VOASE0223_Economics Report

23 February 2007

Maker of Cervical Cancer Vaccine Stops Pushing to Require It for Girls
Merck says criticism of its lobbying campaign was interfering with its efforts to gain widespread use of Gardasil.

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This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.

This week, the drug company Merck announced that it would end a lobbying campaign for Gardasil, its new vaccine for girls and women.

The vaccine is designed to protect against four kinds of human papillomavirus, or HPV. These cause about seventy percent of cervical cancers and ninety percent of genital warts.

The development of the vaccine has been widely praised. But Merck faced growing criticism for its push for states to require schoolgirls to be vaccinated with Gardasil. The company says the criticism was interfering with its goal of widespread use of the vaccine.

The United States Food and Drug Administration approved Gardasil last June for females age nine to twenty-six.

At least twenty of the fifty state legislatures have begun to consider some form of Gardasil requirement. In Texas, Governor Rick Perry has ordered that beginning in two thousand eight, girls eleven and twelve years old must be vaccinated with Gardasil. But parents could choose not to, if they object for religious or other reasons.

Critics said politicians were moving too fast. And they accused Mister Perry of being too close to Merck. The company had given money to his re-election campaign. And his former chief of staff is now a Merck lobbyist in Texas.

Critics said the lobbying campaign for required use of Gardasil created a conflict of interest for Merck. Gardasil is a lot more costly than other childhood vaccinations. The vaccine is given as three injections over a six-month period; the complete series cost more than three hundred fifty dollars.

There were also objections on legal and moral grounds. Some parents argued that since HPV is passed during sex, required use of Gardasil might lead to greater sexual activity among young people. Others say required use would violate privacy rights.

Other critics called for more study of Gardasil, especially in younger girls. They note that during studies of the vaccine, ninety-five percent of the subjects were females sixteen and older.

Cervical cancer rates have been dropping in the United States. On average three thousand seven hundred women die from it each year. But cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women in poor countries.

In December, Merck said it would work toward providing Gardasil to those countries at a lower price.

Merck competitor GlaxoSmithKline is expected to request federal approval of its own cervical cancer vaccine in April.

And that’s the VOA Special English Economics Report, written by Caty Weaver. I'm Steve Ember.

VOASE0222_American Mosaic

22 February 2007

Making Art Out of Common Materials: The Boxes of Joseph Cornell
A question from Vietnam about the Florida Everglades. And listen to some of the music nominated for this year's Academy Awards.

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HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC, in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

I'm Doug Johnson. On our show this week:

We answer a question about the Everglades …

Play some music nominated for an Academy Award …

And report about an artist who builds boxes.

Joseph Cornell

Have you ever heard of art in a box? Joseph Cornell was an important artist best known for his beautifully constructed boxes. A large collection of his interesting artwork was shown recently at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. Faith Lapidus tells us more.

FAITH LAPIDUS:

An unnamed work by Joseph Cornell

You could say that Joseph Cornell became an artist because of his love of collecting. Cornell used to spend his free time exploring the street life of New York City in the nineteen twenties. He soon started collecting old books, prints, postcards and even three-dimensional objects that he found in stores that sold used books.

Cornell also attended many museum shows, gallery openings and dance performances. He was influenced by a group of artists called the Surrealists who combined images in unusual and often strange ways.

Joseph Cornell started making his own works by cutting out different pictures and putting them together in creative and magical combinations. Soon, he started making boxes inside of which were carefully arranged pictures and objects. He worked on his art at night after finishing his day job. Later, when his boxes and images started selling and receiving public recognition, he worked on his art full time.

Joseph Cornell died in nineteen seventy-two.The Smithsonian exhibit showed almost two hundred works made during his forty-year career. One work is called “Soap Bubble Set.” A box with a glass window shows a map of the moon, several pictures of sea creatures, two glass cups and two white pipes for smoking. In another box, Cornell combines an image of a cockatoo bird with a music box and watch faces.

Joseph Cornell once said his art was based on everyday experiences. He said that with his art he showed “the beauty of the commonplace.” Visitors who came to this special exhibit found magic in regular objects - and even saw beauty in a box.

The Everglades

HOST:

Our listener question this week comes from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Nguyen Thanh Duc wants to know about the Everglades National Park in the southern state of Florida.

Part of the Everglades

The Everglades National Park is the third largest national park in the mainland United States. President Harry S. Truman officially established the national park in nineteen forty-seven. He placed almost two hundred thousand hectares of land in the area under federal control.

The parkland has since been expanded several times. The United States now protects more than six hundred thousand hectares of the Everglades. This is only about twenty percent of the Everglades ecosystem.

The Everglades was the first national park established to protect only biological resources. The wetlands are famous around the world for their diversity of wildlife. The United Nations has called the area "a world biological treasure."

The Everglades is really a slow-moving, extremely shallow river that flows south to the ocean. It is filled with sharp, thin sawgrass. This is why the Everglades is sometimes called the River of Grass. The area was also once called the "liquid heart" of Florida.

Forests of palm, cypress, mangrove and pine are also a part of the Everglades. It is home to beautiful plants and sweet-smelling flowers. These include several kinds of the highly prized and rare flower, the orchid.

Many kinds of animals live in the Everglades. Many colorful birds and butterflies live there. So do snakes, frogs, foxes and even big cats, called Florida panthers. But the alligators and crocodiles are probably the animals most identified with the Everglades. No other place in the world is home to both.

However, the Everglades is one of the most endangered national parks in the United States. Human activities and development around the edges of the park threaten the area's health and future. Many of the animals are in danger of disappearing.

More than one million people visit the Everglades National Park each year. The park will celebrate its sixtieth anniversary next December.

Oscar Nominated Songs

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present its seventy-ninth yearly Academy Awards on Sunday. These awards are known as the Oscars. They honor writers, directors, actors and others who helped create the best motion pictures last year. They also honor songs written for those movies. Barbara Klein has more.

BARBARA KLEIN:

One of the five nominated songs was written by Randy Newman for the animated movie "Cars." It is called "Our Town," and is performed by James Taylor.

(MUSIC)

'Dreamgirls,' from left, Sharon Leal, Beyonce Knowles and Anika Noni Rose

A second nominated song was written by Melissa Etheridge. It is called "I Need To Wake Up." It is from the documentary about global warming called "An Inconvenient Truth."

The final three nominated songs all were written by Henry Krieger for the musical movie “Dreamgirls.” The movie is about a group of female singers who become famous during the nineteen sixties. One of the songs is called “Listen.” Beyonce sings it in "Dreamgirls." This song is called "Patience." Eddie Murphy sings it in the movie.

(MUSIC)

We leave you now with the third song nominated from the movie "Dreamgirls." Jennifer Hudson sings "Love You I Do."

(MUSIC)

HOST:

I'm Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program today. It was written by Dana Demange, Nancy Steinbach and Caty Weaver, who was also our producer. To read the text of this program and download audio, go to our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com.

Send your questions about American life to mosaic@voanews.com. Please include your full name and mailing address. Or write to American Mosaic, VOA Special English, Washington, D.C., 20237, U.S.A.

Join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC, VOA’s radio magazine in Special English.

Southern Philippine Island Plays Out Drama in War on Terror

By Douglas Bakshian Jolo 22 February 2007

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Far from the headlines and the rest of the world a drama in the global war on terror is playing out on Jolo island in the southern Philippines. A Muslim guerrilla group called Abu Sayyaf is on the run from the Philippine military while U.S. water, road, and health projects are making life better for the people. But is it yet time to declare victory? Douglas Bakshian recently traveled to Jolo for a look at things.

Philippines map showing Sulu region where Jolo is located

There is much talk these days in Philippine and U.S. military circles about winning the war on terror on Jolo island, and ending a long struggle against the Abu Sayyaf Islamic terrorist group.

Years of fighting the guerrillas failed to produce peace. So the Philippine military, with the help of U.S. advisers, began addressing civilian needs - roads, schools, water systems and medical care.

By alleviating some of the desperate poverty on Jolo, the military defused some of the anger and frustration that fuels violent movements.

General Juancho Sabban, commander of the Philippines Marines who are in the forefront of the operation, says this is all about winning public support.

"The secret of all these operations should be the people," he said. "If you win the people, you win the war."

The Abu Sayyaf is one of several groups that over the past 30 years have fought to create a Muslim homeland in the southern Philippines, a predominately Christian country. The government has negotiated peace deals or ceasefires with the two dominant militant forces.

Unlike other separatist groups, the Abu Sayyaf has become best known for a series of deadly bombings and brutal kidnappings and murders.

Since 2002, American special forces have provided training, analysis and intelligence to the Philippine military in the fight against the Abu Sayyaf. U.S. Navy Commander James Marvin helps lead the joint task force for the operation. He says the goal is to build confidence in the people that the military is a good thing and to drive a wedge between the terrorists and the people.

"Basically, you take the bullies that are on the playground and you get all the kids on the playground to stick up for themselves, and tell the bullies, 'we don't want you here anymore.' And they are no longer bullies, they cannot function in that capacity and they move," he said.

At the same time, the Philippine military focused its combat effort on smaller patrols conducting intelligence-driven operations that target terrorist leaders. It also adopted guerrilla tactics to fight in the dense jungles of Jolo.

As a result, in recent months, several Abu Sayyaf leaders have been killed, and their followers driven into the hills.

But will this mixture of the missionary approach and the iron fist be enough to eradicate a problem that was decades in the making?

General Sabban says he thinks the Abu Sayyaf leaders will fight to the death.

Radullan Sahiron, in his 70's is the main senior leader left. Sahiron's son, Ismin, was killed in a clash with the military last year. But before he died the general spoke with him by cell phone.

"And I was trying to convince him to come down and live a normal life, go back to the mainstream," he said. "But he said 'we have an ideology that we are fighting for. I'm sorry, we really want to establish an Islamic state.' And then I told him, 'How about your father?' He said, 'my father will die here in Patikul [a Jolo area], fighting. It's either you get out of Sulu, or my father dies here.'"

Some political analysts say the Abu Sayyaf can be wiped out, but that is not enough to bring lasting peace to Jolo. Ramon Casiple, head of Manila's Institute of Political and Electoral Reforms, says the problems that fostered the group's rise must be addressed.

"But if you are asking me if the factors that give rise to Abu Sayyaf have been eliminated, and therefore in the future will there be more Abu Sayyaf? I think these factors have not been eradicated even with all the civic action that has been done already," he said.

Sulu province, which includes Jolo, is one of the poorest regions in the Philippines. It has suffered neglect by the central government and long-standing grievances have powered successive rebellions.

It also has a rigid hierarchical social structure with a few wealthy families at the top and dozens of clans. Casiple says previous development programs in the region have failed because only certain families or groups benefited.

"There are certain sections that have been getting wealthier from all the aid. But the farmer at the bottom level has not improved," he said. "That is the breeding ground of rebellion. I mean you can have a road, but if the family doesn't have a car or a vehicle to use it, it is nothing for them."

For all this to be untangled after so many decades of neglect will require a lot of work, and a fundamental and sustained change in Jolo's economic, social and political structures. More importantly, analysts say, Manila must shift from a policy of neglect to a serious commitment to better the lives of all Jolo's people.

IAEA Says Iran Has Not Suspended Uranium Enrichment

By Peter Heinlein United Nations 22 February 2007

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The U.N. nuclear watchdog agency says Iran has failed to suspend uranium enrichment, in defiance of Security Council demands. From U.N. headquarters, VOA's Peter Heinlein reports the finding clears the way for further sanctions aimed at Iran's suspect nuclear program.

IAEA Board of Governors, Vienna, Austria

A report issued by the International Atomic Energy Agency concludes that Iran has expanded uranium enrichment since December, when the Security Council ordered a freeze on such activities. The six-page report says the Tehran government has continued construction of a nuclear reactor that could produce material used in weapons.

国际原子能机构发表的一项报道称伊朗并未按照安理会的要求限制其铀浓缩活动，相反伊朗自十二月起已扩大了铀浓缩的规模。这份六页长的报道称德黑兰政府在继续制造一座能为其提供核武器原料的核反应堆。

Iran has repeatedly denied having any intention to build nuclear weapons, and maintains its enrichment activities are aimed at producing energy.

伊朗方面则反复强调他们造这座反应堆的目的是为了发电，而非想发展核武器。

But the six-page report written by IAEA Director Mohamed ElBaradei says Iran's refusal to cooperate has left the agency unable to verify that its nuclear activities are for peaceful purposes. The report also says Iran has installed two uranium enrichment networks at its underground nuclear facility in Natanz, although no uranium has been fed into the system.

国际原子能机构总干事巴拉迪在这份六页长的报道中称，由于缺乏伊朗方面的合作，他们目前还无法确定伊朗的核活动是否可以被认为出于和平目的。在这份报道中，他还写道伊朗在其位于纳坦兹的地下核设施中已安装了两条铀浓缩生产线，不过目前还没有进行任何铀矿石的加工。

The Security Council initially imposed sanctions on Iran in late December, and gave the Tehran government two months to suspend uranium enrichment.

安理会于十二月下旬开始对伊朗实施制裁，它们要求伊朗在两个月内中止铀浓缩活动。

The Islamic republic's failure to comply exposes it to further sanctions. But the Security Council president for February, Slovakia's U.N. Ambassador Peter Burian, says there are no immediate plans to begin discussions on a follow-up resolution.

如果这个伊斯兰共和国不愿意妥协，那它可能会面临进一步的制裁。不过本月的安理会轮值主席，斯洛伐克常驻联合国代表布利安则表示，他们目前还没有打算开始讨论之后的应对方案。

"Of course the presidency will be in contact with all 14 Security Council members, and we will find out whether there is a mood to convene consultations during our presidency or maybe a little bit later," he said. "We will be checking the mood and the interest of the members to deal with the matter."

“当然作为主席我需要与安理会的14个成员国都进行接触，然后我们会根据成员国的意见来决定是否需要在我们的任期内为此事召开会议，还是稍微再等一段时间。我们主要参考的是各成员国的意向及利益。”

U.N. diplomats general reacted cautiously to the IAEA conclusions. A U.S. State Department spokesman expressed disappointment over Iran's failure to comply with the previous Security Council resolution.

联合国的外交官们对国际原子能机构此次所公布的结论都持谨慎态度。一位美国的政府发言人对伊朗未能遵守安理会先前的决议表示失望。

Russia's U.N. ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, said his country, which delayed approval of the earlier resolution through weeks of negotiations, would prefer not to impose new sanctions on Iran.

俄罗斯驻联合国代表丘尔金表示他们倾向于不对伊朗实施新的制裁。俄罗斯在先前的决议中用了数周的时间进行多方会谈，因此也推迟了决议最后出台的日期。

"We should not lose sight of the goal," he said. "The goal is not to have a resolution or to impose sanctions. The goal is to accomplish a political outcome."

“我想我们应时刻清楚自己的目标。我们的目标不是为了制裁，而是为了在政治层面上取得某种进展。”

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement in Vienna expressing "deep concern" at Iran's failure to meet the Security Council deadline for suspension of enrichment activities. The statement said Mr. Ban "once again urge(s) the Iranian government (to) fully comply with the demands" and engage in talks with the international community toward a peaceful resolution of the issue.

联合国秘书长潘基文在维也纳发表讲话时说，他对伊朗未能按照安理会所给出的时限来中止其铀浓缩活动而深感忧虑。他再次督促伊朗政府能完全服从联合国所提出的要求并希望其能加强与国际社会之间的交流，以期能使这个问题有一个和平的解决方案。

But a senior Iranian official is quoted as saying Iran cannot accept suspending uranium enrichment. Mohammad Saeedi, the deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, argued that the Security Council's demand has no legal basis.

但据报道称，伊朗的一位高级官员表示伊朗无法接受中止铀浓缩这样的决议。伊朗原子能机构副主席赛义德称安理会所提出的要求毫无法律依据。

中文翻译由Carl提供 PoEnglish感谢致敬！

Coalition Faces Two New Insurgent Tactics in Iraq

By Al Pessin Washington 22 February 2007 Download

The second-ranking U.S. commander in Iraq says his forces are working to counter two new capabilities developed by insurgents - an improved ability to shoot down helicopters and a new type of bomb that involves deadly chlorine gas. The general spoke via satellite from Baghdad to reporters at the Pentagon, and VOA's Al Pessin reports.

US military Apache helicopter releases an anti-missile decoy flair over Baghdad, 15 Feb 2007

Lieutenant General Ray Odierno says eight coalition helicopters have been brought down in the last month, and his forces are beginning to develop some information about how and why that happened.

"We're seeing some common tactics, techniques and procedures, which I don't want to comment on," he said. "And so, we seem to be aware of what they're doing and we're trying to understand what those are, learn about it, so we can protect our aircraft, but more importantly, try to go after the cells."

General Odierno says coalition troops detained a man last week who they believe was a member of one of those cells, and made more arrests in raids during the last few nights. The general believes the cells are affiliated with the al-Qaida terrorist network. General Odierno says protecting the helicopters is essential for the coalition because it relies heavily on the aircraft for safe transport. He reports the coalition will fly about 400,000 hours of helicopter missions this year, nearly double the usage level of two years ago.

General Odierno also discussed the recent use of three chlorine gas bombs by insurgents. He says his forces discovered a supply of the gas at an insurgent bomb factory they raided on Tuesday near Fallujah, along with explosives, detonators and four vehicles in the process of being fitted with large bombs.

"What they're trying to do is try to adapt in such ways where they can continue to create instability," he added. "And that's what they're doing, especially with these chlorine VBIEDs [vehicle borne explosive devices]. That's just another way they're trying to adapt to cause some sort of chaos here in country."

The general says he has seen no indication that Iranians are involved in providing the chlorine bomb capability. Ten days ago, speaking on condition of anonymity, military officials in Baghdad accused top Iranian officials of providing bomb-making technology and materials to the Iraqi insurgents. On Thursday, General Odierno joined other top officials in saying he is not sure whether the Iranian involvement goes to the top of the Tehran government, as the briefers claimed.

On other issues, General Odierno said he supports Britain's decision to withdrawal 1,600 of its 7,000 troops from southern Iraq. He says Iraqi forces in the area have made "plenty of progress," and that soon they will be able to handle security on their own, with coalition forces in what he called an 'over-watch' role. The general says that is the plan for the entire country.

He also reports that the new Baghdad security operation is going well so far, with Iraqi commanders taking the promised even-handed approach toward both Sunni and Shi'ite groups that commit violence. But General Odierno also said it will take months to see significant results from the effort, and he urged observers to be patient.