the Arab Spring. But protests over budget cuts and jobs were heard around the world . In the United States, activists in hundreds of cities protested economic inequality and joblessness. Protestors were angry that banks got rescued with taxpayers ’ money during the fnancial crisis nearly four years ago. But many Americans continue to face hardship. 本周我们来回顾一下2011年发生的一些经济大事。 始于去年的欧洲债务危机从希腊和爱尔兰开始蔓延。 今年春天，葡萄牙急需1 0 0 0 亿美元的金融救助。意大利总理西尔维尔·贝卢斯科尼也因为国家债务问题失去了民众支持。 欧洲银行深受希腊债务危机影响。因此，欧盟官员呼吁建立更加牢固的金融合作体系，并提出了新规则。 史蒂夫·乔布斯给世界带来了i P h o n e 、i P o d 和i P a d 。今年8 月，
英语如何自学：听VOA学英语经验谈
听VOA学英语经验谈 如何能够有效的提高英语听力一直以来都是英语学习者当中普遍的问题。笔者根据我的一些学习经验来谈谈我对于如何提高英语听力这个问题的理解。 我认为英语听力的提高可以通过泛听与精听两种方式来练习。泛听可以通过给自己营造英语环境的方式加强对语言的敏感度，但精听却是提高听力非常有效的方法。其中收听VOA就是最好的一种方法。 通过一段时间的尝试，笔者总结出以下一套行之有效的方法： 1. 听三遍，并试着做笔记（note-taking）。 2. 根据笔记复述新闻（retelling）。 3. 订正(correction)。 4. 大声朗读三遍。（reading） 5. 再次复述(retelling)。 6. 背诵（reciting）。 7. 听新闻3—5遍。(listening) 下面是注意事项及具体的操作方法： 首先，要清楚自己是处于英语学习的哪一阶段。这一点是非常重要的。因为，只用选择听力难度适中的听力素材（即听一遍之后能理解大概70%）才会收到做大的效果。一般而言，英语基础差的学生适合听VOA慢速英语（SPECIAL ENGLISH），有大学英文基础的学生适合听VOA常速英语（STANDARD ENGLISH）。 其次，选择有对应文字材料的新闻来听。大家可以很容易在市面上买到，或者上网下载。做好准备工作，就可以开始了： 在第一步骤中，特别要求纪录的是专有名词，即人名、地名、书名、电影名等，以及时间、日期。在做笔记时，应多使用首字母大写。如New York →NY, Beijing →BJ等。 第二步是很有效的练习口语的方法。现在很多人都会把口语与听力分开练习，其实在任何一种语言学习中，“听说是不分家的”。如果能够把两者结合起来练习，会取得事半功倍的效果。这也是美国英语的教学理念之一。 第三步必不可少。一般的情况下，依据个人的口语水平，应该能复述60—80%的内容。这时订正是非常重要的。最好用红笔在文字资料上标出没有听出来的和听错了的。然后一定找出错误的原因。原因无外乎三点：1.对熟悉的单词不能及时反应；2.原文速度太快；3.出现陌生的词汇。如果是第一点，说明平时学得并不扎实，而且很少张嘴。解决办法：平常注意多张嘴，多读，多说。如果是第二点，可以通过提高口语速度来解决。第三点是最容易解决的，只要注意每次注意积累生词并背熟即可。此步骤可帮助了解自己听力的薄弱之处，做到有的放矢。 在经过细致的订正工作后，可大声朗读三遍。之后，不要借助任何资料，再次复述新闻。（强力推荐复述时闭上眼睛。）如学有余力的同学，可进行背诵。最后再来听3—5遍新闻。这时应该能听懂95%以上。
VOA英语[1]
The Lady, or the Tiger? 2011-1-14 BOB DOUGHTY: Now, the VOA Special English program, AMERICAN STORIES. We present the short story "The Lady, or the Tiger?" by Frank R. Stockton. Here is Barbara Klein with the story. BARBARA KLEIN: Long ago, in the very olden time, there lived a powerful king. Some of his ideas were progressive. But others caused people to suffer. One of the king's ideas was a public arena as an agent of poetic justice. Crime was punished, or innocence was decided, by the result of chance. When a person was accused of a crime, his future would be judged in the public arena. All the people would gather in this building. The king sat high up on his ceremonial chair. He gave a sign. A door under him opened. The accused person stepped out into the arena. Directly opposite the king were two doors. They were side by side, exactly alike. The person on trial had to walk directly to these doors and open one of them. He could open whichever door he pleased. If the accused man opened one door, out came a hungry tiger, the fiercest in the land. The tiger immediately jumped on him and tore him to pieces as punishment for his guilt. The case of the suspect was thus decided. Iron bells rang sadly. Great cries went up from the paid mourners. And the people, with heads hanging low and sad hearts, slowly made their way home. They mourned greatly that one so young and fair, or so old and respected, should have died this way. But, if the accused opened the other door, there came forth from it a woman, chosen especially for the person. To this lady he was immediately married, in honor of his innocence. It was not a problem that he might already have a wife and family, or that he might have chosen to marry another woman. The king permitted nothing to interfere with his great method of punishment and reward. Another door opened under the king, and a clergyman, singers, dancers and musicians joined the man and the lady. The marriage ceremony was quickly completed. Then the bells made cheerful noises. The people shouted happily. And the innocent man led the new wife to his home, following children who threw flowers on their path. This was the king's method of carrying out justice. Its fairness appeared perfect. The accused person could not know which door was hiding the lady. He opened either as he pleased, without having knowing whether, in the next minute, he was to be killed or married. Sometimes the fierce animal came out of one door. Sometimes it came out of the other. This method was a popular one. When the people gathered together on one of the great trial days, they never knew whether they would see a bloody killing or a happy ending. So everyone was always interested. And the thinking part of the community would bring no charge of unfairness against this plan. Did not the accused person have the whole matter in his own hands? The king had a beautiful daughter who was like him in many ways. He loved her above all humanity. The princess secretly loved a young man who was the best-looking and bravest in the land. But he was a commoner, not part of an important family. One day, the king discovered the relationship between his daughter and the young man. The man was immediately put in prison. A day was set for his trial in the king's public arena. This, of course, was an especially important event. Never before had a common subject been brave enough to love the daughter of the king. The king knew that the young man would be punished, even if he opened the right door. And the king would take pleasure
voa英语900句
一、Greetings 问候语 1. Hello! / Hi! 你好！ 2. Good morning / afternoon / evening! 早晨（下午/晚上）好！ 我是凯西·金。 3. I’m Kathy King. 4. Are you Peter Smith? 你是彼得·史密斯吗？ 是，我是。/ 不，我不是。 5. Yes, I am. / No, I’m not. 6. How are you? 你好吗？ 7. Fine, thanks. And you? 很好，谢谢，你呢？ fine, too. 我也很好。 8. I’ｍ 9. How is Amy / your wife / your husband? 爱米好吗？/你妻子好吗？/你丈夫好吗？ 10. She is very well, thank you. 她很好，谢谢。 11. Good night, Jane. 晚安，简。 12. Good-bye, Mike. 再见，迈克。 13. See you tomorrow. 明天见。 14. See you later. 待会儿见。 15. I have to go now. 我必须走了。 二、Expression In Class 课堂用语 16. May I come in? 我能进来吗？ 17. Come in, please. 请进。 18. Sit down, please. 请坐。 上课时间到了。 19. It’s time for class. 20. Open your books and turn to page 20. 打开书，翻到第20页。 课前我要点名。 21. I’ll call the roll before class. 22. Here! 到！ 23. Has everybody got a sheet? 每个人都拿到材料了吗？ 24. Any different opinion? 有不同意见吗？ 25. Are you with me? 你们跟上我讲的了吗？ 26. Have I made myself clear? 我讲明白了吗？ 27. Could you say it again? 你能再说一遍吗？ 28. Any questions? 有什么问题吗？ 今天就讲到这里。 29. That’s all for today. 30. Please turn in your paper before leaving. 请在离开前将论文交上。 三、Identifying Objects 辨别物品 这是什么？ 31. What’s this? 是支笔。 32. It’s a pen. 33. Is this your handbag? 这是你的手提包吗？ 不，它不是。/是的，它是。 34. No, it isn’t. / Yes, it is. 35. Whose pen is this? 这是谁的笔？ 36. It’s Kate’s. 是凯特的。 37. Is that a car? 那是一辆小汽车吗？ 不，那是一辆公共汽车。 38. No, it isn’t. It’s a bus. 39. What do you call this in English? 这个用英语怎么说？ 40. What is the color of your new book? 你的新书是什么颜色的？
VOA英语
This is the VOA Special English Health Report. How many calories we eat appears more important than what we eat when we eat too much. That was the finding of a new study that should be satisfying to anyone who counts calories for weight control. More than one billion adults are overweight. The World Health Organization calls obesity a global epidemic. On Tuesday, government researchers reported the latest estimates for the United States. The good news: obesity rates have not increased much in recent years. The bad news: they have not decreased either. More than one-third of adults were obese in two thousand nine and two thousand ten. Anyone who has ever tried to lose weight knows there are all kinds of conflicting diet plans. Some tell people not to eat carbohydrates. Others say not to eat fats. Still others say to eat more protein. Or to eat less protein. Dr. George Bray at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana led the new study. He wanted to know if protein in food affects weight gain. Twenty-five healthy adults were in the study. They were overfed by almost a thousand calories a day over an eight-week period. Calories in food are a measure of energy. One of those in the study was Daniel Kuhn. DANIEL KUHN: "I was eating a lot of real butter, for instance, real whipped cream and things of that nature that I don't normally indulge in." The people followed diets with low, normal or high levels of protein. Normal was defined as fifteen percent of energy from protein. Dr. Bray says all of them gained weight.
voa英语听力mp3下载资料
voa英语听力mp3下载资料 live in London and I’m looking forward to 4 May. It’s our next bank holiday. We have a total of eight of these in England and Wales. I’m planning to grab a beach towel, some suntan lotion and go to the coastal town of Brighton for the day. Some of my colleagues are happy just to go for a picnic in one of the city’s many parks. But at sunset after a day of leisure, no matter where we are, we will all be thinking the very same thing： why don't we have more holidays? These collective days off work cost businesses a lot of money. A report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research in 2020 suggested that each bank holiday costs the UK economy ￡2.3bn and scrapping the lot of them would boost annual output by ￡19bn. But they admit that this figure might be far from accurate. Actually, it’s difficult to calculate the loss of productivity because some of us compensate by working harder and later. And holidays impact differently in different sectors. A restaurant that caters for employees in the office complex next door will lose a day's trade, but supermarkets will have record sales of snacks on warm, sunny bank holidays. The zoo, cinemas, bars, hotels… they all stand to gain when people idle away the hours. I think holidays are good for the soul. It's important to get away from the daily grind and on some occasions a holiday can unite a nation. Ask a Brazilian about their carnival. It’s an occasion in which everyone in the country seems to
voa英语听力中英对照原文
voa英语听力中英对照原文 Hello, I'm Jerry Smit with the BBC News. 杰里·斯密特为您播报BBC新闻 The Greek government has submitted new proposals to secure a third bailout from its international creditors. The Head of the Eurozone's Group of Finance Ministers, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, said the plans would now be assessed in detail. The proposals include tax rises, pension reforms, spending cuts and promises of privatisation. Tim Willcox in Athens says this may cause problems for the Greek government 希腊政府提交了一份新的改革方案以确保能从其债权国得到第三 次财政援助，欧元区金融主席杰洛恩称该项方案将会详细讨论。这项 方案包括提升税收，退休金改革，减少支出和承诺私有化。下面是威 克斯在雅典发回的报道： .“They think, the source I've been speaking to, that the E.U. will take this, but it's going to be very difficult for Alexis Tsipras, the Greek Prime Minister, internally here in Greece, following that referendum last weekend with that massive vote, a NO vote against any more austerity measures.” 威克斯称这项方案有可能对希腊政府造成问题。我认为欧元区将 会接受此项方案，但是这对希腊首相齐普拉斯来说，这将很难接受。 在希腊内部，上周末公投显示，没有人支持紧缩性财政政策。 International negotiators striving for a deal on Iran's nuclear programme say they are prepared to work beyond another looming deadline, but the time is not unlimited. The U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, said the negotiations
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VOA英语教学《双语新闻Bilingual News》听力最近更新 ?台风逼近之际中国疏散15万人China Evacuates 150,000 People as Typhoon Nears (10-10-22) ?盖特纳将在20国会议上寻求货币“规范” Geithner to Pursue Currency "Norms" at G20 Meeting (10-10-22) ?阿富汗总统看到和平希望Afghan President Sees Hope for Peace (10-10-21) ?中国以打击侵犯版权行为迎接霍尔德访华China Greets Holder With Crackdown on Copyright Violations (10-10-21) ?法国罢工工人瘫痪交通年轻群众跟警方冲突 Striking French Workers Disrupt Travel, Youths Battle Police (10-10-20) ?枪手袭击车臣议会3人死亡Gunmen Attack Chechen Parliament, 3 Dead (10-10-20) ?枪手在阿富汗杀死8名私人保安Gunmen Kill 8 Private Security Guards in Afghanistan (10-10-19) ?全球海盗事件索马里海盗占44 Somali Pirates Blamed for 44 Percent of Global Incidents (10-10-19) ?粮农组织说世界饥饿人口仍太多FAO Says World Hunger Still Too High (10-10-16)
VOA中英文对照
This week, an international court found former Liberian president Charles Taylor guilty of war crimes in Sierra Leone.本周，国际法庭裁定利比里亚前总统查尔斯·泰勒（Charles Taylor）在塞拉利昂内战中犯下战争罪。 Charles Taylor stood silently as Presiding Judge Richard Lussick read the judgment by a special United Nations court in The Hague.当主审法官理查德·卢西克（Richard Lussick）宣读由海牙联合国特别法庭做出的裁定时，泰勒静静地站着。 RICHARD LUSSICK: "The trial chamber unanimously finds you guilty of aiding and abetting the commission of the following crimes pursuant to article 6.1 of the statute; planning the commission of the following crimes in the attacks on Kono and Makeni in December 1998, and in the invasion of and retreat from Freetown between December 1998 and February 1999 ..."吕西克：“根据本法庭《规约》的第六条第一款，审判庭一致裁定你协助及教唆了以下罪行；1998年11月攻打科诺和马克尼当中及1998年12月到1999年2月入侵弗里敦及撤退当中谋划以下罪行 The reading of the judgment -- which included details of terrible crimes -- lasted two hours. 法庭宣读罗列了严重犯罪细节的判决持续了两个小时。 The judges found the sixty-four-year-old former president guilty of helping rebels from the Revolutionary United Front. The rebels killed tens of thousands of people and terrorized civilians during Sierra Leone's civil war. The war lasted from nineteen ninety-one to two thousand two. Crimes by the RUF included murder, rape, drafting of child soldiers and sexual slavery. 法官裁定这名64岁的利比里亚前总统协助反政府武装革命联合阵线罪名成立。塞拉利昂内战期间，反政府武装杀害了数以万计平民，并对平民实行恐怖统治。这次内战从1991年持续到2002年。革命联合阵线罪名包括谋杀、强奸、征召儿童兵以及性奴役。 Judge Lussick said Charles Taylor was publicly involved in peace efforts while secretly financing the hostilities. The court said he received what are called blood diamonds, mined in eastern Sierra Leone. In return, he provided arms, ammunition, communications equipment and planning help to the rebels. But there was not enough proof that his influence amounted to effective command and control of the rebels. 法官卢西克表示，泰勒公开参与和平努力的同时，暗中资助敌对行动。法庭表示，泰勒收取了塞拉利昂东部开采的血腥钻石。作为回报，他提供武器、弹药、通讯设备并谋划帮助反政府武装。但没有足够证据证实他的影响力达到有效指挥和控制反政府武装的程度。 Human Rights Watch spokeswoman Geraldine Mattioli-Zeitner said she was pleased with the ruling.“人权观察”组织的发言人Geraldine Mattioli-Zeitner表示她对这一裁定感到高兴。 GERALDINE MA TTIOLI-ZEITNER: "We think this is an historic moment. It's the first time a former head of state is prosecuted and judged for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed while he was in office." 她说：“我们认为这是一个历史性的时刻，这是第一位前国家元首被起诉并审判其在执政期间的反人类罪和战争罪行。
VOA美语怎么说视频版文本
第1讲：Lady Killer! 大众情人 主持人Kat和杨琳带你走进她们的幽默搞怪的日常生活，带你边玩边学地道美语！今天，两个人讨论的是年轻人间的热门话题： 大众情人！大众情人：lady killer 难伺候：high maintenance 配不上：out of your league 第2讲：面试准备之突击复习 主持人Kat和杨琳带你走进她们的幽默搞怪的日常生活，带你边玩边学地道美语！今天，两个人讨论的是如何为面试做准备！ 突击复习：cram； 美容觉：beauty sleep； 路痴：no sense of direction； 随机应变：play it by ear 第3讲：Kat got a job! Kat找到一份新工作！ 主持人Kat和杨琳带你走进她们的幽默搞怪的日常生活，带你边玩边学地道美语！今天，杨琳祝贺Kat找到了新工作！ 该说的不该说的都说了：Overshared；TMI: too much information； 有亲和力：Personable 第4讲：Kat的欢送会！ 主持人Kat和杨琳带你走进她们的幽默搞怪的日常生活，带你边玩边学地道美语！今天是Kat的欢送会！ 着装标准：dress code； 买新衣: update my wardrobe； 手头紧：tight 第5讲：Stressed Out! 压力山大！ 代班主持人Jody和杨琳带你走进她们的幽默搞怪的日常生活，带你边玩边学地道美语！今天两人讨论的是如何减压！ 脑残：brain dead； 任务清单: to-do list； 压力山大：stressed out; 减压: decompress 第6讲：酷暑难耐- It's a scorcher! 挥汗如雨！ 代班主持人Jody和杨琳带你走进她们的幽默搞怪的日常生活，带你边玩边学地道美语！今天两人讨论的是酷暑难耐！ 酷热：it’s a scorcher； 挥汗如雨: sweating bullets； 毛糙：frizzy; 凡事都看到好的一面: to look on the bright side
voa英语短文
VOA Standard English：Cost to Raise a Child in US Continues to Rise ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA— The cost of raising a child in the United States continues to rise. In its latest annual report, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says middle income families with a child born in 2013 can expect to spend more than $240,000 before that child turns 18. And sending that child to college more than doubles that amount. A visit with a couple with one child in Alexandria, Virginia, shed some light on whether or not the report reflects their lifestyle. Eddie Byrd, and his wife Gabriela, who is from Peru, dote over their only child - five-year-old Brandy. Her father said they spend whatever they have to for her. “You look at it as an investment in another human being who you love very deeply,” he said. The expenses began adding up even before Brandy was born. “You have to put together your nursery, you have to get a stroller, all of those things, and you’ve invested several thousand dollars,” said Byrd. According to the Array Agriculture Department report, the biggest cost of raising a child is housing, followed by childcare, education and food. Other expenses include clothing, transportation, and activities for the child. It’s all having an impact on this middle-class family in the pricey Washington, D.C., area. “We’re not doing well financially. It’s a struggle from month to month,” he said. And while it’s a struggle for many parents worldwide to raise children, some countries are making it easier by providing subsidized health and child care, such as Norway, Sweden, Finland and Australia. The Byrds are saving on child care costs since Gabriela is a stay-at-home mom. But like many middle-class families, they are paying for additional activities for Brandy, such as ballet and swimming classes. “It’s not like when I was growing up, when I could hop on my bicycle at home and ride 5 miles into town and spend the day in town, come back in the afternoon. There are bad people out there these days,” said Byrd.