Court Rulings Cast Shadow Over Crucial Vote in Nigeria

By Sarah Simpson Abuja 05 April 2007

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Vice President Atiku Abubakar is battling in the Nigerian courts to get his name on ballot slips for a crucial presidential poll on April 21. But after two courts this week issued divergent rulings, it looks increasingly unlikely that the matter will be resolved before voting day, casting a pall over the forthcoming ballot. Sarah Simpson has more from Nigeria's capital, Abuja.

Atiku Abubakar, 3 Apr 2007

Less than three weeks before election day, Vice President Atiku Abubakar is fighting in the courts to get his name back on the presidential ballot.

The April 21 polls are a crucial milestone for this unruly, oil-rich nation, marking the first time that power will pass from one elected civilian head of state to another. But Abubakar's series of unresolved court battles are throwing a shadow over the polls.

Abubakar, who was viewed as a leading contender for the presidency, was last month barred from running as a presidential candidate by the Independent National Electoral Commission - the body organizing the forthcoming polls. The commission said Abubakar could not stand because he is facing corruption charges.

This week, two Nigerian courts issued seemingly conflicting decisions regarding Abubakar's candidacy.

First, the Court of Appeal - Nigeria's second highest court - ruled Tuesday that the electoral commission has the power to remove candidates from the ballot for crimes, including corruption.

But later the same day, the lower Federal High Court ruled that Abubakar's name should be put back on the ballot as the panel that found the vice president guilty of corruption was not lawful.

Both decisions are to be appealed.

At a news conference in the capital, Abuja, Abubakar said that he would abide by the final decisions of the courts, even if their ruling is not in his favor.

"Of course, if that is the decision of the court, I will accept, why not," he said.

But it is uncertain whether the argument will be resolved before polling day, less than three weeks away.

The chairman of the electoral commission, Maurice Iwu, has repeatedly said that the polls will not be rescheduled or delayed.

A report by U.S.-based Human Rights Watch this week said that efforts to bar Abubakar have thrown doubt over how fair the polls will be.

Abubakar says that the electoral commission is partisan and is being used by his foe, President Olusegun Obasanjo, to destroy his presidential ambitions, threatening democracy.

"Our democracy is in serious trouble," he said. "Our democracy has been bastardized and turned into a government of one man by one man and for one man."

The president and vice president had a very public falling-out after Abubakar openly condemned a bid to change the constitution, which could have enabled President Obasanjo to run for a third term in office.

Umaru Yar'Adua, 30 March 2007

Obasanjo is backing a little-known northern governor, Umaru Yar'Adua, as ruling party candidate and his favored successor.

At a prior news conference, Yar'Adua told reporters that he is confident that the Nigerian courts could resolve the matter, and would do so in accordance with Nigerian law.

"What is really important is that we get the rule of law to be established and be respected and the personalities involved should take second place," he said.

Elections for state governors are to take place April 14. Presidential polls will be held a week later.

There are about 61 million registered voters in Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation. There are only 15 days left to produce and distribute ballot sheets, with or without Abubakar's name on them.

VOASE0405_Economics Report

05 April 2007

Economic Conditions: Trying to Read the Future
The Conference Board publishes leading economic indicators for the United States and several other countries.

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This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.

Economics and weather have a lot in common. Knowing what conditions will be like weeks or months in the future is not easy. One thing that helps economists predict the future is the index of leading economic indicators.

An index is a way to measure changes in a group of numbers over time. In financial markets, for example, an index of stocks will rise or fall with changes in the wider market. The changes measured by an index can be represented with a single percentage.

The index may start at a base period of time with a value of one hundred. Now say that a month later the value is recorded as one hundred one. That means it gained one percent. If the index lost one percent, however, the value would be ninety-nine.

The leading economic indicators are really ten indexes. Four deal with manufacturing activity. One deals with unemployment claims. Another measures people’s expectations of the economy. Still others involve financial information like the money supply and interest rates.

The index of leading indicators is just one of the tools used to measure the business cycle. Business cycles are the normal changes that happen in economic growth over time.

A measure called the coincident index provides information about current conditions. Employment rates are an important part of it. There is also a lagging index. It helps confirm economic changes that currently appear to be taking place. Interest rates are an important lagging indicator.

The Conference Board publishes economic indicators for the United States. The Conference Board is a non-profit organization based in New York. It brings together business leaders to learn new ideas from one another. It has member companies around the world.

The Conference Board also does economic research. Its work helps show business and government leaders what conditions might be ahead.

But this group did not always produce the index of leading economic indicators. It took over the job in nineteen ninety-five from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, part of the Commerce Department.

The Conference Board also publishes economic indicators for Australia, France, Germany and Japan. Others are Britain, Mexico, South Korea and Spain.

And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report, written by Mario Ritter. Read and listen to our reports at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.

VOASE0405_American Mosaic

05 April 2007

A Small Horse and a Big Goal: Raising $1 Million for Groups That Aid Children
Also: learn about the water sport of wakeboarding. And a listener in China asks about singer and actress Hilary Duff.

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HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC, in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

I'm Bob Doughty. On our show this week:

We answer a question about singer and actress Hilary Duff …

Tell about a young woman who does an exciting water sport ...

And report about the world's smallest living horse.

Thumbelina

HOST:

An extremely rare animal named Thumbelina is traveling around the United States this year. The goal of the trip is to try to raise one million dollars for organizations that aid children. Last summer, Guinness World Records named Thumbelina the world's smallest living horse. Faith Lapidus tells us more.

FAITH LAPIDUS:

Thumbelina next to an average size horse

Thumbelina is forty-four and one-half centimeters tall. She weighs less than twenty-six kilograms. Because she is such an unusual creature, Thumbelina could easily be the center of attention in a circus or zoo.

Instead, her owners are taking her to visit forty-eight states. She is appearing at children's hospitals, stores, schools, horse shows, camps and fairs. Thumbelina already has raised more than ten thousand dollars for children's aid groups. She is popular with both children and adults.

Thumbelina is a kind of small horse called a miniature horse. But she has an abnormal gene that made about her half the size of a normal miniature horse.

Thumbelina is named for a woman in a story by the Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen. The woman was the size of a person's thumb, the short, thick finger on a person's hand.

Kay and Paul Goessling own Thumbelina. They keep the little horse at their Goose Creek Farms in Saint Louis, Missouri. They raise miniature horses to sell and show at competitions. Their son, Michael Goessling, cares for Thumbelina.

The little horse is five years old. At birth, she weighed less than four kilograms. The family thought she might not survive. Today, she sometimes wears leg supports to keep her legs straight. Michael Goessling says they expect Thumbelina to live about seventeen years.

When Thumbelina is home, Michael Goessling says she does not spend much time with the other horses. Instead, she plays with the family's dogs. She also sleeps in a doghouse. Two times a day, Thumbelina eats a cup of grain and a handful of hay.

Her owners say Thumbelina will not have any babies. They want to protect the health of their famous little horse. They say there will never be another Thumbelina.

Wakeboarding

HOST:

Dallas Friday was only thirteen years old when her mother took her to an expert teacher to learn to ride a wakeboard. Today, seven years later, Miz Friday has won many awards for this action-filled water sport. Shirley Griffith tells us more.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH:

Wakeboarding is similar to surfing and water skiing. Surfers stand on a board and try to ride it over the ocean waves. But wakeboarders hold onto a rope as they ride a board behind a specially equipped boat. The motion and speed of the boat create a "wake" in the water. The rider jumps, turns and twists over the wake.

Dallas Friday wakeboarding

Dallas Friday learned those skills on land, doing gymnastics at school. So she thought she might be good at wakeboarding. But at first, the expert did not want to teach her. He thought she was just a beginner. But then he watched Dallas perform in the water. The expert told her family that she could make a million dollars.

During the years since then, Dallas Friday has earned top honors in competitions. Last year, for example, she won the Wakeboard World Cup in China. She has bought several houses with her winnings. She has also paid a price in injuries. She returned to the water recently after breaking her leg in seven places.

Like Dallas Friday, some young adult wakeboarders compete for money. But children also wakeboard, and so do people older than sixty. Most take part in the sport just for fun.

Wakeboarding developed over a number of years, as people skilled at water sports experimented with their equipment. It took a big step forward in the nineteen eighties. At that time, two well-known sportsmen designed straps to hold a rider's feet onto the board.

About fifteen years ago, a sports company in the state of Florida started launching competitions for professional wakeboarders. Television sports channels showed some of the action.

Today, an estimated three million people ride wakeboards in the United States. They study which boats and boards work best. They read magazines like "Alliance Wakeboard." But mostly, like Dallas Friday, they love to fly over the water on their wakeboards.

Hilary Duff

HOST:

Our VOA listener question this week comes from China. Guo Xiaoyi wants to know about singer and actress Hilary Duff.

(MUSIC)

Hilary Duff is only nineteen years old. Yet she has had her own television show, appeared in movies and recorded albums. She also designs her own clothing line and has a perfume named after her.

Hilary Duff started appearing in local productions in her hometown of Houston, Texas. She moved to California with her mother and sister and appeared in several television commercials.

Her first major movie part was in "Casper Meets Wendy" in nineteen ninety-eight. Then she got the lead in a television show about a teenager named Lizzie McGuire. She appeared in the show from two thousand one until two thousand four. By that time, she had already recorded two albums of music.

In two thousand three, she appeared in three hit movies -- "Agent Cody Banks", "The Lizzie McGuire Movie" and "Cheaper By the Dozen." Here is a hit song from her album Metamorphosis -- “So Yesterday”.

(MUSIC)

Hilary Duff also works with an animal rights group and is involved with several aid organizations. She has given two hundred fifty thousand dollars to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina on the American Gulf coast. And she is still not even twenty years old!

We leave you now with another hit song from Hilary Duff. This one is from her new album "Dignity" that was just released this week. It is called “With Love.”

(MUSIC)

HOST:

I'm Bob Doughty. Last week, we told you about the college men's basketball championship series called "March Madness." The final game was played Monday. The team from the University of Florida defeated the team from The Ohio State University to become the college basketball champion for the second year.

Last January, the Florida football team defeated Ohio State to win the college football championship. That makes the University of Florida the first school to win championships in both football and basketball in the same school year.

Our program today was written by Nancy Steinbach and Jerilyn Watson. Caty Weaver was our producer. To read the text of this program and download audio, go to our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com.

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

Bush Tells Troops Congress Must Fund Iraq War

By Paula Wolfson White House 04 April 2007

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President Bush took the battle over funding for the Iraq war to a U.S. military base on Wednesday. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports from the White House, the president spent the day with troops at Fort Irwin, California.

President Bush with troops at Fort Irwin, California, 4 Apr 2007

The president stood before a room packed with soldiers and their families. He told them Congress must fund the war now without conditions.

"We cannot allow honest differences in Washington to harm our troops in battle or their families here at home," said President Bush.

The House of Representatives has linked emergency funding for the war to a pull-out of U.S. forces by the end of August 2008. The Senate version of the bill speaks of a withdrawal within one year as a goal.

The president has made clear both are unacceptable. And in his remarks at Fort Irwin, he stressed Congress must not tell the generals how to do their job.

"Their bills impose an artificial deadline for withdrawal for Iraq," he said. "Their bills substitute the judgment of Washington politicians for the judgment of our military commanders."

Fort Irwin is home to the army's top desert training center for combat units. It specializes in the specific skills needed to counter terrorists and insurgents, such as detecting homemade explosives.

Mr. Bush spent several hours at the facility, watching training demonstrations, and meeting with troops. It was the first stop on a six-day break from Washington that will include Easter observances in Texas, and a trip to Arizona to talk about immigration on Monday.

Obama Nearly Matches Clinton In Presidential Fundraising

By Jim Malone Washington 04 April 2007

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Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama says his campaign has raised $25 million in the first three months of this year, nearly matching the $26 million raised by Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton. As VOA national correspondent Jim Malone reports from Washington, Obama's strong showing in campaign fundraising suggests a very competitive race for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination next year.

Barack Obama, (l) talks to voters during a campaign stop in Rochester, New Hampshire, 03 Apr 2007

The Obama campaign said the $25 million in donations came from more than 100,000 people during the past three months, including nearly $7 million raised over the Internet.

The fundraising figure was released as Senator Obama brought his campaign to the early contest state of Iowa.

"We have by far the most donors of any campaign, so the overwhelming number of our donations oftentimes come in small increments of 25 and 50 dollars," said Barack Obama.

Sen. Hillary Clinton

Senator Obama nearly matched the $26 million raised by Senator Hillary Clinton of New York, which was announced earlier this week. Clinton continues to lead public-opinion polls among Democratic candidates and has been seen as the frontrunner for the party's presidential nomination.

Obama has been running second in the polls behind Senator Clinton. Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards, who has been running in third place, raised $14 million in the first quarter of this year. Edwards recently announced that his wife, Elizabeth, is battling a recurrence of cancer.

Obama has only been in the Senate for two years and is a relative newcomer on the national stage, but he has drawn large and enthusiastic crowds since he began his campaign in February.

Political experts say the surprisingly large fundraising total for Obama will boost his campaign and could raise doubts among some Democrats that Hillary Clinton has a lock as the party nominee next year.

On the Republican side, the big fundraiser was former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, who raised $23 million. Romney is running a distant third in most polls behind former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Arizona Senator John McCain.

Giuliani has raised nearly $15 million this year and McCain raised $12.5 million.

Romney told NBC's Today program that his surprisingly large fundraising total should boost his campaign.

"In the states where I spend a lot of time like Iowa, New Hampshire, Michigan, Florida, South Carolina, people know me, they are warming to my message," said Mitt Romney. "And I am very heartened by the fact that I have received extraordinary contributions from all over the country, so it is a message that is connecting. People want to see change in Washington."

Former Republican Party strategist Matthew Dowd says political rivals and experts closely watch the amount of money the candidates are able to raise.

"If you do not exceed expectations, if you go below expectations, it is a huge problem," said Matthew Dowd. "If you exceed expectations, it is a good day."

Never before has so much campaign money been raised so early in a presidential-election cycle.

Many states are holding their caucus and primary elections earlier in 2008, forcing candidates to spend money sooner on advertising and campaign staff.

"And this has resulted in the nominees having to face a much more compressed and a much more early primary election season, requiring them to raise money at a much faster rate," said Ross Baker Ross Baker, a professor of political science at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

Baker says the competition among the presidential contenders to raise money has become the first important test of the 2008 campaign.

"And now, in fact, the effort to raise money has become a kind of primary election in itself, in which the quarterly reports that campaigns give become a kind of financial referendum on how strong the campaigns are," he said.

By law, private citizens are limited to donations of $2,300 to a candidate for the primary elections and another $2,300 for the general presidential election.

The major candidates are raising so much money for 2008 that this may be the first presidential election that the major candidates turn down public matching funds to finance their campaigns.

Presidential candidates have taken advantage of the matching funds in every election since 1976, part of a 1974 campaign reform law designed to limit campaign spending and the influence of wealthy special interest donors in U.S. presidential elections.

VOASE0404_The Making of a Nation

04 April 2007

History Series: Lyndon Johnson Takes Over Presidency After Kennedy's Murder
Lyndon Johnson had a lot of political experience. He had been President Kennedy's vice president, and had served for many years in the Senate and House of Representatives.

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VOICE ONE:

This is Phil Murray.

VOICE TWO:

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

(MUSIC)

Today, we begin the story of President Lyndon Johnson.

VOICE ONE:

Former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy (right) watches as President Lyndon Johnson is sworn into office, November 22, 1963.

Lyndon Baines Johnson became America's thirty-sixth president very suddenly. It happened on November twenty second, nineteen sixty three. On that day, President John Kennedy was murdered.

Kennedy and Johnson -- his vice president -- were visiting Dallas, Texas. Kennedy was shot to death as his open car drove through the streets of the city. Within a few hours, Johnson was sworn in as president on a plane that would take him back to Washington. The new president said, "I will do my best. That is all I can do. I ask for your help, and God's."

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Before being elected vice president, Lyndon Johnson had served for many years in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. He liked making decisions. And he loved politics. He grew up in small towns in Texas. After completing high school, he traveled and worked for a while. He said he was afraid of more studying. But after a few years, he entered southwest Texas State Teachers College. There he was a student leader and political activist.

VOICE ONE:

Johnson went to Washington as secretary to a congressman in nineteen thirty-one. Four years later, President Franklin Roosevelt named him to a leadership position in a national social program for young people. Two years after that, he decided to campaign for a seat in the House of Representatives.

When World War Two began, Johnson was the first member of Congress to join the armed forces.

He served in the House for twelve years. After the war, he campaigned for the Senate, where he also served for twelve years. As a senator, he became an expert in the operation of government.

VOICE TWO:

Lyndon Johnson would need all of this knowledge as president. On the day he was sworn in, American faced serious problems. Communist forces in Vietnam were fighting troops supported by the United States. There was a continuing possibility of nuclear war with the Soviet Union. At home, there was racial conflict. Many Americans did not have jobs. And there was a threat of a major railroad strike.

VOICE ONE:

Signing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act

President Johnson began his White House days by working hard for legislation President Kennedy had proposed. Although he had voted against civil rights legislation when he served in the Senate, he now urged Congress to pass a civil rights bill. Congress did.

The nineteen sixty-four Civil Rights Act was a law to help guarantee equal chances for jobs for all Americans. It also helped guarantee equal treatment for minorities in stores, eating places, and other businesses.

VOICE TWO:

When Johnson signed the bill, he said:

JOHNSON: "We believe that all men are created equal. Yet many are denied equal treatment. We believe that all men have certain unalienable rights. Yet many Americans do not enjoy those rights. We believe that all men are entitled to the blessings of liberty. Yet millions are being deprived of those blessings -- not because of their own failures -- but because of the color of their skin."

The president said that such a situation could not continue in America. To treat people unfairly because of their race, he said, violated the Constitution, the idea of democracy, and the law he was about to sign.

VOICE ONE:

President Johnson meets with civil rights leader Martin Luther King, March 18, 1966

Lyndon Johnson succeeded in getting Congress to pass more civil rights legislation in nineteen sixty-five and nineteen sixty-eight. The nineteen sixty-five bill said states could not prevent citizens from voting just because they did not do well on reading or other tests. The purpose of the law was to make sure all black Americans could vote.

The civil rights law of nineteen sixty-eight dealt with housing. For many years, black Americans could not get the home they wanted in the place they wanted. Many times, property companies forced them to pay a lot for poor housing. The purpose of the bill was to guarantee free choice and fair treatment in the housing market.

VOICE TWO:

Political experts said president Johnson succeeded with Congress in a way that President Kennedy could never have equaled. Because Johnson was from the South, he could talk easily with Southern members of Congress. He was able to get them to agree that African Americans were treated unfairly. In addition, his own years in Congress had taught him how to get people to do what he wanted.

VOICE ONE:

President Johnson gave a name to his dream of a better America. He called it the "Great Society. " He spoke about it in a speech at the University of Michigan:

JOHNSON: "The Great Society rests on abundance and liberty for all. It demands an end to poverty and racial injustice, to which we are totally committed in our time. But that is just the beginning. The great society is a place where every child can find knowledge to enrich his mind and to enlarge his talents. "

The Great Society was both an idea and a goal. To reach that goal, Johnson created several government programs. One was the "war on poverty. " The war on poverty was a series of bills to help poor people. It was designed to create new jobs and build the economy.

VOICE TWO:

Congress did not approve a large amount of money for the war on poverty. But it did strongly support the president's early proposals. Support dropped, however, when Congress said the nation could not pay for both social programs at home and a war overseas.

Vietnam was not the only place where Johnson used American troops to fight communism. He would send about twenty thousand soldiers to the Dominican Republic, too. He feared that a rebellion there would lead to a communist takeover of the country.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Lyndon Johnson served the last fourteen months of John Kennedy's term. In nineteen sixty-four, he campaigned for election to a full term of his own. His Democratic Party gave him the strongest support possible. It accepted his choice of Hubert Humphrey to be the party's candidate for vice president. Humphrey was a liberal senator from the state of Minnesota.

VOICE TWO:

Unlike the Democrats, the Republicans had a difficult time choosing their candidates for the election. Delegates to the party's national convention finally chose Barry Goldwater to be their candidate for president. Goldwater was a strongly conservative senator from the state of Arizona. The delegates chose William Miller, a congressman from New York State, to be their candidate for vice president.

VOICE ONE:

The nation voted in November, nineteen sixty-four. Lyndon Johnson won more than sixty percent of the popular votes. Strangely, however, he was not pleased. He had wanted the largest victory in American history. He had wanted proof that Americans were voting for him, and not for the shadow of John Kennedy.

VOICE TWO:

In his inaugural speech, Johnson talked of changes. He said his Great Society was never finished. It was always growing and improving. To Johnson, this meant passing a health care plan for older Americans. It meant appointing blacks to important national positions.

He succeeded in these goals -- and more -- during the next four years. Congress passed the Medicare bill to provide health care for older people. And Johnson appointed Thurgood Marshall to be the first black justice to the Supreme Court.

VOICE ONE:

As Johnson went back to work in the White House, however, a huge problem awaited him. Americans were fighting to stop the spread of communism in Southeast Asia. More and more were being killed. The war in Vietnam would become extremely unpopular among American citizens. It would destroy Johnson's chances of being remembered as a great president.

That will be our story next week.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

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

VOICE ONE:

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

VOASE0404_Education Report

04 April 2007

Choose Your Degree at an American College or University
International students may attend an American university to earn a degree, including a BS, BA or MBA.

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This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

Today, we answer a question from Martin in Mexico City. He asks about the kinds of degrees that students can earn at an American college or university.

American higher education offers degrees in many areas of study. A community college student earns an associate degree after two years of general study. The student may then continue at a college or university for another two years to earn a bachelor’s degree.

An undergraduate student at a four-year school earns a bachelor's degree. Students majoring in an area of science receive the bachelor of science, also known by the letters B.S. Arts or humanities students get the bachelor of arts degree, or B.A.

Students who continue in school may earn a master’s degree after two or three more years of study. Many Americans earn master’s degrees at night or on the weekends while they are working. One example of this is the M.B.A., a master's degree in business administration. Students learn to deal with all kinds of business situations. They develop skills needed by many companies.

M.B.A. programs teach about economics, finance and marketing. They also teach about the structure of organizations and other subjects. Business is a popular subject for students who come to the United States. To be admitted to an M.B.A. program, a foreign student must have a bachelor’s degree and a good score on the TOEFL. Most students also take the Graduate Management Admission Test. Most of the one thousand eight hundred M.B.A. programs around the world use these test scores.

The Graduate Management Admission Council says that foreign students should find out what different schools could do to help them find a job after they receive their degree. Representatives from many companies visit colleges to hire students. You should ask how many companies are willing to hire international students. The council says even the best schools may have fewer job placements for international graduates than for others.

Our Foreign Student Series continues next week with a report about the highest degree a student can earn at an American university -- the doctorate. Our scripts are available on the Internet -- with MP3 files and transcripts -- at voaspecialenglish.com.

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

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

By Scott Stearns White House 03 April 2007

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

US, Iraqi Troops Work to Secure Baghdad

By Margaret Besheer Baghdad 03 April 2007

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

Taskforce Patriot patrols Baghdad's Mansour district

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shoppers buy produce at a market in Yarmouk Square

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

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

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

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

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

A roadside bomb blast damages a vehicle in Yarmouk

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

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

US troops talk to children in Baghdad's Hateen neighborhood

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

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

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

Women's Group Helps Women Survive War Ravages

By Mohamed Elshinnawi Washington 03 April 2007

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

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

Seida Saric

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sweeta Noori

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

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

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

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

VOASE0403_Health Report

03 April 2007

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

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This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tony Snow

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

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

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

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

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

VOASE0403_Explorations

03 April 2007

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

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VOICE ONE:

This is Phoebe Zimmerman.

VOICE TWO:

Temperatures in Death Valley can reach up to 57 Celsius

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

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VOICE ONE:

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

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

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

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

VOICE TWO:

Ubehebe Crater

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

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

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

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

VOICE ONE:

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

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

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

VOICE TWO:

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

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

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

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VOICE ONE:

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

Scotty's Castle

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

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

VOICE TWO:

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

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

VOICE ONE:

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

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

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VOICE TWO:

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

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

VOICE ONE:

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

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

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

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VOICE TWO:

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

VOICE ONE:

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