Blackout

Welcome to the Voice of America’s News Words.

This news word is about difficulty linked to war.

Blackout.

It’s Friday afternoon and the bikers are out, letting off steam, showing off stunts, impressing their friends.

Welcome to Baghdad and the world of the Iraqi bikers.

It’s a way to forget the blackouts, the bombs, the violence.

A blackout is when lights are turned off to guard against enemy attacks in a war.

A blackout can also be the result of an electrical power failure.

And for people, blackouts are a sudden loss of sight, memory or consciousness.