Reggae hip-hop artist Sean Kingston has released his first album since a serious accident almost too

More and more Americans are raising chickens, pigs and other food animals at their homes in urban and suburban areas. Many of these people are doing the job responsibly. discount lion king broadway tickets But others are not. As a result many farm animals are being found abused, alone or dead. Steve Ember tells about a safe place for mistreated livestock.
"For me it's providing fresh water, fresh food that's nutritionally balanced and healthy and also access to the outdoors. So it is a commitment and it is a responsibility when you care for a living thing."
"We've picked up pigs that are in someone's backyard, we've picked up goats, we've picked up chickens, we've picked up hens. We're seeing a lot of animals that have been abused and a lot that have been neglected."
The Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary is for abused and uncared for animals. Littlejohn has just brought pigs to the center. discount lion king broadway tickets They will live out their natural lives here along with 200 other saved farm animals.
"People don't know all the responsibilities and all the time and money that really goes into properly caring discount lion king broadway tickets for these animals and it really ends up being an abusive situation for the animals because they don't have the knowledge or the desire to do it properly."
A casino is a place where people can win -- or lose -- a lot of money. They do this by gambling -- playing cards, dice or other games of chance. They could also win money by predicting the results of horse races, football games and other activities.
Gambling has a long history in the United States. Even in colonial times, the government permitted lotteries. In a lottery a person buys a chance to win money or other prizes. Money raised in this way helped support the development of the colonies.
Experts say the first casinos in America were saloons. People went to saloons to buy alcoholic drinks. But some of these businesses let people play card games or throw dice for money. discount lion king broadway tickets Later, gamblers discount lion king broadway tickets began to use riverboats, especially on the Mississippi River, to play games for money.
discount lion king broadway tickets It seems that Americans have always had concerns about gambling. Some thought it was a sign of moral corruption. Gambling was also often blamed for increasing crime. Others worried that the financial risks people took when gambling discount lion king broadway tickets would ruin the economic future of the country.
There have been bans on gambling and periods of legal gambling in the United discount lion king broadway tickets States. In the 1800s, most states banned many kinds of gambling. However, the discovery of gold in the west renewed the activity. And many states eased their gambling laws during the Great Depression of the 1930's.
Today Hawaii is the only state to ban all forms of gambling. discount lion king broadway tickets The most popular places for legal gambling are casinos. The most famous casino city is Las Vegas, Nevada. Illegal crime organizations from New York were responsible for developing much of Las Vegas in the early to middle 20th century.
Now, Las Vegas is filled with casino/hotels of all sizes. Many are beautifully designed and offer many services. An example is the Luxor, a huge, black pyramid-shaped building. It is named for the ancient city in Egypt.
discount lion king broadway tickets The Luxor has thousands of gambling machines, four large swimming pools, almost thirty stores discount lion king broadway tickets and a chapel where people can get married. A thirty-four meter tall reproduction of Egypt's Great Sphinx discount lion king broadway tickets of Giza stands in front of the pyramid.
The Bellagio in Las Vegas has even more to offer. The Bellagio has its own man-made lake, more than three hectares in size. Huge fountains light up the property. The water jumps up and down, and is programmed to move to music.
The hotel is home to a big, beautiful chandelier. This special lighting fixture was hand-blown by the famous glass artist Dale Chihuly. The Bellagio also has its own art gallery and, for plant lovers, a botanic garden.
Many Las Vegas casinos also offer shows that include famous singers like Celine Dion and Elton John. Broadway discount lion king broadway tickets plays and musicals that can be seen during the next year include "The Book of Mormon," "War Horse" and "Once." And Cirque discount lion king broadway tickets du Soleil is very big in Las Vegas. The company currently has eight shows on offer in the city.
Reggae hip-hop artist Sean Kingston has released his first album since a serious accident almost took his life two years ago. Avi Arditti tells about "Back 2 Life" and plays some songs from the album.
On his new album, Sean Kingston sings "Rum and Raybans," a song about the party life of the young and famous. Rum is an alcohol linked to the Caribbean islands. Raybans are a very popular and costly kind of sunglasses.
Do you have a question about American life, people or places? Send an e-mail to learningenglish@voanews.com. We might answer discount lion king broadway tickets your question in a future show. You can also visit our website at 51voa.com to find transcripts and audio of our shows.
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