A 'Rogue Trader' Costs French Bank $7 Billion

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It was the largest trading loss by an individual in banking history. Transcript of radio broadcast:

This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.

Last week, France's second largest bank, Societe Generale, announced that a single, middle-level trader had caused the bank to lose over seven billion dollars. It was the largest trading loss by an individual in banking history.

Jerome Kerviel reportedly made trades in European stock index derivatives. These complex investments are bets that stock indexes will rise or fall. Mister Kerviel's job was to place bets that indexes would both rise and fall. Doing this limits the risk of losing a lot. But it also limits gains. Mister Kerviel worked in a part of the bank that was supposed to take on little risk. The bank said Mister Kerviel took measures to avoid its risk controls.

Reports say Mister Kerviel found a way to hide the fact that he bet only on stock prices rising. He also hid the huge amounts of his bets from bank supervisors. When stock prices dropped, his financial positions, worth an estimated seventy-three billion dollars, had to be closed at a huge loss.

French government lawyers brought charges against the thirty-one-year-old trader on Monday. Mister Kerviel was charged with breach of trust and illegal computer activity. However, he was not charged with financial wrongdoing or false signing of documents. Mister Kerviel has denied that he tried to profit from his activities. His lawyer says he is being unfairly charged.

The bank said it only discovered Mister Kerviel's activities on January twentieth. But a government lawyer said exchange officials had warned the bank about the trader's deals late last year. The lawyer said Mister Kerviel told him he had started his activities at the end of two thousand five.

Many in the French government are pressuring the bank's chairman and chief executive Daniel Bouton to resign. Mister Bouton has offered to resign twice but both times the bank's board did not accept his resignation.

Some experts believe efforts by Societe Generale to close out Mister Kerviel's financial positions played a part in driving down European stock prices early last week.

In the United States, the Federal Reserve cut the federal funds rate for the second time in eight days. On Wednesday, the central bank cut the important interest rate by half a percentage point to three percent. The Fed said it is now more concerned about the slowing economy than about inflation.

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

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Independent Films Look for a Place in the Sun at Sundance Festival

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A question from China about the rock band Aerosmith. And we take you inside the stadium where this year's Super Bowl will be played. Transcript of radio

HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

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

We tell about the state-of-the-art sports center that will hold this year’s Super Bowl …

Answer a listener's question about the band Aerosmith …

And report on the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah …

Sundance Film Festival

HOST:

The Sundance Film Festival takes place each January in and around Park City, Utah. It is America's top event for filmmakers working without the support of major film studios. Faith Lapidus has more about the film festival, which ended last weekend.

FAITH LAPIDUS:

The Sundance Film Festival is a big event for independent filmmakers, film companies and people who love movies. Tens of thousands of people attend the film festival each year. They gather in the cold, snowy mountain town of Park City, along with famous movie stars and many reporters. More than one hundred twenty new films were chosen to be shown during the ten-day event. Many filmmakers show their movies for the first time, hoping that film companies will buy them.

"Up the Yangtze" by Chinese director Yung Chang was one of the movies purchased at Sundance. It examines the effect of China's Three Gorges Dam on the place where the director's grandfather grew up.

Courtney Hunt won the 2008 Grand Jury Prize for her film ''Frozen River''

Thirty-two American films competed for prizes at Sundance. A five-member group of actors and directors chose the winners. Two films about people dealing with personal tragedy won the top prizes. The film "Frozen River" won the Grand Jury Prize for best American film drama. Courtney Hunt wrote and directed the film. It is about two poor women trying to bring Chinese immigrants illegally into the United States from Canada.

"Trouble the Water" was named the best American documentary, or true story. A woman and her husband show how they survived Hurricane Katrina and the deadly floodwaters in New Orleans, Louisiana. Tia Lessin and Carl Deal directed the movie. People who attend Sundance can vote for their favorite films. The winners receive the Audience Awards.

Sundance is also an important event for international filmmakers. Thirty-two films from twenty-five countries competed at the festival. The World Cinema Audience Award for drama went to "Captain Abu Raed," a film from Jordan directed by Amin Matalqa. A man whose real job is to clean the airport tells children magical stories about his make-believe life as a pilot.

Another foreign film shown at Sundance was "Dinner With the President: A Nation's Journey," directed by Sabiha Sumar. Her film explores the chances for democracy in Pakistan.

Aerosmith

HOST:

Our question this week comes from a Chinese listener. Zheyan Jin wants to know

Aerosmith in concert

about the rock band Aerosmith. This group is one of the best selling hard rock bands of all time. The five musicians have been performing and making records for over thirty-five years. Their intense and energetic music helped define rock and roll.

The members of Aerosmith are singer Steven Tyler, guitar players Joe Perry and Brad Whitford, bass player Tom Hamilton, and Joey Kramer on drums. The group formed in nineteen seventy in Boston, Massachusetts. In the notes of their first album “Aerosmith”, the group described themselves as “third-generation rockers with a desire to create something new.” Here is their hit song “Dream On” from that album.

(MUSIC)

During the nineteen seventies, the band made many popular albums, including “Your Wings” and “Toys in the Attic.” But their success came at a price. Some members of the band became dependent on illegal drugs. Two members of the band left and were replaced by other musicians.

The original members of Aerosmith came together again in the nineteen eighties. Here is the song “Janie’s Got a Gun” from the album “Pump.”

(MUSIC)

More recently, Aerosmith released “Honkin’ on Bobo” and “Devil’s Got a New Disguise.” They began recording a new album in November. Here is the song “Angel’s Eye”. Aerosmith recorded the song for the movie “Charlie’s Angels.”

(MUSIC)

2008 Super Bowl

HOST:

The New England Patriots and the New York Giants face each other Sunday in the forty-second yearly American football championship called the Super Bowl. The Patriots are expected to win. If they do, they will set a new record. They will have won more games during the season than any other team in history. The Patriots will not be the first undefeated team, but they will have won the most games. The Super Bowl will be an exciting game. And the stadium where it will be played has the most modern technology in the world. Barbara Klein has more.

BARBARA KLEIN:

A look from inside the stadium in Glendale, Arizona

The University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona is home to the Arizona Cardinals football team. It also holds a yearly college level championship game. But, this will be the first Super Bowl held there.

Workers began building the stadium in two thousand three. It was completed about three years and four hundred fifty-five million dollars later. Unlike most stadiums, it has a roof that fully opens. It is made of two parts that slide in and out.

This is important because Glendale is near the city of Phoenix, Arizona. This area is called the Valley of the Sun. It sometimes is a very hot place. The average high temperature in the summer is above thirty-seven degrees Celsius. So the roof of the stadium can be closed to permit air conditioning machines to be used. But the roof can be opened during the cooler months for sporting and other events, like big rock concerts and trade shows.

The stadium has an unusual feature that no other stadium has. The natural grass playing field rolls in and out of the structure as needed. The grass grows on an object like a giant tray. Most of the time the grass is moved outside to get sunshine and rain. Workers roll it back inside for football games. Officials say this makes the center more usable for non-sporting events.

Architect Peter Eisenman designed the huge stadium. Its shape represents the barrel cactus, a common plant in the area. The huge metal pieces that form its walls shine brightly in the desert sun.

On Sunday, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will play at the Super Bowl half-time event. We leave you with that band performing “American Girl.”

HOST:

I'm Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program today. Our writers were Shelley Gollust, Dana Demange and Caty Weaver who was also our producer. Transcripts and MP3 files of our programs are at voaspecialenglish.com.

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

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Dealing With Dyslexia

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The most common learning disability can affect people emotionally as well as physically. Transcript of radio broadcast:

This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

Today we have the second in a series of reports about the group of disorders known as learning disabilities. Different ones affect reading, writing, listening, speaking or working with numbers.

The most common learning disability is dyslexia. A person with dyslexia has difficulty with language skills, especially reading. The International Dyslexia Association says studies in different countries generally show that four to seven percent of people are dyslexic.

Dyslexia most commonly affects reading, spelling and writing. Some people have problems with only one of these. Others have trouble with spoken language. They find it difficult to express themselves clearly or understand what other people say.

Dyslexia can also affect a person emotionally. Dyslexic children often think they are unable to learn. They think they are stupid, or that is what they are told. Specialists say children who feel this way are in danger of failure and depression.

What causes dyslexia is not clear. But studies have found differences in brain activity and development in dyslexic people compared to the general population.

Early signs include a delay in learning to speak, and difficulty pronouncing words. While learning to read, children with dyslexia may not recognize letters or connect them with their sounds. They may also have difficulty learning or remembering numbers, colors, shapes or days of the week.

Older children may have difficulty learning a foreign language. They may read slowly or have trouble remembering what they read. And they may fail to see or hear similarities and differences in letters and words.

There is no cure, but people with dyslexia can still be successful learners. Experts say the most important thing is to find the condition at an early age. And they say only a trained professional can tell if a person is dyslexic.

Specially trained educators can teach people with dyslexia different ways to learn. Computer-assisted learning might help, or using recorded books instead of printed ones. Schools can provide more time to finish tasks, and resources like help in taking notes.

More information can be found through organizations like the International Dyslexia Association in Maryland. For a link, along with transcripts and MP3s of our reports, go to voaspecialenglish.com.

And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. Our series on learning disabilities continues next week. I'm Steve Ember.

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American History Series: Finding the Right Plan for a New Government

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The Virginia Plan formed the basis of discussion at the convention in Philadelphia. The plan called for a government with a supreme legislature, executive and judiciary. Transcript of radio broadcast:

Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION -- American history in VOA Special English.

In May of seventeen eighty-seven, a group of America's early leaders met in Philadelphia. They planned to make changes in the Articles of Confederation. Those articles provided for a loose union of the thirteen states. Instead of changes, however, the leaders wrote a new document. It established America's system of government and guaranteed the rights of its citizens. It is still the law of the land.

I'm Shep O’Neal. Today, Blake Lanum and I continue the story of the United States Constitution.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

The Assembly Room at the Pennsylvania State House, later renamed Independence Hall

The story does not flow easily. The reason is a rule made by the delegates. From the beginning, they agreed that the convention had the right to change its decisions.

The convention did not just discuss a proposal, vote on it and move on to other issues. Any delegate could ask to re-discuss any proposal or any decision. And they often did. Every man who saw one of his ideas defeated brought it up again later. The same speeches that were made the first time were made again. So days, even weeks, passed between discussions of the same proposal.

The story of the Philadelphia convention would be difficult to understand if we told about events day-by-day. So, we will put the calendar and the clock away, and tell how each major question was debated and settled.

VOICE ONE:

After the delegates agreed that the convention could change its decisions, they agreed on a rule of secrecy. Guards were placed at the doors of the State House. Newspaper reporters were not permitted inside. And delegates could not discuss convention business in public.

The secrecy rule led people to get many strange ideas about the convention, especially in Europe.

There, most people believed the convention was discussing how America could be ruled by a king. Europeans said a republican government worked in a small country, such as Switzerland, but not, they said, in a land as large as America.

So some of them began talking about which European prince might be asked to become king of America. Some were sure it would be Prince Henry of Prussia. Others said it would be Prince Frederick Augustus, the second son of King George the Third of Britain.

Without news reports from Philadelphia, even some Americans believed these stories.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Thomas Jefferson

At the time of the convention, Thomas Jefferson was serving as America's representative to France. When he learned of the secrecy rule, he was angry. He believed strongly in freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

More than forty years later, James Madison explained the decision behind the rule.

Madison said that if the convention had been open to the public, no delegate would ever change his mind after speaking on an issue. To do so would mean he was wrong the first time he spoke. And no delegate would be willing to admit to the public that he had made a mistake. Madison said if the meetings had been open, the convention would have failed.

VOICE ONE:

Another rule helped the delegates speak freely. It was a method of debate called the committee of the whole. It may seem a foolish method. But it was useful then and still is today in legislatures. It is a way for people to discuss ideas, vote, and then change their minds. Their votes -- while in committee -- are not recorded permanently.

To have the Philadelphia convention become a committee of the whole, the delegates needed to elect a chairman of the committee. They chose Nathaniel Gorham, a judge from Massachusetts.

Each morning at ten o'clock, the convention met and declared it was sitting as a committee of the whole. George Washington then left the president's chair. Nathaniel Gorham took his place.

Just before four o'clock in the afternoon, the committee of the whole declared it was sitting again as a convention. Judge Gorham stepped down, and General Washington took the chair. He declared that the convention would meet again the next morning.

This process was repeated every day.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

On May twenty-ninth, the delegates heard the Virginia Plan. This was the plan of government prepared by James Madison and other delegates from the state of Virginia.

The thirty-three-year-old governor of Virginia, Edmund Randolph, presented the plan. First, he spoke about America's existing plan of government, the Articles of Confederation. Governor Randolph praised the Articles and the men who wrote them.

He called those men "wise" and "great." But, he said, the articles were written for thirteen states in a time of war. Something more was needed now for the new nation. Something permanent.

VOICE ONE:

George Washington's copy of the Virginia Plan

Governor Randolph spoke of conditions in all the states. He told the delegates what they already knew was true. Government was breaking down in many parts of the country.

As he presented the Virginia Plan, Edmund Randolph noted that its fifteen parts were just ideas. The state of Virginia, he said, did not want to force them on the convention. Yet the ideas should be discussed. Change them as you wish, he told the convention. But talk about them fully.

Other delegates presented their own plans for discussion. We will talk about some of them in later programs. But from the beginning, the Virginia Plan had the most influence. For more than three months, delegates would debate each part, vote on it, then debate it again.

The Virginia Plan formed the basis of discussion at the convention in Philadelphia. In the end, it formed the basis of the United States Constitution.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

The announced purpose of the convention was to change the Articles of Confederation to make them more effective. The Virginia Plan was not a plan of proposed changes. It was much more extreme. It was, in fact, a plan for a completely new central government.

Debate on the Virginia Plan began May thirtieth. Immediately, Edmund Randolph proposed an amendment. The plan, he noted, spoke of a federal union of states. But such a federation would not work. Instead, he said, America's central government should be a national government. It should contain a supreme legislature, executive and judiciary.

VOICE ONE:

For a few moments, there was complete silence. Many of the delegates seemed frozen in their chairs. Did they hear correctly?

Most of them did not question the idea of a government with three separate parts. Several states already had such a system. But to create a central government that was "national" and "supreme" -- what did these words mean exactly? What was the difference?

The delegates debated the meaning of these words -- federal, national, supreme -- for many days. Both James Madison and Gouverneur Morris of Pennsylvania tried to explain.

Madison said a federal government acts on states. A national government acts directly on the people.

Morris gave this explanation. A federal government is simply an agreement based on the good faith of those involved. A national government has a complete system of operation and its own powers.

VOICE TWO:

Pierce Butler of South Carolina wanted to know why a national government was necessary. Did the states need to be national?

"But we are a nation!" John Dickinson of Delaware answered. "We are a nation although made of parts, or states."

Gouverneur Morris continued. He spoke of the future when the delegates meeting in Philadelphia would be dead. Their children and grandchildren, he said, would stop thinking of themselves as citizens of Pennsylvania or New York or North Carolina. Instead, they would think of themselves as citizens of the United States.

"This generation will die away," Morris said, "and be followed by a race of Americans."

Morris declared that the states had to take second place to a national government with supreme power. "It is better to take a supreme government now," he said, "than a dictator twenty years from now. For come he must."

In the end, the delegates approved the proposal for a national government. Next week, we will tell about the debate over a national executive, the part of the government that would enforce the laws.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Join us again next week for THE MAKING OF A NATION – an American history series in VOA Special English, on radio or online. I’m Shep O’Neal with Blake Lanum. Transcripts and MP3s of our programs are at voaspecialenglish.com.

__

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Disputes on Stolen Art Bring Up Complex Legal and Cultural Issues

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Museums and governments are negotiating these complex issues around the world. Transcript of radio broadcast:

Correction attached

VOICE ONE:

I’m Bob Doughty.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Faith Lapidus with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. At the British Museum in London, millions of people every year visit a famous collection of marble statues from the ancient Greek building called the Parthenon.

These finely carved works and the building they came from are widely considered the most important examples of western art and building design. Why these Greek statues are in a British museum is an important part of our story today. We explore the complex issues of cultural property, ownership, and the returning -- or keeping -- of cultural treasures.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

An example of the Elgin Marbles

Many people know these famous and disputed statues at the British Museum as the Elgin Marbles. They were named for Lord Thomas Elgin, who served as British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the nineteenth century. The Ottoman Empire at this time included what is current day Greece as well as Turkey.

VOICE TWO:

Lord Elgin decided he was in a good position to improve the national art collection of Britain. So he gathered a team of experts to help him make drawings and plaster copies of the buildings of ancient Greece within the city of Athens. In eighteen-oh-one, Lord Elgin received legal permission to also take away any pieces of stone with images or words carved on them.

Later, another legal document permitted the stone pieces, or marbles, to be sent by boat to Britain. Lord Elgin eventually sold the marbles to the British government to be housed in the British Museum. His actions have been disputed ever since. The British Museum believes it has the right to protect these works for the world to enjoy. But the Greek government has a very different opinion.

VOICE ONE:

The head of a horse of Selene from the Elgin Marbles

In the nineteen eighties, the Greek government began a modern campaign for the return of these statues, which Greeks call the Parthenon Marbles. During this time, the Greek cultural minister, Melina Mercouri, made the campaign an international issue by calling for their return during a United Nations meeting.

The Greek government recently built a museum near the ruins of the Parthenon to house the ancient building’s sculptures. The strikingly modern Acropolis Museum is interesting for the art it contains as well as for the art that is clearly missing. The marbles are shown in the order that they were first placed in the Parthenon. There are the ancient statues that belong to Greece and there are plaster copies of the statues that are currently in Britain.

Now that the works are placed together, it is clear that they are not just individual sculptures. Together, the extraordinary sculptures tell a story about an ancient culture.

VOICE TWO:

The current Greek minister of culture is Michalis Liapis. He says the new Acropolis Museum makes it possible for the sculptures now in Britain to have a large exhibit space where they can be protected. He says Britain no longer has any excuse to keep these works of art.

A spokeswoman for the British Museum in London says the Acropolis Museum represents an important effort. But she points out that the goal of the British Museum is to present all world cultures to visitors so that they can compare civilizations.

VOICE ONE:

This cultural dispute is not just a concern for museums and governments. Michael Reppas helped create a group called The American Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures.

Mister Reppas, a Greek American, says part of his history has been stolen and placed in a museum in Britain. He says the situation would be like cutting off a piece of the Statue of Liberty in New York City and placing it in a museum in another country.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Today, unlike during Lord Elgin’s time, international laws protect a country’s cultural treasures. Museums and governments use these laws to help negotiate the return of such property. Museums also follow a set of rules to help make sure that they received the cultural treasures fairly and legally. Often, museums do not know that objects they received in the past were gotten illegally.

VOICE ONE:

Other times it is less clear whether or not a museum acted legally in buying art. For example, Marion True is an art expert who used to work for the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California. Since two thousand five, Miz True has been on trial in Italy. She is accused of illegal actions in obtaining ancient Italian cultural objects. She is on trial in Greece for similar charges.

VOICE TWO:

The Italian Cultural Ministry takes very seriously the stealing of cultural objects from Italy. A special group of Italian military police works to reclaim stolen art and archeological objects. Italy recently ended negotiations with the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts over thirteen cultural treasures that are now being returned to Italy.

Italy won its claim on the objects because documents showed that they were taken illegally from the country. Italy has also agreed to loan some of the objects to the museum, so both sides ended up with a fair resolution. Katie Getchell is deputy director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She says the museum did not want to have objects that it did not rightfully own. And she says that there is a legal, moral and responsible way for governments and museums to resolve such disputes.

VOICE ONE:

Italy is demonstrating its progress in this area with a new exhibit at the Quirinale, or presidential palace, in Rome. The exhibit shows sixty-eight cultural objects that Italy has reclaimed from American museums. These museums include the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the J. Paul Getty Museum. The name of the museum that formerly owned the object is on the signs explaining the history of each object.

Italian officials say the exhibit shows how much the museum world is changing its position on cultural disputes.

VOICE TWO:

This change is also clear in another case between Peru and an American university in

Machu Picchu

the state of Connecticut. Last year, Yale University agreed to return a large number of treasures taken from the ancient Peruvian city of Machu Picchu. In nineteen twelve, the Yale researcher and explorer Hiram Bingham rediscovered the hidden city. He brought many objects from Machu Picchu to the United States. Peru says that the objects were on loan and should have been returned long ago. After years of negotiations, Yale announced in September of last year that the two sides had reached an early agreement.

VOICE ONE:

Yale has officially agreed that Peru owns the cultural objects. The university will return most of them and will be able to keep others for an extended period of time. Under the expected agreement, Yale will advise Peru on the building of a museum for the objects. The President of Yale University, Richard Levin, said the two sides have created a new way of resolving competing interests in cultural property disputes. However, it is not clear when a final agreement will be reached.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Efforts to protect cultural property increased after World War Two. During the war, Nazi Germany stole large amounts of art from the countries they invaded. In reaction, the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property was signed in nineteen fifty-four. The United Nations cultural organization has also recognized the issue. In nineteen seventy, UNESCO created a convention to prevent the illegal exportation of cultural property. Individual countries have their own laws about cultural property as well.

VOICE ONE:

One example of art stolen by the Nazis during World War Two has been successfully resolved. At the Neue Gallery in New York City, visitors can see a beautiful painting of a woman named Adele Bloch-Bauer made by the Austrian artist Gustav Klimt. Adele’s husband, Ferdinand, asked the artist to make the painting around nineteen-oh-seven.

'Adele Bloch-Bauer 1'

In the late nineteen thirties, when Austria was under Nazi rule, Mister Bloch-Bauer was forced to flee his country because he was Jewish. His family’s collection of art was seized by Nazi leaders and later became state property.

For years Austria refused to return the art to the Bloch-Bauer family. Then, in two thousand six, the family finally won its court case and ownership of the art. They later sold the work to the owner of Neue Gallery. This painting of Adele Bloch-Bauer is not only a beautiful example of Austrian art. It also represents a powerful story about one family’s successful battle over injustice.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This program was written and produced by Dana Demange. I’m Faith Lapidus.

VOICE ONE:

And I’m Bob Doughty. Archives of our programs with transcripts and MP3s are at voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.

___

Correction: This report said art expert Marion True is on trial in Greece. A Greek court dismissed the case in November. Her American lawyer says a trial date on other, lesser charges has yet to be set (and she remains on trial in Italy.)

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A New Push for Breastfeeding in Developing Countries

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Researchers promote it to fight malnutrition in young children. Transcript of radio broadcast:

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

We talked last week about a series of new studies of hunger in mothers and children in developing countries. The Lancet medical journal published the series. In it, researchers said poor nutrition in the first two years can permanently damage a child, physically and mentally.

One of the interventions they placed great importance on was breastfeeding.

Mothers at an event in Manila in May 2006 to bring attention to breastfeeding in the Philippines

The World Health Organization says babies should receive only breast milk for the first six months. On its Web site, the W.H.O. says breast milk is the ideal food for the healthy growth and development of infants. And it notes that as part of the reproductive process, breastfeeding also has important health considerations for mothers.

Studies have shown that women who receive counseling about breastfeeding are more likely to feed their babies only breast milk for the first six months.

The La Leche League is an international organization that promotes breastfeeding. Jack Newman is a Canadian doctor who serves as a health adviser to the group. He has written and spoken widely on what he says are several mistaken beliefs that stop women from breastfeeding.

Many women think they will not produce enough milk to feed their baby. Doctor Newman says the large majority of women in fact produce more than enough milk to feed their babies.

Some women worry that breastfeeding will hurt. Again, Doctor Newman says this is not true. He says breasts can hurt a little in the first few days of nursing. But he says any pain beyond that would most likely be the result of incorrect breastfeeding or an infection.

Jack Newman says it is not uncommon for people to believe that baby formula is just as good as breast milk. But he says only a mother's body can produce the right levels of all the nutrition that a baby needs as these needs change. He also points out that unlike formula, breast milk contains infection-fighting antibodies -- and it's free.

Medical experts agree that, in general, breast milk is the best possible food for a new baby. But one problem with breastfeeding is that many new mothers are not sure how to do it correctly. We will talk about that next week.

And that’s the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver. Transcripts and MP3s of our reports are at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Pat Bodnar.

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First Step in Practicing Medicine: Getting Into Medical School

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A look at the process in the United States, which has more than 120 medical colleges. Transcript of radio broadcast:

VOICE ONE:

This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Barbara Klein. On our program this week, we look at how people become medical doctors in the United States.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

A medical student in the state of Wyoming

It is not easy to become a doctor in the United States. The first step is getting into a medical college. More than one hundred twenty American schools offer study programs for people seeking to become a doctor.

People can get advice about medical schools from many resources. One of these is the Princeton Review. The publication provides information about colleges, study programs and jobs.

The Princeton Review says competition to enter medical schools is strong. It says about thirty-five thousand people compete for sixteen thousand openings in American medical schools each year. Many of those seeking to be admitted are women.

VOICE TWO:

Most people seeking admission contact more than one medical school. Some applicants contact many. An important part of the application usually is the Medical College Admission Test, or MCAT. The Association of American Medical Colleges provides the test by computer. It is offered in the United States and in other countries around the world.

The applicant is rated on reasoning, physical and biological sciences and an example of writing. Applicants for medical school need to do well on the MCAT. They also need a good record in their college studies.

VOICE ONE:

People who want to become doctors often study large amounts of biology, chemistry or other science. Some students work for a year or two in a medical or research job before they attempt to enter medical school.

A direct meeting, or interview, also is usually required for entrance to medical schools. This means talking with a school representative. The interviewer wants to know what the applicant is like. Does the person understand the demands of life as a medical student and doctor in training? What are the person’s goals for a life in medicine?

VOICE TWO:

A medical education can be very costly. One year at a private medical college can cost forty thousand dollars or more. The average at a public medical school is more than fifteen thousand dollars. Most students need loans to pay for medical school. Many finish their education heavily in debt.

Some Americans become doctors by joining the United States Army, Navy, Air Force or Public Health Service. They attend the F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. These students attend without having to pay. They also receive training beyond the usual education in areas needed by military and public health doctors. In return, they spend seven years in government service.

VOICE ONE:

Doctors are among the highest paid people in the United States. Big-city doctors who work in specialties like eye care or surgical operations usually earn the most money. But some other doctors earn far less. That is especially true in poor communities. Doctors in areas far from cities may sometimes get part of their payment in fruits or vegetables.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Medical students spend their first two years mainly in classroom study. They learn about the body and all its systems. They also begin studying how to recognize and treat disease.

Medical students perform a dissection of a body at the University of Massachusetts

By the third year, students begin working with patients in hospitals. Experienced doctors who have treated many patients guide them as they work. As the students learn, they think about the kind of medical skills they will need to work as doctors.

VOICE ONE:

During the fourth year, students begin contacting hospital programs for the additional training they will need after medical school. Competition to work at a top hospital can be fierce.

Doctors-in-training in hospitals are called interns or residents. They are usually called interns during their first year. After that, the name of the job is resident. The trainees treat patients guided by medical professors and other experts.

VOICE TWO:

All fifty states require at least one year of hospital work for doctors-in-training educated at medical schools in the United States. Graduates of study programs at most foreign medical schools may have to complete two or three years of residency, although there are exceptions.

To be accepted for a residency, a person must meet the requirements of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. This process involves several tests before a person can receive a visa to stay in the United States for the training period.

Those completing study programs at foreign medical schools may be required to return to their own country for at least two years after their training ends. But because of doctor shortages or other needs, some have been able to get visas without the required two-year stay in their home country.

VOICE ONE:

Doctors-in-training receive experience in different kinds of care. Interns, for example, may work with children for one month. Then the next month they may be in the operating room. How long a residency lasts depends on the chosen area of medicine.

There are many medical specialties. Some people become cardiologists and care for the heart. Others become oncologists and treat cancer patients. Still others become pediatricians and take care of children. And some doctors go into medical research, either at a university or with a private company.

VOICE TWO:

But whatever they choose, they first need experience. Some doctors work a long time in hospitals before they are fully trained in a specialty. Neurosurgeons are a good example. They operate on the brain, neck and back. Some spend six years or more as residents before beginning private practice.

A doctor in Chicago, Illinois, remembers that before his internship, he wanted to work in crisis medicine. But he lost that interest after he interned in a hospital emergency room. He saw many patients who needed help immediately, like accident victims and victims of gunshot wounds. The specialty he chose, surgery, lets him have more time to decide how to help his patients.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

In nineteen ninety-nine, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies released a report on medical mistakes in American hospitals. The report said preventable mistakes resulted in at least forty-four thousand deaths each year.

Five years later, the New England Journal of Medicine published two government-financed studies of serious mistakes made by interns. The studies found that the mistake rate in two intensive-care areas decreased when interns worked fewer hours. The interns made fewer mistakes when they had to order medicines and identify conditions.

Teaching hospitals say they must pay more for work from other employees because resident hours are shortened. Some residents say they need extended time with patients to observe changes in their condition. And some experienced doctors say residents need to work as much as they can to become good doctors.

VOICE TWO:

But in two thousand three, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education reduced the hours that residents may work. The council supervises the training of residents. Some residents were spending one hundred or more hours a week at their hospitals. They were often on duty more than thirty-six hours at a time, with limited sleep.

The changed rules limit residents to thirty hours of duty at a time. A hospital is not supposed to require more than eighty hours of duty in a week. In addition, interns and residents must have one day off in every seven. But some residents say all hospitals are not following the new rules.

VOICE ONE:

Paul Rockey is a medical education expert in Illinois. He has worked for years with residents. He says residencies today are more difficult than before. Patients do not stay as long in the hospital as they once did. So Doctor Rockey says there is a lot of pressure on young doctors to learn quickly.

He says the difficulties of a medical education may be great. But, he adds that people also get great satisfaction seeing themselves gain the knowledge and skills to become good doctors.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Brianna Blake. I’m Barbara Klein.

VOICE ONE:

And I’m Steve Ember. Read and listen to our programs at voaspecialenglish.com. Listen again next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.

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Debate Follows US Finding That Cloned Animals Are Safe

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Food safety activists say the decision was based on incomplete research into possible risks. Transcript of radio broadcast:

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

Cloned dairy cows at a farm in Maryland

The United States government has decided that food from cloned cattle, pigs and goats is safe to eat. The Food and Drug Administration also says it found no risks in meat and milk from offspring born to them.

A clone is a genetic copy of an animal prized for its quality. A laboratory process develops a cell from the animal into an embryo. The embryo is put into a female animal which, if all goes well, gives birth to the clone.

The F.D.A. looked at studies for several years before it announced its decision in a final report this month. The United States Department of Agriculture supported the findings. But it says time is needed to smooth the way for marketing meat and milk from clones. So, for now, the industry is being asked to continue a voluntary ban on such products.

The idea of eating cloned animals rates low with the American public. Several major food companies say they have no immediate plans to get involved.

The Food and Drug Administration will not require any product to be identified as coming from clones or their offspring. A producer would need approval to label a product "clone-free." The agency says that could be misleading because the food is no different from other food.

But activists argue that the F.D.A. based its decision on incomplete research into possible risks. The Center for Food Safety criticized the use of studies supplied by cloning companies.

Animal rights activists point out that cloning attempts often fail. They say cloning is cruel and can lead to suffering in clones born with abnormalities.

Congress has been trying to get the F.D.A. to do more studies. But the agency noted that experts in New Zealand and the European Union have come to the same findings about the safety of food from clones.

Japan, South Korea and Taiwan say they want to study the issue further before taking action.

Products from cloning may not be widely available for several years. Currently the United States has about six hundred animal clones.

Clones are costly, which is why most are used for breeding. The Agriculture Department says few clones will ever become food. Their traditionally bred offspring would enter the food supply instead.

The first mammal cloned from an adult cell was Dolly the sheep, born in Scotland in nineteen ninety-six. But the F.D.A. says it could not decide about the safety of food from clones of sheep or other animals besides cattle, pigs and goats.

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

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Google.org Announces Major Plans to Help the Poor

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Google.org says it will use the power of information and technology to help people improve their lives. Transcript of radio broadcast:

This is the VOA Special English Development Report.

The Internet search engine company called Google has announced it will give more than twenty-five million dollars in money and investments to help the poor. The money will be spent over the next five to ten years in several areas, including poverty reduction and private business development.

The company says the effort is to use the power of information and technology to help people improve their lives.

Aleem Walji works for Google.org -- the part of the company that gives money to good causes. He spoke to us from San Francisco, California. He said the first project to receive money will help identify where infectious diseases are developing. In Southeast Asia and Africa, for example, Google.org will work with partners to strengthen early warning systems and take action against growing health threats.

Google.org will also invest in ways to help small and medium size businesses grow. Mister Walji says microfinance is generally small, short-term loans that create few jobs. Instead, he says Google.org wants to develop ways to bring investors and business owners together to create jobs and improve economic growth.

Google.org also will work with local partners to improve public services and reduce poverty. In India, for example, the Pratham non-profit group has developed a way to identify if students are learning in school. Mister Walji says Google.org hopes to expand it and similar tools to other public services.

Google.org will also give money to help two climate change programs announced earlier this year. One of these programs studies ways to make renewable energy less costly than coal-based fuels. The other program is examining efforts to speed up common public use of electric cars.

Mister Walji says Google.org can give money called grants much like other corporate foundations. It can also invest in ideas and technologies that may or may not be profitable over time. To date, Google.org has spent seventy-five million dollars.

The creators of Google have promised to give Google.org about one percent of company profits and one percent of its total stock value every year. Aleem Walji says this amount may increase in the future.

And that’s the VOA Special English Development Report, written by Jill Moss. You can find other Development Reports at our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Steve Ember.

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Songs About Winter Are Lovely but Sad

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Many songs are about lost love, except for "Winter Wonderland." Transcript of radio broadcast:

VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Barbara Klein.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. This week on our program, we play some favorite songs about winter.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Winter hits Mount Hamilton in San Jose, California

It is winter in many parts of the world. For some areas, that means snow. Maybe even lots of snow. If you do not have to drive in it or remove it, snow can be very beautiful. When snow covers everything around you, the world looks like a "winter wonderland." That is the name of a very popular song about winter. Richard Smith and Felix Bernard wrote the song way back in nineteen thirty-four. There are hundreds of recordings of this happy song. Here is a lovely version by James Taylor.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

But winter is not always such a beautiful and happy time. It is cold outside. The wind blows to make it even colder. You try hard to keep warm. The days are shorter and darker. The sun rarely shines. The leaves on the trees are brown or have fallen to the ground. The flowers are mostly gone. It is not surprising that some people are sad in winter. And some people dream about being somewhere else where it is warm and pretty -- like the state of California. The Mamas and the Papas recorded this famous song, "California Dreamin'," in nineteen sixty-five.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

During the nineteen sixties, many other famous rock groups released songs about winter. Here is a poetic song by Simon and Garfunkel called "A Hazy Shade of Winter." They sing about life and hope and possibilities.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

In nineteen sixty-eight, the group Blood, Sweat and Tears recorded this gentle, sad song about winter. They sing about a lost love and forgotten memories in "Sometimes in Winter."

A day of sledding at Washington Park in Laramie, Wyoming

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

In the early nineteen nineties, Tori Amos wrote and recorded this beautiful song called "Winter." She sings about when she was a child.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Gordon Lightfoot wrote and recorded another sad and lovely song about winter in nineteen seventy-five. Sarah McLachlan recorded "Song for a Winter's Night" for an album in two thousand six. She sings about reading a love letter and wishing the writer were with her now.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Finally, on a happier note comes this song written and recorded by Fountains of Wayne in two thousand three. They sing about a snowstorm in a New England town. Nothing unusual there. But instead of being sad or tense about the snow, they write a song about it. We leave you with "Valley Winter Song."

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This program was written by Shelley Gollust and produced by Caty Weaver. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And I’m Barbara Klein. Our programs are online with transcripts and MP3 files at voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

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Martin Luther King, Jr., 1929-1968: The Civil Rights Leader Organized the March on Washington, DC in 1963

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About two hundred fifty thousand people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial to demand more jobs and freedom for black Americans. Transcript of radio broadcast:

ANNOUNCER:

People in America, a program in Special English on the Voice of America.

(MUSIC)

Today, Shep O'Neal and Warren Scheer finish the story of civil right's leader Martin Luther King, Junior.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Martin Luther King was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in nineteen twenty-nine. He began

Martin Luther King Jr.

his university studies when he was fifteen years old, and received a doctorate degree in religion. He became a preacher at a church in Montgomery, Alabama.

In nineteen fifty-five, a black woman in Montgomery was arrested for sitting in the white part of a city bus. Doctor King became the leader of a protest against the city bus system. It was the first time that black southerners had united against the laws of racial separation.

VOICE TWO:

At first, the white citizens of Montgomery did not believe that the protest would work. They thought most blacks would be afraid to fight against racial separation. But the buses remained empty.

Some whites used tricks to try to end the protest.

They spread false stories about Martin Luther King and other protest leaders. One story accused Martin of stealing money from the civil rights movement. Another story charged that protest leaders rode in cars while other protesters had to walk. But the tricks did not work, and the protest continued.

VOICE ONE:

Doctor King's wife Coretta described how she and her husband felt during the protest. She said: "We never knew what was going to happen next. We felt like actors in a play whose ending we did not know.

Yet we felt a part of history. And we believed we were instruments of the will of God".

The white citizens blamed Doctor King for starting the protest. They thought it would end if he was in prison or dead. Doctor King was arrested twice on false charges. His arrests made national news and he was released. But the threats against his life continued.

VOICE TWO:

The Montgomery bus boycott lasted three hundred eighty-two days. Finally, the United States Supreme Court ruled that racial separation was illegal in the Montgomery bus system. Martin Luther King and his followers had won their struggle. The many months of meetings and protest marches had made victory possible.

They also gave blacks a new feeling of pride and unity. They saw that peaceful protest, Mahatma Gandhi's idea of non-violence, could be used as a tool to win their legal rights.

VOICE ONE:

Life did not return to normal for Doctor King after the protest was over. He had become well known all over the country and throughout the world. He often was asked to speak about his ideas on non-violence. Both black and white Americans soon began to follow his teachings. Groups were formed throughout the south to protest peacefully against racial separation.

The civil rights movement spread so fast that a group of black churchmen formed an organization to guide it. The organization was called the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Martin Luther King became its president.

In his job, Doctor King helped organize many protests in the southern part of the United States. Blacks demanded to be served in areas where only whites were permitted to eat. And they rode in trains and buses formerly for whites only. These protests became known as "freedom rides. " Many of the freedom rides turned violent. Black activists were beaten and arrested. Some were even killed.

VOICE TWO:

In nineteen sixty-three, the black citizens of Birmingham refused to buy goods from the stores in the city. They demanded more jobs for blacks. And they demanded to send their children to white schools. The white citizens were angry and afraid, but they refused to meet the blacks' demands. The situation became tense. Many protestors were beaten and arrested. Even Doctor King was arrested. But he was not in prison for long.

The Birmingham demonstrations made international news. Whites soon saw that it was easier to meet the demands of the protestors than to fight them. Martin Luther King and his followers had won an important victory in Birmingham. It marked a turning point for the civil rights movement.

Martin Luther King recognized the importance of Birmingham. It did not mean that racial separation had ended. Some still remains today. But he felt that the battle was almost won. And he wanted to call on the nation for its support. So doctor king organized a March on Washington, D. C.

The March on Washington took place in August, nineteen sixty-three. About two

Martin Luther King Jr. gives his famous ''I Have a Dream'' speech in Washington

hundred fifty thousand persons gathered there. They came to demand more jobs and freedom for black Americans. There were to be many other marches in Washington during the nineteen sixties and early seventies. But this was the biggest up to that time.

VOICE ONE:

It was in Washington that Martin Luther King gave one of his most famous speeches. The speech is known as the "I Have a Dream Speech. " It expressed his ideas for the future. Doctor king said:

(SOUND)

VOICE TWO:

Martin Luther King received the Nobel Peace Prize in nineteen sixty-four. But he did not live to see the final results of his life's work. He was shot to death in Memphis, Tennessee, in nineteen sixty-eight.

Doctor King always felt he would die a violent death. His life had been threatened wherever he went. And he often spoke to his wife about his fears. But he never believed that his life was more important than the civil rights movement. The night before he died he spoke to his supporters. He said:

(SOUND)

(MUSIC: "We Shall Overcome")

(MUSIC)

ANNOUNCER:

You have been listening to the story of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Junior. This Special English program was written by William Rodgers. Your narrators were Shep O'Neal and Warren Scheer. I'm Doug Johnson. Listen again next week at this time for another People in America program on the Voice of America.

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Nicknames: America's 50 States (Fourth of Four Parts)

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Now, the VOA Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.

(MUSIC)

Today, we finish telling about the interesting nicknames that have been given to the fifty American states.

The state of Ohio is in the midwest. It is named The Buckeye State after a tree that produces nuts similar to chestnuts.

The Great Plains state of Oklahoma is called the Sooner State. That is because of a sale of land in eighteen eighty-nine. Some people arrived in the territory to claim their land earlier than they were supposed to. They cheated and got there "sooner."

Pennsylvania's nickname is The Keystone State. Just as a keystone holds together a stone arch, Pennsylvania was seen as holding together the young American republic. Pennsylvania is also sometimes called The Quaker State. Its founder, William Penn, and most of his followers, were members of the Protestant Quaker religion.

Rhode Island's nickname is Little Rhody because of its size. The state is smaller than the area around Los Angeles, California.

Tennessee got its nickname -- The Volunteer State -- because of the bravery of its citizens. They volunteered to join Tennessean Andrew Jackson to defend the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, against the British army in the War of Eighteen Twelve.

Texas is called The Lone Star State. It gets its nickname from the single star on its flag. This represents the short time Texas was an independent nation battling Mexico for self-rule.

The Beehive State of Utah has no more beehives than any other state. The nickname is from the Mormon Church's symbol for hard work.

The eastern state of Vermont is proud of its beautiful Green Mountains so it calls itself The Green Mountain State. The southern state of Virginia is called The Old Dominion.

Long ago, King Charles the Second of England added the colony's coat of arms to his shield. It joined his other dominions of England, Ireland, and Scotland.

West Virginia broke away from Virginia in the eighteen sixties. It is called simply The Mountain State for the ancient Appalachian mountains.

And we have saved perhaps the most American nickname for last. The western state of Wyoming was once an area where cattle were transported east. And where there are cattle, there are men -- and now women -- to move them. So Wyoming is The Cowboy State.

(MUSIC)

This VOA Special English program was written by Ted Landphair. I'm Barbara Klein. We hope you enjoyed these programs about states and their nicknames. You can find more WORDS AND THEIR STORIES at voaspecialenglish.com.

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An Earl and a Whirl: How Sandwiches and Jacuzzi Baths Got Their Names

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AA: I'm Avi Arditti with Rosanne Skirble, and this week on WORDMASTER: more from our interview with Philip Dodd, author of the new book "The Reverend Guppy's Aquarium: From Joseph P. Frisbie to Roy Jacuzzi, How Everyday Items Were Named for Extraordinary People."

RS: We left off last week at the story of how the Jacuzzi name became synonymous with whirlpool baths.

PHILIP DODD: "Roy is from a great Italian family who came over from just north of Venice, through Ellis Island, in the nineteen hundreds. And they ended up in the fruit farms of California and got into making pumps to help the farmers. They even developed one of the very first passenger planes, amazingly.

"Roy was a third-generation Jacuzzi and he came out of college in the mid-sixties in California, and his grandfather and great-uncles had developed this machine that really swirled water around your domestic bath to help ease the pains of arthritis or just a sore body. But effectively it was just like putting an outboard motor in a domestic bath.

"Roy, who had done a degree in design and engineering, thinks, 'Hold on, we can do something a lot more fun with this.' And what he particularly came up with was, if you look at the side of Jacuzzis, they have those swivel nozzles. He designed that and he worked out the way to push water through so powerfully that it created this fantastic bubble effect. And he was inspired by his Italian heritage. He had those classic Roman baths in mind."

RS: "You've got fifteen stories here. Is there a favorite among them?"

PHILIP DODD: "I'm very fond of the Earl of Sandwich because when I started writing about the sandwich and knowing that it was named after this Earl of Sandwich, a British aristocrat, I had this idea that I'd be doing a story about foppish English aristocrats.

"What I discovered was, the current earl, the eleventh earl, and his son have set up a business with, very appropriately, Robert Earl, who was one of the brains behind Planet Hollywood and Hard Rock Cafe. And they have a series of fast-food sandwich restaurants. The first one was opened in Walt Disney World in Orlando [Florida] and they're rolling it out through the States."

AA: "And were there any words that you just 'knew' were named after someone but in fact were not?"

PHILIP DODD: "I haven't come across any where I thought it was completely spurious apart from -- and this is one of the dangers of Google and the Internet, there was a Web site I came across which dealt with culinary words. And they had an entry for a country squire from England called Sir Oswald Binge, and it said he was famous for his week-long feasts and the excess, and that's where the word 'binge' came from.

"I went and had a look for that and I just couldn't find any other references. And I went back to the Web site and my suspicions were kind of aroused when I came across an entry for a guy called 'Jorge-Luis Avocado.' And it said Jorge-Luis was an Argentinean explorer and botanist, and it had a quote from his mother saying she'd much preferred him to discover something a little tastier, like baked Alaska."

RS: Philip Dodd is the author of "The Reverend Guppy's Aquarium: From Joseph P. Frisbie to Roy Jacuzzi, How Everyday Items Were Named for Extraordinary People."

AA: We talked last week about Joseph Frisbie and his Frisbie Pie Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut. College students made a game out of sailing the pie tins through the air. In the 1950's, the California toy company Wham-O renamed a plastic flying saucer the Frisbee. Wham-O employee Ed Headrick later improved the design, and the Frisbee became a big hit.

RS: Well, after our segment aired, we learned of the death of Wham-O co-founder Richard Knerr. It seems he gave two conflicting explanations for the name Frisbee. One was the pie tin game, called Frisbie-ing. But more recently he said it was named after a comic strip character named Mr. Frisbie.

AA: We e-mailed Philip Dodd in London for comment, and this was his reply: "I think it was probably a little bit of mischief-making from Rich Knerr ... The Wham-O guys often did like to amuse and bemuse ... Plus I couldn't find any proof of a Mr. Frisbie comic strip, and after visiting Bridgeport Public Library's Frisbie archive, the Wham-O offices and Ed Headrick's widow, the weight of evidence definitely supported - in my view ... the Joseph P. Frisbie version."

RS: Philip Dodd adds that he may mention this issue about the origin of the name in the next edition of his book. And that's WORDMASTER for this week. The first part of our interview is online at voanews.com/wordmaster. With Avi Arditti, I'm Rosanne Skirble.

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Hip-Hop, Jazz Meet in the Music of Chrisette Michele

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Also: A question from China about gun control laws in the United States. And learn about the VOA Pronunciation Guide. Transcript of radio broadcast:

HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

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

We listen to some music from Chrisette Michele …

Answer a listener's question about gun control in the United States …

And report about a popular service of the Voice of America.

VOA Pronunciation Guide

Every day, someone somewhere in the world uses the Internet Web site of the Voice of America Pronunciation Guide. And now, any computer sound system can be used to hear its correct pronunciations. Mario Ritter tells us more.

MARIO RITTER:

The Pronunciation Guide began as a tool for VOA announcers to show them how to pronounce names in the news. The guide lists more than six thousand names, including political leaders, scientists and other people in the news. There are also names of places and organizations.

The Web site shows the correct way to say the name and plays a recording. Let us say you need to know how to pronounce the name of Iran's President. On the Web site, you will see the name and hear:

(SOUND)

Jim Tedder

Jim Tedder is the VOA announcer who developed this online pronunciation tool. Yes, the same Jim Tedder who reads Special English news.

Jim says he updates the list several times a day, three hundred sixty-five days a year. When a new name appears in the news, Jim works quickly to find the correct pronunciation so he can add the name to the list. He gets a lot of help from people who work in this building. VOA broadcasts in forty-six languages. So he could call someone in the Chinese branch to ask how to pronounce a Chinese name. Sometimes, no one at VOA can help him. So Jim calls the person directly, if possible. Or he calls an embassy here in Washington, or a delegation at the United Nations in New York City.

The pronunciation guide is an important tool for VOA broadcasters. But it has also become extremely popular with other radio and television stations around the world. Students and teachers also use the guide. So do business people and anyone who wants to make sure they can pronounce a person's name correctly.

So how can you find the VOA Pronunciation Guide? One way is to go to the Special English Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. Click on "Other Resources" at the bottom of the left side column. Then choose "Pronunciation Guide" from the list.

Gun Control

HOST:

Our listener question today comes from China. Sean wants to know about gun control laws in the United States.

Many Americans feel very strongly about the subject of gun control. Some people believe that a person has the right to own a gun. Others believe the government must control the sale and use of guns to reduce gun violence and protect public safety. The fact that gun laws are different in every state makes the issue even more complex. Some estimates say about thirty percent of the American population own guns.

The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution is often at the center of gun control debates. It says: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

The National Rifle Association uses this amendment to support the argument that individuals have the right to own guns. However, people who support gun control laws say this amendment has been misunderstood.

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence is named for former White House press secretary Jim Brady. He was disabled by the same gunman who wounded President Ronald Reagan in 1981.

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence works to improve laws controlling guns in an effort to protect public safety. It says eighty people die each day in this country because of guns. And it says the United States leads the world in the number of deaths each year due to gun violence.

It often takes a tragedy to increase efforts to reform gun laws in the United States. For example, in the nineteen sixties President John F. Kennedy, his brother Senator Robert F. Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Junior were killed by gunfire. The Gun Control Act of nineteen sixty-eight made it illegal for criminals to buy guns. But it was not until the Brady Act of nineteen ninety-three that a person’s criminal record had to be examined before the person could buy a gun.

Last year, a troubled college student at Virginia Tech bought two guns and shot and killed thirty-two teachers and students. The twenty-three year old killer had a history of mental illness that should have prevented him from buying a gun.

Earlier this month, President Bush signed a law to improve background checks so that they include more criminal and mental health records. It is meant to prevent people with a history of dangerous mental illness from buying guns.The Supreme Court recently agreed to hear a case on guns and the meaning of the Second Amendment. It is expected to announce its decision in June.

Chrisette Michele

Chrisette Michele

Singer-songwriter Chrisette Michele's voice has set her apart from other singers her age. Some music critics say the twenty-three year old sounds like the great jazz singer Billie Holiday. Chrisette combines that sound with her love for hip-hop music. Barbara Klein plays some of her music.

BARBARA KLEIN:

Chrisette Michele first became popular in two thousand six for the songs she wrote and performed with major hip-hop artists, including Jay-Z and Nas. Although Chrisette has always valued the religious music she sings in church, she also describes herself as a child of the hip-hop culture.

The many musical influences can be heard on her album "I Am." Here she sings “Like a Dream."

(MUSIC)

When Chrisette was in high school one of her teachers introduced her to jazz music. She immediately fell in love with the music of Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra. After college, Chrisette began performing in small clubs in New York City. Music industry experts noted how she combines the influences of soulful gospel and jazz singing with energetic hip-hop beats. Here she sings "Be OK."

(MUSIC)

We leave you with another song by Chrisette Michele from her album “I Am.” Here she sings the love song “If I Have My Way.”

(MUSIC)

HOST:

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

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

Send your questions about American life to mosaic@voanews.com. Please include your full name and mailing address. Or write to American Mosaic, VOA Special English, Washington, D.C., two-zero-two-three-seven, U.S.A.

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

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Deal Reached in Washington to Aid Economy

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Bush praises proposal for $150 billion in tax rebates to middle-class Americans and tax breaks for business investment. Transcript of radio broadcast:

This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.

Last Friday, President Bush called for an economic growth package -- a plan to give a quick shot of energy to the slowing American economy. Now, the administration has an agreement with Democratic and Republican leaders in the House of Representatives.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California talks about the proposal. She is with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, right, and House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio.

President Bush called the one hundred fifty billion dollar deal, reached Thursday, the right set of policies and the right size. He urged Congress to pass it as soon as possible, saying the economy urgently needs action. He said the plan would lead to higher consumer spending and increased business investment this year.

The measures must be approved by the House and the Senate and signed into law by the president.

There are three parts to the plan:

First, it would give money in the form of tax rebates to middle-class Americans in hopes they will spend it. Individuals could receive up to six hundred dollars. Married couples could get up to twice that.

Families with children would get extra money. Money would also go to millions who do not earn enough to pay taxes.

Secondly, the plan aims to create jobs through tax breaks for business investment.

And thirdly, it seeks to strengthen the housing market. The plan would raise limits on the size of home loans that can be purchased by mortgage financers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. This would lower interest rates on those loans.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the measures are "timely, targeted and temporary" -- the three goals for an economic stimulus package. She was not totally pleased with the compromise deal but says it will help the economy. If it does not, she added, there will be more to come.

Speaker Pelosi said House leaders will bring the bill for a vote at the earliest date. The Senate, though, may try to expand the package.

Many economists worry that the world's largest economy will enter or has already entered a recession.

On Tuesday, the Federal Reserve moved to help calm financial markets in the United States, and around the world. The Federal Open Market Committee cut the federal funds rate by seventy-five basis points -- a week before it planned to meet. The move brought the rate that banks charge each other to borrow money overnight to three and one-half percent.

This was the first time the committee has cut rates between meetings since after the September eleventh terrorist attacks in two thousand one. And it may cut rates further when it meets next week.

And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report. I'm Steve Ember.

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American History Series: The Founding Fathers Meet in Philadelphia to Write a Constitution

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From the moment the convention began, James Madison kept careful records of everything everyone said. His notes were not published until 30 years later. Transcript of radio broadcast:

Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION – American history in VOA Special English. I’m Doug Johnson. Today, Tony Riggs and I continue the story of the United States Constitution.

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VOICE ONE:

In May of seventeen eighty-seven, a group of America's early leaders met in Philadelphia. They planned to amend the Articles of Confederation which provided a loose union of the thirteen American states. Instead, they wrote a completely new Constitution. That political document created America's system of government and recognized the rights of its citizens. It is still the law of the land.

VOICE TWO:

James Madison

James Madison of Virginia was the first delegate to arrive for the convention in Philadelphia.

Madison asked the other delegates from Virginia also to arrive early. He wanted to enter the convention with a plan for a strong central government. He was sure no other state would do this. Two Virginia delegates -- George Wythe and John Blair -- came early, as requested. Together, the three men worked on Madison's plan.

VOICE ONE:

The convention was to start on May fourteenth. George Washington arrived the day before. He was welcomed outside Philadelphia by a military guard and the firing of cannons.

Washington was the most famous man in America. He led the forces that won the war for independence from Britain.

The first thing Washington did in Philadelphia was to visit Benjamin Franklin. Franklin was an important political leader in America. He also was chief of Pennsylvania's delegation to the convention.

Franklin was then eighty-one years old. Age had weakened him. But his mind remained strong. Every important person who came to Philadelphia -- even the great General Washington – visited Benjamin Franklin.

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VOICE TWO:

A 1777 map of Philadelphia; at the bottom is Independence Hall

On the first day of the convention, the delegates from Virginia went to the State House where the meeting would be held. They gathered in the room where America's Declaration of Independence was signed in seventeen seventy-six.

The only other delegates there were from Pennsylvania. One was Robert Morris. He raised much of the money to fight the American Revolution. Another was Gouverneur Morris. The two men were not related.

Another Pennsylvania delegate was James Wilson. He signed the Declaration of Independence and was a member of America's early Continental Congress. Like James Madison, James Wilson wanted a strong central government for the United States.

VOICE ONE:

The men from Pennsylvania and Virginia spent that first day talking. They agreed to meet again the next morning. Nobody seemed worried that there were no delegates from the other eleven states. After all, it took two weeks to ride a horse to Philadelphia from New Hampshire in the northeast. And it took as many as three weeks to get to Philadelphia from Georgia in the south.

For a while, it seemed the other delegates would never arrive. But then they started coming one or two at a time. The delegates agreed to start the convention as soon as seven states were represented.

VOICE TWO:

New York sent three men. That was a surprise. Many people believed New York would refuse to send anyone at all. The governor of New York did not support the idea of a strong central government.

But one of the New York delegates did. He was Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton served as an assistant to General George Washington during the revolution. He firmly believed the United States needed a strong central government. In fact, some people said he wanted the country ruled by a king.

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VOICE ONE:

Day by day, more delegates arrived in Philadelphia for the convention. They included Rufus King and Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts. John Rutledge and Charles Pinckney of South Carolina. John Lansing and Robert Yates of New York. Luther Martin and James McHenry of Maryland. Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth of Connecticut.

William Few and William Pierce of Georgia. David Brearly and Jonathan Dayton of New Jersey. John Langdon and Nicholas Gilman of New Hampshire. Gunning Bedford and George Read of Delaware. Alexander Martin and William Blount of North Carolina.

Fifty-five men in all from twelve states. Pennsylvania sent the most delegates -- eight. Rhode Island sent none. A few of the delegates were very old. But many were in their twenties or thirties. The average age of the delegates was just forty-three years.

VOICE TWO:

This respected group was missing two important persons – John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. At the time, Adams was serving as America's representative to Britain. Jefferson was serving as the representative to France.

Both men expected to continue their service to the new nation. So both were extremely interested in the convention in Philadelphia. They exchanged letters with friends to learn what was happening.

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VOICE ONE:

The convention did not have seven states represented until May twenty-fifth. On that day, it finally began its work. The delegates' first task was to name a clerk to write the reports of the meetings. They chose Major William Jackson.

Major Jackson had asked George Washington to support him for the job. General Washington did so. But Major Jackson was not a good clerk. He wrote down few details of the convention. Luckily, however, James Madison did. From the moment the convention began, Madison kept careful records of everything everyone said. He never stopped writing. Other delegates took notes, including Alexander Hamilton and Rufus King. But their reports were short and not complete.

Madison's notes from the constitutional convention. Here he describes the first day's events on May 25, 1787, when George Washington was elected chairman of the convention.

If it were not for James Madison, we would know little of what happened at that historic meeting in Philadelphia in seventeen eighty-seven.

VOICE TWO:

Later, Madison explained how he did it.

"I sat in front of the president of the convention. All the other delegates were on my right and on my left. I could hear everything the president said. I could hear all the words of every delegate. I made notes only I could understand. Then, at night in my room, I wrote out completely all the speeches and acts. I attended the convention every day. I was there as long as the delegates were meeting and talking."

In his reports, Madison called himself "Mister M." He wrote down everything that was said, even the unfriendly things said by others about "Mister M."

James Madison's full records of the convention were not published until thirty years later.

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VOICE ONE:

The first important decision by the delegates was choosing a president for the convention. Several urged the others to name George Washington. The delegates agreed. Washington was their choice.

George Washington then officially opened the convention with a short speech. He thanked the delegates for naming him president. But he said the honor was too great. He asked the delegates to forgive him if he made mistakes. After all, he said, he had never been chairman of a meeting before.

With those words, George Washington sat down. And for the next four months, he spoke only when necessary.

VOICE TWO:

The first day of the convention ended well. The delegates agreed to name a small committee to write rules for the meetings. They quickly appointed three men: George Wythe of Virginia, Alexander Hamilton of New York, and Charles Pinckney of South Carolina.

So far, the business of the convention was easy. The work was done in a friendly way. It was not long, however, before a serious dispute developed.

The dispute was between the large states and the small states. How would they share power in a government of United States? Should states with bigger populations have more power than states with smaller populations?

The dispute would sharply divide the delegates for the next four months. That will be our story next week.

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VOICE TWO:

Join us again next week for THE MAKING OF A NATION, an American history series in VOA Special English. I’m Doug Johnson with Tony Riggs. Transcripts and MP3 files of our series are online at voaspecialenglish.com.

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Series on Learning Disabilities

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In the coming weeks, we will explore some disorders that interfere with learning, and talk about ways to deal with them. Transcript of radio broadcast:

This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

Today we begin a series of reports about learning disabilities.

Experts say the problem is not with intelligence or the willingness to work hard. The problem, they say, is that some people's brains process information differently.

By definition, people with learning disabilities are average or above average in their intelligence. But their disorders may affect their ability to gain knowledge and, as a result, limit their success in school or jobs.

Different people can have different kinds of learning disabilities. One person may have difficulty with language development. Another may have problems with reading or writing. Still another may have trouble working with numbers.

People can have more than one disorder, but reading is the most common area of difficulty.

Learning disabilities are neurological disorders that affect the brain's ability to store, process and communicate information. The National Center for Learning Disabilities estimates that fifteen million Americans, or five percent, are affected.

The group says three million students in the United States receive some kind of special help in school because of learning disabilities.

There are different names for different disorders. For example, a person who has difficulty reading may have dyslexia. Someone who has trouble with mathematics may have dyscalculia.

Learning disabilities may help explain why some students do not perform as well in school as intelligence tests suggest they should.

People with a learning disability may have trouble following directions. Or they may not know how to start a task. Children who have problems connecting letters with sounds or understanding what they read may be showing signs of learning disabilities.

But since these are a group of disorders, there is no one single sign to look for.

Experts say learning disabilities cannot be cured. But people can learn ways to deal with their disorders. Teachers and parents can provide support that will help students learn successfully.

In the next few weeks, we will discuss different learning disabilities as well as other disorders that interfere with learning. We will provide advice from experts about ways to deal with them. And we will examine some of the political issues raised by special education programs.

Transcripts and MP3s of our reports will be available online at voaspecialenglish.com.

And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. I'm Steve Ember.

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