VOASE0329_American Mosaic

29 March 2007

For College Basketball Fans in US, There Is Nothing Crazy About 'March Madness'
Also: A question from Nigeria about MP3 files. And music from Elvis Perkins, who performs folk-influenced songs about dreams, memories and sadness.

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HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC, in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

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

We answer a question about MP3 players…

Present some music from Elvis Perkins…

And report about something called "March Madness."

March Madness

HOST:

"March Madness" describes the excitement about men's college basketball games every year at this time. Barbara Klein has more.

BARBARA KLEIN:

North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough tries to block Georgetown's Roy Hibbert. But Georgetown defeated North Carolina in overtime to go on to the Final Four.

For the past two weeks, men's basketball teams from large colleges and universities have been playing in a championship competition. Millions of people have been watching the games on television and on Internet web sites. They are also betting on which teams will win and advance in the tournament.

The New York Times newspaper reports that the basketball tournament is one of the busiest times of the year in Las Vegas, Nevada. That is because college basketball fans from all over the country meet each other and bet on the games.

The series of games is known as "March Madness" because of the public's excitement about the games. And sometimes a team that is not expected to win defeats a team with a better record.

The Division One National Collegiate Athletic Association Championship Tournament has been played every year since nineteen thirty-nine. Sixty-three basketball games take place each March. The competition begins with sixty-five teams. The winner of each game continues on to play the winner of another game. The number of teams in the competition is slowly reduced to the "Sweet Sixteen" then the "Elite Eight" and finally the two teams who will play for the championship.

Four teams have won all their games so far. They will compete in the semi-final games on Saturday in Atlanta, Georgia. These teams are called the "Final Four." The University of Florida basketball team will play the University of California at Los Angeles. And the Ohio State University team will play Georgetown University. The winners will face each other in the Division One NCAA championship game on Monday, April second.

Last year, the teams from Florida and UCLA played each other in the final game of the basketball tournament. Florida won, so it is now the defending champion. Will it win again? We will let you know next week.

MP3s

HOST:

Our VOA listener question this week comes from Nigeria. Aminu Tijjani Ali wants to learn more about MP3s.

Several kinds of small MP3 players

An MP3 is a kind of file used for sending music or other material over the Internet. These files are compressed, or reduced in size, compared to songs on a compact disc, or CD. MP3 files are played on a computer using media programs like iTunes or Windows Media Player.

MP3s can also be played on iPods and other small players as well as some wireless telephones that can store music. Many players can hold thousands of songs yet are small enough to carry in your pocket. Changing, or converting, a song from a music CD to an MP3 file is called "ripping." Software for ripping is available by itself and in programs like iTunes and Windows Media Player.

The MP3 was developed by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany and other laboratories in the nineteen eighties. By the late nineteen nineties, music fans were beginning to change their music collections from CDs to MP3s. They were also able to download MP3 music files from the Internet much faster because of the MP3’s smaller file size.

File-sharing services quickly began appearing on the Internet. They made it possible for people to exchange copyrighted music at no cost. However, the record industry started to get concerned because people were trading free music on the Internet instead of buying it in music stores.

A few years ago, the original Napster Web site was one of the most popular music-sharing services. But then the music industry won court cases that decided that this kind of file-sharing was illegal and violated copyright laws.

MP3 files are still shared on the Internet today. People also buy them from online music stores. The new Napster Web site is one of these services that charges money for MP3s on the Internet.

On the Special English Web site, voaspecialenglish.com, we provide MP3 files of our programs at no cost.

Elvis Perkins

HOST:

Elvis Perkins

Elvis Perkins has just released his first album, "Ash Wednesday." Perkins performs folk music-influenced songs about dreams, memories, and sadness. Critics are praising his imaginative songs and soft but expressive voice. Faith Lapidus has more.

(MUSIC)

FAITH LAPIDUS:

That was "While You Were Sleeping." Its rich imagery gives a good example of the poetic quality of Elvis Perkins' music. The song describes the many thoughts of a person who cannot sleep at night. Like many songs on this record, it also expresses sadness. You could say it is an album that deals with mourning.

Perkins' mother, the photographer Berry Berenson, died in one of the planes that terrorists used to attack the United States on September eleventh, two thousand one. Nine years earlier, Elvis' father, the famous actor Anthony Perkins, had died. In songs like "Ash Wednesday" Elvis Perkins mourns for his parents.

(MUSIC)

Elvis Perkins has been playing music since he was a child. In high school he had his own music band. During his twenties, he wrote and recorded songs, some of which are on this album. Perkins did not want his album to have a digital high-tech sound. He made many of the recordings on analog tape, both at a sound studio and also at an old house in Los Angeles, California. This method helps give a warm and personal sound to the album.

Elvis Perkins will be performing around the United States and Canada this spring to promote "Ash Wednesday." He gives an energetic performance, singing and playing the guitar and harmonica. We leave you with the dreamy sound of "Sleep Sandwich."

(MUSIC)

HOST:

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

It was written by Brianna Blake, Dana Demange and Nancy Steinbach. Caty Weaver was our producer.

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

Sorry, PoEnglish又活过来了

最近给封怕了，所以敏感地犯了傻。
不过昨天，两个外链的确曾一度无法连接，不过后来又好了。
挂了又活的玩笑我也不想开，既然还有口气，我就继续再贴吧，谁叫我喜欢呢

Bush, Democrats Headed Toward Confrontation on Iraq Legislation

By Dan Robinson Capitol Hill 28 March 2007

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Majority Democrats and President Bush still appear headed on a collision course over legislation to fund the war in Iraq. From Capitol Hill, VOA's Dan Robinson reports Democratic leaders in the House and Senate believe they have gained momentum from a Senate vote Tuesday to retain language on a troop withdrawal by next year, even though the president again accused Democrats of harming U.S. troops.

Nancy Pelosi (28 Mar 2007)

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says Tuesday's Senate vote rejecting a Republican amendment to remove withdrawal language from the Senate measure strengthens the hand of those trying to bring U.S. troops home.

She suggests the president does not appear to be listening to public opinion when he threatens to veto a Democratic-crafted bill to fund Iraq and Afghanistan military operations.

"Both Houses have spoken very clearly that the public has lost faith in the conduct of this war and the president's conduct of it, and that they want accountability, no more blank checks, no more open-ended commitment to a war without end," she said.

In addition to withdrawal timelines, the House and Senate bills contain billions of dollars requested by the president for military operations in Iraq as well as Afghanistan.

Senate legislation states that a U.S. troop pullout must begin within 120 days of an affirmative vote in that chamber, with a goal of redeploying troops out of Iraq by March 31, 2008.

This is in contrast to the House bill, which contains a binding call for withdrawal no later than the end of August of next year.

Pelosi predicts that timetable language will be preserved in a final spending bill after House and Senate negotiators meet to resolve differences between their separate versions.

In his latest remarks Wednesday on the issue, President Bush again threatened a veto, asserting that Democrats are jeopardizing the welfare of U.S. forces in the field.

George Bush (28 Mar 2007)

"The clock is ticking for our troops in the field," he said. "Funding for our forces in Iraq will begin to run out in mid-April. Members of Congress need to stop making political statements, and start providing vital funds for our troops."

Joining Congresswoman Pelosi later, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said the president's statements make it obvious "that [the president] doesn't want anything other than confrontation."

Still, Reid says Democrats remain ready for discussions with the president on the legislation.

Rep. Harry Reid (file photo)

"We stand ready, willing and able to discuss with him what is in our bills," he noted. "And we have written him a letter, signed by the speaker of the House of Representatives and majority leader in the Senate, saying Mr. President, we have done what we have done, we feel extremely comfortable, because we are speaking for the American people and you would also understand what the American people are saying."

Senator Reid says Democrats would like to have the president's input before a final measure emerges from Congress after a House-Senate conference to reconcile differences in the respective bills.

Most Republicans in Congress support the president in opposing any timetable, saying it would only give insurgents and al-Qaida forces in Iraq a chance to prepare in advance.

US National Organization for Women Endorses Hillary Clinton's Campaign

By Jim Malone Washington 28 March 2007

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U. S. Senator Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign has picked up the endorsement of a prominent women's organization. The endorsement followed appeals by Clinton and her Democratic Party rivals for labor union support, as we hear from VOA National Correspondent Jim Malone.

Sen. Hillary Clinton

Senator Clinton was endorsed by the National Organization for Women, which bills itself as the largest organization of feminists in the country, with more than half a million members.

The endorsement could help Clinton win support among women voters and liberal Democrats as she competes with several rivals for the 2008 Democratic Party presidential nomination.

Senator Clinton was among several Democratic candidates who addressed a convention of construction-union members in Washington.

"We will renew the promise of this great nation and when I meet with you on that short drive from the White House in 2009, we will be able to say, America is back, we are on the right track," she said.

The latest USA Today-Gallup poll had Clinton leading the Democratic field with 35 percent support, followed by Illinois Senator Barack Obama with 22 percent.

Barack Obama (file photo)

Obama also addressed union members and promised to expand health care coverage if elected next year.

"It is time for us to have universal health care in this country, and one of the things that I pledge is that by the end of my presidency, we will have universal health care for every single American in this country. It is long over due. We know that we can do it," he said.

The recent USA Today-Gallup poll had former Vice President Al Gore in third place with 17 percent. Gore has said repeatedly he has no plans to run for president next year.

Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards placed fourth in the poll with 14 percent support, up several points from earlier in the month. Edwards recently announced that his wife, Elizabeth, has had a recurrence of cancer, but that he is remaining in the race for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination.

Edwards also addressed health care during his appearance before the union convention.

"The truth of the matter is these things cost money and my health care plan cost $90-$120 billion dollars a year and this is how I pay for it, by rolling back George Bush's tax cuts for the richest people in America, that is how I pay for it," he said.

The polls and most political experts have long suggested Senator Clinton is the clear frontrunner in the Democratic field.

But analyst John Fortier of the American Enterprise Institute told VOA's Encounter program that Barack Obama remains a major factor in the Democratic race.

"I still think it looks like it will be Hillary Clinton. But Barack Obama, if he ends up one-on-one with her [as her main challenger] and Democrats are feeling as confident as they are today, they may just decide that they will go with this person [Obama] despite a lack of experience and because he is more pure [opposed from the start] on the [Iraq] war, he may give her a challenge," he said.

Rudy Giuliani (file photo)

In the battle for the Republican Party's presidential nomination, the latest poll had former New York City Mayor Rudy in the lead, followed by Arizona Senator John McCain and former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson.

Thompson says he is considering a White House bid and could be a formidable candidate because he is well known by the public for his acting roles in films and on television.

US Federal Reserve Chief Paints Mixed Economic Picture

By Michael Bowman Washington 28 March 2007

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The United States' top monetary official says the country's economy continues to grow and create jobs, but is hindered by several factors, including negative developments in the housing industry. VOA's Michael Bowman reports from Washington, where Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke spoke at a hearing of Congress' Joint Economic Committee.

Ben Bernanke testifies on Capitol Hill, 28 Mar 2007

If legislators were looking for a clear-cut, decisive prediction on the future of the U.S. economy, they did not get it from Ben Bernanke. The U.S. central bank chief noted several positive trends that suggest further economic expansion, including rising exports and continued job creation.

"The continuing increases in employment, together with some pick-up in real wages, have helped sustain consumer spending, which increased at a brisk pace in the second half of last year, and has continued to be well maintained so far this year," he said.

"Growth in consumer spending should continue to support the economic expansion in coming quarters," he continued.

But Bernanke was quick to add that all is not well. In particular, he pointed to a dramatic slowdown in America's once-booming housing market, regarded as a primary engine of U.S. economic growth in recent years.

"To the downside, the correction in the housing market could turn out to be more severe than we currently expect, perhaps exacerbated by problems in the sub-prime sector," the Federal Reserve chairman said.

"Moreover, we could see yet greater spillover from the weakness in housing to employment and consumer spending than has occurred thus far," he added.

The "sub-prime sector" refers to mortgages held by roughly 10 percent of U.S. homeowners that often feature higher interest rates and sometimes allow a homeowner to pay only the interest on their loan, thereby accruing no equity. Such plans are generally offered to people with poor credit or low income levels.

Foreclosures in the sub-prime sector have skyrocketed in recent months, leading U.S. officials and legislators to question the lending practices of some financial institutions.

The Federal Reserve Board decides when and whether to raise or lower interest rates, based on its reading of current economic conditions and its projections of future ones. Many look to the Federal Reserve chairman as America's top economic prognosticator.

Earlier this month, Bernanke's predecessor, Alan Greenspan, said there is a one in three chance that the United States will slide into a recession by year's end.

Speaking on Capitol Hill, Bernanke said there is insufficient evidence to conclude that America's five-year economic expansion will "die of old age."

VOASE0328_The Making of a Nation

28 March 2007

History: The Presidency of John Kennedy Begins With Great Energy, but Ends in Tragedy
He stood strong against the Soviet Union during the Cuban missile crisis, and proposed a law to guarantee equal treatment of blacks. Then came the gunshots in Dallas in November 22, 1963.

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VOICE ONE:

This is Rich Kleinfeldt.

VOICE TWO:

And this is Stan Busby with THE MAKING OF A NATION -- a VOA Special English program about the history of the United States.

(MUSIC)

Today, we continue the story of President John Kennedy.

VOICE ONE:

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

John Kennedy began his administration in nineteen sixty-one with great energy to do good things. After just three months in office, however, he had to take responsibility for a big failure.

On April seventeenth, Cuban exiles, trained by America's Central Intelligence Agency, invaded Cuba. Their goal was to overthrow Cuba's communist leader, Fidel Castro. Most of the exiles were killed or captured.

The last administration had planned the invasion. But Kennedy had approved it. After the incident, some Americans wondered if he had enough experience to lead the nation. Some asked themselves if the forty-three-year-old Kennedy was too young to be president, after all.

VOICE TWO:

Kennedy soon regained some public approval when he visited French leader General Charles de Gaulle. The French were very interested in the new American president. They were even more interested in his beautiful wife. The president said with a laugh that he was the man who had come to Paris with Jacqueline Kennedy.

VOICE ONE:

In Vienna, Kennedy met with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. Their relations would always be difficult.

Khrushchev did not want to compromise on any issue. He threatened to have the East Germans block all movement into and out of the western part of the city of Berlin.

Not long after, the East Germans, with Soviet support, built a wall to separate the eastern and western parts of the city. President Kennedy quickly announced a large increase in the number of American military forces in Germany. He said the United States would not permit freedom to end in Berlin.

VOICE TWO:

About a year later, in October, nineteen sixty-two, President Kennedy said the United States had discovered that the Soviets were putting nuclear missiles in Cuba. He took several actions to protest the deployment.

One was to send American ships to the area. They were to prevent Soviet ships from taking missile parts and related supplies to the Cuban government. In a speech broadcast on television, Kennedy spoke about the seriousness of the situation.

JOHN KENNEDY: "It shall be the policy of this nation to regard any nuclear missile launched from Cuba against any nation in the Western Hemisphere as an attack by the Soviet Union on the United States."

VOICE ONE:

No fighting broke out between the United States and the Soviet Union because of the Cuban missile crisis. The Soviet ships carrying missile parts to Cuba turned back. And President Kennedy promised that the United States would not invade Cuba if the Soviet Union removed its missiles and stopped building new ones there.

The two sides did, however, continue their cold war of words and influence.

In Asia, the Soviet Union continued to provide military, economic, and technical aid to communist governments. The Kennedy administration fought communism in Vietnam by increasing the number of American military advisers there.

VOICE TWO:

Robert and John Kennedy at the White House

The United States and the Soviet Union did make some progress on arms control, however. In nineteen sixty-three, the two countries reached a major agreement to ban tests of nuclear weapons above ground, under water, and in space. The treaty did not ban nuclear tests under the ground.

On national issues, President Kennedy supported efforts to guarantee a better life for African-Americans. One man who pushed for changes was his younger brother, Robert. Robert Kennedy was attorney general and head of the Justice Department at that time.

VOICE ONE:

The Justice Department took legal action against Southern states that violated the voting rights acts of nineteen fifty-seven and nineteen sixty. The administration also supported a voter registration campaign among African-Americans. The campaign helped them to record their names with election officials so they could vote.

As attorney general, Robert Kennedy repeatedly called on National Guard troops to protect black citizens from crowds of angry white citizens. Incidents took place when blacks tried to register to vote and when they tried to attend white schools.

VOICE TWO:

President Kennedy said the situation was causing a moral crisis in America. He decided it was time to propose a new civil rights law. The measure would guarantee equal treatment for blacks in public places and in jobs. It would speed the work of ending racial separation in schools.

Kennedy wanted the new legislation badly. But Congress delayed action. It did not pass a broad civil rights bill until nineteen sixty-four, after his presidency.

VOICE ONE:

In November, nineteen sixty-three, Kennedy left Washington for the state of Texas. He hoped to help settle a local dispute in his Democratic Party. The dispute might have affected chances for his re-election in nineteen sixty-four.

He arrived in the city of Dallas in the late morning of November twenty-second. Dallas was known to be a center of opposition to Kennedy. Yet many people waited to see him.

VOICE TWO:

A parade of cars traveled through the streets of Dallas. Kennedy and his wife were in the back seat of one. Their car had no top, so everyone could see them easily. Another car filled with Secret Service security agents was next to the president's.

The motorcade in Dallas

Suddenly, there were gunshots. Then, many Americans heard this emergency report from television newsman Walter Cronkite:

WALTER CRONKITE: "Here is a bulletin from CBS news. In Dallas, Texas, three shots were fired at President Kennedy's motorcade in downtown Dallas. The first reports say that President Kennedy has been seriously wounded by this shooting."

VOICE ONE:

The cars raced to Parkland Memorial Hospital. But doctors there could do little. Thirty minutes later reporters, including Walter Cronkite, broadcast this announcement:

WALTER CRONKITE: "From Dallas, Texas -- the flash apparently official -- President Kennedy died at one p.m., Central Standard Time. "

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

As the nation mourned, police searched for the person who had killed John Kennedy. They arrested a man named Lee Harvey Oswald. Oswald worked in a building near the place where Kennedy had been shot. People had seen him leave the building after the shooting. He had a gun.

VOICE ONE:

Lee Harvey Oswald

Lee Harvey Oswald was a man with a strange past. He was a former United States Marine. He was also a communist. He had lived for a while in the Soviet Union and had tried to become a Soviet citizen. He worked for a committee that supported the communist government in Cuba.

Police questioned Oswald about the death of president Kennedy. He said he did not do it. After two days, officials decided to move him to a different jail.

VOICE TWO:

As they did, television cameras recorded the death of Lee Harvey Oswald. Oswald was being led by two police officials. Suddenly, a man stepped in front of them. There was a shot, and Oswald fell to the floor.

Jack Ruby shoots Oswald

The gunman was Jack Ruby. He owned an eating and drinking place in Dallas. He said he killed Oswald to prevent the Kennedy family from having to live through a trial.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

President Kennedy's body had been returned to Washington. After a state funeral, he was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River. A gas flame burns at his burial place, day and night.

An official committee was formed to investigate his death. It was headed by the chief justice of the United States, earl Warren, and was known as the Warren commission. In its report, the Warren commission said that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. It said there was no plot to kill the president.

VOICE TWO:

Many Americans did not accept the report. They believed there was a plot. Some blamed Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Some blamed extremists in America's Central Intelligence Agency. Others blamed organized crime.

The truth of what happened to John Kennedy may be what was stated in the Warren Commission report: that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. Or, perhaps, the complete truth may never be known.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

This program of THE MAKING OF A NATION was written by Jeri Watson and produced by Paul Thompson. This is Rich Kleinfeldt.

VOICE TWO:

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

VOASE0328_Education Report

28 March 2007

Studying Agriculture in the US
Week 30 of our Foreign Student Series looks at agricultural programs.

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This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

A listener from China named Walker would like information about agricultural programs in the United States. This is our subject today in week number thirty of our Foreign Student Series.

About one hundred colleges and universities began as public agricultural colleges and continue to teach agriculture. These are called land grant schools. They began with support from the federal government. Federal aid supported the building of most major state universities.

The idea of the land grant college goes back to a law in the nineteenth century called the Morrill Act. A congressman named Justin Smith Morrill wrote legislation to create at least one in each state.

The name "land grant" came from the kind of aid provided by the government. The government wanted Americans to learn better ways to farm. So it gave thousands of hectares of land to each Northern state.

The idea was that the states would sell the land and use the money to establish colleges. These colleges would teach agriculture, engineering and military science.

Congress passed the law in eighteen sixty-two. This was during the Civil War. Southern states had rebelled against the North and withdrawn from the Union.

Another law created a center at each land grant college to develop new scientific ideas and to help farmers solve problems.

Michigan State University began in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan

The Agricultural College of the State of Michigan was established in eighteen fifty-five. That was seven years before the Morrill Act. It later became the first college to officially agree to receive support under that law. The college grew into what is now Michigan State University in East Lansing.

Today, the university has more than forty thousand students. These include more than three thousand five hundred students from one hundred thirty other countries.

Last year the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Michigan State had three hundred thirty-six foreign students. More than two hundred of them were graduate students in the areas of agricultural economics, packaging, and crop and soil sciences.

Undergraduates majoring in agriculture can also study other related areas. These include agricultural education and food industry management.

And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. We will have a link to the Michigan State Web site at voaspecialenglish.com. We also have other helpful links along with transcripts and audio files from our Foreign Student Series. I'm Steve Ember.

Goodbye, PoEnglish

今天PoEnglish的两个外链都挂了，感觉像被人盯上了。。。
现在不设代理，是绝对访问不了PoEnglish的。
我知道这样下去肯定没戏，我没办法克服这力量。
我决定停止PoEnglish的更新，原因很简单——你通过代理访问到这里，就可以直接去逛VOA和wiki了，这里的发布就变得没意义了。
仔细想了想我办PoEnglish的初衷，是想好好学习英语。通过blog，每天做些作业，感觉真的不错，时间长了，有种难以割舍的感觉。
对，坚持下去，Blog还要继续，所以我决定做PoEnglish二世。PoEnglish二世将不会包含任何大陆禁止的链接，我只想学好英语，不想再招惹什么是非了，所以请看不见的手高抬贵手。
关于VOA，VOASE的每月合辑我还是要做的，但不会做每天发布了，通过电驴，大家可以在每个月月初下载上月合辑。VOA News和wiki是肯定不会再做了，大家自己想想办法吧，恕我无能为力。。。
感谢两个多月以来关心支持PoEnglish的朋友们，英语学习学无止尽，让我们相距在http://poenglishv2.blogspot.com/

Senate Backs Timetable for US Troop Withdrawal from Iraq

By Deborah Block 27 March 2007

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(From left) Democratic Senators Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden after Iraq vote

The Democratic-led Senate for the first time has signaled its support for a timetable for a U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq. The Senate late Tuesday defied a White House veto threat and voted to keep a nonbinding timeline for a troop pullout included in a bill funding military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. VOA's Deborah Tate reports from Capitol Hill.

The Senate, by a 50-48 vote, rejected a Republican-sponsored amendment to strip the funding measure of the provision that calls for U.S. troops to start pulling out of Iraq within four months, with a goal of completing withdrawal by March 31 of next year.

The vote came just hours after White House spokeswoman Dana Perino renewed President Bush's vow to veto the bill if it contained the timetable for withdrawal. "The legislation would substitute congressional mandates for the considered judgment of our military commanders. The bill assumes the failure of the new strategy even before American commanders in the field are able to fully implement their plans," she said.

Many Senate Republicans, including Senator John McCain of Arizona, echoed Perino's comments. "If you announce to the enemy that you are leaving, it is a recipe for defeat," he said.

But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, noted that public opinion polls show a majority of Americans favor a timeline to bring the troops home. He said the time had come to send the president a message. "This is a civil war. It has turned into an intractable civil war. The president must change course, and this legislation will allow him to do that," he said.

It is the first time the Senate has signaled its support for a timetable for a troop withdrawal from Iraq, having rejected the idea several times this year.

Senator Chuck Hagel, a Nebraska Republican, was among those who rejected a resolution calling for a timeline for a troop pullout just two weeks ago, only to back the idea now. "America finds itself in a dangerous and isolated position in the world. We are perceived as a nation at war with Muslims. This debilitating and dangerous perception must be reversed as the world seeks a new center of gravity for this new century. The United States must begin planning for a phased troop withdrawal from Iraq. The cost of combat in Iraq in terms of lives, dollars and world standing has been devastating for our country," he said.

The House of Representatives last week passed its own version of the spending bill for the military missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, including a deadline for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq by August 31 of next year.

Once the Senate approves the overall legislation, a move that could come as early as Wednesday, the measure will have to be reconciled with the House bill before it is sent to President Bush for his expected veto.

The House and Senate would then have to redraft the legislation, as they would lack the two-thirds majorities needed to override the veto.

The overall bill includes 96 billion dollars to continue funding the military missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. It also includes money to strengthen port and mass transit security.

The Pentagon says it needs the funding soon, as money for its operations in Iraq and Afghanistan will run out next month.

Defense Chief: US Open to Higher-Level Talks With Iran

By Meredith Buel Washington 27 March 2007

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U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the United States is open to higher-level talks with Iran, but is warning against having any illusions about Tehran's intentions in the Persian Gulf region. VOA correspondent Meredith Buel has details from Washington.

Robert Gates (file photo)

In a speech to the American-Turkish Council in Washington, Secretary Gates said stability in the Gulf is a vital American interest and called on Iraq's neighbors to work toward ending the conflict.

"Iraq's neighbors will need to play a constructive role going forward, even if they haven't done so in the past, especially in encouraging political reconciliation and a reduction in violence within Iraq. This is certainly the case with Syria and Iran, who have not been helpful," he said. "The regional talks recently held in Baghdad were a good start toward improved cooperation, and our government is open to higher-level exchanges."

The defense secretary's remarks came as the U.S. Navy is conducting its largest demonstration of force in the Persian Gulf since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

The war games, which involve two aircraft carriers, hundreds of planes and thousands of troops, are taking place days after the United Nations Security Council imposed more sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program and Iran seized 15 British Navy personnel it says entered its waters illegally.

Britain and Iraq say the 14 men and one woman were operating in Iraqi waters when they were seized.

In his speech, Defense Secretary Gates said while he advocated U.S. dialogue with Iran before taking his job at the Pentagon, one has to be realistic about the regime in Tehran.

"We should have no illusions about the nature of this regime, or about their designs for their nuclear program, their intentions for Iraq, or their ambitions in the Gulf region," he said. "Still, at this time, Iran and all the actors in the region, friends and adversaries alike, are invested and involved to some degree or another in what is happening in Iraq."

Secretary Gates says the new surge of U.S. and Iraqi troops in Baghdad is designed to provide basic security and a decent quality of life for the population.

Gates says there are encouraging signs of a drop in sectarian violence, but he says it is too early to call them trends.

VOASE0327_Health Report

27 March 2007

Chest Compressions May Be Most Important Part of CPR
A Japanese study questions the usefulness of rescue breathing.

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This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, can save the life of someone whose heart has stopped. The condition is called cardiac arrest. The heart stops pumping blood. The person stops breathing. Without lifesaving measures, the brain starts to die within four to six minutes.

CPR combines breathing into the victim's mouth and repeated presses on the chest. CPR keeps blood and oxygen flowing to the heart and brain.

However, a new Japanese study questions the usefulness of mouth-to-mouth breathing.

The study was published in the British medical magazine, The Lancet. Doctors in Tokyo led the research. It examined more than four thousand people who had suffered cardiac arrest. In all the cases, witnesses saw the event happen.

More than one thousand of the victims received some kind of medical assistance from witnesses. Seven hundred and twelve received CPR. Four hundred and thirty-nine received chest presses only. No mouth-to-mouth rescue breaths were given to them.

The researchers say any kind of CPR improved chances of the patient's survival. But, they said those people treated with only chest presses suffered less brain damage. Twenty-two percent survived with good brain ability. Only ten percent of the victims treated with traditional CPR survived with good brain ability.

The American Heart Association changed its guidelines for CPR chest presses in two thousand five. It said people should increase the number of chest presses from fifteen to thirty for every two breaths given.

Gordon Ewy is a heart doctor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson. He wrote a report that appeared with the study. Doctor Ewy thinks the CPR guidelines should be changed again. He said the heart association should remove rescue breaths from the guidelines.

He argues that more witnesses to cardiac arrests would provide treatment if rescue breaths are not a part of CPR. He says this would save lives. Studies show that many people do not want to perform mouth-to-mouth breathing on a stranger for fear of getting a disease.

Cardiac arrest kills more than three hundred thousand people in the United States every year. The American Heart Association says about ninety-five percent of victims die before they get to a medical center.

And that's the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver. I’m Bob Doughty.

VOASE0327_Explorations

27 March 2007

Arizona's Grand Canyon: Stepping Out Over a True Wonder of the World
There are many ways to experience the canyon -- including a new Skywalk built by a tribe of American Indians.

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VOICE ONE:

I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Barbara Klein with Explorations in VOA Special English.

A tribe member looks at the new Grand Canyon West Skywalk built by the Hualapai Indians. Critics say it harms the natural beauty of the canyon.

Today, we take you to one of the most popular and beautiful places in the United States. It is the Grand Canyon in the southwestern state of Arizona.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

The canyons of America's Southwest are deep, ancient openings in the earth. They look as if they formed as the earth split apart. But the canyons did not split. They were cut by rivers.

The rivers carried dirt and pieces of stone that slowly ate away at the surrounding rock. For millions of years, the rivers turned and pushed. They cut deeper and deeper into the earth. They left a pathway of great rocky openings in the earth that extend for hundreds of kilometers.

VOICE TWO:

The Grand Canyon in Arizona is one of the largest and most beautiful of all canyons. It extends four hundred fifty kilometers.

The surrounding area does not make you suspect the existence of such a great opening in the earth. You come upon the canyon suddenly, when you reach its edge. Then you are looking at a land like nothing else in the world.

VOICE ONE:

Walls of rock fall away sharply at your feet. In some places, the canyon walls are more than a kilometer deep. Far below is the dark, turning line of the Colorado River.

Two rainbows form at Hopi Point at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona

On the other side, sunshine lights up the naked rock walls in red, orange, and gold. The bright colors are the result of minerals in the rocks. Their appearance changes endlessly -- with the light, the time of year, and the weather. At sunset, when the sun has moved across the sky, the canyon walls give up their fiery reds and golds. They take on quieter colors of blue, purple, and green.

VOICE TWO:

Hundreds of rocky points rise from the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Some are very tall. Yet all are below the level of an observer on the edge, looking over.

Looking at the Grand Canyon is like looking back in time. Forty million years ago, the Colorado River began cutting through the area. At the same time, the surrounding land was pushed up by forces deep within the Earth. Rain, snow, ice, wind, and plant roots rubbed away at the top of the new canyon. Below, the flowing river continued to uncover more and more levels of ancient rock.

Some of Earth's oldest rocks are seen here. There are many levels of granite, schist, limestone, and sandstone.

VOICE ONE:

The Grand Canyon has several weather environments. The top is often much different from the bottom. On some winter days, for example, you may find cold winds and snow at the top. But at the bottom, you may find warm winds and flowers.

Several kinds of plants and animals are found in the canyon and nowhere else on Earth. Because the canyon's environments are so different, these species did not spread beyond the canyon, or even far within it.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Native American Indians occupied the Grand Canyon three thousand years ago. Evidence of their existence has been found in more than two thousand five hundred places so far. Bones, hair, feathers, even the remains of plants have been found in deep, dry caves high in the rock walls.

The Hopi, the Paiute, the Navajo and other Native American tribes have all been in the area for at least seven centuries. However, much of what we know today about the Grand Canyon was recorded by John Wesley Powell. In eighteen sixty-nine, he became the first white American to explore much of the canyon.

VOICE ONE:

John Wesley Powell and his group traveled in four boats. They knew very little about getting over the rapid, rocky waters of the Colorado River. In many areas of fast-flowing water, a boat could be turned over by a wave as high as a house.

Soon after starting, Powell's group lost some of its food and equipment. Then three members of the group left. As they walked up and out of the canyon, they were killed by Indians. The rest of the group was lucky to survive. Starving and tired, they reached the end of the canyon. They had traveled on the Colorado River for more than three months.

John Wesley Powell's reports and maps from the trip made him famous. They also greatly increased interest in the Grand Canyon. But visitors did not begin to go to there in large numbers until nineteen-oh-one. That was when a railroad reached the area.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Today, the Grand Canyon is known as one of the seven wonders of the natural world. About five million people visit the canyon each year. Most visitors walk along paths part way down into the canyon. It takes several hours to walk to the bottom. It takes two times as long to get back up. Some visitors ride mules to the bottom and back. The mules are strong animals that look like horses. They are known for their ability to walk slowly and safely on the paths.

America's National Park Service is responsible for protecting the Grand Canyon from the effects of so many visitors. All waste material must be carried out of the canyon. All rocks, historical objects, plants, and wildlife must be left untouched. As the National Park Service tells visitors: "Take only photographs. Leave only footprints. "

VOICE ONE:

There are several other ways to visit the Grand Canyon. Hundreds of thousands of people see the canyon by air each year. They pay a helicopter or airplane pilot to fly them above and around the canyon.

About twenty thousand people a year see the Grand Canyon from the Colorado River itself. They ride boats over the rapid, rocky water. These trips last from one week to three weeks.

VOICE TWO:

The Skywalk is on the Hualapai Indian Reservation

Starting March twenty-eighth, two thousand seven, visitors can see the Grand Canyon in still another way. A huge glass walkway, called the Skywalk, extends twenty-one meters from the edge of the Grand Canyon. The Skywalk is suspended more than one thousand two hundred meters above the bottom of the canyon. It is shaped like a giant horseshoe. Visitors pay twenty-five dollars each to walk beyond the canyon walls, surrounded by the canyon, while standing at the edge of the glass bridge.

The Hualapai Indian Tribe built the Skywalk at a cost of more than forty million dollars. The tribe owns almost four hundred thousand hectares of land in the canyon. The Hualapai built the Skywalk to gain money by getting more people to visit its reservation. The tribe says the area, called Grand Canyon West, will include a large visitors' center, restaurants, and possibly hotels in the future.

Among the first guests on the Skywalk were former astronauts Buzz Aldrin and John Bennett Herrington, a Native American

Some people say the Skywalk is an engineering wonder. However, other people have criticized the Skywalk and future development. They say it harms a national treasure and reduces the enjoyment of nature in the Grand Canyon.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Many writers have tried to describe the wonder of the Grand Canyon. They use words like mysterious, overpowering, strange. Yet writers recognize that it is impossible to put human meaning in such a place. The Grand Canyon exists in its own space and time.

Some visitors say they feel so small when measured against the canyon's great size. One writer who has spent a lot of time in the Grand Canyon finds it a peaceful place. He says the almost overpowering silence and deepness of the Grand Canyon shakes people -- at least briefly -- out of their self-importance. He says it makes us remember our place in the natural world.

VOICE TWO:

We close our program with music from a record called "Canyon Lullaby" written by Paul Winter. Mister Winter said it was his first attempt to translate the spirit of the canyon into sound.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

This program was written by Shelley Gollust. It was produced by Mario Ritter. I'm Steve Ember .

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Barbara Klein. You can find scripts and download audio at our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for Explorations in VOA Special English.

US Warns Iran Failure to Cooperate with IAEA Could Lead to More Isolation

By Teri Schultz Brussels 26 March 2007

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Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns, visiting Brussels for talks with European Union and NATO allies, warned Tehran its failure to cooperate with the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency would lead to Iran's further isolation. Iran has rejected the latest U.N. Security Council resolution and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says he'll retaliate by cutting back cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency. Teri Schultz spoke with Burns in Brussels and has this report for VOA.

US Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns

The State Department's point man on Iran, Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns, suggests Tehran's reaction to stricter sanctions is another move in the wrong direction.

"That's an unfortunate response from the Iranian government," he said. "When you're in a hole, stop digging. They're in a hole. That was a major repudiation of Iran the other day at the Security Council. Fifteen countries voted sanctions for the second time. Mandatory Chapter 7 sanctions."

"Chapter 7" of the United Nations charter applies when the Security Council determines a threat exists to international security - it requires all members to enforce the measures, which in this case includes an embargo of all Iranian arms exports plus financial sanctions against individuals and entities involved in Iran's nuclear activities.

Burns says Iran can also expect more penalties from other places if it does not agree to negotiate an end to its nuclear program.

"We've seen three major European banks shut down all lending to Iran and with this second Security Council resolution passed on Saturday in New York its going to allow countries to take greater measures to stop business as usual," he said. "So I'm afraid the Iranians are in for a rough ride."

And while the tighter sanctions have not put the Iranian president in a conciliatory mood - at least so far - Burns says the measures may yet have the desired effect on others who could influence the direction Tehran is taking.

"We're hoping there's going to be reconsideration by the rational, middle of the road people in Iran that they ought to negotiate - I don't think President Ahmadinejad given his politics and given his negative mentality is going to be one of those people - but there surely are other people in Iran who would like to see a negotiation," he said.

Javier Solana gestures while talking to the media during a press conference at EU Council building in Brussels, 26 Mar 2007

The man the U.N. has tasked with reaching out to Iran is European Union foreign-policy chief Javier Solana. On Monday, Solana had an hour-long phone call with Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani to explain the new sanctions but also to convey the international community's strong desire to settle the stand-off with dialogue. Solana's office says the two agreed to continue their conversation in another call within the next few days.

Northern Ireland Rivals Agree to May 8 Power Sharing

By Sonja Pace London 26 March 2007

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Northern Ireland's bitter rivals, the protestant Democratic Union Party and the Irish Catholic Sinn Fein reached agreement in Belfast Monday that they'll begin sharing power as of May 8. VOA's Sonja Pace reports from London the agreement signals a revival of self-rule and hopes for a final end to decades of sectarian conflict.

Democratic Unionist Party leader Ian Paisley, left, and Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams speak to reporters, 26 Mar 2007

Monday's announcement followed a first ever face-to-face meeting between hard-line Protestant leader Ian Paisley and his long-time nemesis, Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams - the political face of the Irish Republican Army, the IRA.

Although the two men did not shake hands on camera, they sat beside each other around the table and talked of the need to deliver a better future for the people of Northern Ireland.

Ian Paisley said the time had come to move beyond a difficult past.

"We must not allow our justified loathing of the horrors and tragedies of the past to become a barrier to creating a better and more stable future for our children," he said.

At stake is the revival of self-rule for Northern Ireland with a government in which the opposing sides share power. The plan was first drawn up in the 1998 Good Friday peace accords, which ended three decades of sectarian conflict in the province.

Since then deadlines for implementation have come and gone, progress had stalled. The two parties were to begin sharing power by midnight Monday. And, while they missed that goal, they were able to agree on a date of May 8 to begin doing so.

Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams spoke of centuries of discord, hurt and tragedy. But, he said Monday's meeting had ushered in a new era.

"We've all come a very long way in the process of peace making and national reconciliation," he said. "We're very conscious of the many people who have suffered. We owe it to them to build the best future possible. It's a time for generosity, a time to mindful of the common good and of the future of all our people."

Speaking in London, British Prime Minister Tony Blair welcomed the announcement.

"Everything we've done over the last 10 years has been in preparation for this moment," he said.

Mr. Blair said that by agreeing to share power, the political leadership in Northern Ireland was falling in behind what the people voted for in recent elections for a power-sharing assembly.

UN Proposal Recommends Independence for Kosovo

By Peter Heinlein United Nations 26 March 2007

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The U.N. mediator for Kosovo has recommended independence for the breakaway Serbian province. From U.N. headquarters, correspondent Peter Heinlein reports Serbian officials called the decision "unacceptable".

Martti Ahtisaari (file photo)

In a long-awaited report to the U.N. Security Council, Special envoy Martti Ahtisaari says "independence is the only viable option for a politically stable and economically viable Kosovo."

At the same time, Ahtisaari says the region is not yet ready to tackle challenges such as protection of minorities, economic development, and social reconciliation.

He recommends an international civilian and military presence be maintained in the region for an unspecified 'initial period', until Kosovo has the capacity to stand on its own.

Kosovo's 90 percent ethnic-Albanian majority hailed the decision, but Serbian President Boris Tadic Monday called any form of independence for Kosovo "unacceptable". He said Serbia remains ready to 'constructively engage' in further talks on the province's future.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is in the Middle East, but spokesperson Marie Okabe says he accepts Ahtisaari's concept of 'supervised independence.'

"The Security Council has been presented with a plan which the secretary-general believes contains all of the right elements for fair and sustainable solution to Kosovo's future status," she said.

U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns was in Brussels when the report was released. He expressed Washington's full support for Ahtisaari's conclusions.

Burns explained 'supervised independence' as a means to provide Kosovo a 'way forward' toward independence, while ensuring the rights of the region's ethnic-Serb minority.

"The European Union would provide economic assistance for a period of time, NATO troops would continue to provide security and that there would be provisions for security for the Serb population for its churches, for its monasteries and for the people themselves, but that we have to get on and see that Kosovo become an independent state," he said. "And the United States supports that process."

Burns said he thinks the U.N. Security Council could pass a resolution confirming Kosovo's future status either in April or May.

Agreement in the Council is complicated by veto-wielding Russia's insistence that any Kosovo solution be acceptable to both sides. Ahtisaari has said he reached his recommendation for independence only after determining that the two sides were so far apart that a mutually acceptable solution was impossible.

Nevertheless, Burns remains optimistic. He told reporters he expects five to seven weeks of consultations to find the best way forward before the Security Council votes.

Kosovo has been under U.N. administration since 1999, after a three-month NATO bombing campaign drove Serb forces from the former Yugoslavia out of the province, ending a deadly Serb crackdown on ethnic Albanians.

The Ahtisaari plan sets the stage for eventual full independence for the region, including provisions for a constitution, a flag, an army, and guarantees that minority Serbs would be allowed to run their own affairs. The plan also gives Kosovo the right to join international organizations reserved for sovereign states.

Northern Ireland Rivals Agree to May 8 Power Sharing

By Sonja Pace London 26 March 2007

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Northern Ireland's bitter rivals, the protestant Democratic Union Party and the Irish Catholic Sinn Fein reached agreement in Belfast Monday that they'll begin sharing power as of May 8. VOA's Sonja Pace reports from London the agreement signals a revival of self-rule and hopes for a final end to decades of sectarian conflict.

Democratic Unionist Party leader Ian Paisley, left, and Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams speak to reporters, 26 Mar 2007

Monday's announcement followed a first ever face-to-face meeting between hard-line Protestant leader Ian Paisley and his long-time nemesis, Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams - the political face of the Irish Republican Army, the IRA.

Although the two men did not shake hands on camera, they sat beside each other around the table and talked of the need to deliver a better future for the people of Northern Ireland.

Ian Paisley said the time had come to move beyond a difficult past.

"We must not allow our justified loathing of the horrors and tragedies of the past to become a barrier to creating a better and more stable future for our children," he said.

At stake is the revival of self-rule for Northern Ireland with a government in which the opposing sides share power. The plan was first drawn up in the 1998 Good Friday peace accords, which ended three decades of sectarian conflict in the province.

Since then deadlines for implementation have come and gone, progress had stalled. The two parties were to begin sharing power by midnight Monday. And, while they missed that goal, they were able to agree on a date of May 8 to begin doing so.

Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams spoke of centuries of discord, hurt and tragedy. But, he said Monday's meeting had ushered in a new era.

"We've all come a very long way in the process of peace making and national reconciliation," he said. "We're very conscious of the many people who have suffered. We owe it to them to build the best future possible. It's a time for generosity, a time to mindful of the common good and of the future of all our people."

Speaking in London, British Prime Minister Tony Blair welcomed the announcement.

"Everything we've done over the last 10 years has been in preparation for this moment," he said.

Mr. Blair said that by agreeing to share power, the political leadership in Northern Ireland was falling in behind what the people voted for in recent elections for a power-sharing assembly.