VOASE0409_Science In the News

09 April 2007

On Its Way to Pluto, Spacecraft Gets a Close Look at Jupiter
Researchers question the usefulness of CT scans in preventing lung cancer deaths. And differences in life expectancy between black and white Americans narrow.

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VOICE ONE:

This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Bob Doughty. On our program this week, we will tell about new suggestions for treating heart attack victims. We also tell about a test for lung cancer. But first, we report on new pictures from a far-away planet.

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VOICE ONE:

Jupiter's Little Red Spot, seen from 3.5 million kilometers

The New Horizons spacecraft has made some of the most detailed pictures ever taken of the planet Jupiter. Yet the American spacecraft is only passing by the planet. New Horizons is attempting to become the first space vehicle to visit Pluto.

New Horizon's pictures of Jupiter and three of its moons are filled with surprises. Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. The planet has a deep, thick atmosphere of clouds made of hydrogen, helium, methane and ammonia.

New Horizons used its Long Range Reconnaissance Imager camera to take pictures of a storm called the Little Red Spot. The pictures will help scientists learn how the storm developed.

VOICE TWO:

New Horizons also made pictures of Jupiter's moon Io. The pictures were taken just as the volcano Tvashtar sent a cloud of dust two hundred ninety kilometers above its surface. At the time, the spacecraft was only two million five hundred thousand kilometers away from the moon.

Scientists say the pictures look like a similar volcanic eruption on Io in nineteen seventy-nine. At that time, the Voyager Two spacecraft captured a picture of the volcano Pele erupting. But New Horizon's pictures of Tvashtar are more detailed.

Another target for the camera was the largest of Jupiter's moons, Ganymede. Pictures show an icy world with ancient dark areas and bright newer areas where space objects struck the surface.

New Horizons also took pictures of Europa, another moon of Jupiter. Europa is believed to have an ocean one hundred kilometers below its frozen surface.

VOICE ONE:

The American space agency launched New Horizons in January of last year. Although smaller than a car, it is the fastest spacecraft ever launched. It has traveled at speeds of over fifty-seven thousand kilometers an hour.

New Horizons is expected to reach Pluto in two thousand fifteen.

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VOICE TWO:

Lung cancer kills more Americans than any other kind of cancer. Smoking is a leading cause of the disease. Signs of lung cancer include chest pain, breathing problems and the sudden expulsion of air from the lungs. The signs may not appear until the disease is fully developed.

Doctors have different ways to find lung cancer. One test is an x-ray imaging process called computed tomography, or CT. A CT test, or scan, can be helpful in finding very small growths on the lung.

Last year, the New England Journal of Medicine published a report about CT scans and lung cancer. The report said early discovery of lung cancer with the test followed by an operation could save lives. It estimated that patients whose cancers were found early and then removed had a ten-year survival rate of ninety-two percent.

VOICE ONE:

Now, another report is disputing the findings. The Journal of the American Medical Association published the report. Peter Bach is a lung specialist at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He says early CT testing is not only unproven, but can cause great harm to patients. He says some patients died from unnecessary operations. Others suffered heart attacks, infections and even a collapsed lung.

Doctor Bach says CT scans are successful at finding small growths in the lungs. But he says such growths do not always spread quickly or cause serious harm. For that reason, he says, it only seemed in the earlier study that lung cancer deaths were prevented.

VOICE TWO:

Doctor Bach and his team examined information about more than three thousand two hundred people. All of the patients either smoked or were former smokers. They were tested for lung cancer. Doctor Bach says CT scans missed the fast-growing, deadly cancers. He says the tests showed only very small, slow-growing cancers. The CT scans led to a rise in the number of lung cancer operations.

Thirty-eight of the patients died of lung cancer over a five-year period. Doctor Bach says that same number of patients would have died without early CT scans.

Medical experts say the debate on preventing lung cancer deaths through such tests will continue until a larger study is completed.

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VOICE ONE:

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 Japanese study questions the usefulness of mouth-to-mouth breathing. The study was published in the British medical magazine, The Lancet. Doctors in Tokyo examined more than four thousand people who had suffered cardiac arrest. In all the cases, witnesses saw the event happen.

VOICE TWO:

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 persons 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.

VOICE ONE:

The American Heart Association changed its guidance for CPR chest presses in two thousand five. The group 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 was published 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.

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VOICE TWO:

Life expectancy is the average number of years people are expected to live. In the United States, that average has been increasing since the late eighteen hundreds. But, life expectancy for black Americans has always been lower than that for white Americans. In the nineteen-eighties, the difference in life expectancy rates for blacks and whites increased and later decreased. Until now, these changes had not been explained.

Sam Harper of Canada's McGill University and other researchers decided to investigate. They examined deaths among blacks and whites in the United States between nineteen eighty-three and two thousand three. This meant investigating forty-six million deaths. The results were published in the Journal of American Medicine.

VOICE ONE:

Professor Harper says the study shows that American blacks are living longer. He says their life expectancy is nearly that of whites. In nineteen ninety-three, for example, white men lived an average of eight and one-half years longer than black men. In two thousand three, the difference had narrowed to six and one-half years.

The researchers say the biggest improvement in life expectancy was noted among black males between fifteen and forty nine years of age.

VOICE TWO:

Professor Harper says the changes appear linked to successes in reducing violence linked to the drug crack cocaine. He says increases in the sizes of police forces and economic improvements all appear to have helped young black males live longer.

But, the researcher says additional improvements are needed. He says the disease AIDS and heart disease in African-Americans are also keeping their life expectancy rates less than whites. He says there is also a need to reduce the higher death rates among newborn African-Americans.

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VOICE ONE:

This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS program was written by Lawan Davis, Mario Ritter and Caty Weaver. Brianna Blake was our producer. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Bob Doughty. Join us again next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.

VOASE0409_Agriculture Report

09 April 2007

Disappearance of Honey Bees a Mystery
Congress hears experts on crisis that could affect billions of dollars in agricultural products and raise food prices.

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This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

What has happened to America's honeybees?

Last fall, beekeepers from states with warm climates began to report a sudden loss of honey bees. Losses were reported in twenty-four states and into Canada. Today, some beekeepers say thirty percent to ninety percent of their honey bees are gone. Food prices could go up as a result.

And some beekeeping businesses have failed.

Many kinds of plants, trees and grasses need bees to pollinate them. Bees gather nectar from flowers during this process. The liquid gives them food and material to make honey. As the bees land on flowers, their bodies pick up and drop off fine particles of pollen. Most flowering plants need pollination to reproduce.

Honey bees can die during the winter. But few dead bees have been found. Instead, the bees seem to have disappeared. Experts call the condition "colony collapse disorder."

Agriculture Department official Caird Rexroad said the collapse threatens about fifteen billion dollars worth of the country's farm economy. Mister Rexroad commented at a hearing of a House of Representatives agriculture subcommittee.

Mister Rexroad said the cause of the sudden loss of bees is not clear. The number of honey bees already had fallen before the colony collapse disorder began.

Experts say the varroa mite is at least partly responsible for the earlier decrease in honeybees. The mite is a tiny creature that feeds on honeybees. It may play a part in colony collapse disorder by carrying bee viruses. Or the problem may be caused by other diseases and weather conditions.

A group of scientists is examining bees from more than one hundred colonies across the country.

The researchers also are studying the pollen, honey, and wax that the bees produce. They are working with the Agriculture Department's Agricultural Research Service.

Diana Cox-Foster of Pennsylvania State University is part of the scientific group. Miz Cox-Foster says the nation needs honeybees that can defend themselves better against disease and insects. The recent mapping of most of the honeybee's genes offers hope of a stronger honeybee some day.

And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Jerilyn Watson. Transcripts and audio files of our reports are on our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.

VOASE0408_This Is America

08 April 2007

From Bob Marley to Franklin Roosevelt, History in Sound
Some of the 25 newly added recordings to be preserved as part of the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.

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VOICE ONE:

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

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Shirley Griffith. This week -- some recorded sounds for all time.

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VOICE ONE:

The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., recently added twenty-five sound recordings to its National Recording Registry. Congress established this registry list under a law called the National Recording Preservation Act of Two Thousand.

Recordings are added yearly. They have to be at least ten years old. And they have to be culturally, historically or artistically important.

Members of the public make suggestions online. The library also gathers nominations from experts in music, recorded sound and historic preservation.

VOICE TWO:

The twenty-five new additions chosen by the Librarian of Congress, James Billington, were made between nineteen-oh-four and nineteen eighty-eight. Some are in the library itself. Others are in collections throughout the country. The library is identifying the best existing versions of the recordings. These will be expertly restored, if needed, to protect them for the future.

VOICE ONE:

Rolling Stones

Many of the latest additions to the registry come from popular music. One of them is "Blue Suede Shoes," recorded by Carl Perkins in nineteen fifty-five, a year before the version by Elvis Presley.

Another addition is the nineteen sixty-five hit "Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones. Also, Paul Simon's nineteen eighty-six album "Graceland," recorded with the South African singing group Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

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But the list also includes classical pieces like "Il mio tesoro," from "Don Giovanni," sung by tenor John McCormack in nineteen sixteen. And there are spoken word recordings, like one from nineteen sixty by comedian Bob Newhart.

Bob Marley

Social protest is also represented. For example, the album "The Wailers Burnin'" with the reggae singer Bob Marley is from nineteen seventy-three.

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VOICE TWO:

That was "Get Up, Stand Up," from the last album that Bob Marley released under the name "The Wailers."

But let us begin our musical trip back in the nineteen twenties -- the Jazz Age. Jelly Roll Morton was one of the pioneers of jazz. He helped spread its popularity in New Orleans, Chicago and throughout the country.

In this nineteen twenty-six recording, Jelly Roll Morton leads his Red Hot Peppers in "Black Bottom Stomp."

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VOICE ONE:

The National Recording Registry honors memorable words as well as music. The latest additions to the list include "The Osage Bank Robbery" from the radio program "The Lone Ranger." The show was heard December seventeenth, nineteen thirty-seven, making it the earliest known recording from that popular series.

VOICE TWO:

Two brothers rob a bank. The criminals try to hide in an old mine. But they should have know that the Lone Ranger would catch them. Listen now as the hero rides off on Silver, his trusty horse.

(SOUND)

"'High-ho Silver! Away!' A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty 'High-ho Silver!' The Lone Ranger!"

VOICE ONE:

President Roosevelt gives his "Day of Infamy" speech to a joint session of Congress, December 8, 1941

Another new addition to the registry is a speech by President Franklin Roosevelt to Congress. Roosevelt was asking Congress for permission to declare war. He made the speech the day after the Japanese attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

(SOUND)

FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT: "Yesterday, December seventh, nineteen forty-one, a date which will live in infamy, the United States was suddenly and deliberately attacked by the naval and air forces of the empire of Japan."

VOICE TWO:

World War Two ended in nineteen forty-five.

The years after the war became a time of economic growth in the United States. Many people moved out of big cities and into newly developed suburban communities. Birth rates increased. It became known as the Baby Boom.

The nineteen fifties are remembered as a time when lots of Americans were happy with their lives. But not everyone was.

Allen Ginsberg was a poet but also a social activist. Problems like poverty and inequality angered him. In a nineteen fifty-nine recording, he reads from the opening lines of his most famous poem, "Howl."

ALLEN GINSBERG: "I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked "

(SOUND)

VOICE ONE:

Social activism is also the message of several songs among the newest additions to the National Recording Registry. Fighting racial injustice is the theme of "We Shall Overcome."

Yet Pete Seeger wrote the song as a labor protest. In the first version, he used the line "I shall overcome." But later he changed the word "I" to "we." The song became a theme for the civil rights movement.

Here is Pete Seeger performing "We Shall Overcome" during his concert at Carnegie Hall in New York in June of nineteen sixty-three. People in the audience are singing along.

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VOICE TWO:

Some people think the greatest singer of the twentieth century was Sarah Vaughan. Her nineteen seventy-three album "Live in Japan" is now added to the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.

We leave you with Sarah Vaughan singing "Over the Rainbow."

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VOICE ONE:

The Library of Congress now has two hundred twenty-five recordings listed in its National Recording Registry. And the library is currently accepting nominations for the two thousand seven registry. The library says it must receive suggestions by July first to be considered for the list.

For a link to the Library of Congress Web site, go to voaspecialenglish.com. You can also find transcripts and audio archives of our programs.

VOICE TWO:

Our show was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Caty Weaver. I'm Shirley Griffith with Steve Ember. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

VOASE0408_Development Report

08 April 2007

Judging African Leaders by Good Governance
The Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership will be announced in October.

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This is the VOA Special English Development Report.

Sudanese billionaire Mo Ibrahim believes there is nothing more important for Africa than good leadership. Mister Ibrahim has created the world’s richest prize, worth five million dollars over ten years. The winner also will receive two hundred thousand dollars every year for life. An additional two hundred thousand dollars a year will be made available for good causes supported by the winner.

The Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership will be awarded for the first time in October. Former heads of state and government from African countries south of the Sahara Desert will be considered. Candidates must have left office in the past three years and have shown good political leadership.

Mo Ibrahim (left) meeting with Kofi Annan in Geneva, Switzerland, April 2, 2007

Former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan will lead the committee that will choose the winner. The committee will examine research from a special rating system. The Ibrahim Index for African Governance will measure national progress in several areas. They include economic and social development, peace and security, human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The index was developed at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Kofi Annan says good governance is the single most important way to end poverty and support development. He says the idea behind the Mo Ibrahim prize is to produce better leadership and governance in Africa. In a similar way, the Nobel Prize has supported scientists to excel in medicine, physics, chemistry and other areas.

Mister Ibrahim says the prize is not meant to reform dishonest leaders, nor will it end corruption in Africa. And, he says the prize may not be given every year. If no excellent candidate is identified, Mister Ibrahim says the money will be used for other important causes. These include leadership programs or financial assistance for African students.

Mo Ibrahim says he can think of no better way to spend his money than to invest in Africa's future. The Sudanese billionaire started a mobile phone business, Celtel International, nine years ago. It is now one of Africa’s most successful companies.

And that's the VOA Special English Development Report, written by Jill Moss. You can read scripts and download audio of Special English programs at our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Bob Doughty.

Hong Kong Feng Shui Master Predicts Pets' Fortunes

By Claudia Blume Hong Kong 07 April 2007

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Many people in Hong Kong regularly consult feng shui masters, practitioners of traditional Chinese fortune telling, to find out about their future. For those who want to know what is in stock for their cats and dogs there is now a special service: a feng shui master claims he is the world's first pet fortune teller. Claudia Blume in Hong Kong reports.

Alan Ngan and pet dog Chiffon

Feng shui master Alan Ngan strokes the fur of a tiny Pekinese dog called Chiffon. He has already asked her owner for the pet's date of birth and now examines its body shape and face.

Master Ngan says Chiffon is nervous because she has too much of the feng shui element "wood" and suggests the owner should sing to the dog before it goes to sleep.

He also recommends buying red or purple clothes for Chiffon to improve her overall well-being, and he advises the avoidance of the colors green and brown.

Owner Stephanie Law explains why she took her pet to see a feng shui master.

Client Stephanie Law consults Feng shui Master Alan Ngan about her dog's fortune

Law says she wanted to find out what her dog is thinking and if she has any health problems.

Alan Ngan started telling the future of his customers' pets nine years ago. He says it is harder to predict an animal's future, as their life expectancy is shorter than that of humans.

His job is easiest when the owners know the exact birth date of their pet. If they do not, he examines the animals' body shape.

According to feng shui theory, every being is linked to one of five elements and knowing it is essential for predicting the future. Ngan determines a pet's birth element by looking at the animal's shape.

He says if pets are a bit round, for example, they have the water element and if they have a more triangular shape, they have the fire element.

Up to 20 pet owners come each week to see Ngan in his tiny office in a shopping center close to the border with China. Most of them bring dogs.

But - for a fee of $100 per session - the feng shui master says he can predict the future of all kinds of animals, including snakes and insects.

Feng shui is a widely practiced philosophy offering insight to many people, particularly in Chinese cultures. Ngan is a rare example of someone who is attempting to extend its principles to the animal world.

President Bush Repeats Call For War Funding Bill

By Scott Stearns White House 07 April 2007

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President Bush says he will veto funding for wars in Afghanistan and Iraq because opposition legislators have attached timetables for a troop withdrawal from Iraq. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports, Democrats say wins in last year's congressional elections show that voters want U.S. troops to come home.

President Bush

In the two months since he asked Congress for emergency war spending, President Bush says Democrats have worked to substitute the judgment of Washington politicians for generals in the field.

"In both the House and Senate, Democratic majorities have passed bills that would impose restrictions on our military commanders, set an arbitrary date for withdrawal from Iraq, and fund domestic spending that has nothing to do with the war," he said.

"The Democrats who passed these bills know that I will veto either [House or Senate] version if it reaches my desk, and they know my veto will be sustained," President Bush continued.

Because the votes in both chambers of Congress were close, it is unlikely that Democrats will find the two thirds majority needed to override the president's veto.

Democrats say their legislation fully funds the wars and includes money for other priorities, including levees in Louisiana that were damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

Democratic leaders say timetables for a troop withdrawal will force Iraqi leaders to take greater responsibility for their own security and will stop the president from pursuing what they say is an open-ended commitment of American forces.

Howard Dean

In the Democratic radio address, party chairman Howard Dean said opposition legislators are willing to work with President Bush to find a solution.

"It is time for the president and the Republicans in Congress to stop trying to bully their way through this and work with Democrats to end the war," he said.

"It is time for the president to show respect to the American people who voted overwhelmingly to leave Iraq. President Bush and his Republican allies did not have a clear plan when they misled our nation into this war, and they do not have a clear plan to get our troops out," he added.

A public opinion poll by Newsweek magazine says a majority of Americans favor setting a deadline for troops to leave Iraq. Fifty-seven percent of those surveyed support getting U.S. troops out within a year.

President Bush and Democrats in Congress blame each other for delaying funds for troops. Defense officials say they will have to cut back on training and equipment repair if there is not additional funding in the next few weeks.

US Air Strike Targets Militia in Southern Iraqi Town

By Margaret Besheer Bagdad 07 April 2007

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A US military convoy drives through Diwaniyah, south of Baghdad, Iraq, 06 Apr 2007

Iraqi and U.S. forces continued security operations for a second day in the southern city of Diwaniyah. Meanwhile, Iraqi officials say a regional conference on Iraq will be held early next month in Egypt. From Baghdad, VOA's Margaret Besheer has more on the day's developments.

The U.S. military says its forces launched an air strike on Diwaniyah Saturday as clashes between militiamen and security forces continued for a second straight day. The military said the fighters were using shoulder-fired rocket propelled grenades.

U.S. military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Garver said a local resident tipped police off about the fighters.

"We received information about the location of the militia members from a local who provided a tip to police," said Garver. "The information was translated into an air strike mission by the Iraqis and a U.S. F-16 [aircraft] came in and attacked the target and destroyed it."

Lieutenant Colonel Garver said it is the first time an air strike was conducted with Iraqi soldiers talking to coalition pilots.

"This is a big step forward for the Iraqi army, for the Iraqi security force, to be able to coordinate this type of complex operation," he added.

Meanwhile, operations continued in Baghdad in support of the security plan. Military officials say U.S. and Iraqi troops discovered weapons caches and bomb making materials and captured terrorist suspects in the capital.

The U.S. military reported the deaths of two more American soldiers in separate bomb blasts in Baghdad. Both attacks occurred Friday. April has been a particularly deadly month for U.S. troops, with 17 killed in the first week.

Hoshyar Zebari (file photo)

In a separate development, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari says a conference on Iraq will be held May 3rd and 4th in Egypt. It will include regional neighbors as well as the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and so-called Group of Eight industrialized nations.

Zebari said the purpose of the meeting is to involve Iraq's neighbors and other influential countries in supporting Iraq's security.

This conference follows an ambassador-level meeting held in Baghdad last month that also discussed the security situation.

Hijacked Cargo Ships Released in Waters Off Somalia

By Cathy Majtenyi Nairobi 07 April 2007

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Somalia

In Somalia, two cargo vessels that had been hijacked by pirates have been released. Cathy Majtenyi reports for VOA from Nairobi.

The first of the vessels seized, the MV Rozen, was in pirate hands for more than a month. It had just delivered 1,800 metric tons of relief food from the World Food Program on February 25 when pirates hijacked it.

The ship, leased from the Kenyan-based Motaku Shipping Company, and her 12-member crew were then held in a small port near the town of Bargal in the semi-autonomous Puntland region of Somalia.

The Motaku Shipping Company's manager Karim Kudrati tells VOA he has been negotiating with the hijackers since the middle of March through his agent in the Puntland town of Bosasso.

Kudrati says he began negotiating only after he lost confidence in the ability of Somalia's transitional government to help him recover his ship and crew.

"We were being told by the authorities concerned that there is something happening, there is something happening and we'll get to you soon, but it was not happening and it dragged on up to 39 days," said Kudrati. "There was no other solution to it, so when I took it upon myself and told my agent to see if he could find a bunch of elders who could go and speak to these guys."

The ship was released late Thursday night.

Kudrati says this is the fourth hijacking of his company's ships off the coast of Somalia in two years.

He says his company is the only one willing to go to Somali because of the piracy problem, mostly to deliver humanitarian food aid.

But, says Kudrati, his company might reconsider delivering shipments to Somalia because ransom payments have taken a huge chunk out of his business and the crew is less willing to take risks now.

"Now I think their morale is very down, and I don't know whether they would agree even to go back. But I also am feeling a very bad pinch," he added. "Nobody is coming and compensating me. I might decide to close down completely."

The other hijacked vessel, the MV Nimatullah, was released Friday after being held by pirates for less than a week. It had just anchored at Mogadishu port on April 1 when hijackers forced the ship and her 14-member crew to sail to waters off northeastern Somalia.

Piracy has been a big problem in Somali waters, with warlords and their militias using piracy as a source of income.

VOASE0407_People In America

07 April 2007

John Kenneth Galbraith, 1908-2006: He Strongly Influenced Economic Thought in the United States for Many Years

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VOICE ONE:

I’m Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Barbara Klein with PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English. Economics is a field based on mathematics. Yet it cannot provide answers to every problem. Some people question whether economics is a science at all.

For many years, possibly the loudest critic was himself an economist, John Kenneth Galbraith.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

John Kenneth Galbraith

John Kenneth Galbraith was an economist, liberal thinker, author, professor, presidential advisor and ambassador. He. stood over two meters tall. He was excellent at arguing positions and making complex ideas understandable. These two qualities made Mister Galbraith a powerful personality able to influence people at the highest levels of government.

He was also a productive writer and an effective critic of many popular ideas of his time. For some, he was an easy person to dislike. He was very sure of himself and his arguments. Yet, he clearly influenced the economic ideas of many people, including politicians and presidents.

VOICE TWO:

John Kenneth Galbraith was born on a farm near Iona Station, Canada in nineteen-oh-eight. It was a long way from the East Coast of the United States and the political power centers he would come to influence. He learned about politics from his father, William Archibald Galbraith, who was a farmer. He also served in many local government positions and was a community leader. John once said that his mother, Sarah Catherine Kendall Galbraith, wanted him to be a farmer also. But she died when he was fourteen.

VOICE ONE:

Young John first studied agriculture at Ontario Agricultural College. But he soon found economics more interesting. His studies led him to the University of California at Berkeley. He got a doctorate degree in agricultural economics in nineteen thirty-four.

In his early years, Mister Galbraith was greatly influenced by the economist Thorstein Veblen and his book, "The Theory of the Leisure Class." Mister Veblen argued that people gathered wealth for the purpose of "conspicuous consumption." He meant that people earned money to spend on valuable things to gain respect in society.

Mister Galbraith said he was also deeply affected by the economic disaster that was expanding around him and across the country: The Great Depression.

(MUSIC: Woody Guthrie)

The Great Depression severely affected the American economy and society. At the height of the Depression, at least one in five Americans did not have a job.

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VOICE TWO:

Mister Galbraith became an instructor at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In nineteen thirty-seven, he became an American citizen. He married Catherine Atwater, the daughter of a New York lawyer. They later had four sons.

John Maynard Keynes

That year, Mister Galbraith also went to England to study under the most influential economist of the twentieth century. John Maynard Keynes was teaching at Cambridge University at the time.

He had published the "General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money" the year before. Mister Keynes argued that deep economic crises required strong measures by the government. He said large public works projects and government price controls were needed to increase employment during economic downturns.

VOICE ONE:

In nineteen thirty-nine, John Kenneth Galbraith began working for the government. He joined the National Defense Advisory Committee in Washington. He later was in charge of controlling prices for the Office of Price Administration.

Mister Galbraith held the powerful position of top price controller in the administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In nineteen forty-three, however, he was forced to resign from the job. Later, he would say that he had been ousted by the politics of price control.

The same year, Mister Galbraith started writing for Fortune magazine, which was owned by noted conservative Henry Luce. Mister Galbraith developed into a highly skilled writer. Even his strongest critic praised his writing ability, even if they did not agree with what he wrote.

VOICE TWO:

Near the end of World War Two, Mister Galbraith took part in the Strategic Bombing survey. The study was meant to measure the effectiveness of the American bombing campaign against Germany. He angered many people by saying that the bombing had done little to halt the German war effort. He found the Germans had simply moved industrial operations to new places after the bombing.

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VOICE ONE :

In nineteen fifty-eight, Mister Galbraith published his most famous book,"The Affluent Society." He argued that while private individuals in America were becoming wealthier, public institutions were growing poor. He criticized the American culture that he said was rich in goods but poor in social services.

Mister Galbraith also used the term "conventional wisdom" in the book. This term describes an idea that everyone accepts as true, but is not closely considered or examined.

"The Affluent Society" created a lot of discussion at the time. Critics said the book forced the nation to reexamine its values. It is still considered an excellent example of reasoning and writing.

VOICE TWO:

Mister Galbraith was also involved in politics, which was unusual for an economist. He

Mister Galbraith speaking with President John F. Kennedy

wrote speeches for Democratic presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson during two campaigns in the nineteen fifties. Mister Galbraith later became a trusted adviser to President John F. Kennedy.

President Kennedy appointed him ambassador to India in nineteen sixty-one. Thirty years later, Mister Galbraith received India's second-highest civilian honor for his work to strengthen ties between India and the United States.

VOICE ONE

The years working for the Kennedy Administration were happy times. But on November twenty-second, nineteen sixty-three, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.

Vice President Lyndon Johnson took office after the tragedy. Mister Galbraith had good relations with the new president and became an adviser. But that lasted only until the war in Vietnam became the biggest issue in the United States. Mister Galbraith opposed the involvement of the United States in the war. He spoke about that time.

SOUND: "I liked Lyndon Johnson very much. And I respected him as a man who combined intelligence with a will to action--a wonderful combination. And so breaking with him in the mid to late sixties on the issue of Vietnam was something I regretted very much."

Public opposition to the war in Vietnam caused President Johnson not to seek another term in office. The issue of the war caused Mister Galbraith to become active in politics again. He supported the anti-war presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy.

He even nominated Mister McCarthy at the Democratic Party Convention in Chicago, Illinois, in nineteen sixty-eight. Mister Galbraith would later say: "I was more strongly moved by the need for opposition to Vietnam than any other major issue of my lifetime."

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VOICE TWO:

In the years after the Vietnam War, Ken Galbraith put his energy into writing. He debated conservative thinkers such as his friend William F. Buckley, Junior. And he continued to advise Democratic Presidents.

In nineteen ninety-six, his book "The Good Society" was published. It was an update of his book "The Affluent Society." He wrote that his earlier concerns had worsened. The United States had become even more a place for the wealthy, or a "democracy of the fortunate."

John Kenneth Galbraith receives the Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton

In all, he wrote more than thirty books during his career. In two thousand, President Bill Clinton recognized Mister Galbraith's service by awarding him the Medal of Freedom.

VOICE ONE:

John Kenneth Galbraith died in two thousand six at the age of ninety-seven. William F. Buckley said his friend was more interested in the social and ethical questions related to economics. Mister Galbraith's books lack the mathematical and statistical research found in most works on economics. Yet they remain excellent examples of thinking about social responsibility and ethics.

One of his most famous criticisms of his profession was this: "Economics is extremely useful as a form of employment for economists."

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VOICE TWO:

This program was written and produced by Mario Ritter. You can download this program and others from our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Barbara Klein.

VOICE ONE:

And I’m Steve Ember. Join us again next week for PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English.

Pope Carries Cross at Good Friday Procession

By Sabina Castelfranco Rome 06 April 2007

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For the second year, Pope Benedict led the traditional Way of the Cross procession in Rome's ancient Coliseum. Thousands took part in the solemn ceremony. For VOA, Sabina Castelfranco reports from Rome.

Pope Benedict XVI holds the wooden cross next to a torch, during the Via Crucis torchlight procession on Good Friday in front of the Colosseum in Rome, 6 Apr 2007

Pope Benedict carried the cross at the start and the end of the Way of the Cross procession at the Coliseum in Rome. The procession at the ancient Roman amphitheater is a tradition on Good Friday that commemorates the suffering of Jesus before his crucifixion.

Speaking at the start of the procession, Pope Benedict said that recalling the steps of Jesus in the last hours of his earthly life would be a voyage in pain, in solitude, in cruelty, in evil and in death, but also a journey in faith, hope and in love.

A large crowd of faithful carrying candles turned out for the event, including many of the pilgrims who come to the Italian capital for Holy Week. They watched as the cross was carried for 14 stations.

Pope Benedict said the sepulcher of the last stop would not remain sealed forever. After the evening, in the dawn of Easter, the light of joy will rise, and silence will be replaced by the word of life, and death will be replaced by the resurrection.

Earlier in the afternoon, Benedict presided over the Passion of the Lord service in St. Peter's Basilica, which lasted more than two hours.

The papal household's official preacher read out a lengthy homily in which he made several references to the role of women and said they should not try to erase the differences between genders.

The preacher said that women, in order to assert their dignity, have at times felt the need to take on male attitudes or to minimize the differences between sexes. The papal preacher said that there is reason to hope that humanity will finally enter an era of the woman: an era of heart and compassion.

On Saturday evening Pope Benedict will celebrate an Easter vigil mass and on Sunday he will deliver his "Urbi et Orbi" - to the city and the world - blessing and message.

Freed British Sailors Tell of Ordeal in Iran Detention

By Sonja Pace London 06 April 2007

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A day after returning home from nearly two weeks' captivity in Iran, some of the 15 British sailors and marines spoke openly about their ordeal - of being kept in isolation, blindfolded, hearing guns cocked behind their heads, being threatened with prison sentences and used for propaganda. VOA's Sonja Pace reports from London.

British sailors answer reporters' questions during press conference in London, 06 Apr 2007

After a day of family reunions, some of the navy crew captured by Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces faced the microphones and TV cameras back in Britain to tell their story.

"Good afternoon, my name is Captain Chris Air, Royal Marines. Myself and the gentleman on my left, Lt. Felix Carman are now going to read our statement," he said.

And the story Captain Air, Lt. Carman and the others told varied greatly from the photos shown on Iranian television over the past two weeks - of the sailors smiling, chatting, playing chess and seemingly apologetic for allegedly having strayed into Iranian territorial waters.

"We were blindfolded, stripped of all our kit [equipment] and led to a room, where I declared myself as the officer in charge, and was introduced to their local commander," he recalled.

Lt. Carmen described events immediately after the crew and their two small boats were surrounded by Iranian forces and taken to a local base. The treatment, he said got worse once they were transferred to Tehran.

"We were blindfolded, our hands were bound. We were forced up against a wall. Throughout our ordeal, we faced constant psychological pressure," he said. "Later, we were stripped and dressed in pajamas. The next few nights were spent in stone cells, all of us were kept in isolation. We were interrogated most nights, and presented with two options - if we admitted we'd strayed [into Iranian waters], we'd be back in a plane to the U.K. pretty soon. If we didn't we faced up to seven years in prison."

Carman said a general consensus emerged that they would talk, and, to some extent, go along with their captors, without revealing any operational details.

Iranian state-run Al-Alam television image of detained British sailors, 30 Mar. 2007

He said, toward the end of their detention, they were allowed some time together - in front of the Iranian media.

The one woman in the group, Faye Turney, was separated from the rest of the crew from the start, and told the others had all been released. She was the first captive shown on Iranian television. She did not take part in Friday's news conference.

The crew's capture March 23 sparked a diplomatic standoff and high-level discussions between London and Tehran. Iran maintains the British sailors were in Iranian waters when detained, British authorities insist the crew was in Iraqi waters.

British PM Tony Blair delivers a speech outside No. 10 Downing Street in central London, 05 Apr 2007

In the end, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he was giving a "gift" to the British people, when he announced the sailors' release on Wednesday, indicating Iran succeeded in sending its warning. And, in London Prime Minister Tony Blair said Britain had prevailed though a mix of dialogue and diplomatic pressure, a strategy he said the international community should continue to use with Iran when discussing other issues, such as the situation in Iraq or Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Experts Warn Climate Change Could Hit World's Poor the Hardest

By Teri Schultz Brussels 06 April 2007

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It took a contentious all-night session to bridge gaps between scientists and policy-makers, but participants at a U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change conference in Brussels emerged with a document that warns of dire consequences from global warming. Teri Schultz has the details for VOA from Brussels.

The climate change panel's final report doesn't require governments to pass any laws, spend any money or take any action to combat global warming… but what scientists in the working group consider great progress is that now, the some 130 governments who approved the document agree, global warming is happening on every continent.

Martin Parry, left, presents report on climate change at EU Charlemagne building in Brussels, 06 Apr 2007

One of the co-authors of the International Panel on Climate Change report, Martin Parry, says this is a significant milestone.

"That's an important conclusion really because for the first time, we're not arm-waving 'This might happen.' It's what we call empirical information on the ground - we can measure it," he said.

And what scientists have concluded is that the situation is worse than previously thought. Glaciers are melting, desert land is increasing and the world's temperature is gradually rising - most of which the IPCC panel attributes to carbon-dioxide emissions caused by humans - all of which can increase human suffering.

Poor populations, already fragile, will be the worst-affected, Martin Parry warns, especially in the areas of food supply and health.

"Any amount of warming is going to decrease yields and that is exactly what we don't want," he said. "We've got 500 million hungry people in the world today, according to the FAO, and those numbers are likely to increase as a result of climate change."

According to the report, rising temperatures also threaten up to 30 percent of the species around the world with an increased risk of extinction.

Some scientists complained on the sidelines of the meeting that governments had been allowed to water down the scientific findings, but Parry says getting the policy-makers to sign on to the document is of vital importance.

"Painful it may be but it creates the intergovernmental agreed baseline of information," he said. "We may not be right at the frontiers but we consolidate what we truly know."

In May, the panel will produce a similar report on how humans can help to avert the worst effects of climate change.

VOASE0406_In the News

06 April 2007

Presidential Candidates Raise Record Amounts of Money for Campaigns
Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama lead all candidates in fundraising.

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This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

The next presidential election in the United States is in November, two thousand eight. Yet several presidential candidates have raised large amounts of money already. Experts say the competition among the candidates to raise money has become the first important test of the campaign.

Senator Barack Obama

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama announced this week that his campaign has raised twenty-five million dollars over the past three months.

More than one hundred thousand people have given money to the senator from Illinois for his campaign. Thousands of people made donations of twenty-five or fifty dollars. Almost seven million dollars was raised on the Internet.

Senator Obama has raised only slightly less money than Senator Hillary Clinton of New York. She has received twenty-six million dollars in campaign donations. The former first lady's donations came from fifty thousand people. Senator Clinton has so far raised more money than any other presidential candidate.

Senator Hillary Clinton

Public opinion studies show Senator Clinton has more support than the other Democratic candidates. However, experts say the amount of money Senator Obama has raised shows that he is a major candidate.

Mister Obama is second among the Democratic candidates in public opinion studies. Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards is in third place. Mister Edwards' campaign reported raising fourteen million dollars so far.

This is the second time Mister Edwards has run for the Democratic nomination for president. He and his wife, Elizabeth, have been the subjects of many news reports recently. This is because they announced that that they will continue campaigning even though Elizabeth Edwards' cancer has returned.

Mitt Romney

Among Republican Party candidates, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has raised twenty-three million dollars. Thirty-three thousand people have donated to Mister Romney's campaign. This is more money than any other Republican candidate.

This was a surprise to many people because Mister Romney is in third place among Republican candidates in most public opinion studies. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Arizona Senator John McCain are in first and second place. Mister Giuliani has raised fifteen million dollars so far this year. Mister McCain has raised twelve and one-half million dollars.

Never in American history has so much money been raised this early in a presidential election. Many states are holding their nominating party meetings and primary elections earlier in two thousand eight. This will force candidates to spend more money earlier on advertising and campaign workers.

Experts also note that the Democratic presidential candidates have raised much more money than the Republicans. Historically, the Republican candidates have raised the most money.

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