Defense Chief Calls on US Congress to Fund Iraq, Afghan Wars Without Conditions

By Al Pessin Pentagon 22 March 2007

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U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says if the Congress does not approve additional funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan by mid-April, without special conditions, the department will have to make cuts that could affect troop training and deployments. VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon.

Secretary Gates began a news conference by reading a list of cuts the U.S. army would have to make. He said if there is no more money for the war by mid-April, the army would have to slow training for units heading to Iraq and Afghanistan, and if the money is delayed past mid-May some units would not be ready to deploy on time.

He said that would require units already deployed to stay beyond their scheduled return dates. He said the delays would also affect training for other units, and postpone the repair of military equipment and the purchase of urgently needed parts and other hardware.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, 07 Mar 2007

"This kind of disruption to key programs will have a genuinely adverse effect on the readiness of the army and the quality of life for soldiers and their families," said Mr. Gates. "I urge the Congress to pass the supplemental as quickly as possible."

The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote Friday on the Pentagon's $93 billion supplemental funding request. Democratic Party leaders want the House to attach conditions to the money, including a requirement to withdraw all U.S. combat forces from Iraq by August of next year at the latest, and earlier if the Iraqi government does not make progress on key political issues. President Bush says he will veto the bill if it has those requirements.

A veto would also deprive the Defense Department of the money it needs, but Secretary Gates says he, too, is opposed to attaching conditions to the funding.

"I've also discussed other concerns that I have with the legislation that I've articulated on the record, in terms of setting specific dates and specific conditions," he added.

Pentagon officials and senior military officers have said requiring a troop withdrawal by any specific date would limit the options of commanders, enable insurgents to simply wait until that date to launch a new wave of attacks, and potentially endanger U.S. forces.

US Secretary of State Heading Back to Middle East

By Scott Stearns State Department 22 March 2007

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U.S. President George Bush is sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the Middle East Friday for talks in Egypt, Israel and Jordan aimed at resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns has the story.

Secretary Condoleezza Rice (left) with President Bush

President Bush says he is sending Secretary Rice back to the Middle East because securing peace there is a U.S. priority.

"She's going to continue our efforts to involve all parties -- the Palestinians, the Israelis, Arabs -- to work for a solution that will lead to peace, and that is a Palestinian state, living side-by-side with Israel in peace and security," said President Bush.

Rice is scheduled to meet with Israeli and Palestinian officials, as well as Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordanian King Abdullah.

President Bush says he has been in contact with regional allies to remind them of what he says is his strong commitment to the two-state solution.

"This will be hard work. It's not easy to get all parties headed in the right direction," he said. "But it's necessary work for this country, and it's necessary for our secretary of state, with my strong approval, to be moving the process forward."

Rival Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah agreed on a unity government earlier this month in Saudi-sponsored talks.

The Bush administration says it will have contacts with non-Hamas members of the new government. But the administration will not deal with Hamas, which it lists as a terrorist group, and which refuses to recognize Israel, renounce violence and abide by past peace accords.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says his country is willing to make what he calls painful concessions to advance the long-stalled peace process.

He says a Saudi initiative calling for Israel to return all territory occupied in 1967 in exchange for normal relations with Arab neighbors could be a convenient basis for future talks.

UN Secretary-General Unhurt After Explosion in Iraq's 'Green Zone'

By Margaret Besheer Irbil 22 March 2007

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Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, right, shakes hands with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon ahead of their meeting in Baghdad, 22 Mar 2007

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has paid a surprise visit to Baghdad. VOA's Margaret Besheer reports from northern Iraq, that Mr. Ban got an unpleasant taste of what life is like for ordinary Iraqis, when a mortar landed directly outside the building where he and Iraq's prime minister were holding a news conference.

The Secretary-General was visibly shaken, briefly ducked for cover, but was unhurt after the blast that appeared to be from a mortar.

It fell directly outside the building where the press conference was being held in the heavily-protected Green Zone.

As security guards tried to usher Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki out of the room, he calmly told them nothing was wrong and the press conference continued for a few more moments until officials abruptly ended it.

Moments before the blast, Mr. Ban said he would reconsider expanding the U.N. presence in Iraq once the security situation has visibly improved.

"This is one of the subjects which I have discussed and I will consider on the basis of my assessment of this visit," he said.

The United Nations scaled back its presence in Iraq after the August 2003 bombing of its Baghdad headquarters killed 22 staffers, including top envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello.

In a separate development, the U.S. military announced it has released into Prime Minister Maliki's custody an aide to radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

Sheikh Ahmed Shibani was detained two-and-one-half years ago in the southern city of Najaf.

In a televised meeting with Mr. Maliki, the cleric pledged his help in making the government's attempts at peace and reconciliation a success.

The warm reception for the cleric underlines the close ties Mr. Maliki has to Moqtada al-Sadr, whose support won Mr. Maliki his job last year. Iraqi officials say they have been holding talks with various insurgent groups in an effort to stabilize the security situation.

VOASE0322_Economics Report

22 March 2007

Socially Responsible Investing Grows
$2 trillion is invested using what are considered socially responsible methods.

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This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.

More and more people are considering the social and environmental results of their investments. Socially responsible investing has become a fast-growing part of the investment industry. Over two trillion dollars are invested using socially responsible methods. This is about nine percent of all money invested under professional management.

One way to invest is through mutual funds. A mutual fund gathers money from many investors to buy different securities. Mutual fund supervisors can use socially responsible methods to choose which investments they will buy. The funds' supervisors may buy only stocks of companies that meet the requirements set out by the fund. This process is called screening.

For example, a fund could invest only in companies that take measures to protect the environment. The most commonly screened stocks are related to companies that make cigarettes.

The Social Investment Forum in its two thousand five report said separate accounts use socially responsible screening the most. These are accounts that are privately managed for individuals or organizations.

Shareholder advocacy is another form of socially responsible investing. One example is the movement to stop investing in companies that did business in South Africa during the period of racial separation in that country. Shareholders sometimes sell stocks of companies that do not share their social values.

Community investing is the most direct form of social investing. This means providing credit or investing in businesses in a local community.

Today, about half of American families own stock in some form. And more people are considering the effect their investments have. This has caused some companies to consider social issues as well as business plans.

A recent public opinion study by Harris Interactive and the Wall Street Journal asked people what they thought were the best and worst American companies. The people named the software maker Microsoft as the best company.

One of the main reasons is the company's chairman, Bill Gates. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has given billions of dollars to organizations around the world to support health care and education.

And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report. Transcripts and archives are at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Mario Ritter.

VOASE0322_American Mosaic

22 March 2007

'A Diamond Is Forever': How a Few Simple Words Changed an Industry
Also: A report on The World Almanac and Book of Facts, and music by Sonya Kitchell.

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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 an advertising expression…

Play some music from Sonya Kitchell…

And report about the World Almanac.

The World Almanac and Book of Facts

HOST:

Listeners to American Mosaic send us letters and e-mails asking many kinds of questions about the United States. One place we sometimes look for answers is a book called The World Almanac and Book of Facts. Barbara Klein explains.

BARBARA KLEIN:

A new World Almanac is published every year and provides up-to-date information about many places and things. For example, you can find the names of actors who won Academy Awards in past years. The names of athletes who won major sports awards. Information about American cities and states.

The book also provides information about the nations of the world. It tells about world history, geography, business, science and technology and languages.

It presents the most important and most unusual news stories of the past year. And it gives interesting facts, such as the nation with the most refugees (Pakistan). The nation with the most vacation days each year (Italy). And the most popular dog in the United States (Labrador Retriever).

The New York World newspaper published the first World Almanac in eighteen sixty-eight. That is why it is called The World Almanac.

The World Almanac Web site says the publication has played a part in American history. For example, in nineteen twenty-three, Calvin Coolidge was sworn in as president after the sudden death of President Warren Harding. Mister Coolidge's father, a judge, read the oath of office from a copy of The World Almanac.

The Web site also says that several recent American presidents have used the book. It says there are photographs of presidents John Kennedy and Bill Clinton that show a copy of The World Almanac on or near their desks.

The Web site also claims that The World Almanac is the best-selling American reference book of all time. It says that more than eighty million copies have been sold.

The World Almanac now also publishes a computer version as well as a separate Almanac for children. The Kids Almanac provides information children might need for school reports. It also has games, puzzles and other activities children enjoy.

Speaking of Diamonds

HOST:

Our VOA listener question this week comes from Zimbabwe. Shadreck Chikwavaire asks about the meaning of the saying “diamonds are forever.” Many people around the world know that expression. It is the name of a popular book and movie about the fictional spy, James Bond. The theme song to the movie also became popular. Shirley Bassey sang it.

(MUSIC)

Diamonds are minerals that first formed billions of years ago deep under the ground. They result when pressure and heat act on the substance carbon.

A diamond is the hardest substance found in nature. But the mineral can be cut into different shapes and used to make costly jewelry such as diamond rings. In the United States, it is traditional for a man to give the woman he plans to marry a diamond engagement ring. People also wear jewelry made of diamonds on their ears, necks and wrists.

People are willing to pay high prices for diamond jewelry. One company controls most of the diamond market -- the De Beers Consolidated Mines Company of South Africa. Reports say the company used to keep diamonds mined in many countries and released a limited number for sale each year. Officials say the company does not do business that way anymore.

The De Beers Company first created the saying "A Diamond Is Forever." In the late nineteen forties, De Beers hired an advertising agency to help increase its sale of diamonds. The agency N.W. Ayer developed an extremely successful campaign linking diamonds and romantic love.

The campaign invented the slogan “A Diamond Is Forever,” meaning that a diamond is a never-ending sign of love. It also meant that a diamond would always keep its value. The company continues to use the slogan in its advertising more than fifty years later. And reports say it has been used to advertise diamonds in at least twenty-nine languages.

The advertising business also recognized the huge success of the saying. In two thousand, Advertising Age magazine named "A Diamond Is Forever" the best advertising slogan of the twentieth century.

Sonya Kitchell

HOST:

Sonya Kitchell writes and sings songs that are influenced by jazz and blues. She has a rich and low voice that can skillfully express many emotions and styles. The surprising part is that she is only seventeen years old. Faith Lapidus tells us more about this young artist who is making timeless music.

(MUSIC)

FAITH LAPIDUS:

Sonya Kitchell

That was “Let Me Go,” a song Sonya Kitchell wrote with her parents in mind. In the song she asks them to let her grow up and become more independent.

When Sonya was a child, her parents surrounded her with their artistic and musical interests. She started studying jazz singing at the age of ten. Soon, she started writing and performing her music live with a group.

Sonya says she tries to take in as much of the world around her as she can. Songwriting has become a way to process her experiences.

Sonya Kitchell’s first album, “Words Came Back to Me,” came out last year. Here is, “Train,” from that album. It is a song about wanting life to go by both faster and more slowly.

(MUSIC)

Sonya Kitchell is quickly becoming very popular. She has traveled and performed with well-known singers. Sometimes Sonya tries to write when she is on the road. But she says writing comes easiest when she is at her home in the northeastern state of Massachusetts. There, she takes walks in nature to clear her mind and think.

Sonya Kitchell says she has many goals for herself and her music. She wants to help make intelligent music more popular. She says popular music should go back to its roots and be enjoyed not only for its sound, but also for its message. We leave you with the gentle sounds of “I’d Love You.”

(MUSIC)

HOST:

I'm Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program today.

It was written by Dana Demange and Nancy Steinbach. Caty Weaver was 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.