Merida, Mexico Will be Last Stop of Bush's Latin America Tour

By Greg Flakus Merida, Mexico 13 March 2007

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Merida, Mexico, is the last stop on President Bush's tour of Latin America. There he will meet with Mexican President Felipe Calderon, who shares many of Mr. Bush's views on free markets, trade and development. President Bush has been dogged by protests most of the way on his Latin American trip, but as VOA's Greg Flakus reports from Merida, he can expect a much calmer scene there.

Newspaper headlines refer to President Bush's visit

People dance on the streets at night in Merida and spend their days in the parks and plazas of this colonial city with its many monuments, old churches and municipal buildings. People here are also used to American visitors, many of whom come to see the nearby ruins of the ancient Mayan city of Uxmal, which President Bush will tour with his Mexican host, President Calderon, on Tuesday.

Many Merida residents have been impressed and, to some degree, annoyed by the tight security imposed by authorities for the Bush visit. Some protesters, mostly from Mexico City and elsewhere, are here, but no one expects the kind of violent clashes that occurred in South America.

Helen Torres

Sitting in the shade of palm trees at a downtown plaza, Helen Torres says she believes the visit will go well.

She says people here are very calm and do not get roiled up about political matters.

Merida, which is the capital of the Mexican state of Yucatan, is a city of just under a million people about one thousand kilometers southeast of Mexico City, but even farther from the hectic and conflictive Mexican capital in terms of its ambiance. Political turmoil and protest marches are not a common part of life here.

Eladio Cuello Quintana

As he sits in the plaza having his shoes shined, retired professional Eladio Cuello Quintana expresses minimal expectations for the Bush-Calderon meeting.

He says people here are not accustomed to such meetings and that they do not expect much. He says he does, however, hope that the two presidents can come to an agreement on immigration that will benefit Mexico.

Immigration reform is a goal President Bush has pursued for several years, but his attention was diverted by the terrorist attacks of September 2001 and the US Congress has been divided between those who favor the president's proposal for a guest worker program and those who want more effective enforcement at the border before any such program is considered. Some 12 million Mexicans live and work in the United States illegally, according to some estimates. Mexican immigrants send back more than $20 billion a year in remittances, the second largest source of income in Mexico next to oil.

During part of his trip, President Bush was shadowed by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who seeks to displace US influence in Latin America with his brand of populist socialism. Chavez, an admirer of Cuba's communist leader, Fidel Castro, has referred to President Bush as "the devil" and the United States as "the empire."

Felipe Calderon would be a natural foil to Chavez in that he and President Bush agree on most economic issues. But Calderon has his own problems at home, having won election last July by the slimmest of margins.

One area where the two presidents can work together effectively is in fighting cross-border crime and drug smuggling. Calderon launched a far-reaching campaign against organized crime right after assuming office in December and he is expected to seek more US help in furthering that effort during his talks with President Bush.

Women Peacekeepers Can Work With Female Victims, Set Example for Male Colleagues

By Barbara Schoetzau New York 12 March 2007

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Just one month ago the United Nations deployed its first all-women peacekeeping unit, a group of trained policewomen from India now serving in Liberia. From VOA's New York Bureau, correspondent Barbara Schoetzau reports this team is a sign of the continuing evolution of women in peacekeeping missions.

The first all-female unit of UN peacekeepers arrives in Liberia

In 2000, the United Nations adopted a landmark resolution to address the impact of war on women and spur greater participation of women in peace keeping. The U.N. department of peacekeeping operations appointed Comfort Lamptey as a gender adviser to help increase the role of women peacekeepers and study gender issues within peacekeeping operations.

Lamptey says the resolution grew out of the advocacy of women in war-torn regions who wanted a greater voice. Their regional advocacy caught the attention of U.N. officials.

"During the 1990s, we saw a rise in levels of internal conflicts in different continents, in Africa, in Asia, Eastern Europe and all the former Soviet Union states," said Comfort Lamptey. "I think what was clear was that while many of them were not engaged in the processes leading up to the conflict, they were being adversely effected by the war through violence against women, through the fact that they have to be solely responsible for the upkeep for their communities when the men are out fighting, through the fact that many women are becoming widows and single heads of households. And yet when it comes to actually helping to find solutions to peace, in spite of the impact of the war on them and the responsibilities that they assume during war time, they are not being consulted."

The reaction to women peacekeepers has been mixed in some locations, but their supporters say the advantages are clear. In some traditional societies, it is more acceptable for women to work with women. Lamptey has no doubt that women peacekeepers are better able to deal with women who have been victims of violence.

"I think that in a lot of countries women who have been subject to gender-based violence feel more comfortable talking to a woman," she said. "In many countries where women have been raped by men in uniform, they are more comfortable talking to another woman than men in uniforms. Having women in the field who are well-trained may be able to respond to women who have been violated."

As a side benefit, U.N. officials hope that women can set an example for male counterparts and reduce the instances of sexual exploitation that occurred in some peacekeeping units in recent years.

"My personal view, it's not scientific, is that the presence of more women can actually help dilute a macho approach to peacekeeping," noted Comfort Lamptey. "This is my own personal belief that if you have a contingent of 50 peacekeepers that are all men, the dynamics will be different than if you suddenly have 15 women, and 35 men."

Lamptey notes that in many societies, women peacekeepers have provided an extra benefit: they have become role models.

"We had women from Timor Leste and Burundi attest to the fact that the fact that we had women peacekeepers helped them galvanize their own aspirations to either join the local police, which we were helping to build in the case of Timor, the few women who were there served as role models," she said. "Similarly, in Burundi we had the head of the U.N. mission who was a woman and the local Burundi women said they were very inspired that the head of the UN in the country was a woman and that strengthened their own aspirations."

Increasing the numbers of women serving in the military components of peacekeeping missions is an ongoing struggle. Lamptey says troop-contributing nations rarely meet the number of requests for women made by the U.N. peacekeeping department. India, Pakistan, Nepal, Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia are among the top troop contributing countries. Lamptey says women account for less than two percent of the military in peacekeeping operations. Women make up four percent of the police and almost 30 percent of the civilian staffs of missions.

Los Angeles Highlights Role as Creative Center

By Mike O'Sullivan Los Angeles 12 March 2007

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Los Angeles gets little respect as an artistic or cultural center from its rivals on the East Coast, such as New York or Boston, but the sprawling West Coast city is highlighting its role as a creative hub. VOA's Mike O'Sullivan has details.

Evening view of downtown Los Angeles

Even its critics acknowledge that Los Angeles has wonderful weather and impressive scenery. And it is home to the entertainment industry, with all its glitz and glamour.

Yet Los Angeles receives only grudging recognition as a creative center.

Jon Goodman, who heads the civic group Town Hall Los Angeles, says art and technology are converging in L.A., where movies are made with computer software, and medical schools use entertainment technology to train students to interact with patients.

"Twenty first century art, design and entertainment requires technology," said Jon Goodman. "The real convergence is not TV going to the computer, or movies going to computer. The real convergence is technology, art and design all coming together."

Disney Concert Hall

Los Angeles architect Frank Gehry uses computer-generated designs to create architectural landmarks like the Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles.

Gehry and Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa came to another cultural center, the Getty Museum, to launch the campaign promoting Los Angeles as a creative center. The promotion features a full month of activities, ranging from art shows and museum exhibits to dramatic performances. The mayor says the city is due for some recognition.

"This is an opportunity for us to celebrate what LA is all about," said Mayor Villaraigosa. "It is a place of many, many cultures. It is the place where the world comes together, where immigrants come like Frank Gehry from Canada, with a dream, and live that dream in a way that makes us all feel so special."

Gehry came to Los Angeles at age 17. Now 78, he has spent his career in the city, a place he says is not bound by traditions and orthodoxies.

"It is an open system here, maybe because it is so dispersed," said Frank Gehry. "And it has been under the radar. It is nice to focus on it."

Don Levy, a senior vice president for Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment, says Los Angeles is a center for all kinds of innovation.

"Creativity is not limited to the arts," said Levy. "Creativity is really about imagination, and imagination is really the underpinning of virtually all innovation. That includes science, medicine and business. And Los Angeles is a city filled with imaginative people looking at new ways to present ideas, fashion, design, technology, as well as entertainment."

Los Angeles officials say creative endeavors are also good for business, providing hundreds of thousands of jobs and injecting $13 billion a year into the local economy.

Cheney Says Iraq Pullout Would Further Destabilize Middle East

By Stephanie Ho Washington 12 March 2007

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Vice President Dick Cheney says a precipitous withdrawal from Iraq would be dangerous for the United States and for the entire Middle East. His comments came in Washington Monday in a speech to a gathering sponsored by an influential lobbying group. VOA's Stephanie Ho has more on the story.

Dick Cheney speaks at AIPAC 2007 Policy Conference in Washington, DC, 12 March 2007

In a speech to a friendly audience, Vice President Cheney said pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq before Iraqis could defend themselves could be disastrous.

"Shi'ite extremists, backed by Iran, could be in an all-out war with Sunni extremists, led by al Qaida and remnants of the old Saddam regime," said Dick Cheney.

He added that chaos in Iraq is likely to spark greater instability around the world.

"Having tasted victory in Iraq, jihadists would look abroad for new missions," he said. "Many would head for Afghanistan to fight alongside the Taleban. Others would set out for capitals across the Middle East, spreading more discord as they eliminate dissenters and work to undermine moderate governments."

Also speaking at the conference, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni urged other Middle Eastern governments to join Israel in opposing Iran, whose president has called for Israel's destruction.

"The Iranian threat is clear, not just to Israel and the Western world, maybe Arab and Gulf states feel it too," she said. "They also cannot afford a nuclear Iran, and believe me, love for Israel has nothing to do with it. They know, as we do, that even if the Israeli-Palestinian conflict magically disappeared, Iran's radical ideology would remain."

She also urged Arab and Muslim countries that condition their relations with Israel on the end of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to move quickly and establish relations with her government.

"You have the power to change reality and to encourage Palestinians to embrace co-existence," she said. "Do not wait for peace to come before you normalize relations with us. Normalize relations now, and peace will come."

Livni is in Washington for talks with U.S. officials on the Arab peace plan, known as the Saudi initiative. It calls for Israel to withdraw from all territories seized during the 1967 Six Day War, in exchange for normal relations from all Arab countries. A Palestinian state would be established in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

US Hopeful of Security Council Action on Kosovo

By David Gollust Washington 12 March 2007

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The U.S. State Department's top diplomat for Europe says he believes the U.N. Security Council will be able to approve a final-status plan for Kosovo, despite the failure of U.N. envoy Martti Ahtisaari to conclude a deal with the Balkan parties. Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Dan Fried spoke to reporters Monday after talks in Kosovo, Serbia and Macedonia. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

Martti Ahtisaari (file photo)

Though U.N. envoy Ahtisaari's final negotiating mission in Vienna ended in stalemate, U.S. officials say the main parties, Serbia, and Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority, actually agree on 80 percent of his peace plan.

They say they believe the U.N. Security Council, which will now take up the issue of Kosovo's status, will be able to agree on a settlement plan without a veto by Moscow, Serbia's main political backer.

The Ahtisaari plan would grant Kosovo, a Serbian province which has been a U.N. protectorate for nearly a decade, what amounts to supervised statehood with trappings of independence including its own flag, anthem and constitution, while protecting the rights of its Serb minority.

Ethnic Albanian child sits near a graffiti painted wall reading "Free Kosova" in Kosovska Mitrovica (file photo)

The plan falls short of Kosovar Albanians' demands for full, outright independence. Serbian leaders adamantly oppose partitioning their country, with Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica warning that Security Council approval of the plan would be, as he put it, the most dangerous precedent in the history of the U.N.

But in a talk with reporters, Assistant Secretary Fried said he believes a deal is possible in the Security Council on a revised plan dealing with the parties concerns.

He said the notion advanced by the Serbian Prime Minister, and at times by Moscow, that the Ahtisaari plan would touch off a wave of separatism in Europe or elsewhere is simply not valid:

"The precedent simply doesn't apply. We have said before, and will say again as many times as we have to, that Kosovo is not a precedent for any other area, whether that's Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Chechnya, Trans-Dniestria, Corsica or Texas. Okay? It just isn't and it won't be," said Fried. "We don't have to accept that rather dramatic language at face value."

Assistant Secretary Fried, just back from talks in Belgrade, the Kosovo capital Pristina and the Macedonian capital Skopje, said he thinks a moderate majority across the region supports the outlines of Ahtisaari plan, which he said would be far preferable to the tense status quo:

"There will be extremists who stage provocations, and we all know this," he added. "But extremists staging provocations in context where the international community is supporting a solution which provides for the rights of all the Kosovar citizens in general, and particularly for the rights of Serb community - that will be a far better situation than a situation where there is no process and no hope, and no status resolution. In that case there will be far more trouble, far more bloodshed, I fear."

Fried put no time frame on U.N. deliberations but said given Moscow's record of cooperation on the issue, including its role in the international contact group on Kosovo, there is no reason to assume a Russian veto.

He also said leaders of all the Kosovo communities agree that the 16,000-member NATO force in Kosovo, K-For, should remain there for some period of time and that is NATO's intention, as well.

International forces have been in Kosovo since 1999, when a NATO bombing campaign ended a bloody Serbian crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists.

VOASE0312_Science In the News

12 March 2007

Compulsive Hoarding: When Collecting Things Becomes a Disorder
Hoarders are afraid to throw things away. They may save old newspapers, clothing, even old food; some people hoard animals. The problem is also a public safety concern.

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VOICE ONE:

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

VOICE TWO:

Horses are seized from a Maryland farm in December. Officials accused the owner of hoarding about 70 horses, many of them sick and hungry. She denied mistreating them but said things ''got out of hand.''

And I'm Faith Lapidus. On our program this week, we tell about compulsive hoarding syndrome. It is both a mental sickness and a public safety issue.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Many people in the United States are looking forward to the return of spring. During this season, millions of Americans do what is known as spring cleaning. They open windows in their homes to let in fresh air. They use cleaning products that make their homes smell nice. And they organize their belongings.

Some Americans have a strong desire to clean up their homes. This can also be called removing clutter. Clutter can be described as a disorganized collection of things. To remove clutter means to throw away the things you do not want. Then, organize the things you have decided to keep.

VOICE TWO:

In recent years, it has become easy to find information on how to attack clutter. There are books and even television programs on the subject. Specialty stores sell containers and boxes for storing things around the house.

Some Americans pay people to come to their home to remove clutter. Such people provide advice on what to keep and what to throw away. They also help with organizing things. However, the services of a professional organizer can be costly. Such services can cost up to two hundred dollars an hour.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

A home with a stairwell filled with useless things

Some people have serious problems with clutter. They have a mental disorder called compulsive hoarding syndrome. Hoarding is the gathering of objects and not being able to throw them away. Most people would say the objects are useless or worthless. However, hoarders believe the objects could be useful some day. They may even develop an emotional connection to such things.

Hoarders are afraid to throw away things. Yet they continue to bring more and more things into their homes. They may save objects such as newspapers, clothing, and even old food.

VOICE TWO:

Hoarders live with so much clutter it may endanger their physical health. Dirt, insects, and bacteria that form over a period of time can cause sickness.

Safety experts say the homes of hoarders often are unsafe. A room filled with newspapers, for example, can cause floor supports to break down. In many cases, a room is filled from top to bottom with useless things. There is only a small space to walk from one end of the room to the other.

VOICE ONE:

One of the most famous hoarding cases involved two brothers in New York City. Homer and Langley Collyer were found dead in their home in nineteen forty-seven. Langley Collyer was buried under what appeared to be a mountain of old newspapers. The weight of the newspapers crushed him. Langley was Homer's caretaker. Medical experts believed Langley had been dead for several days before his brother Homer died of starvation.

Police found the home was filled with thousands of unused books, pieces of wood, and skins from large fruits and vegetables. The two brothers also saved pipes and very large automobile parts.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Compulsive hoarding can have a severe effect on a family. Family members who share a home with the hoarder cannot understand why their loved one keeps so many useless and sometimes dangerous things. It prevents the family from enjoying their home. Experts say the hoarder should make a greater effort to keep the home clean and organized. However, it is not that simple.

Randy Frost is a psychologist at Smith College in Massachusetts. He also has studied hoarding. Mister Frost says it is more than a mental disorder. He says hoarding is a public health problem.

VOICE ONE:

Collecting waste, food or materials that can cause fires creates serious health risks. In the United States, hoarding violates laws that were created to protect public safety and property. Some cities have formed groups to deal with the problems caused by hoarding. Each group usually has representatives from one or more government agencies.

Agency officials say they often hear about hoarders from citizens who live near someone affected with the disorder. The citizens no longer want to see broken household equipment or old clothing lying on property near their homes.

VOICE TWO:

Persons suffering from compulsive hoarding syndrome do not only collect objects. Some collect cats, dogs or other animals. Most animal hoarders believe they are rescuing the animals with the purpose of caring for them. However, hoarders do not realize when they have too many animals. They are really doing more harm than good. They may not be able to provide medical care for the animals. Some animals may not be washed or fed.

Officials have been shocked at the condition of the homes of animal hoarders. Floors were covered with animal wastes. Infectious diseases were a problem. Some animals were found starving, while others had died.

An animal hoarder usually collects other things, such as clothing or magazines. Experts suspect that many hoarders have had uncaring parents or disorderly lives as children. The animals serve as a way for hoarders to get the love they always wanted.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Compulsive hoarding syndrome affects an estimated one million people in the United States. Compulsive hoarding is most commonly connected to obsessive-compulsive disorder, or O.C.D. This disorder causes people to have ideas that interfere with their daily activities. Such persons act on these ideas, even when they know the resulting actions are senseless.

For example, fear of being dirty may cause persons with O.C.D. to wash their hands again and again. They may inspect things repeatedly, like making sure all electrical devices are turned off.

VOICE TWO:

Sanjaya Saxena is director of the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders Program at the University of California at San Diego School of Medicine. He says hoarders have high levels of uneasiness, depression and a need to be perfect.

In a recent paper, Professor Saxena reported discovery of an effective treatment for patients who suffer from compulsive hoarding. The study included seventy-nine patients with O.C.D. Thirty-two of them had compulsive hoarding syndrome. The study found that the drug paroxetine was effective in treating those suffering from compulsive hoarding. Researchers say the study suggests that more controlled studies of medicines to treat the disorder could offer more improvements.

VOICE ONE:

Professor Saxena also led an earlier study of the disorder. In that study, he and his team used images from a process called positron emission tomography to measure brain activity. They compared images of the brains of hoarders to those from other persons with O.C.D.

The hoarders had lower activity in an area of the brain called the anterior cingulated gyrus. This area helps to control decision-making and the ability to solve problems. The study suggested that different medicines could improve the success of treatment.

VOICE TWO:

Recently, another study identified a possible genetic marker for compulsive hoarding. The American Journal of Psychiatry published results of the study.

The lead researcher was Jack Samuels of the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland. He and his team studied more than two hundred families with O.C.D. The researchers found evidence suggesting that an area of genes on chromosome fourteen was linked with compulsive hoarding. They said the linkage became stronger when two or more family members affected with compulsive hoarding were tested.

VOICE ONE:

Treatment of compulsive hoarding is very difficult. It may involve medicines and working with a mental health expert. The expert helps hoarders to understand their actions of saving worthless things. Patients are taught to develop a plan for organizing. They learn how to decide what to throw away. They learn to resist the urge to bring home more things.

Experts suggest taking a picture of the area to be organized before and after the work is completed. They say this will provide the patient with a feeling of progress. They also say the treatment program, changes in the way of thinking, and improved decision-making skills will help the patient for a long time.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by Lawan Davis. Brianna Blake was our producer. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Bob Doughty. We hope you can join us again next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.

VOASE0312_Agriculture Report

12 March 2007

How This Little Piggy Goes to Market
A guide to production systems for raising pigs.

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This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

For Chinese, this is the Year of the Pig. So this is probably as good a time as any to talk about the different kinds of production systems for raising pigs.

Technician Adam Lewis, left, and support scientist Jeff Dailey connect video equipment to record sow and piglet behavior in a traditional indoor farrowing environment

One kind of operation is called a farrow-to-wean farm. The animals are born, or farrowed, in a farrowing barn. Pigs usually give birth two times a year. Each time they have about eight to twelve piglets.

The piglets drink milk from the mother sow for three to four weeks, or until they weigh between four and a half and seven kilograms. After they are weaned from their mothers, they are sold.

At another kind of operation, producers raise pigs for about six weeks. When the animals weigh eighteen to twenty-seven kilograms, they are sold to a finish farm.

A third kind of farm is the farrow-to-finish operation. Pigs are born there and stay there. The hogs are brought to market when they reach between ninety and one hundred fourteen kilograms.

These three basic production systems used in the United States are described at pork4kids.com, an industry Web site.

Young hogs raised for meat are called feeders. They feed on corn, wheat, soybeans and other grains.

Pigs need protection from heat, cold, rain and snow. Did you know that pigs can get sunburned? They also need enough space to move around easily. Some farmers and activists for animals say pigs do better outdoors in a pasture or yard than in crowded pens.

Ann Hutton and her prize pig Lauren

People who raise pigs say the animals are "escape artists," so a good strong fence is important. The smell from their waste can also be a problem. Some farmers spread the waste on cropland and plow it under immediately to help control the smell.

But producers have to be careful with untreated waste. It can pollute groundwater and cause other environmental and health problems.

To meet demand in the United States, producers keep about sixty million hogs at any one time. Most of these are in operations with more than five thousand pigs.

The world's largest producer of pork is China, followed by Mexico. The United States is third. Pigs provide about twenty-five percent of the American meat supply. About five percent of that is imported. But the United States is also a leading exporter of pork and pork products.

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 Steve Ember.