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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.