Shanghai Cooperation Organization Seeks to Expand Energy and Security Influence

By Peter Fedynsky Bishkek 16 August 2007

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The six-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organization has concluded its one-day summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, amid calls from two of its energy-rich members for the creation of an Asian energy club. VOA correspondent Peter Fedynsky reports, from the Kyrgyz capital, the summit's call for a multilateral approach to global problems is an indirect reaction to American influence, around the world.

From left, Iranian President Ahmadinejad, Kazakh President Nazarbayev, Chinese President Hu, Kyrgyz President Bakiyev, Russian President Vladimir Putin in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, 16 Aug 2007

Summit leaders highlighted the potential of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to address such common problems as terrorism and drug trafficking and to gain mutual advantage on matters of regional security and energy. The presidents of oil-rich Russia and Kazakhstan, Vladimir Putin and Nursultan Nazarbayev, called for expanded energy ties among member states. Mr. Nazarbayev says the pipeline network that connects Russia, Kazakhstan, Central Asia and China can serve basis for a common SCO energy market.

The Kazakh leader says meetings of SCO energy ministers and those of observer states should work as what he calls "an energy club," - a basic element of an Asian energy strategy."

Russian President Putin used the term "energy club" as well. Mr. Putin also highlighted the possibility of linking European and Asian trade corridors and urged development of information technologies among the member states. In addition, he called for the establishment of appropriate financial institutions. In an indirect-but-clear reference to American influence around the globe, Mr. Putin again called for the establishment of a multi-polar world.

Mr. Putin says a multi-polar international system would guarantee equal security and development potential for all countries. The Russian leader says a 'go-it-alone' approach to global and regional problems has no future.

The multilateral approach is written into the so-called Bishkek Declaration. Much of the document signed by leaders of the SCO nations is devoted to security, which is broadly interpreted as a sound global economy, a reduction in poverty, as well as economic, ecological and energy security.

The Bishkek Declaration also highlights the need to fight terrorism and singles out the negative regional influence of Afghanistan's illegal drug trade. Afghan President Hamid Karzai, an invited SCO guest, acknowledged the problem in his remarks to summit leaders.

Also invited was Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinijad. He says he is prepared to organize a meeting of SCO oil ministers to discuss energy cooperation.

Representatives of India, Pakistan, Mongolia and Turkmenistan were present at the summit/ as observers.

After their formal summit, SCO leaders embarked on a trip to Chelyabinsk, Russia, to observe military maneuvers by armed forces of member states.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization was established in 2001. Its 2008 summit is scheduled to take place in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

Poll: Clinton, Giuliani Lead US Political Party Nomination Races for President

By Michael Bowman Washington 15 August 2007

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A new poll of likely U.S. voters shows New York Senator Hillary Clinton maintaining her frontrunner status among Democratic voters in next year's presidential race, with former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani leading the Republican field. VOA's Michael Bowman reports from Washington.

Hillary Clinton (file photo)

The Quinnipiac University poll shows Senator Clinton with 36 percent backing among Democrats, up one percent from a survey in June, with strong support among women and working class voters. Illinois Senator Barack Obama is holding steady in second place, at 21 percent, and is favored among Democrats with college degrees.

Former Vice President Al Gore, who has stated he has no intention of running for office, polled third with 15 percent support, ahead of former North Carolina Senator John Edwards at nine percent.

Mrs. Clinton may lead the Democratic field, but the news is not all positive for the one-time first lady, according to the head of the Quinnipiac Polling Institute, Maurice Carroll.

"Trailing her is a big 'Hillary hostility' factor which does raise questions, feeds those doubts about [whether she] can win in November [in next year's election]," he said. "Forty-eight to 43 percent, Americans tell the poll they have a favorable impression of her. But 43 is a big number, the negative side, and that is the highest of any of the candidates."

Months ago, some analysts predicted that Senator Obama, whose father was Kenyan, would eventually receive overwhelming backing from black and other minority voters. But the Quinnipiac poll shows no such trend to date, with Senator Clinton doing well among all racial and ethnic groups within the Democratic Party.

Rudy Giuliani (file photo)

Among Republicans, Rudy Giuliani leads with 28 percent support, up one percent from June. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney comes in second with 15 percent, followed by actor and former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson with 12 percent and Arizona Senator John McCain with 11 percent. Mr. Thompson has yet to formally announce his candidacy.

Carroll notes that Giuliani is pro-choice on abortion and favors legal rights for homosexual couples - positions that do not endear him with the socially-conservative base of the Republican Party. But he says the former mayor has one great strength that propels him to the top of the Republican field:

"It's 9/11. Rudy Giuliani was mayor of New York City when the terrorists attacked and destroyed the World Trade Center. His performance then in rallying the city, reassuring the city - and to an extent the nation, earned him all sorts of plaudits and that is his big pitch. Of those who are for him, more than a third cited his performance after 9/11, his anti-terrorist credentials," he said.

How would top Democratic and Republican contenders fare if the presidential election were held today? The Quinnipiac poll shows Hillary Clinton edging Rudy Giuliani 46 to 43 percent, and a draw between Giuliani and Barack Obama at 42 percent each. The poll did not pose a hypothetical match-up of Mitt Romney against a Democratic challenger.

Such polls provide only a snapshot of public opinion at the time they are conducted. The first contest of the presidential primary season is still months away, in January, and the general election is more than a year off.

US, Afghan Operation Targets Terrorists in Tora Bora

By Al Pessin Pentagon 15 August 2007

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The U.S. command in eastern Afghanistan is confirming that U.S. and Afghan forces are conducting an offensive against insurgents in the rugged Tora Bora region. VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon.

A spokeswoman for the coalition task force in the region says the operation involves several hundred U.S. and Afghan troops and has been going on for a few days. Captain Vanessa Bowman says the force is targeting insurgent support bases and training sites near the Afghan-Pakistan border.

She says there have been no coalition casualties, and "no substantiated reports" of civilian casualties. Coalition and NATO forces have been criticized for accidentally killing too many Afghan civilians, but Captain Bowman says targets for the current operation were chosen, in part, with a view to avoiding civilian casualties.

Bowman could not confirm reports of a parallel, coordinated Pakistani operation on its side of the border.

"I do not have information on Pakistan operations," said Bowman. "All I know is it is an operation between the Afghan and U.S. forces within Afghanistan to disrupt the militants there in the Tora Bora region."

Bryan Whitman (file photo)

At the Pentagon, spokesman Bryan Whitman described this effort as part of the normal "peaks and valleys" of what he called "aggressive offensive operations" by coalition forces in Afghanistan. And he also could not say whether Pakistani forces are conducting a parallel operation.

"Particularly along the border region, our cooperation with Pakistan is very good," said Whitman. "And we have mechanisms for ensuring that we exercise the necessary control measures to understand what is occurring on each side of the border because, as you can imagine, that is important."

Whitman said such operations are driven by intelligence, but neither spokesman could say whether senior Taleban or al-Qaida leaders were the targets. The insurgent leadership is believed to be hiding in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, and has been headquartered in Tora Bora in the past.

The operation is being conducted by what is called Combined Joint Task Force 82, the remnants of the U.S.-led coalition that invaded Afghanistan in 2001. The force is responsible for counter-insurgency operations in Afghanistan, particularly in the east, while NATO forces now have general security responsibility throughout the country.

VOASE0815_The Making of a Nation

15 August 2007

American History Series: How Bill Clinton Became the Second President Ever to Be Impeached
He survived an effort to remove him from office for lying about his relationship with a young White House aide.

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VOICE ONE:

This is Mary Tillotson.

VOICE TWO:

And this is Steve Ember with THE MAKING OF A NATION -- a VOA Special English program about the history of the United States. Today, we continue telling about America's forty-second president, Bill Clinton He became only the second American president to be charged and tried for wrongdoing by Congress.

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VOICE ONE:

For years, critics of Bill Clinton had accused him of financial wrongdoing before he became president. Some critics also accused his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton. The Clintons denied any dishonest actions. However, unconfirmed reports repeatedly said that they were involved in illegal business activities in Arkansas during the nineteen eighties.

In January of nineteen ninety-four, the president asked Attorney General Janet Reno to appoint an independent lawyer to lead an investigation. Miz Reno named a Republican lawyer. However, some people said this man was too friendly to the Clinton administration. He was replaced by Kenneth Starr, also a Republican.

VOICE TWO:

Congress also investigated the president during his two terms in office. For example, the Senate Judiciary Committee began an investigation in nineteen ninety-five. The majority of Judiciary Committee members reported that the evidence did not show Mister Clinton responsible for a crime. But the majority belonged to his political party, the Democrats. Suspicion of the president continued.

The main cause of the suspicion developed from a financial investment made years earlier. Bill and Hillary Clinton had bought land in Arkansas in nineteen seventy eight. The Clintons formed the Whitewater Development Corporation with Susan and James McDougal. The goal was to sell holiday homes on a river. However, the company did poorly.

VOICE ONE:

James McDougal also owned a loan company. Hillary Clinton, a lawyer, did legal work for this company. The company failed during the nineteen-eighties. James McDougal and Susan McDougal were found guilty of wrongdoing in connection with the loan company.

Bill and Hillary Clinton’s business connection to the McDougals in the Whitewater Company helped make the Clintons targets of suspicion.

VOICE TWO:

A former judge also became linked to legal questions about the Whitewater Corporation. David Hale owned a savings and loan company that received public money. In nineteen ninety-six, Mister Hale said Bill Clinton had pressured him to loan money to Susan McDougal about eleven years earlier. The Whitewater Development Corporation received some of that money. Mister Clinton was governor of Arkansas at the time. So such an action would have been illegal. Bill Clinton denied the accusation.

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VOICE ONE:

Investigators asked Missus Clinton several times for records of her legal work for James McDougal during the nineteen eighties. Officials wanted to know how much time she had spent on legal advice for his loan company. She said she could not find the records. Then, in January of nineteen ninety-six, the records appeared in the White House. Missus Clinton could not explain their presence.

Bill and Hillary Clinton continued to deny wrongdoing. Some Americans did not believe them. Others, however, said Kenneth Starr was wasting millions of dollars on his investigation. They said Mister Starr was acting against the president for political reasons.

Media reports said Mister Starr had offered shorter prison sentences to David Hale and others involved with Whitewater if they cooperated with his investigation. Defenders of the president said this meant these people had good reason to lie.

Investigators said such offers are common. Other media reports said David Hale had received large amounts of money from a conservative organization that had strongly criticized Mister Clinton.

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VOICE TWO:

The president was threatened with removal from office after a sexual relationship with a young woman became public.

It started when a former Arkansas state employee named Paula Corbin Jones took legal action against President Clinton in nineteen ninety-four. She charged that he had asked her for sex while he was governor of Arkansas. A federal judge dismissed her case for lack of evidence. But Missus Jones appealed the case.

White House intern Monica Lewinsky

Her lawyers wanted to prove that Mister Clinton had had sex with several female workers. They suspected these included a young woman, Monica Lewinsky, who had worked as a White House assistant. They believed Miz Lewinsky had sexual relations with President Clinton between nineteen ninety-five and nineteen-ninety-seven.

VOICE ONE :

Kenneth Starr was still investigating the Whitewater case early in nineteen ninety-eight. He received permission to include Miz Lewinsky in his investigation.

A former friend of Miz Lewinsky had given Mister Starr tape recordings of her telephone calls with the young woman. On the recordings, Monica Lewinsky talked about her relationship with the president.

Earlier, Miz Lewinsky and Mister Clinton had separately answered questions from lawyers representing Paula Jones. Both Mister Clinton and Mizz Lewinsky denied having a sexual relationship. In January of nineteen ninety-eight, Mister Clinton also denied publicly that he had a sexual relationship with Mizz Lewinsky.

VOICE TWO:

Six months later, Mister Clinton agreed to answer questions before a federal investigating jury. He told the grand jury about his relationship with Miz Lewinsky. This meant he had lied during earlier official questioning. That night, the president admitted on national television that he had had a relationship with Monica Lewinsky that was wrong. He told the nation his actions were a personal failure. But he denied trying to get her to lie about the relationship.

Kenneth Starr sent his final report to the House of Representatives. The report suggested that Mister Clinton may have committed impeachable crimes in trying to hide his relationship with the young woman.

VOICE ONE:

In December, the House of Representatives impeached President William Jefferson Clinton. This meant the Senate would hold a trial and decide if he was guilty. If found guilty, Mister Clinton would be removed from office, as required by the Constitution.

Only one other president had ever been impeached. In eighteen sixty-eight, the House of Representatives had brought charges against President Andrew Johnson. The Senate had failed by one vote to remove him from office.

VOICE TWO:

Hillary Rodham Clinton as her husband thanks House Democrats who opposed his impeachment

The House of Representatives approved two charges against President Clinton to send to the Senate. One charge accused him of lying during the official investigation of his relationship with Mizz Lewinsky. The other accused him of trying to hide evidence.

Mister Clinton still had two years left to serve as president. Opinion studies showed the American public wanted him to finish his term. Two-thirds of the people asked said they opposed removing him from office.

VOICE ONE:

The Senate decided Mister Clinton’s future in February of nineteen ninety-nine. The one hundred senators held a trial to consider the charges and decide if Mister Clinton should be removed from office. The trial required sixty-seven votes for a judgment of guilt on each charge.

The Senators voted Mister Clinton not guilty on one charge. They evenly divided their votes on the other charge.

Bill Clinton remained president of the United States. But the forty-second president had hoped to be remembered for his leadership and the progress made during his administration. Instead, many people said he will be remembered for the charges against him.

In October, nineteen ninety-nine, Kenneth Starr resigned as the independent investigator. An assistant, Robert Ray, completed a final report on the Whitewater investigation. He issued his report in September, two thousand. No charges were brought against the Clintons. The report said there was not enough evidence to prove any wrongdoing by President or Missus Clinton.

Political experts disagree about what place in history William Jefferson Clinton will occupy. But the experts agree that Mister Clinton’s influence on the United States will be debated for many years to come.

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VOICE TWO:

This program of THE MAKING OF A NATION was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by George Grow. This is Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And this is Mary Tillotson. Join us again next week for another VOA Special English program about the history of the United States.

VOASE0815_Education Report

15 August 2007

Teacher in Space Answers Questions From Students
Barbara Morgan and other astronauts take part in video link from International Space Station.

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This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

SOUND: "Good morning, Discovery Center -- good afternoon. We're happy to be here with you. This is Al Drew, Clay Anderson, Dave Williams and I'm Barb Morgan. And we are ready for your first question. Welcome aboard the International Space Station."

Astronaut Barbara Morgan on the space shuttle Endeavour

That was teacher-turned-astronaut Barbara Morgan, speaking from more than three hundred twenty kilometers above Earth.

CHILDREN: "Hello from Idaho!"

And those were the students she was greeting in the northwestern state of Idaho. They gathered at the Discovery Center in Boise on Tuesday to ask the astronauts questions by video link.

The astronauts already knew what the questions would be. One student asked what stars look like from space.

Basically the answer was that the space shuttle and the space station are kept brightly lit, so it is difficult to see a lot of stars.

BARBARA MORGAN: "In fact, one way to think about that when we're on the International Space Station and all the lights are on when we look outside, it's very much like trying to look at the stars when you're in Boise. You can see some, but then if you go up high in the mountains, up to McCall, and you have all the lights out, that's what it will be like once we undock from [the] station and we can turn all our shuttle lights out, and also for the station folks they can turn all their lights out."

Barbara Morgan taught elementary school in McCall, Idaho, before she trained for space. She and six other astronauts arrived Friday on the shuttle Endeavour to bring supplies and new equipment to the international station.

Barbara Morgan is fifty-five years old. She taught for many years before she became an astronaut.

QUESTION: "Hi, I'm Sarah Blum. How does being a teacher relate with being an astronaut on this mission?"

BARBARA MORGAN: "Well, actually, astronauts and teachers actually do the same things. We discover and we share. The great thing about being a teacher is that you get to do that with students. And the great thing about being an astronaut is you get to do it in space. And those are absolutely wonderful jobs."

Barbara Morgan first prepared for a shuttle flight more than twenty years ago. She trained in case NASA needed a substitute for Christa McAuliffe, its choice to become the first teacher in space.

Then, in nineteen eighty-six, Christa McAuliffe died with the Challenger crew when the shuttle exploded shortly after launch.

After the disaster, NASA officials barred other civilians from shuttle flights. But in nineteen ninety-eight, they created a new position for teachers to become fully trained astronauts. Barbara Morgan is NASA's first "educator astronaut" launched into orbit.

One of her first tasks was to operate Endeavour's robotic arm to inspect the shuttle for any launch-related damage. Cameras showed a small area hit by a piece of protective foam that fell off the fuel tank. NASA officials say the damage is not a safety threat but they are deciding what to do about it.

And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. For a link to NASA educational resources for the Endeavour flight, go to voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Mario Ritter.

VOASE0814_Health Report

14 August 2007

Epilepsy: Mysterious and Sometimes Misunderstood
People are considered to have the condition if they suffer two unexplained seizures. America's top judge recently had his second one in 14 years.

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This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

Epilepsy is a disorder where bursts of electrical activity in the brain result in seizures. A seizure can involve part or all of the brain. It can be minor and a few seconds long or severe and last for several minutes.

Victims can shake uncontrollably and have brief periods where they do not wake up. Many people misunderstand epilepsy. They may see it as a mental disability or even fear it as a sign of evil.

The World Health Organization says more than fifty million people have epilepsy. At least half of all cases develop in children and teenagers.

The Epilepsy Foundation in the United States says ten percent of adults will have a seizure sometime during their life. In most cases the cause is unknown.

On July thirtieth, the chief justice of the United States, John Roberts, had a

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts

seizure and fell near his summer home in Maine. A Supreme Court spokeswoman said neurological tests found no cause for concern. She said the fifty-two-year-old chief justice fully recovered from what doctors called a benign idiopathic seizure.

Benign and idiopathic mean there was no evidence of harm and no identifiable cause, like a growth or stroke.

But Mister Roberts had a similar event fourteen years ago. Experts say a person who has two or more unexplained seizures is considered to have epilepsy.

The Epilepsy Foundation says more than three million Americans, or one percent, are treated for the condition. Anti-seizure medicines are the most common treatment. But side effects can include sleepiness and difficulty thinking clearly.

Some doctors advise a special diet called a ketogenic diet to help control seizures. Experts warn, though, that this high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet requires close medical supervision and is not for everyone.

Doctors may also try to control epilepsy through brain operations.

To help a person during a seizure, stay calm and try to time how long it lasts. Clear the area of any objects that could injure the person and loosen anything around the neck that could restrict breathing.

Turn the person gently onto one side to keep airways open. Put something flat and soft under the person's head. But do not try to put anything in the person's mouth.

You may have heard it said that people can swallow their tongue during a seizure. Not true, says the Epilepsy Foundation. In fact, it says trying to hold the tongue down could damage the teeth or jaw.

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

VOASE0814_Explorations

14 August 2007

It's a Zoo Up There in Space. Make That a Galaxy Zoo
Also: NASA's Dawn spacecraft will visit the asteroids Ceres and Vesta. And watch for the Perseid meteor shower.

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VOICE ONE:

I'm Barbara Klein.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Bob Doughty with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. This week, we tell about a project to identify images of one million galaxies that have been captured by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We also tell about the Perseid Meteor Shower.

We begin with NASA's new spacecraft that will visit two of the biggest asteroids.

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VOICE ONE:

For many years, the United States space agency has studied the major planets in

An artist's picture of the Dawn spacecraft

detail. For example, NASA is observing Mars from orbit and also on its surface with the Mars Rovers. Jupiter has also been visited several times by Pioneer, Voyager and Galileo spacecraft. The Deep Impact mission even visited a comet.

But there are objects in our solar system that remain mysterious. These are the asteroids and dwarf planets.

Now NASA has designed a mission that will visit two of the important members of this group of objects. A new spacecraft called Dawn will visit Ceres and Vesta, two large bodies in what is known as the asteroid belt.

The asteroid belt took shape early in the formation of the solar system, about four and one-half billion years ago. Astronomers believe that the force of gravity from Jupiter prevented the rocky material between it and Mars from forming a planet. The result is that there are thousands of rocky bodies circling the sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

VOICE TWO:

Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt. It is over nine hundred kilometers across. It was the first object of its kind ever discovered. In August of last year, however, astronomers changed the way they define Ceres. It is now a dwarf planet. Ceres shares this classification with two other objects: Pluto and Eris. But Ceres is a rocky world much closer to the sun.

Astronomers are interested in Ceres because it may hold water. Measurements of light reflected from the dwarf planet suggest this. Astronomers believe that the outer covering of Ceres may contain up to twenty-five percent water ice. This could mean that there is more water on Ceres than there is fresh water on Earth.

VOICE ONE:

Vesta was the fourth object of its kind discovered. Astronomers believe it is covered with rock that melted and then became solid again. There is also a giant hole, or crater, four hundred sixty kilometers across on the asteroid's south pole. Astronomers believe a massive crash took place between Vesta and another object. The force was so great that Vesta lost one percent of its total mass.

What happened to all this material? It spread throughout parts of the solar system. Five percent of all meteorites we find on Earth might be from this one event on Vesta. Meteorites are small pieces of space rock that fall to Earth.

VOICE TWO:

Now Dawn will explore these bodies in greater detail than ever before. Dawn is a new kind of spacecraft. It improves on technology used in NASA's Deep Space One mission. That spacecraft visited the comet Temple One and an asteroid. However, Dawn's mission will be much longer.

Dawn's engines use what is called an ion propulsion system. Ion engines use electrical current and fuel made of the element xenon to power the spacecraft through space. Electricity comes from two large solar arrays over eight meters long. The wide flat surfaces of the solar arrays gather sunlight and turn it into electricity.

VOICE ONE:

Dawn's eyes are two cameras that are exactly alike. They can measure light in seven different colors. There are two other instruments on Dawn. One is a Gamma Ray and Neutron Detector. This device measures a form of light, gamma rays, and neutrons, which are particles in the centers of atoms. The detector measures the light and particles, showing scientists what kind of substances make up the surface of the objects. This device will also show if there is water ice on Ceres.

NASA had planned to launch Dawn in July. But now the spacecraft is set to launch in September.

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VOICE TWO:

Researchers spend millions of dollars on equipment and tools they need to observe the universe. They are able to see and study objects that are millions of light-years away. However, people can observe some very interesting things with their own eyes. Any person who wants to know about the night sky can go outside, look up, and see some extraordinary sights.

A Perseid meteor

This month, people everywhere have the chance to see the Perseid meteor shower. The meteors seem to come out of the group of stars called Perseus.

The Perseids come every year, near the middle of August. The meteor shower comes from dust left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle. The comet takes about one hundred thirty years to go around the sun, and leaves dust in its path. When the Earth passes through this trail of material, the dust hits the Earth’s atmosphere.

This dust is moving very fast, about sixty kilometers a second. Because the meteors are moving so fast, they make bright streaks as they burn up in the atmosphere.

VOICE ONE:

The best way to see these meteors is to get away from cities with bright lights. People in big cities will be able to see the brightest meteors. But many, many more will be visible in the darkness of the countryside. The view this year will be especially good, because there will be very little moonlight.

There will be different kinds of meteors during different parts of the meteor shower. For example, there will be a few meteors called “earthgrazers” near the beginning of the shower. These appear early in the evening when the constellation of Perseus first rises into the sky. Earthgrazers are meteors that show up on the horizon and then trail overhead. A NASA official described them as “long, slow and colorful.”

There will be more and more meteors overhead as the night goes on. This year, the most meteors were visible extremely early on August thirteenth. At that time, scientists say as many as one meteor per minute crossed the sky. However, the Perseids can be seen for about one week after this time as well. This is a great time to get outside and see astronomy in action.

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VOICE TWO:

Professional astronomers have collected pictures of one million galaxies in our

A picture of the galaxy NGC 6070 from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

universe. These pictures came from a project called the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Now, the astronomers want to sort the galaxies they have found by shape.

However, there are too many galaxies for professional astronomers to look at and sort on their own. This would take a very long time. So they have asked the public for help. Astronomers want people around the world to help look at the pictures of the galaxies on a Web site and classify them into different kinds. All you need is a computer with connection to the Internet. This project is called Galaxy Zoo.

Astronomers want people instead of computers to help because some of the pictures are very hard to recognize. They say that people are much better at identifying these patterns and shapes. Some of the images of galaxies are unclear and the human eye is the best tool to help decide what shape a galaxy really is.

Scientists say that knowing how many of each kind of galaxy there are will help them understand more about our universe. The information will help answer questions about how galaxies are made and how they change over time. It will also help answer questions about how the universe works and moves.

VOICE ONE:

Project Galaxy Zoo was first announced on July eleventh. In the first sixty hours after the announcement, the Web site had been visited almost seven million times. So far, more than eighty-five thousand people are exploring the universe on the Internet. People have sent more than twelve million galaxy classifications. However, astronomers say that they need even more people to help.

Scientists want between ten and twenty different people to sort each of the one million galaxies. This will take a long time, even with so many people working on it. However, more and more people are signing up to look at these galaxies every day. When the results help scientists answer important questions about the universe thousands of people will be able to say, "I helped." If you would like to join in, you can visit the Web site at www.galaxyzoo.org.

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VOICE TWO:

This program was written by Erin Braswell and Mario Ritter who was also the producer. I'm Bob Doughty.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Barbara Klein. Join us again next week for Explorations in VOA Special English.

VOASE0813_Agriculture Report

13 August 2007

Foot-and-Mouth Disease in England May Be Under Control
The disease cost British farmers and the tourism industry billions of dollars in 2001.

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This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

A warning sign on a path in England near a farm where foot-and-mouth disease was found

Farmers in England have been worried about foot-and-mouth disease among their cows. The viral sickness is one of the world’s most destructive diseases of livestock. Foot-and-mouth disease does not usually kill animals. But it sickens them and severely reduces production of meat and milk, resulting in economic disaster.

The current cases of the disease first struck cattle in southern England. At the end of July, a farmer in Surrey noted that two of his cows were sick. He reported the news to government health officials. They passed it on to the World Organization for Animal Health.

Agricultural scientists confirmed the first cases of the disease in two animals. The first group of one hundred twenty cows was killed August third. At that time, the government banned export of all livestock, fresh meat and milk products. The ban is expected to remain in place until August twenty-fifth.

About one hundred cattle were killed from a second infected herd on a farm about three kilometers from the first. A third group of cows was killed last week. Almost six hundred cows have been destroyed so far to prevent the spread of the disease.

Tests of cows on two other farms in Surrey showed no presence of the highly infectious virus. So experts say the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease could be over by the end of the week if no new cases are found. However, they urged farmers to continue to check their cattle for signs of the disease.

British health investigators believe there is a strong possibility the outbreak started in a research center close to the farms. The center has two laboratories that use the virus for research and to make vaccines. One of the laboratories rejected the claim. It said there is no evidence the virus was transported out of the laboratory by people.

In two thousand one, foot-and-mouth disease cost the British agricultural and tourism industries billions of dollars. More than six million animals were killed. The crisis delayed a general election for a month, canceled many sports events and closed the countryside to visitors.

The disease affects animals such as cows, pigs, goats and sheep. It spreads easily through direct contact among animals. It is also spread by people on clothing and shoes.

And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Jerilyn Watson. I'm ­­­­Faith Lapidus.

VOASE0813_Science In the News

13 August 2007

Scientists Receive National Medals of Science and Technology
Winners were recognized last month at ceremonies at the White House.

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VOICE ONE:

This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Barbara Klein.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Steve Ember.­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ This week, we tell about the highest honors for science and technology in the United States.

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VOICE ONE:

On July twenty-seventh, President Bush honored recent winners of the National Medals of Science and Technology at special ceremonies at the White House.

The National Science Foundation administers the science awards. It accepts nominations for the award each year from universities and other organizations. Each nominee must be a United States citizen or a permanent resident seeking citizenship.

A committee of twelve scientists and engineers is named by the president to examine the nominees’ work. They study how each one has affected scientific knowledge. They also look at how other scientists have honored each nominee in the past, and how the work of each has influenced the education of future scientists through publications and teaching.

Two groups of winners were announced this year. Scientists in the first group were named in May and received the two thousand five National Medal of Science. Those in the second group were named in July and received the National Medal of Science for two thousand six.

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VOICE TWO:

President Bush with Jan Achenbach

Jan Achenbach of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois was honored for his engineering research in the area of solid mechanics. He developed ways to find weak areas in structures, which has greatly affected the airplane industry.

Another Northwestern professor also received the National Medal of Science. Tobin Marks' research involves the study and design of new substances. He designed a material that made possible an improved way to produce a plastic substance.

Two professors at Stanford University in Stanford, California were also among the winners. Gordon Bower was a professor of psychology who retired in two thousand five. He worked in experimental studies of human memory, language, feelings and actions. Bradley Efron invented a statistical tool known as the bootstrap method for estimating.

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Torsten Wiesel shared the 1981 Nobel Prize in Medicine

Another honoree was the former president of Rockefeller University in New York City. Torsten Wiesel shared the nineteen eighty-one Nobel Prize in Medicine for studies on how visual information moves from the retina of the eye to the brain.

Also honored with the National Medal of Science was Lonnie Thompson, a professor of earth science at the Ohio State University in Columbus. His studies of climate conditions have provided evidence that the last one hundred years was the warmest period of time in recorded history.

Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health near Washington, D.C., also received a National Medal of Science. He is the director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases. He studies ways to prevent and treat diseases such as AIDS, tuberculosis, influenza and malaria.

The final National Medal Of Science winner for two thousand five was Ralph Alpher of the Dudley Observatory in Schenectady, New York. His work in the nineteen forties led to the development of the Big Bang Theory, now accepted as explaining the beginnings of the universe. Until two thousand four, he was professor of physics at Union College, in Utica, New York.

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Rita Colwell improved understanding of cholera microbes

The winners of the two thousand six National Medal of Science include two women. Rita Colwell is a professor at the University of Maryland in College Park. She received the award for creating a better understanding of microbes that cause the disease cholera. Nina Federoff works at the Pennsylvania State University in State College. Her work with plants includes efforts to copy several kinds of plant genes.

Another Medal of Science winner is Marvin Caruthers, a professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He was honored for his work with the genetic material DNA and the human genome project. Peter Dervan of the California Institute of Technology in San Marino was honored for research in organic chemistry and biology, and for influencing education and industry.

Lubert Stryer is a former professor at Stanford University in California. He was honored for work with biological molecules. Hyman Bass of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor was recognized for establishing a new kind of mathematics.

Two professors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge also received the National Medal of Science. Robert Langer was honored for helping develop new medical technologies. Daniel Kleppner is a former professor at MIT. He was honored for his research into the links between atoms and light.

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The National Medal of Technology is awarded to Americans considered to be the leading developers of new technology ideas and products. It was established by Congress in nineteen eighty. The medal is given every year to researchers, teams of researchers and or companies for excellent technology work.

The National Medal of Technology is administered by the United States Department of Commerce. A special committee studies all nominations for the award. The secretary of commerce appoints the committee members for three-year terms. Members of the committee are generally experts in the areas of science, technology, business and law.

Again, this year two groups of winners were honored at the same ceremony in Washington on July twenty-seventh. The first group of winners was announced in June. They received the medal for two thousand five. The second group was named in July and received the two thousand six awards.

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The two thousand five technology winners included two individuals, one team and three companies. The first went to Alfred Cho of Alcatel-Lucent's Bell Labs in Murray Hill, New Jersey.

He was honored for helping invent a technology that is used to produce cellular telephones, compact disc players and high-speed communication devices.

Dean Sicking is a professor at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. He was recognized for his design and development of safety technologies that stop the energy involved in high-speed vehicle crashes. The committee said his work has prevented many deaths and injuries on roads every year.

A scientific team at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals in Madison, New Jersey received a technology award for developing the first vaccine to prevent deadly streptococcus pneumonia in children. The committee said the work has been described as the most important advance in medicine for children in the past ten years.

The first company award went to the Genzyme Corporation in Cambridge, Massachusetts for improving the health of people with rare diseases. The Semiconductor Research Corporation in Durham, North Carolina was honored for building a research force to support the growth of the semiconductor industry. And the Xerox Corporation in Stamford, Connecticut was recognized for fifty years of work that has created the modern printing industry.

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The Technology Medals for two thousand six went to five individuals. Leslie Geddes is a former professor at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. He was honored for his research into the electricity involved in medical devices.

Charles Vest is a former president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was recognized for working toward joint scientific efforts among universities, the government and industry.

James West is a professor at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. He received the technology award for helping invent the electret microphone in nineteen sixty-two. That technology is now used in several kinds of communication devices.

Paul Kaminski is the chairman of the Technovation Company in Fairfax Station, Virginia. He was honored for developing new kinds of pictures from space and his work in national security. And Herwig Kogelnik works at Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs in Murray Hill, New Jersey. He received a technology medal for his leadership in the development of lasers and lightwave communications systems.

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This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by Nancy Steinbach. Brianna Blake was our producer. I'm Steve Ember.

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And I'm Barbara Klein. Read and listen to our programs at voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again at this time next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.