VOASE0823_American Mosaic

23 August 2007

For Linda Blair, Life After 'The Exorcist' Includes Animal Rights Activism
Also: The results are in from the Special English listener contest. And former Shangri-Las singer Mary Weiss returns to music.

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HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

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

We listen to music from Mary Weiss …

Answer a question about American actress Linda Blair …

And report about the recent Special English listener contest.

Listener Contest

HOST:

The results of the Special English listener study are in. Many of you might have answered our announcement back in May. If you did, thank you for taking a few minutes to communicate with us. The information you provided will help Special English better understand who is listening to us, and how. Barbara Klein has more.

BARBARA KLEIN:

We asked listeners to tell us when they listen to us and how: shortwave or medium wave radio frequency, by satellite or on the Internet. We received just over one thousand letters and e-mails. They came from ninety-nine countries all around the world.

More than three hundred responses came from East Asia. More than two hundred sixty came from Africa. The largest number came from listeners in China, followed by Nigeria. Most of our fans are listening to Special English by shortwave, followed closely by the Internet.

Here are quotes from some of the e-mails we received:

Orlando in Venezuela told us that he listens to Special English every night on his shortwave radio and also downloads the text of our programs from our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. He says he is learning to write and read and hear in English and each day is better than the day before.

Mohsen from Iran wrote that he has been listening to our programs for more than ten years. He is now an English teacher and recommends our programs to his students. He also uses materials from our Web site to teach his students about the culture, history, people and language of the United States.

Joanna from Poland told us that she also uses our Web site. “I can read the text, check the meaning of the words and I can hear the pronunciation... Thank you very much for very interesting information.”

We wish we could read on the air all the wonderful messages we received. We also wish we could give every person who responded a shortwave radio. But, only one lucky person wins the radio. That person is Nguyen Kim Vu Bao, an eighteen-year-old student from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Vu Bao wrote a letter saying he has never missed any of our programs since he first discovered our broadcasts on the radio more than a year ago.

Twenty other listeners will receive smaller VOA gifts. We want to thank everyone who took part in our study and hope you all will keep listening to Special English.

Linda Blair

HOST:

Our VOA listener question this week comes from Brazil. Ivan Crespo wants to know what actress Linda Blair has done since she starred in the nineteen seventy-three movie “The Exorcist.”

In that famous movie, Linda Blair played a child who becomes possessed by the devil. The movie was very successful. The thirteen-year-old actress was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Today, most people know that the scary parts of "The Exorcist" were done with special effects. But Linda Blair says: "You would not believe how often people ask me to make my head spin around."

After ”The Exorcist,” she starred in other movies, playing troubled teenagers. She also starred in the sequel to the movie that made her famous, “Exorcist Two, the Heretic.” But it was not very successful.

In the nineteen eighties she was in several other movies that were not very popular. She also dated the singer Rick James. Some people have said that James wrote his popular song “Cold Blooded” about their relationship.

In nineteen ninety, Blair made fun of "The Exorcist" in the movie “Repossessed.” She also appeared on some television shows. In two thousand one, she hosted the show “The Scariest Places on Earth.”

Linda Blair always loved riding horses. In the nineteen eighties she competed in

Actress Linda Blair appearing in support of pit bull owners in Sacramento, California, in 2005

horse-riding events. She has a long history of helping animals. In fact, as a young girl, she had wanted to become a veterinarian, a doctor who treats animals. She has received many awards from the animal rights organization PETA. The City of Los Angeles honored her for her work with abused and lost animals.

She also began the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation. This organization provides animals with health care, food, training and shelter. It also helps people learn how to care for animals, so that fewer of them will be left alone or hurt in the future.

Mary Weiss

(MUSIC)

HOST:

That was "Leader of the Pack," a nineteen sixty-four hit song by the Shangri-Las. The four girls in this popular group were only about sixteen years old when they started making records in Queens, New York. Their songs expressed the ups and downs of being a teenager. Now, more than forty years later, the band’s lead singer Mary Weiss has returned to music. Her new album is called “Dangerous Game.” Faith Lapidus has more.

(MUSIC)

FAITH LAPIDUS:

That was the album’s title song, “Dangerous Game.” Mary Weiss worked with the

music band Reigning Sound to make her record. They did not want to copy the music of the Shangri-Las. Mary Weiss said that nobody wants to go back to the past. But she did want to keep the style of the past in her record. She said her favorite song on her album is “Break it One More Time.”

(MUSIC)

Mary Weiss’s deep, smoky voice has changed a lot since she was a teenager. She says she is always surprised to learn how many people still listen to her old songs. Now, people can listen to her new songs.

Mary Weiss has said she learned what kinds of music young people are listening to through the social networking Web site, MySpace. She even created her own MySpace page.

We leave you with “Cry About the Radio.” This song criticizes the workings of the music industry.

(MUSIC)

HOST:

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

It was written by Erin Braswell, Dana Demange and Jill Moss. Caty Weaver was our producer. To read the text of this program and download audio, go to our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com.

Send your questions about American life to mosaic@voanews.com. Please include your full name and mailing address. Or write to American Mosaic, VOA Special English, Washington, D.C., two-zero-two-three-seven, U.S.A. Join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC, VOA’s radio magazine in Special English.

VOASE0822_The Making of a Nation

22 August 2007

American History: How Science and Technology Helped Shape '90s
The last decade of the 20th century is often called one of the best periods in US history. There was peace. The economy grew. The Internet spread. But social problems included race riots in Los Angeles.

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VOICE ONE:

This is Sarah Long.

VOICE TWO:

And this is Doug Johnson with THE MAKING OF A NATION, a VOA Special English program about the history of the United States. Today, we tell about life in the United States during the nineteen nineties.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Many experts describe the nineteen nineties as one of the best periods in United States history. During almost all that time, America was at peace. The frightening and costly military competition with the Soviet Union had ended. The threat of a nuclear attack seemed greatly reduced, if not gone. Military officials said America’s defenses were strong.

A boy browses a Web site with a TV and wireless keyboard at a store in 1997

The economy improved from poor to very good. Inflation was low. So was unemployment. Production was high. Scientists and engineers made major progress in medicine and technology. The Internet computer system created a new world of communications.

VOICE TWO:

America grew by almost thirty-three million people during the nineteen nineties. This is the most the United States has ever grown during a ten-year period. Some minority groups are growing faster than the white population. For the first time in seventy years, one in ten Americans was born in another country.

During the past ten years, there was a huge increase in immigrants from Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia. More than two hundred eighty million people lived in the United States by the end of the twentieth century.

This population was getting older, however, and needing more costly health care. And, America had other problems in the nineteen nineties. Some people feared crime in the streets. People were shot and killed in offices and schools. Divisions grew between rich people and poor people.

Racial tensions remained high. In nineteen ninety-nine, Congress impeached the president of the United States. President Clinton was accused of lying to courts about a sexual relationship with a young woman who worked in the White House. Bill Clinton was found not guilty. Still, the trial and the events leading to it caused deep concern among some Americans.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

American families changed in the nineteen nineties. More people ended their marriages. The rate of these divorces increased. So did the percentage of children living with only one parent. Children in such families were more likely to be poor or get into trouble. Many American children did not live with their parents at all. The number of children living with grandparents increased greatly.

Test scores and national studies during the nineteen nineties showed that many public school students were not learning as they should. The nation needed more and better teachers.

VOICE TWO:

Rodney King shows the injuries he received from four Los Angeles police officers

Racial divisions in America were a continuing and serious problem. In nineteen ninety-one, an African-American man named Rodney King was fleeing from police in Los Angeles, California. The police had chased his speeding car for miles before stopping him. They say he reacted violently when they tried to seize him.

Police officers beat and kicked Mister King as he lay on the ground. A man who lived nearby filmed the beating with a video camera. He took the video to a local television station. Soon people all over the country were watching the police repeatedly striking Rodney King.

The four white police officers were arrested for their actions. They were tried outside Los Angeles at their request. A jury in a nearby wealthy, conservative community found them not guilty.

Fire damage in Los Angeles from rioting in April 1992

Within a short time, angry African-Americans began rioting on the streets of Los Angeles. The unrest lasted three days. Fifty-five people died in the violence. More than two thousand others were injured. One thousand buildings lay in ruins.

VOICE ONE:

Another major court trial divided black people and white people. O.J. Simpson had been a football hero and an actor. In nineteen ninety-four, Simpson was accused of killing his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and a male friend of hers. Simpson is African-American. Nicole Brown Simpson was white. Many legal experts believed the case against him was strong. Still, the mainly African-American jury judged him not guilty. Later, a mainly white jury found him guilty in a civil damage case.

Studies showed that white people believed Mister Simpson had killed his former wife and her friend. Black people thought he was not guilty.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

During the nineteen nineties, scientists worked to map the position of all the genes in the human body. Research on this human genome map progressed slowly at first. Then it speeded up. The goal was to help scientists study human health and disease. The discovery was expected to change the way some diseases are treated.

Since nineteen eighty, doctors had made important progress in treating diseases like cancer, AIDS and Parkinson’s disease. But they still could not cure them. They hoped treatments developed from knowledge of human genes would help.

Computer technology also had progressed greatly in the nineteen eighties. During the next ten years computers became even more important in American life. People depended on computers both at work and at home. They used the Internet to send electronic messages, get information and buy all kinds of products. They completed and sent their income tax forms. They read newspapers and books. They even listened to music.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Americans continued to attend classical music concerts and operas. However, many more people enjoyed popular music. One popular music form was called rap. Rap music is spoken quickly rather than sung to the music of recorded rhythms. Some rap songs suggest violent actions. Others contain sexual suggestions that many people found offensive. But rap music was very popular with many young people. So was a form of rock music called grunge.

VOICE TWO:

During the nineteen nineties, Americans watched traditional television programs as well as new kinds of shows. Millions of people liked weekly dramas like "ER" that takes place in a busy hospital emergency room. A program called “Law and Order” tells about the work of police officers, lawyers and judges. "NYPD Blue" shows the work of police officers in New York City. A show called “Seinfeld” also told about life in New York City. But this program was very funny. “Seinfeld” was the most popular television show of the decade.

Another funny and popular show was the animated series called "The Simpsons." Cable television programs also grew in popularity. One of the most popular was MTV. It showed music videos and other programs for young people.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in ''Titanic''

At the movies, Americans saw popular films like “Titanic.” It told about the sinking of the famous passenger ship on its first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in nineteen twelve. Two young people are shown falling in love during this tragic event. Another popular film was “Jurassic Park.” It brought ancient, frightening dinosaurs to life.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

As usual, Americans enjoyed sports. Public interest in baseball decreased sharply, however, after a players’ strike in nineteen ninety-four. The strike cancelled the championship World Series games that year. In nineteen ninety-eight, interest in baseball increased when two great players competed to hit the most home runs. Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire helped restore the popularity of baseball.

In basketball, experts say Michael Jordan became the best player in history. He led the Chicago Bulls team to win many championships.

VOICE TWO:

As the nineteen nineties ended, some experts worried about computers making the change to the year two thousand. They feared that computer failures might cause serious problems for everyday life. But midnight of December thirty-first passed with only a few incidents of computer trouble. Millions of people celebrated the beginning of a new century and another one thousand years. Life in the nineteen nineties had been good for many Americans. They hoped for even better days to come.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

This program of THE MAKING OF A NATION was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by George Grow. This is Sarah Long.

VOICE TWO:

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

VOASE0822_Education Report

22 August 2007

Some (Adults) Call for Shorter Summer Break for US Kids
Why American students traditionally get a long vacation.

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This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

The traditional American school year begins in late August or early September. It ends in May or June, followed by summer vacation.

Why such a long break? Because long ago, young people had to help their families harvest the summer crops. At least this is what people today may think.

The reason has more to it. A recent report from an education policy center at Indiana University explored the historical roots of the traditional school calendar.

In the early days of the United States, children were not required by law to attend school. School calendars depended on local needs.

Students in rural areas went to school for no more than six months of the year -- half in the summer, half in the winter. They worked on family farms during the other months.

City schools were often open much longer, some for eleven months of the year. Parents were happy to have a place for their children to go while the parents worked.

National leaders took a fresh look at schools after the Civil War, in the eighteen sixties. They saw a free public education as a way to help support a strong democracy and prepare workers for new industries. Immigration was increasing and so was the student population.

More and more people saw the need for a system of required education. But they had different ideas for the calendar.

Many city schools wanted a shorter year and a longer summer break. The schools were often crowded. There was no modern air conditioning and air pollution from factories was a problem.

Hot days would make it difficult to learn. A long summer break would also give teachers time for other jobs to add to their low pay.

Many rural educators, however, pushed for a longer school year. They thought it would keep children safe from industrial dangers at a time when there were few child-labor laws. They also thought it would lead to a better prepared workforce.

So the traditional school calendar was a compromise, with roots that now go back about a century and a half. The average school year used to be one hundred seventy days. Times have not changed much. Today the common average is one hundred eighty days.

But some experts think the traditional school calendar needs to change because the needs of the nation have changed. This thinking has led some schools to keep students in class longer. More on that next week.

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

VOASE0821_Health Report

21 August 2007

When Medicines Become a Risky Mix
The dangers of drug interactions.

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This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

Many people take several medicines to treat different conditions at the same time.

Each medicine may be safe to use by itself, yet together there could be dangerous or even deadly drug interactions.

One example happened last year. Rhythm-and-blues singer and songwriter Gerald Levert died at his home in Ohio. A medical examiner found that the death was accidental, caused by a mixture of medicines. He was forty years old.

The drugs in his blood included the painkillers Vicodin, Percocet and Darvocet as well as the anxiety drug Xanax. These all require a doctor's approval. Other medications that are sold without the need for a prescription from a doctor were also found in his blood.

Earlier this year there was a government report on drug interactions. Researchers said deaths from accidental drug combinations in the United States increased almost seventy percent. That was between nineteen ninety-nine and two thousand four.

In two thousand four, nearly twenty thousand people died from accidental drug poisonings. The problem is now the second most common cause of accidental death in the United States, after motor vehicle accidents.

Harmful drug interactions are a growing problem throughout the world. The increase is partly a result of patients being given more drugs and more combinations of drugs than ever before.

For example, people infected with the AIDS virus often develop tuberculosis. These conditions should be treated together. In some countries, aging populations mean more sickness, which means more need for medicine.

Experts say patients should talk with their doctor and pharmacist before taking new medications. These include drugs that do not require a doctor's approval as well as herbal treatments. Even some foods can interact with medicines in ways that may be helpful or harmful.

Alcohol may be unsafe with medicines including common painkillers like acetaminophen or ibuprofen. The combination can raise the risk of liver damage or stomach bleeding.

There are many resources on the Internet about drug interactions. However, it is always a good idea to confirm health information from the Internet with a medical professional.

And that's the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Brianna Blake.

VOASE0821_Explorations

21 August 2007

Saving Lives and Guiding Ships Along US East Coast
Lighthouses along the coast of North Carolina provide a guiding light to sea travelers.

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VOICE ONE:

This is Shirley Griffith.

VOICE TWO:

And this is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English program EXPLORATIONS. Today we tell about the lighthouses that protect ships sailing along the coast of North Carolina.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Lighthouses are built along coasts to signal to passing ships. Lighthouses are tall buildings of wood or stone or brick with large bright lights on top. Every night they shine lights to warn ships about dangerous areas where there are rocks, low water levels, or strong currents. The lighthouses along North Carolina’s coast are recognized as signs of safety for travelers at sea.

Over the years, fierce ocean storms have sent many ships crashing into the North Carolina coast. Other boats have been lost in wars. During World War Two, for example, German submarines sank many allied transport ships in that area. History experts say more than six hundred ships have been wrecked near the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Storms still uncover the ruins of wrecked ships along the Outer Banks.

The lighthouses shine their signals to prevent more wrecks. Many ships and lives have been saved because of the United States Life Saving Service and workers at lighthouses along the coast.

VOICE TWO:

The Outer Banks is a group of narrow islands stretching along the North Carolina coast in the Atlantic Ocean. The islands shelter North Carolina’s inland water passages. For thousands of years, these barrier islands have survived severe weather. Every few years, an ocean storm in the North Atlantic Ocean will move through the Outer Banks with destructive force.

Each island of the Outer Banks has its own lighthouse with a special design and history. In addition, each lighthouse has its own signal, which boats see from a distance. The different light signals help sailors identify their position from the land. This helps them judge if they are close to dangerous water passages. Today, the light signals work on an electrical timing system. In the past, workers living in the lighthouses had to turn the lights on and off.

VOICE ONE:

Ocracoke Lighthouse

North Carolina’s simplest lighthouse is on Ocracoke Island in the southern Outer Banks. Ocracoke Lighthouse was built in eighteen twenty-three. It is considered the oldest lighthouse on the Carolina coast. Its signal is a continuous white light, which can be seen almost twenty-five kilometers out at sea. Although the plans used to build Ocracoke lighthouse appear normal, the building was built off-center. As a result, it rises more sharply on one side.

Ocracoke Island is said to be the place where the pirate Blackbeard lost his head in the early seventeen hundreds. This famous ocean robber was killed in a battle with a British officer more than a century before Ocracoke Lighthouse was build. Lieutenant Robert Maynard was protecting England’s colonial interest in the New World. Historians say he tricked Blackbeard into battle and then cut off his head. Stories passed down through the years say that the spirit of Blackbeard still walks around Ocracoke Island searching for his head.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

Many people agree that the most recognized lighthouse in America is at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The building stretches fifty-eight meters in the air – making it the tallest brick lighthouse in the country. It was completed in eighteen seventy. Its signal shines a white light every seven and one-half seconds. Ships thirty-seven kilometers from land are able to see the signal.

Historians believe more people have read about, painted or taken pictures of the Cape Hatteras lighthouse than any other lighthouse in North America. It is the picture on the official documents of the United States Lighthouse Service. It is also a memorial to hundreds of men and women who worked to make North Carolina’s coast safe for sea travelers.

VOICE ONE:

In nineteen ninety-nine, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was moved more than nine hundred meters. Officials wanted to protect the building by moving it farther away from the ocean. Huge lift equipment picked up the more than four thousand ton building and carried it inland. The lighthouse was then lowered onto a new eighteen meter square concrete support structure.

Engineers inspected the repositioned building. They declared that it is standing tall and strong on its new foundation. Visitors can climb to the top of the Cape Hatteras lighthouse, but they need to be in good physical condition. This is because two hundred sixty-eight steps lead to the top of North America’s tallest brick lighthouse.

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VOICE TWO:

Another lighthouse along North Carolina’s Outer Banks is the Bodie Lighthouse. Its

Bodie Lighthouse

history is quite interesting. The fifth financial inspector of the United States Treasury Department built the first Bodie Lighthouse in eighteen forty-eight.

Stephen Pleasonton’s main concern while building the structure was to save money. As a result, his workers were not permitted to spend enough money to build a safe base. In addition, the building was fitted with a light system that was not considered effective even then. Shortly after it opened, Bodie Island Lighthouse started sinking on one side. Workers soon had to leave it.

Several years later, the United States Congress ordered a new lighthouse be built. In eighteen fifty-two, work began on a new and improved structure. The second Bodie Lighthouse was to be representative of a new look in lighthouses. It was shaped like a circular cone, made of earthen bricks made hard in a fire. Its base was built on supporting bars driven into the earth.

VOICE ONE:

The second Bodie Lighthouse was destroyed in the American Civil War. Confederate soldiers from the South wrecked the building to prevent the Union navy of the North from gaining a position to help its ships. The structure was finally rebuilt and completed in eighteen seventy-two. It rises forty-eight meters in the air.

Today, the Bodie Lighthouse needs several repairs. This is why the building is not open to the public to climb. However, the lighthouse signal is still recognized by passing ships. It is on, off, and on again for two and one-half seconds each time, then off for twenty-two and one-half seconds. Boats up to thirty-three kilometers out at sea are able to recognize the Bodie Lighthouse signal.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

The most northern lighthouse on North Carolina’s Outer Banks is at Currituck Beach. Like the other lighthouses along the coast, the Currituck Beach Lighthouse still serves as an aid to sailors. The lighthouse runs its light signal from sunset to sunrise. The signal is three seconds on, seventeen seconds off. The light can be seen as far away as thirty-three kilometers.

The Currituck Beach Lighthouse remains unpainted to help tell it apart from other lighthouses along the coast. This also gives visitors a strong sense of the one and one-half million bricks used to build the building, which stands forty-seven meters in the air. The Currituck Beach Lighthouse was completed in eighteen seventy-five. It was the last major brick lighthouse built on the Outer Banks. Visitors are permitted to climb to the top.

VOICE ONE:

Wild horses run free near the Currituck Beach Lighthouse. Horses are not native to North America. Yet for more than four hundred years, these animals have run unrestricted along the northern Outer Banks. Historians are not sure how the horses first arrived in America. They believe either Spanish or English settlers transported them. The wild horses are called Barbs. They are known for their size, their ability to work hard, their easy movement, and their long lives.

Historians say there was nothing but sea, sand and grass when these Barb horses first arrived on the Outer Banks. A continual increase in summer visitors over the past forty years has made survival for the horses more difficult. Because of this, a group of concerned citizens has built a fence to separate the horses from people. This gives them about six thousand hectares of land to live on. The group is trying to make sure the animals will be permitted to stay on Currituck Beach. Like the lighthouses, the wild Barb horses are a traditional part of life on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This Special English program was written by Jill Moss and produced by Caty Weaver. This is Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And this is Shirley Griffith. Join us again next week for another EXPLORATIONS program on the Voice of America.

North American Leaders Wrap Up Summit

By Paula Wolfson Washington 21 August 2007

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Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, center, stands with President Bush, left, and Mexican President Felipe Calderon

The leaders of the United States, Mexico and Canada have wrapped up a two-day summit at a Canadian resort. VOA White House Correspondent Paula Wolfson reports the talks on economic and security matters were overshadowed by a hurricane along Mexico's Caribbean coast.

Hurricane Dean struck the Yucatan region of Mexico in the midst of the summit. The meeting ended with statements of concern and promises of aid.

President Bush said the United States would do all it can to help in relief and recovery. "I want you to know that U.S. agencies are in close touch with the proper Mexican authorities and if you so desire help, we stand ready to help," he said.

The summit schedule was rearranged to get Mexican President Felipe Calderon home as quickly as possible. He told a joint news conference at the end of the talks that the storm spared tourist areas, but resulted in severe damage in poor neighborhoods with few resources to rebuild.

"It went over the poorer Mayan areas, and I have a great deal of concern for the housing and the lack of services in that general area for the indigenous people there. And that will be the main area of concern for us and activity," he said.

The three-way summit was held under the auspices of the Security and Prosperity Partnership, an initiative launched in 2005 to find ways to facilitate the flow of goods and services across safe and secure borders.

As the three leaders prepared to meet at a luxury resort in Quebec province, opponents took to the Internet and broadcast airways warning of a conspiracy to boost big business and create a European Union-type super-government of North America.

President Bush responded to the critics, saying they are using scare tactics. "You know, there are some who would like to frighten our fellow citizens into believing that relations between us are harmful for our respective peoples. I just believe they are wrong," he said.

Bilateral meetings were also held at the Montebello resort, giving the leaders a chance to discuss matters that might not be on the full summit agenda.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper brought up the fate of his forces in Afghanistan during his one-on-one meeting with President Bush. He later told reporters the Canadian parliament will decide if their mission should be extended beyond February 2009. "I think we all can be very proud of the work Canadian troops are doing in Afghanistan. Parliament will make its decision in due course whether it wants to prolong the mission," he said.

A session between President Bush and President Calderon focused largely on combating the drug trade and related violence along the U.S.-Mexican border. Mr. Bush said work is proceeding on a common strategy. He said the United States is committed to the effort, but stressed it will be very different from the American program to fight drug trafficking in Colombia.

"This is different from Plan Colombia. This is a plan that says we have got an issue on our own border. We share a border and therefore it is a joint program. That won't mean a U.S. armed presence in your country. Mexico is plenty capable of handling the problem," he said.

The next North American summit will take place in the United States in 2008.

Mexico Begins to Assess Damage From Hurricane Dean

By Brian Wagner Miami 21 August 2007

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Mexican officials say no casualties have been reported since Hurricane Dean hit the nation's Caribbean coast and moved inland. In Miami, VOA's Brian Wagner reports the storm may still be a threat as it continues to move west toward central Mexico.

Aftermath of Hurricane Dean in Chetumal, Mexico, 21 Aug 2007

Officials in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula began assessing the damage from Hurricane Dean after the category 5 storm hit the coastline early Tuesday bringing, winds of 265 kilometers per hour.

The eye of the hurricane first reached land near the Mexican town of Chetumal, where it uprooted trees, snapped power lines and flooded streets. Mexican troops had evacuated some residents in the area ahead of the storm, but others remained in their homes.

During a trip to Canada, where he met with U.S. President Bush and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Mexico's president, Felipe Calderon, said he was cutting short the meeting so he could return to Mexico to focus on the disaster. Calderon said he had received no reports of casualties from the hurricane so far.

At a news conference, President Bush told the Mexican leader that Washington was prepared to offer emergency assistance if needed.

"I want you to know that U.S. agencies are in close touch with the proper Mexican authorities, and if you so desire help, we stand ready to help," said President Bush.

Forecasters said the eye of Hurricane Dean followed a path across sparsely populated areas on Mexican coast, and away from population centers such as the resort city of Cancun.

Hugo Camarillo, an employee at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Cancun, said Dean brought strong winds and rain to the area, but caused no real damage.

"As I have heard, there are no damages at any hotel. It is still a little bit cloudy, but the sun is coming out," he said. "The ocean is still dangerous for swimming, but everything is going back to normal."

Camarillo said only 30 guests remained at the hotel while the hurricane passed through, but he said tour groups were expected to begin returning to the beach-side hotel late Tuesday.

The last major hurricane to hit the area was Wilma in 2005, which caused nearly $3 billion in damages on Cancun's coast.

Weather forecasters said hurricane Dean had steadily weakened as it moved over land, and was downgraded to a category one storm with winds of 140 kilometers per hour. But they warned the storm could regain strength as it moved into the Bay of Campeche, on its way to a second landfall in central Mexico, sometime Wednesday afternoon.

Hurricane Dean is blamed for at least 11 deaths in Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Haiti and the island of Dominica.

In Florida, the U.S. space shuttle Endeavour landed safely, after officials ordered the crew to end its mission one day early because of weather concerns at mission control in Houston, Texas.

Bush Says Iraqis Will Decide Their Own Future

By Scott Stearns White House 21 August 2007

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U.S. President George Bush says, despite Washington's frustration with the slow pace of political progress in Iraq, it is up to Iraqis to decide the future of their government. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports, the president is responding to an influential U.S. Senator who says Iraq's parliament should dismiss Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

The chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee says Mr. Maliki's government cannot achieve a political settlement, because it is too bound by its own sectarian prejudices.

Michigan Senator Carl Levin wants Iraq's parliament to remove Mr. Maliki's government, because he says it has "totally and utterly failed."

Speaking at a news conference, President Bush replied that it is up to the Iraqi people to determine the future of their government, not American politicians.

President Bush gestures as he responds to a question during the closing news conference at the North American Leaders Summit in Montebello, 21 Aug 2007

"The Iraqi people made a great step toward reconciliation when they passed the most modern constitution in the Middle East," said Mr. Bush. "And now their government has got to perform. And I think there is a certain level of frustration with the leadership."

Responding to reporters' questions in Canada following a meeting with the leaders of Canada and Mexico, Mr. Bush said if Iraq's government does not respond to the demands of the people, the people will replace it.

Senator Levin, a Democrat, visited Iraq with his committee's ranking Republican, Virginia Senator John Warner. In a written statement on Monday, both men said they told Iraqi leaders of the deep impatience of the American people and that time has run out on reaching a political consensus in Baghdad

The lack of political progress in Iraq has overshadowed some recent military accomplishments. Senators Levin and Warner say U.S. reinforcements are having measurable results that are giving Iraqi leaders the opportunity to make political compromises. But the Senators say they are not optimistic about prospects for those compromises.

In talks with American and Iraqi diplomatic and military officials, the senators say they witnessed a "great deal of apprehension regarding the capabilities of the current Iraqi government to shed its sectarian biases and act in a unifying manner."

Demonstrating political progress in Iraq is crucial to the president's report to Congress next month. Ambassador Ryan Crocker and top military commander General David Petraeus will report on the impact of the president's January decision to send more troops to Iraq.

Iraqi Prime Minister Holds High-Level Talks in Syria

By Edward Yeranian Beirut 21 August 2007

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Ties between Iraq and Syria appear to be warming, as Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki pursues a second day of high level meetings with top Syrian officials, including President Bashar al Assad. For VOA, Edward Yeranian reports from Beirut.

Urging Syrian support in efforts to curb violence in his country, Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki is in Damascus to meet with Syrian officials to discuss security and economic relations.

Syrian Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa,left, and Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki in Damascus, 21 Aug 2007

It is Maliki's first visit to Syria since he took office last year. Baghdad and Washington have accused Iraq's neighbor of failing to rein in the flow of militants and weapons across the border. Syria denies this.

Maliki gave an assessment of relations between Iraq and Syria.

He says talks and dialogue between Iraq and Syrian officials are taking a spirit of cooperation and relations must evolve towards uniting views and goals, with cooperation in confronting those difficulties facing us

Syria's Prime Minister Mohammed Naji Otri told Maliki that he must set a timetable for the withdrawal of "U.S. occupation forces," before Iraq can be stabilized.

U.S. troops, writes Syria's official news agency SANA, have "drawn radical forces to Iraq and ignited waves of violence."

Iraqi Army Chief of Staff Babakir Zebari, accompanying Mr. Maliki, claims that infiltration from Syria into Iraq is down by 60 percent in recent weeks.

Mohammed al Habash, a member of the Syrian Parliament from the ruling Ba'ath Party told al Arabiya TV that Iraq, "must seize the initiative."

He says the Iraqis, if they increase their control of national affairs, and cooperate with the real powers in the region, may be able to alleviate the catastrophic state of affairs that have befallen their country, but he didn't think that Syria possesses a magic bullet to resolve things, but by cooperating, they can help.

Al Jazeera reports that Assad and Maliki engaged in lengthy and detailed discussions on security, trade and refugees.

Syria, according to some reports, is now home to more than a million Iraqi refugees.

Damascus has repeatedly pleaded with international humanitarian agencies to help alleviate the burden of Iraqi refugees to its economy.

The Arab daily Asharqalawsat also reports that both countries are discussing the reopening of the Banyas oil pipeline between Iraq and Syria, closed in 1980.

Iraq's Minister of Commerce argues that trade relations between Baghdad and Damascus have deteriorated dramatically since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, and must improve.

VOASE0820_Science In the News

20 August 2007

Six Diseases of the Liver, Six Different Viruses, One Name: Hepatitis
Millions of people get hepatitis. Some become very sick. Others never even know they are infected.

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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. This week, we will tell about six diseases of the liver. The six diseases come from six different viruses. Doctors have one name for all of them: hepatitis.

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VOICE ONE:

The liver is in the upper right part of the stomach area. This dark red organ is big -- it weighs more than one kilogram. And it has a big job. The liver helps clean the blood and fight infection. It also helps break down food and store energy until the body needs it.

Hepatitis destroys liver cells. Some kinds of hepatitis are much more serious than others. Scientists have identified the six kinds of hepatitis with the letters A, B, C, D, E and G. Which kind a person has can only be known from tests for antibodies in the blood.

Antibodies are special proteins that the body's natural defense system produces in answer to a threat. Identify the antibody and you identify the threat.

VOICE TWO:

Hundreds of people waited for hepatitis vaccinations at a hospital in Massachusetts in 2004 after an employee at a local restaurant developed hepatitis A.

Hepatitis A is usually spread through human waste in water or food. It is in the same group of viruses as those that cause the disease polio.

The hepatitis A virus causes high body temperature, weakness and pain. It causes problems with the stomach and intestines, making it difficult to eat or break down food. Also, the skin of a person with hepatitis may become yellow. This is a sign that the liver is not operating normally.

To help prevent the spread of hepatitis A, people should wash their hands after they use the restroom or change a baby's diaper. People should also wash their hands before they eat or prepare food.

VOICE ONE:

Hand washing can prevent the spread of hepatitis A

Hepatitis A can spread quickly to hundreds or thousands of people. But the virus is deadly in less than one percent of cases. Many people infected with the virus never even get sick. But those who do generally recover within two months.

The World Health Organization says hepatitis A is often found in Africa, Asia and Central and South America. People who have had hepatitis A cannot get it again. There is a vaccine to prevent hepatitis A. America's Centers for Disease Control says the vaccine is the best way to protect against the disease.

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VOICE TWO:

The World Health Organization says hepatitis B is one of the major diseases of mankind. W.H.O. officials say two billion people are infected with the hepatitis B virus. More than three hundred fifty million of those infected have lifelong infections. The highest rates are in developing countries.

This virus is in the same group as the herpes and smallpox viruses. Hepatitis B vaccines have been given since the early nineteen eighties. The W-H-O says the vaccine is ninety five percent effective in preventing the development of infection in both children and adults.

VOICE ONE:

Hepatitis B spreads when blood from an infected person enters the body of another person. An infected mother can infect her baby. The virus can also spread through sex, and if people share injection devices.

Blood products from an infected person can spread hepatitis B. People also can get infected if they share personal-care products that might have blood on them. Examples include toothbrushes and hair-cutting equipment like razors.

VOICE TWO:

Worldwide, most hepatitis B infections are found in children. Young children are the ones most likely to develop a lifelong, or chronic, infection. The risk of such an infection is small for children older than four years.

About ninety percent of babies infected with hepatitis B during the first year develop chronic infections. Such persons are at high risk of death from liver disease or liver cancer. The hepatitis B vaccine is considered to be the first medicine that can protect people against liver cancer.

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VOICE ONE:

Hepatitis C is even more dangerous. Like hepatitis B, it spreads when blood from an infected person enters someone who is not infected. The hepatitis C virus belongs to the same group of viruses as yellow fever and West Nile virus.

Most people infected with hepatitis C develop chronic infections, often without any signs. They are at high risk for liver disease and liver cancer.

The World Health Organization says about one hundred eighty million people are infected with hepatitis C. The W.H.O. reports that as many as four million more become infected each year. And it says that one hundred thirty million of those with the disease may develop diseases of the liver, including liver cancer. The W.H.O. says the highest rates of infection are in Africa, Latin America and Asia.

VOICE TWO:

Scientists have been working to develop a vaccine against hepatitis C. The virus was first observed in nineteen seventy-four. But it was not officially recognized as a new kind of hepatitis until nineteen eighty-nine.

The Centers for Disease Control says about four million Americans have been infected with hepatitis C. It says that those especially at risk include persons who inject themselves with drugs and those who received blood or blood products before nineteen ninety.

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VOICE ONE:

Hepatitis D is also spread through blood, but only infects people who already have hepatitis B. The virus greatly increases the chance of severe liver damage. Experts say hepatitis D infects about fifteen million people around the world.

Doctors say the best way to prevent hepatitis D is to get vaccine that protects against Hepatitis B. Doctors can treat some cases of hepatitis B, C and D. The drugs used are very costly, however. But they are less costly than another treatment possibility: getting a new liver.

VOICE TWO:

The fifth virus is hepatitis E. Experts say it spreads the same way as hepatitis A -- through infectious waste. Cases often result from polluted supplies of drinking water. Medical science recognized hepatitis E as a separate disease in nineteen eighty.

Hepatitis E is also found in animal waste. Studies have shown that the virus can infect many kinds of animals, including cows, monkeys and pigs.

VOICE ONE:

The W.H.O. says many hepatitis E cases have been reported in Central and Southeast Asia, North and West Africa and Mexico.

No vaccines or medicines are effective against hepatitis E. Most people recover, usually in several weeks or months. But the disease can cause liver damage. And, in some cases, hepatitis E can be deadly.

The virus is especially dangerous to pregnant women. Twenty percent of women with hepatitis E die in the last three months of pregnancy.

VOICE TWO:

Scientists discovered yet another kind of hepatitis in the nineteen nineties. It has been named hepatitis G. The hepatitis G virus is totally different from any of the other hepatitis viruses.

Donald Poretz is an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. He says the hepatitis G virus is spread through blood and blood products. But he says the virus has not yet been found to cause any real disease.

VOICE ONE:

There are no cures for any kind of hepatitis. The only way to protect against infection is to receive vaccines against hepatitis A and B, and avoid contact with the other viruses. And that may be very difficult.

Remember that some kinds of hepatitis spread through sex or sharing needles. Blood products should be carefully tested for hepatitis. People in high-risk groups and those who have had hepatitis should not give blood. They also should not agree to provide their organs to others after they die. Donated organs can also spread hepatitis.

VOICE TWO:

Health experts say people can take other steps people to protect themselves. These include always washing your hands with soap and water after using the restroom. Also, wash your hands after changing a baby's diaper and before preparing or eating food.

Experts also say travelers should not drink water of unknown quality when visiting foreign or unknown areas. Visitors to such areas also should avoid eating uncooked fruits and vegetables. And, again, do not forget to wash your hands!

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by Nancy Steinbach. Our producer was Brianna Blake. I’m Barbara Klein.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Steve Ember. You can download transcripts and audio of our programs, at voaspecialenglish.com. Listen again next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.

VOASE0820_Agriculture Report

20 August 2007

The Fight Over Farm Subsidies
Negotiators will meet next month in Geneva to discuss compromise proposals for agricultural and industrial goods.

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This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

Two words are enough to start a debate: farm subsidies.

Farmers who are subsidized by their governments usually receive direct payments or loans. Domestic subsidies provide support within a farmer's own country. Export subsidies help them sell their products in other countries, often at a lower price.

Developing nations criticize export subsidies in the United States and other wealthy countries. They say the result is that their own farmers are often unable to compete on the world market.

The dispute over subsidies is one of the major barriers to a new agreement for the World Trade Organization. Negotiators will meet again next month in Geneva to discuss compromise proposals for agricultural and industrial goods.

One version written last month calls for the United States to lower its subsidies. In return, big developing countries like China, India and Brazil would make larger reductions in taxes on industries.

But in Washington, the House of Representatives recently passed a farm bill that would continue high-paying subsidies. These go mostly to farmers in the Midwest and South who grow corn, wheat, cotton, rice and soybeans. The bill would also add money for growers of fruits and vegetables.

The bill now goes to the Senate. President Bush has threatened to veto it. He opposes subsidies for farmers currently receiving high prices for crops like corn and soybeans.

Today's farm subsidies have roots in the Great Depression.

In nineteen thirty-three, Congress passed a law that paid farmers not to plant on some of their land. The idea was to control crop supplies and support prices, while protecting the soil.

Since nineteen thirty-three, legislation known as the farm bill has come before Congress about every five years for renewal.

After the nineteen sixties, aid to farmers increased. In nineteen ninety-six, Congress passed the Freedom to Farm Act. This law removed the requirement to leave areas of land unplanted in order to receive government money.

Economist and author James Weaver thinks political pressure on Congress will make big cuts in subsidies unlikely anytime soon. He says most farmers with high subsidies like the system the way it is. The amount received is based on production area. So the wealthiest farmers with the most land often receive the most money.

And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Jerilyn Watson. I'm Steve Ember.

VOASE0819_Development Report

19 August 2007

Building a Windbreak to Protect Crops
Barriers of trees and other plants seem to work best when they let a little wind pass through.

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This is the VOA Special English Development Report.

A windbreak of trees

Farmers use different kinds of soil conservation methods to protect their land from damage by farming and the forces of nature. One important form of soil conservation is the use of windbreaks.

Windbreaks are barriers formed by trees and other plants with many leaves. Farmers plant them in lines around their fields.

Windbreaks stop the wind from blowing soil away. They also keep the wind from destroying or damaging crops. They are very important for growing grains, such as wheat.

There have been studies done on windbreaks in parts of West Africa, for example. These found that grain harvests can be twenty percent higher in fields protected by windbreaks compared to fields without such protection.

However, windbreaks seem to work best when they allow a little wind to pass through. If the wall of trees and plants stops wind completely, then violent air motions will take place close to the ground. These motions will lift soil into the air where it will be blown away.

For this reason, a windbreak is best if it has only sixty to eighty percent of the trees and plants needed to make a solid line.

An easy rule to remember is that windbreaks can protect areas up to ten times the height of the tallest trees in the windbreak.

There should be at least two lines in each windbreak. One line should be large trees. The second line, right next to it, can be shorter trees and other plants with leaves. Locally grown trees and plants are best for windbreaks.

Windbreaks not only protect land and crops from the wind. They can also provide wood products. These include wood for fuel and longer pieces for making fences.

You can get more information about windbreaks and other forms of soil conservation from the group Volunteers in Technical Assistance. VITA is part of EnterpriseWorks/VITA, on the Web at enterpriseworks.org.

Internet users can read and listen to our reports at voaspecialenglish dot com. And if you have a question, write to VOA Special English, Washington, D.C., two-zero-two-three-seven U.S.A. Or send e-mail to special@voanews.com and make sure to include your name and where you are from. We might be able to answer your question on the air, but we cannot answer questions personally.

And that's the VOA Special Development Report, written by Gary Garriott. I'm Steve Ember.

VOASE0819_This Is America

19 August 2007

Chicago: Some Big Places to See in the 'City of the Big Shoulders'
Come along to a huge park, a cultural center known as “the People’s Palace,” and more, in the nation’s third largest city.

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VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I’m Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Steve Ember. This week: some places to see in Chicago.

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VOICE ONE:

Early last century, the poet Carl Sandburg described Chicago, Illinois, as the “City of the Big Shoulders.” That still seems right. Chicago does a lot of things in a big way.

For example, the city is a big transportation center in the Midwest for trains, trucks, ships and planes.

Manufacturing is one of the biggest industries in Chicago.

And Chicago has one of America’s busiest ports. The city stretches for about forty kilometers along the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. The Saint Lawrence Seaway opened in nineteen fifty-nine. It connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.

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VOICE TWO:

Chicago is big on music. Visitors can find all kinds, from classical to hip-hop. Some of the best places for jazz and blues are along Rush Street.

There are lots of things to see and hear in Chicago.

At the Art Institute of Chicago, people can see fine Asian art and much more.

At the Museum of Science and Industry, visitors crowd a working coal mine and a World War Two submarine.

At the Adler Planetarium, people see stars and learn about space. And at the Shedd Aquarium, they see colorful fish and learn about life under the sea.

VOICE ONE:

The Sears Tower

Not surprisingly Chicago has a lot of big buildings. The two tallest are the Sears Tower and the John Hancock Building.

Many people take architectural tours around Chicago. There are many interesting landmarks and building designs to see.

The Wrigley Building, near the Chicago River, opened in the early nineteen twenties. This office building is hard to miss. It is bright white.

Downtown Chicago, the business center, is known as the Loop. There are many offices and stores. The Loop includes the financial district around LaSalle Street. The financial district is home to the Chicago Board of Trade, the Chicago Stock Exchange and many banks.

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VOICE TWO:

Another big thing to see, and feel, is the weather. After all, another name for Chicago is the "Windy City." People turn their shoulders to the strong winds off Lake Michigan. In winter, Chicago gets a lot of snow; in summer, the weather is hot and sticky.

Almost three million people live in Chicago. Chicago is America's third largest city, after New York and Los Angeles. More than nine million people live in surrounding communities.

Over the years many immigrants have settled in Chicago. Many of its people have ethnic roots in Poland, Germany, Ireland and Italy. More recent immigrants have come from all over the world.

Today just under half the population of the city of Chicago is non-Hispanic white. The city has large black and Hispanic populations. Four percent of the people are Asian.

VOICE ONE:

Millenium Park, Chicago

When people in Chicago want to be outdoors, one place to go is Millennium Park. In this City of Big Shoulders, almost everything about Millennium Park is big. It covers ten hectares. It took almost nine years to finish.

Millennium Park is on Michigan Avenue near Lake Michigan. It officially opened in two thousand four. It cost four hundred seventy-five million dollars.

Millennium Park has gardens and places for music, dance and ice skating. It also has one of the largest outdoor sculptures in the world. Anish Kapoor of Britain created this work of public art. It weighs one hundred ten tons.

A huge rounded form of shiny steel captures a looking-glass image of the Chicago skyline and the clouds above. The sculpture is called “Cloud Gate.”

VOICE TWO:

The Spanish artist Jaume Plensa designed the Crown Fountain in Millennium Park. The fountain is surely one of the most unusual in the world.

The artist set a pool of water between two tall glass towers. Video images appear on the towers. The images are a series of pictures of nature and people’s faces. The water appears to pour from their mouths. The faces represent the many different people of Chicago.

VOICE ONE:

Millennium Park has music in the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. The architect Frank Gehry designed this modern-looking structure. It can seat four thousand people under its open-top steel ribbons. There is also an area called the Great Lawn to listen to the music. The sound system makes the music seem like it is coming from inside a concert hall.

The pavilion is a home for the Grant Park Music Festival. Listen as the Grant Park Symphony plays “Julius Caesar: Symphonic Epilogue After Shakespeare," Opus Twenty-eight, composed by Robert Kurka.

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VOICE TWO:

McCormick Place, Chicago

In warm weather, people eat outdoors in the McCormick Tribune Plaza and Ice Rink in Millennium Park. In winter, skaters come out to enjoy the ice.

Visitors can also walk and ride bicycles in several areas of the plaza.

An indoor space has room for three hundred bicycles. There are also places where people who ride their bikes to work can clean up and change clothes.

Another part of Millennium Park is the Lurie Garden. This one-hectare area is bordered by what is called the "Shoulder Hedge." Trees almost five meters tall form a living wall around the garden.

"Shoulder" in this case is meant to honor the poet Carl Sandburg. One hundred thirty-eight kinds of plants grow in the Lurie Garden.

VOICE ONE:

Many people enjoy the activities at Millennium Park. But critics wonder why the city needed a park so big and costly. They say the city should have spent the money instead on its more than six hundred public schools. They say it could have helped the poor.

Twenty-one percent of people in the city of Chicago were living below the poverty level in two thousand four. The official poverty rate nationally that year was about thirteen percent.

VOICE TWO:

Other people say Millennium Park has improved the appearance of the area where it was built. The mayor and many other city leaders believed a big park would bring more people, more homes and more businesses to the area.

Mayor Richard M. Daley is the son of former Chicago mayor Richard J. Daley. The father is still remembered for his control over the local Democratic Party organization. The city has not elected a Republican mayor since nineteen fifteen.

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VOICE ONE:

Another big development, the Chicago Cultural Center, stands across Michigan Avenue from Millennium Park. It contains the city's official Visitor Information Center. It is also a showplace for the arts.

The building that now houses the cultural center was completed in eighteen ninety-seven. It held the first permanent collection of the Chicago Public Library. It served as library headquarters until nineteen ninety-one.

There are white walls made of marble from Carrara, Italy. And there are two Tiffany domes. The bigger dome is one of the largest Tiffany designs in the world. It rises almost twelve meters above the floor.

People say the restored Chicago Cultural Center looks like a home for kings and queens. Some call it “the People’s Palace.”

VOICE TWO:

Visitors can listen to all kinds of music at the Chicago Cultural Center. For example, Monday through Friday, there are free LunchBreak Concerts. Listen now to Middle Eastern music performed by Safwan Matni, a popular LunchBreak Concert guest artist.

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Dancers from Hubbard Street Two in Chicago have also performed at the Cultural Center. Hubbard Street Two is a six-member dance group. It trains promising dancers between the ages of seventeen and twenty-five. They perform works by young choreographers.

VOICE ONE:

Carl Sandburg would probably not have been surprised by big projects like the Chicago Cultural Center and Millennium Park. The poet wrote: “Come and show me another city with lifted head singing so proud to be alive … ”

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VOICE TWO:

Our program was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Caty Weaver. I’m Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And I’m Faith Lapidus. Read and listen to our programs at voaspecialenglish.com. And join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. We leave you with Frank Sinatra singing about "My Kind of Town."