VOASE0227_Health Report

27 February 2007

Circumcision May Lower Men's HIV Risk by More Than First Reported
New results show that circumcised men could lower their risk of infection by as much as 60 percent.

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This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

In December, we told you about two important studies of circumcision and HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Scientists had reported that circumcised men in Africa reduced their risk of HIV infection from sex with women by about half.

Now, researchers are saying the reduction in risk may be greater than that.

The studies took place in Kenya and Uganda. The National Institutes of Health in the United States halted the work early. Officials said the results were so clear, it would have been wrong not to offer circumcision to all the men in the study groups.

Last week, the British medical magazine The Lancet published the final results of the two studies. The report also included findings from another study that took place earlier in South Africa. The researchers say the new results showed that circumcision could lower a man's HIV risk by as much as sixty percent.

Circumcision is the removal of the foreskin from the penis. Researchers have noted that HIV rates are generally lower in areas of the world where circumcision is common in babies or young boys. This fact alone does not prove anything. The studies were an attempt to confirm a direct link between circumcision and a reduced risk of HIV.

But how might circumcision reduce the risk? The experts at the National Institutes of Health say no one knows for sure, but there are several theories.

First, defensive cells on the surface of the foreskin may be less able to resist an attack by HIV than other cells. Also, the foreskin may serve as a barrier that prevents expulsion of HIV. And the environment of the foreskin may provide good conditions for the virus to spread.

Health experts involved in the studies say they hope circumcision will become one of the basic ways to fight AIDS. But they say it may be difficult to get men to have it done, especially if circumcision conflicts with their cultural beliefs. Other issues are cost and the availability of high-quality medical care. Since HIV can be passed through blood, unclean medical conditions might spread the virus.

Health experts also warn that while circumcision may reduce the risk of HIV, it does not offer complete protection.

And that's the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver. Our reports are online at voaspecialenglish.com and our e-mail address is special@voanews.com. Please be sure to include your name and country. I'm Mario Ritter.

VOASE0227_Explorations

27 February 2007

Hoover Dam: Controlling the Colorado River and Sending Power to Millions
The dam was the largest and most difficult structure of its kind when work started in 1931.

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VOICE ONE:

This is Bob Doughty.

VOICE TWO:

And this is Steve Ember with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. Today we tell about Hoover Dam.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Our report today about Hoover Dam must begin with the Colorado River. This river made the dam necessary. The Colorado River begins high in the Rocky Mountains. It begins slowly, during the dark months of winter. Heavy snow falls on the Rocky Mountains.

The snow is so deep in some areas that it will stay on the ground well into the hot days of summer. But the snow does melt. Ice cold water travels down the mountains and forms several rivers -- the Gila River, the Green River, the Little Colorado, the San Juan, the Virgin and the Gunnison Rivers. These rivers link together and form the beginnings of the Colorado River. The Colorado River flows through, or provides water for, the states of Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California. Then it crosses the border into Mexico.

VOICE TWO:

The Colorado River has always been extremely powerful. The river created the huge Grand Canyon. The violent water cut hundreds of meters deep into the desert floor of Arizona. The Grand Canyon is proof of the power of this great river.

The Grand Canyon was cut into the desert floor beginning thousands of years ago. But the power of this river has been demonstrated in more modern times.

Between nineteen-oh-five and nineteen-oh-seven, the Colorado River caused great amounts of flooding in parts of Arizona and California. Huge amounts of water ran into a low area in the dry, waterless desert that had once been an ancient lake. In two years of flooding, the Colorado River filled the ancient lake. That lake is called the Salton Sea. Today, it is about fifty-six kilometers long by twenty-five kilometers wide. It is even larger in years of heavy rain.

VOICE ONE:

The flooding that created the Salton Sea also flooded homes, towns and farming areas. Many people were forced to flee their homes. Government leaders knew they had to do something to prevent such floods in the future. In nineteen eighteen, a man named Arthur Davis proposed building a dam to control the Colorado River. Mister Davis was a government engineer. He said the dam should be built in an area called Boulder Canyon on the border between the states of Arizona and Nevada.

VOICE TWO:

Building the dam would not be a simple matter. The people of seven states and the people of Mexico needed and used the water of the Colorado River. Much of that area is desert land. Water is extremely important. Without water from the Colorado River, farming is not possible. Without water, life in the desert is not possible.

On November twenty-fourth, nineteen twenty-two, officials signed a document in Santa Fe, New Mexico. That document is called the Colorado River Compact. The document tells how the seven states would share the water of the Colorado River. It was agreed this could be more easily done with the aid of a dam. Later an agreement was signed with Mexico to supply it with water from the Colorado River.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

The area chosen for the dam was called Black Canyon. The walls of Black Canyon rise almost two hundred forty-three meters above the river. An ancient volcano formed the rock in Black Canyon. Engineers decided the rock would provide a good strong support for the proposed dam.

However, the area also presented problems. The nearest railroad was sixty kilometers away. There was no electric power. And, in the summer, the temperature in the desert in Black Canyon could reach as high as forty-eight degrees Celsius.

A great deal of work was done before operations started on the dam. Workers built a town called Boulder City to house employees working on the dam. They built a large road from Boulder City to the area of the dam. They built a railroad from a main line in Las Vegas, Nevada to Boulder City. They built another railroad from Boulder City to the dam area. And they built a three hundred fifty kilometer power line from San Bernadino, California. This provided electric power to the area where the dam was being built.

VOICE TWO:

The work on the dam began in April of nineteen thirty-one. Workers called “high scalers” were some of the first to begin building the dam. They were suspended from ropes as they used heavy air-powered hammers to break any loose rock away from the face of the canyon walls. When they could not use hammers, they used dynamite. One high scaler became very famous. His name was Arnold Parks. He caught another worker who had fallen off the top of the canyon.

Mister Parks held the worker to the wall of the canyon until others came to help. Today, visitors can see a statue of the men who worked as high scalers to build Hoover Dam.

The high scalers worked on the sides of the canyon. Other workers dug huge tunnels deep in the floor of the canyon. This was done to permit the Colorado River to flow away from the construction area. This had to be done so the floor of the dam could be built.

On June sixth, nineteen thirty-three, workers poured the first load of a building material called concrete. Men in two special factories worked day and night to make the concrete building material for the dam.

Huge equipment moved millions of tons of rock and sand. In the summer months, the terrible desert heat slowed the work but did not stop it. Men who worked at night on the dam suffered less, but the heat was still as high as thirty degrees Celsius.

VOICE ONE:

Slowly the great dam began to rise from the floor of the canyon. From the canyon floor it reaches two hundred twenty-one meters high. Workers poured the last of the concrete on May twenty-ninth, nineteen thirty-five. They had used almost four million cubic meters of concrete in the dam. Workers also used more than twenty million kilograms of steel to strengthen the concrete in the dam.

VOICE TWO:

The work was dangerous for the more than five thousand men who worked on the structure. The extreme temperatures, falling objects and heavy equipment caused accidents. The workers were provided with medical care and two emergency vehicles to take them to a new hospital in Boulder City. However, ninety-six men lost their lives during the building of the great dam.

The companies building the dam had been given seven years to complete the work. They did it in only five. The dam was finished on March first, nineteen thirty-six.

Other work now began. This work would make the dam into one of the largest producers of electric power ever built. The dam was built to control the powerful Colorado River. But it was also meant to use the river to produce large amounts of electric power.

Today, seventeen huge machines use the river’s power to produce electric power. The states of Arizona and Nevada share the power. So do many cities in California, including Los Angeles, Burbank, and Pasadena.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

When the Hoover Dam was finished in nineteen thirty-six, it was the largest dam in the world. It was also the tallest. And it was the largest power producer that used water power to make electricity. Today this is no longer true. Taller dams, larger dams and a few that produce more power have been created. But Hoover Dam is still a huge and interesting place.

Visitors to Hoover Dam drive on a small road that passes Lake Mead. They enter a special visitors' center to learn about the dam and the men who built it. They ride high-speed elevators that go deep inside the dam. They see the huge machines that produce electric power.

Many visitors say they thought the name of the huge structure was Boulder Dam. They are told that Hoover Dam is often called Boulder Dam. However, it is named after former President Herbert Hoover.

Before he was president, Mister Hoover worked for many years to make the construction of the dam possible. It was officially named to honor him in nineteen forty-seven.

Visitors leave the great dam with an understanding of how difficult the project was. They learn that it still safely controls the great Colorado River. And it also provides water and electric power to millions of people in the American southwest.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This program was written by Paul Thompson. It was produced by Mario Ritter. This is Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And this is Bob Doughty. Join us again next week for another EXPLORATIONS program in VOA Special English.

Scorsese, 'The Departed', Earn Key Oscars

By Mike O'Sullivan Los Angeles 26 February 2007

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Veteran director Martin Scorsese and his crime tale The Departed were big winners at the 79th annual Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood, California. The drama won four of the movie industry honors. Mike O'Sullivan reports, Helen Mirren and Forest Whitaker earned key acting awards.

Best Director winner, Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese was named best director for The Departed, a crime thriller set in Boston. The Departed also earned the key Oscar for best picture, and awards for its adapted screenplay and film editing.

Scorsese was a six-time directing nominee, but this was his first Oscar. He was favored to win this year, but seemed surprised.

"Thank you. Please, please. Thank you, thank you. Could you double check the envelope?" Scorsese said.

Best Actress winner, Helen Miren

Helen Mirren was named best actress for her role as Britain's Queen Elizabeth in The Queen. The film looks at the royal family after the death of Princess Diana.

Accepting the award, Mirren paid tribute to the woman she emulated.

"And I salute her courage and her consistency, and I thank her because if it wasn't for her, I most certainly would not be here. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Queen!" she said.

Best Actor winner, Forest Whitaker

Forest Whitaker was named best actor for his role as Idi Amin, the former Ugandan dictator, in The Last King of Scotland.

The actor said he has come a long way since his youth in rural Texas and inner-city Los Angeles.

"It is possible for a kid from East Texas raised in South-Central L.A. and Carson who believes in his dreams, commits himself to them with his heart, to touch them and have them happen," Whitaker said.

Best Supporting Actress winner, Jennifer Hudson

Jennifer Hudson was named best supporting actress for her role as a rhythm and blues singer in the musical Dreamgirls. The Chicago native found fame on the talent show American Idol. Like Whitaker, Hudson is African American, and said she had opportunities denied to her grandmother, who was her inspiration.

"She was a singer and she had the passion for it, but she never had the chance," she said. "And that was the thing that pushed me forward to continue."

Alan Arkin received the Oscar for best supporting actor for the comedy Little Miss Sunshine. The film also won an award for its original screenplay.

The documentary An Inconvenient Truth earned an Oscar for its producers. The film features former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and focuses on his crusade against global warming. Gore said the issue of climate warming is a moral, not a political, issue.

"People all over the world, we need to solve the climate crisis. It is not a political issue, it is a moral issue," Gore said. "We have everything we need to get started, with the possible exception of the will to act. That is a renewable resource. Let us renew it."

Pan's Labyrinth, a fantasy from Mexico won three Oscars, for its art direction, makeup and cinematography. But the Oscar for best foreign-language picture went to a German film called The Lives of Others.

Israeli Troops Continue Raids in West Bank

By Robert Berger Jerusalem 26 February 2007

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A major Israeli raid in the West Bank town of Nablus is in its second day. One armed Palestinian has been killed. As Robert Berger reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau, Israel describes the operation as a counter-terrorism measure, while the Palestinians say it is a provocation that raises regional tensions.

Israeli soldiers stand in an alley during a military operation in the West Bank town of Nablus, 26 Feb 2007

Hundreds of Israeli troops are conducting house to house searches in the West Bank town of Nablus. The raid is focusing on the densely populated alleyways of the Casbah or Old City.

There have been sporadic exchanges of fire between soldiers and Palestinians militants. The army says it is searching for seven top fugitives, wanted for planning suicide bombings and other attacks.

Troops broke into transmissions of local radio and TV stations, and broadcast the names of the men, all residents of the Casbah.

Some 50,000 Palestinians are under curfew.

A Nablus resident said Israeli troops have taken over many homes and buildings, causing enormous suffering to the people.

During the searches, soldiers uncovered two bomb factories, and from Israel's point of view, that is sufficient justification for the raid.

Israeli spokeswoman Miri Eisen said, "We have to give security; we have to give defense for all of our Israeli citizens."

Palestinian officials say the incursion harms efforts by moderate President Mahmoud Abbas to revive peace talks with Israel. But Israel says that until Mr. Abbas curbs terrorism, there is little hope of advancing the peace process.

VOASE0227_Science In the News

27 February 2007

Polar Research to Look for Answers About Climate Change and the Environment
Scientists prepare for explorations during the International Polar Year. Also, the Virgin Earth Challenge. How hypothermia kills. And the risk of heart disease from air pollution.

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VOICE ONE:

This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English. I'm Bob Doughty.

VOICE TWO:

Crabeater seals lying on the ice in Paradise Bay, Antarctica, in a 2005 photo

And I'm Faith Lapidus. This week, an American study shows a link between air pollution and heart disease. We will tell you about it. We also will tell about preparations for the International Polar Year. And, we tell about a competition to fight climate change.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

A new study shows that air pollution may be more of a risk for heart disease than scientists have thought. The research involved more than sixty-five thousand women in the United States.

Kristin Miller was the lead writer of the study. She says the study showed that disease risk was linked not just to which city a woman lived in, but also where in a city.

The study found that estimates of the effects of air pollution were often larger within cities than between cities. Yet averages between cities have served as the main measure of the long-term effects of pollutants.

The findings lead some experts to suggest that current pollution limits may not be strong enough.

VOICE TWO:

The research team examined rates of heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular events in women with long-term exposure to air pollution. The cardiovascular system is the heart and all of the passages that carry blood throughout the body.

The study involved women who had no sign of cardiovascular disease at the start of the research. All of the women were more than fifty years of age. The study followed them for as long as nine years to see how many developed cardiovascular problems.

The researchers used information from a government project, the Women's Health Initiative.

VOICE ONE:

The researchers also examined levels of fine particles in the air in thirty-six areas across the country. That information came from the Environmental Protection Agency. The small particles come from industrial smoke and traffic. They also come from things like wood-burning fireplaces in homes.

In the study, every ten-microgram increase in pollution was linked to a twenty-four percent increase in the risk of a cardiovascular event. But it was linked to a seventy-six percent increase in the risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Winter has brought severe weather to parts of the United States. The weather has already resulted in several deaths. One of the major concerns during cold weather is hypothermia. Hypothermia is a condition that happens when the body’s inner temperature drops below thirty-five degrees Celsius. The lowered body temperature leads to loss of mental and physical abilities.

Hypothermia can also lead to death. The condition kills hundreds of Americans each year. Late last year, a thirty-five year-old father of two died of hypothermia in the state of Oregon. James Kim died while attempting to find help for his family after their car became stuck in a mountain snowstorm. Weeks later, three Oregon mountain climbers were caught in a severe snowstorm. Only one man’s body was recovered. The other men are believed dead.

VOICE ONE:

There are two kinds of hypothermia. The first kind is called primary hypothermia. It happens when cold air, water or wind causes harm to a healthy, but unprotected individual during an extended period.

The second kind of hypothermia is called secondary hypothermia. This happens when existing conditions interfere with the body’s natural ability to stay warm. Two such conditions are drug use and lack of food. Health problems that have been linked to hypothermia include infection, diabetes, spinal cord injury or stroke.

The first signs of hypothermia are usually cold, light-colored skin and shaking. Other signs include unclear thinking, tiredness, slowed speaking, and slowed reactions.

VOICE TWO:

Babies and older adults are at risk of hypothermia because their bodies can lose heat and drop in temperature quicker. Others at risk are people who take part in outdoor activities like hiking, fishing and climbing. If clothing becomes wet, hypothermia can result even in mild temperatures.

Anyone who appears to be suffering from hypothermia should receive medical help immediately. Hypothermia victims must be slowly warmed. It is important to move the person out of the cold and remove any wet clothing.

Medical experts advise covering the person with dry, warm clothing. Sharing body heat by lying next to the person can help if warm clothing is not found. Experts say hot objects should not be used on a hypothermia victim. Keep the victim awake and avoid moving them. If possible, give the victim something warm to drink. Do not give the person drinks containing alcohol or caffeine. Such drinks can increase heat loss.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

America's National Academies has announced plans for more than two hundred scientific explorations in the Arctic and Antarctic. The explorations are to be part of the International Polar Year, which begins in March.

The National Academies represents the National Academy of Sciences and three other organizations. They give advice on scientific issues to the American public and federal government.

The National Academies says the polar research is expected to answer important questions about climate change and the environment. They say scientists from more than sixty nations will cooperate on many research activities.

VOICE TWO:

The scientists will examine many physical, biological and social research issues. They include studying changes in the permanently frozen ground and observing sea life near the North and South Poles.

Many public education and information programs are also being planned. The coming International Polar Year will be the fourth in history. Other polar years took place in eighteen eighty-two, nineteen thirty-two and nineteen fifty-seven.

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VOICE ONE:

British businessman Richard Branson and former American vice president Al Gore recently announced a competition. They are seeking a way to remove at least one billion tons of carbon dioxide each year from Earth's atmosphere. Mister Branson is offering twenty-five million dollars to the developer of such a technology.

Last year, he offered to invest three billion dollars to fight climate change. The money would come from profits from his companies, including Virgin Atlantic Airlines.

The new competition is called the Virgin Earth Challenge. The winner of the contest must develop a plan to remove industrial gases from the atmosphere without causing harm. The first five million dollars would be paid to the winner immediately. The rest of the money would be paid only after the prize-winning technology had worked successfully for ten years.

VOICE TWO:

Mister Branson and Mister Gore announced the contest in London earlier this month. They said that some scientists are working on technologies to capture carbon dioxide at power stations and other industrial centers. But no one has developed a way to remove industrial gases already released into the atmosphere. Many scientists say those gases are causing an increase in temperatures around the world. They say continued warming will have serious results in the future.

Mister Branson said the warming caused by industrial gases is threatening the existence of human beings. He said he believes that people are able to find answers to problems that they have created.

VOICE ONE:

The former vice president said people are facing an emergency. Last year, Mister Gore made a documentary film about climate change. The film has helped him become one of the world's leading experts on climate change issues.

Mister Gore and Mister Branson noted a report released last month by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The group included hundreds of scientists from more than one hundred countries.

The report said that human activity is warming the Earth at a dangerous rate. It said Earth's temperatures could increase by as much as six degrees centigrade by the end of this century. This could result in sea levels around the world rising by five meters.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS program was written by Brianna Blake, Shelley Gollust and Caty Weaver. Brianna Blake was our producer. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Bob Doughty. Listen again next week at this time for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.

VOASE0227_Agriculture Report

27 February 2007

Wind Farming Spreads in US
Some farmers earn money by providing land to turbine owners, or by becoming energy producers themselves.

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This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

For centuries, farmers have used windmills to pump water, crush grain and perform other tasks. Today, farmers can earn money with high-powered wind turbines that produce electricity. Wind power has become big business, especially in Europe.

Wind turbines in California

In the United States, less than one percent of electricity is produced from wind energy. But production increased one hundred sixty percent between two thousand and two thousand five. So says Keith Collins, the chief economist at the Department of Agriculture, in a statement he prepared for a Senate committee last month.

An even greater increase is expected between two thousand five and two thousand ten. Farmers and ranchers are providing land to turbine owners or, in some cases, owning the equipment themselves.

Mister Collins says one reason for the increase is high prices for natural gas. Another is a federal tax credit for wind production. The credit is almost two cents per kilowatt hour for the first ten years of production for a project.

The production tax credit for renewable forms of energy was supposed to end this December. But Congress has extended it through two thousand eight.

Other reasons for the expansion include improved turbine technology and lower production costs. They also include policies that make it easier for wind power producers to sell their electricity. And they include the growth of markets for "green power" -- energy that does not create pollution.

California is the leading state for wind power. But Mister Collins says production is also growing in Minnesota and other Midwestern states, all the way down to Texas. And he says many states in the West and Midwest have the wind resources to produce much more wind power.

Wind power offers farmers a way to earn money for use of their land or, if they want, to operate their own turbines. Wind is free, of course. Not only that, the land under the turbines can usually be farmed. And farmers may be able to earn extra money by charging visitors to see their wind farm.

But wind farms are not perfect. Keep in mind that there has to be enough wind to earn a profit. Also, the turbines can kill birds. And people sometimes object to the development of wind farms. They consider them ugly and noisy.

And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Jerilyn Watson. Transcripts and audio files of our reports are at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOASE0226_Development Report

26 February 2007

How to Help Foods Keep Their Cool

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This is the VOA Special English Development Report.

Before refrigerators, homes usually had ice boxes. But another way to keep food cool without the need for electricity is to use an evaporative cooler. This is easy to make and does not even use ice.

A common design is a tall box with food placed on several shelves inside. The shelves are pieces of metal with many small holes through them. The sides of the box are covered with pieces of thick cloth.

Containers of water are placed at the top and bottom of the cooler. The ends of each piece of cloth lie in the water so the cloth stays wet.

Put the cooler in the open air but not in the sun. Air will pass through the wet cloth. The inside of the box will stay several degrees cooler than the outside air temperature. And this may be cool enough to keep foods fresh at least for a short time.

Cold storage in a freezer, however, can keep foods in good condition for months after the growing season. Yet foods can be damaged if they are kept too cold.

The British development group Practical Action says the best way to prepare foods for storage is at harvest time while still in the field. Use a sharp knife to avoid damage.

Place the harvested items on a clean surface or directly into storage containers. Do not put them on the ground.

Use clean water to remove dirt, and keep the water clean. Usually it is better not to remove outer leaves from fruits and vegetables before storage. Without the leaves, food can become dry.

Fruits and vegetables must be cool from field heat before they are put into storage. If they are placed in cool water, however, it can spread fungus throughout the food. A better idea is to harvest foods either early or late in the day, then leave them to cool naturally.

Some fruits and vegetables must be stored at zero to four degrees Celsius. Any colder, and they might be damaged. Others need four to eight degrees. And still others must be stored above eight degrees.

Wet the fruits and vegetables so they do not become too dry. The best time to do this is before storage. Cover the items in plastic once they reach the right "critical temperature" for storage. Most fruits and vegetables need the relative humidity in storage to be kept between eighty-five and ninety-five percent.

Finally, leave space between the food containers and the walls of the storage area so air can flow. Keep the space clean. And try not to open the doors too often.

And that's the VOA Special English Development Report. I'm Steve Ember.

VOASE0225_This Is America

25 February 2007

In Charleston, South Carolina, Southern Friendliness Meets American History
A beautiful city with a most interesting story. The Civil War began at its waterfront.

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VOICE ONE:

Houses along South Battery Street in Charleston

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember with Shirley Griffith. This week, come along to one of the most beautiful and historic cities in the United States - Charleston, South Carolina. The Civil War began at its waterfront.

Charleston is on a piece of land in the southeastern United States that points like a finger to the Atlantic Ocean. Rivers flow by either side of the city. They are the Ashley and the Cooper rivers. The people of Charleston will smile and tell you the Ashley and the Cooper rivers join to form the Atlantic Ocean.

They know this is not true, but they like to tell the story anyway. It shows how proud the people of Charleston are of their city.

(MUSIC)

Charleston has a very rich history. It is the only city in the United States that can claim to have defended itself from American Indians, fierce pirates, Spanish ships, French soldiers, and British forces. It was first in many things. Charleston had the first continual train service in the United States. It built the first museum and the first public flower garden in America.

And the first battle of the American Civil War took place on a very small but important island in its port. Charleston has some of the most beautiful and unusual homes in America. One critic has called Charleston the most friendly city in the United States. Charleston is all of these things and much more.

VOICE TWO:

Plan your visit to Charleston for early spring, late autumn or the winter months. The citizens of Charleston will tell you their lovely city is not fun in the summer. It is extremely hot. The summer heat is important to the history of Charleston.

Early settlers owned huge farms called plantations. In the seventeen hundreds, these farms produced a plant called indigo which is used to make cloth the color blue. Many plantation owners forced slaves to do the work needed to grow indigo in the extreme heat. Slavery became important to the economy of Charleston. The plantations, indigo and slavery are part of the history of the city.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

At least three Indian tribes were living in the area that became Charleston when Spanish explorers arrived in fifteen twenty-one.The Spanish explorers, and later, French explorers tried to establish settlements near that area but none lasted. English settlers first came to the area in sixteen seventy. They established a town.

They called it Charles Town in honor of the English King, Charles the Second. The people of the city changed its name to Charleston in seventeen eighty-three.

VOICE TWO:

Historic picture of South Battery

Many people came to live in Charleston because it produced indigo and had a good port. The people who settled the area were hard working and independent. They considered themselves citizens of England. Still, they did not like some of the laws declared by the English government.

The colonists successfully defended their city many times in the early seventeen hundreds. They defended it against both French and Spanish forces, and against raids by Yamasee Indians and by pirates. In seventeen nineteen, the citizens of Charleston rebelled against the group of English men who controlled their colony.

They wanted more self-government. Britain's King George agreed. This change gave the people of Charleston a feeling of independence.

VOICE ONE:

Charleston is still proud of its part in the war for independence. The city provided several political and military leaders during the American Revolution. British forces attacked it two times, but were defeated by the people of Charleston. The third time, the British captured the city and held it for more than a year.

Charleston continued to grow after the American colonists had won their independence from England. The new federal government knew that the city was important. Workers began building a strong base to guard Charleston in eighteen twenty-eight. This base was on a small island in Charleston Harbor.

It was named Fort Sumter. It was designed to guard the city from any future enemy.

VOICE TWO:

There were no thoughts of war or future enemies while Fort Sumter was being built. The plantations near Charleston had began to plant new crops like rice and cotton. With the help of slave labor, cotton became extremely important to the economy of Charleston and much of the South.

Many people in the northern United States began to think that slavery was very wrong, however. Slave owners in the South wanted things to remain as they had always been. They believed the federal government had no right to tell them what they could or could not do.

VOICE ONE:

A national crisis began when Abraham Lincoln was elected president in eighteen sixty. The people of South Carolina believed he would try to end slavery by force. They voted to leave the United States. They were quickly followed by other southern states.

These southern states soon created the government of the Confederate States of America. Federal troops controlled Fort Sumter when South Carolina voted to leave the Union. The people of Charleston demanded the federal troops leave.

The Union commander refused. On the morning of April twelfth, eighteen sixty-one, a cannon was fired at Fort Sumter. It was the first shot of America's long Civil War.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Charleston suffered a lot of damage during the Civil War. Several major battles were fought there. Late in the war another battle for control of Fort Sumter continued for almost two years. Much of Charleston had been destroyed by the time the war ended.

Rebuilding the city was a long and slow process. The people of Charleston tried to save the historic buildings from the seventeen hundreds. They wanted to keep those buildings they felt were an important part of their city.

The huge plantations near Charleston were also in need of rebuilding. Many owners failed in their efforts because they could no longer use slave labor. Their farms became much smaller.

VOICE ONE:

The historic buildings of Charleston were affected by weather as well as wars. Through the years, ocean storms have severely damaged the city. A major storm struck Charleston in September nineteen-eighty-nine. It killed eighteen people and caused more than three-thousand-million dollars in damage.

The huge storm had winds of more than two hundred seventeen kilometers an hour. It caused high waves that severely flooded city streets.

VOICE TWO:

Headquarters of the Preservation Society of Charleston

The federal, state and city governments and individual citizens have spent millions of dollars to rebuild and repair historic areas. So in some places, Charleston looks a lot like it has for several hundred years.

In the center of the city are stores in small one-hundred year old buildings. The same family has owned one of the stores for almost one hundred fifty years.

Fine eating places throughout the city serve southern food. The people of Charleston will tell you they have some of the best eating places in the United States. Many visitors agree.

VOICE ONE:

Beautiful, old buildings are a major reason thousands of people visit Charleston each year. One of the famous buildings is the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon. It was built in the early seventeen hundreds. It was a jail that held the famous English pirate Stede Bonnet and his crew before they were hanged.

Several of the old plantation farms near Charleston also are open to visitors. One is called Boone Hall Plantation. It is still a working farm. Boone Hall Plantation looks much like it did before the American Civil War. It has been used as the setting for a number of movies and television programs about the American South and the Civil War.

VOICE TWO:

From almost anywhere along the waterfront in Charleston, you can see a large American flag flying over the small island that still holds Fort Sumter. Most visitors go to the historic fort during their time in Charleston.

Several companies provide boat rides to the fort. Much of the fort was destroyed during the Civil War. But what remains of Fort Sumter is protected by the National Park Service. Park workers meet each boat and explain about the battles that took place.

VOICE ONE:

Charleston has many interesting places to visit. However the people who live in the city really make it special. They are extremely friendly in a way that is part of the culture of the American south.

The people of Charleston continue to keep their city beautiful using modern technology to protect their historic past.

(MUSIC)

Our program was written by Paul Thompson and produced by Lawan Davis. Internet users can read and listen to our reports at voaspecialenglish.com. With Shirley Griffith, I'm Steve Ember. Listen again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA SpecialEnglish.

VOASE0224_People In America

24 February 2007

Ida Tarbell, 1857-1944: She Used Her Reporting Skills Against One of the Most Powerful Companies in the World
Tarbell charged that Standard Oil was using illegal methods to hurt or destroy smaller oil companies.

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ANNOUNCER:

People in America, a program in Special English on the Voice of America. Every week we tell about a person who was important in the history of the United States. Today Shirley Griffith and Ray Freeman tell about reporter Ida Minerva Tarbell.

Ida Tarbell was one of the most successful magazine writers in the United States during the last century. She wrote important stories at a time when women had few social or political rights.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Ida Tarbell

Ida Tarbell used her reporting skills against one of the most powerful companies in the world. That company was Standard Oil. Ida Tarbell charged that Standard Oil was using illegal methods to hurt or destroy smaller oil companies.

She investigated these illegal business dealings and wrote about them for a magazine called McClure's. The reports she wrote led to legal cases that continued all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States.

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VOICE TWO:

Ida Tarbell was born in the eastern state of Pennsylvania in November, eighteen fifty-seven. Her family did not have much money. Her father worked hard but had not been very successful.

When Ida was three years old, oil was discovered in the nearby town of Titusville. Her father entered the oil business. He struggled as a small businessman to compete with the large oil companies.

Ida's mother had been a school teacher. She made sure that Ida attended school. She also helped the young girl learn her school work.

Ida wanted to study science at college. Most people at that time thought it was not important for young women to learn anything more than to read and write. Most people thought educating women was a waste of money.

Ida's parents, however, believed education was important -- even for women. They sent her to Allegheny College in nearby Meadville, Pennsylvania. She was nineteen.

VOICE ONE:

Those who knew Ida Tarbell in college say she would wake up at four o'clock in the morning to study. She was never happy with her school work until she thought it was perfect. In eighteen eighty, Ida finished college. In August of that year, she got a teaching job in Poland, Ohio. It paid five hundred dollars a year.

VOICE TWO:

Miss Tarbell learned that she was expected to teach subjects about which she knew nothing. She was able to do so by reading the school books before the students did. She was a successful teacher, but the work, she decided, was too difficult for the amount she was paid. So she returned home after one year. A small newspaper in the town of Meadville soon offered her a job.

Many years later, Ida Tarbell said she had never considered being a writer. She took the job with the newspaper only because she needed the money. At first, she worked only a few hours each week.

Later, however, she was working sixteen hours a day. She discovered that she loved to see things she had written printed in the paper. She worked very hard at becoming a good writer.

VOICE ONE:

Miss Tarbell enjoyed working for the newspaper. She discovered, though, that she was interested in stories that were too long for the paper to print. She also wanted to study in France. To earn money while in Paris, she decided she would write for American magazines.

Ida Tarbell found it difficult to live in Paris without much money. She also found it difficult to sell her work to magazines. The magazines were in the United States. She was in Paris. Some of her stories were never used because it took too long for them to reach the magazine. Yet she continued to write.

Several magazines soon learned that she was a serious writer.

VOICE TWO:

A man named Samuel McClure visited Miss Tarbell in Paris. He owned a magazine named McClure's. Mister McClure had read several of her stories. He wanted her to return to the United States and work for his magazine. She immediately understood that this was a very good offer. But she said no. She proposed that she write for McClure's from Paris.

Ida Tarbell wrote many stories for McClure's. She did this for some time before returning to the United States. Her writing was very popular. She helped make McClure's one of the most successful magazines of its day.

One of her first jobs for the magazine was a series of stories about the life of the French Emperor Napoleon. The series was printed in McClure's Magazine in eighteen ninety-four. It was an immediate success. The series was later printed as a book. It was very popular for a number of years.

VOICE ONE:

Her next project was a series about the life of American President Abraham Lincoln. She began her research by talking with people who had known him. She used nothing they told her, however, unless she could prove it was true to the best of her ability.

McClure's Magazine wanted a short series about President Lincoln. But Ida Tarbell's series lasted for one year in the magazine. Like her series about Napoleon, the President Lincoln stories were immediately popular. They helped sell more magazines. She continued her research about President Lincoln.

Through the years, she would write eight books about President Lincoln.

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VOICE TWO:

Miss Tarbell's reports about the Standard Oil Company are considered more important than any of her other writings. Her nineteen-part series was called The History of the Standard Oil Company. McClure's Magazine published it beginning in nineteen-oh-two.

Her reports showed that Standard Oil used illegal methods to make other companies lose business. One method was to sell oil in one area of the country for much less than the oil was worth.

This caused smaller companies in that area to fail. They could not sell their oil for that low a price and still make a profit. After a company failed, Standard Oil would then increase the price of its oil. This kind of unfair competition was illegal.

VOICE ONE:

Miss Tarbell had trouble discovering information about the Standard Oil Company. She tried to talk to businessmen who worked in the oil business. At first, few would agree to talk.

They were afraid of the Standard Oil Company and its owner, John D. Rockefeller. He was one of the richest and most powerful men in the world.

Miss Tarbell kept seeking information. She was told by one man that Rockefeller would try to destroy McClure's Magazine. But she did not listen to the threats. She soon found evidence that Standard Oil had been using unfair and illegal methods to destroy other oil companies. Soon many people were helping her find the evidence she needed.

VOICE TWO:

Ida Tarbell's investigations into Standard Oil were partly responsible for later legal action by the federal government against the company. The case began in nineteen-oh-six. In nineteen eleven, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled against Standard Oil because of its illegal dealings. The decision was a major one. It forced the huge company to separate into thirty-six different companies.

John D. Rockefeller never had to appear in court himself. Yet the public felt he was responsible for his company's illegal actions. The investigative work of Ida Tarbell helped form that public opinion. That investigative work continues to be what she is known for, even though some of her later writings defended

American business. She died in nineteen forty-four.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

A picture has survived from the long ago days when Ida Tarbell took on the giant Standard Oil Company. It shows John D. Rockefeller walking to his car. It was taken after his company had lost an important court battle. He is wearing a tall black hat and a long coat. He looks angry.

Several people are watching the famous man from behind the car. One is a very tall women. Mister Rockefeller does not see her.

If you look closely at the picture, you can see the face of Ida Tarbell. She is smiling. If you know the story, her smile clearly says: "I won."

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This Special English program was written and produced by Paul Thompson. I'm Ray Freeman.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Shirley Griffith. Join us again next week at this time for another PEOPLE IN AMERICA program, on VOA.

Nigerian Leader Blames Criminals for Delta Violence

By Gilbert da Costa Abuja, Nigeria 24 February 2007

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Nigeria's president says escalating violence in the restive Niger Delta has taken on a criminal dimension. For VOA, Gilbert da Costa reports that militants are continuing assaults on foreigners in the region.

Olusegun Obasanjo

Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo says spiraling crime in the oil-rich delta is driving the current unrest. Participating in a radio phone-in program on Saturday, President Obasanjo announced that his administration has adopted what he called, a carrot and stick strategy, to deal with the growing crisis.

"The problem in the Niger Delta is not a political problem. It is a criminality problem. What we are doing is essentially using the carrot, the carrot to say, 'yes, people need a job. What can we to do to give them a job?' Some of them haven't got the type of education, or any skills that will give them a job. So, we will go for massive skill acquisition training. Then, after we have been able to do what we believe we should do to provide jobs, to train, to educate, then anybody who still persists in the act of criminality will have himself to blame because the stick will come into play," he said.

Gunmen on Friday shot dead a Lebanese technician and kidnapped two Italian construction workers in separate incidents in Nigeria's main oil city of Port Harcourt.

Kidnappings and attacks on oil facilities and personnel by local gangs are now frequent in the impoverished region, where some groups say they are fighting for more equitable distribution of oil wealth.

President Obasanjo says the payment of ransom has become a huge catalyst for the unending spate of kidnappings. "They go and take hostages, so that they can get ransom and the ransom they take, when they finish it, they take other hostages. We have told people, 'don't pay ransom.' But when they (kidnappers) have held their people for some time, they [employers/friends/family of those kidnapped] say, 'well, we [would] rather pay ransom,' [to] get their people secured. But, when you pay ransom this time, they [ the kidnappers] will take more next time, when they finish spending what you have paid them. So, it is a vicious cycle," he said.

Nearly 60 foreigners have been kidnapped in the Niger Delta since the start of this year, almost the same number of seizures in the whole of 2006.

The targeting of foreigners in the world's sixth largest oil exporter has forced thousands of oil workers to quit the region, resulting in a cut in oil production of about 20 percent.

Some analysts say political tension ahead of April's election is also contributing to the spiraling violence.

Iraqi Shi'ites Denounce US Detention of Politician's Son

By Barry Newhouse Irbil, Iraq 24 February 2007

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Iraqi police say a truck bomb killed 37 people and wounded more than 60 outside a Sunni mosque Satuday in restive Anbar province. Three bomb blasts in Baghdad killed at least five people and wounded 20 others. Eight Iraqi policemen were killed when insurgents stormed their checkpoint near Baghdad airport. The attacks came as Iraqi officials reported progress in the new effort to reassert control over the capital city. VOA's Barry Newhouse reports from northern Iraq, thousands of Shi'ites turned out in several cities to denounce U.S. forces, after a Shi'ite politician's son was briefly detained near the Iranian border.

Iraqi policemen prepare to tow away a car destroyed in a car bomb attack in Baghdad, 24 Feb 2007

The Baghdad security operation, called "Fardh al-Qanoon," or "Imposing Order," continues to expand, as troops take up positions in new areas of the capital, and search homes and vehicles for weapons and explosives.

Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad Bulani said the operation is allowing Iraqi and U.S. forces to more closely track insurgents. Bulani says U.S. and Iraqi forces have been observing insurgent strategies, and are learning how to more quickly target them. He says Iraq forces are learning to adapt and solve problems, and, in the last few days, they have succeeded in stopping some terrorist plots.

But there is skepticism among many Iraqis and Americans that the deployment of thousands more troops in the capital will, on its own, be enough to uproot Iraq's deeply entrenched sectarian militias.

In the Democratic Party's weekly radio address Saturday, former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Richard Holbrooke urged the U.S. government to reach out to Iraq's neighbors for help. "Engaging in a broad-based diplomatic offensive, and beginning a redeployment of U.S. forces in Iraq, represents the best way to secure America's interests in the region, and combat the serious threat of terrorist networks," he said.

President Bush opposes talks with Iran and Syria, which he accuses of not doing enough to stop Iraq's insurgency. The president also has alleged that Iran's military supplies Iraqi insurgents with sophisticated explosives, and part of the new security operation includes tightening Iranian border checkpoints to intercept weapons shipments.

At one of those checkpoints on Friday, U.S. forces detained the oldest son of powerful Shi'ite politician Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, as he was driving from Iran into Iraq.

Iraqi Shiite women take part in a demonstration, in the holy city of Karbala, central Iraq, to protest against the arrest of Ammar al-Hakim - AFP

The U.S. military said Amar Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, whose father leads the Shi'ite party called the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, was riding in a convoy that displayed suspicious activities. He was released after several hours, without charge, and the military said he was treated with respect. But people traveling with Mr. Hakim said the group had been treated roughly by American soldiers.

U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad apologized for the incident, but the detention sparked anger among thousands of Shi'ites, who demonstrated in Baghdad, Basra, Kut and Najaf.

Iraqi television broadcast images of hundreds of people rallying in the city Kut, where al-Hakim was held.

One man said, "if you look at these people and read the banners they are holding, they are very angry about what the Americans did to al Hakim."

In Basra, the Shi'ite majority city in southern Iraq, one protester said the detention of such an important person went too far. A man said, "This was a very bad attack by occupation forces against al Hakim - it crossed a red line. This attack is against all Islamic leaders."

Hakim is a highly influential figure in Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki's government, and he met with President Bush in December. He has not publicly commented on his son's detention.

Iran Plays Down Threat of US Military Action

By Margaret Besheer Washington 24 February 2007

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Iran's foreign minister played down the possibility of U.S. military action against its nuclear facilities, saying Saturday that the United States is in no position to impose another crisis on the region or its own citizens. From Washington, VOA's Margaret Besheer reports, the Iranian comments follow remarks U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney made about options for dealing with Iran's unwillingness to halt its nuclear activities.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki

In Tehran Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told reporters he does not see the United States imposing another crisis on its taxpayers by starting another war in the Middle East, and should instead be thinking how to extricate itself from Iraq.

His remarks follow comments by Vice President Dick Cheney during a visit to Australia. Mr. Cheney told a news conference in Sydney that the United States is "deeply concerned" about Iran's activities, including its sponsorship of the Lebanon-based Hezbollah militant group and inflammatory statements by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as well as its nuclear activities.

Dick Cheney (file photo)

"We believe it would be a serious mistake if a nation such as Iran were to become a nuclear power," said Mr. Cheney.

The United States accuses Iran of secretly pursuing a nuclear bomb, a charge Tehran denies.

On Monday, diplomats from the U.N. Security Council's five permanent members, plus Germany, will meet in London to discuss further measures against Iran, after a report from the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency found Iran has defied the council, and not halted sensitive uranium enrichment work.

Mr. Cheney said the United States favors a diplomatic approach for dealing with Iran's nuclear ambitions, but he also left open the possibility of military action.

"We have worked with the European community and through the United Nations to put in place a set of policies to persuade the Iranians to give up their aspirations and to resolve the matter peacefully, and that is still our preference," he added. "But I have also made the point, and the president has made the point, that all options are still on the table."

Iran's foreign minister said negotiations, not threats, are the way to resolve the impasse.

Mottaki said Tehran wants the meetings in London next week to make what he called the "brave decision to resume talks with Iran," a move he says could also lead to international cooperation.

US Welcomes North Korean Invitation to UN Nuclear Chief

By David Gollust Washington 23 February 2007 Download

Condoleezza Rice

The United States is welcoming North Korea's invitation for a visit by the head of the U.N. nuclear agency as a positive indication that it intends to move forward on last week's deal to end its nuclear program. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, speaking in the Canadian capital Ottawa Friday, called the early North Korean move a good sign. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

The February 13 agreement gave North Korea 60 days to shut down its nuclear reactor complex at Yongbyong in exchange for a first installment of energy assistance.

And Bush administration officials are taking the North Korean invitation for a visit by International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei as an encouraging sign of good faith by Pyongyang in implementing the multi-stage disarmament deal.

The ElBaradei visit, expected to occur in the next few weeks, would lay groundwork for the return of international nuclear inspectors to North Korea for the first time in more than four years.

At a news conference in Ottawa capping a three-way U.S.-Canada-Mexico political dialogue, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she had yet to discuss the invitation with ElBaradei but said the fact that the North Korean overture came so soon is indeed a good sign.

"We are really very pleased that the I.A.E.A. is now receiving the initial steps to be able to go back into North Korea, and be able to verify compliance with the agreement that is to take place over the next 60 days that would shut down the Yongbyong reactor, and would seal it, so that we can move on to the next phase, which is the disablement of the nuclear facilities of North Korea, on the way to the full denuclearization of the Korean peninsula," he said.

Over the span of the deal, North Korea is to receive one million tons of fuel oil or equivalent outside aid, as well as diplomatic and security benefits in exchange for irreversibly ending all aspects of its nuclear program, including the weapons effort that produced a test explosion last October.

After the initial 60-day period, all participants in the six-party nuclear talks, including Russia, Japan and South Korea as well as North Korea, the United States and China are to meet at the ministerial level in Beijing to review compliance.

That would include Secretary Rice's first face-to-face encounter with her North Korean counterpart, but under questioning in Ottawa Rice said it is premature to discuss a trip by the Secretary to Pyongyang.

The new U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte is to consult on the nuclear issue in a visit next week to Japan, China and South Korea.