VOASE0923_This Is America

23 September 2007

'West Side Story': Love, Hate and the Immigrant Experience
Second of two programs marking the 50th anniversary of the musical, set in 1950s New York.

Download
Download

Cover of the musical recording of the 1957 Broadway show, "West Side Story"

VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Shirley Griffith. Today we complete the story and songs from the American musical play "West Side Story."

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Some of the greatest artists in American musical theater worked together to create "West Side Story" in nineteen fifty-seven. Choreographer and director Jerome Robbins, who developed the idea. Arthur Laurents, who wrote the play's words. And Stephen Sondheim, who wrote the words to the songs.

Leonard Bernstein

However, Leonard Bernstein -- who wrote the music -- usually is considered the main creator of "West Side Story. " Although the play is fifty years old this month, his music remains fresh today.

VOICE TWO:

As we said last week, "West Side Story" is a story about young people in a poor part of New York City in the nineteen fifties. Two groups of teenagers fight each other for control of the streets.

Members of the local gang -- the "Jets" -- were born in New York. They hate the Spanish-speaking people who have begun to move to the city from Puerto Rico. The young Puerto Ricans, members of the "Sharks" gang, hate the Jets in return.

The Puerto Ricans have the mixed feelings of any group of immigrants. They are divided between loving their old home and being glad to have left its problems behind.

The song "America" makes fun of some things in their new land, even as it seems to praise it. The Puerto Rican girls joke that everything is free in America ... if you pay for it. Our music is from the original recording of the play.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Seventeen-year-old Maria is the sister of Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks. She has arrived recently from Puerto Rico. She is to marry Chino, another member of the Sharks. But at a dance, Maria falls in love with Tony, a former leader of the enemy gang, the Jets.

Maria and Tony hope the hatred between the gangs will ease. They no longer understand this hatred. But the Jets and Sharks are making plans for a big fight. The Jets want to push the Sharks out of their area.

The gangs agree to fight the next night. They will put the best fighter from the Sharks against the best fighter from the Jets. The winner, and his gang, will take all the street territory.

VOICE TWO:

The next night, Maria is at home. She is getting dressed to meet Tony. She is very happy and excited. Carol Lawrence sings the part of Maria.

(MUSIC)

Everyone is nervous, waiting for the big fight. Everyone except Maria and Tony. They are waiting only to see each other.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

The gangs meet for the fight. Tony has promised Maria that he will try to stop it. As he does, the action suddenly turns violent. Tony's friend Riff and Bernardo begin fighting each other with knives.

(MUSIC)

In a moment, Tony's friend Riff is dead -- killed by the brother of the woman Tony loves. Not thinking, Tony strikes back. He kills Bernardo. The gangs run away. Tony stands in horror over the bodies of his friend and Maria's brother.

VOICE TWO:

Maria knows nothing of what has happened. Then Chino, the man she is supposed to marry, goes to her apartment. He tells Maria that her lover has killed her brother. Chino gets a gun. He goes to search for Tony, to kill him.

Maria is praying when Tony climbs in the window of her room. Tony explains that he did not mean to kill her brother. He asks her to forgive him. She does.

Together, Tony and Maria imagine a life free of group hatred. The walls of Maria's room move away, and they dance. For a brief time, Tony and Maria are "somewhere" -- in the peaceful place they imagine. But they both know there will now be war between the gangs.

VOICE ONE:

Tony must hurry away when Maria's friend Anita comes in. Anita is mourning Bernardo, whom she loved. She is angry with Maria for loving Tony. Anita tells Maria that "a boy like that" -- not her own kind -- will only cause her pain. The part of Anita is sung by Chita Rivera.

(MUSIC)

Finally, Maria makes Anita understand that she loves Tony, even though he has killed Bernardo.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Anita goes to the Jets' hiding place to warn Tony that the police are looking for him. But the Jets are cruel to her and will not listen to her. They treat her so badly that, finally, she tells a lie in anger. Anita says Maria is dead, killed by Chino. Tony runs into the street, calling for Chino to come kill him, too.

VOICE ONE:

Maria appears. She and Tony hold each other for a moment. There is a shot. Chino has found them. Tony is hit by the bullet. He dies in the street as Maria holds him.

The play has ended sadly, but with some hope: together, the Jets and two Sharks carry Tony's body away. We end with "Somewhere," sung by Carol Lawrence.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Our program was produced by Caty Weaver. I'm Shirley Griffith.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Steve Ember. You can download archives of our programs at voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

VOASE0923_Development Report

23 September 2007

Child Deaths Found at Record Low
The U.N. Children’s Fund says the worldwide number has fallen below 10 million a year for the first time.

Download
Download

This is the VOA Special English Development Report.

UNICEF says a record low number of children are dying before the age of five. The United Nations Children's Fund has records back to nineteen sixty. It says the number has dropped below ten million a year for the first time.

By comparison, there were almost thirteen million deaths in nineteen ninety.

The newest report says nine million seven hundred thousand children under five died last year. Almost half were in southern Africa. Just over three million were in South Asia.

UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman called the new findings historic but still unacceptable. She says most of the deaths are preventable.

A child receives a shot of measles vaccine in Banyusoco village, Indonesia

UNICEF says much of the progress is the result of increased efforts for early health interventions. One example is feeding babies only breast milk for the first six months. Also, vaccinating children against measles has saved many lives. So has the use of vitamin A to strengthen children's immune systems, and chemically treated bed nets to prevent malaria.

Morocco, Vietnam and the Dominican Republic have reduced child deaths by more than one-third since nineteen ninety-nine. Madagascar has cut its rate by forty-one percent; Sao Tome and Principe by nearly half.

UNICEF says progress in Asia, especially in China and India, has helped drive the worldwide reduction since nineteen ninety. Death rates have dropped sharply in Latin America and the Caribbean, former Soviet republics and countries in East Asia and the Pacific.

Some countries in sub-Saharan Africa have also made considerable gains. Malawi’s under-five death rate dropped by twenty-nine percent between two thousand and two thousand four. Reductions of more than twenty percent were reported in Ethiopia, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda and Tanzania as well.

In nineteen ninety, Asia had the most child deaths. Now, rates are highest in west and central Africa. Gains in child survival have fallen to the spread of H.I.V and AIDS. By two thousand fifteen, Africa south of the Sahara could have almost sixty percent of all deaths in children under five.

But UNICEF says Latin America and the Caribbean are on a path to reach a U.N. Millennium Development Goal. The goal is to reduce the death rate in children under five by two-thirds from nineteen ninety levels -- and to do that by two thousand fifteen.

And that's the VOA Special English Development Report, written by Jill Moss. I’m Steve Ember

VOASE0922_People In America

22 September 2007

Georgia O'Keefe, 1887-1986: Her Paintings Showed Her Love for the American Southwest
People can immediately identify the artists's paintings of huge, colorful flowers or bones in dream-like deserts.

Download
Download

VOICE ONE:

I’m Gwen Outen.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Steve Ember with People in America in VOA Special English. Today we tell about one of the greatest painters of the twentieth century, Georgia O'Keeffe.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Georgia O'Keeffe

America has produced many great painters in the past one hundred years. Georgia O'Keeffe is one of the most popular and easily recognized artists. People do not mistake her work for anyone else's. People can immediately identify her paintings of huge, colorful flowers or bones in dream-like deserts.

Georgia O'Keeffe said she did not know how she got the idea to be an artist. But, she said, the idea came early. She remembered announcing when she was twelve years old that she planned to be an artist.

VOICE TWO:

Georgia was born in eighteen eighty-seven, the second of seven children. Her parents were successful farmers in the middle western state of Wisconsin.

Georgia's mother also had cultural interests. She made sure that Georgia and her sisters studied art, in addition to their usual school subjects. By the time Georgia was sixteen, the O'Keeffe family had moved to Williamsburg, Virginia.

After Georgia finished school, she attended the Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois. Georgia was especially pleased with the help she got from her teacher, John Vanderpoel. She later wrote that John Vanderpoel was one of the few real teachers she knew.

VOICE ONE:

In nineteen-oh-seven, O’Keeffe began a year at the Art Students League in New York City. The famous painter William Merritt Chase was one of her teachers. Chase had a great influence on O'Keeffe's early artistic development. She described him as fresh, full of energy and fierce. She seemed to understand and agree with his style of painting.

Then, in nineteen-oh-eight, Georgia O'Keeffe left the world of fine art. She moved back to Chicago and worked in the advertising business. She drew pictures of products to be sold. Her parents had been struggling financially for some time in Virginia. Later, her mother became sick with tuberculosis. Some art historians suspect these were the main reasons Georgia O’Keeffe spent four years in business instead of continuing her studies.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

In nineteen twelve, O'Keeffe returned to art school at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Artist and teacher Arthur Wesley Dow taught that art should fill space in a beautiful way. This theory influenced and changed her work. O’Keefe also learned about the Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky. He wanted artists to represent the inner spirit in outer things. O'Keeffe considered Kandinsky's writings a treasure. She read them throughout her life.

VOICE ONE:

In nineteen fifteen, Georgia O'Keeffe decided that much of what she had been taught in art school was of little value. She decided to hang recent work she had done on the wall of her home. She examined it and did not find herself in the art. She wrote that she had been taught to work like others. She decided then that she would not spend her life doing what had already been done.

Georgia O'Keeffe began to search for her own style. She used only charcoal, the black material made from burned wood. In her book about her life, she wrote that she decided to limit herself to charcoal until she found she really needed color to do what she needed to do. She wrote that six months later she found she needed the color blue. She used it for a watercolor painting she called "Blue Lines."

VOICE TWO:

Georgia O'Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz

Georgia O'Keeffe had met the famous art critic and photographer Alfred Stieglitz at his New York City gallery in nineteen-oh-eight. Their friendship grew as they wrote letters to each other. In nineteen fifteen, O'Keeffe told a friend that she wanted her art to please Alfred Stieglitz more than anyone else.

That friend showed O'Keeffe’s charcoal drawings to Stieglitz. Stieglitz liked her drawings enough to show them in his art gallery, called Two Ninety One.

VOICE ONE:

Alfred Stieglitz was a major force behind shows of Georgia O'Keeffe's work for the next twenty-five years. Her first individual show at his gallery was well received. She sold her first piece at that show in nineteen seventeen.

Stieglitz became O'Keeffe's strongest supporter. Seven years later he became her husband. He was twenty-four years older than his new wife.

The relationship between Georgia O’Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz was not an easy one. O’Keeffe once said that to her “he was much more wonderful in his work than as a human being.” But, she also said she loved him for what seemed “clear and bright and wonderful.” The two remained married until his death in nineteen forty-six.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Georgia O'Keeffe also had a long love relationship with the southwestern part of the United States. The desert environment was the subject of many of her paintings. O'Keeffe had moved to the state of Texas when she was twenty-five. She accepted a two-year position as supervisor of art in the public schools of Amarillo, Texas.

Later, she taught in a small town. She wrote about long walks on narrow paths in a canyon near that town. The dangerous climbs in and out of the canyon were like nothing she had known before. She wrote that many paintings came from experiences like that.

In one such painting, the canyon is shown as a huge deep hole of many colors -- reds, oranges and yellows. It looks as if it is on fire. The canyon fills most of the picture. A small area of blue sky in the distance lends additional depth to the picture.

VOICE ONE:

In nineteen thirty, Georgia O'Keeffe began spending most of her summers in the state

"Cow's Skull: Red, White, and Blue" 1931

of New Mexico. She called it “the faraway.” She painted big pictures of desert flowers and the high rocky hills. She also began to paint pictures of the bones she found during walks near her summer home. Most of her paintings share the qualities of largeness of subject and richness of color.

The artist discussed those two qualities in her book, called “Georgia O’Keefe.” She wrote that color is more exact in meaning than words. Later, she wrote that she found she could say things with color and shape that she could not express in words.

She also spoke of a special need to paint her subjects larger than they are in life. She seemed to want to force people to see more deeply into objects such as flowers. She tried to show the different shapes and colors within a single flower. The artist said she would make even busy New Yorkers take time to see what she saw in flowers.

VOICE TWO:

"Jimson Weed" 1932

O'Keeffe was angered by some criticism of her work over the years. She rejected critics' claims that there was deep sexual meaning in her paintings of flowers. She said that people linked their own experience of a flower to her paintings. She suggested that critics wrote about her flower paintings as if they knew what she was seeing and thinking. But, she said, they did not know.

Georgia O'Keeffe always argued that what others think of the artist's work is not important. She once wrote to a friend, "... I'll do as I please."

VOICE ONE:

Georgia O’Keeffe bought her first house in New Mexico in nineteen forty. After Alfred Stieglitz died, she moved to “the faraway’” permanently. She lived in New Mexico for the rest of her life.

In the early nineteen seventies, O’Keeffe began losing her sight because of an eye disease. She stopped working with oil paints, but continued to produce watercolor paintings.

Around the same time, she met a young artist who would become very important to her. Juan Hamilton made pottery -- objects of clay. He became O’Keeffe’s assistant and friend. They also traveled together. But in the early nineteen eighties Georgia’s O’Keeffe’s health failed severely. She died in nineteen eighty-six. She was ninety-eight.

VOICE TWO:

Georgia O’Keefe received many honors during her long life. President Gerald Ford presented her with the Medal of Freedom in nineteen seventy-seven. Eight years later, President Ronald Reagan awarded her the National Medal of Arts. Students and experts continue to study and write about her work.

Her paintings are shown around the world. And, more than one million people have visited the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in New Mexico since it opened in nineteen ninety-seven.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

This program was written by Caty Weaver. It was produced by Lawan Davis. I'm Gwen Outen.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. Listen again next week for People In America in VOA Special English.

VOASE0921_In the News

21 September 2007

After Long Duke Case, Debate Over Fairness Is Renewed With 'Jena 6'
Thousands protest charges against six black teens in Louisiana in beating of white classmate. Also, a new book examines the highly publicized Duke lacrosse rape case.

Download
Download

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

Protesters in Jena, Louisiana

Thousands of protesters from around the United States marched this week in the small town of Jena, Louisiana. They came in support of six black teenagers arrested for the beating of a white student at Jena High School in December. This followed racial incidents at the school that led to fights between whites and blacks.

No white students faced charges. But five of the so-called Jena Six were charged at first with attempted murder. Since then, many of the charges have been reduced. The case remains in court.

This case, with its questions of fairness, comes after another case in the South that produced a strong emotional reaction. The case of three white students falsely accused of raping a black woman is the subject of a book published this month.

The book is called "Until Proven Innocent: Political Correctness and the Shameful Injustices of the Duke Lacrosse Rape Case." The authors, Stuart Taylor and K. C. Johnson, examine what they see as failings by the legal system and the media.

In March of last year, Crystal Mangum told police that several Duke University lacrosse players raped her. She and another woman had been hired to dance and take off their clothes at a team party.

The case in Durham, North Carolina, gained attention not just because of the accusations. It also involved issues of race and economic class.

Three lacrosse players were arrested: David Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann. In the American legal system, suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty. But the local prosecutor, Mike Nifong, called the players "hooligans" and seemed to leave no question about their guilt. He spoke often to the media.

A number of Duke professors and students were also quick to publicly judge them. Duke cancelled the rest of the men's lacrosse season and the team coach resigned.

Yet Crystal Mangum changed her story several times and evidence conflicted with her

Mike Nifong

claims. Also, she was reported to have struggled with mental health problems.

Critics say Mike Nifong used the case against the players from a costly, top university as a way to appeal to black voters. The white prosecutor was campaigning for a new term as district attorney.

But in January he withdrew from the case. A state agency later found that he lied to a court and violated other rules of professional behavior in the case. He lost his right to practice law and spent a day in jail earlier this month.

North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper declared the three players innocent in April. He also said it would be in the best interest of justice not to bring charges against their accuser.

The young men have threatened to bring a civil rights case against the city of Durham for their treatment by police. They reportedly are seeking ten million dollars each in a settlement that would also call for legal reforms.

On Wednesday, Duke announced it will invest more than one million dollars to create a new law center. The purpose: to train lawyers to fight wrongful charges.

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English, written by Brianna Blake. I'm Steve Ember.

VOASE0920_Economics Report

20 September 2007

US Central Bank Moves to Ease Credit, Protect Economy
The Federal Reserve appears from its half-point rate cuts to be more concerned with the risk of a recession than with inflation.

Download
Download

This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.

A listener from Indonesia named Efendy asks why the Federal Reserve is so important and how it works. This week offered a good example.

The Federal Reserve System is the United States central bank. Its Federal Open Market Committee, led by Fed chairman Ben Bernanke, makes monetary policy. It makes decisions that affect the cost of money and credit in the economy.

A television at the New York Stock Exchange shows the actions of the Federal Reserve

On Tuesday the committee lowered its target for the federal funds rate to four and three-quarters percent. This rate is what banks pay other banks to borrow money overnight. It was the first cut in four years.

Major banks including Bank of America, Wachovia and Wells Fargo soon followed with cuts in their prime rate. This is what banks charge their best customers.

Financial markets expected a rate cut from the Fed. But the size -- fifty basis points, or half a percentage point -- was double what many people expected. And it persuaded many that the Fed is more concerned about the possibility of a recession than about inflation.

Such concerns rose earlier this month on news that in August the economy lost jobs for the first time in four years. That added to worries about the housing finance crisis.

The committee said economic growth was moderate during the first half of the year. But it said the reduced availability of credit could intensify the current housing problems and restrain economic growth. The policy makers also said that some inflation risks remain and will be watched carefully.

The Fed's action will help some homeowners and other borrowers. What is not clear, though, is how much it will do for many homeowners facing sharply higher payments. Their payments on adjustable-rate mortgages will still go up, though not as high as they would have.

By the end of next year, an estimated two million or more holders of subprime loans will have their rates reset higher. These loans were made to people with weak credit histories.

The Fed also cut its discount rate for direct loans to banks by half a point, to five and one-quarter percent, to increase their lending ability. The traditional opinion of borrowing from the so-called discount window was that it represented a sign of weakness.

Stock markets rose sharply after the Fed cut interest rates. But not everyone was so pleased. Some experts warn that cutting rates could raise inflation. They also say it helps those who made unwise borrowing decisions.

And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report, written by Mario Ritter. I'm Jim Tedder.

VOASE0919_Education Report

19 September 2007

Longer School Day = More Learning? Not Necessarily
Researchers say teachers must be trained to use added time in the classroom effectively.

Download
Download

This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

Recently we talked about how some American schools have made changes in the traditional school year. Their goal is to improve student learning.

A teacher and student at Barcroft Elementary in Arlington, Virginia. The school uses a year-round schedule instead of a traditional calendar with a long summer vacation.

Some have extended the school year, or reorganized it to avoid a long summer break. Another choice is to extend the school day. A new report from the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy at Indiana University examines research into how effective this is.

The traditional school day has not changed much in more than a century. Activities or special programs might mean a longer day. But younger children usually go to school from about nine o'clock in the morning until about three in the afternoon. Older ones are traditionally in school from about seven a.m. until around two p.m.

Some high schools have changed to later start times because of findings that teenagers learn better that way. But the new report says results have been mixed. Teachers say students are more awake. But students say the changes interfere with after-school activities or jobs.

By two thousand one, almost one-third of all secondary schools had some form of block scheduling. The idea is to provide longer periods in the school day to teach basic subjects.

More class time should mean better results. This is the thinking, at least. Yet a two thousand one study found that secondary schools with traditional schedules had higher test scores by comparison. Schools with block scheduling did have higher scores in science, though.

In any case, the study agreed with earlier findings that students feel better about their schools in systems with nontraditional scheduling.

So how useful is a longer school day? Not surprisingly, the policy experts at Indiana say it is what educators do with the extra time that has the largest effect on student learning. They note a criticism that education leaders often make scheduling changes without changing the learning environment of a school.

The experts say teachers must be trained to use the added time effectively. Professional development is needed. The report notes that simply adding time to a program that is not very good or very interesting will not increase student learning.

Community support is also valuable for any changes. And there is another consideration. Schools may need a lot of extra money to pay for an extended day.

And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. I'm Bob Doughty.

VOASE0920_American Mosaic

20 September 2007

Where Talib Kweli Learned the Power of Language: Mom the Prof
Also: A question from Argentina about slang. And remembering Alex, a famous African Grey parrot who had a lot to say.

Download
Download

HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

I'm Doug Johnson. On our show this week:

We listen to some hip-hop music from Talib Kweli …

Answer a question about American slang …

And report about a famous parrot.

Alex

HOST:

A talking parrot named Alex died earlier this month at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. For thirty years, Alex helped scientists learn about the brains of avians, or birds. He changed the idea that parrots can only repeat words without understanding them. Faith Lapidus has more.

FAITH LAPIDUS:

Irene Pepperberg

In nineteen seventy-three, Irene Pepperberg was studying at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She was working to get a doctoral degree in chemistry. Then a television program changed her plans.

The program told about how birds sing. Miz Pepperberg completed her requirements in chemistry. But she decided she would study bird recognition and communication instead.

She bought an African Grey parrot at a pet store in nineteen seventy-seven. Miz Pepperberg called the parrot Alex.

Alex

She spent the next thirty years teaching Alex. The parrot learned more than one hundred words. He could identify fifty different objects by name. He could recognize seven colors and five shapes.

For example, when shown a group of objects, Alex could identify which ones were blue, metal or round. He could count objects to six, and was working on seven and eight when he died. His abilities changed the way many scientists understand the avian brain.

IRENE PEPPERBERG: “What color’s smaller?”

ALEX: “Orange.”

IRENE PEPPERBERG: “Orange is right. Good boy!”

Alex seemed pleased with his abilities. Sometimes he appeared to criticize two other parrots that Miz Pepperberg was studying. “Talk better," he would tell Arthur and Griffin. Reseachers in Miz Pepperberg’s laboratory, however, say the parrot might just have been repeating words he had heard.

Experts say Alex had the intelligence of a five-year-old child and the emotions of a two-year- old. Miz Pepperberg said he would sometimes get angry and throw things on the floor.

Alex and Miz Pepperberg did their research at a number of America’s finest universities. They often appeared on television science programs worldwide. Irene Pepperberg published a book called “The Alex Studies” in nineteen ninety-nine. She says she will continue her research with Arthur and Griffin.

What Alex taught Miz Pepperberg about learning and communication has been used to help children with learning disabilities.

Slang

HOST:

Today we answer a question from a listener in Argentina. Viktor Martinez wants to know about slang. Slang is a popular, less official and often very current form of language. It is an important part of a living language and is constantly changing as language changes. Slang is often playful, direct and sometimes less respectful than the more official and traditional version of language. So now I'm going to lay it on you! To “lay it on” is American slang for “to tell” or “to explain.”

Slang can take many forms. For example, slang can be local to one city or area. In Washington, D.C. there is a whole set of slang to describe politics and business in the city. For example, the term POTUS stands for President of the United States. POTUS can often be found with his wife, FLOTUS, the first lady of the United States. “Inside the Beltway” is a popular expression that describes the area of Washington, D.C. The beltway is the large highway that circles the city.

The Internet has helped create a whole new kind of computer-related slang. An “angry fruit salad” is an expression that describes a Web site with too many bright colors. “Netiquette” is slang for correct behavior when using the Internet.

Young people often develop the latest slang. For example, to say Special English “rocks” or is “phat” means Special English is really great. A “kegger” is a party where beer is served. If something is “wack” it is wild and crazy.

Different professions often have their own slang as well. For example, medical workers might refer to a complaining patient as a “gomer." A “tough stick” is someone whose veins are difficult to find when he or she needs to have blood taken.

No matter how well you speak English, there are always new and interesting slang words to discover. There are entire dictionaries for describing slang. Many experts do not even agree on what is and what is not slang. Often slang words later become a part of officially accepted language. Official or not, slang is an energetic and exciting part of the American language that continues to change.

Talib Kweli

(MUSIC)

HOST:

Talib Kweli

That was “Get By” from Talib Kweli’s two thousand two album, “Quality.” Kweli is often called a thoughtful rapper. Critics say his work has deeper, more intelligent messages than most rap songs. The Blacksmith music agency that represents Talib Kweli says he is able to “educate and entertain” at the same time. Katherine Cole plays more of his music.

KATHERINE COLE:

Talib Kweli has said he does not want to make what he calls “candy music” -- music that tastes good but is not good for you. But his new album “Eardrum” is proving popular. Immediately after its release last month "Eardrum" went to the number two spot on Billboard magazine’s hip-hop chart. This single, “Hot Thing,” helped put it there.

(MUSIC)

Talib Kweli has worked in the music industry for ten years. At thirty-two, the Brooklyn, New York, native has released five albums. His mother, a college professor of black literature, influenced Kweli’s work greatly. He told one reporter that she made sure he understood the power of language and of his community.

Talib Kweli released “The Beautiful Struggle” in two thousand four. Here is “Black Girl Pain” from that album.

(MUSIC)

Talib Kweli may be feeling a little trapped by his recognition as a thoughtful rapper. He says his next album will be called “Prisoner of Conscious.” We leave you now with “Country Cousins” from “Eardrum.”

(MUSIC)

HOST:

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

It was written by Dana Demange, Jerilyn Watson and Caty Weaver, who also was our producer.

Join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC, VOA’s radio magazine in Special English.

VOASE0919_The Making of a Nation

19 September 2007

US History Series: The 43rd President's First Four Years, Revisited
George W. Bush's first-term policy decisions involved, among other issues, education, tax cuts, stem cell research and the environment.

Download
Download

VOICE ONE:

This is Faith Lapidus.

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 tell about some important policy decisions during the first term of President George W. Bush.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Republican George W. Bush defeated his Democratic Party opponent, Al Gore, in the presidential election of two thousand. The election results were extremely close. Mister Gore disputed them. Five suspense-filled weeks passed as several courts considered the voting issues. Finally, a decision by the United States Supreme Court effectively settled the election. George W. Bush was to be president.

George W. Bush gives his inaugural speech at the Capitol in January 2001

Mister Bush gave his inaugural speech in January two thousand one to a politically divided nation. He called on Americans to care for and respect others.

PRESIDENT BUSH: "Today we affirm a new commitment to live out our nation's promise through civility, courage, compassion and character. America, at its best, matches a commitment to principle with a concern for civility. A civil society demands from each of us good will and respect, fair dealing and forgiveness."

VOICE TWO:

During his election campaign, Mister Bush had promised he would help social aid organizations linked to religious groups. He established the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives soon after his inauguration. Its goal was to help social agencies fight problems like homelessness and illegal drug use.

Critics argued that this would violate the separation of church and state required by the United States Constitution. But Mister Bush said the agencies would provide shelter and food and not religious holy books.

VOICE ONE:

President Bush took several actions on the environment during his first term. In March two thousand one, he withdrew the United States from the Kyoto Protocol. Many nations had signed the treaty in nineteen ninety-seven in Kyoto, Japan. This treaty developed from earlier international efforts to control climate change.

The Kyoto Protocol restricted the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that nations could release into the atmosphere. The limitation was placed to reduce global warming, the increase in the average temperature of Earth's surface. More than one hundred nations have approved the treaty.

But Mister Bush said the agreement was unfair. He noted that China and India were not required to limit release of greenhouse gases. The president believed the Kyoto Protocol requirements would harm American industry and the economy. Critics said Mister Bush's decision meant more damage to the environment. They also said it set a bad example for the world.

Another environmental issue concerned exploring for oil and gas. The president supported a measure for drilling in a protected wildlife area in the state of Alaska. He said getting the resources from the state would reduce American dependence on foreign oil. Opponents disagreed. They said the measure would destroy wildlife in some of America's most beautiful natural surroundings. Congress did not approve the measure.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

President Bush and his wife, Laura

One of Mister Bush's major goals was improving America's public schools. In January two thousand two, he signed a law called the No Child Left Behind Act.

PRESIDENT BUSH: “And we owe the children of America a good education. And today begins a new era, a new time in public education in our country. As of this hour, America’s schools will be on a new path of reform, and a new path of results.”

The law increased the role of the federal government in guaranteeing quality public education for all children in the United States. It had several goals: To help poor and minority students improve their performance. To provide choices for parents with students in low-performing schools. And to increase money for schools in low-income areas. The law required all students in grades three through eight to be tested every year in reading and mathematics. It held schools responsible for the progress of their students.

Some educators praised No Child Left Behind. But many educators criticized the law. They said teachers had to spend too much time preparing students for the tests. They also said the law permitted students to leave failing schools instead of finding ways to improve those schools. Critics also said not enough federal money was provided for the program.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Another major piece of legislation dealt with health care for senior citizens. President Bush wanted to extend Medicare, the nation's health care plan for people sixty-five and older. In two thousand three he signed a law to help forty million older Americans buy medicines ordered by their doctors. The program was expected to cost four hundred billion dollars. It provided billions of dollars to private health insurance companies.

Supporters of the law said it would lead to better private insurance coverage for senior citizens. Opponents said it would help health insurance and drug companies the most and might lead to the end of the Medicare system.

VOICE TWO:

American law lets presidents decide some issues without Congressional action. Mister Bush announced such an executive decision about scientific research. He decided to permit federal financing for research that uses existing groups of cells created from human embryos. It was the first time federal money would be used for such stem cell research.

Stem cells can grow into many different kinds of cells. For example, they can become cells of the heart, nerves or brain. Scientists say such cells might in the future be used to treat diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and juvenile diabetes.

Mister Bush limited use of the cells, however. He said taxpayers' money could finance the research only if the embryos had already been destroyed. The president said more than sixty groups of these cells were available for research. However, some scientists said these stem cells were in poor condition and could not be used for research.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Preparing to sign the tax cut bill in the White House East Room

One of Mister Bush's major goals was reducing taxes for Americans. In two thousand one, he signed a bill calling for more than one trillion dollars in tax reductions. These cuts were to become effective over time. The president said the economy would improve if people had more money to spend. Democrats said big reductions would harm the economy instead of helping it.

In two thousand three, Congress passed compromise tax measures. They called for three hundred fifty billion dollars in tax reductions. That was less than half of what the president had proposed. Most reductions went to investors in the stock market, individual taxpayers, couples and businesses. The rest was to help the states.

VOICE TWO:

In two thousand two, President Bush signed a law that increased punishments for dishonesty in business. The new law also established an independent group to oversee the accounting industry. That is the industry that investigates the financial records of companies. The action came after several major businesses failed.

For example, the Enron Corporation, once the leading American energy company, failed in two thousand one. It was one of the largest corporate bankruptcy claims in American history. Some Enron investors lost all their money in the failure. Retired employees lost monthly payments they needed to live on. Some top officials in the company had used dishonest accounting methods to hide financial problems from investors. A federal grand jury in Houston, Texas, brought charges against former Enron chairman and chief executive officer Kenneth Lay and other officers.

The collapse of Enron was followed by a series of other corporate failures involving dishonest accounting methods. For example, the international communications company WorldCom Incorporated also went bankrupt. The government charged several company officials with wrongdoing.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

November second, two thousand four was Election Day. The public would vote on whether to support President Bush for another term in office. Four years earlier, George W. Bush had been elected in one of the closest elections in history. Now he would have another chance to test his popularity with the American people.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This program, THE MAKING OF A NATION, was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Jill Moss. This is Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And this is Faith Lapidus. Join us again next week when we tell about the presidential election of two thousand four. You can find our series about the history of the United States on our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com.

VOASE0918_Health Report

18 September 2007

Debating the Teen Brain
Are teenagers' brains too undeveloped to make wise decisions about safe behavior? Or is the problem with adults?

Download
Download

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

Parents might tell teenagers, "Act your age." But some scientists say that is exactly what teens are doing. They say that while teenagers can look all grown up, studies have found that their brains are still developing.

How much this explains their behavior, though, is a subject of debate.

Jay Giedd of the National Institutes of Health in the United States is a leader in this area of research. Doctor Giedd has been studying a group of young people since nineteen ninety-one. They visit him every two years for a new M.R.I., or magnetic resonance imaging, of their brains.

He says considerable development continues throughout the teen years and into the twenties. A part of the brain called the dorsal-lateral prefrontal cortex appears especially undeveloped in teens. Researchers believe that among its duties, this area controls judgment and consideration of risk.

So, in theory, its underdevelopment may explain why young people seem more willing to take risks like driving too fast.

Laurence Steinberg is a psychology professor at Temple University in Philadelphia. He says stronger laws, and stronger parental control, are needed to protect teens from themselves. That includes raising the age for driving. He says research finds that teenage brains are not fully equipped to control behavior.

Other scientists, however, say there is not enough evidence to make a strong case for such findings.

Psychologist Robert Epstein, a visiting scholar at the University of California, San Diego, notes that teen behavior differs from culture to culture. He says behavior depends for the most part on socialization. As he sees it, if teenagers are with adults more, and treated more like adults, that will lead to better, safer behavior.

But is that always true? Mike Males at the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice in San Francisco is a founder of youthfacts.org. He suggests that all of this talk lately about "brainless" teens could possibly be an attempt to take away attention from the reality.

Writing this week in the New York Times, he says it is middle-aged adults -- the parents -- whose behavior has worsened. In his words, "if grown-ups really have superior brains, why don't we act as if we do?"

And that’s the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver. For more health news, go to voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Faith Lapidus.

VOASE0918_Explorations

18 September 2007

Five New Sculptures Welcome Visitors to American Indian Museum
Artist Nora Naranjo-Morse made them out of natural materials that are not permanent. The sculptures are designed to slowly return to the earth. First in a four-part series on Keeping Traditions Alive.

Download
Download

VOICE ONE:

I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Shirley Griffith with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English We begin a series of programs about efforts to keep alive old ways of doing things that are culturally important. Today we tell about a large outdoor art project made of traditional natural materials.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

The new National Museum of the American Indian is near the United States Capitol building on the grassy mall area in Washington, D.C. The museum building is made of yellow rocks. They are roughly cut and placed so the outside walls look like the tall cliffs in the American Southwest.

The design of the building is very different from the other museums and government buildings that are in the center of Washington. Most of these well known buildings are made of white or gray marble or concrete. They look like most building, designed and built by people. The Indian museum reminds people of the natural, native world. Yet the National Museum of the American Indian, like all the other buildings in the city, is designed to look the same forever.

VOICE TWO:

Something very different has risen from a small space of ground outside the south side of the museum. Five large new sculptures have been built there to welcome visitors. These tall graceful statues are not like most outdoor art, which is made of stone or metal.

They are made of materials used by people throughout the world to make their homes. The artist made the sculptures out of local natural resources that are not permanent. The sculptures are designed to slowly return to the earth.

VOICE ONE:

Nora Naranjo-Morse building a sculpture

Nora Naranjo-Morse is the artist. She is a Native American from Santa Clara Pueblo in New Mexico. She grew up in a family that made pots from the clay dug from the ground near their Pueblo. She is a sculptor who usually works with clay or bronze. She is also a poet and filmmaker.

In two thousand six, the National Museum of the American Indian announced that Miz Naranjo-Morse won a design competition for outdoor sculptures to be placed next to the museum. The sculptures would celebrate the third anniversary of the museum, which opened September twenty-first, two thousand four. The judges chose her design from among fifty-five entries by artists from Native communities in North America and South America.

VOICE TWO:

Nora Naranjo-Morse says she had been thinking for a while that she would like to create some public sculptures that would be forever changing. When she heard about the competition of the National Museum of the American Indian she decided to propose building sculptures that would wear away over time. She thought it was be especially interesting in a city like Washington, D.C., where most of the art and the buildings are permanent. She named her sculpture project “Always Becoming.”

VOICE ONE:

The five sculptures that resulted are from more than two meters to almost six meters tall. Three are together in one grassy area outside the museum. They are named Mother, Father and Little One. Two larger ones are sheltered nearby under a tall old elm tree. They are named Moon Woman and Mountain Bird.

All of them are made of organic materials from the earth -- clay, dirt, water, sand, straw, wood and stone. Through the years they will slowly wear away. They will always be changing and becoming something new as the weather works on them. As the outside wears away, something else will appear.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Nora Naranjo-Morse says her sculpture project is based on how Native people through history have been affected by their environment. She says the Native community sees itself as always changing to react to the social, political and natural environment.

She says the idea that art, objects and buildings are not permanent is part of Native culture. A long time ago Native Americans made their cooking pots from clay. When a pot broke, it became part of the earth again. Houses were built from natural materials. When the houses were no longer used, they slowly returned to the earth.

VOICE ONE:

Miz Naranjo-Morse began thinking the sculptures should involve designs of Native homes. She wanted them to also represent male and female relations, family and community. Then she says she started playing with ideas, drawing them, and finally making models. Yet she still did not know exactly how the sculptures would look when they were finished.

VOICE TWO:

She was not really concerned about the exact shape the sculptures would take because she had a feeling that they would find their own voice. She says: “They grew to be whatever they wanted.” That is the way she usually creates her art. She starts with an idea of what she wants to express and what materials she will use. As she works, she says, the art seems to develop its own life.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

In May, Nora Naranjo-Morse arrived in Washington from her home in Espanola, New Mexico to begin building the sculptures. The work would take one month. She had several helpers, including her niece from Arizona, Athena Swentzell Steen, Athena’s husband Bill, and their children. The Steens are experts at building structures of natural materials. Don Juan Morales of Durango, Mexico, and his family also helped

Mixing materials to build the sculptures

with the project. They also had experience with natural building materials. They all worked together as a team.

The crew found large gray stones to make a solid base for the sculptures. They gathered dirt, sand, clay and straw from the local area. They used their hands and sometimes feet to mix the dry material with water in large containers.

VOICE TWO:

The sculptures rose from the ground as the handfuls of the wet dirt and straw mixture were added to each shape. They grew slowly. Each layer of the wet mix had to be firmly connected to the dry part. Then it had to dry hard in the sun before any more material could be added.

Workers at the Indian Museum and in offices near the museum stopped every day to see how the pieces were changing. Some helped build the sculptures. Groups of small children from the Smithsonian’s Early Education Center helped mix the mud and put it on with their hands. So did a group of teachers who wanted to learn about traditional Native American building methods to teach their students.

VOICE ONE:

The sculptures are all different. Two of them, Father and Mountain Bird, are made of black locust tree branches. The long wood pieces are placed in a wide circle at the bottom. The poles lean in until they come together at the top like tepees that were used as homes by the Plains Indians of North America. Spaces between the wood poles are filled with woven mats made from bamboo growing near the museum. Vines will grow up the sculptures and enclose them, changing their appearance.

Inside the Father sculpture is a special piece of wood. Miz Naranjo-Morse’s parents cut it in New Mexico more than fifty year ago to use as a support in a building.

The Mother sculpture is a small rounder clay shape. It has a hole in the center. When you look through it you see a large stone that marks the southern point of the museum.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Athena Steen plastering to finish a sculpture

At the end of the summer, Nora Naranjo-Morse and some of her crew returned for a week to finish the rough sculptures. They made a smooth mix of dirt, sand and water to cover the outside of the sculptures. Natural colors from different clays were added to the plaster. The plaster dried hard and smooth in the sun. Then they carved Native American designs into some of the surfaces.

VOICE ONE:

The work of building the sculptures is over. The many hands are through shaping them. Yet sun and rain, snow and wind will continue to shape them through the years. The sculptures will always be changing, always becoming something new.

As Nora Naranjo-Morse wrote in her book, "Mud Woman, Poems from the Clay": “There is nothing like an idea that comes to life through clay.”

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This program was written by Marilyn Rice Christiano and produced by Mario Ritter. I'm Shirley Griffith.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Steve Ember. You can get more information about activities celebrating the anniversary of the National Museum of the American Indian at our Web site voaspecialenglish.com. Listen again next month to EXPLORATIONS for another in a series of programs about efforts to keep traditional ways alive.