Bush Says US House Speaker's Trip to Syria Sends Wrong Signals

By Scott Stearns White House 03 April 2007

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President Bush says the opposition leader in the House of Representatives is sending the wrong signals to America's friends and foes by visiting Syria for talks with President Bashar Assad. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns has the story.

President Bush makes a statement on the Iraq war funding bill at the White House in Washington, D.C., 03 Apr 2007

President Bush says a bipartisan congressional delegation now in Syria will not help U.S. foreign policy. "Sending delegations hasn't worked. It has just simply been counterproductive.," he said.

The president told reporters in the White House Rose Garden that lots of people have gone to see President Assad but those meetings have accomplished nothing. He expects the same from this delegation, led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "Going to Syria sends mixed signals, signals in the region and of course mixed signals to President Assad. And by that I mean photo opportunities and or meetings with President Assad lead the Assad government to believe they are part of the mainstream of the international community, when in fact they are a state sponsor of terror," he said.

President Bush says Syria is not stopping foreign fighters from entering Iraq, has done little or nothing to rein in militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah, and is destabilizing democracy in Lebanon.

Speaker Pelosi's delegation is scheduled to meet with President Assad Wednesday. Speaking to reporters in Lebanon before her arrival in Syria, Pelosi said it is important to meet with Syrian officials to discuss the country's role in supporting Hamas and Hezbollah. "We [will] go there [Syria] and will be talking about the overarching issue, the fight against terrorism and the role that Syria can play to help or to hinder that goal," he said.

Pelosi says the trip is related to her responsibility, as a member of Congress, for U.S. national security and could help the course of a U.N. tribunal investigating Syria's involvement in the assassination of Lebanese politicians. "That is one of the issues that we are going to bring up with them and of course the role of Syria in Iraq, the role of Syria supporting Hamas and Hezbollah, the role of Syria in so many respects that we think it could be a vast improvement," he said.

The bipartisan Iraq Study Group urged the Bush administration to open direct talks with Syria and Iran. President Bush has refused, saying again Tuesday that the best way to deal with Syria is in broader, multi-lateral discussions about regional security.

The president also repeated his promise to veto spending bills for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq because Democrats in the House and Senate included timetables for a troop withdrawal from Iraq.

Mr. Bush says that undermines the authority of commanders in the field and would embolden America's enemies.

A public opinion poll by Newsweek magazine says a majority of Americans favor setting a deadline for withdrawal. Fifty seven percent of those surveyed support getting U.S. troops out of Iraq by March of next year, and nearly two-thirds disapprove of the president's handling of the war.

US, Iraqi Troops Work to Secure Baghdad

By Margaret Besheer Baghdad 03 April 2007

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In February, U.S. and Iraqi troops began new security operations in Baghdad to bring spiraling sectarian violence under control. VOA's Margaret Besheer reports that in one district of the capital, joint U.S. and Iraqi efforts are slowly having an effect.

Taskforce Patriot patrols Baghdad's Mansour district

Western Baghdad's Mansour district was once home to Iraq's elite. Today, many residents have fled the near-daily car bombings, kidnappings, executions and other violence plaguing the capital, leaving behind impressive villas standing neglected behind high walls covered in flowering vines and concertina wire.

Last month, as part of President Bush's troop surge, the U.S. Army's 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery arrived in this area to work with Iraqi security forces to clear and secure the Mansour neighborhoods of Yarmouk, Hateen and Qadissiya. Lieutenant Colonel Gregory Gadson is the Battalion commander.

"We are doing this in a couple of ways, with our physical presence in terms of combat patrols," he explained. "But the way ahead in the future is our working with the Iraqi Security Forces; primarily the Iraqi Army, but also with the Iraqi Police. The simple leadership by example, interacting with them on a daily basis, is one part of that."

The Americans are working closely with their Iraqi counterparts, and on one recent foot patrol in the mainly Sunni neighborhood of Yarmouk, an Iraqi police lieutenant joins the American troops as they walk the streets talking to residents.

Police Lieutenant Assad says some of the people trust the police, but others do not because they are worried they are infiltrated by insurgents and militias.

Iraq's security forces are Shiite-led, and have come under widespread criticism for being infiltrated by Shiite militias.

Shoppers buy produce at a market in Yarmouk Square

It is early evening as the patrol enters the local square; men are sitting smoking water pipes, children are playing, and the vegetable vendor is doing a brisk business. People seem at ease and happy to see the American soldiers.

Nuzha, the vegetable vendor, says he feels relatively secure in his neighborhood, but he worries more about the lack of electricity and clean water.

As in many parts of Baghdad, public services are the next biggest problem after security. In Mansour, trash filled streets present not only a public health risk, but a security one as well, giving insurgents easy hiding places for bombs. The Americans are working with the Iraqis to get the streets cleaned up.

But there are signs Iraqis are feeling more secure. During one morning rush hour in Yarmouk, a little boy carrying his books walks alone to school, while on another street a group of young girls walk unchaperoned.

By 7:30 a.m., traffic is heavy and congestion develops near the frequent Iraqi police and army checkpoints. At the traffic circles, men and women wait for mini buses to take them to work.

A roadside bomb blast damages a vehicle in Yarmouk

But in the afternoon, the local police station comes under small arms fire, and a short while later a bomb explodes on a Yarmouk street, hitting an armored private security vehicle. No one is injured, but the vehicle is badly damaged. Iraqi police say it is the first roadside bomb in the area in 25 days.

In the late afternoon, an American patrol stops in Hateen, a small, Shi'ite enclave in Mansour. Children are playing in a dusty lot and residents gather quickly when they see the American humvees arrive. Older men in red and white check headscarves and traditional robes offer the soldiers sodas and pose for pictures with them.

US troops talk to children in Baghdad's Hateen neighborhood

The men tell the soldiers that their area is quiet, but they are worried because the neighborhoods around them still have security problems. The American lieutenant in charge of the platoon tries to reassure them. He passes out cards that have a local phone number for residents to call to report any problems or pass on tips about insurgents in their areas.

The soldiers walk up and down Hateen's streets for about an hour talking to the residents and joking with the children, until the daily overnight 8:00 p.m. vehicle curfew begins.

Then they toss a couple of footballs to the dozens of kids who have gathered, and jump in their vehicles to continue their security patrol.

Women's Group Helps Women Survive War Ravages

By Mohamed Elshinnawi Washington 03 April 2007

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What can a monthly contribution of $27 do to change the life of a woman living in a war-torn country anywhere in the world? "Women for Women International" was able to use this small contribution to help women survivors of war rebuild their lives through vocational training, providing seed capital for them to start their own businesses and encouragement to become active citizens in their societies. Mohamed Elshinnawi has more.

What really happens to women who have survived the ravages of war and the hardships of its aftermath?

Seida Saric

Women for Women International, a humanitarian American organization, has documented that women are routinely murdered, raped, and left destitute in war zones around the world, from Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan to Congo, Rwanda and Sudan.

"There are no words really which can explain that level of torture, that level of hardship for these women," says Seida Saric, Bosnia Director of Women for Women International.

Iraqi Zeinab Salby, who grew up during the conflict between Iraq and Iran, knows what it is like for women to live in war zones. In 1993, she realized there was an urgent need to help women in Bosnia. With generous American private contributions, she started" Women for Women Bosnia". "We create a safe place for women," she said, "This is the place where they can come and share their stories and feel safe. What we do have in Bosnia is micro credit, so far we had more than 10,000 women who took at least one loan and started their businesses."

With other wars around the world, especially in Africa, Women for Women became International, as Program Director Pat Morris explained. "We work in the Balkans, where we started in Bosnia, Kosovo. In addition we are in Afghanistan, in Iraq and in Africa," she added. "We are in Nigeria, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo. We started up over a year ago in Sudan; we are just moving forward with the program in Sudan."

Whether in Africa or Asia or Europe, the women's organization has a standard approach to helping women in war-torn areas, relying on local leaders like Christine Karumba, Women for Women Director in Congo. "Women for Women International provides support to these women and tools to help them rebuild their lives. We give them access to capital then they invest in small businesses" she said.

A few women from Africa shared how they have benefited from such help. One woman said, "Women for Women has helped us in many aspects, but the most important thing was that it brought us together." Another woman added, "Nobody cares about you during bad times, so when we heard that there are some other women around the world who send us messages of hope, they encourage us. We feel that we are still also human beings."

Sweeta Noori

Empowering women with independent economic capabilities has an added value in a society like Afghanistan, as Sweeta Noori, Women for Women Director in that country explains. "In our society, since women do not have any income or cash to give to their men, men never count them as human beings," she said. "We take women from victim to survivor to active citizen."

The organization connects women from all over the world with women who have survived a conflict. Each woman sponsors a "sister" in a war zone and sends her $27 a month, along with a letter to start communication between them.

Pat Morris says her organization has been able to raise more than $25 million and help more than 93,000 women. "What we have been able to show with the work that we have done based on Zeinab's incredible vision is that one woman can make a difference, and that a small amount of resources can lead to big significant change in the world."

In recognition of its impact, Women for Women International has received the Conrad Hilton Humanitarian Award. It is the first time the award has been given to a women's organization, and it comes as tens of thousands of women around the world are using the group's funds to rebuild their lives.

VOASE0403_Health Report

03 April 2007

Metastasis: How Cancers Can Spread Their Reach
Doctors say most metastatic cancers are incurable, but treatments can extend patients' lives.

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This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

The word "metastasize" means to change form, state or position. It is not a word cancer patients want to hear.

Cancer can spread in a body two ways. As a tumor grows it may invade neighboring tissue or organs. Or, cancer can metastasize. This is when cancer cells break away from a first tumor and travel through blood vessels or the lymphatic system. The cells then grow in another part of the body. Not all cancers spread to other parts of the body after they are treated.

However, last month, two well-known Americans announced that their cancers had metastasized.

John and Elizabeth Edwards on March 22 as they announced that her cancer had returned, in an incurable form

Elizabeth Edwards, wife of Democratic Party presidential candidate, John Edwards, said her breast cancer had spread to her bones.

The next week the White House announced that Press Secretary Tony Snow's colon cancer had moved to his liver. The White House noted that the cancer was not in his liver but attached to it.

Missus Edwards’ breast cancer was discovered in two thousand four. She was treated for several months with chemotherapy drugs to shrink the tumor. Then doctors removed it. The lumpectomy operation was followed with radiation treatments to kill any remaining cancer cells.

Tony Snow

Doctors removed Mister Snow's cancerous colon in two thousand five. He had chemotherapy for six months.

Most metastatic cancers are incurable. But most also are treatable. Chemotherapy drugs, radiation and other treatments can extend a patient’s life.

Life expectancies differ depending on the kind of cancer, the affected organ and other issues. Some research shows that only about twenty-five percent of newly discovered metastatic breast cancer patients live for five years. The average life expectancy for metastatic colon cancer patients is about two years. Doctors say chances are worse for patients whose cancer is not found until after it has already metastasized.

But doctors say they can only guess how long any person may live with metastatic disease. In February, American and Canadian researchers announced a finding that may help in the fight against metastasis. They said the same enzyme that controls the ability of cancer cells to metastasize also controls the process that keeps them stuck tightly together.

And that’s the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver. You can read scripts and download audio from our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.

VOASE0403_Explorations

03 April 2007

Welcome to Death Valley, a Land of Extremes That Has Earned Its Name
It can be dangerously cold in the winter and dangerously hot in the summer.

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VOICE ONE:

This is Phoebe Zimmerman.

VOICE TWO:

Temperatures in Death Valley can reach up to 57 Celsius

And this is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English program EXPLORATIONS. Today we visit one of America’s great national parks. It is a place of strange and silent beauty. As beautiful as this place is, its name provides evidence of very real danger. Come with us as we visit Death Valley.

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VOICE ONE:

Death Valley is a land of beautiful yet dangerous extremes. There are mountains that reach more than three thousand meters into the sky. There is a place called Badwater that is the lowest area of land in the Western Hemisphere. If there were water there, it would be eighty-six meters below the level of the ocean.

Death Valley can be dangerously cold during the winter months. Storms in the mountains can produce sudden flooding on the floor of the Valley.

The air temperature during the summer has been as high as fifty-seven degrees Celsius. The sun can heat the ground so that the temperature of the rocks and soil can be as high as seventy-four degrees Celsius.

The extreme heat of Death Valley has killed people in the past. It will continue to kill those who do not honor this extreme climate. Death Valley does not forgive those who are not careful.

VOICE TWO:

Ubehebe Crater

Death Valley is a good example of the violence of nature. It contains evidence of several ancient volcanoes that caused huge explosions. Evidence of one of these explosions is called Ubehebe Crater. The explosion left a huge hole in the ground almost a kilometer and a half wide.

In many areas of Death Valley it is easy to see where the ground has been pushed up violently by movement deep in the Earth. This movement has created unusual and beautiful rock formations. Some are red. Others are dark brown, gray, yellow or black.

Other areas of rock look as if some huge creature violently broke and twisted the Earth to create unusual, sometimes frightening shapes.

In other parts of Death Valley there are lines in the rock that show clearly that this area was deep under an ocean for many thousands of years. Much of the Valley is flat and extremely dry. In fact, scientists believe it is the driest place in the United States. In some areas the ground is nothing but salt. Nothing grows in this salted ground.

VOICE ONE:

However, it would be wrong to think that nothing lives in Death Valley. The Valley is fully of life. Wild flowers grow very quickly after a little rain. Some desert plants can send their roots down more than eighteen meters to reach water deep in the ground.

Many kinds of birds live in Death Valley. So do mammals and reptiles. You might see the small dog-like animal called the coyote or wild sheep called bighorns. Other animals include the desert jackrabbit, the desert tortoise or turtle and a large reptile called a chuckwalla. Many kinds of snakes live in the Valley, including one called the sidewinder rattlesnake. It is an extremely poisonous snake with long sharp teeth called fangs.

Death Valley is a huge place. It extends more than two hundred twenty-five kilometers across the southern part of the state of California, and across the border with the state of Nevada. Death Valley is part of the Great Mojave Desert.

VOICE TWO:

The area was named by a woman in eighteen forty-nine. That was the year after gold was discovered in California. Thousands of people from other parts of the country traveled to the gold mining areas in California. They were in a hurry to get there before other people did.

Many people were not careful. They made bad choices or wrong decisions.One group trying to reach California decided to take a path called the Old Spanish Trail. By December they had reached Death Valley. They did not have to survive the terrible heat of summer, but there was still an extreme lack of water. There were few plants for their work animals to eat.

The people could not find a pass through the tall mountains to the west of the Valley. Slowly, they began to suffer from a lack of food. To survive, they killed their work animals for food and began to walk out of the Valley. As they left, one woman looked back and said, “Good-bye, death valley.” The name has never been changed.

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VOICE ONE:

Almost everyone who visits Death Valley visits a huge house called Scotty’s Castle. The building design is Spanish, with high thick walls to provide protection from the fierce heat. The main building is very large. It was built in nineteen twenty-nine in one of the few areas of the Valley that has water.

Scotty's Castle

The castle is named for Walter Scott, called Scotty by his friends. He was a gold miner. He told everyone that he built the house with money he made from his gold mine. Many people believed him. But it was not really the truth. Scotty was not a very honest man. Some years earlier, he had asked several people to invest in a gold mine he had in Death Valley. One of the men he asked to invest was a businessman from Chicago, Illinois named Albert Johnson.

Mister Johnson invested in Scotty’s mine. In nineteen-oh-five, he traveled to Death Valley to see the mine. Scotty put Mister Johnson on a horse and took him far into the mountains. Many people believe that while they were on this trip, Scotty told Mister Johnson the truth: There was no mine. There was no gold.

VOICE TWO:

Albert Johnson suffered from extremely poor health. He had been in a severe accident a few years before. Doctors did not believe he would live much longer. However, something happened on his trip with Scotty. When Albert Johnson returned from the mountains, he felt better than he had in several years. Perhaps he felt better because of the clean mountain air. Perhaps it was the good food Scotty cooked. Or it may have been the funny stories Scotty told that improved Mister Johnson’s health.

Whatever it was, Albert Johnson fell in love with Death Valley. He and Scotty became lifelong friends. Soon after, Albert Johnson began building a home on the western edge of Death Valley. He did not live there all the time. But Scotty did. And, he told everyone the huge house was his -- bought and paid for with the money from his gold mine. Scotty told everyone that Albert Johnson, his friend from Chicago, came to visit sometimes. Mister Johnson never told anyone it was just a story made up by Death Valley Scotty.

VOICE ONE:

Albert Johnson lived another thirty years -- many more years than the doctors thought he would. Some years before he died, in nineteen forty-eight, Albert Johnson signed documents that said Walter Scott could live in the house until he died. Scotty died in nineteen fifty-four. He is buried on a small hill near the house.

In nineteen seventy, the National Park Service bought Scotty’s Castle. It has since become one of the most popular areas to visit in Death Valley National Park.

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VOICE TWO:

More than one million people visit Death Valley each year. Many people come for just a day. Buses bring visitors from the famous city of Las Vegas, Nevada. They ride around the park in their bus, visit several places and are back in their Las Vegas hotel by night. However, many other visitors stay in the park. The most popular area to stay in is Furnace Creek.

Furnace Creek is the largest area of human activity within Death Valley National Park. There is a hotel. There are also camping areas where people put up temporary cloth homes, called tents. Visitors who arrive in huge motor homes can also find a place to park their vehicles.

VOICE ONE:

The famous Furnace Creek Inn is a beautiful hotel that was built of stone more than seventy-five years ago. The inn is built on a low hill. The main public room in the hotel has large windows that look far out over Death Valley. Hotel guests gather near these large windows in the evening to watch the sun make long shadows on the floor of the Valley and on the far mountains.

This beautiful image seems to change each minute. The sun slowly turns the Valley a gold color that deepens to a soft brown, then changes to a dark red. As night comes, the mountains turn a dark purple color, then black.

Usually, visitors are very quiet when this event takes place. A few try to photograph it. But the Valley is too huge to capture in a photograph. Most visitors watch this natural beauty and leave with only the memory of sunset at beautiful Death Valley National Park.

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VOICE TWO:

This program was written by Paul Thompson and produced by Caty Weaver. This is Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And this is Phoebe Zimmerman. Join us again next week for EXPLORATIONS, a program in Special English on the Voice of America.