James Baldwin Wrote About Race and Identity in America

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VOICE ONE:

I’m Shirley Griffith.

VOICE TWO:

James Baldwin

And I’m Steve Ember with People in America in VOA Special English. Today we tell about James Baldwin, one of the most important American writers of the twentieth century. Critics praised him for honestly and bravely examining race relations and identity in the United States.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

James Baldwin wrote more than twenty novels, reports and commentary, plays and poetry. He wrote most of them during the nineteen-fifties and sixties. Some critics say his first book, “Go Tell it on the Mountain,” was his best effort at storytelling. The book is based on his early life.

James Baldwin was born in nineteen twenty-four in New York City. He grew up in a mostly black area of New York called Harlem. During the nineteen thirties, the United States was suffering an economic crisis called the Great Depression. Many African-Americans, including his family, were even poorer than white Americans.

James Baldwin was the oldest child in a family of nine. He never knew his biological father. When he was three years old, his mother married a factory worker. James grew up with a severe step-father. He writes about a similar difficult relationship between father and son in “Go Tell it on the Mountain”.

Another similarity between the book and the writer’s life is the importance of Christianity and the church. James’s step-father was also a preacher in a small church in a business area of Harlem. Such religious centers that were former stores were called “storefront churches.” They were common in African-American areas.

VOICE TWO:

The boy in “Go Tell it on the Mountain” struggles between choosing to be like his father or doing something else with his life. The events happen on one day -- the boy’s fourteenth birthday. In the end, he decides to do what his father wants. James Baldwin faced a similar struggle. He became a preacher in his step-father’s church for three years.

But at age seventeen, he left the church. This struggle and his experience in the church greatly influenced his writing.

Critics and Baldwin himself have said the Christian holy book, The Bible, influenced his writing. Critics also said he writes the way African-American clergy speak in church. Baldwin uses similar words, sentence rhythms, and descriptions. Jazz and blues music traditions also influenced his writing. All these have made his writing more powerful and emotionally moving.

James Baldwin blamed Christianity for providing support to slavery. He also criticized some black Christians for using their religion as an excuse to accept oppression. But, Baldwin also praised Christianity for helping African-Americans join together to fight racism.

VOICE ONE:

The book “Go Tell it on the Mountain” also describes how and why the boy’s parents moved separately from the South to New York City. They were part of a great movement of southern blacks to the northern United States in the first half of the twentieth century. It was called the Great Migration.

African-Americans moved to escape southern laws on racial separation. Also, there was not enough farm work for everyone, while jobs in industries were increasing in the northern states. Baldwin explains this historical event in the personal stories of one family. His expert storytelling brings history to life.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

James Baldwin said he had to write “Go Tell It on the Mountain” so that he could write everything else. He also said he realized at a very young age that he did not have very much as a black person in America. But he knew he had his brain. So he spent a lot of time in libraries reading. And he began to write for his school magazine. James Baldwin finished high school at about the same time that he realized that he did not want to continue as a church preacher. He left home and moved to an area of New York City called Greenwich Village. The area was popular with artists.

Baldwin got jobs that did not pay much. He was very poor. But he continued to write. He published reports in magazines such as the Partisan Review and the Nation. They were not very widely read. Baldwin communicated with Richard Wright, a well-known African-American writer. Wright helped Baldwin get financial help to travel to Europe to write. He went to Paris and London in nineteen forty-eight.

Baldwin lived in Paris and the south of France for the next six years. He also lived in Istanbul, Turkey. He wrote “Go Tell It On the Mountain,” which was published in nineteen fifty-three. Critics in the United States announced the arrival of a great new voice in American writing. But the book did not become popular until much later.

VOICE ONE:

In nineteen fifty-five, the essays and commentary Baldwin had written earlier were collected and published in a book. It is called “Notes of a Native Son.” He wrote about social, political and cultural issues facing black people in America. He also told of his experience as a black man in Europe. Critics praised the book for clearly dealing with one of the most troubling issues of that time: racism.

Baldwin continued to write stories based on his experiences. “Giovanni’s Room” was published in nineteen fifty-six. It is about a white American man in Paris who loves both an Italian man and an American woman. The book is about the struggle to accept one’s sexuality. James Baldwin faced a similar struggle. His former religion condemned homosexuality, as did most of society. So it was difficult for Baldwin to accept himself.

He wrote about the same issue in his next book, “Another Country.” This book is mainly based in New York City. It explores race, sex and identity among artists. Some critics said “Another Country” and “Giovanni’s Room” were not very good books. But James Baldwin wrote openly and bravely about subjects that many people would not discuss in public in those days.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Critics praised Baldwin’s books that directly examined true events more than they praised his fiction. His book, “The Fire Next Time,” became one of the best-selling books of nineteen sixty-three. It was called a powerful and leading voice of the civil rights movement.

African-Americans and liberal white Americans increased demands and demonstrations for equal rights for black people and other minorities. Many activists went to the southern states to help more black people sign up to vote. Baldwin left Europe for some time to take part in this action.

“The Fire Next Time” is in the form of two letters. In the first, Baldwin tells a young family member about the problems he faced as a black man in America. Baldwin also tells him to be strong and fight for justice.

The second letter is to America. Baldwin warns that race relations are so bad that something terrible might happen if they do not improve. He urges white Americans to change for their own good because they cannot live without their black brothers.

The writer says love is the only way for America not to destroy itself. “The Fire Next Time” was an influential book. It made Baldwin even more famous. His picture appeared on the cover of Time magazine. “The Fire Next Time” remains one of his most widely read books.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

James Baldwin wrote short stories, books and plays throughout the nineteen seventies and early eighties. He continued to explore issues of race, religion, sexual identity and history. These books include “The Amen Corner,” “Tell me How Long the Train’s Been Gone” and “If Beale Street Could Talk.” His last book, “The Evidence of Things Not Seen,” was published in nineteen eighty-five.

Baldwin lived both in the United States and France during this time. He taught in colleges, including the University of Massachusetts. He supported new African-American writers who later became famous, such as Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou. James Baldwin was made a Commander of the French Legion of Honor in nineteen eighty-six. He also received many awards in the United States.

James Baldwin died at his home in southern France in nineteen eighty-seven. But his voice lives on in the books that young people still read in many American classrooms and around the world. Critics say his urgent warning that we must learn to accept one another’s differences is still important today.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Our program was written by Doreen Baingana and produced by Dana Demange. I’m Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And I’m Shirley Griffith. You can download transcripts and archives of our shows at voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English.

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Duties Bill Dropped as U.S. Prepares for Economic Talks With China

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This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.

The United States and China plan to hold high-level meetings two times each year to discuss economic issues. The talks, called the U.S.-China Strategic Economic Dialogue, will be the first of their kind. The first meeting is expected before the end of the year.

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Chinese President Hu Jintao

The agreement was announced last week during a visit to China by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. Mister Paulson will lead the American side. China's top negotiator will be Vice Premier Wu Yi. She noted that President Bush proposed the talks to President Hu Jintao in a telephone call in August.

Probably the top issue facing the negotiators will be the conflict over the Chinese yuan. Until July of last year, China directly set the exchange rate of the yuan against the dollar. Since then, China has tied the rate to a small group of foreign currencies, including the dollar and the euro.

The immediate effect was a two percent rise in value. The yuan has slowly risen further in the past year, but only by an additional two percent or so. That is too little for many American businesses, especially manufacturers. They say China's policies have kept the cost of Chinese goods unfairly low on world markets.

Many experts also blame what is seen as a highly undervalued yuan for huge United States trade deficits with China.

But the Bush administration opposed a bill in the Senate to punish China for not letting markets set the value of the yuan. The bill called for an import tax of almost thirty percent on Chinese goods. Two senators, Democrat Charles Schumer of New York and Republican Lindsey Graham from South Carolina, proposed the bill.

They announced Thursday that they would drop the legislation. But they said they would work on a new bill early next year to pressure China.

Recently the value of the yuan has risen faster. News reports say China is believed to be making policy changes to let this happen. A central bank official told Reuters on Friday that the bank had no new policy statement about the yuan.

Secretary Paulson, during his visit last week, urged China to put market-based reforms in place. He said China’s economy is expanding too quickly for government controls to be enough.

Mister Paulson did business in China when he led the investment bank Goldman Sachs. He has visited China about seventy times. This was his first visit since he became Treasury secretary in July.

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

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Abe Moves Quickly to Improve Ties With South Korea and China

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This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

Japan's new prime minister, Shinzo Abe, has already taken his first steps to try to repair relations with South Korea and China. Mister Abe and South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun spoke by telephone earlier this week and agreed to meet as soon as possible. Leaders from the two countries have not met in almost a year.

Some reports said a visit to Seoul could take place before the middle of October. And Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso said Mister Abe may visit China as early as October.

Japan's parliament, the Diet, elected Mister Abe on Tuesday to replace Junichiro Koizumi. Mister Koizumi left office after more than five years as prime minister.

South Korea and China were both victims of past aggression by Japan. Relations have suffered in recent years, mainly because of visits by Japanese leaders to a memorial for Japan’s war dead.

Several of those honored at the Yasukuni Shrine were found guilty of war crimes during World War Two. Mister Abe has refused to say if will visit the shrine as prime minister.

On other issues, he says he plans to continue the economic reforms started by Mister Koizumi. And he says he is serious about cutting government spending. Mister Abe reduced his own pay by thirty percent and his cabinet members’ pay by ten percent.

He and President Bush spoke by telephone Wednesday. They agreed to meet in November in Hanoi at the meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group. A White House spokeswoman said they expressed a desire to further strengthen the United States-Japan alliance.

Japan is a leading trading partner and security ally of the United States. About fifty thousand American troops are based in Japan. Mister Koizumi sent Japanese troops to assist rebuilding in Iraq. And Japanese ships provide fuel for the military operations in Afghanistan.

Shinzo Abe is fifty-two years old, making him Japan’s youngest prime minister since World War Two. He was recently elected president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The only cabinet position he has held was chief cabinet secretary. But his grandfather and great-uncle were prime ministers and his father was foreign minister.

Mister Abe gave his first policy speech in parliament Friday. He rejected relations with North Korea until the issue of its kidnapping of Japanese citizens in the past is settled. And he announced that Japan will study how it can take part in collective defense efforts with the United States.

Since the end of World War Two, Japanese forces have been constitutionally restricted in their activities. Mister Abe restated his desire to see the constitution changed as soon as possible.

And he talked about his desire to create what he calls a "beautiful nation." Mister Abe says he seeks a Japan that is trusted, honored and loved by the world and active in showing its leadership.

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English, written by Brianna Blake. Transcripts and MP3 files are at voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Steve Ember.

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Making Memories for Orphaned Children Around the World

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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 about the Warner Brothers …

Play some music from Regina Spektor …

And report about the Memory Project.

The Memory Project

A young American man is giving children around the world a special gift to remember their childhood. Mario Ritter tells us about the Memory Project.

MARIO RITTER:

Ben Schumaker graduated from the University of Wisconsin in two thousand three. Then he traveled to Guatemala. He worked in a home for children who do not have parents. The conditions at the orphanage were poor. Schumaker wanted to do something to help. But he did not know what he could do.

After returning home, he remembered a story that a young Guatemalan man told him. The young man had also been raised in a children’s home because he had no parents. He told Schumaker about one thing that was missing from his life. He had no pictures of himself during his childhood. The man said he had no memories of what he looked like as a child. The man told Schumaker that he wished he could remember more about what he was like as a boy. The man’s story gave Ben Schumaker an idea.

Schumaker began taking photographs of young people in orphanages all over the

Ben Schumaker

world. Then he brought the photographs back to high schools in America. There, the best art students used the photographs as models to draw or paint pictures of the children’s faces. The finished portraits were then sent back to the children for them to keep. The students who created the pictures also included a photograph of themselves.

The Memory Project began in October of two thousand four. Since then, it has spread to hundreds of schools across the United States.

Ben Schumaker’s project has touched the lives of thousands of children who now have beautiful portraits of themselves. Schumaker hopes the Memory Project will also affect the lives of the American high school students. He says he hopes the project will help the students connect with children in poor countries. He also hopes the students will better understand the lives of people in need around the world and will want to work for change.

So far, portraits have been given to children in twenty-five countries. They include India, Mozambique, Lebanon, Haiti, Honduras and Romania.

Ben Schumaker estimates that four thousand high school students will take part in the program this year. To learn more about the Memory Project, visit www.thememoryproject.org.

The Warner Brothers

Our VOA listener question this week comes from Burma. Ko Maw Gyi asks about the Warner Brothers.

Earlier this year, Warner Brothers opened its first studio store in mainland China, in Shanghai

Warner Brothers is an American company that produces movies and television shows. It started as a small family business operated by four brothers – Harry, Albert, Sam and Jack Warner. In nineteen-oh-three, the brothers began their business by traveling throughout Ohio and Pennsylvania showing movies using a projector. By nineteen-oh-seven, they opened a movie theater in New Castle, Pennsylvania. Two of the brothers sold tickets. Another operated the projector. And the youngest, Jack, sang songs between the films. Within ten years, the Warner brothers started producing movies, and moved that part of the business to California.

In nineteen eighteen, their first complete picture was called “My Four Years in Germany.” The film was based on a book by the United States’ ambassador to the court of Kaiser Wilhelm. In nineteen twenty-five, Sam and Harry Warner heard the first experimental movies with sound in a laboratory in New York City. They immediately went to work to include the technology for sound in their movies.

Two years later, Warner Brothers Pictures released the first major movie with sound, or “talking picture.” It was called “The Jazz Singer” and it was a huge success. In the nineteen thirties, the company made several films that were highly praised. These included movies about criminals such as “Little Caesar,” “The Public Enemy” and musicals like “The Gold Diggers” and “Forty-Second Street.”

The Warner Brothers’ success continued in the nineteen forties with movies like “The Maltese Falcon,” and “Casablanca.” Movies during this time starred popular actors like Ingrid Bergman, Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, Gary Cooper and Bette Davis. The company continues to produce popular movies today.

By the nineteen seventies, the Warner Brothers studios had also become well established in television. In nineteen ninety, Warner Communications combined with Time Incorporated to form Time Warner Incorporated.

In two thousand one, the company combined with America Online. The company now includes film production, cable television networks, music and publishing. This year, the company announced a deal with the CBS Corporation to form a new television broadcast network. The CW began broadcasting this month.

Regina Spektor

HOST:

Regina Spektor is a singer with a story and personality as interesting as her music. This young Russian-American musician has been playing since she was a child. Spektor has just released her second major record. “Begin to Hope” is an album full of playful and imaginative songs. Shirley Griffith tells us more.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH:

Regina Spektor makes music that is hard to define. She combines wildly poetic words with unusual music. In some songs, she plays the piano. Other songs have more of a rock music sound. Some songs are happy and fun while others are sad and intense. Listen to Regina Spektor’s clear and strong voice singing “On the Radio.”

(MUSIC)

Regina Spektor was born in Russia. She started to play classical piano music when she was very young.

At the age of nine, Regina and her family immigrated to the United States. They settled in the Bronx area of New York City. Regina started taking music lessons again. But her family did not have enough money to buy a piano. So she would “play” songs by pressing her fingers on her knees.In this love song called “Samson” you can hear Spektor performing on the piano.

(MUSIC)

After college, Regina Spektor started playing her music in clubs in New York City. She soon became popular and started selling CD’s she made at home. Later, a well-known producer helped her record her first major album. Critics say her second record, “Begin to Hope,” is strong and expressive. Regina Spektor proves she can make many kinds of music. We leave you with the dreamy sound of “Fidelity”.

(MUSIC)

HOST:

I'm Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program today.This show was written by Brianna Blake and Dana Demange, who was also the 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.

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Considering an Online Education Program

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This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

Online education is our subject this week as we continue our Foreign Student Series. Our reports are for students around the world who would like to attend a college or university in the United States. Programs where students take classes by computer over the Internet offer a way to earn a degree from home.

Online learning is also called distance education. Many American colleges and universities have been offering it for years.

One example is New York University in Manhattan. The School of Continuing and Professional Studies began online classes in nineteen ninety-two. Its Virtual College has taught more than ten thousand students from across the United States and other countries.

Last year, the School of Continuing and Professional Studies launched NYU Online. It offers NYU's first online programs to earn a bachelor’s degree. Programs are offered in three areas: leadership and management, information systems management and social sciences.

University officials say classes are highly interactive, where students communicate with each other and their teachers. Some classes require students to all log in at the same time so they can attend live lectures by a professor. Students can also ask questions and work together on team projects.

The university says classes are taught by NYU professors who have been trained in online teaching.

International students must take two admissions tests before they can be accepted into the program. These are the SAT and the TOEFL. We will discuss these tests later in our series.

The cost to attend NYU Online depends on how many classes a student takes. It can cost as much as fifteen thousand dollars a year. NYU offers no financial aid for international students in this program. You can get more details at nyu.edu.

Many other schools offer online education. Students should be especially careful of programs that offer a degree in return for little or no work. These are known as diploma mills, and are illegal in the United States.

Educational advisers also say that before you enter any program, make sure the work will be recognized in your country. You should also make sure the schools you are considering are accredited. That will be our subject next week.

And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. More information for foreign students can be found at voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Steve Ember.

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"Punctuation Rap"

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Punctuation Rap

PUNK, PUNK, PUNCTUATION
PUNK, PUNK, PUNCTUATION

I am a QUESTION MARK, what do I do?
I'm at the end of questions, like Where? What? or Who?

PUNK, PUNK, PUNCTUATION
PUNK, PUNK, PUNCTUATION

I am a PERIOD, that means full stop,
At the end of a sentence, just make a dot.

PUNK, PUNK, PUNCTUATION
PUNK, PUNK, PUNCTUATION

I am a COMMA, if you see me just pause,

So hang back, Jack, and think of what was.

PUNK, PUNK, PUNCTUATION

PUNK, PUNK, PUNCTUATION

QUOTATION MARKS hold the talking within,
So if somebody speaks, just look for the twins.

PUNK, PUNK, PUNCTUATION
PUNK, PUNK, PUNCTUATION

I am a COLON, I am two dots,
I'm the introducer, I express your thoughts.

PUNK, PUNK, PUNCTUATION
PUNK, PUNK, PUNCTUATION

An EXCLAMATION POINT is so like "wow,"
If you're writin' so excitin' then put me in now!

PUNK, PUNK, PUNCTUATION
PUNK, PUNK, PUNCTUATION

The APOSTROPHE ... it shows possession,
Team up with an 's' ... that's my obsession.

PUNK, PUNK, PUNCTUATION
PUNK, PUNK, PUNCTUATION
PUNK, PUNK, PUNCTUATION

PUNK, PUNK, PUNCTUATION

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1930s: 'New Deal' Starts to Fail, Just as Threats Grow Overseas

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VOICE ONE:

Franklin Roosevelt signing the Social Security Act of 1935

By the middle nineteen thirties, America seemed to be moving out of the worst economic depression in its history. Most people supported the "New Deal" policies of President Franklin Roosevelt.

The dark view that many Americans held during the final days of President Herbert Hoover's administration seemed to be changing. People began to believe that the United States was facing its problems with energy and hope.

VOICE TWO:

The change could be seen in the way that Americans were moving away from extreme political movements of both the right and the left. Many decided that the best solution was to work through the existing political system.

Most importantly, Roosevelt's continued experiments with different programs showed Americans that they did not have to blindly follow political or economic traditions.

For years, most Americans had accepted the basic ideas of traditional free market capitalism. But as the depression began, a small number of Americans became interested in the economic ideas of Karl Marx.

Roosevelt believed it was best to travel a path between these two opposite ideas. He basically supported the free market system. But he believed government also had a right and responsibility to act when needed. And he supported new government controls in such important areas as banking, transportation, agriculture, and oil production.

VOICE ONE:

Some Americans did not think it was wise, or even possible, to mix traditional free market capitalism with government intervention or socialism. Former Republican Treasury Secretary Ogden Mills put it this way:

"We can have a free country or a socialist one. We cannot have both. Our economic system cannot be half free and half socialistic. There is no middle ground between governing and being governed, between absolute rule and freedom.”

Many leftists and socialists agreed with conservatives that it was impossible to mix capitalism and socialism. One leftist publication wrote:

"Either the nation must live with the sadness of capitalism or it must prepare to replace capitalism with socialism. There is no longer a practical middle path."

However, Roosevelt and his New Dealers happily rejected these arguments. They aimed the country between rightist and leftist extremes and created a whole new set of rules for government, the economy, and democracy.

VOICE TWO:

Most Americans supported Roosevelt and the Democrats as they experimented with new solutions to the problems of the depression. They elected Democrats to a large majority in Congress in nineteen thirty-four. Two years later, they re-elected Franklin Roosevelt to a second term in the White House by one of the largest victories in American history.

Roosevelt's big victory made him stronger than ever. So he decided to fight the part of the government that had been blocking many of his programs -- the Supreme Court.

VOICE ONE:

Most of the nine judges on the Supreme Court in nineteen thirty-six were conservative. They had ruled that many of Roosevelt's most important New Deal programs were illegal. Now the judges were preparing to decide the future of programs to help old people, labor unions, and others. And there was nothing the president could do under the American system of government.

So Roosevelt called for changes in the system. He asked Congress to reorganize the federal judicial system. And he asked for the power to add several new members to the Supreme Court. In this way, Roosevelt hoped to gain a new majority on the court that would support his views.

VOICE TWO:

Most Americans liked Roosevelt. But people of all opinions feared that the president was trying to destroy the careful system of checks and balances in the federal government. They agreed with him in opposing the court's decisions. But they accepted the right of Supreme Court judges to rule as they thought correct. For this reason, the nation rejected Roosevelt's plan to add new members to the court.

VOICE ONE:

Roosevelt's unsuccessful effort to change the Supreme Court came at the same time as the economy began to get worse.

Many Americans thought they had defeated the depression in nineteen thirty-five and thirty-six. There was steady economic improvement. Some bankers had even begun to fear that the economy was growing too fast.

These bankers called on the nation's central bank -- the Federal Reserve Board -- to control the expanding money supply. And the Federal Reserve acted to limit the amount of money in use.

At the same time, the federal government began reducing the amount of money that it was spending. And it launched the new Social Security tax on workers' incomes.

The effect of all these government actions was to limit the amount of money being spent by the government, companies, and private citizens. As a result, the economy began to fall once again into depression.

VOICE TWO:

In August nineteen thirty-seven, stock market prices began to fall sharply.

In seven months, the price of stock for the General Motors Corporation fell from sixty dollars to twenty-five. The United States Steel Company stock fell all the way from one hundred twenty-one dollars to thirty-eight. In fact, the stock markets lost in nine months about two-thirds of all the gains that they had made so slowly and painfully since Roosevelt took office.

Americans had supported Roosevelt's New Deal program because it offered a solution to the depression. Now that program seemed to be failing.

VOICE ONE:

Historian Frederick Lewis Allen remembered those dark days of nineteen thirty-seven.

"Goods sold slowly," Allen wrote. ”Businessmen became frightened and reduced production. Two million men were thrown out of work in the space of a few months. They became less able to buy what was for sale. The terrible circle of the falling value of the dollar moved all the more rapidly.

VOICE TWO:

The new economic crisis hurt Roosevelt's popularity. And it came at a time when he faced growing opposition within his own Democratic Party.

For several years, conservative Democrats from the southeastern part of the country had supported Roosevelt. They liked his leadership and the power that he brought to all Democrats. But they opposed many of his more liberal or experimental social policies.

VOICE ONE:

As the economy and Roosevelt's popularity fell, many of these southern Democrats began to openly oppose his leadership. They voted with Republicans on important bills before Congress.

Roosevelt became very angry about the new opposition from within his own party. He began to intervene personally in Democratic Party primary elections in nineteen thirty-eight. He told party members in several states that they should only vote for candidates who would support his New Deal policies.

Roosevelt's opponents accused him of interfering in local politics. And democratic voters agreed with these criticisms. In almost all cases, they rejected the candidates supported by the president. A few months later, voters in the general election gave the Republicans major gains in both the House of Representatives and Senate.

VOICE TWO:

In most situations, such a change in support would have signaled the end of a president's power. If people will not follow, a president cannot lead or be elected.

Adolf Hitler in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1923

But such was not the case for Roosevelt and the United States in the late nineteen thirties. It was true that economic and political troubles were not solved. But another crisis was growing larger every day, making these other problems seem less and less important.

The crisis was in foreign policy. Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party in Germany seemed ready to make war on Europe. And Japanese forces appeared to be planning new aggression in the Pacific. Americans could no longer just worry about their problems at home. A dark cloud was forming outside their door.

That will be the subject of our next several programs.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

You have been listening to THE MAKING OF A NATION, a program in Special English by the Voice of America. Your narrators have been Harry Monroe and Jack Weitzel. Our program was written by David Jarmul.

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'National Punctuation Day': Seeking to Put a (Full) Stop to Poor Writing

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AA: I'm Avi Arditti with Rosanne Skirble, and this week on Wordmaster: the founder of National Punctuation Day.

RS: Sunday was the day for a "celebration of the lowly comma, correctly used quotes and other proper uses of periods, semicolons and the ever-mysterious ellipsis." So says Jeff Rubin, who is honest about why he created National Punctuation Day: for the publicity.

Jeff Rubin wonders how this Kentucky health club stays in business with testimonials from just one member

AA: But the former newspaper journalist, who now publishes newsletters for companies, says he was tired of all the mistakes and bad writing he sees in everyday life. So he did something about it.

JEFF RUBIN: "I picked punctuation because it's the thing about our language that frustrates me the most. I just don't understand why people can't get it right. It's not that difficult. You could buy a stylebook. 'The Elements of Style,' I think the pocket edition is ninety-four pages and that includes the index. If you read a page a day, in three months you'd be an expert."

RS: "Can you give us some hints that will make it easier for speakers and learners of English as a foreign language to better punctuate their sentences?"

JEFF RUBIN: "Well, here's one: In the United States, a comma and a period always go inside a closing quotation mark. In other parts of the world -- most prominently, in England -- they call the period a full stop. Sometimes the period and the comma are placed outside a quotation mark.

"Here's an easy way to know when to use i-t-apostrophe-s and i-t-s. When you write a sentence, read it back to yourself, and substitute the words 'it is' for its. If it does not make sense, then you're using it the wrong way. So, for example: 'It's a day for librarians, educators and parents.' So substitute 'it is': 'It is a day.' It sounds correct, so you would use it's.

"Here's another one: To make a singular word possessive, you use an apostrophe-s, even if the word already ends in an s."

AA: "Right, but some stylebooks would say you can leave off that last s and just put the apostrophe. Isn't that true?"

JEFF RUBIN: "Yeah. In fact, there's some controversy about that. 'The Elements of Style' is ... you add the apostrophe-s. The Associated Press, in its stylebook, has taken off the second s. So, you know, these are two -- I grew up with the AP Stylebook and I use that most times. My advice is to pick a style, since they're both accepted, pick a style and stick with it."

RS: "Be consistent here."

JEFF RUBIN: "Be consistent."

AA: "Let me ask you, so now you just marked the third annual National Punctuation Day. As far as you know, did any other Americans mark the day with you?"

JEFF RUBIN: "Just my friends and family. But seriously, I did a lot of media interviews and got letters from -- e-mails from all over the United States. Mostly from teachers, but a lot from older people who remember the way it used to be, when you didn't see mistakes in books, in magazines and newspapers, and when good writing skills and English skills were really taught well in the schools."

RS: Jeff Rubin, creator of National Punctuation Day, and who does business as The Newsletter Guy, speaking from California.

AA: Jeff Rubin and his wife have developed a program to teach elementary school children some punctuation rules. It's called "Punctuation Playtime," and includes a song called "Punctuation Rap."

(MUSIC)

RS: That's Wordmaster for this week. To hear more of "Punctuation Rap," log on to the Wordmaster Web site at voanews.com/wordmaster. With Avi Arditti, I'm Rosanne Skirble.

Excerpt from "Punctuation Rap":

PUNK, PUNK, PUNCTUATION

PUNK, PUNK, PUNCTUATION

I am a QUESTION MARK, what do I do?

I'm at the end of questions, like Where? What? or Who?

PUNK, PUNK, PUNCTUATION

PUNK, PUNK, PUNCTUATION

I am a PERIOD, that means full stop,

At the end of a sentence, just make a dot.

PUNK, PUNK, PUNCTUATION

PUNK, PUNK, PUNCTUATION

I am a COMMA, if you see me just pause,

So hang back, Jack, and think of what was.

PUNK, PUNK, PUNCTUATION

PUNK, PUNK, PUNCTUATION

QUOTATION MARKS hold the talking within,

So if somebody speaks, just look for the twins.

PUNK, PUNK, PUNCTUATION

PUNK, PUNK, PUNCTUATION

I am a COLON, I am two dots,

I'm the introducer, I express your thoughts.

PUNK, PUNK, PUNCTUATION

PUNK, PUNK, PUNCTUATION

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Art You Can See for Free, on Streets Around the World

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VOICE ONE:

I’m Shirley Griffith.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Steve Ember with Explorations in VOA Special English. Today, we travel through city streets all over the world to explore street art, a popular and lively art movement.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

A project in New York by one of two brothers known as Os Gemeos (Portuguese for "The Twins") whose work has appeared in galleries around the world

Street art can be found on buildings, sidewalks, street signs and even trash cans from Tokyo to Paris to New York City. This special kind of art can take the form of paintings, sculptures, cloth or even stickers. Its international presence is supported by Web sites, artist communities, books and magazines. Street art has become part of a global visual culture. Now, even art museums and galleries are collecting the work of street artists.

VOICE TWO:

It is not easy to provide an exact history of the street art movement. This kind of art has developed in many kinds of ways in places all over the world. Also, because it is illegal to paint public and private property without permission, street artists usually work secretly. This secretive nature of street art and its countless forms make it hard to define exactly. And people have different opinions about the movement. Some think street art is a crime and destroys property. But others see this art as a rich form of non-traditional cultural expression.

VOICE ONE:

Many experts say the movement began in New York City in the nineteen sixties. Young adults would use paint in special cans to spray their “tag” on walls and train cars around the city. This tag was a name they created to identify themselves and their artwork. This colorful style of writing is also called graffiti. It is visually exciting and energetic. Some graffiti paintings were signs marking the territories of city gangs or illegal crime groups.

VOICE TWO:

Graffiti also became a separate movement expressing the street culture of young people living in big cities. Graffiti art represented social and political rebellion. This was art that rejected the accepted rules of culture and power. These artists could travel around areas of the city making creative paintings for everyone to see. The artists could become famous without being officially recognized. Sometimes this street art created a dispute between artists and city officials. Graffiti artists created their images and city officials quickly painted over them.

During the nineteen eighties two New York painters who began as street artists became very famous. Keith Haring and Jean Michel Basquiat started creating their paintings on the streets. But soon they began showing their work in art galleries and museums. This is when street art started to become part of the more general popular culture.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Street art by Swoon

Street art today takes many forms. One well known New York City street artist goes by the name of Swoon. Swoon creates detailed paper cutouts of people that she observes around her. She places these life-size images on walls in different areas of New York.

For example, one of her artworks is of a little boy playing. He is turning his smiling face and seems to be running into the distance. The lines of Swoon’s drawing give energy and movement to the picture. She placed the picture of the boy next to other large graffiti images. It looks like he is running around between the different pieces of artwork.

VOICE TWO:

Swoon did not start her career making street art. She studied fine art at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. But she says she lost interest in the official workings of art galleries. She soon started taking her art into the streets.

Swoon likes how her work changes slowly after it is outside for a while. The art slowly disappears because of the effects of time, sun and rain. She also enjoys the freedom of expression which street art permits. And people enjoy Swoon’s strong and imaginative pictures. In fact, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City has bought three of her works.

VOICE ONE:

Knitted street art in Paris

In Houston, Texas you can see a very different kind of street art by Knitta Please. This group of artists is ten people who like to knit. Knitting is a way of creating clothing by looping together long thin pieces of material such as cotton or wool. Two members of Knitta Please became tired of starting knitting projects and never finishing them. So they decided to become street artists. They place their knitted projects on door handles, street signs, and cars around town. Many people in Houston collect the colorful .

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Street art is also popular around the world. For example, many street corners in Paris,

A space invader in Paris

France show the work of an artist known as Space Invader. Space Invader was the name of a video game that was very popular in the nineteen eighties. This French artist uses small colorful squares of glass to make an image of a space creature. He places these creations on buildings all around Paris. Space Invader has been making this art for about ten years. He has been arrested several times. But this does not stop him from working. He says that he is leaving a gift to the city with his art.

On Space Invader’s Web site, you can see the many other cities where he has placed his art. Space Invader has traveled to places like Dhaka, Bangladesh; Mombasa, Kenya, and Istanbul, Turkey. If you like his work, you can even buy Space Invader clothing, shoes, and pictures.

VOICE ONE:

A painting by Os Gemeos

The streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil are also rich with artwork. For example, you can find the work of two brothers who go by the name Os Gemeos. They paint images of funny flat-faced people with orange-yellow skin. Their imaginative characters have many different forms and expressions.

Sometimes they paint one character alone. Other times they make complex paintings with many characters and actions. Art galleries all over the world have shown the artwork of Os Gemeos.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Street artists have different reasons for choosing this special kind of creative act. Some artists do not approve of the profit-making business of galleries and museums. They think that these organizations disconnect art from every day life. They also like the fact that street art stays part of the city environment.

Other artists express their political beliefs with their art. Some see street art as protesting the culture of big business and corporations. They do not like city walls covered with advertisements that sell products. These artists see these advertisements as examples of corporate aggression. They think that if an advertisement can be on a wall, so can their art. Still other artists like the excitement of working in the streets and trying not to get caught.

VOICE ONE:

But some people pay a price for making street art. Borf is the street name of an artist in the Washington, D.C. area. He used to place his small images all over the city. Critics say his work expresses hatred towards wealthy people and government oppression. Many young people liked his rebellious art. For these people, Borf’s art had a mysterious and strong message.

But other people saw his work as a crime. During the summer of two thousand five police caught Borf painting in the street and arrested him. The judge at his trial said the streets of Washington, D.C. did not exist so Borf could express himself. She said he had hurt the community with his art. And she sentenced him to thirty days in jail.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Street art has become a popular kind of design for advertising companies. Some advertisements show writing or images influenced by street art. This street style often is meant for young people. For example, the sports clothing company Adidas used street art as part of a two thousand six advertising project. Adidas put up large white signs all over the city of Berlin, Germany. There was nothing on these paper signs except the Adidas name and image.

The signs were an invitation for street artists to paint on the white paper. Once the signs were covered with graffiti images, Adidas used the artwork to advertise a new sports shoe.

VOICE ONE:

The Internet has had a big influence on street art. For example, artists can show their work to people all over the world. Web sites like WoosterCollective.com have thousands of pictures of street art from all over the world. Also, artists and fans can communicate with each other and exchange ideas.

However, people say the Internet is not a replacement for the experience of seeing street art live. To really understand this art you have to see it in its environment. The street art movement depends on the energy and life of the city. And like cities, this imaginative and exciting art will continue to change and grow.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This program was written and produced by Dana Demange. You can read and download our programs at voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And I’m Shirley Griffith. Join us again next week for EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.

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New Studies Aim to Expand Knowledge of Autism

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This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

A young child with autism

Scientists are trying to better understand autism. The National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland, recently announced the start of three major studies of autism.

Autistic children experience delays in the development of social and communication skills. They may also show limited interests and repeat the same actions over and over.

Autism generally appears by the age of three. It is part of a larger group of disorders, often called autism spectrum disorders. Others include Asperger's syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder.

One of the three new studies will define differences in autistic children with different developmental histories. Another will measure the effectiveness of an antibiotic medicine as a treatment for one kind of autism. And the third study will examine if chelation treatment is effective against autism.

Chelation removes heavy metals from the blood; for example, in cases of lead poisoning. But many parents seek this treatment for autistic children. They believe that many cases of autism were caused by vaccines that contained thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative. That theory is debated.

Institute officials note that chelation does not target mercury alone. It can also remove minerals that the body needs, such as calcium, iron and zinc.

Researchers will do a controlled study to test the effectiveness and safety of chelation for children with autism spectrum disorders.

Institute officials say these disorders are currently reported to affect as many as six out of every one thousand children.

In an unrelated study, scientists have reported that a man's age could affect the chances that his children will develop autism. The study found that men age forty and older had autistic children almost six times as often as fathers under the age of thirty.

Men in their thirties were about one and one-half times more likely to father an autistic child as dads in their twenties and teen years.

The study, in children born in Israel in the nineteen eighties, found no link between autism and older mothers. The findings appeared in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

And that's the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver. Internet users can learn more about health issues and download archives of our reports at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.

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Severe Form of E. Coli Not a New Problem for Growers

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This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

California produces about seventy-five percent of the spinach grown in the United States. State officials estimated the full value of the California crop last year at almost two hundred sixty million dollars. Now growers are concerned that the rest of this year’s crop may be lost because of an outbreak of E. coli oh-one-five-seven-H-seven.

Markets removed fresh spinach after warnings about E. coli O157:H7

Since last month, bacterial infections from fresh spinach have sickened more than one hundred seventy people in half of the fifty states. One death was confirmed as related; two others were suspected.

On September fourteenth, federal officials warned Americans not to eat spinach sold in bags. Later the warning expanded to all fresh spinach.

The Food and Drug Administration says the spinach in the outbreak was grown in three California counties. They are Monterey, San Benito and Santa Clara.

Officials says the outbreak is not connected to other produce grown in these three counties in the Salinas Valley. And they say spinach grown in other areas of the United States is safe to eat. Frozen or canned spinach has not been linked to the outbreak either.

Experts say E. coli in spinach can be killed by cooking at seventy-one degrees Celsius for fifteen seconds.

E. coli oh-one-five-seven-H-seven has been found in the intestines of healthy cattle, deer, goats and sheep. The organism produces a strong poison in humans. It can result in kidney failure and death. Officials say more of these infections in the United States have been caused by eating undercooked ground beef than by any other food.

But last November the Food and Drug Administration restated concerns about continuing E. coli outbreaks in leafy greens. The F.D.A. noted eighteen outbreaks involving fresh or fresh-cut lettuce and one involving fresh-cut spinach since nineteen ninety-five. Those outbreaks resulted in more than four hundred reported cases of sickness and two deaths.

Investigators found that at least eight of the outbreaks involved greens from the Salinas Valley.

Officials say the current outbreak might have been caused by water polluted with waste from cattle. Or it might have been caused by wildlife in the fields, or by infected workers. Experience suggests that investigators might never find the exact cause.

Last week the Western Growers Association announced it is developing a new food-safety plan. The plan will include measures such as improved water and soil testing.

And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Mario Ritter. I'm Jim Tedder.

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Health Officials Seek Ways to Fight Extreme Drug-Resistant TB

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VOICE ONE:

This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I’m Dpug Johnson.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Faith Lapidus. This week -- warnings about a form of tuberculosis that resists almost all treatment ...

VOICE ONE:

New rules about sales of emergency birth control in the United States ...

VOICE TWO:

And some good news if you are looking for dinosaurs.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

At Church of Scotland Hospital in Tugela Ferry, South Africa, 52 of 53 patients found to have extreme drug-resistant TB quickly died of it

Health experts are concerned about a newly identified threat from tuberculosis. They call it extreme drug-resistant tuberculosis. In one recent outbreak, fifty-three people became infected in KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa. All but one of them died after attempts at treatment failed.

A South African news report last week said six gold miners in Free State province were also found to have extreme drug-resistant TB.

Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that is spread through the air and usually attacks the lungs. The disease kills almost two million people each year. The World Health Organization says one-third of the world’s population is infected with TB. Most people who are infected never develop active tuberculosis, so they never get sick from it.

But people with HIV and other conditions that weaken the body's defenses are more likely to develop tuberculosis. Forty-four of the fifty-three patients in KwaZulu-Natal had been tested for the virus that causes AIDS. The tests showed that all forty-four had HIV.

VOICE TWO:

Extreme drug-resistant tuberculosis is the name for TB strains that resist not only the two main drugs used to fight the disease. They also resist three or more of the six kinds of drugs that are used when the first line of treatment fails.

World health officials say it has been found in all parts of the world but is most common in the former Soviet republics and in Asia. These recent findings are based on information from two thousand through two thousand four.

Latvia has one of the highest rates of drug-resistant TB in the world. There, nineteen percent of the cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis met the definition of the newly identified threat. In the United States four percent of cases were identified as extreme drug-resistant TB.

VOICE ONE:

The World Health Organization says the drug resistance results mainly from poor care of TB patients. This includes incorrect treatment plans and the use of poor quality drugs. It also includes the failure of patients to complete the months of treatment required to cure tuberculosis.

The W.H.O. says drug resistant TB appears to be increasing in Africa. The rates are still low compared to Eastern Europe and Asia. But the high rates of HIV in Africa mean that drug-resistant TB could sharply increase the number of deaths.

VOICE TWO:

The South African Medical Research Council says the recent cases in KwaZulu-Natal demonstrate the risks for people with HIV. The patients died an average of twenty-five days after drug-resistant TB was first suspected. These included patients who had been taking antiretroviral drugs to control their HIV infections.

Experts warn that the spread of extreme drug-resistant TB could harm efforts to treat HIV and AIDS.

Earlier this month, W.H.O. officials joined TB experts and representatives from eleven African countries at a two-day meeting in Johannesburg. They agreed on a seven-point plan of action to control extreme drug-resistant tuberculosis. They said the first step needed is to urgently do studies in high-risk countries to identify the extent of the threat. They also said more laboratories are needed to carry out testing.

VOICE ONE:

People with TB have to take a combination of several drugs daily for at least six months. Many stop as soon as they feel better. Yet that can lead to an infection that resists treatment.

In nineteen ninety the World Health Organization developed the DOTS program, or Directly Observed Treatment, Short-course. Health workers watch tuberculosis patients take their pills every day.

Earlier this year, an international partnership of organizations announced a plan to expand the program. The ten-year plan also aims to finance research into new TB drugs. The Global Alliance for TB Drug Development says its long-term goal is a treatment that could work in as few as ten doses. The four most common TB drugs currently used are more than forty years old.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

You are listening to SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

Federal officials in the United States have eased restrictions on sales of the emergency birth-control drug called Plan B. The Food and Drug Administration will now permit women to buy it without a doctor's order if they are at least eighteen years old. Those age seventeen and younger will still need to get a prescription.

The newly approved sales are expected to begin by the end of the year. But Plan B will not be as widely sold as other medicines that are sold without a prescription. And buyers will have to present proof of age.

Men may also buy Plan B for their sexual partners.

VOICE ONE:

Plan B is taken by mouth. It is often called the "morning-after" pill. It contains a manufactured form of the hormone progestin. Progestin is widely used in birth control pills. But Plan B contains more of it.

The drug comes as two pills. The second pill is taken twelve hours after the first. Plan B works by preventing a woman from producing an egg or by preventing the egg from being fertilized. In addition, it may prevent a fertilized egg from becoming implanted in the uterus.

Barr Pharmaceuticals of New Jersey makes Plan B. The company says the product is almost ninety percent effective if taken within seventy-two hours of a single act of unprotected sex.

Barr says Plan B reduces the risk of pregnancy but will not end an existing pregnancy.

VOICE TWO:

The recent action by the Food and Drug Administration followed almost three years of consideration and debate. A year ago, a former F.D.A. director said the agency did not have the power to make such a decision.

Supporters of the action say Plan B will reduce the number of women who get abortions. But others say Plan B is a form of abortion because it uses scientific methods to prevent the beginning of life.

Critics also say it will be difficult to make sure buyers meet the age requirements -- or that an older person is not buying Plan B for a younger one.

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VOICE ONE:

A new report suggests that scientists will find many new kinds of dinosaurs during the next century. Scientists identify all creatures, including dinosaurs, by groups or genera. The report says that at least seventy percent of dinosaur genera have yet to be found. It also estimates that seventy five percent of the currently unknown dinosaur genera will be discovered in the next sixty to one hundred years.

Researchers Steve Wang and Peter Dodson wrote the report. Mister Wang is a mathematician at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. Mister Dodson is a scientist with the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published their findings.

VOICE TWO:

The report says the two researchers believe there could be up to one thousand eight hundred fifty different kinds of dinosaurs. It says the fossilized remains of five hundred twenty-seven of these ancient creatures have been found.

Mister Dodson produced a similar estimate in nineteen ninety. Comparison with the recent study shows a big increase in discoveries of dinosaur fossils.

The report noted that for more than one hundred years, science recognized fewer than three hundred kinds of dinosaurs. Their remains were found mainly in the United States, Britain and Canada. In the past twenty years, the number of places with fossils has increased by one hundred percent. Many fossils have been found in China and South America.

VOICE ONE:

The researchers say they made the report because little work has been done to estimate the number of dinosaur genera.

Mister Wang says a child born today could expect a satisfying life’s work in the study of dinosaurs. But he also says that almost half of dinosaur genera that lived might have died without leaving a fossil as evidence of their existence.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by George Grow, Jerilyn Watson and Jill Moss. Brianna Blake was our producer. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE ONE:

And I’m Doug Johnson. You can download transcripts and MP3 files and search through archives of our programs at voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.

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Edward Hopper’s Simple Paintings Hold Meaning for Americans

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VOICE ONE:

I’m Shirley Griffith.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Doug Johnson with People in America in VOA Special English. Today we tell about artist Edward Hopper. He painted normal objects and people in interesting and mysterious ways.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Edward Hopper's "Cape Cod Morning"

In June of two thousand-six, visitors entered the redesigned Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. for the first time. When these people walked into the building, they saw two simple, colorful paintings. These paintings showed normal scenes from American life. But they looked mysterious and beautiful. American artist Edward Hopper painted both of these famous pictures.

VOICE TWO:

Edward Hopper was born in eighteen eighty-two in Nyack, a small town in New York state. From a young age, Edward knew he wanted to be a painter. His parents were not wealthy people. They thought Edward should learn to paint and make prints to advertise for businesses. This kind of painting is called commercial art. Edward listened to his mother and father. In nineteen hundred, he moved to New York City to study commercial art. However, he also studied more serious and artistic kinds of painting.

VOICE ONE:

One of Hopper’s teachers was Robert Henri, a famous American painter in the early twentieth century. Henri was a leader of a group of artists who called themselves the Ashcan School painters. The Ashcan artists liked to paint normal people and objects in realistic ways. Henri once expressed his ideas about painting this way: “Paint what you feel. Paint what you see. Paint what is real to you.”

Edward Hopper agreed with many of these ideas about art. He told people that Henri was his most important teacher.

VOICE TWO:

Hopper studied with Henri in New York City for six years. During those years, Hopper dreamed of going to Europe. Many painters there were making pictures in ways no one had ever seen before. Many of them had begun to paint pictures they called “abstract.” The artists liked to say these works were about ideas rather than things that existed in the real world. Their paintings did not try to show people and objects that looked like the ones in real life. Most American artists spent time in Europe. Then they returned to the United States to paint in this new way.

VOICE ONE:

With help from his parents, Hopper finally traveled to Europe in nineteen-oh-six. He lived in Paris, France for several months. He returned again in nineteen-oh-nine and nineteen-ten.

Unlike many other people, however, Hopper was not strongly influenced by the new, abstract styles he found there. “Paris had no great or immediate impact on me,” he once said. At the end of these travels, he decided that he liked the realistic methods he had learned from Robert Henri.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

When Edward Hopper returned from Paris for the last time, he moved into a small apartment in the Greenwich Village area of New York City. He took a job making prints and paintings for businesses. However, the paintings he made outside of his job were not helping him earn money or recognition. He had a show of his work at a gallery in New York. However, most people were not interested in his simple, realistic style. Very few people bought his paintings.

VOICE ONE:

Things began to improve in nineteen twenty-three. He began a love relationship with an artist named Jo Nivison. Soon they married. His wife sometimes said that Edward tried to control her thoughts and actions too much. However, most people who knew them said they loved each other very much. They stayed married for the rest of their lives. Also, Jo was the model for all of the women in Hopper’s paintings.

Success in art soon followed this success in love. In nineteen twenty-four, Hopper had the second show of his paintings. This time, he sold many pictures. Finally, at age forty-three, he had enough money to quit his job painting for businesses. He could now paint what he loved. Edward and Jo bought a car and began to travel around the country to find interesting subjects to paint.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

"The House by the Railroad"

Most people say that Hopper’s nineteen twenty-five painting “The House by the Railroad” was his first mature painting. This means that it was the first painting that brought together all of his important techniques and ideas.

“The House by the Railroad” shows a large, white house. The painting does not show the bottom of the house. It is blocked by railroad tracks. Cutting scenes off in surprising ways was an important part of Hopper’s style. He became famous for paintings that are mysterious, that look incomplete or that leave viewers with questions.

Shadows make many parts of the home in “The House by the Railroad” look dark. Some of the windows look like they are open, which makes the viewer wonder what is inside the house. However, only dark, empty space can be seen through the windows. Strange shadows, dark spaces, and areas with light were important parts of many Hopper paintings.

There are no people in the painting, and no evidence of other houses nearby. Hopper was famous for showing loneliness in his art. People often said that, even when there were many people in his paintings, each person seems to be alone in his or her own world.

VOICE ONE:

During the great economic depression of the nineteen thirties, many people saw Hopper’s lonely, mysterious paintings of everyday subjects. They liked the pictures because they seemed to show life honestly, without trying to make it happier or prettier than it really was. As a result, Hopper continued to sell many paintings during those years, even though most Americans were very poor.

VOICE TWO:

"Nighthawks"

In nineteen forty-two, Hopper painted his most famous work, “Nighthawks.” The painting shows four people in an eating-place called a diner late at night. They look sad, tired, and lonely. Two of them look like they are in a love relationship. But they do not appear to be talking to each other. The dark night that surrounds them is mysterious and tense. There is no door in the painting, which makes the subjects seem like they might be trapped.

Hopper painted “Nighthawks” soon after the Japanese bomb attack against the United States at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Many people thought the painting showed the fear and unhappiness that most Americans were feeling after the attack. The painting became very famous. Today, most Americans still recognize it. The painting now hangs in a famous museum in Chicago, Illinois.

VOICE ONE:

“Nighthawks” was not Edward Hopper’s only great success. In nineteen fifty, he finished a painting called “Cape Cod Morning.” It shows a brightly colored house in the country. In the middle of the painting, a woman leans on a table and looks out a window. She looks very sad. However, nothing in the painting gives any idea about why she would be sad. Today this painting hangs in a special place in the Smithsonian Museum of American Art in Washington. It is one the paintings we noted at the beginning of this program.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Edward Hopper began to struggle with his art during the nineteen fifties and sixties. He had trouble finding interesting subjects. When he did find good things to paint, he struggled to paint them well.

At the same time, the artistic community became less interested in realistic paintings. In the nineteen fifties, the Abstract Expressionist style became very popular. These artists refused to have subjects to paint. They wanted to “paint about painting” and “paint about ideas.” They thought Hopper’s style was no longer modern or important. As a result, the paintings he did complete met less success than during the earlier years.

Edward Hopper died in nineteen sixty-seven. His wife Jo died less than a year later.

Many years after his death, Hopper’s work is still popular in this country and outside America. In two thousand four, the famous Tate Art Gallery in London had a show of his paintings. This show brought the second-largest number of visitors of any show in the history of the museum. Today, people say Edward Hopper was one of the best American artists of the twentieth century.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

This program was written by Sarah Randle and produced by Mario Ritter. I’m Shirley Griffith.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Doug Johnson. You can read, listen to and download this program at our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for People in America in VOA Special English.

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Four Countries Gain Increased I.M.F. Voting Rights

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This is the VOA Special English Development Report.

I.M.F. Chief Rodrigo de Rato speaking at opening meeting in Singapore

Developing countries were the main subject last week at yearly meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Finance ministers met for two days in Singapore.

Members of the I.M.F. approved reform measures that aim to increase the voting power of countries with growing economies. As a first step, they agreed to increases in the voting rights for China, South Korea, Mexico and Turkey. These four countries were considered the least represented given the size of their economies.

The fund has one hundred eighty-four members. Currently, the weight of each government’s vote is based on the amount of money it provides to the international lender. China, South Korea, Mexico and Turkey will increase their I.M.F. shareholdings, so their voting rights will increase.

The reforms call for the I.M.F. to develop a way to rebalance voting rights for other countries within two years.

Critics say the United States and other Western nations have too much influence in the fund. Aid groups and activists have been pressuring the I.M.F. and World Bank to give poor countries more power in those organizations.

Another issue discussed in Singapore was corruption in the aid process. World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz said good governance is the fastest way out of poverty. Without it, he said, all other reforms are meaningless. He also urged rich nations to take action against companies doing dishonest business in developing countries.

Humanitarian groups say they worry that too much effort to prevent and punish corruption could stop aid from reaching those most in need. But World Bank officials say they will withdraw from projects only when dishonest officials are clearly not interested in reform.

Mister Wolfowitz and I.M.F. chief Rodrigo de Rato also called for increased aid for the poorest countries, especially in Africa. At the same time, the World Bank president said partly developed, or middle-income, countries should not be forgotten in the fight against poverty.

The two leaders expressed concern that high oil prices, international trade imbalances and barriers to trade could harm economic growth. They said the best ways to continue growth are to save energy and to restart world trade talks. Negotiations were suspended in July over disputes about agricultural trade.

And that's the VOA Special English Development Report, written by Jill Moss. You can download transcripts and archives of our reports at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Shep O'Neal.

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Halls of Fame Mean Sports Stars' Best Days Never Have to End

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VOICE ONE:

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

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Faith Lapidus. The best people in a sport may be elected to a hall of fame. The United States is home to national or international halls of fame in golf, hockey, lacrosse, volleyball, swimming, bowling bicycling, motor sports and more. This week on our program, we tell you about three of them: the ones for baseball, basketball and professional football.

(MUSIC)

Basketball Hall of Fame

VOICE ONE:

Our first stop is the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. The full name is the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

In eighteen ninety-one, a man named James Naismith was teaching physical education at a school in Springfield. One long, cold winter, he had to create a game for eighteen young men to play indoors. So the Canadian-born Naismith wrote some rules.

Rule number one: "The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands." Two: "The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands (never with the fist)."

In all, there were thirteen rules – the original rules of basketball. James Naismith is recognized as the inventor of basketball.

The National Association of Basketball Coaches established the Hall of Fame in nineteen forty-nine. It opened in nineteen sixty-eight at Springfield College. A new, larger building opened in nineteen eighty-five. And, four years ago, the Hall of Fame moved into a newer building, just south of its former home. The new building increased the size by almost one hundred percent.

VOICE TWO:

Honors Ring in Basketball Hall of Fame

The Basketball Hall of Fame is a museum and entertainment center. It combines history with technology. And it tries to capture the energy and excitement of the game. In the Center Court area, for example, visitors can play interactive games of basketball and take part in skill competitions.

The Hall of Fame explores basketball at every level of the game. Visitors learn about professional basketball in the United States and other countries. They learn about women's teams and how the game is played at the college level. They also learn about basketball for disabled people.

VOICE ONE:

The Hall of Fame honors the best players, teams, coaches and officials in basketball. Earlier this month, six more honorees joined the more than two hundred fifty people in the Hall of Fame. The six new members are Geno Auriemma, Charles Barkley, Joe Dumars, Sandro Gamba, David Gavitt and Dominique Wilkins.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Our next stop is also in the Northeast. The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is in Cooperstown, in New York State.

Some people believe that a man named Abner Doubleday invented the game of baseball in that small town in eighteen thirty-nine. Doubleday and his friends used to chase cows out of a field so they could play a game called "town ball." Town ball involved twenty to fifty boys. The boys attempted to catch a ball hit by a "tosser" who used a flat piece of wood.

VOICE ONE:

One day, or so the story goes, Abner Doubleday made changes to the game of town ball. He reduced the number of players. He added a pitcher, who threw the ball, and a catcher. He used a stick to draw a square-shaped area in the dirt. And he added bases for the batter to run around after he hit the ball.

A century ago the Mills Commission, appointed to investigate the history of baseball, declared that Abner Doubleday invented it. The Mills report, however, was disputed.

In any case, in nineteen thirty-four, an old baseball was discovered in a farmhouse near Cooperstown. It was said to have belonged to one of the boys who played the first game of baseball with Abner Doubleday.

A local businessman, Stephen Clark, wanted to show the old baseball to the public. So he decided to establish a national baseball museum.

VOICE TWO:

People from all over the country sent money and baseball-related objects for the new museum. Ford Frick was president of baseball’s National League at the time. He proposed that a Hall of Fame also be established to honor baseball’s best players.

The first election for members in the Hall of Fame took place in nineteen thirty-six. Five players were chosen. They were Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Matthewson and Walter Johnson. More players were elected every year.

The Hall of Fame opened officially in nineteen thirty-nine. The event celebrated the one hundredth anniversary of the game.

VOICE ONE:

Each year, more than three hundred fifty thousand people visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. The museum collection has thousands of objects from the history of baseball. These include seats and signs from some of the fields where early baseball games were played.

There is also a yearly Hall of Fame Game. Major League teams play on the field where baseball is said to have been first played.

VOICE TWO:

Two hundred seventy-eight people are currently honored in the Hall of Fame. The eighteen newest members were admitted in July.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, is sometimes called a national treasure. Visitors learn not just about the game, but about American culture.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Americans have been playing football in some form since the earliest colonies were established more than three centuries ago. Settlers brought the game with them from England. The game was played about the same way soccer is played.

In the middle of the eighteen hundreds, American colleges played a form of football called "association." Each team had its own rules. In eighteen seventy-six, officials from several universities established a set of rules for all teams to follow. The new game was officially called football.

VOICE TWO:

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is in the Midwest, in Canton, Ohio, about eighty-five kilometers south of the city of Cleveland. There were several reasons why Canton was chosen. A successful, professional football team, the Canton Bulldogs, played there in the early days of the sport. Jim Thorpe, one of the first great professional players, played with the Bulldogs for a time.

Another reason was that the American Professional Football Association was founded in Canton in nineteen twenty. And the citizens of Canton led a well-organized campaign to build the Hall of Fame in their city. It opened in nineteen sixty-three.

VOICE ONE:

More than seven million people have visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It explores the history of the sport. It also honors the game's greatest players.

At the Hall of Fame, visitors can test their knowledge of American football. And they can learn about each of the thirty-two teams in the National Football League.

VOICE TWO:

The Pro Football Hall of Fame has more than two hundred thirty members. They include players, coaches and team owners. There is a statue and picture of each one. New members are chosen each year.

Six new members were added at a ceremony on August fifth. The six are Troy Aikman, Harry Carson, John Madden, Warren Moon, Reggie White and Rayfield Wright.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Our program was written by George Grow and produced by Caty Weaver. You can read transcripts of our shows and download audio files at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Faith Lapidus. We hope you can join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

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Generals in Thailand Find Strong Support, at Least for Now

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This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

Thai soldiers near Parliament in Bangkok

Thai military leaders say their seizure of power Tuesday was necessary to unite a nation divided by months of political tension. Eighty percent of Thais in a public opinion study approved of the ouster of Thaksin Shinawatra after five years as prime minister.

But some Thais are concerned about the military’s return to power in a nation that has grown deeply involved in the world economy.

About one hundred protesters gathered in Bangkok Friday. Many carried signs and denounced the overthrow as undemocratic. Police took no action, although the ruling generals have banned public meetings of five or more people. They have also banned political activities and placed restrictions on the media.

The generals have promised to appoint a civilian as temporary prime minister within two weeks, and to hold elections in October of next year.

Thailand has had eighteen coups or coup attempts since nineteen thirty-two. That year, King Prajadhipok signed the first constitution for the nation then called Siam. He did so after government workers and military officers led a peaceful coup to demand a constitution.

The military last seized power in nineteen ninety-one. General Suchinda Kraprayoon overthrew an elected civilian government. The next year, he was ousted following street demonstrations. Since then, democracy has increased and the military’s influence in politics has decreased -- until this week.

The army, led by General Sondhi Boonyaratglin, took power peacefully. Mister Thaksin was in New York for a United Nations meeting. General Sondhi received a statement of support from King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

The military has been holding allies of Mister Thaksin, and on Friday appointed a group to gather evidence of wrongdoing by his administration.

Mister Thaksin became one of Thailand's richest people as a businessman in technology. Yet the poor were among his strongest supporters. Many others called him dishonest and hungry for power.

Also, Thailand is facing a violent rebellion in Muslim-majority provinces in the south. Mister Thaksin appointed General Sondhi, himself a Muslim, as army chief last year. The general thought the prime minister was dealing too aggressively with the rebels.

Mister Thaksin, in his first public statement after his ouster, said in London that he wanted to take a rest from politics.

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer called the overthrow unacceptable. The Japanese government called it regrettable. And Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said he was shocked by the events.

The United States criticized the overthrow as unjustified and said it was re-examining aid to Thailand. Thailand is a close ally, but United States laws require such action when a military overthrows civilian elected leaders. State Department officials called the military coup a step backward for democracy in Thailand.

IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English was written by Brianna Blake. I’m Steve Ember.

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Using Language Technology to Help Learners With Accent Reduction

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AA: I'm Avi Arditti with Rosanne Skirble, and this week on Wordmaster: an electronic tutoring system that helps non-native speakers of American English learn to pronounce words with a native accent.

Workers at a call center in Bangalore, India

RS: The product is called NativeAccent. It's sold by the Carnegie Speech company, with software technology under license from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. The system is being used, for example, to train customer service representatives at call centers in India, so they are more understandable to native English speakers in other countries.

AA: We talked to Gary Pelton, director of product development for Carnegie Speech, and Jaime Carbonell, director of the Language Technologies Institute at Carnegie Mellon. They say the aim is accent to reduce an accent, not eliminate it. We asked Jaime Carbonnell which languages are most difficult for NativeAccent to handle.

JAIME CARBONELL: "The product has models for different source language, different original languages of the speakers. It has models for Chinese, Spanish, French, Arabic, German -- twenty-six different languages. Some of the languages are harder because they are further away from English. Chinese is one of the harder ones, for example."

AA: "So the success rate for NativeAccent, for the software, when it's actually correcting the students, might be lower than if it were, say, Spanish or French?"

JAIME CARBONELL: "It's usually measured as time on task. If you're in a language that diverges more from English, you have to use the product longer before you can get to the same level of performance."

RS: "I just want to get a clear understanding of how this works. Either you or Gary can tell us how a student would approach this machine."

JAMIE CARBONELL: Well, Gary is the expert on that so I'll turn it over to him.

GARY PELTON: "Probably the easiest thing to do is for me to play an example. What I have here is I have a Mandarin speaker that is reading a sentence and the sentence is, 'It's just like the picture in my geography book.'"

CHINESE SPEAKER: "It's just like the picture in my geography book."

GARY PELTON: "So what comes up on the screen is you see the actual words, but some of them are marked in red. What we've done is we compared his speech for that little part in the end of the 'geography,' the little y sound, to how a group of native speakers said geography. And, we noticed that he was far away from that group of native English speakers. He also was far away for the 'eo' sound in geography."

AA: "And, how was the correction suggested?"

GARY PELTON: "So below that, what it does is it looks at the part that is farthest away and then gives him some text to tell him how to make the 'e' sound in geography better and also gives him pictures and so forth of what he has to do in his mouth."

AA: "So does the student hear a correct version too, in addition to the text and the pictures of what to do with his mouth, does he actually get to hear it and replay the correct way to say it?"

GARY PELTON: "Yes. So he actually gets a choice of several different model speakers. Since it is a male, he gets male model speakers. We've done studies that show that that makes a big difference if you're trying to mimic somebody in the same vocal range and speed that what you're working with."

RS: "So is what you are doing with all this text and the correction, is that meant to direct the students so that they become aware that this sound exists?"

JAMIE CARBONELL: "Yes, the original inventor of this idea, her name is Maxine Eskenazi -- she is the one who designed the techniques. And one of the techniques is to grossly exaggerate the difference between the sound that the student is using and the sound that they really should be saying, so that they can hear that there is indeed a difference. And then after they perceive that difference, then you minimize the exaggeration until it comes gradually back to normal."

RS: Jaime Carbonell, director of the Language Technologies Institute at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. We also spoke with Gary Pelton, director of product development for Carnegie Speech.

AA: The product NativeAccent was displayed this week at Interspeech 2006: the Ninth International Conference on Spoken Language Processing, at Carnegie Mellon. The conference attracted 1,000 scientists from around the world to explore ways in which people and computers use and understand each other.

RS: And, that's Wordmaster for this week. Our e-mail address is word@voanews.com. And it's it American English you want to hear, check out our Web site at voanews.com/wordmaster. With Avi Arditti, I'm Rosanne Skirble.

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