VOASE0613_The Making of a Nation

13 June 2007

US History: Fuel Prices, Iran Hostage Crisis Weigh on Carter's Presidency
Jimmy Carter brought Israel and Egypt together to end 30 years of conflict. But he lost support at home, in part because of his administration's failure to free Americans seized after the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran.

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VOICE ONE:

This is Rich Kleinfeldt.

VOICE TWO:

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

(MUSIC)

Today, we tell about the administration of the thirty-ninth president of the United States, Jimmy Carter.

VOICE ONE:

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter in the inaugural parade

It is January twentieth, nineteen seventy-seven. Inauguration Day. America's newly elected president, Jimmy Carter, is on his way to the White House after his swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol building.

But the new president is not riding in a car. He is walking. His wife, Rosalynn, and his daughter, Amy, walk with him. Crowds along Pennsylvania Avenue cheer. Bands play.

On this cold day in Washington, Americans look to the future. Watergate -- the crisis that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon -- is several years in the past. The Vietnam War is history, too.

VOICE TWO:

Republican Gerald Ford served the remaining years of Nixon's term. Many people believe he brought respect and order back to the government. Yet he lost the office to Democrat Jimmy Carter in the election of Nineteen-Seventy-Six.

The nation still has problems. Unemployment is high. So is inflation. But the future of the nation looks bright. Jimmy Carter feels sure about his future, too. On the day before his inauguration, he said:

CARTER: "I do feel that the people of this nation and, I think, the entire world wish me well and want to see me succeed as president. And that gives me a sense of reassurance and confidence. I think I'm ready now to be president."

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

During the election campaign, Carter often said he would be different from other presidents. He was not a member of the Washington political establishment. So he would do things in his own independent way.

Carter was from Georgia -- the "Deep South" of the United States. There had not been a president born in the South in more than one-hundred years. Carter studied nuclear engineering and attended the United States Naval Academy. He planned to stay in the Navy. Then his father died. And he decided to return to Georgia to operate the family peanut farm.

VOICE TWO:

Carter began his political life on the committee that supervised schools in his hometown. He also served in other local offices. In nineteen sixty-six, he failed to win the Democratic nomination for governor of Georgia. For the next four years, he traveled around the state gathering support. He won the next election.

As governor, Carter earned praise for reorganizing the state government. He also reformed state programs dealing with prisons and mental health care. In nineteen seventy-two, he offered himself as a candidate for vice president with presidential candidate George McGovern. But the Democratic Party chose someone else.

VOICE ONE:

Carter did not wait long to begin his next political move. He would try to win the Democratic presidential nomination in nineteen seventy-six.

Jimmy Carter was not well-known outside the state of Georgia. Political experts gave him little chance. Even his mother was surprised to learn that he wanted to be president. "President of what?" she asked.

VOICE TWO:

The farmer and former governor had a plan, however. He would try to win his party's primary elections in the South. He believed this would give him enough support at the party convention to win the nomination.

Other Democratic candidates tried to stop him, but his plan worked. By the time of the convention, he had enough support to win the nomination on the first ballot.

The Carters at Camp David

In the general election, Carter defeated President Ford by about two percent of the popular vote. He lost in the West and Middle West, but won the South and Northeast.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

President Carter believed strongly in human rights. He hoped he could use his new position to support human rights throughout the world. On this and other issues, he was not afraid of being criticized when he believed he was right.

For example, he believed it was right for the United States to end its control of the Panama Canal. He won Congressional support for treaties to give control to Panama by the year two thousand. He believed it was right to give diplomatic recognition to Communist China. And he believed it was right to continue negotiations with the Soviet Union about limiting nuclear weapons, even though he denounced human rights violations there.

In nineteen seventy-nine, Carter and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev signed the SALT Two treaty. However, Carter decided not to send the treaty to the Senate for approval after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan later that year.

VOICE TWO:

Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin at their first meeting at the Camp David summit

One of the finest moments of his presidency took place at Camp David. That is the holiday home of American presidents. There, in March nineteen seventy-nine, President Anwar Sadat of Egypt met with Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel. They signed a peace treaty ending thirty years of war between their countries. Both men said the treaty would not have been possible without President Carter's help.

VOICE ONE:

President Carter was not as successful in dealing with the economy. High unemployment and inflation continued. The federal deficit increased, although he had promised to end it. And there was a shortage of gasoline.

The shortage resulted when oil-producing countries limited production and exports. Carter urged American companies to develop new sources of energy, in addition to oil. He said the United States must do this, because it could not always depend on getting enough oil from other countries.

VOICE TWO:

During the gasoline shortage, Americans had to wait in long lines to buy fuel. They did not like it and were angry. Many were even more angry about a different situation. Like the gasoline shortage, it was a result of actions in another place.

In November nineteen seventy-nine, Muslim extremists in Iran seized the American Embassy in Tehran. They took many hostages, including more than sixty Americans. The extremists said they were punishing the United States for being friendly with ousted Iranian leader, Shah Reza Pahlavi.

VOICE ONE:

The extremists refused to negotiate. They refused to release the hostages. In early April nineteen eighty, President Carter broke relations with Iran. He then ordered American military forces to try to rescue the hostages in Tehran. The operation failed. A sandstorm caused two of the aircraft to crash into each other. They went down in the desert hundreds of kilometers away.

VOICE TWO:

The failed rescue attempt had a major effect on the presidency of Jimmy Carter. Many Americans felt it showed that he could not do the job. Their respect for him continued to decrease as the hostages continued to be held.

Other things were beginning to go wrong, too. The president's younger brother admitted receiving a large amount of money from Libya. He took the money in exchange for supporting Libyan interests with American lawmakers. His mistake was that he did not list his name as a representative of a foreign government.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Nineteen eighty was a presidential election year in the United States. President Carter was expected to be the candidate of the Democratic Party. He almost ruined his chances, however, because of the situation in Iran. Carter hoped that concern for the hostages would unite the country behind him. Instead, support turned to blame.

Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts believed he could defeat Carter for the nomination. Kennedy won several important Democratic primary elections. It was not enough. The party re-nominated Carter. Kennedy offered Carter his support, but not very strongly. This left the party divided.

VOICE TWO:

The Republicans got ready to win back the White House. They hoped to do it with a strong appeal to American voters. The appeal came from a man who would become one of America's most popular presidents -- Ronald Reagan.

That will be our story next time.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

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

VOICE TWO:

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

Israel's Ehud Barak Stages Political Comeback

By Jim Teeple Jerusalem 13 June 2007

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Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak will take over as head of the Labor Party. VOA's Jim Teeple reports from Jerusalem that Mr. Barak is expected to become Israel's new defense minister in the coalition government of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Former prime minister Ehud Barak waves to the crowd after declaring his victory in a vote for Israel's Labour party leadership, 13 June 2007

Staging a dramatic political comeback, Ehud Barak defeated former domestic intelligence chief Ami Ayalon to take back the leadership of the Labor Party. Speaking to his supporters after winning the hard-fought contest, Mr. Barak pledged to restore confidence in Israel's military.

The former prime minister says he will work for uncompromising security, pursue peace and make sure Israel's military might and deterrence will be respected again.

Amir Peretz, who has served as defense minister, was ousted two weeks ago as Labor Party chairman, following widespread criticism of his decision-making during last year's war in Lebanon.

Earlier this year, Mr. Barak called on Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to step down for his conduct during the war. Now, however, Mr. Barak is expected to join the cabinet - replacing Peretz as defense minister.

Uri Dromi of the Israel Democracy Institute says the position could lead Ehud Barak back to Israel's top job.

"I think what you are going to see is Barak staying - serving as defense minister and dealing with the top security issues like Syria, Hezbollah, Gaza and on top of everything - the Iranian nuclear threat," Dromi said. "Then at one point he will probably declare that he is now having his eye on the top position as prime minister, and we will see him breaking away from the government and new elections."

Mr. Olmert's Kadima Party and Ehud Barak's Labor Party are the two main parties in the governing coalition. Polls show both would lose to former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party if elections were held today.

However Uri Dromi says if Mr. Barak does well as defense minister those poll numbers could change.

"People here are very sensitive to defense issues because it is about our existence," Dromi noted. "If he takes the right decisions and gives the impression that this is a new Ehud Barak and not the whimsical, erratic and inexperienced leader he was in the former term, then I think you will see his ratings will rise."

Ehud Barak is a former commando and Israel's most decorated soldier. He was soundly defeated by Ariel Sharon six years ago after serving a tumultuous two years as prime minister. During his term he pulled Israeli troops out of Lebanon and tried unsuccessfully to pursue peace deals with Syria and the Palestinians.

His government collapsed when the second Palestinian intifada began, which left more than one thousand Israelis and 4,000 Palestinians dead.

Bush Appeals to Skeptical Republicans to Back Immigration Bill

By Deborah Tate Capitol Hill 12 June 2007

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President Bush Tuesday made a rare visit to Capitol Hill to press senators of his own Republican party to support legislation overhauling the nation's immigration system. Opposition Republicans, concerned about border security and guest worker provisions in the bill, blocked the measure from coming to a vote in the Senate last week. VOA's Deborah Tate reports from Capitol Hill.

President Bush makes remarks to the press on Capitol Hill in Washington after a luncheon with Republican lawmakers, 12 Jun 2007

After his meeting with Senate Republicans, President Bush acknowledged the divisions among lawmakers in his party over the issue of immigration reform.

"Some members in there believe we need to move a comprehensive bill, some don't. I understand that. It is a highly emotional issue," he said.

But Mr. Bush vowed that the White House would stay engaged with Congress on an issue that is a top priority for him.

"It's going to take a lot of hard work, a lot of effort," he said. "We've got to convince the American people that this bill is the best way to enforce our border. I believe without the bill that it's going to be harder to enforce the border. The status quo was unacceptable."

Besides securing the border, the bill would also create a temporary guest worker program and offer a path to citizenship for many of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants now in the United States.

Some Republicans are skeptical that the measure would greatly improve border security, and many others argue the plan would amount to amnesty by offering citizenship to those who entered the country illegally.

President Bush said he hoped Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, has the same desire to move the bill forward as he does.

Harry Reid

But Reid told reporters most Democrats support the bill, and that it is up to the president to deliver Republican votes.

"We have done our job. It is not a question of Democrats doing anything," he said. "It is a question of Republicans supporting their own president."

The top Republican in the Senate, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, was asked if President Bush managed to secure any more Republican support for the bill.

"I think a lot of that will depend on what it [the bill] looks like in the end," he said. "None of us knows that yet. So, it was a good give and take. We did not expect anybody to stand up and holler that they had an epiphany. We had a very good discussion about the issue."

Senator Reid could bring the bill to the Senate floor again as early as the end of next week, after senators complete energy legislation.

VOASE0612_Health Report

12 June 2007

Stent Failure: How Much of the Problem Is Caused by Doctors?
Second of two reports examining recent questions about the safety of drug-eluting coronary stents.

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This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

Today we have the second half of a report about some concerns with the use of drug-

treated coronary stents. These are small metal tubes designed to be placed inside arteries in heart patients. The stent is usually left in permanently after doctors clean out a narrowed artery with angioplasty treatment. Doctors expand the stent to hold the passage open so blood can flow normally to the heart.

Medicine on the stent is released slowly over time to stop the development of scar tissue. Scar tissue can cause the artery to become narrow again.

These devices have been approved in the United States for the past four years for patients with simple blockages and no history of heart attack. But some doctors use drug-eluting stents, as they are called, for patients with more serious heart problems. This is known as "off-label use" and is permitted.

But two recent studies questioned the safety of off-label use of drug-treated stents. Both found that some patients with more serious conditions were more likely to suffer a renarrowing of the artery. This is called restenosis.

So far, researchers have mostly investigated the stents themselves and how they are made. But now attention is turning also to the way they are being used.

The question is how much of the problem of stent failure may be the result of stents not being put in right. Or maybe they are not being expanded enough to fit firmly in the artery.

One recent study found that stents were incorrectly placed in almost seventy percent of the patients in that study.

Now a heart research organization hopes to solve the mystery. The Cardiovascular Research Foundation is a big supporter of the use of drug-treated stents. The foundation is going to carry out a large study. Spokeswoman Irma Damhuis says it will involve eleven thousand patients at ten centers in the United States and two in Germany. A heart doctor with the foundation will be one of the lead investigators.

Researchers will examine how doctors implant and expand stents and how the methods they use might affect outcomes. The study will deal especially with serious artery blockages that have been found a year or more after a stent was put in place.

And that's the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver. The first part of our report can be found at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Katherine Cole.

VOASE0612_Explorations

12 June 2007

Good to the Last Drop: Coffee Culture Is Alive and Well in the US
Join us as we explore the history and culture of coffee.

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VOICE ONE:

I’m Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Barbara Klein with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. At La Colombe coffee

A capuccino made by Doug Wolfe at La Colombe

shop in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, you can enjoy a tasty cup of coffee as you read the newspaper or meet with friends. The shop is very busy and lively.

(SOUND)

The people who work there can quickly make excellent espresso or drip coffee drinks. La Colombe is a good example of how important coffee culture has become in the United States. Join us as we explore the culture, history and business of one of the world's favorite drinks.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

In the United States, the number of specialty coffee shops has increased greatly over the years. In nineteen ninety-five there were an estimated five thousand shops and sellers specializing in coffee. By two thousand six, there were almost twenty-four thousand. It is hard to walk down a street in an American city without coming across a coffee shop. And, chances are, that coffee shop might be a Starbucks.

VOICE TWO:

The Starbucks company started in the West Coast city of Seattle, Washington, in nineteen seventy-one. Today, there are more than twelve thousand Starbucks around the world. Starbucks has helped make coffee culture a popular part of people's daily lives. The stores sell all kinds of coffee. They sell special hot and cold coffee drinks like Frappucinos and White Chocolate Mocha. They also sell food, music and books. Starbucks has helped educate people about the world of coffee.

VOICE ONE:

But there is much more to making and enjoying coffee than Starbucks. In fact, many people criticize the aggressive expansion of Starbucks and its impersonal coffee shops. The company has made business difficult for smaller, independent coffee shops. But these coffee shops have a strong and loyal following. There is a certain pride in the coffee industry among the smaller, more personal coffee sellers.

VOICE TWO:

The Specialty Coffee Association of America holds a yearly competition for the people

Judges examining espresso creations at the Mid-Atlantic Barista Championship

who prepare coffee drinks, known as baristas. The best baristas from different areas of the country gather to make three coffee drinks. A group of coffee experts judges them. The baristas take their job very seriously. They have fifteen minutes to make three kinds of coffee drinks: an espresso, a cappuccino, and a specialty drink of their own invention.

(SOUND)

HOST:

"A big round of applause for Melanie's espressos!"

The best baristas in the country then compete for the national award. There is even a World Barista Championship. This year it will be held in Tokyo, Japan.

VOICE ONE:

Doug Wolfe recently competed in the Mid-Atlantic area barista competition. But to really see him work his coffee magic, you must visit him where he works, at La Colombe.

DOUG WOLFE:

Doug Wolfe working his coffee magic

"My name is Doug Wolfe, and I am from Philadelphia. I am with La Colombe Torrefaction. I'm going to be making an espresso and cappuccino for you guys."

To make an espresso, Doug packs freshly ground coffee into a filter that attaches to a shiny La San Marco espresso machine from Italy. The machine forces heated water at high pressure through the coffee. The resulting espresso has a strong, smooth and flavorful taste. He makes a cappuccino by adding perfectly heated milk to an espresso. This may sound easy. But making a perfect espresso requires several things: the right amount of fresh coffee and expert control of water temperature, pressure and timing. La Colombe roasts its own special coffee mixtures at a factory nearby. This way it can control the high quality and freshness of its product.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

You might enjoy a cup of coffee at your local coffee shop. But coffee is part of an

Green coffee beans from Brazil are ready for roasting at La Colombe's factory

international industry. Research shows that as many as one-third of the people in the world drink coffee. Some people drink coffee for its rich smell and taste. Others like the awakening effect of caffeine, a chemical in coffee. But not everyone may know the story of coffee and how it is produced.

VOICE ONE:

One popular story about the discovery of coffee long ago is about Kaldi, a keeper of goats Kaldi was taking care of his goats in the highlands of Ethiopia where coffee trees have grown for centuries. He noticed that his goats became very excited and active after eating small fruits from a tree.

Kaldi reported this discovery to a group of religious workers. When they made a drink out of the fruit, the religious workers realized they could stay awake for long hours of prayer. This knowledge about coffee soon spread all over the world.

VOICE TWO:

Coffee trees are native to eastern Africa and areas of the Arabian Peninsula. Coffee was first grown and traded in the fifteenth century. Most coffee came from what is now Yemen. Soon, coffee was in high demand all over the Middle East. By the seventeenth century coffee had been introduced to Europe. European traders started bringing coffee plants to other parts of the world. The Dutch brought coffee to the islands of Indonesia. And by the twentieth century, most of the world's production came from Central and South America. Today, Brazil is the largest producer of coffee in the world.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Coffee berries on a coffee tree.

Most people know what a coffee bean looks like, but what about the plant? Coffee trees can grow up to nine meters high, but they are cut short for production. These trees have shiny dark green leaves that grow on opposite sides of each other on a stem. The plant produces a fruit that is called a coffee cherry.

When the coffee cherries are ripe and ready to pick, they are bright, red and firm. Inside the fruits are the green coffee beans. After these beans are roasted at high temperatures they are ready to be made into a drink.

VOICE TWO:

The two most important kinds of coffee plants are the arabica and the canephora, which is commonly known as robusta. Arabica coffee makes up about seventy percent of the world's production. These trees produce a fine and mild coffee with a rich smell.

Robusta has a more caffeine than arabica. It is usually mixed with other coffee beans or used for instant coffee. Most of the world's robusta is grown in Central and Western Africa. It can also be found in parts of Southeast Asia and Brazil. Robusta is less costly to grow because it is more resistant to diseases than the arabica plant. Also, robusta plants can survive in a warmer climate.

VOICE ONE:

There may only be two main kinds of coffee plants. But geography and climate differences have a big effect on the many different ways coffee can taste. For example, coffee grown in Ethiopia is known for its lively, sharp taste and its flowery smell. Coffee from the island of Sumatra has a full body with an earthy and intense taste. Coffee roasters combine beans from different areas to make coffees with different tastes and qualities.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Coffee is the second most heavily traded product in the world after oil. A coffee bean goes from a series of producers, exporters, importers, roasters and sellers. This long chain of production has major social and political effects. For example, some coffee producers and drinkers are concerned about the Fair Trade movement. The aim of this movement is to make sure that coffee farmers around the world get a fair price for their harvest. Poor farmers are organized into groups called cooperatives. They are guaranteed money under this system. Even if the market price for coffee drops, these farmers can earn enough money to live.

Critics of the movement say coffee farmers still do not receive a fair amount of money for their work. And some economists argue that Fair Trade creates too large a supply of coffee.

VOICE ONE:

There are also environmental concerns within the coffee industry. Industrial coffee production can have a bad effect on nature. The chemicals used on large coffee farms can hurt soil and water sources. These large farms also cut down many trees to make room for coffee plants. This threatens native plants and birds.

Environmental organizations have worked to create rules for producing coffee in environmentally friendly ways. Many coffee drinkers buy this coffee to support their efforts.

VOICE TWO:

So, the next time you enjoy your morning coffee, you can think about its rich history and wide popularity. And you can imagine the long distances it traveled to end up in your cup.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

This program was written and produced by Dana Demange. I’m Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Barbara Klein. You can see pictures of Special English listeners on our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.

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Photo credits: Coffee berries, by Marcelo Correa/Wikipedia Commons. All others, Dana Demange.

Forgotten Photos Show Life in 1940s Chinese City of Tientsin

By Mike O'Sullivan Los Angeles 11 June 2007

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A photo exhibition in California has resurrected images from 1940s China. VOA Mike O'Sullivan reports, the exhibition, called Faces of Tientsin, 1946, is composed of photographs kept in storage for six decades.

Street vendor with little girl in Tientsin, 1946

The photographs were taken by a young officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, Harold Giedt, who was stationed in Tientsin - modern-day Tianjin - after the Second World War. His unit was helping repatriate Japanese troops and civilians after Japan's defeat, and Americans and Europeans who had been held in Japanese prisoner-of-war camps.

Giedt was no stranger to China. He grew up as the son of a Western missionary in a village in Guangdong province. His playmates were all Chinese and he was fluent in the local dialect. He received additional Mandarin-language training after joining the U.S. Marines. He had worked as a part-time photographer during his college days, and took two cameras with him as he headed for Tientsin in late 1945.

Sampan family in Tientsin, 1946

With his language abilities, he found that people opened up as he strolled the streets.

"I would get talking with them, and then ask them if I could take their picture," he said. "And sometimes, especially the adults and the women, would be a little more shy. But after a while, I would say, 'you look very distinguished or very interesting, and people in America would like to know how Chinese look.' And so they would often then say, OK."

Lady with fresh-baked buns in Tientsin, 1946

The resulting photographs were candid shots of life in one city in post-war China. A woman, her face lined with age, smiles as she displays fresh-baked buns. Men are sawing a tree trunk to make boards for furniture. A young girl examines a box of trinkets as the elderly bearded vendor watches patiently, and a crowd of adults and children views the scene.

Retired geography professor Bob Gohstand directs the Old China Archive at California State University, Northridge, which is sponsoring the exhibition of 36 of Giedt's photographs. Gohstand grew up in Shanghai's international settlement, and the archive preserves the history of the Western presence in China.

He says Giedt clearly had a bond with the people he photographed because these portraits capture their humanity. Gohstand, a book lover, describes two of his favorites.

Boys reading in Tientsin, 1946

"There are two very nice images of people reading," he said. "There are two boys nestled against each other, one reading over the other's shoulder, which I think is just a very charming picture, and another of a dignified old gentleman in traditional garb standing and reading. So I think those two mean quite a lot to me."

Harold Giedt went on to become a professor of counseling services at this university in suburban Los Angeles. He always hoped to show the photographs some day, and that day finally arrived 61 years after he took the pictures.

Harold Giedt (l) with Bob Gohstand

Bob Gohstand says that treasures like these may be hidden away and ignored in people's homes and attics, and he hopes the best are not lost to history, but are preserved in archives.

"I feel that I am working on just a little corner of a massive conservation effort because we live in an age where information simply inundates us every moment," he said. "But we all are products of our individual and collective past. And I find it very hard to make really intelligent sense of the world we live in if we do not consider where came from and what people were like. Harold's pictures are 60 years old. And really, it is like looking through a looking glass into a different world."

The photo exhibition in the Oviatt Library of California State University, Northridge, will run through August 1.

UN Prosecutor Says Trial of Former Liberian President to Proceed

By Stephanie Ho Washington 11 June 2007

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The chief prosecutor of the U.N.-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone says he is confident the trial against Charles Taylor will proceed as scheduled, despite the former Liberian president's no show at the trial's opening last week. VOA's Stephanie Ho reports from Washington, where the prosecutor spoke with reporters.

Charles Taylor (2006 file photo)

The Special Court for Sierra Leone was set up by the Sierra Leonean government and the United Nations in 2002 to try those responsible for war crimes during that African nation's decade-long civil war.

Mr. Taylor is accused of terrorism, murder, rape, sexual slavery, mutilation and recruiting child soldiers during the time he was president. He has pleaded innocent to all counts.

At a news conference in Washington Monday, Special Court for Sierra Leone chief prosecutor Stephen Rapp said he believes Charles Taylor's decision to boycott the trial opening last Monday at the Hague will not be a dire setback.

"The trial can not be hijacked by an individual," said Rapp. "It needs to go forward and go forward in the best possible way, but not in a situation where the accused himself can essentially abort the process by the election not to turn up."

Mr. Taylor is in custody in the Hague, but did not show up in the court room. His lawyer read a letter saying the former Liberian leader was absent because he believes he will not get a fair trial.

Herman Von Hebel, the Special Court's acting registrar, dismissed Mr. Taylor's claims that he had insufficient resources to prepare a proper defense.

"Actually, we have been giving the defense counsel sufficient funds, more actually, than defense counsels get in other international tribunals," said Hebel.

At the same time, regional experts believe Mr. Taylor, who has said he wants to represent himself, has millions of dollars stashed away from his time in power.

Special Court for Sierra Leone chief prosecutor Stephen Rapp (2006 file photo)

Chief prosecutor Rapp says the next step of the court proceedings is the first session to present evidence and hear witnesses, which begins June 25 and runs for four weeks.

"We're anticipating going forward with that session," said Rapp. "I suppose there's some difficulty on the counsel question or something else that needs to be done, there could be some delay during that period, but we're not anticipating that."

Rapp says he expects the trial judges will want to keep the proceedings on schedule to wrap up within 18 months, or by the end of 2008.

Mr. Taylor does not face the death penalty and there is no prescribed maximum number of years in prison if he is sentenced. But the prosecutor added that he is pushing for a stiff jail term.

"Mr. Taylor is now 59 years old," said Rapp. "We would anticipate that he could receive a sentence that would effectively be a life sentence."

If Mr. Taylor is acquitted, he is free to return, as a private citizen, to Liberia. If he is convicted and sent to jail, he is set to serve out his prison term in Britain.

Russian Opposition Demands Right to be Heard

By Peter Fedynsky Moscow 11 June 2007

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Russia's fledgling opposition held another anti-corruption rally in Moscow Monday. Rally organizers representing the Other Russia coalition say a relatively small turnout does not mean the opposition lacks popular support, but rather, that it lacks access to television. VOA's Moscow correspondent Peter Fedynsky has more from the Russian capital.

Opposition demonstrators on Pushkin Square

Demonstrators on Moscow's Pushkin Square chanted, "We need a different Russia!" And while the protesters represented different parts of the political spectrum, they agreed on the right to express opposing views not only among themselves, but to the people of Russia.

Addressing the crowd, former chess grand champion and now opposition leader Gary Kasparov listed some of the problems that need to be addressed, problems he says, that the country's rulers and bureaucratic elites are neglecting.

Garry Kasparov addresses protesters

Kasparov says the problem could be a public square or children's playground seized by commercial and bureaucratic interests. Or he says, it could be meager pensions, high inflation, crumbling infrastructure, and the absence of freedom. Kasparov added that every Russian's personal security is held hostage by officials who place their personal interests above the common good.

Several speakers and people in the crowd mentioned "chynovnyky," or bureaucratic officials who stand in the way of Russian progress.

Among the demonstrators was Raissa Fedorovna, a retiree and former newspaper vendor who says she waged a 10-year struggle against such officials who tried to illegally seize her apartment. In the end, she lost.

Fedorovna says authorities last year presented a counterfeit title to take her property. Formal complaints failed because, as she alleges, the police, prosecution and the courts, are on the side of the bureaucrats.

Riot police watching the demonstrators

A substantial security presence, including police in riot helmets and flak jackets, surrounded the demonstration. Authorities were quick to turn off the electricity as soon as the demonstration permit expired. They did not, however, stop a truck that circled the area blasting mocking noises at the demonstrators.

Protesters ignored the distraction, and expressed confidence that the opposition will do well in upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections, despite the fact that few people attended or even knew of the demonstration. Gary Kasparov said access to television is a key to spreading opposition messages.

Two weeks of uncensored television, says Kasparov, is all that is needed to disrupt the regime, because the people will hear the truth about what they now suspect to be a corrupt government.

Another opposition leader, Eduard Limonov said a mere half hour of television access would be sufficient.

The rally in Moscow was the ninth in recent months held in various Russian cities. About 3,000 demonstrators attended one such protest on Saturday during a major international economic forum in Saint Petersburg.

Both rallies ended peacefully. Earlier opposition demonstrations were dispersed by force, which caused an international public relations problem for the Kremlin.

Allegations of Irregularity, Apathy, and Violence Mark Egyptian Elections

By Cache Seel Qanater 11 June 2007

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Independent observers and opposition groups are accusing the Egyptian government of intimidating voters and candidates, and tampering with parliamentary elections. Cache Seel reports for VOA from Qanater that violence and low voter turnout are being reported across the country.

Nearly 600 candidates are competing for the 88 elected seats in Egypt's upper house of parliament, known as the Shura Council.

For the first time Egypt's banned, but tolerated, opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, is fielding candidates for the Shura Council elections. The group, which has been banned since 1954, runs candidates as independents. Hundreds of members of the group, including a candidate, have been arrested in a government crackdown since the announcement the group would contest 19 seats.

Mohamed Habib (2005 file photo)

Deputy Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Habib, says the group does not know how many of its members are being held.

"We cannot determine the number of detainees, because it is constantly increasing and changing from one second to another," Habib said.

He lists a series of charges against the government ranging from mass arrests to closing polling stations and fabricating votes.

Shura roughly translates into English as "consultative". The powers of the council are much more limited than the lower house of parliament, called the People's Assembly. The Muslim Brotherhood won roughly 20 percent of the People's Assembly in the last round of parliamentary elections.

Egyptian anti-riot policemen block the entrance of Manshiyat al-Qanater polling station in Giza, Egypt, 11 Jun 2007

At the Manshiyat Al-Qanater polling station, Muslim Brotherhood candidate Sa'id Saleh complained of intimidation and harassment by the police since he announced his candidacy. This highlights the importance of the election he says.

"Our cause is reform. We are working for reform and against corruption," he said. "Corruption is widespread and we need to work on ending it."

The Sawasiya Human Rights Center has election monitors in most of Egypt's governorates, Abdel Moneim Abdel Maksoud the head of the center, says he is receiving numerous reports of irregularities.

"Most of the violations," he says, "are occurring in the areas that have Muslim Brotherhood candidates."

Monitors from his group say that ruling party supporters were being bused in, voters were being intimidated, and ballot boxes were being stuffed.

The government denied the claims.

A spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior said the elections are being monitored by a committee that includes media experts, representatives of the candidates, and non-governmental organizations. The government also registered 400 correspondents, who had full access to every polling station in Egypt.

Candidate Sa'id Saleh's daughter, Mariam Sa'id, says she witnessed ballot box tampering.

"I was here when it opened at eight o'clock," she said. "I went in to vote and the box was glass. Later when my aunt came to the same station the box was wooden."

Violence was reported at several polling stations across Egypt. At least one person has been killed and three others seriously wounded in clashes between supporters of a ruling party candidate and an independent.

According to the Sawasiya Center, voter turnout is extremely low in most areas. Early estimates suggest that the national average will not exceed seven percent.

Truce Collapses, At Least 11 Palestinians Killed in Factional Violence

By Robert Berger Jerusalem 11 June 2007

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At least nine Palestinians have been killed in a flare-up of factional fighting in the Gaza Strip. As Robert Berger reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau, repeated attempts to restore calm have failed amid a power struggle that is growing move violent.

Palestinian mourners carry the body of Hamas supporter Mohammed Rifati during his funeral in Gaza City, 11 Jun 2007

Gunmen from Hamas and the rival Palestinian Fatah faction fought fierce battles across Gaza. Government headquarters came under fire sending Cabinet ministers fleeing from their weekly meeting. There were also clashes at two hospitals.

The fighting has become increasingly brutal. In one incident, Hamas gunmen dragged the senior Fatah official in northern Gaza out of his home and executed him. Medics say was hit by 45 bullets. Earlier, a man from Hamas and another from Fatah were hurled to their deaths from high-rise buildings.

The fighting has raised fears of a Palestinian civil war. Cease-fires have quickly collapsed time and again, including one earlier on Monday.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah appealed to both sides for calm.

"This is shameful for our people," Mr. Abbas said. "I call on everyone to stop the violence immediately so our people can live normal lives."

Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas also called for a truce.

But it appears that both leaders have lost control of the gunmen who rule the streets.

VOASE0611_Science In the News

11 June 2007

Scientists Confirm Case of Shark That Reproduced Without Mating
Also: researchers celebrate the 300th birthday of Carl Linnaeus, the man who named the natural world. And a question from China about losing weight.

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VOICE ONE:

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

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. On our program this week, we will tell about an animal that can reproduce without mating. We also will tell about a Swedish man who developed a naming system for all living things. And, we answer a listener's question about weight loss.

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VOICE ONE:

File photo of a hammerhead shark, the kind involved in the first known case of asexual reproduction in sharks.

The birth of a shark in the United States has been confirmed as the first case of a female shark reproducing without a male shark. Scientists from Florida, Nebraska and Northern Ireland studied genetic material taken from a baby hammerhead shark. The baby shark was born six years ago at a zoo in Omaha, Nebraska. At the time, its mother had been living without male sharks for three years.

Another fish was said to have killed the baby shark shortly after it was born. Recently, tests showed the baby had no genetic material from a male shark. The findings were reported in the publication Biology Letters.

VOICE TWO:

At the time of the birth, researchers believed that the mother had possibly used reproductive fluid received from a male shark years earlier. Female sharks are able to store such fluid from male sharks. However, no shark has been known to do this for several years.

Instead, the scientists found the mother’s own genetic material combined when her egg was produced. This form of reproduction involving only one animal is called parthenogenesis. It is also known as asexual reproduction.

VOICE ONE:

Asexual reproduction has been known to happen in some animals, including snakes and lizards. But it has never been confirmed in mammals. The shark's birth was the first time asexual reproduction had been observed in a shark. It has yet to be observed in animals that live in the wild.

Scientists say the discovery may also explain growing numbers of sharks born in captivity without males present. However, genetic material from these sharks must also be tested to confirm asexual reproduction.

VOICE TWO:

Scientists now wonder if animals living in the wild also reproduce in this way. Many shark populations are decreasing because people are killing too many of the animals. The asexual form of reproduction could help population numbers. Yet scientists say it could also be harmful for the species itself.

Biologists say that sharks born asexually with only their mother’s genetic material will have less chance of surviving than other sharks. Genetic material from a male and female helps living creatures to better deal with disease and other threats. If sharks in the wild are reproducing asexually, their young will be genetically weaker than those produced sexually.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Carl Linnaeus

Last month, scientists around the world celebrated the birthday of an important man in the history of science. His name was Carl Linnaeus. He was born three hundred years ago in Sweden.

Carl Linnaeus is remembered for developing a system of scientific names for all the living things on Earth. Experts say his system continues to influence the way people think about the natural world.

VOICE TWO:

Linnaeus was a medical doctor. He also was very interested in plants. In seventeen thirty-five, he produced a book that listed all the known plants in the world by their sexual parts. The book was called "Systema Naturae," or "System of Nature."

Linnaeus later published two more books. They proposed a system of dividing and ordering plants by groups. These publications listed and ordered all the known plants and animals in the world. That was more than seven thousand kinds of plants and more than four thousand kinds of animals.

Linnaeus continued to make changes in his system and publish books describing them. The tenth version of "Systema Naturae" was published more than twenty years after the first one. The naming system he described in that book is the one that has been used ever since by scientists.

VOICE ONE:

The system that Linnaeus used to organize all living things started with the largest group, called a kingdom. He divided all living things into one of three kingdoms: plant, animal, or mineral. Members of each kingdom were then placed into increasingly smaller groups. Linnaeus' system was the first to place human beings in the same group as animals that walk on two legs.

The main part of the system that survives today combines two groups that have biological meaning. It is the two-word description of an organism based on its physical appearance: the genus name and the descriptor. A good example is the expression Linnaeus used to describe human beings and that we continue to use -- homo sapiens.

VOICE TWO:

Scientists have been making changes to his naming system for more than two hundred years. Today, some experts want to re-organize the system. They say this is needed because of the scientific progress that has been made since Linnaeus' time. For example, biology experts want changes because knowledge of genetic material has created much new information.

Some people are calling for a system that would group organisms with a common history. But others feel there is no real agreement as to how to place new discoveries in groups. They say Linneus' system has been used for so long that it would be very difficult to change.

Scientists say the main reason the system survives is because it is simple. They say its use makes it possible for persons who speak different languages to understand each other, and agree on what they are talking about. The system also makes it easy for scientists today to identify all the ten million known species of plants and animals. That is many more living things than were known during Carl Linnaeus' lifetime.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Finally, a listener has written from China for advice about how to lose weight. Michael in Shanghai says he is twenty-six years old and has been severely overweight for most of his life.

Doctors say this condition, also known as obesity, is complex. A doctor may advise medical interventions in addition to changes in behavior. But experts say the most successful weight-loss plans include a well-balanced diet and exercise.

VOICE TWO:

People who want to avoid weight gain have to balance the number of calories they eat with the number of calories they use. To lose weight, you can reduce the number of calories you take in, or increase the number you use, or both.

Experts at America's National Institutes of Health say a person wishing to lose weight should have an hour of moderate to intensive physical activity most days of the week. This could include fast walking, sports or strength training.

You should also follow a nutritious eating plan and take in fewer calories than your body uses each day.

VOICE ONE:

A recent study looked at four of the most popular dieting plans in the United States. Researchers at Stanford University in California studied more than three hundred overweight women. Most of the women were in their thirties and forties.

Each woman went on one of the four plans: Atkins, The Zone, Ornish or LEARN. The women attended diet classes and received written information about the food plans.

At the end of a year, the women on the Atkins diet had lost the most -- more than four and one-half kilograms on average. They also did better on tests including cholesterol levels and blood pressure. The Journal of the American Medical Association published the findings.

VOICE TWO:

Christopher Gardner led the study. He says the Atkins diet may be more successful because of its simple message to lower intake of sugars. Also, he says the advice to increase protein in the diet leads to more satisfying meals.

He says there was not enough money to also study men, but that men would probably have similar results.

VOICE ONE:

Another report suggests that only a small minority of people have long-term success with dieting. Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, medical school found that most dieters regained their lost weight within five years. And often they gained back even more. But those who kept the weight off generally were the ones who exercised.

The report was based on thirty-one studies. It was published in the journal American Psychologist.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by Brianna Blake, Nancy Steinbach and Caty Weaver. Our producer was Mario Ritter. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Barbara Klein. Join us again at this time next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.

VOASE0611_Agriculture Report

11 June 2007

Raising Rabbits Offers a Big Return From a Small Investment
The animals are clean and quiet, do not need a lot of room and are low cost to feed.

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This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

Rabbits in a cage

Rabbits are easy to raise. The long-eared animals are clean and quiet. They do not need a lot of room. And you do not have to spend a lot of money to feed them. With rabbits, you get a big return from a small investment.

One male and two females will produce in a year as many as fifty more rabbits. That is enough to provide a good supply of meat for a family. Rabbit meat is high in protein and low in fat.

You do not have to be a farmer to raise rabbits. You can raise them in the city.

There are about sixty different kinds of rabbits. The ones that produce the most meat from the least amount of feed weigh four and one-half kilograms.

Rabbit houses are easy to make with wood and wire fencing material. They do not have to be very big. But each rabbit must have its own little room in the house. This is very important. Each room should be about seventy-five centimeters wide, sixty centimeters high and one meter deep.

Fencing is used for the sides and floor of the rabbit house. The holes in the wire fencing should be about one centimeter square. Wastes from the animals will drop through the holes. This keeps the rabbit house clean and dry.

Rabbits need a lot of fresh air and sunlight. Cover the sides of the rabbit house only to protect it from rain.

Rabbits eat mostly grass and leaves. Feeding containers hung on the outside of the house let the rabbits eat whenever they want. They simply pull the grass and leaves through the holes in the wire.

Each room should have fresh water. The water containers should be heavy so the rabbits cannot turn them over. Or you can tie the containers to the wire.

One month after mating, female rabbits give birth to about eight babies. In two months, a baby rabbit should weigh about two kilograms. This is big enough to make a meal for a small family.

Rabbits are also valuable for their fur. It takes time, skill and money to prepare the fur and skin for use. If you have only a few rabbits, it probably would be best to let a professional tanner prepare the fur for you. Skill is also needed to remove the fur from the rabbit.

But rabbits do not have to be dead to be valuable. Many people enjoy keeping rabbits as friendly pets. And rabbit manure makes an excellent fertilizer. It can be mixed directly into the soil to improve the growth of vegetables, trees and flowering plants.

And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.