Somalis Skeptical of Peace 'Under Occupation'

By Alisha Ryu Mogadishu 14 June 2007

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One day after Somalia's interim government postponed a national reconciliation conference for the third time in three months, some residents of Mogadishu are expressing doubt the conference can be held while Ethiopian troops are in the country. VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu in Mogadishu reports that a late-night gun battle Wednesday between Ethiopian troops and insurgents in south Mogadishu has caused more people to flee their homes.

Just hours after Somalia's national reconciliation committee announced a month-long delay in peace talks, insurgents in the capital demonstrated why bringing Somalis together is proving to be a struggle for the interim government.

Ethiopian troops patrol the streets of Mogadishu, Somalia, 4 June 2007

An unknown number of insurgents simultaneously attacked at least three Ethiopian positions in south Mogadishu with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades. The Ethiopians returned fire, sparking an intense half-hour battle in the streets.

Some homes around the area appeared to have been abandoned overnight. Residents tell VOA that some people, who returned to their homes in recent weeks, have fled the city again, fearing the start of another round of fighting.

An Ethiopia-led security sweep of the city in March and April killed more than 1,500 people and displaced nearly a fifth of Mogadishu's two million residents.

Ali Mohamed Hussein, 42, works as a private security guard in south Mogadishu. He says most insurgents, including Islamist fighters, are Somalis who belong to the locally-dominant Hawiye clan.

Hussein says many clan members oppose the government because it is being protected by Ethiopian troops and is forcing Somalis to live under an occupying force. He says the government has also shown little willingness to reconcile with its perceived enemies.

Hole left by an Ethiopian tank shell in a Mogadishu building (May 2007)

Hussein says Wednesday's violence shows there is still no peace or stability in the city. He says he does not believe the government can hold a reconciliation conference while some Hawiyes, such as the Islamists, are excluded from the talks and Ethiopians are still in the country.

In another part of the city, truck driver Hassan Abdi Farah, 20, predicts the conference will be postponed indefinitely.

Farah says he is certain the peace talks will not take place in the near future because even the Hawiye clan is divided and unable to agree on anything. He says he believes the only way to bring peace to the country is for the elders of the sub-clans to unite and for Ethiopians to leave Somalia immediately.

Ugandan peacekeepers on patrol in Mogadishu (May 2007)

Ethiopia says it does not want its troops to stay in Somalia, but that it cannot leave before a full force of African Union peacekeepers replaces its soldiers.

The African Union has committed to sending 8,000 troops, but so far it has only 1,400 troops from Uganda on the ground in the Somali capital.

Macau Bank Transfers North Korean Funds

By Kurt Achin Seoul 14 June 2007

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A Chinese official in Macau confirms North Korean funds have been transferred out of a bank there, en route to Pyongyang. The transfer removes a major obstacle in getting Pyongyang to fulfill its promise to begin dismantling its nuclear programs. As VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Seoul, the banking breakthrough coincides with a South Korean announcement of emergency food assistance for the North.

A man talks on a mobile phone in front of the headquarters of Banco Delta Asia in Macau, March 2007 file photo

Macau Secretary of Finance and Economy, Francis Tam, says that most of the North Korean money at the heart of a protracted banking dispute had been transferred out of a bank in the former Portuguese colony.

Tam says Macau's Banco Delta Asia remitted more than $20 million according to the instructions of a North Korean client.

Tam did not reveal the precise path of the funds. South Korean and Japanese media report the funds would be processed through the U.S. Federal Reserve and the central bank of Russia to a North Korean account in a Russian bank.

About $25 million in North Korean funds were frozen at Macau's Banco Delta Asia, after the United States Treasury said in 2005 the bank was involved in illegal activities, such as money laundering. Although the United States removed its objection to returning the money to the North, no bank had been willing to handle the transfer for fear of jeopardizing relations with the U.S. banking system.

North Korea has blamed the transfer delay for its refusal to meet a deadline for shutting down its main nuclear-production facility. The mid-April deadline was the first phase in a multi-national agreement made with North Korea in February in Beijing aimed at ending the North's nuclear weapons capabilities.

South Korean Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung speaks to media in Seoul, 14 June 2007

In Seoul, Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung announced South Korea would send more than 30,000 tons of emergency corn, wheat, and beans to North Korea via the U.N. World Food Program.

Lee says the action is appropriate given North Korea's situation, and the South's role as a responsible member of international society.

World Food Program officials say the economically isolated North faces some of its most severe food shortages since the mid-1990s, when it suffered widespread famine.

South Korea said it has delayed delivery a much larger shipment of rice until Pyongyang lives up to its February agreement promises.

Christopher Hill (file photo)

More details about the state of that agreement may emerge Friday, when the chief U.S. nuclear negotiator, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, arrives in Mongolia. Hill is also due to make stops in Beijing, Seoul, and Tokyo.

It remains to be seen whether resolving the bank issue will be enough to persuade North Korea to take action on its nuclear program. Experts say that will depend on whether Pyongyang feels it has the full access to the international banking system, which it feels it deserves.

Angry Mourners Bury Slain Lebanese Lawmaker

By Challiss McDonough Cairo 14 June 2007

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Thousands of angry mourners have attended the funeral of Lebanese lawmaker Walid Eido, who was killed along with nine others in a car bombing Wednesday. VOA's Challiss McDonough has more from our Middle East bureau in Cairo.

Funeral procession of Walid Eido in Beirut, 14 Jun 2007

Several thousand mourners chanted anti-Syrian slogans as lawmaker Walid Eido's coffin was carried toward the cemetery.

A large car bomb Wednesday killed Eido, his son Khaled and eight other people. It was the sixth and largest bombing in or near the Lebanese capital in the last month.

Walid Eido was the seventh prominent anti-Syrian figure to be assassinated in Lebanon since the beginning of 2005, when former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 22 others were killed by another massive car bomb.

Lebanese lawmaker Walid Eido (2006 photo)

Eido was chairman of the parliamentary defense committee and a member of the anti-Syrian March 14th movement led by Hariri's son, Saad.

At the funeral, Saad Hariri called the killers "criminals."

He says the killers will be dragged to prison, dragged to justice, God willing. He says then Lebanon will have justice, and Walid Eido and his son will be the nation's martyrs.

A new U.N. Security Council resolution went into effect three days ago establishing an international tribunal for suspects in the Hariri assassination. Syria and its allies in Lebanon oppose the court, and the issue has been at the center of a political deadlock that has all but shut down Lebanese politics since November.

Hundreds of mostly pro-Syrian opposition activists have been camped outside the prime minister's office in an open-ended protest. The opposition has been calling for a new government for more than six months, ever since six pro-Syrian cabinet ministers resigned, including all of the Shi'ites.

Opposition leaders deny their protests are related to the tribunal, but most analysts say the international court is the key issue behind both the cabinet walkout and the street demonstrations.

Scene of Beirut bomb attack that killed Walid Eido, 13 Jun 2007

Syria has condemned the attack that killed Walid Eido and has also denied responsibility for it. The foreign ministry called it a "criminal attack" aimed at damaging Lebanon's security and stability as well as discrediting Syria.

The anti-Syrian March 14 group currently holds a narrow majority in Lebanon's parliament. Several key members, including Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, say the most recent assassinations are an effort to cut down their parliamentary majority.

Lebanon's pro-Syrian President, Emile Lahoud, has refused to call a by-election to replace the last slain lawmaker, Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel, who was shot to death in November.

Lebanon has also been rocked over the last month by ongoing clashes between the army and heavily armed Sunni Muslim militants holed up in a Palestinian refugee camp in the north. The group, Fatah al-Islam, is inspired by al-Qaida and has threatened to take the battle outside the camp.

VOASE0614_Economics Report

14 June 2007

Climate Change and the Group of 8 ... and China
G8 leaders agreed in Germany to "consider seriously" making sharp cuts in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. But China says no to targets, at least for now.

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This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.

Leaders at the Group of Eight meeting last week in Heiligendamm, Germany,

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the G8 Summit in Heiligendamm, Germany

discussed issues including climate change and aid to Africa. The eight nations represent almost two-thirds of the world economy. They are Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel failed to get them all to accept a goal to limit temperature increases this century to two degrees Celsius. But earlier, President Bush announced a policy change. He said the United States will support an effort to negotiate a new agreement on climate policy before two thousand nine. He proposed a conference of the major producers of greenhouse gases.

The current agreement, the Kyoto Protocol, ends in two thousand twelve. The United States rejected it for economic reasons. The treaty requires industrial countries, but not developing ones, to reduce greenhouse gases linked to climate change.

China, for example, is the second largest producer of heat-trapping gases. Experts say it could top the United States within two years.

Last week, China released its first plan to deal with climate change. China aims to reduce energy use. But the plan does not include targets for reducing greenhouse gases.

China says industrial nations were mostly responsible for the current problem as they burned unlimited amounts of oil, gas and coal. It says asking developing countries to lower their emissions too early will hurt their development.

The eight leaders agreed to "consider seriously" the decisions by the European Union, Canada and Japan to cut global emissions in half by two thousand fifty. Chancellor Merkel, the current G-Eight president, said she was "very, very satisfied" with the agreement. But she noted it was a compromise.

The G-Eight leaders also promised sixty billion dollars in "the coming years" to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in Africa. The amount includes thirty billion dollars, over five years, that President Bush has asked Congress for. But some activists criticized the G-Eight offer as short on details and short of promises made two years ago to improve African health systems.

Also at this year's meeting, the G-Eight established a process for high-level economic talks with Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa. The aim is to produce results within two years.

And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report, written by Mario Ritter. I'm Bob Doughty.

VOASE0614_American Mosaic

14 June 2007

No More 'Star Wars' Movies, but the Makers Try to Keep Force With Them
Also: a question from Iran about the failed Whiskey Rebellion in early American history. And songs from the musical ''Spring Awakening,'' which just won eight Tony Awards.

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HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC, in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

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

We answer a question from a listener about a failed rebellion in American history …

Play music from an award winning Broadway play ...

And report about the anniversary of the movie "Star Wars."

Star Wars

(MUSIC)

On May twenty-fifth, nineteen seventy-seven, a science fiction movie called "Star Wars" opened in thirty-two theaters in the United States. It was about the struggle between good and evil in a strange and different universe. By the end of that year "Star Wars" became the most successful film in American history.

Five more "Star Wars" films would be released. They would become one of the most successful movie series of all time. Faith Lapidus tells us about some of the continuing "Star Wars" anniversary celebrations.

FAITH LAPIDUS:

Many events took place on the anniversary of the release of the first "Star Wars" movie. Movie fans met at a special convention in Los Angeles, California. The United States Post Office released stamps showing fifteen different pictures from the movies. American television shows presented new information about the making of the "Star Wars" series. And newspapers wrote about the continuing popularity of "Star Wars" and its creator, George Lucas.

Millions of people all over the world love "Star Wars" and its characters -- Princess Leia, Han Solo, Yoda, Luke Skywalker -- even the evil Darth Vader. The Lucasfilm company is now making it possible for those fans to create new films about them. Fans with computers can go to the mash-ups area of the "Star Wars" Web site and change scenes from the movies. The Web site provides a simple editing program to do this. Then the editors can place their movies on Web sites like MySpace.

Lucasfilm officials say about two hundred fifty scenes are provided on the Web site. Each is no longer than sixty seconds, and similar ones are grouped together. For example, one group of scenes includes the character Jar Jar Binks. Fans can change him any way they want. But they will have to follow to some rules. And a team of experts will be watching the results to make sure they are not offensive in any way.

Lucasfilm officials say this is one way to keep the popularity of "Star Wars" alive since no more movies will be made. The studio has plans to continue such efforts in the future. In the next few years, it will produce a new video game and two television series based on the "Star Wars" stories and characters.

The Whiskey Rebellion

HOST:

Our VOA listener question this week comes from a student in Iran who asks about the Whiskey Rebellion in early American history.

George Washington reviews troops before marching to put down the Whiskey Rebellion

The Whiskey Rebellion was a major test of the power of the new United States government after the war of independence ended in seventeen eighty-three. The new government agreed to pay the war debts of the individual states.

In seventeen ninety-one, Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton proposed a way the federal government could raise money to pay this debt. He proposed placing a tax on all alcoholic drinks sold in the country. Congress approved the tax and President George Washington signed it into law.

Some farmers in several states immediately opposed this tax. They earned money by selling whiskey they made from the corn and rye they grew. By seventeen ninety-four, farmers in western Pennsylvania began openly protesting the tax. They threatened and sometimes attacked government workers sent to the area to collect the money. The civil protests became an armed rebellion. Local officials ordered the arrest of the leaders of the rebellion, but this just added to the violence.

President Washington considered this Whiskey Rebellion a threat to the power of the federal government. So he took a bold step. He personally led an army of more than twelve thousand troops into western Pennsylvania to stop the rebellion.

The farmers quickly retreated. Captured prisoners were later released and pardoned. The government ended the tax in eighteen–oh-two.

History experts say the Whiskey Rebellion was a small but important event in American history. It was the first time the federal government used military force to show its power over the nation's citizens. Its resolution demonstrated the full power of the federal government to American citizens and to the states.

Experts also say the Whiskey Rebellion was an early warning of a question that would continue to test the new nation. Which should be stronger-- the rights of individual states or the power of the federal government? That question would not be answered until the end of the American Civil War in the eighteen sixties.

Spring Awakening

HOST:

Broadway's top award ceremony was held Sunday in New York City. The show "Spring Awakening" won eight Tony awards, including Best Musical. Shirley Griffith has more on the show and its music.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH:

Cast members perform a scene from ''Spring Awakening'' at the Tony Awards

"Spring Awakening," is based on a play written in eighteen ninety-one by German playwright Frank Wedekind. The play was banned from production for many years because people at the time considered it immoral.

The play deals with German teenagers who have no knowledge or understanding of sex. They start to experience feelings they do not understand. But the adults in the play are not willing to share information with them.

The teenagers also question what they learn in school. They want to learn things for themselves. They express their feelings through rock and roll music. This song is called "All That's Known."

(MUSIC)

Actor John Gallagher, Junior, won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical. He plays Moritz in "Spring Awakening." Here he sings "Don't Do Sadness."

(MUSIC)

Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik shared the Tony Award for Best Original Score (Music or Lyrics) Written for the Theater. Mister Sheik accepted the award and thanked the producers of "Spring Awakening" for their support. And he said: "Musical theater rocks."

We leave you with the final song of "Spring Awakening" called "The Song of Purple Summer."

(MUSIC)

HOST:

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

It was written by Nancy Steinbach and Caty Weaver, who also was our producer. To read the text of this program and download audio, go to our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com.

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

US Defense Chief Links Tehran to Arms in Afghanistan

By Al Pessin Ramstein Air Base, Germany 13 June 2007

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U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he believes Iran's government is aware of the shipment of significant quantities of Iranian weapons and explosives to Taleban insurgents in Afghanistan. Gates spoke in Germany Wednesday. VOA's Al Pessin is traveling with Secretary Gates and filed this report from Ramstein Air Base.

Secretary Gates speaks to reporters in Germany, 13 June 2007

Secretary Gates says he has seen new intelligence since his last, cautious, comments on this issue two weeks ago. He says the new reports make "pretty clear" that what he calls "fairly substantial" quantities of weapons and explosives are flowing from Iran to Taleban fighters in Afghanistan.

"I haven't seen any intelligence specifically to this effect, but I would say given the quantities that we're seeing, it is difficult to believe that it's associated with smuggling or the drug business, or that it's taking place without the knowledge of the Iranian government," he said.

Secretary Gates' comments came after State Department officials issued somewhat contradictory remarks on the subject.

State Department Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns told CNN there is what he called "irrefutable evidence" Iran's government is involved in shipping weapons to the Taleban. Later, State Department spokesman Sean McCormick said the United States has evidence of Iranian arms flowing to Afghanistan but it does not have hard evidence of Iranian government involvement. The spokesman added that given Iran's past behavior it would be difficult to believe the government was not aware of such shipments.

Iran has denied shipping weapons to the Taleban.

In Germany, Secretary Gates said it is difficult to know why the Iranian government would help the Taleban, while also maintaining good relations with the Afghan government.

"Whether Iran is trying to play both sides of the street, hedge their bets, what their motives are, other than causing trouble for us, I don't know," he added.

Secretary Gates said he has seen no evidence that Iran's elite Quds Force is operating in Afghanistan, as the United States says it is in Iraq. And he also said he has not seen evidence from Afghanistan of the kind of Iranian-made high-powered roadside bombs that have taken a deadly toll on American forces in Iraq.

Secretary Gates made the comments on his way to Brussels for a NATO defense ministers meeting, where the situation in Afghanistan and the Iranian missile threat to Europe are expected to be major topics of discussion.

Iraq Insurgents Repeat Attack on Shi'ite Shrine

By Margaret Besheer Irbil 13 June 2007

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Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has moved quickly to prevent any escalation of sectarian violence following the bombing of a Shi'ite shrine north of Baghdad. An attack on the same shrine last year triggered the current cycle of Sunni-Shi'ite violence that has engulfed parts of the country. From northern Iraq, VOA's Margaret Besheer has more.

A picture shows destroyed Shiite Imam Askariya shrine in the restive city of Samarra, north of Baghdad, 13 June 2007

Early Wednesday, at least two explosions at the Askariya shrine collapsed the mosque's two minarets within minutes of each other.

An attack last February on the same shrine, in the city of Samarra some 95 kilometers north of Baghdad, damaged its famed golden dome and propelled the country into its current cycle of sectarian killings.

There were no casualties in Wednesday's blast, but the government acted quickly to prevent possible reprisal attacks. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shi'ite, addressed the nation calling for restraint and said security has been tightened at all of Iraq's religious sites.

Mr. Maliki called on all Iraqis - ordinary citizens, leaders and religious figures - to talk to the people and to urge them to show restraint and to be vigilant so those that are trying to harm the country will not succeed.

The prime minister announced the establishment of a commission of inquiry to investigate the attack. The shrine was heavily guarded by the country's Shi'ite-dominated police forces, raising questions as to how the attackers circumvented them.

Mr. Maliki said those guarding al-Askariya have been arrested and are being questioned. He said the government's action would be severe against anyone involved in this crime.

In Samarra, a curfew was imposed indefinitely, while in the capital, vehicle traffic was banned after 3 o'clock local time. But despite the crackdown, a Sunni Muslim mosque in northern Baghdad was set on fire.

Fears are high that the bombing might further inflame the sectarian violence that swept Baghdad and other parts of Iraq following the destruction of the shrine's golden dome on February 22 last year. Those sectarian attacks continue, despite Iraqi and U.S. efforts to increase troops in the worst affected areas.

Mr. Maliki blamed the attack on Saddamists, extremists and al-Qaida.

He said all those who stand with the Saddamists and al-Qaida should pay the price and Iraqis should stand hand-in-hand with the security forces.

The American ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, and the commander of forces here, General David Petraeus, issued a joint statement condemning the attack calling it "a deliberate attempt by al-Qaida to sow dissent and inflame sectarian strife."

Anti-American Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr also condemned the blast and urged restraint. In a statement, he called for three days of mourning and peaceful protests and for the shrine to be rebuilt.

The Askariya shrine is important to Shi'ite Muslims because it contains the tombs of two ninth century Shi'ite imams. It is also the place where Shi'ites believe their last imam, Mohammed al-Mahdi, disappeared.

In the immediate aftermath of last year's attack, Shi'ites struck against Sunni Muslim mosques and worshippers. In Baghdad alone, angry crowds attacked at least 27 mosques and killed dozens of people. The United Nations says sectarian inspired violence in 2006 killed nearly 35,000 Iraqis.

S. African Public Sector Strike Expands

By Delia Robertson Johannesburg 13 June 2007

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Tens of thousands of workers marched Wednesday in major South African centers in support of a strike by public servants wanting a pay raise. VOA's Delia Robertson reports from Johannesburg that government workers were joined by sympathy strikers from other unions.

Public sector workers march with a mock coffin carrying a portrait of Frazer Moleketi, S. Africa's Minister for Public Service

Union leaders said they would shut South Africa down, but support for a general stay-away was mixed, with most services functioning at a reduced level.

Strongest support came in KwaZulu-Natal, where taxi operators joined in the action, leaving many commuters without means of getting to work, even if they wished to do so.

Schools and hospitals are hardest hit, with most schools closed across the country. Many hospitals continue to refuse to accept new patients, and emergency cases are being referred to private facilities.

While the strike in its 13th day has been generally peaceful, there have has been some intimidation and violence reported at schools. Some teachers and students have been assaulted, and in an incident that may be linked to the strike, one teacher was shot dead in her home.

There have been reports from some hospitals that more very sick people are dying than is usual; and some family members say their relatives died because of a lack of care.

This week, the unions lowered their demand for a basic salary increase from 12 to 10 percent, and the government accepted a proposal from a mediator that includes a 7.25 percent increase.

Labor lawyer Priyesh Daya says he expects the parties to eventually meet somewhere between the two.

"Where I see this going is that both parties will meet in the middle. At this point there is 7.25 on the table, and the unions are asking for 10," he noted. "I would think maybe 8.5 would be that middle figure, that middle ground, that common ground that may be reached."

Daya, a director of the Wright, Rose-Innes firm in Johannesburg, notes that the current strike is the largest since 1994. He says it could drag on indefinitely unless both sides work hard toward finding common ground.

"I think both parties must just ensure that bargaining is always done in good faith, and that both parties commit to try to reach an understanding or compromise as soon as possible," he said.

The strike will likely give both parties an indication of their negotiating strength. Already, union leaders are calling for indefinite sympathy strikes from unions not involved in the current dispute. Talks are to resume Thursday.

VOASE0613_Education Report

13 June 2007

'America's Oldest University': Why Penn Can Make Claim
The University of Pennsylvania was recognized a year before Harvard. Yet Harvard came first. We explain in Part 41 of our Foreign Student Series.

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This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

We continue our Foreign Student Series this week with questions from three listeners.

Thu Ya Naing from Burma wants to know how many colleges and universities are in the United States. Alexander Romashchenko in Russia wonders which university in the United States is the oldest. And Mohamad Firouzi in Iran would like to know more about Harvard University.

The National Center for Education Statistics says more than four thousand two hundred colleges and universities award degrees. These include two-year schools as well as four-year schools.

Harvard Hall

The oldest institution of higher learning in the country is Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was established in sixteen thirty-six as Harvard College. Massachusetts was an English colony at the time.

The school was named for a Puritan religious leader. John Harvard gave the college all his books and half his property when he died.

At first, Harvard had one teacher and nine students. Today it has almost twenty thousand students. Nearly four thousand of them this past year were from outside the United States.

There are fourteen schools at Harvard. They include Harvard College and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Harvard College is the undergraduate division of the university and Radcliffe is a former college for women.

So Harvard came first. Later, in seventeen eighty, the Massachusetts Constitution went into effect and officially recognized Harvard as a university. Some Harvard materials call it America's oldest university.

College Hall at the University of Pennsylvania

But the University of Pennsylvania calls itself America's oldest university. Penn officials note that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania recognized their school as a university in seventeen seventy-nine. That was one year before Harvard.

Yet the history gets a little complex. Penn considers its anniversary date to be seventeen forty. That was when the Charity School of Philadelphia was established, though it never opened. Benjamin Franklin later presented his ideas for a learning institution that included the Charity School. It opened in seventeen fifty-one and became the university.

Today, more than twenty-three thousand students attend the University of Pennsylvania. Four thousand of them come from other countries.

And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. Our series about studying in the United States is online at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.